Image Credit: By Electra Records via Wikimedia Commons

 

With so many concerts to choose from, it’s hard to select just a few to feature here. Since we’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of A Night at the Opera, we’ve selected a few of the most notable performances surrounding that tour, as well as one of the most emotional performances of Bohemian Rhapsody.

 

Christmas Eve at the Hammersmith Odeon 1975

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-9ERM0Jr4U&list=PL2tMgWgIvcWmnywJziFKlAs0IGCsge3ek&index=3
 
The final leg of the band’s UK tour on Christmas Eve, the Hammerstein show marked some important firsts for the band – including their first live televised performance. This was, in turn, the first time Queen ever played Bohemian Rhapsody live. The concert is so heralded for its raw energy and reflection of Queen’s rise to fame, that it is being released on DVD and Vinyl (among other formats) on Friday, November 20 2015 – a day ahead of the 40 year anniversary of A Night at the Opera.
 
 

Hyde Park, London 1976

 


 
Queen employed the help of Richard Branson to pull off a massive thank you to their British fans several months after the conclusion of their tour – a free concert at Hyde Park in London on September 18 of 1976, the anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s death. The most common estimates suggest an audience of 180,000 – which has so far gone unmatched. The show ended up running late, and according to queenlive.ca, cops threatened to have the band arrested if they continued playing.

 

 

Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness 1992

 


 
Featuring Queen, Elton John and Axl Rose – this performance of Bohemian Rhapsody at the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute concert at Wembley Stadium made it difficult for anyone to keep their composure. Held on Easter Monday, the concert acted as a tribute to the life and work of Freddie Mercury, as well as means of raising funds for The Mercury Phoenix Trust, an AIDS charity organization . The concert featured the likes of Metallica, Dep Leppard and Guns ‘n’ Roses, before the remaining members of Queen took the stage with various guest singers and guitarists.