Who has not rewatched Contagion 2011?
So, right now I am watching Queen at Live Aid in 1985. I have watched numerous Queen documentaries and the movie. There are a few performances that literally give me goosebumps and this is one of them. Some of it, is, of course, retrospective understanding the 1970s and 80s from our own time period.
Growing up in the 1970s, I knew Freddie was gay, and I knew other rock stars were gay, and I really did not understand what to think about that. In middle school, a common put-down was you are a “faggot.” By the time I got to high school, I started to understand how powerfully hurtful that was. While not being perfect my thinking evolved to being caring and pushing back against those who used that and other derogatory terms.
So, back to the show. If you watch it, you can see how it perfectly fits the times. We were at the beginning of a crisis we did not understand. In the end, when he did that show, Freddie was dying. Some artists burn like a shooting star, he was one of them. His voice quality was operatic. His ability to entertain, with a wink, was unmatched. On another note, as for the band Queen, I consider Brian May to be one of the most underrated guitarists of all time.
– Rob Haley
