The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert

This concert honoring the late Queen frontman and rock icon was a major entry in the age of mega-productions that began in 1985 with Live Aid. Organized by surviving Queen members Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, the show marked the establishment of the Mercury Phoenix Trust for AIDS education and research (Mercury died from AIDS in November, 1991). Presented in April 1992 at London's Wembley Stadium before an audience of 72,000, the opening act included tribute performances by Metallica, Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses, and others, while the main show found Queen playing as the house band for the likes of Roger Daltrey (“I Want It All”), Robert Plant (“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”), Seal (“Who Wants to Live Forever”), Liza Minnelli (“We Are the Champions”), and others. The 30-plus performances of primarily Queen and Mercury compositions here are topped by a pair of duets: Annie Lennox and David Bowie on “Under Pressure” and Elton John and Axl Rose on “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and LPCM stereo, extras include a 10th anniversary documentary, and rehearsal footage. Recommended. (T. Fry)