Having the opportunity to play London’s Wembley Stadium, Paramore‘s Hayley Williams used the stage to pay musical tribute to Queen‘s Freddie Mercury with an epic callback.
The band were performing during one of Taylor Swift‘s Eras tour stops when Williams decided to have a little fun. Stepping out onto a runway leading out to the audience, Williams told the crowd, “I’ve got one minute to try something and I need you to help me.”
The singer, who was sporting a white T-shirt and faded blue jeans similar to what Mercury wore at Live Aid, then decided to run through Mercury’s “Ayo” vocal warm-ups with the crowd.
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Showing the range of her voice, Williams ended the run with a long-held note that wowed the audience and also earned cheers from her bandmates who were taking a break back on the main stage. Watch video of the tribute shared by the band on Instagram below.
Freddie Mercury at Live Aid
Widely regarded as one of the greatest live performances in history, Queen’s set at London’s Wembley Stadium in 1985 as part of Live Aid was a showcase for Mercury’s talents as a frontman.
Whether it be sitting at the piano, running around the stage with boundless energy or leading the audience in sing-alongs, Mercury had true control of the crowd during the performance. This was on display especially after the second song “Radio Ga Ga” when Mercury did a call-and-response with the crowd running through his vocal warm-ups. You can revisit that moment below.
Queen’s Freddie Mercury Vocal Warmups at Live Aid
The London show was the final date of Paramore’s summer tour with Swift through the U.K. and Europe.
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Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff