Wembley Stadium

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Lore & Background

The concert at Wembley Stadium on 12 July 1986 was part of Queen's Magic Tour. The recorded concert was first broadcast as Queen: Real Magic on a special episode for the British music show The Tube on 25 October 1986 on Channel 4. This was transmitted in mono, but simultaneously broadcast over the radio in stereo so that viewers could mute their televisions and play the audio on a nearby radio, enjoying 'the world's first ever stereo simulcast.' The original concert started at 4.00pm with tickets costing £14.50. Four bands performed in the following order: INXS, The Alarm, Status Quo, and Queen.

In Their Own Story

The recording was first commercially released in December 1990 as an edited VHS (missing 9 songs), then as the Live at Wembley '86 audio CD in 1992. This was followed by a DVD release as Queen: Live at Wembley Stadium (in its entirety) to coincide with the CD rerelease in 2003. The DVD has gone five times platinum in the United States, four times platinum in the United Kingdom, and achieved multi platinum status around the world. On 5 September 2011, the 25th Anniversary Edition of the concert was released as a standard 2-DVD set and a deluxe 2-DVD and 2-CD set which also included the entire Friday, 11 July 1986 concert on DVD for the first time. Eagle Rock Entertainment released a 25th anniversary edition in the US and Canada on 12 March 2013.

Reader's Guide

The concert's setlist on disc one includes: One Vision, Tie Your Mother Down, In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited, Seven Seas of Rhye, Tear It Up, A Kind of Magic, Under Pressure, Another One Bites the Dust, Who Wants to Live Forever, I Want to Break Free, Impromptu, Brighton Rock Solo, Now I'm Here, Love of My Life, Is This the World We Created?, (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care, Hello Mary Lou, Tutti Frutti, Gimme Some Lovin', Bohemian Rhapsody, Hammer to Fall, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Big Spender, Radio Ga Ga, We Will Rock You, Friends Will Be Friends, We Are the Champions, and God Save the Queen. Disc two includes Road to Wembley features: Brian May and Roger Taylor interview (2003) (28 mins), Gavin Taylor (Director) and Gerry Stickells (Tour Manager) interview (19 mins), A Beautiful Day – Rudi Dolezal's backstage documentary about the whole day (30 mins), and Tribute to the Wembley Towers – including timelapse demolition footage set to 'These Are the Days of Our Lives (Instrumental)' (5 mins). Unseen Magic features 'Friday Concert Medley' – highlights package of the previous night's show (28 mins) including A Kind of Magic, Another One Bites The Dust, Tutti Frutti, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Are The Champions (ending), and God Save The Queen. Also includes Rehearsals (10 mins) and Picture Gallery (5 mins). Queen cams presents 4 tracks in multi-angle Brian, Roger, John and Freddie cams: One Vision, Under Pressure, Now I'm Here, and We Are the Champions. Audio is PCM Stereo & DTS 5.1 Surround Sound.

Did You Know?

• The concert was originally broadcast as 'Queen: Real Magic' on a special episode of the British music show The Tube on 25 October 1986 on Channel 4.
• It was transmitted in mono on TV but simultaneously broadcast over the radio in stereo, described as 'the world's first ever stereo simulcast'.
• The original concert started at 4.00pm with tickets costing £14.50.
• Four bands performed: INXS, The Alarm, Status Quo, and Queen.
• The first commercial release in December 1990 was an edited VHS missing 9 songs.