Freddie at Wembley: the summer Queen played their last big shows
He leans back so far he should fall over, one fist on the microphone, a whole stadium behind him. Nobody watching knew it, but this was Freddie's last tour.
He is leaning back so far that by all the rules of physics he should be on the floor. One hand grips the microphone, the other arm is flung out behind him, his head is thrown back towards the sky. White trousers with a dark stripe, a jacket covered in buckles, striped trainers planted on the stage. Behind him, the stands of Wembley Stadium, full of people. In the top corner, the Queen crest.
In black and white it looks almost like a statue. In colour photos from Wembley the jacket is bright yellow, and it became one of Freddie's best-known stage looks.
Two nights in July
Queen played Wembley Stadium on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 July 1986, in the middle of the Magic Tour, which they were touring in support of A Kind of Magic. The cameras were rolling, with Gavin Taylor directing, and the Saturday film is the reason so many people feel they were there. It was shown on British TV that October, came out on video in 1990, and as the live album Live at Wembley '86 in 1992. In 2011 the Friday show finally got its own release too.
The last tour
What makes these pictures hit even harder is what came next. A few weeks after Wembley, on 9 August 1986, Queen played Knebworth Park. It turned out to be the last concert Freddie Mercury ever played with the band. There was no farewell show, no big goodbye. Nobody knew it at the time.
So when you look at Freddie here, bent back like a bow, enjoying every second, you are looking at a man at the very top of his game, in one of the final summers he spent doing what he did better than anybody: holding a stadium in the palm of his hand.
About the poster
This is a black and white photo of Freddie Mercury on stage at Wembley, printed as a large 55 × 75 cm (22 × 30 in) portrait poster, from 2023. It is an original magazine insert, never hung, with no staple holes, folded three times as issued. The sheet is double-sided, with Blind Guardian on the back.
Browse all original Queen posters.
Quick answers
When did Queen play Wembley Stadium in 1986?
On 11 and 12 July 1986, during the Magic Tour. The Saturday show was filmed and later released as Live at Wembley '86.
Was the Magic Tour Freddie Mercury's last tour?
Yes. Queen's show at Knebworth Park on 9 August 1986 turned out to be Freddie Mercury's last concert with the band.
What was Freddie wearing at Wembley?
A military-style jacket covered in buckles, bright yellow in colour photos, with white trousers and trainers.
How big is the poster?
55 × 75 cm (about 22 × 30 inches), portrait. It is a separate insert, so it has no staple holes, and it is folded three times as issued.
What is on the other side?
A Blind Guardian poster. The sheet is double-sided, so you choose which side goes on the wall.