—————————————————— 10 Iconic Final Concerts Plus The End Of Beatlemania | Rocks Off | Houston | Houston Press | The Leading Independent News Source in Houston, Texas

Classic Rock Corner

10 Iconic Final Concerts Plus The End Of Beatlemania

Page 6 of 6

1. Queen Final Performance: August 9, 1986

Onstage, Queen's Freddie Mercury was Superman. The ultimate frontman, he was simply born to rock stadiums, and during the band's 1986 Magic Tour, Mercury was at the top of his game. More than one million fans bought tickets to the tour's 26 European dates, making it one of the largest rock tours in history.

The tour isn't remembered for its size, of course. Today, it's remembered as Queen's last tour with Mercury before he died of an AIDS-related illness in 1991. No one knew that would or even could happen one day soon at what turned out to be the original band's final concert at Knebworth Park, however. There, everything was still golden, with 120,000 fans witnessing the end of one of rock and roll's greatest live eras. Mercury himself managed to go out as true rock royalty, wearing a crown and cape during the show's encore.

KEEP THE HOUSTON PRESS FREE... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.
Nathan Smith
Contact: Nathan Smith