11-12 July 1986, Queen performed their epic Wembley Concerts – One year after their show-stealing Live Aid performance at Wembley, Queen returned to the venue to perform two sold-out shows to 150,000 fans in only two nights. The band broke all previous attendance records during their ‘Magic’ Tour.
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“Lee and I had seen from afar that Live Aid was a tremendous success for Queen and Freddie. We were unable to attend that concert, but the ‘Kind Of Magic’ performance at Wembley Stadium was a definite go. Lee and I managed to take a week off from our jobs and were invited to stay at the recently finished and permanent home of Freddie’s. The Garden Lodge at Logan Place. This is when we met Jim Hutton for the first time and realised that Freddie was finally in love for real.
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Freddie was in great spirits for this two-day concert in London. We were given excellent seats. They must have been prime seats because in the next box over sat Mick Jagger, enjoying the concert. We left him alone, which seemed appropriate for that situation.
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The Sunday after the two concerts, in the midsummer, where the sun sets at 10pm, Freddie decided he wanted an outdoor party in the Garden. Although most people would set up a picnic table and lawn chairs, Freddie wanted more. He directed the entire dining room formal table and chairs as well as fine China to be moved out to the garden. How decadent, but how fun! It was a glorious evening with perfect weather.
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That week was the first time my boyfriend of two years met Freddie. Brandon was a bit nervous but Freddie was gracious and warm. Freddie said to Brandon almost immediately after meeting him, ‘Darling, I’ve never seen Thor like this before. Come, tell Mother everything.’ Then, off they went for about forty-five minutes for a private talk. When I asked Brandon afterward what had happened, he told me, ‘Oh my God, Freddie is so kind and so totally down to earth.’ Freddie won Brandon over and vice versa.”
Thor Arnold
Pic: Thor Arnold, Freddie, Brandon Domiteowsky (Thor’s friend) and Lee Nolan pose on the limo bus to Wembley Stadium
