10 Greatest Hard Rock Moments On Live TV
5. Freddie Mercury Singing With His Voice Shot
The boundaries of live TV means that you have to maintain some heir of professionalism. No matter how much you think you have to master your credentials as a rock star, it only takes a few slipups for someone to never want to hire you again because of how undependable you can be. Even with a shattered voice box though, you can never count out Freddie Mercury.
Being one of the only times Queen performed on SNL, the gig spelled disaster in the days leading up to it. Getting into a shouting match with his partner the night before showtime, Mercury had completely blown his voice out and had to face singing their trademark song Under Pressure. At a time when most artists reschedule, Mercury figured that the show must go on.
Taking the stage anyway, you can tell that Freddie is determined to get the performance right, even testing the waters for what notes he can and can't hit that night. Instead of going for the booming high note towards the end of the song, Freddie keeps things in check and goes for a lower register with the same amount of power he's had all night. Considering this was the man who was able to command a stage of millions at Live Aid, most rock fans probably wouldn't expect anything less than this kind of behavior.