Queen - Freddie Mercury's Final Concert (Knebworth, 1986)

Gathered in the grounds of Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire on August 9th, the crowd of 120,000 could never have imagined this would be Freddie Mercury’s last performance with Queen. I’d first seen them supporting Mott The Hoople, and photographed the band at venues across the UK and Scandinavia. The band’s manager Jim ‘Miami’ Beach offered me a seat in a helicopter alongside a film crew, but despite their presence, no footage exists of Queen’s final show.

Queen flew in from Battersea Heliport beside The Thames in west London, their helicopter emblazoned with the Magic Tour logo. Queen’s PR, Lady Rowena Meade - better known as Roxy - orchestrated a loan of the aircraft through her brother’s ties to the Hanson conglomerate. I took off from Knebworth helipad and flew towards London, over gridlocked traffic sitting at a standstill on the A1 from London.

Catching sight of Queen’s incoming aircraft, we turned to create a synchronised aerial pas de deux. Below the whir of rotor blades, I wondered how to immortalise an unrepeatable moment. Could I frame their helicopter above the throng? Would I run out of film? Might I drop a lens through the open door?

The grandeur of Knebworth House, constructed in 1490 and remodelled in the mid 19th Century - and Queen’s adoring mass - hove into view, prompting a discreet plea to the pilot for a gentle ascent. The Magic helicopter would fly on regardless, so there would be one opportunity to frame a magical image. With aircraft and lens aligned, fate bowed graciously, delivering ‘the money shot’, a world exclusive that would grace the centrefold of Queen’s ‘Live Magic’, released after this final tour by one of the world’s biggest bands.

After my flight over the crowd, I rejoined my friends. One enquired:

“Did you see me?”

“In a crowd of 120,000 people?”

“But I waved.”

Knebworth House and Park in 1976 hosted The Rolling Stones, my first outdoor concert. Support act Lynyrd Skynyrd’s lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and five others would perish the next year when their chartered Corsair 240 crashed in Mississippi. Oasis, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd also headlined Knebworth, where in 2003 Robbie Williams played three nights to a total audience of 375,000.