ABBA, Queen and Pink Floyd: the story of legendary concerts at Wembley

“Wembley” – a national treasure of England, the main stadium of the country and the second in Europe by the number of seats (90 thousand, “Camp Nou” in Barcelona – 99 thousand). Since its opening in 1923, the capacity of “Wembley” has decreased and increased, but its importance for the sports world has always remained consistently high. The legendary Pele once even called the stadium “the cathedral of soccer”. But the London arena is also a mecca for musicians and their fans. To perform at Wembley means to stand alongside such stars of the music industry as Pink Floyd, Queen, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Elton John, Eminem and Beyoncé.

The first concert at Wembley took place in 1969. The famous prog-rock band Yes performed in front of the London audience. Three years later the stadium hosted the grandiose festival The London Rock and Roll Show, during which Joe Brown, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley & His Comets, MC5 and many others took the stage. The program concluded with an extravaganza performance by Chuck Berry. And in 1973, the movie The London Rock and Roll Show premiered, in which Mick Jagger can be spotted, as well as the future manager of the cult punk rock band Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren, selling T-shirts in one of the stalls.

November 9, 1979, ABBA

One of their best performances, according to fans and critics alike, the Swedish super foursome performed exactly at Wembley. In 1986, when ABBA’s popularity had already waned, the band released the album ABBA Live, which consists almost entirely of recordings of the memorable London concert.

July 13, 1985, Live Aid

Live Aid was a music festival organized to raise funds for the starving in Ethiopia. It was this festival that brought Wembley to world music fame. The event was attended by 82 thousand people, and the broadcast of the concert was watched by about 2 billion people in 150 countries. The festival was attended by Queen, David Bowie, U2, Sting, Dire Straits, The Who, Elton John, Paul McCartney and others. The most memorable moment to this day is the performance of Queen, which fans voted as the best at Live Aid. The creators of the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which tells about the history of the band, almost entirely recreated the legendary performance of Queen at Wembley.

July 16, 1988, Michael Jackson

Of course, the King of Pop couldn’t stay away from the other stars of the scene. In 1988, Jackson delighted his British fans and listed Wembley as part of a world tour in support of his super-successful album Bad. Even the “Queen of Hearts” Princess Diana and Prince Charles came to see Michael perform in front of a 72,000-seat stadium filled to capacity. In this regard, Jackson decided to remove the hit “Dirty Diana” (slutty Diana) from the set list of the London concert, so as not to offend the royal family. However, the princess herself asked Michael before the concert if the song would be played, and when she heard a negative answer, she was upset, as it was her favorite song. With too little time left before the concert, Jackson was unable to change the approved set list, and “Dirty Diana” was never played at Wembley that night.

August 5-6, 1988, Pink Floyd

The performance of the legendary rock band Pink Floyd as part of their “A Momentary Lapse Of Reason Tour” was memorable for all those who came to see them for the insane symbiosis of music and light, immersing them in a very special all-consuming psychedelic atmosphere. The Pink Floyd concert is another milestone in the history of Wembley, further increasing the stadium’s authority in music circles.

July 1, 2007, Concert for Diana

“Concert for Diana” was a concert organized by Prince William and Prince Harry in 2007 in honor of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, on her 46th birthday. That year marked 10 years since her tragic death. Such notable musicians as Elton John, Pharrell Williams, Bryan Ferry, Rod Stewart, Kanye West, P. Diddy and others took to the stage of the renovated Wembley. One of the concert’s participants was David Beckham, who was announcing the entrance of British pop-rock band Take That to the stage.

July 16, 17, 2007, Muse

Muse’s “HAARP” concert was voted by the British people as the most impressive event in the history of Wembley in a poll by the English Football Association. Is there anything else to add here? The performance was simply magical, take a look for yourself.

June 1, 2, 2019, BTS

The latest concert to take over Wembley took place on June 1-2. World-renowned Korean boy pop group BTS played two days in a row, packing out a full stadium both times. Tickets for both shows sold out in an hour and a half, with BTS becoming the first Korean band to manage to pack the UK’s main arena.

Looking back at a number of concerts held at the stadium, it’s clear that Wembley has been one of the most prestigious venues for half a century, not only for footballers, but also for performers and their fans. Several generations have grown up with recordings of Wembley concerts, and young musicians are still striving to conquer this legendary arena.