Freddie Mercury, Live Aid, and Teenage Evolution: Reflecting on Change and Building Tomorrow

Image by Yves from Pixabay

Watching the culmination of Bohemian Rhapsody, the movie, I was transported back to 13 July 1985 when Live Aid was played live to audiences at Wembley stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, which aired to millions of people around the world. An estimated 40% of the world’s population watched that day.

Queen stole the show, Freddie Mercury’s usual exuberant performance was entirely memorable in his blue jeans, white vest top and studded arm band; the movie did well to replicate the details. I knew all Queen’s songs well, my mum was an avid fan, and I vividly remember her exclaiming at his performance that day “look at that body (in its magnificence), he’s not gay!” The world has come a long way since.

As my thirteen year old self sat glued to the screen, I remember thinking:
•             “of course he’s gay”
•             “despite the vigor, there’s sadness here”

Perhaps this was a glimmer of the kind of intuition I’ve always taken for granted, perhaps it was just glaringly obvious. Certainly when Freddie and Brian May returned later in the concert to perform Is This the World We Created, the melancholy was palpable and well placed.

Nostalgia washed over me as I thought about that summer. My thirteen year old self had just been abroad with our swim team, to Schweinfurt in Germany. We had driven along the fence lines that divided East and West Germany and, that too, had made me think about the privileges, inequities and bigger context of life.

In the microcosm of my world, the swim team, my best friends and my on-again/off-again boyfriend were the central themes of my life. My parents were away on our usual annual vacation when I returned from Germany, so I stayed with my grandparents for a while. I remember that time with fondness, and a tinge of sadness, as it turned out to be their last summer (both died the following year).

In a classic case of “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone”, the dawn of my teens was, in many ways, idyllic and a time of huge change.

And so it is now for my children who are moving into that stage of life. Going into high school is an adjustment from the relatively sheltered and wholesome school years prior. With tales from the playground of physical fights, bathrooms claimed by vaping and bullying, not to mention disturbing rumors of coerced acts shared online without consequences, the whole experience has proven more aggressive than anticipated.

No parent wants this experience for our kids. In fact, despite the almost four decades that have passed and my own experience having taken place on the opposite side of the world, not a lot has changed in that regard. The exception to this being, of course, technology and social media.

The microcosm of their world isn’t that different either, with life revolving around friends and romantic interests. But the wider world and its inequities are starting to enter the picture. And I am haunted by the chorus Freddie Mercury and Brian May sang at Live Aid:

Is this the world we created?
What did we do it for?
Is this the world we invaded
Against the law?
So it seems in the end
Is this what we’re all living for today?
The world that we created

How can so much yet so little have changed in four decades? We live in a world whose core systems and structures are still deeply flawed and bias. Schools have the same systemic issues, court systems remain oblivious to trauma (unless it’s blatant physical or sexual abuse), politics is a shambles, medical practitioners have become more squeezed in their ability to provide common sense health care, and the mentality now is simply to match a pharmaceutical solution to any ailment.

And with the introduction of social technology en mass, our collective attention seems far too entranced by the readily dispensed dopamine hits that deliver yet another way for us all to tap out of being present to and addressing these systemic issues. Just as our teens are becoming aware of the privileges, inequities and bigger context of life, we seem to be providing more ways to ignore it all.

Where is all this going to get us in another four decades?

About eight years ago, with a young family at home, I had a magical evening that took me back to that time in my teenage years once again. When Queen toured with Adam Lambert in 2014, playing at Auckland’s Vector Arena, I was drank in every second of the sounds, atmosphere and energy.

It was in fact the first time Queen had played in New Zealand since 1985, the same year as Live Aid. Although not a huge fan of reality TV, I had somehow come across the eighth season of American Idol back in 2009. Adam Lambert was the sole reason I kept watching, his vocal range and song interpretations were nothing short of exciting to listen to. Performing with Queen, Adam didn’t try to be Freddie, no one could be Freddie Mercury, but he was uniquely Adam, and played homage to Freddie in a way I think so few ever could.

I think this is the key to change on a mass scale. It starts with each and every one of us being uniquely us. That time in my life was also a turning point, it marked the end of my corporate life where I had tried to be everything to everyone, where I had come to realise that real change and transformation comes from within. It was the beginning of the journey to me.

I realised I might not be able to make change en mass, but I could be the best – and most authentic version – of me and I could hold the space in which my children could also be their authentic selves. I’ve discovered that many of the dysfunctional patterns I see in our world reflect the collective dysfunctional patterns within each of us, so through introspection and practice the things that are holding us back (and therefore hold our world back) can slowly be set free.

The bad habits we have, the unhelpful patterns we repeat in relationships, our “not enough” or “too much”, our pain and guilt, our anger and frustration, all of it can be eased, stood down. Instead of building more walls it’s time to take them down, just as the Berlin wall came down four years after I saw it’s extended border, there are walls within us that were built to keep us safe once upon an time but no longer serve us.

Just as Freddie Mercury's performance at Live Aid and my own teenage experiences offered profound insights, each of us has a past that holds valuable lessons. In a world where systemic issues often mask our true selves, embarking on a journey of introspection to dismantle the inner walls that hinder our growth can be invaluable. Real change begins within. By addressing what holds us back, we contribute to collective transformation.

What significant personal and cultural events were happening when you were thirteen? How did those pivotal moments shape you? Are there unhelpful patterns and behaviors you still see repeating in your life? Ask yourself about recurring themes in your relationships, your responses to stress, and steps to foster authenticity. Embrace introspection and let it guide you toward a more authentic life, breaking down inner walls just as the Berlin Wall fell, to shape a better world for future generations.

If you enjoyed reading this, you may enjoy Normal Is Dysfunctional That Is the Growth Opportunity, How Can I Create a Better World?, Who were you at 22…what advice would you give your younger self?, Leaders Who Walk the Talk and Are Interested in People and Self Empowerment and Navigating Life's Balancing Act Authentically with Pink and Intuition. To be the first to receive these posts, you can also opt to subscribe to my blog.