(hennemusic) Queen pay tribute to rock pioneer Little Richard on the latest episode of the weekly series The Greatest Live. This edition highlights the group's riotous cover version of the Little Richard classic, "Tutti Frutti", from a Wembley Stadium performance on their 1986 Magic Tour, a moment that sees the lineup play with the joy of a teenage garage band.
As Brian May told Total Guitar earlier this year, the song was a fitting choice for a band who cut their teeth on the R&B trailblazer. "When I first heard Little Richard," recalls May, "it was a moment of shock, but there was also the joy of realizing that people could actually sing that way - they could scream their emotions."
Starting the song half-hidden in moody blue lighting, with Freddie Mercury supplying finger clicks and falsettos, it briefly seems the band have taken a mellow acoustic approach. Then this cover version explodes into a rocket-fuelled rhythm and blues masterclass, with Roger Taylor laying down his tambourine for thunderous drum fills, while May takes on a ferocious guitar solo. Watch closely, too, for the moment when Freddie mimes a golf swing with his sawn-off mic stand.
The 72,000-strong Wembley crowd's response says it all, with the entire stadium shouting back Tutti Frutti's gobbledygook-genius payoff: "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop, a-lop-bam-boom...!"
Watch the high-energy 1986 performance from Wembley Stadium here.
Queens Of The Stone Age Launching The Catacombs Tour
Hailey Whitters Launching Corn Queen Headline Tour
Queens of the Stone Age's Alive in the Catacombs Audio Releases Announced
Ashland Craft Delivers 'Dive Bar Beauty Queen' Album
The Kinks - The Journey - Part 3: 1977-1984 Newly Remastered
Live: Toto, Men at Work and Christopher Cross Rock Phoenix
Caught In The Act: David Lee Roth Live 2025
Russell Dickerson - Famous Back Home
RockPile: Enuff Z'Nuff and More
Heart's Ann Wilson To Tell Her Own Story With 'In My Voice' Documentary
Mudvayne Return With First New Song In 16 Years 'Hurt People Hurt People'
Miss May I Share 'Pray For Silence' Video
Black Label Society Offshoot Dark Chapel Share 'Dead Weight' Video
Singled Out: LYLVC's Barely Human
Bon Jovi Recruits Jelly Roll, Springsteen, Joe Elliott For Expanded 'Forever'
Fall Out Boy Expand 'From Under The Cork Tree' For 20th Anniversary
Bright Eyes Share 'Dyslexic Palindrome' Visualizer To Announce 'Kids Table' EP