Queen: Freddie Mercury and Brian May's private hotel jam session from 1986 is magnificent

7 October 2022, 14:33

Vintage video footage of Brian May and Freddie Mercury in an impromptu jam session gives an inside look at the close bond between the Queen bandmates.

Queen's Freddie Mercury and Brian May jamming in 1986 is a rare glimpse of the rock stars behind closed doors.

In the clip Freddie can be seen practising the traditional Hungarian folk song 'Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt' that he will later sing live in front of 100,000 people at the band's famous Budapest concert.

Accompanied by Brian May on an acoustic guitar, a bare-footed Freddie is seen in a tank top and shorts as he practises the difficult song.

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The pair were on tour in Hungary ahead of the Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest concert in Budapest on July 27, 1986, when the intimate moment took place.

Sadly, the huge night in the Hungarian capital was one of the final stops on The Magic Tour, Queen's last tour with Freddie Mercury as their frontman.

Coming just a year after their famous Live Aid performance, the concert was unusual as Queen were one of the few bands from the West to perform in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.

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Freddie Mercury and Brian May jamming in Budapest 1984

Fans packed Budapest's Népstadion (“people's stadium") to hear the band perform hits including 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'We Are the Champions', 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', 'We Will Rock You', and 'Radio Ga Ga'.

Queen also performed Hungarian folk songs 'Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt' and 'Tutti Frutti', and Brian May gave a mesmerising guitar solo.

The video comes after the emergence of another clip from the Hungarian trip, where Freddie Mercury is seen practising the folk song with 'soulmate' Mary Austin.

Watch Freddie Mercury singing a Hungarian folk song in Budapest, 1986 below:

Queen - Tavaszi szél vizet áraszt (Hungarian song) - Live in Budapest 27 July 1986

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The two were being interviewed ahead of the concert in Budapest when the touching moment took place.

Mary Austin often accompanied Freddie on tour and even worked for his management company, later saying: "All my lovers asked me why they couldn’t replace Mary, but it’s simply impossible.

"The only friend I’ve got is Mary, and I don’t want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage."