Freddie Mercury and Tony Hadley, 1985.
Photo: Getty Images, Shelley Watson. All rights reserved.
Tony Hadley remembers a Queen concert in 1985 when he was summoned onto the stage by Freddie Mercury. A joint performance of Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” followed.
“We both partied hard,” says the former Spandau Ballet singer in the podcast “Famous Firsts” and adds: “So it was more of a pub-style version”.
“It was really a fantastic moment”
Unfortunately, there is no video of that evening, and there are only a few photos. “Back then, people didn’t have cell phones and it wasn’t allowed to film performances,” Hadley says of his April 13, 1985 guest appearance in Auckland, New Zealand. “If you were caught filming a concert, your camera, or video camera, was confiscated. That’s why there is unfortunately no video of mine and Freddie’s performance. Just the picture. […] But it was really a fantastic moment.”
Will Hadley ever join Spandau Ballet again?
In the podcast, Tony also talks about his departure from Spandau Ballet. Also about whether he could imagine becoming part of the band again. “A lot of people would be very happy about a reunion. But unfortunately it went too far.”
When the singer left the band in 2017, he gave no tangible reason for his decision. He merely mentioned that the “circumstances for the exit were beyond his control.” Again, Hadley didn’t get more specific, but did drop a few words about the behavior of his bandmates: “You twisted the truth when I saw it on TV. They know why I left, and maybe one day they’ll be honest about it too. It’s not up to me to talk about it. But it’s really sad.”
The singer continues: “You know, I feel bad for the fans too. If things had gone differently, we’d probably be doing a 40th anniversary tour ourselves. But please. So life is. It’s full of ups and downs. You grab it by the hair and move forward. That’s the most important thing, I think – to keep moving forward.”