Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

AP Queen and Paul Rodgers sang to an impressive audience of 350,000 people on Sept. 12 to raise money for HIV-AIDS sufferers in Ukraine, as well as raise awareness of the problem.

Fans from all over Ukraine filled the Freedom square in Kharkiv to listen to the iconic British rock band, which lost its legendary front man Freddie Mercury to an AIDS-related disease in 1991.

This was the band’s second European tour after they teamed up with Paul Rodgers, who used to sing in Free and Bad Company bands. They played the first show of their tour in Ukraine.

The open-air charity concert named “Life Must Go On!” became one of the biggest concerts in the history of Ukraine and in the 40-years long history of Queen. The following day Brian May wrote in his blog (www.brianmay.com): “We just did our first show of the tour ... ... to 350,000 people in Kharkiv ... I can hardly believe it... More than a quarter of a million beautiful Kharkiv people gathered in the City Square and rocked!!! They shouted, screamed, laughed, cried ... and gave us the most incredible reception I can imagine. Thank you, Good Folks of Ukraine!!”

The concert started at 19.30 and lasted for over two hours. Musicians performed 28 songs and two instrumental compositions, including their classics “One Vision,” “The Show Must Go On,” “Another One Bites the Dust,“ “I Want to Break Free,” “It’s a Kind of Magic,” “Love of My Life, “39,” “I’m in Love With My Car,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Radio Ga-Ga,” and other hits. The show was free for nearly everyone, except the VIP visitors who paid to get in the special fenced-out zone. Organizers said money raised by selling tickets to VIPs will be donated to the city orphanage for HIV-positive children.