Queen Live
QUEEN LIVE
Complete Concertography
I have named the tours after actual tour names and after albums and locations of the tours.
The band line-up [1970-1986]
Freddie Mercury - lead vocals, piano, acoustic and electric guitar, tambourine, synths
Brian May - electric and acoustic guitar, backing vocals, banjo, piano, keyboards
Roger Taylor - drums, backing vocals, tambourine, timpani
John Deacon - bass guitar, triangle, guitar, (maybe occasional backing vocals).
In sound and vision, Queen were distinctive, a rock band combining a unique diversity and range, both on record and on stage. In concert, Queen were known for their large sound systems and lighting rigs and impressive pyrotechnics. Allied to the extravagant costumes worn on stage and the flamboyance and showmanship of the performers, Queen concerts were characteristically theatrical. In addition to the quality of the musicianship, Freddie Mercury was the greatest frontman in the history of rock and pop. If, in terms of musical ability, he was much more than a showman, he was nevertheless one of the greatest showmen that ever existed.
Queen developed a sound and style that was made for stadium rock, and played a key role in the development of that genre. Whatever one thinks of stadium rock - and many dismiss it as empty and bloated, the attainment of spectacle at the expense of substance - Queen were masters of the art. Many Queen songs were grand, ambitious, and theatrical, with hooks and sweeping choruses that simply begged - and received - audience participation: 'In the Lap of the Gods,' 'Teo Torriate,' 'We Will Rock You,' 'We Are the Champions,' 'Radio Ga Ga' and many more. Queen's triumph at Live Aid, where the band had the 72,000 non-Queen crowd singing, clapping, and swaying in unison, was the product of years of meticulous thought, preparation, and practice in concert. Queen's performance at Live Aid has been voted the greatest ever live show by a large selection of musicians and critics. Anyone who knows the history of Queen in concert will be able to offer several performances of comparable quality from every stage of the band's career. The first journalists who covered Queen live early on noticed immediately their ability on stage.
Overview
In the list below, I have documented and dated some 679 concerts. Whilst the band's live performances in the early years were explicitly hard rock - loud and heavy and often very fast paced - the band soon developed a more varied and, in time, more pop sound (in the manner of that distinctively Queen pop, there really is something unique about hearing Queen perform 'The Millionaire Waltz' and 'Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon' in the middle of a loud and rocking set in the US). There is no radical break in the development of Queen. They could rock as loud and as heavy at the end as they ever did at first, whilst many of the trademark styles and acts for which the band came to be known are also apparent in the early shows (listen to the tendency to run tracks together in a medley, listen to Freddie Mercury's interaction with the crowd, the grandstanding, the showcasing of the guitar. The Queen style is all of one piece, just developed in its infinite varieties. Freddie Mercury dressed - and acted - in a flamboyant style, engaging the crowd to lead a call and response sing-along. At some point midway, Brian May and Roger Taylor would have an instrumental interlude. The drum solos faded away in the 1980s (they were expected back in the day, but Roger Taylor seemed not to care for them. I chalk it up as at least one worthy victory for punk rock.) But Brian May continued to offer a lengthy and elaborate guitar solo, showcasing his skills in creating a layered, guitar orchestration by way of a multiple-delay effect. Another distinguishing trait of the Queen live performance worthy of note was Freddie Mercury's theatrics using his 'bottomless mic' gimmick. This was said to have been discovered by accident when Mercury was performing with one of his first bands, either 'Ibex' or 'Wreckage,' possibly in my home town of St Helens, but just as likely in Widnes. (I tell that story elsewhere). In the 1980s, Queen would take the stage with an extra keyboardist on synths, other than Mercury on piano. A medley of 1950s rock 'n' roll songs was also performed at the end of a Queen concert, something they started doing in their first concerts and which survived to their last concerts. It was a means of winding down and loosening up as well as serving as a kind of encore.
The set-list for each Queen concert evolved over time, of course, in tandem with the band's latest hits and albums and developing style. Certain staples emerged at certain times, some tracks being dropped in favour of others performing a similar function, sometimes being recovered at a later date. Concert length also extended over time. The Queen show was always immense in sound, ambitious, too. In the end, concert length stretched to two hours or more.
Many Queen concerts were recorded on videotape to give us a permanent record of the band as a live act. The claims of Queen being one of the greatest live acts in the history of rock and pop are not exaggerated. The evidence is there, and from every stage of the band's career. I have some forty videos of Queen in concert, among them the concerts at the Rainbow Theatre (1974), Hammersmith Odeon (1975), Hyde Park (1976), Earls Court (1977), The Summit (1977), the Hammersmith Odeon (1979), the Milton Keynes Bowl (1982) and Wembley Stadium (1986). Outside of official release there is also a great deal of footage from many other shows, especially from Japan in 1975/1976 and Europe in 1978/1979.
As a lifelong Elvis fan, I was interested to read that Lisa Marie Presley has declared that the very first rock concert she attended was when Queen played at The Forum in Inglewood, California (some say Los Angeles). She gave Freddie Mercury a scarf of her father's after the show, and expressed her love of the band's 'theatrics.' As she says, 'I saw them in 1978 or 1979 at The Forum. I remember bringing Freddie Mercury a scarf of my Dad's and I gave it to him after the show. I loved it. I loved the theatrics. I loved Freddie. I thought Queen were awesome. I'm a big fan of theatrics.' Me too.
https://www.popentertainment.com/lisamariepresley.htm
The Forum is in Inglewood, California. Queen played there twelve times, in 1977, 1978, 1980, and 1982. On a personal note, I have to mention the Queen 'Live Killers' album from 1979. This was the first time I received a non-Elvis record for my main Christmas present. It was a significant moment, as I transitioned from the King to Queen. But it's good to know that the move had the approval of Elvis' daughter, an assent that was given at pretty much the same time.
Early Tours 1970-1973
Tour itinerary [43 concerts]
27.06.1970 Truro, UK
18.07.1970 London, UK
25.07.1970 Truro, UK
23.08.1970 London, UK
04.09.1970 London, UK
16.10.1970 London, UK
23.10.1970 London, UK
30.10.1970 St. Helens, UK
31.10.1970 Liverpool, UK
14.11.1970 Hertford, UK
05.12.1970 Egham, UK
10.12.1970 London, UK
18.12.1970 St. Helens, UK
19.12.1970 St. Helens, UK
08.01.1971 London, UK
09.01.1971 Ewell, UK
19.02.1971 London, UK
20.02.1971 London, UK
02.07.1971 Surrey, UK
11.07.1971 London, UK
17.07.1971 Penzance, UK
19.07.1971 Hayle, UK
24.07.1971 Wadebridge, UK
29.07.1971 Penzance, UK
31.07.1971 Truro, UK
02.08.1971 Hayle, UK
09.08.1971 St. Agnes, UK
12.08.1971 Truro, UK
14.08.1971 Culdrose, UK
17.08.1971 Truro, UK
21.08.1971 Truro, UK
06.10.1971 London, UK
09.12.1971 Epsom, UK
31.12.1971 Twickenham, UK
28.01.1972 London, UK
10.03.1972 London, UK
24.03.1972 London, UK
06.11.1972 London, UK
20.12.1972 London, UK
09.04.1973 London, UK
13.07.1973 Basingstoke, UK
23.07.1973 London, UK
03.08.1973 Newcastle, UK
Whilst the nascent and emergent Queen played a number of gigs in and around London in the early seventies, the evidence indicates that the band's first performance was on 27 June 1970 at Truro in England. Whilst Truro in Cornwall may strike many as an unlikely venue for Queen, it makes complete sense given that it is drummer Roger Taylor's birthplace.
In terms of setlists, Queen were known to play some Smile tracks in those early concerts (Doing Alright, for one), alongside a couple of their own original tracks from their still unreleased debut LP (Keep Yourself Alive, Liar, Great King Rat, Modern Times Rock'n'roll, Son And Daughter). They also played the well-known and well-loved but still unreleased track Hangman, along with other gems such as an early version of Stone Cold Crazy, Jesus and Night Comes Down. The concerts ended with a rock'n'roll medley.
I shall give the setlist for my home town of St Helens, December 18, 1970 (College of Technology; St. Helens, England)
Setlist:
Stone Cold Crazy; Liar; Keep Yourself Alive; Doin' Alright; Great King Rat; Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll; Hangman; Rock 'n' Roll medley
Source: queenlive.ca
Queen I Tours 1973
Tour itinerary [35 concerts]
13.09.1973 London, UK
12.10.1973 Sunderland, UK
13.10.1973 Bonn, Germany
14.10.1973 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
20.10.1973 London, UK
26.10.1973 London, UK
02.11.1973 London, UK
12.11.1973 Leeds, UK
13.11.1973 Blackburn, UK
15.11.1973 Worcester, UK
16.11.1973 Lancaster, UK
17.11.1973 Liverpool, UK
18.11.1973 Hanley, UK
19.11.1973 Wolverhampton, UK
20.11.1973 Oxford, UK
21.11.1973 Preston, UK
22.11.1973 Newcastle, UK
23.11.1973 Glasgow, UK
25.11.1973 Edinburgh, UK
26.11.1973 Manchester, UK
27.11.1973 Birmingham, UK
28.11.1973 Swansea, UK
29.11.1973 Bristol, UK
30.11.1973 Bournemouth, UK
01.12.1973 Southend, UK
02.12.1973 Chatham, UK
06.12.1973 Cheltenham, UK
07.12.1973 Cheltenham, UK
08.12.1973 Liverpool, UK
14.12.1973 London, UK (1st gig)
14.12.1973 London, UK (2nd gig)
15.12.1973 Leicester, UK
21.12.1973 Taunton, UK
28.12.1973 Liverpool, UK
27.01.1974 Sunbury, Australia
The Golders Green show was recorded and broadcasted by BBC. Six tracks are available in bootlegged form (Procession, Father To Son, Son And Daughter, See What A Fool I've Been, Ogre Battle and Liar). The rock'n'roll medley (Jailhouse Rock, Stupid Cupid, Be Bop A Lula) was leaked in 2002. The remainder (Big Spender, Bama Lama Bama Lou) is in the BBC archives (= available but not widely spread).
Stone Cold Crazy was also in the setlist, although only released on disc in 1974. The version performed in the early concerts is said to have been "slower" than the version released on the 'Sheer Heart Attack' album. We have to take such accounts at their word since there is, to the best of my knowledge, no early recording of this track existent.
Typical setlist
01. Procession; 02. Father To Son; 03. Son And Daughter; 04. Ogre Battle; 05. Hangman; 06. Keep Yourself Alive; 07. Liar; 08. Jailhouse Rock; 09. Shake Rattle And Roll; 10. Stupid Cupid; 11. Be Bop A Lula; 12. Jailhouse Rock (reprise); 13. Big Spender; 14. Bama Lama Bama Loo
Tracks played rarely
Stone Cold Crazy (different slow version); Great King Rat; Modern Times Rock'n'roll (instead of Bama Lama Bama Lou); See What A Fool I've Been; I'm A Man (different fast version)
Queen - Queen II Tours
Queen II 1974
Tour itinerary [41 concerts]
01.03.1974 Blackpool, UK
02.03.1974 Aylesbury, UK
03.03.1974 Plymouth, UK
04.03.1974 Paignton, UK
08.03.1974 Sunderland, UK
09.03.1974 Cambridge, UK
10.03.1974 Croydon, UK
12.03.1974 Dagenham, UK
14.03.1974 Cheltenham, UK
15.03.1974 Glasgow, UK
16.03.1974 Stirling, UK
19.03.1974 Cleethorpes, UK
20.03.1974 Manchester, UK
22.03.1974 Canvey Island, UK
23.03.1974 Cromer, UK
24.03.1974 Colchester, UK
26.03.1974 Isle of Man, UK
28.03.1974 Aberystwyth, UK
29.03.1974 Penzance, UK
30.03.1974 Taunton, UK
31.03.1974 London, UK
02.04.1974 Birmingham, UK
16.04.1974 Denver, USA
17.04.1974 Kansas City, USA
18.04.1974 St. Louis, USA
19.04.1974 Oklahoma City, USA
20.04.1974 Memphis, USA
21.04.1974 New Orleans, USA
26.04.1974 Boston, USA
27.04.1974 Providence, USA
28.04.1974 Portland, USA
01.05.1974 Harrisburg, USA
02.05.1974 Allentown, USA
03.05.1974 Wilkes Barre, USA
04.05.1974 Waterbury, USA
07.05.1974 New York, USA
08.05.1974 New York, USA
09.05.1974 New York, USA
10.05.1974 New York, USA (1st gig)
10.05.1974 New York, USA (2nd gig)
11.05.1974 New York, USA
The American tour was cut short because Brian May got hepatitis, with something like 20 shows having to be cancelled.
With the release of their debut album and its follow up, Queen & Queen II, the band hit the road with a vengeance, beginning a relentless 'album-tour' cycle that continued for the rest of the 70s into the 80s. The band's great breakthrough as a major live act came when they agreed to act as a support to Mott the Hoople on its UK tour. Queen's performances were of a consistently high standard, keeping the audience interested, leading to an invitation to Queen to act as support for Hoople's US tour. This gave the band the opportunity to hone its live performance in front of large crowds, testing out songs and setlists with the light and sound systems.
It was as an opening act for Mott the Hoople in 1974 that Jim Kerr from Simple Minds first saw Queen. Kerr would later recall that Queen "blew Hoople off the stage!" (Opinion given at the launch party of the Innuendo album). Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi also saw Queen open for Hoople three times in New York in 1974, saying that the performances were "absolutely fantastic."
Typical setlist
The shows had varied tracklisting, and were also shorter in the US (and didn't feature White Queen or Doin' All Right). There are few surviving recordings.
01. Procession; 02. Father To Son; 03. Ogre Battle; 04. White Queen; 05. Doin' All Right; 06. Son And Daughter; 07. Keep Yourself Alive; 08. Liar; 09. Jailhouse Rock; 10. Shake Rattle And Roll; 11. Stupid Cupid; 12. Be Bop A Lula; 13. Jailhouse Rock (reprise); 14. Big Spender; 15. Modern Times Rock'n'roll
Tracks played scarcely
Great King Rat; Hangman (UK); Seven Seas Of Rhye; Bama Lama Bama Lou; See What A Fool I've Been; The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke (Rainbow)
Sheer Heart Attack Tour
Tour itinerary [76 concerts]
30.10.1974 Manchester, UK
31.10.1974 Hanley, UK
01.11.1974 Liverpool, UK
02.11.1974 Leeds, UK
03.11.1974 Coventry, UK
05.11.1974 Sheffield, UK
06.11.1974 Bradford, UK
07.11.1974 Newcastle, UK
08.11.1974 Glasgow, UK
09.11.1974 Lancaster, UK
10.11.1974 Preston, UK
12.11.1974 Bristol, UK
13.11.1974 Bournemouth, UK
14.11.1974 Southampton, UK
15.11.1974 Swansea, UK
16.11.1974 Birmingham, UK
18.11.1974 Oxford, UK
19.11.1974 London, UK
20.11.1974 London, UK
23.11.1974 Gothenburg, Sweden
25.11.1974 Helsinki, Finland
27.11.1974 Lund, Sweden
02.12.1974 Munich, Germany
04.12.1974 Frankfurt, Germany
05.12.1974 Hamburg, Germany
06.12.1974 Cologne, Germany
08.12.1974 Hague, The Netherlands
10.12.1974 Brussels, Belgium
13.12.1974 Barcelona, Spain
05.02.1975 Columbus, USA
06.02.1975 Cincinnati, USA
07.02.1975 Dayton, USA
08.02.1975 Cleveland, USA (1st gig)
08.02.1975 Cleveland, USA (2nd gig)
09.02.1975 South Bend, USA
10.02.1975 Detroit, USA
11.02.1975 Toledo, USA
14.02.1975 Waterbury, USA
15.02.1975 Boston, USA (1st gig)
15.02.1975 Boston, USA (2nd gig)
16.02.1975 New York, USA (1st gig)
16.02.1975 New York, USA (2nd gig)
17.02.1975 Trenton, USA
19.02.1975 Lewiston, USA
21.02.1975 Passaic, USA
22.02.1975 Harrisburg, USA
23.02.1975 Philadelphia, USA (1st gig)
23.02.1975 Philadelphia, USA (2nd gig)
24.02.1975 Washington, USA
05.03.1975 La Crosse, USA
06.03.1975 Madison, USA
07.03.1975 Milwaukee, USA
08.03.1975 Chicago, USA
09.03.1975 St. Louis, USA
10.03.1975 Fort Wayne, USA
12.03.1975 Atlanta, USA
13.03.1975 Charleston, USA
17.03.1975 Miami, USA
18.03.1975 New Orleans, USA
20.03.1975 San Antonio, USA
22.03.1975 Dallas, USA
25.03.1975 Tulsa, USA
29.03.1975 Santa Monica, USA (1st gig)
29.03.1975 Santa Monica, USA (2nd gig)
30.03.1975 San Francisco, USA
02.04.1975 Edmonton, Canada
03.04.1975 Calgary, Canada
06.04.1975 Seattle, USA
19.04.1975 Tokyo, Japan
22.04.1975 Nagoya, Japan
23.04.1975 Kobe, Japan
25.04.1975 Fukuoka, Japan
28.04.1975 Okayama, Japan
29.04.1975 Shizuoka, Japan
30.04.1975 Yokohama, Japan
01.05.1975 Tokyo, Japan
Typical setlist
01. Procession; 02. Now I'm Here; 03. Ogre Battle; 04. Father To Son; 05. White Queen; 06. Flick Of The Wrist; 07. In The Lap Of The Gods; 08. Killer Queen; 09. March Of The Black Queen; 10. Bring Back That Leroy Brown; 11. Son & Daughter; 12. Keep Yourself Alive; 13. Seven Seas Of Rhye; 14. Stone Cold Crazy; 15. Liar
16. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited; 17. Big Spender; 18. Modern Times Rock'n'roll; 19. Jailhouse Rock; 20. God Save The Queen
Tracks played only scarcely
Hangman (Japan); Great King Rat (Japan); Doin' All Right (Japan); See What A Fool I've Been (some Japanese gigs); Stupid Cupid; Be Bop A Lula
A Night at the Opera Tour
There are slight variations between the UK, US and Japanese tours, with the Japanese shows tending to be a bit longer (and including Hangman and See What A Fool I've Been on a couple of occasions). The explanation for that may well have been the enthusiastic reception that the band received in Japan. The 'Sheer Heart Attack Tour' is noteworthy for the fanaticism the band incited among their Japanese fans. The enthusiasm with which the band were greeted in Japan so impressed Freddie Mercury that he would take to wearing a kimono on stage during the encores at shows in other countries. This tour also saw the introduction of the piano-based medley section, "In the Lap of the Gods", "Killer Queen", "The March of the Black Queen", and "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" in this instance. This tour was also the first time that the UK national anthem, "God Save the Queen," was played at the show's close. The tour was also the first time the band employed pyrotechnics (during "In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited"), identifying Queen as one of the first bands to incorporate this feature into their live show. There was also the show-stopping centre-piece, in this instance "Liar," a powerhouse performance lasting some eight minutes. It was on this tour that the trademark Queen sound was forged and hardened, with flamboyant lead vocal, solid rhythm-sections, and elaborate backing harmonies and guitar orchestrations.
Tour itinerary [78 concerts]
14.11.1975 Liverpool, UK
15.11.1975 Liverpool, UK
16.11.1975 Coventry, UK
17.11.1975 Bristol, UK
18.11.1975 Bristol, UK
19.11.1975 Cardiff, UK
21.11.1975 Taunton, UK
23.11.1975 Bournemouth, UK
24.11.1975 Southampton, UK
26.11.1975 Manchester, UK (1st gig)
26.11.1975 Manchester, UK (2nd gig)
29.11.1975 London, UK
30.11.1975 London, UK
01.12.1975 London, UK
02.12.1975 London, UK
03.12.1975 London, UK
07.12.1975 Wolverhampton, UK
08.12.1975 Preston, UK
09.12.1975 Birmingham, UK
10.12.1975 Birmingham, UK
11.12.1975 Newcastle, UK
13.12.1975 Dundee, UK
14.12.1975 Aberdeen, UK
15.12.1975 Glasgow, UK
16.12.1975 Glasgow, UK
24.12.1975 London, UK
27.01.1976 Waterbury, USA
29.01.1976 Boston, USA
30.01.1976 Boston, USA
31.01.1976 Philadelphia, USA
01.02.1976 Philadelphia, USA
02.02.1976 Philadelphia, USA
05.02.1976 New York, USA
06.02.1976 New York, USA
07.02.1976 New York, USA
08.02.1976 New York, USA
11.02.1976 Detroit, USA
12.02.1976 Detroit, USA
13.02.1976 Cincinnati, USA
14.02.1976 Cleveland, USA
15.02.1976 Toledo, USA
18.02.1976 Saginaw, USA
19.02.1976 Columbus, USA
20.02.1976 Pittsburgh, USA
22.02.1976 Chicago, USA
23.02.1976 Chicago, USA
24.02.1976 Chicago, USA
26.02.1976 St. Louis, USA
27.02.1976 Indianapolis, USA
28.02.1976 Madison, USA
29.02.1976 Fort Wayne, USA
02.03.1976 Milwaukee, USA
03.03.1976 St. Paul, USA
07.03.1976 Berkeley, USA
09.03.1976 Santa Monica, USA (1st gig)
09.03.1976 Santa Monica, USA (2nd gig)
10.03.1976 Santa Monica, USA
11.03.1976 Santa Monica, USA
12.03.1976 San Diego, USA
22.03.1976 Tokyo, Japan
23.03.1976 Nagoya, Japan
24.03.1976 Himeji, Japan
26.03.1976 Fukuoka, Japan (1st gig)
26.03.1976 Fukuoka, Japan (2nd gig)
29.03.1976 Osaka, Japan (1st gig)
29.03.1976 Osaka, Japan (2nd gig)
31.03.1976 Tokyo, Japan
01.04.1976 Tokyo, Japan
02.04.1976 Sendai, Japan
04.04.1976 Tokyo, Japan
11.04.1976 Perth, Australia
14.04.1976 Adelaide, Australia
15.04.1976 Adelaide, Australia
17.04.1976 Sydney, Australia
18.04.1976 Sydney, Australia
19.04.1976 Melbourne, Australia
20.04.1976 Melbourne, Australia
23.04.1976 Brisbane, Australia
The 'Night at the Opera Tour' of 1975/76 coincided with the release of "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a single and its subsequent storming of the charts. It's a source of some chauvinistic satisfaction that the first live outing of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' came at the Liverpool Empire, two shows running (14th and 15th November). How unusual, though, to hear the ballad section as an opening number in concert. Even more unusual is the somewhat muted reaction of the audience, who plainly didn't know the song at this early stage. The hard rock section of the songs would then segue into "Ogre Battle." The opening verses and the closing ballad would also be performed later in the show as part of a piano-based medley with "Killer Queen", "March of the Black Queen", and "Bring Back That Leroy Brown." Later in 1976, "You're My Best Friend" would be added to the start of the medley. This elaborate arrangement combing a number of quite different tracks enabled the band to negotiate the logistical challenges of performing the rhapsody in its entirety, simply playing the operatic section on tape.
The Christmas Eve concert at the Hammersmith Odeon (24th December 1975) was broadcast by the BBC on the Old Grey Whistle Test and shows Queen in superb form. The show was repeated on a number of occasions into the 1980s. As a young Queen fan, I remember it well and thoroughly enjoyed not merely seeing the band, but hearing just how good they were. These boys could actually sing and play! It's a sad commentary on the standards of rock and pop that that came as a pleasant surprise. I had learned that so many bands that sounded and looked good on record, as well as in miming on the pop shows, and who caused such excitement in the school yard were abysmal live, either puny in their sound or just plain noisy in an attempt to conceal lack of basic technique whilst dredging up some excitement. I'll name no names about the many bands that disappointed me in the late seventies and early eighties, but they included the cream of hard rock, pop, and punk. No wonder such bands needed the critics to write them up constantly! And no wonder critics flattered themselves that it was they who were the King makers. Queen needed none of that and made it by their own not inconsiderable efforts. I liked their confidence. And I could see where it came from. Queen could up the power and volume and maintain control, and that made them a cut or two above the herd. My dad was a serious jazz fan, barely tolerating pop music for its entertainment value. I usually felt a judgement of withering condescension from his direction. I felt no defensiveness with respect to Queen. I also suspect that he was more baffled by their 'flamboyance' as he was impressed by their musicianship. Either way, there was no mistaking the fact that these guys could play, no matter of what you thought of the precise nature of the music they were playing.
Typical setlist
01. Bohemian Rhapsody; 02. Ogre Battle; 03. Sweet Lady; 04. White Queen; 05. Flick Of The Wrist; 06. Bohemian Rhapsody; 07. Killer Queen; 08. March Of The Black Queen; 09. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise); 10. Bring Back That Leroy Brown; 11. Brighton Rock; 12. Son And Daughter (reprise); 13. The Prophet's Song; 14. Stone Cold Crazy; 15. Doin' All Right; 16. Keep Yourself Alive; 17. Seven Seas Of Rhye; 18. Liar; 19. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited; 20. Now I'm Here; 21. Big Spender; 22. Jailhouse Rock; 23. God Save The Queen
Tracks played rarely
Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon (Japanese gigs + some US gigs)
Son And Daughters (full version - early dates of the UK tour)
Modern Times Rock'n'roll; See What A Fool I've Been; Hangman (either full version or in a "medley" with Modern Times Rock'n'roll); Shake Rattle And Roll; Stupid Cupid
Be Bop A Lula; Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting; Father To Son
September Shows 1976
Queen played four shows in a short UK tour of 1976, taking in three capital cities (Edinburgh on 1st and 2nd September, Cardiff on 10th September, and London's Hyde Park on 18 September. The Hyde Park show was a free concert, organised by Richard Branson, and coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the death of Jimi Hendrix. The concert drew a crowd of 180,000. The Hyde Park concert is available in both video and audio forms, not the best quality, but showing the band in fine form (of course). This tour pre-dated the release of 'A Day at the Races,' introducing a number of tracks before their appearance on disk.
The shows saw the first appearance of a Queen staple, 'Tie Your Mother Down.'
These four concerts date from before the release of the 'A Day At The Races' album, and so can't really be classed as part of the 'Races' tour. For one thing, the setlist has more in common with the 'Opera' tour.
Interesting to note that the white boiler that Freddie Mercury wore taking the stage for the Hyde Park show was deliberately chosen by him for the reason that white can be seen at a distance. He did the same at the Milton Keynes Bowl.
Tour itinerary [4 concerts]
01.09.1976 Edinburgh, UK
02.09.1976 Edinburgh, UK
10.09.1976 Cardiff, UK
18.09.1976 London, UK
Typical setlist
01. Bohemian Rhapsody (intro); 02. Ogre Battle; 03. Sweet Lady; 04. White Queen; 05. Flick Of The Wrist; 06. You're My Best Friend; 07. Bohemian Rhapsody; 08. Killer Queen; 09. March Of The Black Queen; 10. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise); 11. Bring Back That Leroy Brown; 12. Brighton Rock; 13. Son And Daughter (reprise); 14. '39 ; 15. You Take My Breath Away; 16. The Prophet's Song; 17. Stone Cold Crazy; 18. Doin' All Right; 19. Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon; 20. Tie Your Mother Down; 21. Keep Yourself Alive; 22. Liar; 23. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited; 24. Now I'm Here; 25. Big Spender; 26. Jailhouse Rock; 27. God Save The Queen
A Day at the Races Tour
The USA leg of the world tour was dubbed the 'Queen Lizzy' tour, with Thin Lizzy opening for Queen in the year of Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee. Thin Lizzy - one of my most favourite bands - held their own and possibly forced Queen into increasing their hard rocking energy. The concerts were heavier in sound. I'd pay seriously good money to see that double-bill.
This was also the first US tour that Queen performed at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City. Brian May's father, somewhat sceptical of pop and rock, was present to see just how much Queen had 'made it.'
This was the tour on which Freddie Mercury took to wearing leotards, some inspired by the stage costumes of ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. Sadly, there are few surviving records of the world leg of the 'Races' tour. The Seattle show is available, although shown under different dates.
A Day At The Races (world) 1977
Tour itinerary [40 concerts]
13.01.1977 Milwaukee, USA
14.01.1977 Madison, USA
15.01.1977 Columbus, USA
16.01.1977 Indianapolis, USA
18.01.1977 Detroit, USA
20.01.1977 Saginaw, USA
21.01.1977 Louisville, USA
22.01.1977 Kalamazoo, USA
23.01.1977 Richfield, USA
25.01.1977 Ottawa, Canada
26.01.1977 Montreal, Canada
28.01.1977 Chicago, USA
30.01.1977 Toledo, USA
01.02.1977 Toronto, Canada
03.02.1977 Springfield, USA
04.02.1977 College Park, USA
05.02.1977 New York, USA
06.02.1977 Uniondale, Long Island, USA
08.02.1977 Syracuse, USA
09.02.1977 Boston, USA
10.02.1977 Providence, USA
11.02.1977 Philadelphia, USA
19.02.1977 Miami, USA
20.02.1977 Lakeland, USA
21.02.1977 Atlanta, USA
22.02.1977 Birmingham, USA
23.02.1977 St. Louis, USA
25.02.1977 Dallas, USA
26.02.1977 Houston, USA
01.03.1977 Phoenix, USA
02.03.1977 Inglewood, USA
03.03.1977 Inglewood, USA
05.03.1977 San Diego, USA
06.03.1977 San Francisco, USA
11.03.1977 Vancouver, Canada
12.03.1977 Portland, USA
13.03.1977 Seattle, USA
16.03.1977 Calgary, Canada
17.03.1977 Calgary, Canada
18.03.1977 Edmonton, Canada
Typical setlist
01. A Day At The Races intro; 02. Tie Your Mother Down; 03. Ogre Battle; 04. White Queen; 05. Somebody To Love; 06. Killer Queen; 07. The Millionaire Waltz; 08. You're My Best Friend; 09. Bring Back That Leroy Brown; 10. Sweet Lady; 11. Brighton Rock; 12. '39; 13. You Take My Breath Away; 14. White Man; 15. The Prophet's Song; 16. Bohemian Rhapsody; 17. Stone Cold Crazy; 18. Keep Yourself Alive; 19. Liar; 20. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited; 21. Now I'm Here; 22. Big Spender; 23. Jailhouse Rock; 24. God Save The Queen
Tracks played occasionally
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (Seattle); Stupid Cupid (Seattle); Be Bop A Lula (Seattle)
Day At The Races (EU) 1977
Tour itinerary [19 concerts]
08.05.1977 Stockholm, Sweden
10.05.1977 Gothenburg, Sweden
12.05.1977 Copenhagen, Denmark
13.05.1977 Hamburg, Germany
14.05.1977 Frankfurt, Germany
16.05.1977 Düsseldorf, Germany
17.05.1977 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
19.05.1977 Basel, Switzerland
23.05.1977 Bristol, UK
24.05.1977 Bristol, UK
26.05.1977 Southampton, UK
27.05.1977 Southampton, UK
29.05.1977 Stafford, UK
30.05.1977 Glasgow, UK
31.05.1977 Glasgow, UK
02.06.1977 Liverpool, UK
03.06.1977 Liverpool, UK
06.06.1977 London, UK
07.06.1977 London, UK
On the last two nights of the tour Queen employed the "Crown" for the first time, an expensive moving and tilting lighting rig that would become a feature of their shows over the next few years. Both shows were officially recorded on video, with the first show being released on bootleg in near excellent quality.
The shows opened with a song that was to become the standard opening or closing number on subsequent tours, "Tie Your Mother Down." This was my first year at senior school, where I was probed for my musical tastes. I gave Queen as my favourite band, to be met with cackling laughter citing 'Tie Your Mother Down.' I hadn't the first idea what any of it meant, simply registering the fact that there might well be something odd about Queen, as both friends and foes alike had said all along.
The tour also witnessed the first appearance of what would in time become the standard arrangement for Bohemian Rhapsody, with the first two verses being performed before the band left the stage as the operatic section was played over the PA system, returning to the stage to perform the hard rock section and then finish the song.
The British leg of the 'Races' tour was known as the 'Jubilee Tour,' on account of coinciding with the Queen's Silver Jubilee. I remember it well. I saw the Queen when she visited my home town of St Helens, in Queen's Recreation Park, and am the proud owner of a Silver Jubilee mug and soap dish. God Save the Queen!
Typical setlist
01. A Day At The Races intro; 02. Tie Your Mother Down; 03. Ogre Battle; 04. White Queen; 05. Somebody To Love; 06. Killer Queen; 07. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy; 08. The Millionaire Waltz; 09. You're My Best Friend; 10. Bring Back That Leroy Brown; 11. Death On Two Legs; 12. Sweet Lady; 13. Brighton Rock; 14. '39; 15. You Take My Breath Away; 16. White Man; 17. The Prophet's Song; 18. Bohemian Rhapsody; 19. Stone Cold Crazy; 20. Keep Yourself Alive; 21. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited; 22. Now I'm Here; 23. Liar; 24. Jailhouse Rock; 25. God Save The Queen
Tracks played only scarcely
Big Spender; I'm A Man; Mannish Boy; Doin' All Right; Lucille; Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting; Procession (Earls Court); Stupid Cupid; Be Bop A Lula
News Of The World 1977
Queen began the 'News of the World Tour' in the United States in the November of 1977, finishing in Europe in 1978. The shows of this tour introduced what were to become a Queen staple, the double-header of "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions." The songs were tailor made for live performance and audience participation, having been inspired by the enthusiasm of the fans during live performance. During this tour, the songs were used as the first encore, coming to end most every Queen concert hereafter. The fast rocking version of "We Will Rock You" introduced the shows for this tour, and many shows in subsequent tours. Other notable features of this tour were Freddie Mercury's destructive antics during the performance of "Sheer Heart Attack." It may have been an attempt to recognize punk rock. Roger Taylor insists he had started to write the song in 1974, years before the punk explosion, maybe making the point that Queen had anticipated the punk rebellion in the years before they were labelled rock 'dinosaurs.' I really don't care either way. I think it one of Queen's weakest songs and find destructive rampages on stage utterly tedious. I was attracted to Queen for their creativity, something which they generally pulled off with great panache and style. Queen were the anti-punk and didn't need to engage in any competitive downsizing.
It was also on this tour that Roger Taylor's "I'm in Love with My Car" was first played, likewise the first time in which "Love of My Life" was performed live, in acoustic form, soon becoming a highlight of the show (and released in that form as a single in 1979). As the new songs from the latest albums were introduced into the set list, old favourites from the first Queen albums were omitted.
On the last night of the US tour (December 22), the band performed 'White Christmas' during the acoustic set. A 'surprise,' Freddie Mercury says in introducing the song, inviting everyone to sing along. If ever you needed another reason to love Queen, then this is reason enough.
Tour itinerary [26 concerts]
11.11.1977 Portland, USA
12.11.1977 Boston, USA
13.11.1977 Springfield, USA
15.11.1977 Providence, USA
16.11.1977 New Haven, USA
18.11.1977 Detroit, USA
19.11.1977 Detroit, USA
21.11.1977 Toronto, Canada
23.11.1977 Philadelphia, USA
24.11.1977 Philadelphia, USA
25.11.1977 Norfolk, USA
27.11.1977 Richfield, USA
29.11.1977 Landover, USA
01.12.1977 New York, USA
02.12.1977 New York, USA
04.12.1977 Dayton, USA
05.12.1977 Chicago, USA
08.12.1977 Atlanta, USA
10.12.1977 Fort Worth, USA
11.12.1977 Houston, USA
15.12.1977 Las Vegas, USA
16.12.1977 San Diego, USA
17.12.1977 Oakland, USA
20.12.1977 Long Beach, USA
21.12.1977 Long Beach, USA
22.12.1977 Inglewood, USA
Typical setlist
01. We Will Rock You (slow/fast); 02. Brighton Rock; 03. Somebody To Love; 04. Death On Two Legs; 05. Killer Queen; 06. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy ; 07. I'm In Love With My Car; 08. Get Down Make Love; 09. Millionaire Waltz; 10. You're My Best Friend; 11. Spread Your Wings; 12. Liar; 13. Love Of My Life; 14. '39; 15. My Melancholy Blues; 16. White Man; 17. Instrumental Inferno; 18. The Prophet's Song (reprise); 19. Now I'm Here; 20. Stone Cold Crazy; 21. Bohemian Rhapsody; 22. Tie Your Mother Down; 23. We Will Rock You; 24. We Are The Champions; 25. Sheer Heart Attack; 26. Jailhouse Rock; 27. God Save The Queen
Tracks played only scarcely
It's Late (often); Keep Yourself Alive (often after BoRhap); Doin' All Right; Ogre Battle (Philadelphia); Sleeping On The Sidewalk (Portland); White Christmas (Los Angeles)
News Of The World 1978
Tour itinerary [20 concerts]
12.04.1978 Stockholm, Sweden
13.04.1978 Copenhagen, Denmark
14.04.1978 Hamburg, Germany
16.04.1978 Brussels, Belgium
17.04.1978 Brussels, Belgium
19.04.1978 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
20.04.1978 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
21.04.1978 Brussels, Belgium
23.04.1978 Paris, France
24.04.1978 Paris, France
26.04.1978 Dortmund, Germany
28.04.1978 Berlin, Germany
30.04.1978 Zurich, Switzerland
02.05.1978 Vienna, Austria
03.05.1978 Munich, Germany
06.05.1978 Stafford, UK
07.05.1978 Stafford, UK
11.05.1978 London, UK
12.05.1978 London, UK
13.05.1978 London, UK
Concerts on the European tour have slightly different setlists to those for the North American leg. Some of the concerts are, however, longer, some extending to over two hours, which is above the norm.
Typical setlist
01. We Will Rock You (slow/fast); 02. Brighton Rock; 03. Somebody To Love; 04. Death On Two Legs; 05. Killer Queen; 06. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy; 07. I'm In Love With My Car; 08. Get Down Make Love; 09. Millionaire Waltz; 10. You're My Best Friend; 11. Spread Your Wings; 12. It's Late; 13. Now I'm Here; 14. Love Of My Life; 15. '39; 16. My Melancholy Blues; 17. White Man; 18. Instrumental Inferno; 19. The Prophet's Song (reprise); 20. Stone Cold Crazy; 21. Bohemian Rhapsody; 22. Keep Yourself Alive; 23. Tie Your Mother Down; 24. We Will Rock You; 25. We Are The Champions; 26. Sheer Heart Attack; 27. Jailhouse Rock; 28. God Save The Queen
Tracks played only scarcely
Liar; Big Spender (Berlin); White Queen (final night of the tour)
Jazz 1978
The 'Jazz tour' of late 1978 and early 1979 was exhausting, with 35 shows in North America and 44 more in Europe and Japan. The European 'Jazz tour' is also known as 'Live Killers.' This is on account of the double album that was issued, comprising a selection of performances recorded during the European dates.
This tour introduced the "Pizza Oven" mobile lighting rig, which was given its name on account of the massive amount of heat that the 320 par lights generated.
The 'Live Killers' album was something of a second introduction to the band for me. If 'Killer Queen' from 'Sheer Heart Attack' in 1974 had been my first holy communion, then 'Live Killers,' and 'Jazz,' in the aftermath of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'A Night at the Opera,' was my confirmation. This was the point of no return, the final plunging into the Queendom.
It was quite the baptism, having me negotiate several awkward moments. It was a strange time for initiation, proving to be a real rite of passage. The band had ceased to be 'theatrical' and had become more overtly edgy and sexual. Of course, I already knew 'Flick of the Wrist,' given that it was on the flip side of the first Queen single I ever owned, 'Killer Queen.' But 'Death on Two Legs' seemed harder, more aggressive, not least on account of Mercury's bleeped introduction of the song on 'Live Killers.' You have to remember that this was my big Christmas present of 1979, quite the expensive double album, and my mum, busy making Christmas dinner, said that she wanted to hear it as we ate. To me, 'Live Killers' revealed Queen to be something illicit in both sound and vision. In addition to the bleeped words there was 'Get Down, Make Love,' a song which was crying out for censorship. And then there were the images on the sleeve of 'Bicycle Race,' when a group of seemingly naked ladies would take to the stage riding bicycles. Add the infamous 'Jazz' poster showing the same scene, not to mention Mercury's full leather/vinyl outfits, there seemed to be a distinctly sexual undercurrent to the band. It was quite the time to become a fully fledged Queen fan. Quite the education in learning how to be comfortable with oddness.
It was a long and exhausting tour. During the 15-dates in Japan, Freddie Mercury had trouble with his voice, which can be heard on a number of bootlegs. These dates are possibly the nadir of Queen in concert.
The setlist of the North American tour is similar to the European leg.
For some reason unfathomable by me, 'Don't Stop Me Now' was only played on the European tour and 'Fat Bottomed Girls' only on the North American tour.
Tour itinerary [35 concerts]
28.10.1978 Dallas, USA
29.10.1978 Memphis, USA
31.10.1978 New Orleans, USA
03.11.1978 Miami, USA
04.11.1978 Lakeland, USA
06.11.1978 Landover, USA
07.11.1978 New Haven, USA
09.11.1978 Detroit, USA
10.11.1978 Detroit, USA
11.11.1978 Kalamazoo, USA
13.11.1978 Boston, USA
14.11.1978 Providence, USA
16.11.1978 New York, USA
17.11.1978 New York, USA
19.11.1978 Uniondale, Long Island, USA
20.11.1978 Philadelphia, USA
22.11.1978 Nashville, USA
23.11.1978 St. Louis, USA
25.11.1978 Richfield, USA
26.11.1978 Cincinnati, USA
28.11.1978 Buffalo, USA
30.11.1978 Ottawa, Canada
01.12.1978 Montreal, Canada
03.12.1978 Toronto, Canada
04.12.1978 Toronto, Canada
06.12.1978 Madison, USA
07.12.1978 Chicago, USA
08.12.1978 Kansas City, USA
12.12.1978 Seattle, USA
13.12.1978 Portland, USA
14.12.1978 Vancouver, Canada
16.12.1978 Oakland, USA
18.12.1978 Inglewood, USA
19.12.1978 Inglewood, USA
20.12.1978 Inglewood, USA
Typical setlist
01. We Will Rock You (fast); 02. Let Me Entertain You; 03. Somebody To Love; 04. If You Can't Beat Them; 05. Death On Two Legs; 06. Killer Queen; 07. Bicycle Race; 08. I'm In Love With My Car; 09. Get Down Make Love; 10. You're My Best Friend; 11. Now I'm Here; 12. Spread Your Wings; 13. Dreamer's Ball; 14. Love Of My Life; 15. '39; 16. It's Late; 17. Brighton Rock; 18. Fat Bottomed Girls; 19. Keep Yourself Alive (short 'Fun It' intro); 20. Bohemian Rhapsody; 21. Tie Your Mother Down; 22. Sheer Heart Attack; 23. We Will Rock You; 24. We Are The Champions; 25. God Save The Queen
Tracks played rarely
Jailhouse Rock; Big Spender.
Live Killers 1979
Tour itinerary [44 concerts]
17.01.1979 Hamburg, Germany
18.01.1979 Kiel, Germany
20.01.1979 Bremen, Germany
21.01.1979 Dortmund, Germany
23.01.1979 Hanover, Germany
24.01.1979 Berlin, Germany
26.01.1979 Brussels, Belgium
27.01.1979 Brussels, Belgium
29.01.1979 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
30.01.1979 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
01.02.1979 Cologne, Germany
02.02.1979 Frankfurt, Germany
04.02.1979 Zurich, Switzerland
06.02.1979 Zagreb, Yugoslavia
07.02.1979 Ljubljana, Yugoslavia
10.02.1979 Munich, Germany
11.02.1979 Munich, Germany
13.02.1979 Boblingen, Germany
15.02.1979 Saarbrücken, Germany
17.02.1979 Lyon, France
19.02.1979 Barcelona, Spain
20.02.1979 Barcelona, Spain
22.02.1979 Madrid, Spain
23.02.1979 Madrid, Spain
25.02.1979 Poitiers, France
27.02.1979 Paris, France
28.02.1979 Paris, France
01.03.1979 Paris, France
13.04.1979 Tokyo, Japan
14.04.1979 Tokyo, Japan
19.04.1979 Osaka, Japan
20.04.1979 Osaka, Japan
21.04.1979 Kanazawa, Japan
23.04.1979 Tokyo, Japan
24.04.1979 Tokyo, Japan
25.04.1979 Tokyo, Japan
27.04.1979 Kobe, Japan
28.04.1979 Nagoya, Japan
30.04.1979 Fukuoka, Japan
01.05.1979 Fukuoka, Japan
02.05.1979 Yamaguchi, Japan
05.05.1979 Sapporo, Japan
06.05.1979 Sapporo, Japan
18.08.1979 Saarbrücken, Germany
Typical setlist
01. We Will Rock You (fast); 02. Let Me Entertain You; 03. Somebody To Love; 04. If You Can't Beat Them; 05. Death On Two Legs; 06. Killer Queen; 07. Bicycle Race; 08. I'm In Love With My Car; 09. Get Down Make Love; 10. You're My Best Friend; 11. Now I'm Here; 12. Don't Stop Me Now; 13. Spread Your Wings; 14. Dreamer's Ball; 15. Love Of My Life; 16. '39; 17. It's Late; 18. Brighton Rock; 19. Keep Yourself Alive; 20. Bohemian Rhapsody; 21. Tie Your Mother Down; 22. Sheer Heart Attack; 23. We Will Rock You; 24. We Are The Champions; 25. God Save The Queen
Tracks played only scarcely
Fat Bottomed Girls (instead of If You Can't Beat Them); Teo Torriatte; Mustapha (intro); Jailhouse Rock; Big Spender
Crazy tour 1979
The Crazy Tour of late 1979 was on a small scale, being preceded by a single - the immense hit 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' - and not an album. The tour saw Mercury now sporting short hair. "Brighton Rock" was also dropped, with the lengthy guitar solo, which had first been heard in "Son and Daughter," retained as a stand-alone performance. It is worth recording, after the troubles in Japan on the previous tour, that Mercury delivered some of the finest live vocals of his career on this tour.
For no reason I could see - and I didn't go searching - Freddie Mercury would sometimes appear near the end of the show sat atop the shoulders of Superman or Darth Vader. I couldn't stand either, but maybe our dear American cousins were impressed.
The last night of the tour was the Boxing Day gig at the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea in London, which was filmed. The track 'Now I'm Here' from that show was later released on the Concert For People Of Kampuchea LP.
Tour itinerary [20 concerts]
22.11.1979 Dublin, Ireland
24.11.1979 Birmingham, UK
26.11.1979 Manchester, UK
27.11.1979 Manchester, UK
30.11.1979 Glasgow, UK
01.12.1979 Glasgow, UK
03.12.1979 Newcastle, UK
04.12.1979 Newcastle, UK
06.12.1979 Liverpool, UK
07.12.1979 Liverpool, UK
09.12.1979 Bristol, UK
10.12.1979 Brighton, UK
11.12.1979 Brighton, UK
13.12.1979 London, UK
14.12.1979 London, UK
17.12.1979 London, UK
19.12.1979 London, UK
20.12.1979 London, UK
22.12.1979 London, UK
26.12.1979 London, UK
Typical setlist
01. Intro; 02. We Will Rock You (fast); 03. Let Me Entertain You; 04. Somebody To Love; 05. Mustapha; 06. Death On Two Legs; 07. Killer Queen; 08. I'm In Love With My Car; 09. Get Down Make Love; 10. You're My Best Friend; 11. Save Me; 12. Now I'm Here; 13. Don't Stop Me Now; 14. Spread Your Wings; 15. Love Of My Life; 16. '39; 17. Keep Yourself Alive; 18. Drums solo; 19. Guitar solo; 20. Brighton Rock reprise; 21. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 22. Bohemian Rhapsody; 23. Tie Your Mother Down; 24. Sheer Heart Attack; 25. We Will Rock You; 26. We Are The Champions; 27. God Save The Queen.
Tracks
played only occasionally
Jailhouse Rock
If You Can't Beat Them
Liar
Fat Bottomed Girls
Mull Of Kintyre (7.12.1979 Liverpool)
Silent Night (26.12.1979 London)
Danny Boy (22.11.1979 Dublin)
1980s
The Game Tour
The 'Game Tour' of 1980 saw Queen at the height of their popularity in the United States. If 'we are the world' (to adopt the words of the US' Live Aid single), then Queen were at this moment on top of the world, with massive sales of singles and albums. But changes were afoot, and had been registered. Many noticed the prominent moustache that Mercury had grown whilst cutting his hair short. Many objected and demanded it be shaved. The flamboyance of Mercury's stage costumes had also gone. Mercury would were T-shirts and trainers, short pants, too. The penny started to drop with American audiences who liked their rock'n'roll straight with long hair that Freddie might not exactly be one of them. Hilariously, the final break would come with the video for 'I Want to Break Free,' which was more about British humour, the cross-dressing intended as a parody of a British soap opera. The more sophisticated Nijinsky references in that video were completely missed. Also noticeable was at this time was the fact that the band, Mercury and Deacon in particular, were experimenting in funk/dance/disco, quite different to the hard rock with which the band were identified.
The 'Game Tour' extending into 1981 took the band into uncharted territory for rock and pop music, with the short, hectic, and hugely successful tour of South America. Queen packed out a number of the world's biggest football stadiums in a part of the world that no major band had ever toured. Queen had always been popular in South America, hence the demand and rationale for the tour. The band would play to some 700,000 people in just 13 concerts, with the show at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil attracting 250,000 people, a world record for the biggest paying audience. Footballing genius Diego Maradona appeared on stage with the band in one of the Argentina shows. Queen albums filled the top ten slots in the album charts in Argentina.
Some of the shows were filmed and the two Canadian gigs at Montreal were filmed and released as the 'We Will Rock You' video, and later on.
The Game (world) 1980
Tour itinerary [44 concerts]
30.06.1980 Vancouver, Canada
01.07.1980 Seattle, USA
02.07.1980 Portland, USA
05.07.1980 San Diego, USA
06.07.1980 Phoenix, USA
08.07.1980 Inglewood, USA
09.07.1980 Inglewood, USA
11.07.1980 Inglewood, USA
12.07.1980 Inglewood, USA
13.07.1980 Oakland, USA
14.07.1980 Oakland, USA
05.08.1980 Memphis, USA
06.08.1980 Baton Rouge, USA
08.08.1980 Oklahoma City, USA
09.08.1980 Dallas, USA
10.08.1980 Houston, USA
12.08.1980 Atlanta, USA
13.08.1980 Charlotte, USA
14.08.1980 Greensboro, USA
16.08.1980 Charleston, USA
17.08.1980 Indianapolis, USA
20.08.1980 Hartford, USA
22.08.1980 Philadelphia, USA
23.08.1980 Baltimore, USA
24.08.1980 Pittsburgh, USA
26.08.1980 Providence, USA
27.08.1980 Portland, USA
29.08.1980 Montreal, Canada
30.08.1980 Toronto, Canada
10.09.1980 Milwaukee, USA
12.09.1980 Kansas City, USA
13.09.1980 Omaha, USA
14.09.1980 St. Paul, USA
16.09.1980 Ames, USA
17.09.1980 St. Louis, USA
19.09.1980 Rosemont, USA
20.09.1980 Detroit, USA
21.09.1980 Richfield, USA
23.09.1980 Glens Falls, USA
24.09.1980 Syracuse, USA
26.09.1980 Boston, USA
28.09.1980 New York, USA
29.09.1980 New York, USA
30.09.1980 New York, USA
Another One Bites The Dust was huge in the US and played several times in the middle of concerts.
Typical setlist
01. Intro; 02. Jailhouse Rock; 03. We Will Rock You (fast); 04. Let Me Entertain You; 05. Play The Game; 06. Mustapha; 07. Death On Two Legs; 08. Killer Queen; 09. I'm In Love With My Car; 10. Get Down Make Love; 11. Save Me; 12. Now I'm Here; 13. Dragon Attack; 14. Now I'm Here (reprise); 15. Fat Bottomed Girls; 16. Love Of My Life; 17. Keep Yourself Alive; 18. Instrumental Inferno; 19. Brighton Rock reprise; 20. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 21. Bohemian Rhapsody; 22. Tie Your Mother Down; 23. Another One Bites The Dust; 24. Sheer Heart Attack; 25. We Will Rock You; 26. We Are The Champions; 27. God Save The Queen.
Tracks played only scarcely
You're My Best Friend
Need Your Loving Tonight
Somebody To Love
'39 (part)
The Game (EU) 1980
Tour itinerary [17 concerts]
23.11.1980 Zurich, Switzerland
25.11.1980 Paris, France
26.11.1980 Cologne, Germany
27.11.1980 Leiden, The Netherlands
29.11.1980 Essen, Germany
30.11.1980 Berlin, Germany
01.12.1980 Bremen, Germany
05.12.1980 Birmingham, UK
06.12.1980 Birmingham, UK
08.12.1980 London, UK
09.12.1980 London, UK
10.12.1980 London, UK
12.12.1980 Brussels, Belgium
13.12.1980 Brussels, Belgium
14.12.1980 Frankfurt, Germany
16.12.1980 Strasbourg, France
18.12.1980 Munich, Germany
John Lennon was murdered on December 8, with Queen performing Imagine as a tribute to him the following night. The song was performed on three other occasions in December.
Typical setlist
01. Intro; 02. Jailhouse Rock; 03. We Will Rock You (fast); 04. Let Me Entertain You; 05. Play The Game; 06. Mustapha; 07. Death On Two Legs; 08. Killer Queen; 09. I'm In Love With My Car; 10. Get Down Make Love; 11. Save Me; 26. Sheer Heart Attack; 12. Now I'm Here; 13. Dragon Attack; 14. Now I'm Here (reprise); 15. Fat Bottomed Girls; 16. Love Of My Life; 17. Keep Yourself Alive; 18. Instrumental Inferno; 19. Flash's Theme; 20. The Hero; 21. Brighton Rock reprise; 22. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 23. Bohemian Rhapsody; 24. Tie Your Mother Down; 25. Another One Bites The Dust; 27. We Will Rock You; 28. We Are The Champions; 29. God Save The Queen
Tracks
played only scarcely
Battle Theme; Need Your Loving Tonight; Imagine
Japan 1981
Queen undertook a short 'Flash Gordon' tour of Japan. The Flash medley (four songs) was played in complete form, and sounds fantastic, making me wonder why more from the much derided - but entertaining - soundtrack album was never incorporated into live performance (thereby giving the 'Flash' album a push!)
Tour itinerary [5 concerts]
12.02.1981 Tokyo, Japan
13.02.1981 Tokyo, Japan
16.02.1981 Tokyo, Japan
17.02.1981 Tokyo, Japan
18.02.1981 Tokyo, Japan
Typical setlist
01. Intro; 02. Jailhouse Rock; 03. We Will Rock You (fast); 04. Let Me Entertain You; 05. Play The Game; 06. Mustapha; 07. Death On Two Legs; 08. Killer Queen; 09. I'm In Love With My Car; 10. Get Down Make Love; 11. Save Me; 12. Now I'm Here; 13. Dragon Attack; 14. Now I'm Here (reprise); 15. Fat Bottomed Girls; 16. Love Of My Life; 17. Keep Yourself Alive; 18. Instrumental Inferno; 19. Battle Theme; 20. Flash's Theme; 21. The Hero; 22. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 23. Bohemian Rhapsody; 24. Tie Your Mother Down; 25. Another One Bites The Dust; 26. Sheer Heart Attack; 27. We Will Rock You; 28. We Are The Champions; 29. God Save The Queen
Tracks
played only scarcely
Need Your Loving Tonight; Vultan's Theme; Rock It (Prime Jive); Teo Torriatte; Millionaire Waltz (intro only - on 18.2.1981)
Bites
The Dust concert (South America) 1981
Tour itinerary [7 concerts]
28.02.1981 Buenos Aires, Argentina
01.03.1981 Buenos Aires, Argentina
04.03.1981 Mar del Plata, Argentina
06.03.1981 Rosario, Argentina
08.03.1981 Buenos Aires, Argentina
20.03.1981 Sao Paulo, Brazil
21.03.1981 Sao Paulo, Brazil
The first Sao Paulo concert was attended by 131,000 fans, setting a world record. The Buenos Airies show of 8th March was attended by the famous soccer player Maradona, who joined the band onstage.
Typical setlist
01. Intro; 02. We Will Rock You (fast); 03. Let Me Entertain You; 04. Play The Game; 05. Somebody To Love; 06. Mustapha; 07. Death On Two Legs; 08. Killer Queen; 09. I'm In Love With My Car; 10. Get Down Make Love; 11. Need Your Loving Tonight; 12. Save Me; 13. Now I'm Here; 14. Dragon Attack; 15. Now I'm Here (reprise); 16. Fat Bottomed Girls; 17. Love Of My Life; 18. Keep Yourself Alive; 19. Instrumental Inferno; 20. Flash's Theme; 21. The Hero; 22. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 23. Bohemian Rhapsody; 24. Tie Your Mother Down; 25. Another One Bites The Dust; 26. Sheer Heart Attack; 27. We Will Rock You; 28. We Are The Champions; 29. God Save The Queen
Tracks
played only scarcely
Rock It (Prime Jive); Jailhouse Rock
Gluttons
For Punishment tour (Venezuela and Mexico)1981
This was the second leg of the South American tour, and whatever could go wrong, did go wrong, from the outbreak of war and dying presidents to natural disasters to stadium disasters. We made it out by the skin of our teeth, said Brian May. Just after the tour had ended the Falklands War between the UK and Argentina broke out. Despite the huge success of the shows in Argentina, and the massive popularity of the band, Queen would return. Two shows in Caracas had to be cancelled on account of the death of the president. Then a bridge collapsed injuring many spectators during another concert. Other than that, the recordings that exist show the band in fine form.
Tour itinerary [6 concerts]
25.09.1981 Caracas, Venezuela
26.09.1981 Caracas, Venezuela
27.09.1981 Caracas, Venezuela
09.10.1981 Monterrey, Mexico
17.10.1981 Puebla, Mexico
18.10.1981 Puebla, Mexico
Typical setlist
01. Intro; 02. We Will Rock You (fast); 03. Let Me Entertain You; 04. Play The Game; 05. Somebody To Love; 06. Killer Queen; 07. I'm In Love With My Car; 08. Get Down Make Love; 09. Save Me; 10. Now I'm Here; 11. Dragon Attack; 12. Now I'm Here (reprise); 13. Fat Bottomed Girls; 14. Love Of My Life; 15. Keep Yourself Alive; 16. Instrumental Inferno; 17. Flash; 18. The Hero; 19. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 20. Bohemian Rhapsody; 21. Tie Your Mother Down; 22. Another One Bites The Dust; 23. Sheer Heart Attack; 24. We Will Rock You; 25. We Are The Champions; 26. God Save The Queen
Tracks
played only scarcely
Need Your Loving Tonight; Jailhouse Rock; Battle Theme (18.10.1981?)
We Will Rock You (Montreal) 1981
Queen performed two special concerts in Montreal, which were filmed for later release. I remember buying the video and finding the experience somewhat surreal. The band seemed lifeless. The story is that the audience was quiet and the band suitably uninspired. The odd thing is, though, that the picture quality is excellent as is the sound quality on CD. In some way we could describe these shows as perfect but sterile, the first CD show.
Tour itinerary [2 concerts]
24.11.1981 Montreal, Canada
25.11.1981 Montreal, Canada
Typical setlist
01. Intro; 02. We Will Rock You (fast); 03. Let Me Entertain You; 04. Play The Game; 05. Somebody To Love; 06. Killer Queen; 07. I'm In Love With My Car; 08. Get Down Make Love; 09. Save Me; 10. Now I'm Here; 11. Dragon Attack; 12. Now I'm Here (reprise); 13. Love Of My Life; 14. Under Pressure; 15. Flash; 16. The Hero; 17. Keep Yourself Alive; 18. Drum solo; 19. Guitar solo; 20. Brighton Rock reprise; 21. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 22. Bohemian Rhapsody; 23. Tie Your Mother Down; 24. Another One Bites The Dust; 25. Sheer Heart Attack; 26. Jailhouse Rock; 27. We Will Rock You; 28. We Are The Champions; 29. God Save The Queen
Hot Space
Tour
With 'Hot Space' we plunge into hot water. I think the whole thing hugely overblow. The album and tour marked the transition of the band from a guitar-based hard rock sound to the new sound of synthpop ... OK, described thus, that may be more than enough cause for controversy for some. But the sad fact to record is that it couldn't be 1974 forever. There had been more than enough indications on 1978's 'Jazz.' Personally, I welcomed Queen's attempts to keep moving into new times and territories rather than repeating themselves. The Hot Space Tour of 1982 showed what the Hot Space album had the potential to be - harder, edgier, rockier. The album had sparked controversies among older fans, with many finding the dance/funk/disco turn unpalatable. A standout concert from this tour, however, showed the band at the peak of their powers. This was the concert performed at the Milton Keynes Bowl near Northampton, which was broadcast on Channel 4's hip and trendy pop music show The Tube. The show made apparent the extent to which the band could rock as hard as ever but had now added a distinctly soul/funk tone. That change couldn't simply be attributed to 'Hot Space,' however. 'Dragon Attack,' incorporated brilliantly into the hard rock of 'Now I'm Here,' and 'Another One Bites the Dust' both originated with 'The Game,' and were outstanding in this show. Add 'Under Pressure,' the #1 hit single that pre-dates 'Hot Space' (although included on the album, alongside the harder live performances of 'Staying Power,' 'Backchat,' and 'Action this Day,' and we have one heck of a hot concert. 'Body Language,' too, was transformed in live performance. The reaction to the album was not great, and the fantastic live performances didn't rescue its reputation. The material from 'Hot Space' was soon dropped from the setlist. 'Under Pressure' remained, but nothing else. I put it down to loss of nerve in face of controversy over the change of direction. 'Staying Power,' live, is easily the equal of 'Another One Bites the Dust.'
One of the shows from Japan was filmed, although it did not receive an international release.
The 'Hot Space Tour' would prove to be Queen's last tour in America. It was an ignominious end to an adventure that had gone from one triumph to another, through sellout shows at Madison Square Garden to huge success in 1980. I find the collapse of Queen's popularity in the US utterly bizarre. It wasn't the dance/funk turn that so annoyed sections of the British audience. 'Body Language' baffled the British, becoming the worst performing lead single (since the debut single). It hit US #11, becoming Queen's fifth biggest US hit. The success of the song possibly benefited from the fact that the accompanying video was banned. It seems like America didn't know that Freddie Mercury was gay, and couldn't cope with the revelation. Most strange. In all the years as a Queen fan in Britain, I don't recall the issue as having been of any interest, let alone importance.
Hot Space (EU) 1982
Tour itinerary [30 concerts]
09.04.1982 Gothenburg, Sweden
10.04.1982 Stockholm, Sweden
12.04.1982 Drammen, Norway
16.04.1982 Zurich, Switzerland
17.04.1982 Zurich, Switzerland
19.04.1982 Paris, France
20.04.1982 Lyon, France
22.04.1982 Brussels, Belgium
23.04.1982 Brussels, Belgium
24.04.1982 Leiden, The Netherlands
25.04.1982 Leiden, The Netherlands
28.04.1982 Frankfurt, Germany
01.05.1982 Dortmund, Germany
03.05.1982 Paris, France
05.05.1982 Hanover, Germany
06.05.1982 Cologne, Germany
07.05.1982 Cologne, Germany
09.05.1982 Würzburg, Germany
10.05.1982 Böblingen, Germany
12.05.1982 Vienna, Austria
13.05.1982 Vienna, Austria
15.05.1982 Berlin, Germany
16.05.1982 Hamburg, Germany
18.05.1982 Kassel, Germany
21.05.1982 Munich, Germany
22.05.1982 Munich, Germany
29.05.1982 Leeds, UK
01.06.1982 Edinburgh, UK
02.06.1982 Edinburgh, UK
05.06.1982 Milton Keynes, UK
At some concerts, Tie Your Mother Down was performed in the encores and either We Will Rock You or Sheer Heart Attack were performed after The Hero.
Typical setlist
02. The Hero; 03. Tie Your Mother Down; 04. Action This Day; 05. Play The Game; 06. Staying Power; 07. Somebody To Love; 08. Get Down Make Love; 09. Instrumental Inferno; 10. Under Pressure; 11. Love Of My Life; 12. Save Me; 13. Fat Bottomed Girls; 14. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 15. Bohemian Rhapsody; 16. Now I'm Here; 17. Dragon Attack; 18. Now I'm Here (reprise); 19. Another One Bites The Dust; 20. Sheer Heart Attack; 21. We Will Rock You; 22. We Are The Champions; 23. God Save The Queen
Tracks
played only occasionally
We Will Rock You (fast); Back Chat; Body Language; Mustapha (intro); Death On Two Legs (intro); Not Fade Away (Stockholm); Liar; I Go Crazy (part in guitar solo); Las Palabras De Amor (intro only - Milton Keynes)
Hot
Space (world) 1982
Tour itinerary [39 concerts]
21.07.1982 Montreal, Canada
23.07.1982 Boston, USA
24.07.1982 Philadelphia, USA
25.07.1982 Landover, USA
27.07.1982 New York, USA
28.07.1982 New York, USA
31.07.1982 Richfield, USA
02.08.1982 Toronto, Canada
03.08.1982 Toronto, Canada
05.08.1982 Indianapolis, USA
06.08.1982 Detroit, USA
07.08.1982 Cincinnati, USA
09.08.1982 East Rutherford, USA
10.08.1982 New Haven, USA
13.08.1982 Hoffman Estates, USA
14.08.1982 Hoffman Estates, USA
15.08.1982 St. Paul, USA
19.08.1982 Biloxi, USA
20.08.1982 Houston, USA
21.08.1982 Dallas, USA
24.08.1982 Atlanta, USA
27.08.1982 Oklahoma City, USA
28.08.1982 Kansas City, USA
30.08.1982 Denver, USA
02.09.1982 Portland, USA
03.09.1982 Seattle, USA
04.09.1982 Vancouver, Canada
07.09.1982 Oakland, USA
10.09.1982 Phoenix, USA
11.09.1982 Irvine, USA
12.09.1982 Irvine, USA
14.09.1982 Inglewood, USA
15.09.1982 Inglewood, USA
19.10.1982 Fukuoka, Japan
20.10.1982 Fukuoka, Japan
24.10.1982 Nishinomiya, Japan
26.10.1982 Nagoya, Japan
29.10.1982 Sapporo, Japan
03.11.1982 Tokorozawa, Japan
Typical setlist
01. Flash's Theme; 02. Rock It (Prime Jive); 03. We Will Rock You (fast); 04. Action This Day; 05. Play The Game; 06. Now I'm Here; 07. Dragon Attack; 08. Now I'm Here (reprise); 09. Save Me; 10. Calling All Girls; 11. Back Chat; 12. Get Down Make Love; 13. Instrumental Inferno; 14. Body Language; 15. Under Pressure; 16. Fat Bottomed Girls; 17. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 18. Bohemian Rhapsody; 19. Tie Your Mother Down; 20. Another One Bites The Dust; 21. We Will Rock You; 22. We Are The Champions; 23. God Save The Queen
Tracks
played only occasionally
Love Of My Life (Japanese leg only - before Save Me); The Hero (Japanese leg only - after Flash's Theme); Somebody To Love; Life Is Real; Staying Power; Put Out The Fire; Teo Torriatte; Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting; Spread Your Wings (intro); Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (excerpts); Death On Two Legs (intro)
The
Works Tour 1984
In Hannover, Freddie fell down the stairs during 'Hammer To Fall,' injuring his knee. He returned to the piano to finish three more songs: Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions. The event obviously has an impact on Brian who is confused and starts playing the guitar solo in We Will Rock You too early!
In Sun City (7th October), Freddie's voice gives out after Under Pressure and the concert has to be stopped and cancelled, with two following shows also being cancelled (October 9 and October 10). Playing South Africa was a huge error, and far more trouble than it could ever have been worth. I understand the reasoning - and there is an argument to be made about keeping politics out of music, art, and culture, particularly a censorious politics. But the band caught hell for their performances in Sun City. Many others had played the place, and avoided the criticism that Queen received. Their timing was massively off, coinciding with the height of international condemnation of apartheid. Many anti-Apartheid groups, including Artists United Against Apartheid, issued public condemnations of the band. In response, Queen issued an official statement making it clear that they were against racial prejudice. At the same time, Brian May offered a reasoned defence of separating politics and music, making the not inaccurate point that if artists performed only in those countries with regimes one could support on liberal and democratic grounds, there would be few places on Earth available. The irony seemed to be lost on most that one of those few places - the US - now seemed closed to Queen on account of objections to Freddie Mercury's homosexuality. Gee, human beings. All you can do is give them politics to keep them occupied.
Tour itinerary [32 concerts]
24.08.1984 Brussels, Belgium
28.08.1984 Dublin, Ireland
29.08.1984 Dublin, Ireland
31.08.1984 Birmingham, UK
01.09.1984 Birmingham, UK
02.09.1984 Birmingham, UK
04.09.1984 London, UK
05.09.1984 London, UK
07.09.1984 London, UK
08.09.1984 London, UK
11.09.1984 Dortmund, Germany
14.09.1984 Milan, Italy
15.09.1984 Milan, Italy
16.09.1984 Munich, Germany
18.09.1984 Paris, France
20.09.1984 Leiden, The Netherlands
21.09.1984 Brussels, Belgium
22.09.1984 Hanover, Germany
24.09.1984 Berlin, Germany
26.09.1984 Frankfurt, Germany
27.09.1984 Stuttgart, Germany
29.09.1984 Vienna, Austria
30.09.1984 Vienna, Austria
05.10.1984 Sun City, Bophuthatswana
06.10.1984 Sun City, Bophuthatswana
07.10.1984 Sun City, Bophuthatswana
10.10.1984 Sun City, Bophuthatswana
13.10.1984 Sun City, Bophuthatswana
14.10.1984 Sun City, Bophuthatswana
18.10.1984 Sun City, Bophuthatswana
19.10.1984 Sun City, Bophuthatswana
20.10.1984 Sun City, Bophuthatswana
Typical setlist
01. Machines (intro); 02. Tear It Up; 03. Tie Your Mother Down; 04. Under Pressure; 05. Somebody To Love; 06. Killer Queen; 07. Seven Seas Of Rhye; 08. Keep Yourself Alive; 09. Liar; 10. Improvisation; 11. It's A Hard Life; 12. Dragon Attack; 13. Now I'm Here; 14. Is This The World We Created?; 15. Love Of My Life; 16. Stone Cold Crazy; 17. Great King Rat; 18. Spike Edney keyboards solo; 19. Guitar solo; 20. Brighton Rock finale; 21. Another One Bites The Dust; 22. Hammer To Fall; 23. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 24. Bohemian Rhapsody; 25. Radio Ga Ga; 26. I Want To Break Free; 27. Jailhouse Rock; 28. We Will Rock You; 29. We Are The Champions; 30. God Save The Queen
Tracks
played only occasionally
Staying Power (approx. half of the gigs); Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting; Mustapha (intro); Sheer Heart Attack (instead of Jailhouse Rock); Not Fade Away (London 4.9.1984); '39 (part, Leiden)
The
Works (world) 1985
The Works Tour of 1984/1985 was one of Queen's largest ever tours, beginning with two performances at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil. They appeared in front of 470,000 people during the first night and 250,000 on the second night. Both shows were filmed and an official video was released. The Boston Globe described it as a "mesmerising performance." I'm not so sure. I bought the 'Rock in Rio' video and didn't think it lived up to its billing. I was never sure whether the problem was Brazilian TV or the band, but the show only occasionally catches fire. Maybe you had to be there.
In April and May 1985, Queen completed the Works Tour with sold-out shows in Australia and Japan. This tour is noteworthy for being the first time that Queen did not perform in North America. This despite Queen's US connections strengthening at this time, Freddie living in New York, the 'Works' album being partially recorded in Los Angeles, and Queen changing their US label from Elektra to Capitol. The story was that a full-scale US tour would be too much of a strain for Mercury's voice, and it is indeed true that Freddie was suffering vocal troubles at this time
Queen also took part in two music festivals (in 1984 and 1986) at Montreux in Switzerland, where they lip-synched to a small selection of their new material. The band look uncomfortable doing this. Not only were they strong live performers who had no need for simulation, they had openly condemned such fakery in the past. The band seemed somewhat ill-at-ease during these performances, fuelling the rumours that the band were on the brink of going their separate ways.
Tour itinerary [16 concerts]
11.01.1985 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
18.01.1985 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
13.04.1985 Auckland, New Zealand
16.04.1985 Melbourne, Australia
17.04.1985 Melbourne, Australia
19.04.1985 Melbourne, Australia
20.04.1985 Melbourne, Australia
25.04.1985 Sydney, Australia
26.04.1985 Sydney, Australia
28.04.1985 Sydney, Australia
29.04.1985 Sydney, Australia
08.05.1985 Tokyo, Japan
09.05.1985 Tokyo, Japan
11.05.1985 Tokyo, Japan
13.05.1985 Nagoya, Japan
15.05.1985 Osaka, Japan
Typical setlist
01. Machines (intro); 02. Tear It Up; 03. Tie Your Mother Down; 04. Under Pressure; 05. Somebody To Love; 06. Killer Queen; 07. Seven Seas Of Rhye; 08. Keep Yourself Alive; 09. Liar; 10. Improvisation; 11. It's A Hard Life; 12. Dragon Attack; 13. Now I'm Here; 14. Is This The World We Created?; 15. Love Of My Life; 16. Guitar solo; 17. Brighton Rock finale; 18. Another One Bites The Dust; 19. Hammer To Fall; 20. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 21. Bohemian Rhapsody; 22. Radio Ga Ga; 23. I Want To Break Free; 24. Jailhouse Rock; 25. We Will Rock You; 26. We Are The Champions; 27. God Save The Queen
Tracks
played only occasionally
Rock In Rio Blues (just an improvisation); Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting; Mustapha (intro); Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On; Let Me Out (part in guitar solo); My Fairy King (part in piano improvisation); March Of The Black Queen (part in piano improvisation)
Live
Aid 1985
"Queen were absolutely the best band of the day... they just went and smashed one hit after another... it was the perfect stage for Freddie: the whole world."
-Bob Geldof, on Queen's performance at Live Aid.
Enough said. Queen's performance at Wembley Stadium for Live Aid in 1985 is often celebrated as the greatest live performance ever. That verdict strikes me more as a reaction born of seriously false reputation and expectation. The critics had spent so long deriding the band that large sections of the public had bought into the idea that Queen were a joke band long past their sell-by date. This was errant nonsense from first to last. Queen had been one of the very best live bands around from the first and had sustained that reputation year after year. They also had first hand experience of stadium rock. They were superb at Live Aid, of course, just as they had been in many other concerts going back years.
They had clearly put a lot of thought and preparation into their set, which was delivered right on time. Whereas other bands played three or so of their old favourites in full or, in an attempt to be different, expanded a couple of their best known songs or changed their arrangements, Queen did exactly the right thing, condensing their songs and distilling the essence of their sound. It is often said that the reason for Queen's triumph at Live Aid lay in the fact that they opted for songs that were old and familiar rather than their new releases. That isn't quite true, with both 'Radio Ga Ga' and 'Hammer to Fall' coming from the previous year's 'Works' album. It was the arrangement and performance of the material that did it, blending the old in with the new, making for something both familiar and exciting. The band were masters of the medley, particularly involving "Bohemian Rhapsody," having done it many times in the past. Here, they gave the audience something that they knew immediately, rather than saving the big one up for a big ending, and then, having got the crowd immediately onside, took them further. There followed a hard-as-nails 'Hammer to Fall,' a singalong "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", and a massive ending with "We Will Rock You" (1st verse), and "We Are the Champions". It felt like a full concert. And the audience evidently felt the same way. Mercury and May returned later on to perform an acoustic version of "Is This the World We Created?" This part of Queen's Live Aid performance tends to be forgotten in the shadow of the immense performance earlier in the day, but it is on a par with that performance. Which is to say that it is exceptional. As were the band. Queen were back on top of the world. (As Morrissey sang, America is not the world).
The Magic Tour 1986
Although the sky was the limit for Queen after
Live Aid, the Magic Tour would prove to be the band's very last tour. Freddie may
have suspected that he had AIDS at this time, and may even have known, and so
took to the stage knowing that it would be the last time he would ever sing live
with Queen. That adds a certain poignancy to proceedings. What is remarkable,
however, is how joyous and celebratory the Magic concerts are. Queen also
produced a few surprises in the shows, with the ending of One Vision incorporating
riffs from Brian's Star Fleet, and Tear It Up opening with a short part of
Liar.
The Magic Tour of 1986 would prove to be Queen's final tour with Freddie Mercury and John Deacon. The tour stayed within the boundaries of Europe and included back-to-back shows at Wembley Stadium in London. In the Wembley shows, and at other points on the tour, Mercury made a point of denying the rumours that the band were about to split up. He declared that 'we are going to stay together till we f*$%*£* well die.' A particular highlight - among many highlights - was that as "God Save the Queen" was played over the PA system at close of show, Freddie would come on stage parading a rather grand royal cloak and a replica of the crown jewels.
Queen were one of the first rock bands to employ the big screen.
Many of the shows were recorded and a double album, entitled Live Magic, was released. The Budapest concert was also released on video. The final show of the tour took place on 9 August 1986 at Knebworth Park in England in front of some 200,000 people. It was the last ever performance of Queen with Freddie Mercury.
Tour itinerary [26 concerts]
07.06.1986 Stockholm, Sweden
11.06.1986 Leiden, The Netherlands
12.06.1986 Leiden, The Netherlands
14.06.1986 Paris, France
17.06.1986 Brussels, Belgium
19.06.1986 Leiden, The Netherlands
21.06.1986 Mannheim, Germany
26.06.1986 Berlin, Germany
28.06.1986 Munich, Germany
29.06.1986 Munich, Germany
01.07.1986 Zurich, Switzerland
02.07.1986 Zurich, Switzerland
05.07.1986 Slane, County Meath, Ireland
09.07.1986 Newcastle, UK
11.07.1986 London, UK
12.07.1986 London, UK
16.07.1986 Manchester, UK
19.07.1986 Cologne, Germany
21.07.1986 Vienna, Austria
22.07.1986 Vienna, Austria
27.07.1986 Budapest, Hungary
30.07.1986 Frejus, France
01.08.1986 Barcelona, Spain
03.08.1986 Madrid, Spain
05.08.1986 Marbella, Spain
09.08.1986 Stevenage, UK
Typical setlist
01. One Vision; 02. Tie Your Mother Down; 03. In the Lap Of The Gods rev.; 04. Seven Seas Of Rhye; 05. Tear It Up; 06. A Kind Of Magic; 07. Vocal improvisation; 08. Under Pressure; 09. Another One Bites The Dust; 10. Who Wants To Live Forever; 11. I Want To Break Free; 12. Impromptu; 13. Brighton Rock solo; 14. Now I'm Here; 15. Love Of My Life; 16. Is this the World We Created?; 17. (You're So Square) Baby; 18. Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart); 19. Tutti Frutti; 20. Bohemian Rhapsody; 21. Hammer To Fall; 22. Crazy Little Thing Called Love; 23. Radio Ga Ga; 24. We Will Rock You; 25. Friends Will Be Friends; 26. We Are The Champions; 27. God Save The Queen
Tracks
played only scarcely
Big Spender; Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting; Immigrant Song (Berlin); Gimme Some Lovin'; Mustapha (intro); Mustapha (full song - soundcheck in Manchester only); Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt (Budapest); Keep Yourself Alive (part); Rock'n'roll improvisation (Budapest); Get Down Make Love (part in guitar solo); Chinese Torture (part in guitar solo); I Feel Fine (guitar riff only - Mannheim); Danny Boy (part in guitar solo - Slane Castle); '39 (intro only - Cologne).
1990s
Queen did not perform any concerts in their original line-up in the 1990s. After Freddie Mercury's death in November 1991, Queen organised The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert and took place in April 1992 at Wembley Stadium. The three remaining members (in one of the few concerts they played together after Mercury's death) and a host of special guests staged a lengthy and emotional show billed as the Concert For AIDS Awareness (as well as Concert for Life) that was televised worldwide. Queen appeared only sporadically following the concert. Not all appearances featured all three surviving members. The final occasion where all remaining members of Queen performed on stage was in January 1997 at Paris in France for the world premiere of Bejart Ballet For Life. Joining the surviving trio were Spike Edney on keyboards/backing-vocals and Elton John who sang lead vocals. They only performed one song, namely "The Show Must Go On" which was one of the two songs they had performed together at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, and this was the last reported appearance of John Deacon on stage.
Queen live concertography: Festivals, parties, TV
24.07.1975 Blankenberge, Blankenberge, Belgium (Gouden Leeuwen (Golden Lions) festival)
Guest appearance: Queen live at the Blankenberge, Blankenberge, Belgium (Gouden Leeuwen (Golden Lions) festival)
Danny Haegeman says: I was there in 1975. The group was present but didn't play. They gave as reason that it took too much time to set up their instruments. (It was a a playback TV show as there was no place for a proper stage but Queen didn't want to do that). Mike Verdrengh was the presenter and he can be seen in the right part of the picture (next to Roger).
Setlist not available
06.10.1977 New London Theatre Centre, London, UK (We Are The Champions video shoot)
The fans were invited to a shoot of the band's new video - We Are The Champions. After the shoot (there were four mimed performances of this song) the band came back to the stage and performed a short impromptu set as a thank-you. Needless to say the setlist was very unusual. An audio recording of the whole shoot exists and despite its quite a bad quality it's an interesting "insight" into the making of one of Queen videoclips.
01. Tie Your Mother Down
02. Keep Yourself Alive
03. Somebody To Love
04. White Man
05. The Prophet's Song
06. Liar
07. Bohemian Rhapsody (intro)
08. Now I'm Here
09. Jailhouse Rock
10. See What A Fool I've Been
25.09.1982 Studio 8H, NBC, New York, NY, USA (Saturday Night Live show)
Freddie had really bad problems with his voice that night.
01. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
02. Under Pressure
03.02.1984 San Remo, Italy (San Remo festival)
01. Radio Ga Ga (mimed)
04.02.1984 San Remo, Italy (San Remo festival)
01. Radio Ga Ga (mimed)
12.05.1984 Le Petit Palais, Montreux, Switzerland (Golden Rose festival)
mimed performance
01. Radio Ga Ga
02. Tear It Up
03. It's A Hard Life
04. I Want To Break Free
13.07.1985 Wembley Stadium, London, UK (Live Aid festival)
Most of top artists of that time were present at this mega-famous festival and Queen of course had to be there. Each artist got from ten to twenty minutes for their show; no playback or soundcheck were allowed. Queen hesitated because playing without a soundcheck is always a risk. But then they accepted the rules and their 20 minutes of fame came on at 18:44 GMT.
Queen were on top form and not only according to Bob Geldof and Elton John, they stole the show. They played only the intro to BoRhap (the opera part couldn't be played from the tape as playback was forbidden & there wasn't enough time anyway). Instead of the opera part, Radio Ga Ga followed. We Will Rock You was reduced to the first verse (and the final guitar solo) only. Is This The World We Created was performed by Freddie and Brian only later in the evening.
01. Bohemian Rhapsody (intro)
02. Radio Ga Ga
03. Hammer To Fall
04. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
05. We Will Rock You (first verse + finale only)
06. We Are The Champions
07. Is This The World We Created? (Freddie + Brian only)
08. Do They Know It's Christmas? (All Star finale with Freddie and Brian)
11.05.1986 Le Petit Palais, Montreux, Switzerland (Golden Rose festival)
mimed performance
01. One Vision
02. A Kind Of Magic
03. Friends Will Be Friends
04. Hammer To Fall
12.07.1986 Kensington Roof Gardens, London, UK (Roof Gardens afterparty)
Guest appearance: Queen live at the Kensington Roof Gardens, London, UK (Roof Gardens afterparty)Guest appearance: Queen live at the Kensington Roof Gardens, London, UK (Roof Gardens afterparty)Guest appearance: Queen live at the Kensington Roof Gardens, London, UK (Roof Gardens afterparty)Guest appearance: Queen live at the Kensington Roof Gardens, London, UK (Roof Gardens afterparty)Guest appearance: Queen live at the Kensington Roof Gardens, London, UK (Roof Gardens afterparty)
01. Tutti Frutti
02. Sweet Little Rock And Roller
03. Johnny B. Goode (with Samantha Fox)