Here are two images from an unofficial Japanese Queen fan club magazine with a review of The Cross's tour in 1988. The fan went to 9 out of 15 shows.
I'd love to read this whole article, but can't read or speak Japanese, unfortunately.
If you don't mind, could you please translate?
I translated it:
The magnificence I saw with my own eyes!!
Yes, that's right. I, Sugaru, went on a 7 week trip to the UK, and I just happened to catch 9 out of 15 shows on The Cross's tour! It was my first solo overseas trip, but I fearlessly tagged along with locals with nothing but myself. I thought I'd run into some acquaintances during the trip, and sure enough I met two Japanese people I knew. I also met two other women from Japan, so we were five Japanese fans in total. All five of us stuck together for the tour, and we would also be lined up in the very front row. I'm sure the band were surprised at the persistence of us Japanese fans.
The concerts followed the schedule seen on the right. As you can see, the venues were "small university halls" and small-scale shows were held in major cities in various regions. Well, these so-called halls had stages that were similar in size to the ones used in Japanese elementary school gymnasiums for school plays, and with the concert audience standing in front of it in a cramped space. The floor space was a bit more than half the size of an elementary school gymnasium.
[Explains the meaning of "Polytechnic"]
[The second photo is not the second page, and starts mid-sentence.]
He would alternate his left and right arms, pointing at the sky to the beat of the drum. For the next song, Strange Frontier, the whole audience was into it and sang along in unison. The encore featured a "Stand Up for Love" that was a bit Motown-ish compared to the album version (due to the keyboards), and would seemingly end before starting up again. I thought this was well executed as a final song. The album version is lively, too, but the live version was that much more full of energy, and was a fitting choice for a closing song.
So, altogether, it was well put-together. It was small, but a very tight show. It was well done. Once you think to yourself, "This is not Queen," it's quite excellent. The staging was well thought out, the band members were selected from auditions and therefore skilled, the band were clearly enjoying themselves, the backup singers were gaudy but seemed like good people, the audience was great and clearly knew all of the songs, they sang well, so all in all I really enjoyed it. That said, as my friend pointed out after hearing the concert recording, it was undeniable that it was like a completely miniature version of Queen with regards to their composition and performance. The way they would bring a song to a close was completely Queen-like. The concert itself was tight because of that method they employed, so it was a good thing, but it would have also been good if they tried to be a little more original. But you can't blame them, since similarities are to be expected after playing live with Queen for 15 years...
[The image cuts off at this point]
[The text on the right half of the page is not visible, making it difficult to translate. There appears to be some criticism of Roger's slouch being inappropriate for a lead singer. Also, Peter Noone was full of energy, but bumped the neck of the bass guitar on an amp, so he had to re-tune it mid-show.]
[Third page starts mid-sentence]
Roger was a very good guy off stage. The drummer, John, is also a good guy and his drumming is good, but he doesn't stand out much. Roger is showy as a drummer, and is good looking, so he stood out more than I expected. Josh didn't leave much of an impression. Spike has had the mentality of a roadie since his touring days with Queen, so he would tune his instruments by himself, and after the show he would take part in meetings with the crew while wearing his gown. I was surprised.
Concert Tidbits
- Despite all we've heard about how they're on bad terms, Roger uses VOX guitar amps and an old sixpence coin as a guitar pick, echoing Brian!! I was exasperated at this... (after the show, sixpence coins can be found on the floor by the stage)
- The backup singers were the same as the ones that appeared on the satellite broadcast on the Japanese music show Yoru no Hitto Sutajio. At first glance they're gaudy, but they're very friendly, good women. They have great bodies, with large chests and slim waists. I wonder if they're Roger's type?
- When Clayton came to the front, Peter pretended to kick him from behind. Seeing this, Roger came in running from a distance and actually kicked Clayton in the butt. Peter and Clayton, not expecting this, almost fell on top of me. I thought I was going to die.
- There was an English lady who left her three young kids with her family so that she could attend all of the shows on the tour. Uh, wow, some Queen fans go to great lengths....
- In contrast to Queen, The Cross would tour around in a bus, like a band that was trying to make it big still. Apparently Roger said he wanted to recreate the feeling of a new band instead of using helicopters. That said, it was a Volvo limousine bus.... The hotel rooms were also not special suites.
- Because they were acting like an unknown band, didn't have the intensely passionate fans like Queen did, and had small audiences, Roger would sign autographs for the 30 or so people who surrounded him after the show. The tour manager would also hand out autographed pictures of the band. It seems Roger really wanted the band to feel like one that was up and coming, and seemed to enjoy a level of interaction with the fans that would be unthinkable with Queen. That said, when he's right in front of you, there's a bright glow that makes him difficult to approach.