Queen on tour in Italy in 1984 - from "La Stampa", July 1984
Mar 9, 2022 19:51:41 GMT
The Real Wizard, leo82br, and 1 more like this
Post by fabiogminero on Mar 9, 2022 19:51:41 GMT
Hi.
These are two interesting articles, published on the Italian newspaper La Stampa in July 1984, to promote Queen's upcoming European tour of 1984, especially the Italian gigs. I hope you enjoy my contribution to this section.
1) the first one is titled Tempi d'oro per i Queen. Adesso li aspetta il mondo (translated as Golden times for Queen. Now the world awaits them) and was published in the July 21st, 1984 issue of the newspaper. An interview with Roger Taylor is proposed; in addition to talking about his new solo album 'Strange Frontier', the drummer gives some clarification on the situation of the band and denies the rumors of a possible disbanding of Queen. The article announces two Italian concerts: the first in Verona on September 12th (later canceled) and the second in Milan for September 14th.
2) the second one is titled Ac/Dc, Ultravox, Clash, Queen. La nuova ondata rock in Italia (translated as Ac/Dc, Ultravox, Clash, Queen. The new rock wave in Italy) and was published in the July 25th, 1984 issue of the same newspaper. It's curious to note how in this article, published four days after the previous one, a reference is made to two Italian Queen concerts; the gig in Verona is still confirmed but September 14th is indicated as a possible performance in Rome, information that appeared only here. A long part is instead dedicated to the Italian concerts of Stevie Wonder and the difficulty of the various local impresarios to make arrangements on the cities in which to play the shows; this attitude, typical in Italy in those years, could be the same reason why the Verona concert was later canceled I think (maybe things went differently). I have highlighted in bold the short part about Queen.
These are two interesting articles, published on the Italian newspaper La Stampa in July 1984, to promote Queen's upcoming European tour of 1984, especially the Italian gigs. I hope you enjoy my contribution to this section.
1) the first one is titled Tempi d'oro per i Queen. Adesso li aspetta il mondo (translated as Golden times for Queen. Now the world awaits them) and was published in the July 21st, 1984 issue of the newspaper. An interview with Roger Taylor is proposed; in addition to talking about his new solo album 'Strange Frontier', the drummer gives some clarification on the situation of the band and denies the rumors of a possible disbanding of Queen. The article announces two Italian concerts: the first in Verona on September 12th (later canceled) and the second in Milan for September 14th.
From August, after 2 years, they will do a big tour
Golden times for Queen
Now the world awaits them
MILAN - These are golden times for Queen, both for the collective and for the individual components: the group's latest album, 'The Works', has established itself in the high areas of the charts of all Europe while the single, 'Radio Ga Ga', also presented at the Sanremo Festival, was number one in nineteen countries, relaunching the band to the popularity of the late seventies. And while the leader and singer Freddie Mercury is recording his first solo work in Munich, fellow drummer Roger Taylor is promoting his most recent effort, the album 'Strange Frontier' with which he proves to be an excellent performer (there are also his versions of 'Racing In The Streets' by Bruce Springsteen and 'Masters Of War' by Bob Dylan): and if that weren't enough, Queen's world tour was planned in recent days, which will begin at the end of August to arrive in Italy in Verona on 12th and in Milan on September 14th.
To illustrate the work programs and take stock of the state of health of Queen, Roger Taylor, who was the founder and is a major contribution also at the compositional level, released a European video interview presented on Thursday also to the Italian press.
Last year there was a lot of talk about a breakup after a dozen years of career and more than 40 million records sold, and recently rumors of Mercury's departure have been circulating.
What's real?
"Nothing. Except that in 1983 we didn't appear in public because we were very tired and we were thinking about recharging and also the writing of the songs of the album required some time for reflection. Freddie, then, had in mind to make a record of his own, and this is legitimate, Queen have no intention of leaving the field".
What does this 'Strange Frontier', second solo album, means for Roger Taylor?
"It's a serious record, with sounds and contents that I particularly care about, a very important means to express myself, to tell a part of musical reality that's not inside Queen. However the band absorbs me a lot of energy and Queen comes before anything else for me".
What can be announced about the tour?
"Which will be a return in style, after more than two years of absence from the stage, with very modern and spectacular sets, for which we have made an investment of over half a million pounds. There will be more lights than in the Vatican, fun is guaranteed".
Golden times for Queen
Now the world awaits them
MILAN - These are golden times for Queen, both for the collective and for the individual components: the group's latest album, 'The Works', has established itself in the high areas of the charts of all Europe while the single, 'Radio Ga Ga', also presented at the Sanremo Festival, was number one in nineteen countries, relaunching the band to the popularity of the late seventies. And while the leader and singer Freddie Mercury is recording his first solo work in Munich, fellow drummer Roger Taylor is promoting his most recent effort, the album 'Strange Frontier' with which he proves to be an excellent performer (there are also his versions of 'Racing In The Streets' by Bruce Springsteen and 'Masters Of War' by Bob Dylan): and if that weren't enough, Queen's world tour was planned in recent days, which will begin at the end of August to arrive in Italy in Verona on 12th and in Milan on September 14th.
To illustrate the work programs and take stock of the state of health of Queen, Roger Taylor, who was the founder and is a major contribution also at the compositional level, released a European video interview presented on Thursday also to the Italian press.
Last year there was a lot of talk about a breakup after a dozen years of career and more than 40 million records sold, and recently rumors of Mercury's departure have been circulating.
What's real?
"Nothing. Except that in 1983 we didn't appear in public because we were very tired and we were thinking about recharging and also the writing of the songs of the album required some time for reflection. Freddie, then, had in mind to make a record of his own, and this is legitimate, Queen have no intention of leaving the field".
What does this 'Strange Frontier', second solo album, means for Roger Taylor?
"It's a serious record, with sounds and contents that I particularly care about, a very important means to express myself, to tell a part of musical reality that's not inside Queen. However the band absorbs me a lot of energy and Queen comes before anything else for me".
What can be announced about the tour?
"Which will be a return in style, after more than two years of absence from the stage, with very modern and spectacular sets, for which we have made an investment of over half a million pounds. There will be more lights than in the Vatican, fun is guaranteed".
2) the second one is titled Ac/Dc, Ultravox, Clash, Queen. La nuova ondata rock in Italia (translated as Ac/Dc, Ultravox, Clash, Queen. The new rock wave in Italy) and was published in the July 25th, 1984 issue of the same newspaper. It's curious to note how in this article, published four days after the previous one, a reference is made to two Italian Queen concerts; the gig in Verona is still confirmed but September 14th is indicated as a possible performance in Rome, information that appeared only here. A long part is instead dedicated to the Italian concerts of Stevie Wonder and the difficulty of the various local impresarios to make arrangements on the cities in which to play the shows; this attitude, typical in Italy in those years, could be the same reason why the Verona concert was later canceled I think (maybe things went differently). I have highlighted in bold the short part about Queen.
Since the end of August: but the unknown is still Stevie Wonder
Ac / Dc, Ultravox, Clash, Queen
The new rock wave in Italy
MILAN - Only August will be a month of rest for Italian rock fans. Indeed, at the end of the month - on the 29th - a new wave of very popular arrivals is expected with the Australians AC/DC. The impresario Franco Manone (one of the most serious in this bizarre world) brings them and they are, with Ac/Dc, the Clash (who return to Italy for the second time in a year), the Ultravox and Queen (some of them dates will be managed by Manone and others by David Zard).
The first date of Ac/Dc (the 29th) should be Bolzano, the second (September 4th) Milan, the third (September 6th) Rome. Ultravox will perform on September 2nd in Taranto, 3rd in Naples, 4th in Rome, 5th in Florence, 6th in Bologna, 7th in Genoa, 8th in Mestre, 9th in Turin (maybe as always), on the 10th in Milan. The Clash will instead be on September 6th in Naples or Cava dei Tirreni, 7th in Rome, 8th in Reggio Emilia, 9th in Florence, 10th in Genoa, 11th (always in doubt) in Turin. As for Queen, the first appointment is in Verona on September 12th, two other dates are yet to be defined, but one should be on the 14th in Rome.
This is a season extraordinarily rich in appointments with pop stars, extraordinarily quiet as public order, while for the turnout at concerts it will be better to wait for the end of the wave of arrivals to make evaluations.
The unknown of the year, the 'Rod Stewart 1984', continues to be the great Stevie Wonder, who just missed the appointment in Milan last night and is now given to be very present in September by two different and certainly competing entrepreneurs (unless an agreement is reached at the last minute), both Venetians: Fran Tomasi and Francesco Sanavio.
These are Italian stories, and it seems impossible for now to understand how it will end. Fran Tomasi says his date at the Palasport in Milan has been postponed from yesterday to September 1st (and even inside the Palasport there is still the Yes stage, assembled, and it should be there for Wonder until that day); but he also assures that he has already arranged two more evenings with the great black pop star: September 3rd in Rome, September 5th in Verona.
At the Sanavio house, instead, they let it be known that just yesterday they received a phone call with the confirmation of three dates of the disputed Stevie Wonder: from 2nd to 5th September they announce, and the period coincides with that of Tomasi.
At the base of this intrinsic story, there is a contract signed by Tomasi with the Danish Worsne, who in turn bought a handful of Wonder dates in Europe, and there are resounding dollars for Sanavio sent to the USA, on behalf of his organization, at the musician's agency, William Morris.
All this confusion belongs only to Italy, abroad there were no problems: to cause it all, there should have been a conflict between the Danish and Morris over who should decide where Wonder is going to sing. If you think that in London you already book tickets for the October-November concerts, it soon becomes clear that we have a mentality in the rock world that is decidedly not very entrepreneurial.
When will we grow up?
Stevie Wonder finally performed in Milan on September 1st, 1984 (in the same place where Queen played two weeks later) and at the Friuli Stadium in Udine on September 5th, 1984.
