Zurich 1986 reviews - from Italian newspaper 'Il Corriere della Sera', 4 July 1986
May 16, 2023 5:23:19 GMT
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Post by fabiogminero on May 16, 2023 5:23:19 GMT
Hi everyone.
Today's article concerns Queen's concerts at the Hallenstadion in Zurich on July 1st and 2nd, 1986; the review, entitled Circo del rock in nome della regina (translated as Circus of rock in the name of Queen), was written by the journalist and music critic Mario Luzzatto Fegiz and was published in the Italian newspaper Il Corriere Della Sera on July 4th, 1986.
The journalist spends words of praise towards the British band and compliments them on the show staged, also citing the upcoming show at Wembley Stadium. At the end of the article there is also a very brief interview with Brian May and Roger Taylor in the backstage of the concert on Queen's longevity; it is also clarified why Italy was excluded from the stages of the 'Magic Tour'. The other gigs of the Queen tour are also communicated: although the article was published in early July, the upcoming shows in Newcastle, Manchester and the final date of Knebworth are not mentioned. The Frejus date is also still scheduled for Cannes; the same information was also disseminated in other articles in other Italian newspapers published on the same days, such as La Stampa of July 2nd, 1986 (queenchat.boards.net/thread/3240/concert-zurich-article-italian-newspaper) and La Repubblica of July 4th, 1986 (queenchat.boards.net/thread/3512/queen-coming-celebrate-article-repubblica).
Below is a scan of the original article in Italian and my English translation.
Today's article concerns Queen's concerts at the Hallenstadion in Zurich on July 1st and 2nd, 1986; the review, entitled Circo del rock in nome della regina (translated as Circus of rock in the name of Queen), was written by the journalist and music critic Mario Luzzatto Fegiz and was published in the Italian newspaper Il Corriere Della Sera on July 4th, 1986.
The journalist spends words of praise towards the British band and compliments them on the show staged, also citing the upcoming show at Wembley Stadium. At the end of the article there is also a very brief interview with Brian May and Roger Taylor in the backstage of the concert on Queen's longevity; it is also clarified why Italy was excluded from the stages of the 'Magic Tour'. The other gigs of the Queen tour are also communicated: although the article was published in early July, the upcoming shows in Newcastle, Manchester and the final date of Knebworth are not mentioned. The Frejus date is also still scheduled for Cannes; the same information was also disseminated in other articles in other Italian newspapers published on the same days, such as La Stampa of July 2nd, 1986 (queenchat.boards.net/thread/3240/concert-zurich-article-italian-newspaper) and La Repubblica of July 4th, 1986 (queenchat.boards.net/thread/3512/queen-coming-celebrate-article-repubblica).
Below is a scan of the original article in Italian and my English translation.
Thirty thousand spectators in two evenings in Zurich for Queen, who have been in the international limelight for 16 years
ROCK CIRCUS IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN
The historic English group is to the rescue throughout Europe, a show with forty tons of spotlights and suspended speakers, with bangs and special effects – Parade of successes (many danceable and melodic) and motifs for the cinema.
ROCK CIRCUS IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN
The historic English group is to the rescue throughout Europe, a show with forty tons of spotlights and suspended speakers, with bangs and special effects – Parade of successes (many danceable and melodic) and motifs for the cinema.
ZURICH - If by chance our Pooh, after 20 years of honorable service, intend to disband, they would do well to postpone. Melodic and spectacular rock is far from dead. Dance Music, the English romantics are just a pin prick for the old Rock: and it is singular how Great Britain exports danceable electronic music in profusion and gives the world ships loaded with New Wave, inside, without excessive clamor , rewards a historic group like Queen.
Born in the early seventies has survived in full form unlike many other bands.
The phenomenon also seems to affect the rest of Europe where Freddy Mercury's band is making a triumphant tour. The 30,000 spectators cheered her on two evenings at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, but in Mannheim in Germany she had attracted over 60,000. All this happens because Queen have been able to keep intact the polish of that rock which, in terms of sound and spectacular completeness, looks a bit like melodrama in their show, in fact all the musical, theatrical and visual elements are brought together and emphasized to the maximum.
Attending one of their concerts has the same effect as listening to "Traviata" for the first time: one discovers that one remembers most of the songs because one hears them on the radio or casually on piped music or at the Italian nightclub. And to all this we must add a staging that has few precedents in the history of rock. On Queen's head move 40 tons of reflectors arranged on special structures capable of an infinite number of movements, such as getting up, down and closing in many jaws similar to space monsters. Suspended in the air about twenty meters away, it is also all amplification. A trick that Italian structures generally do not allow (and towards which our control commissions have justified distrust), but which gives the scenography a cleanliness and spatiality that we have only ever seen at the Colosseum in Los Angeles with Bob dylan. Then "barrels", fireworks, special effects. To this must be added a system of platforms at various levels, with stairs and walkways. All designed in America and built in Great Britain.
The whole allows Freddie Mercury, lead author and lead singer of Queen, to give vent to his well-known spectacular abilities, which however appear less multifaceted than in certain videos when he was not ashamed to wear blonde wigs and false breasts.
In Zurich he confined himself to wrapping himself in an immense double-sided flag (Switzerland on one side and English on the other) during one of the last passages and to appear complete with a velvet cloak, scepter and crown in perfect uniform of the King of England during the song 'We Are The Champions'.
The phenomenon also seems to affect the rest of Europe where Freddy Mercury's band is making a triumphant tour. The 30,000 spectators cheered her on two evenings at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, but in Mannheim in Germany she had attracted over 60,000. All this happens because Queen have been able to keep intact the polish of that rock which, in terms of sound and spectacular completeness, looks a bit like melodrama in their show, in fact all the musical, theatrical and visual elements are brought together and emphasized to the maximum.
Attending one of their concerts has the same effect as listening to "Traviata" for the first time: one discovers that one remembers most of the songs because one hears them on the radio or casually on piped music or at the Italian nightclub. And to all this we must add a staging that has few precedents in the history of rock. On Queen's head move 40 tons of reflectors arranged on special structures capable of an infinite number of movements, such as getting up, down and closing in many jaws similar to space monsters. Suspended in the air about twenty meters away, it is also all amplification. A trick that Italian structures generally do not allow (and towards which our control commissions have justified distrust), but which gives the scenography a cleanliness and spatiality that we have only ever seen at the Colosseum in Los Angeles with Bob dylan. Then "barrels", fireworks, special effects. To this must be added a system of platforms at various levels, with stairs and walkways. All designed in America and built in Great Britain.
The whole allows Freddie Mercury, lead author and lead singer of Queen, to give vent to his well-known spectacular abilities, which however appear less multifaceted than in certain videos when he was not ashamed to wear blonde wigs and false breasts.
In Zurich he confined himself to wrapping himself in an immense double-sided flag (Switzerland on one side and English on the other) during one of the last passages and to appear complete with a velvet cloak, scepter and crown in perfect uniform of the King of England during the song 'We Are The Champions'.
As always, the concert was concluded by God Save the Queen version "Queen", which in this specific case, in addition to celebrating the United Kingdom, also has an auspicious meaning for the band.
Songs from the new album 'A Kind of Magic' were heard during the concert which constitutes for one side the soundtrack of the film Highlander with Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert
The group has numerous precedents for film music, such as in 1980 for 'Flash Gordon' and various classics of their career such as 'You're My Best Friend', 'Love Of My Life', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Now I'm Here' up to that 'Radio Ga Ga', which raged two years ago after being launched by Queen guests at the Sanremo Festival.
The band preparing to set up the stage with all its 50m proscenium at Wembley Stadium in London, where it will give a mega concert on July 12th (with various guests including Status Quo, Alarm, the new group of Jason Bonham son of John of Led Zeppelin) has not changed components from 70 to today. Freddie Mercury (singer keyboardist) John deacon (bass) Roger Taylor (drums) and Brian May (guitar).
We met the latter (Taylor and May) in Zurich after the concert. Despite being rock star billionaires (ante litteram) they appeared calm, courteous and spoke the elegant English of cultured people:
- What do you think of this classic rock revival?
Songs from the new album 'A Kind of Magic' were heard during the concert which constitutes for one side the soundtrack of the film Highlander with Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert
The group has numerous precedents for film music, such as in 1980 for 'Flash Gordon' and various classics of their career such as 'You're My Best Friend', 'Love Of My Life', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Now I'm Here' up to that 'Radio Ga Ga', which raged two years ago after being launched by Queen guests at the Sanremo Festival.
The band preparing to set up the stage with all its 50m proscenium at Wembley Stadium in London, where it will give a mega concert on July 12th (with various guests including Status Quo, Alarm, the new group of Jason Bonham son of John of Led Zeppelin) has not changed components from 70 to today. Freddie Mercury (singer keyboardist) John deacon (bass) Roger Taylor (drums) and Brian May (guitar).
We met the latter (Taylor and May) in Zurich after the concert. Despite being rock star billionaires (ante litteram) they appeared calm, courteous and spoke the elegant English of cultured people:
- What do you think of this classic rock revival?
"What makes you think it's classic rock? Or doesn't it by chance mean old-fashioned, a little old-fashioned? No, the fact is that rock is a multifaceted container, where there is room for the ballad, the romantic, but also for the unleashed rhythm. And we have remained faithful to this principle."
- What do you attribute Queen's longevity to?
"The fact that we are a real group, very different and balanced among us, and there are no solo ambitions. After the tour we are separated even for months and then we feel the need to meet again."
- Songs like We Are the Champions and God Save The Queen suggest a certain British nationalism.
"In reverse. We are the irony of the English cliché."
- Why didn't you touch Italy in this tour?
"Because your stadiums are equipped for football and that's it. No one has designed them in a multipurpose way."
Queen's next stops: Dublin, London, Cologne, Vienna, Budapest, Cannes, Barcelona, Madrid and Marbella.
Mario Luzzatto Fegiz
- What do you attribute Queen's longevity to?
"The fact that we are a real group, very different and balanced among us, and there are no solo ambitions. After the tour we are separated even for months and then we feel the need to meet again."
- Songs like We Are the Champions and God Save The Queen suggest a certain British nationalism.
"In reverse. We are the irony of the English cliché."
- Why didn't you touch Italy in this tour?
"Because your stadiums are equipped for football and that's it. No one has designed them in a multipurpose way."
Queen's next stops: Dublin, London, Cologne, Vienna, Budapest, Cannes, Barcelona, Madrid and Marbella.
Mario Luzzatto Fegiz