Translation of Japanese fanzine, 1985
Jul 18, 2023 7:40:38 GMT
deathtoming, The Real Wizard, and 4 more like this
Post by merplot on Jul 18, 2023 7:40:38 GMT
Hi, deathtoming posted some scans of a Japanese fanzine from 1985 some time ago. To my knowledge, this hasn't been translated into English yet, so I gave it a shot.
Notes:
This should be considered a “polished” rough translation. My Japanese degree is some 15 years old now and I haven’t translated anything in quite a while, plus the fact that this lady’s handwriting isn’t always easy to read means there may be some slight inaccuracies. Since English and Japanese are so different, I took the liberty to use some English sayings/idioms to make it flow a bit more smoothly.
Most people who spend a decent amount of time on the Internet probably know this by now, but Japanese suffixes are as follows:
-san = “Mr.” or “Mrs./Ms.”
-chan, -kun = familiar endearment
-sensei = “teacher”
-sama = “master” or “god”
This group of fans seems to refer to themselves as “The Mutual Aid Society,” and that is mentioned throughout.
Things (in parentheses) are in the original report.
Things [in brackets] are my own editing notes.
Where I thought the literal translation added something, I wrote [lit. blah blah] so you get a better understanding of what was being conveyed.
Overall, I love the sense of camaraderie shown here. This lady is obviously a big Roger fan. I think the report is really engaging and charming… except for the part where she says Hammer To Fall is “boring”.
Some of the stuff in here is a little eerie in hindsight, knowing what was to come. I’ll put some other thoughts in a separate post.
Anonymous fans mentioned include people known as GG, Mickey, Play Boy, Jun, Umi, and Sugaru, the lady who wrote the report. A few parts are redacted so I can’t translate.
For some reason, the word a p p l a u s e keeps changing to an emoji and I can't seem to fix it. Sorry. I've had several formatting issues here for some reason.
I had a great time doing this! Please, if you see something that should be corrected, let me know but be nice. Also, if there are any other pages like this floating around out there, point me to them so I can try translating those too! Bon appetit!
QUEEN JAPAN TOUR '85
Production - Writing - Editing.... Sugaru
In Cooperation With.... Mickey, Umi-chan, Jun-kun, Play Boy-kun
CONCERT REPORT
These days, rumors of a Queen breakup are running amok. What may or may not become of that is absorbing our interests as of late. Not to mention, the amount of anxiety we've been carrying around in light of that. So those are the circumstances under which I've written up this report; it's possible we may be misremembering some things...
Aboard the Tozai train line on the way to the venue, I couldn't stop shaking. The day is finally here, at long last! Once I entered the Budoukan, first the Metropolis set was dropped into place onstage. The venue was playing Mick Jagger songs and stuff like that before the curtain rose, and every time a song ended I felt like my heart would stop [with anticipation]!
...And then, the music stopped, and everything was plunged into darkness. Finally the time had come...! There was a great uproar before the members even came out. Everyone stood up. The tape to "Machines" began playing and the lights flashed along in time. But the members hadn't emerged yet. Then "Tear It Up" began, and there they were! My heart filled at the sight of Rog's glittery cymbals. John, Rog, Bri, everyone. Beautiful, as ever. And then... Ahhhh, Freddie-sama, in the flesh, could be seen in our sky! Rog's vigorous singing was as divine as it was on the album.
"Tie Your Mother Down" was relegated to right before the encore back in '82, but this time it made an early appearance. I don't know why they didn't do "We Will Rock You". However, this song had everyone in high spirits in one breath, courtesy of Bri's guitar. Once this ended, it's established practice for the call-and-response of "GOOD EVENING!" "Good evening~~!" "ARE YOU HAVING FUN?" "Yeah!" "Is everybody O.K.?" "Yeah!" I see now what Noroshiyama-san said about the gathering together of a bunch of drifters in one place. After all, it's powerful to see the real thing before your eyes. [Is this a proverb? No idea. I think she's getting at how moving it is to be in a place with a bunch of people who share your interests.]
"Under Pressure" was played more naturally this time around than in '82. I was disappointed that Freddie didn't play his "Why~?" note off of Rog's "Love~" line. People were into [lit. noticing] John's bass. On "Somebody To Love", Freddie went to the piano and began playing the "Death On Two Legs" intro first. Everyone noticed that. The whole venue let out a squeal of delight! Such beautiful piano... then Freddie introduced the song and there was another squeal of delight. GG-sensei was crying pretty hard at this song. This song is also my first or second favorite, so I'm always grateful to hear it.
Continuing on, we get to "Killer Queen", which was omitted in '82. As soon as I heard that intro, I was crying tears of joy. Except to be honest, it seems like the singing style on this one has gotten a bit less sophisticated [lit. childish] as time has gone by. Rog's voice on the chorus and cymbals were crystal-clear. Everyone in the venue sang the entire song, not just the chorus. From "Killer Queen", the piano began to gradually slow down. Then it stopped. "Will he continue with the same song?" I asked myself, not sure what to think. And then he began the intro to "Seven Seas Of Rhye"....!! The sinfully beautiful sound of the piano poured over me like water. I was so pleased I had goosebumps! And then I was in awe. I had heard rumors that they would play songs from the early days, but John had candidly stated [in an interview] that it was too difficult to play any songs from Side Black of Queen II. I never dreamt they'd play this song again. Freddie sounded as good as ever, and his voice has retained its beauty. Even though it was an old song, it didn't feel old. As could be expected from Queen!
On to a great rendition of "Keep Yourself Alive". Just hearing Brian's guitar... and then Rog hitting his drums like DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH! over the top of the guitar, I love it so much. It has that energetic quality, I loved it as usual. I had heard beforehand that they would play it. Next they began the intro to "Liar", and I completely lost my mind since I never dreamt they'd play it again! I was arm-in-arm with Mickey, both of us yelling "Oh my god, oh my god... they're playing THIS song?!" and crying like crazy. His voice was as clear as glass. During the part that goes "I have seen [sic] dear father..." his voice is so beautiful that you can barely believe that you're hearing it done live in front of you. Whenever he sang "LIAR!" everyone would put their hands up and the lights would get brighter... so many tears...
Mickey had this to say: "Oh my god, that we got to hear this one live... My tears were seriously just going straight down in a continual line. I love this song so so so much... OMG... I'm so impressed!! I think Roger was wearing a white thing with blue lines (kind of like a tracksuit or something...). 'Liar'! Ugh, I can't BELIEVE I got to hear that live!! I was so happy but at the same time, I was wondering if this was the last time we'd get to hear a song from the Ice Age like this."
Next up was Freddie's vocal solo. He gave a strong performance, bathed in blue light. His voice was deep and full. On the 8th he didn't do it for long, but you never would've known it was the final leg of the world tour because his voice was so serene and elastic. His treble was amazing as well. He put the echo machine to fantastic use. "Teiririririrtatatatatatooooooyo" in such a high serene voice, and then "uoooeeeeiiiiyaaaa, derorororopapapapapapei!" voice numero dos came out in a low sound. Then the backing synthesizer and Rog's drums started in. Then the bass joined in, becoming jazz-like. Then Rog hit his cymbals and yelled out, "One, two, three, four!!"
"I donnnnn't want my freeeeeedom...!!" and "It's A Hard Life" began. This song illustrates how Queen's songs run a wide range from low to high. Especially the high parts, even though Freddie's probably pretty tense in the middle of a tour, this year it didn't sound like it. Rog had to help him out less, as well. He was doing it mostly by himself. But as can be expected, by the 15th in Osaka, Rog had entered the equation more. It was well-done. But... the "EEEEERO" and "TEIRARIRARI RORERORERO!" and stuff like that... knock it off! We're out of energy at that point! On the 11th, he complimented the audience with "Wonderful!" In Osaka, all the audience earned was a less stellar "Not bad!" Then he turned around and smacked his butt at the crowd! I don't think he was very happy with that crowd's singing.
"Dragon Attack" and "Now I'm Here" were next. "Now I'm Here" has always been heard with the start of Bri's guitar like "Doot doot doot doot doot doot..." but this time the intro featured the drums and bass instead. It was also a shortened version, sandwiched between other songs in a medley, which I thought was strange. For me, that song should always begin with the sound of a guitar.
"Is This The World We Created"- Bri brought back the guitar, and for the first time people began to call out for Brian [lit. began the Brian Call]. I wondered if they were going to go into "Love Of My Life". On the 8th and 9th, by the time the guitar intro had ended, the audience had calmed down like they had been hit with water. Then they began chanting for Freddie with lots of
! With the second verse, the backing synth came in. It was really dramatic! I noticed that on the 11th, Freddie made a mistake coming in at the beginning of the song, but being a veteran at this point, realigned neatly with a sweep of his arm. From the beginning of the second verse, Bri would look and smile at Freddie with what looked to be great feeling and emotion.
"Love Of My Life"- For this one, Bri brought out the twelve-string. People began calling out to Brian again [lit. a Brian Call occurred]. The people in the front began the Brian Call and Brian said, "What's that you're saying?" People: "BRIAAAAAN!" B: "You want to sing?" People: "YEAAAAAH!" B: "Mmmm. Right, O.K. Try this one, try this!" And then Brian began playing the intro on his guitar to loud cheers. On the 11th, this is how the song began. On the 8th and 9th, there wasn't an interaction like this.
Then, Emperor Freddie ascended. His joyful voice was especially high. It's so wonderful to be able to say that he sounded so good in Japan. On the 8th and 9th, Freddie praised the singing crowd by saying, "Beautiful!" The 11th was again extraordinary. Regardless of the fact that we were in such a big place, because it was a public performance, there was such a mood and sense of unity, more than I thought there could be. Especially during the second chorus, it really was indescribable. Even though the hall was echoing, the words were clear. It was as if the hall itself were singing with one voice. Because we were doing it so well, Brian involuntarily stopped playing his guitar in the middle of the song in order to listen. Freddie listened carefully as well. Even after we sang "What it means to me~", Bri and Freddie didn't play the interlude right away and instead looked at each other with awe on their faces. They smiled at each other as if to say "Wow!" I think we were all impressed with how good it sounded. The crowd was bubbling over. Then Freddie gave us the best compliment possible... "Absolutely perfect!!"
....Ahhhhh!! Has any other audience had Freddie fling this much praise at them? ....I'm so glad I fell in love with Queen! I was boasting to myself... I'm so glad I've lived to see this...!! I kept thinking to myself through my tears.
And then the song resumed. The melody really shone [lit. boiled] from Bri's guitar.... Freddie's "I still love you, love you, love you, love you..." still rings in my ears. And then the last chorus, "Love of my life, love of my life, Ooooh, yeah~" and big. I understand how Queen has become so popular and familiar in Japan. Once this song ended, Freddie let out a really happy-sounding "ARIGATOU!" It was so great that I got goosebumps... I wanted to thank him back. As a side note, on the 8th, during the instrumental part of this song, Freddie was heading backstage and his mic cord got caught on something and he lit it go without looking back. But someone told a roadie "Pick up that mic but don't make any noise!" and he slid and caught it right before it hit the floor. Just in the nick of time! People applauded that move.... but it was just like a manservant to the emperor!
Freddie only introduced "Another One Bites The Dust" as John's song on one night, the 8th. John's bass was unusually powerful. Here they put in just a touch of "Mustapha". Freddie sang "Allah Allah Allah we pray for you~" and immediately after, the audience got involved by yelling "HAI!" (I think they meant "HEY~!"). It tells you that there's a lot of fans who really listen. You can't decide to get involved spontaneously in unison like that unless you're a true connoisseur!
"Hammer To Fall"... Roger stood up and beat the intro on his drums. This song was made for live performance, but there's no hook. So you can't sing it and I was bored. On the 11th, because of the echo in the hall, Rog's drumming started to slip up. I was nervous for him. The worse point was when the snare drum fell out of time. He fell a half beat behind schedule and. I thought to myself, "What's he gonna do?" but right as I thought that he course-corrected and I felt relieved. Why, Rog? This song felt a lot lighter than it does on the record... and inevitably I was taken aback by the session guitarist. (I knew about it beforehand but it's still really unexpected, ain't it?!)
For "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", Freddie didn't use the 12-string Ovation, opting for a cream Fender Telecaster instead. As this guitar hung from his shoulder, he said on the 8th, "This is my guitar, but I don't know if I'll be able to play it, like he was letting us in on a secret. Mischievous ❤❤
That same day, this guitar broke a string in the middle of everything. As usual, a good-spirited Rog shouted "Ready Freddie!!" which I was satisfied with. It's at this point that the session pianist, Spike or whats-his-name, came out. Freddie introduced him to the crowd.
"Bohemian Rhapsody"- Freddie went to the piano, and I figured he was going to play a different song. That intro is beloved. I thought the venue would break apart with the sound of the yelling voices. His voice gets better every year.... but to be honest, this year I felt like BoRap was shoehorned in as a matter of convenience, and there was no drama, so I felt caught off-guard.
"Radio GaGa"- Started with the backing synth, followed by Rog's drums. This song is carved with a characteristic rhythm. "Oh boy, is this what 'Radio GaGa' sounds like live?" was the feeling; the tempo was faster and the song more lively than on the record, and the vibe was great. During the chorus, the entire venue began clapping just like in the video except with even more power, If you looked up at the first and second balconies from the arena seats of the Budoukan, everyone's arms were up and their hands coming together. ...It was like we were all in the streets, like we were a "raging wave of Queen", a "roiling wave of bodies".... that's what it was. I was impressed. I wanted to congratulate Rog on his first hit single.
~ENCORE~
"I Want To Break Free" began with the same synth as in the single version, and we all one after the other started wondering if we'd get to see a cross-dressing Freddie. Then, Brian's guitar and John's bass joined in. And then from backstage came a cross-dressing Freddie with majestic breasts pointing high! There was a huge commotion in the hall. The plastic bra had to stick out at least a meter and a half, and topped with a Tina Turner-eque bobbed wig, Freddie pranced around smiling. Sometimes he'd turn over his pink tank top and we could see the super-busty bra. That made a fuss! I think Freddie was amused by the reaction of the crowd. This song sounded a lot different than the original, with more emphasis on the guitar and a heavier sound. Whenever Freddie sang "God knows!", everyone in the audience yelled it out as well, but I wonder if the members onstage heard it. In the middle of the song, Freddie removed the bra and threw it in front of the audience, and threw the wig and clothes towards a roadie. Freddie was still in the tank top when he removed the wig and the sights was a little creepy. On the 15th at Osaka Jo Hall, Freddie accidentally threw the bra into the audience, and I wondered if the roadie would go to retrieve it....? On the 9th, Freddie took off the tank top and hit Rog's cymbals with it. That made Rog stand up halfway and laugh. How cute! ❤❤
"Jailhouse Rock" is an old classic... it surprised me. Everyone was excited and in high spirits to hear it.
~ENCORE 2~
In the pitch black darkness, on the 11th through the 15th, the hall spontaneously broke out into calls of "We will, we will rock you!" The arena wasn't just clapping their hands, but stomping their feet as well. Especially on the 11th, this was very powerful. (On the 11th, the call was quite tight, but on the 15th it was in pieces from the beginning.) Then, Roger began to match the call with his drums. A bunch of girls started shrieking. Then this year, John joined in with his bass. It felt like it was slowing down a bit. Then Brian's guitar joined in. Then Freddie. On the 11th-15th, Freddie spread a big Union Jack flag out in his hands. He began leisurely walking around to the rhythm with imperial dignity. The voices yelled "WAAAAA!" Then Freddie majestically turned around to face the back. And there on the back of the spread Union Jack was the Hinomaru [Japanese Rising Sun Flag]....!! Even if you think it's a silly production, you can't help but want to promote friendship between England and Japan. Everyone's reaction got even louder. When he saw this, Freddie smiled and laughed... that kind of thing is so cute... ❤. He came across the floor with the flag as he began to sing. This year the crowd's voices were pretty amazing. In '82, I don't think they made it to the stage. That year, Freddie was complaining to us to yell "Loud, all!!!" This year we were bestowed with a "Yes!".... Everyone in the venue raised their arms.
"We Are The Champions"..... Once we saw Freddie sitting at the piano again, everyone uniformly became aware that this was the end, and the thought made us all sad. On the 8th, even though this was the last song, the voices were growing. While being really 8impressed for the first time with this song, I was sad with the thought that it was already over. So it was with pleasure that I as able to se such an amazing show, and my face was messy with tears through the smiles. On the 9th, as the song ended a bath towel-sized Union Jack came out before the audience and Freddie ran from one end of the stage to the other while holding it.
Ahh. I couldn't help but scream "Queen is the champion of the world!!" The song ended and I was so upset I didn't now what to do with myself....
"God Save The Queen"- Freddie and Brian unfurled another Union Jack and Hinomaru like the one mentioned above. (Freddie tried to open it too quickly. It took Brian a minute to come help him and Freddie looked frustrated with him.). On the 15th, the members disappeared backstage, in the order of John, Rog, Freddie, then Brian. Freddie and Rog both had their arms on each others' shoulders, and then Brian put his left hand on Freddie's shoulder which seemed to surprise him. I wonder if that patched things up a little. Anyways, the feeling that this might be the last Queen performance in Japan was floating around. A lot of fans had been crying and a lot were still crying in their seats as the lights came on. But in recent magazine interviews, they've talked about how they want to return in two to three years, so I'm not too worried about it.... Ahh, Queen, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for a great show.
IMPRESSIONS AND CONCERT GOSSIP
Well I never thought they'd play so many old songs!! To be honest, I was a little bit surprised when Bri started his "Brighton Rock" guitar solo. I never thought I'd get to hear things like "Brighton Rock" and "Liar" and "Seven Seas Of Rhye" etc in a raw state, so.... ...yep. Speaking of the guitar solo, on the 11th he played a little excerpt of "Sakura, sakura". So in that light, my impression is that the performance on the 11th was best, followed by the 8th, 9th, and 15th in that order. (I wasn't able to attend on the 13th.). A lot of people also seemed to think the 11th was the best. Since Osaka was the last day, the band as conducting themselves with a kind of "This is the last day of Japan AND the Works Tour" confidence, shall we say. I think they really wanted that kind of vibe. But to the contrary, the audience was full of expectations and the mood was unexpectedly bad, so it didn't really live up to its potential. The "We Will Rock You" call was in pieces. I have a lot of recollections of being annoyed. I think the band members were disappointed as well. I didn't see it, but according to other witnesses, Brian was crying onstage at Nagoya and Osaka. According to a member of the Mutual Aid Society, it seemed that "Brian was the only one who was immersed in sentiment and memories of when he first came to Japan."
Yes yes, and I seem to remember that on the 13th and 15th, "Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting" as performed after :Crazy Little Thing Called Love". Furthermore, for some reason, while Freddie did his vocal solo every night in Japan, I have heard that it was not done on the European or UK tours. Instead they did "Staying Power", "Stone Cold Crazy", "Great King Rat", stuff like that. They also substituted "Jailhouse Rock" for "Sheer Heart Attack". On the 8th, Freddie started out wearing tight-fitting red and black striped pants, but on other days he went with the white tights and changed in the middle to red pants. How many times did Bri change up his look as well....
This year, as he has done in other countries, Freddie let out a "HA!" and sprayed the Japanese audience with a cup of water. Was [REDACTED] of the Mutual Aid Society able to catch the cup....?? (Sadly, after the concert was over, the cup was covered in fingerprints as [REDACTED]'s friend threw it around...)
This year as Roger was drumming, his spit flung into the air. Then, after leaving the stage but before coming back out for the encore, he threw the sticks he had been using out towards the audience but he flubbed it and they didn't make it, falling upon the stage instead. Then I caught a glimpse of the roadie that thad to go out on the pitch black stage with a flashlight in order to retrieve them. Also, one time when he threw the sticks he threw them straight up and they almost hit him. It was a close call. But although he flubbed it the first time, at the end of the Osaka performance, he scattered all of his remaining sticks out into the audience. Because of this, everyone was more astonished than in '82 and thought it was a great concert.
OFF DAY EVENTS (Nothing like a follow-up report!)
4/30- John arrives. He was actually supposed to arrive on the 6th of May, but that as cancelled so it looks like he had to come early.
5/6- The other three arrive. Brian was accompanied by his wife Chrissy. No kids were with them. As always, Chrissy was wearing a long skirt...
5/8- After the concert, Freddie...example.... Lincoln Continental... [the rest is redacted, I assume it's regarding the partying Freddie did after the concert or at least where he went]
- On the other hand, the other members were on "Tonight's Hit Studio" on Fuji TV. We waited at the back door but they all got out and into cars so quickly that we barely saw anything. After that, because I couldn't catch Tokumi, I gave up for the day. [I'm not sure exactly what that means, maybe she got separated from a friend and went home?]
5/9- Arrival to the Budoukan was around 3PM for Bri and Rog, 4PM for John, and 5PM for Freddie. Freddie rode in a limo with the windows down, which is very rare. A fan said he waved to us but I didn't see it. Today, as always, Chrissy wore a long skirt....
- After the concert, Bri got in a limousine and went to Seryna in Roppongi. [Seryna is a restaurant and Roppongi is a district in Tokyo known for its nightlife.] There were barely any other fans around, so we were able to get close to see. He signed things for us and shook our hands. The Mutual Aid Society's own Play Boy-kun has said he's shaken hands with Bri four times now. And then there was Freddie's car......!! We didn't think we'd see the other members' cars, let alone Freddie's... since we hadn't thought we'd see it, Umi-chan and I were completely enthralled. Around this time a bunch of fans were gathering and it had become quite crowded, but before we knew it, Freddie's car drove up like ZOOOOOOM... and everyone was silent when they saw. Freddie got out of the car with a very calm expression. Even from only a meter away, Freddie had an extremely beautiful and unapproachable mood about him. With a complexion that was whiter than I had thought, he's a slim and delicate person. Not too tall, shorter than I would have imagined after seeing him onstage. "No way.... he's moving right in front of my eyes, Freddie's right there~~!" I kept whispering in my heart. By then, all the fans gathered on the seen were hushed. No one screamed or said "FREDDIE!" or anything. They didn't ask to shake his hand or anything at all. All we could do was earnestly watch Freddie moving in front of our own eyes. And Freddie, without smiling or even waving, or changing expressions at all, disappeared into Seryna. For some reason, even though I stood there and watched everything he did with my own eyes, I barely have any memory of it... just the pure white nape of his neck as he went past me is the only image remaining that's terribly clear to me now... a beautiful hairline at the nape of his neck, cut straight across... I was this close to fainting...
The next to come was Rog... I think? When his car drove up, fans snapped out of the earlier trance with Freddie and a big commotion began. "KYAAAAA!" "Roger, look over here!!" We waved to Rog inside of his car, and he smiled and laughed and waved back. Somehow, I was still in front this time too. A couple of minutes before when Freddie as there, I could've taken a step forward and touched him... Mutual Aid Society's own Jun-kun banged on the window of Rog's car with her hand. She's a Rog fan: a Rog fan who had lost all sense of self and sanity and has no memory of it at this time. Before Roger went into Seryna, he turned around to face the fans once, threw a kiss with both hands, and laughed. Of course, all the girls started screaming. That idiot....
We noticed a group of foreign men in Queen tour jackets walking up, and thinking to ourselves, "Oh look, a bunch of roadies hard at work...", paid them no mind. But in that group of unsuspecting roadies was John! If you're doubting me and thinking, "Why would John ever be walking up like that??" ...I saw it with my own eyes as they passed, clear as day. A bunch of other fans noticed him eventually, just as he was getting to Seryna. He had both of his hands shoved into his jean pockets. When fans began to yell "John!!", he only lowered his head and disappeared inside. Maybe he wasn't in a very good mood. That's all for that day, we went home at that point. I think this was a dinner that EMI had organized for them. After that, I heard that everyone went clubbing to let loose, except for Brian...
5/10- They had today off. Seems as though most of them went shopping.
- When people were waiting for the members to get back to their hotel, Freddie returned. (I wasn't able to come this day, so I dunno all the details.). But, since they saw him from far away and he was with a jacked bodyguard, Umi-chan et al mistook Freddie for a pro wrestler at first. They told me they were impressed, thinking things like "Oh, I guess pro wrestlers come through here too!" But since the sight was so strange, Jun-kun said, "I'll go check to see if it's Punch Ito!" ("Punch Ito" being Itou-san of Tokyo Patrol. He has a punch perm, etc.) Jun-kun stated that this "Punch Ito" was really funny... but at a later date, she didn't even remember saying that. Eventually Jun-kun came running back, saying "I dunno because it's full of punches!" (This statement was just to make everyone laugh, I'm sure!) In the end, only Jun-kun was able to see Freddie, as Umi-chan et al were looking at someone else, and said they were unable to see him. (But Jun-kun has bad myopia so honestly, she probably didn't see much of anything...)
5/11- After the concert, we waited for the band members to come out, but since we waited in the wrong spot, it was no dice. On top of that, since we were so laid back, thinking "Oh, they're in there but they just haven't come out yet," we posed for a commemorative Mutual Aid Society photo and ate snowcones afterwards. We're morons...
- Somehow, Jun-kun and Play Boy-kun passed by Freddie's limo, but the windows rolled up as they got close, so once again, no dice.
- Since today was their last day in Tokyo, we knew there'd be no mistake in checking out the Lexington Queen , and we walked in with conviction. Inside, balloons written with "Sayonara, Freddie, Brian, John, Roger" confirmed our suspicions. But as time went on and we waited and waited with no sign of them, we began to get anxious. Then we Dumbo'd some waiters having a private convo, overhearing "Rogers having a party in his room," and then we felt secure again. "They're still in there but they're on their way." ....with our Dumbo ears.... And then the club started playing "Another One Bites The Dust". And then for a slow dance, they played "Te wo toriatte". That's a bad choice for some cheek-to-cheek time. By now it was 1AM and the members minus Freddie came in. Since it was Saturday, the place was already packed, and then there were crowds of fans on top of that. Roger took the same seat he took when he was here in March for the promotional tour. Rog, John, and Bri all had beautiful foreign model-looking women with them. Since John and Bri's noble wives had accompanied them on this trip to Japan, and those women might as well be models anyway, I'm pretty sure these weren't groupies. For a while they all sat in box seats in the back, but before long BRIAN PULLED THE WOMAN HE WAS WITH OUT ONTO THE DANCE FLOOR. Then John pulled the woman HE was with out to dance as well! To be blunt, Bri was wearing clogs, he danced like Sally-chan [I think this is a reference to this dance from the anime "Sally the Witch"], and he wasn't riding the rhythm at all... so it really wasn't a good vibe... don't wear clogs to a disco!! Afterwards, we decided to call Bri's dance the Clog Dance. John, who is of course known as the King of Disco, was in a great mood and danced amazingly!! It was so cool! Rog single-mindedly stayed in his seat with a group of models, chatting radiantly. John wore skipants... as a modern man does.
We also began to dance, but... it was at this point that I realized that someone had taken the blouse I had brought! It was an 18,000 yen ROPÉ designer blouse that I had bought especially for Queen-following activities this time around....!!!! The doom and depression made me feel like dancing [the sadness away]. When John and Bri returned to their seats, Jun-kun et al were able to shake their hands without me.... but I don't care... it wasn't even a week since I bought that blouse.... ughhhhh.
- The band left the Lexington at around 3AM. Rog and John left quickly, especially John who left so swiftly we didn't even see him go! Since Bri lumbers behind them, we were out of the club before he was. Bri got in an ordinary taxicab. We also took a taxi to the Hotel Okura in anticipation of his arrival.
- We arrived at the hotel, but... pathetically, we didn't know if Bri was coming to the main building or the annex. There were about five or six people waiting in front of the annex, so we figured that must be where he would show up, so we chose to wait there. But he never came. (Turns out he had already arrived at the main building quite a while ago...)
- By 5AM there were around ten fans (including us) waiting outside the annex. Dawn in the middle of May [REDACTED PARAGRAPH]. And then, from the other side, a blue Lincoln Continental pulled up. Freddie's car!! Immediately, other fans came to hang around the hotel entrance. We also stripped to our jumpers [using American English-- the original Japanese is "shoulder skirt", a pinafore-type garment] and went to the entrance. (I was planning to just stare from afar like [REDACTED]-sama et al... but I haven't trained enough yet...). Instead I made an example of myself in the front row again. When Freddie got out of the car, one girl shrieked "KYAAAA~", but the other girls could only stare at Freddie in front of their very eyes. Again, there wasn't any commotion like there was with Roger. Freddie seemed to be in a great mood, and as he walked past he turned to us fans and asked, "Is everybody O.K.?" in a calm manner. Then in the doorway, he turned to face the fans, and I got a handshake from him ❤. I had wanted to give him a wooden musicbox that I spent a year making for him (it had "Queen" engraved on the leather lid) but the right time never happened, so I gave up. (Thinking about it now, I should've just handed it over even though there wasn't any time... ugh, SO much regret.). Instead, I just decided to humbly try for a handshake, so I held out my right hand. But Freddie's hand had about three other girls' hands on it at once, so things didn't look good for me... I held my hand out right in front of his until it was free. But I just couldn't get myself to forcibly snatch at his hand.... so, ahhh, I figured it was impossible... and decided it was time to give up. But then Freddie grabbed my hand with both of his and wrapped it up in a handshake... ❤❤... (But, another girl's hand was shoved in between ours...)
While shaking hands, Freddie said things like "Thank you, thank you, O.K., O.K.," very calmly and mindful of the fans. It made me so happy to know he was giving us such a kind smile. I saw him from about 50 cm away... other than that, I remember how pure white his skin was, like I said before. It shone through his bronzer. He's delicate and slight. With a smile on his lips.... Ohhhh.
Notes:
This should be considered a “polished” rough translation. My Japanese degree is some 15 years old now and I haven’t translated anything in quite a while, plus the fact that this lady’s handwriting isn’t always easy to read means there may be some slight inaccuracies. Since English and Japanese are so different, I took the liberty to use some English sayings/idioms to make it flow a bit more smoothly.
Most people who spend a decent amount of time on the Internet probably know this by now, but Japanese suffixes are as follows:
-san = “Mr.” or “Mrs./Ms.”
-chan, -kun = familiar endearment
-sensei = “teacher”
-sama = “master” or “god”
This group of fans seems to refer to themselves as “The Mutual Aid Society,” and that is mentioned throughout.
Things (in parentheses) are in the original report.
Things [in brackets] are my own editing notes.
Where I thought the literal translation added something, I wrote [lit. blah blah] so you get a better understanding of what was being conveyed.
Overall, I love the sense of camaraderie shown here. This lady is obviously a big Roger fan. I think the report is really engaging and charming… except for the part where she says Hammer To Fall is “boring”.
Some of the stuff in here is a little eerie in hindsight, knowing what was to come. I’ll put some other thoughts in a separate post.Anonymous fans mentioned include people known as GG, Mickey, Play Boy, Jun, Umi, and Sugaru, the lady who wrote the report. A few parts are redacted so I can’t translate.
For some reason, the word a p p l a u s e keeps changing to an emoji and I can't seem to fix it. Sorry. I've had several formatting issues here for some reason.
I had a great time doing this! Please, if you see something that should be corrected, let me know but be nice. Also, if there are any other pages like this floating around out there, point me to them so I can try translating those too! Bon appetit!
QUEEN JAPAN TOUR '85
Production - Writing - Editing.... Sugaru
In Cooperation With.... Mickey, Umi-chan, Jun-kun, Play Boy-kun
CONCERT REPORT
These days, rumors of a Queen breakup are running amok. What may or may not become of that is absorbing our interests as of late. Not to mention, the amount of anxiety we've been carrying around in light of that. So those are the circumstances under which I've written up this report; it's possible we may be misremembering some things...
Aboard the Tozai train line on the way to the venue, I couldn't stop shaking. The day is finally here, at long last! Once I entered the Budoukan, first the Metropolis set was dropped into place onstage. The venue was playing Mick Jagger songs and stuff like that before the curtain rose, and every time a song ended I felt like my heart would stop [with anticipation]!
...And then, the music stopped, and everything was plunged into darkness. Finally the time had come...! There was a great uproar before the members even came out. Everyone stood up. The tape to "Machines" began playing and the lights flashed along in time. But the members hadn't emerged yet. Then "Tear It Up" began, and there they were! My heart filled at the sight of Rog's glittery cymbals. John, Rog, Bri, everyone. Beautiful, as ever. And then... Ahhhh, Freddie-sama, in the flesh, could be seen in our sky! Rog's vigorous singing was as divine as it was on the album.
"Tie Your Mother Down" was relegated to right before the encore back in '82, but this time it made an early appearance. I don't know why they didn't do "We Will Rock You". However, this song had everyone in high spirits in one breath, courtesy of Bri's guitar. Once this ended, it's established practice for the call-and-response of "GOOD EVENING!" "Good evening~~!" "ARE YOU HAVING FUN?" "Yeah!" "Is everybody O.K.?" "Yeah!" I see now what Noroshiyama-san said about the gathering together of a bunch of drifters in one place. After all, it's powerful to see the real thing before your eyes. [Is this a proverb? No idea. I think she's getting at how moving it is to be in a place with a bunch of people who share your interests.]
"Under Pressure" was played more naturally this time around than in '82. I was disappointed that Freddie didn't play his "Why~?" note off of Rog's "Love~" line. People were into [lit. noticing] John's bass. On "Somebody To Love", Freddie went to the piano and began playing the "Death On Two Legs" intro first. Everyone noticed that. The whole venue let out a squeal of delight! Such beautiful piano... then Freddie introduced the song and there was another squeal of delight. GG-sensei was crying pretty hard at this song. This song is also my first or second favorite, so I'm always grateful to hear it.
Continuing on, we get to "Killer Queen", which was omitted in '82. As soon as I heard that intro, I was crying tears of joy. Except to be honest, it seems like the singing style on this one has gotten a bit less sophisticated [lit. childish] as time has gone by. Rog's voice on the chorus and cymbals were crystal-clear. Everyone in the venue sang the entire song, not just the chorus. From "Killer Queen", the piano began to gradually slow down. Then it stopped. "Will he continue with the same song?" I asked myself, not sure what to think. And then he began the intro to "Seven Seas Of Rhye"....!! The sinfully beautiful sound of the piano poured over me like water. I was so pleased I had goosebumps! And then I was in awe. I had heard rumors that they would play songs from the early days, but John had candidly stated [in an interview] that it was too difficult to play any songs from Side Black of Queen II. I never dreamt they'd play this song again. Freddie sounded as good as ever, and his voice has retained its beauty. Even though it was an old song, it didn't feel old. As could be expected from Queen!
On to a great rendition of "Keep Yourself Alive". Just hearing Brian's guitar... and then Rog hitting his drums like DUH DUH DUH DUH DUH! over the top of the guitar, I love it so much. It has that energetic quality, I loved it as usual. I had heard beforehand that they would play it. Next they began the intro to "Liar", and I completely lost my mind since I never dreamt they'd play it again! I was arm-in-arm with Mickey, both of us yelling "Oh my god, oh my god... they're playing THIS song?!" and crying like crazy. His voice was as clear as glass. During the part that goes "I have seen [sic] dear father..." his voice is so beautiful that you can barely believe that you're hearing it done live in front of you. Whenever he sang "LIAR!" everyone would put their hands up and the lights would get brighter... so many tears...
Mickey had this to say: "Oh my god, that we got to hear this one live... My tears were seriously just going straight down in a continual line. I love this song so so so much... OMG... I'm so impressed!! I think Roger was wearing a white thing with blue lines (kind of like a tracksuit or something...). 'Liar'! Ugh, I can't BELIEVE I got to hear that live!! I was so happy but at the same time, I was wondering if this was the last time we'd get to hear a song from the Ice Age like this."
Next up was Freddie's vocal solo. He gave a strong performance, bathed in blue light. His voice was deep and full. On the 8th he didn't do it for long, but you never would've known it was the final leg of the world tour because his voice was so serene and elastic. His treble was amazing as well. He put the echo machine to fantastic use. "Teiririririrtatatatatatooooooyo" in such a high serene voice, and then "uoooeeeeiiiiyaaaa, derorororopapapapapapei!" voice numero dos came out in a low sound. Then the backing synthesizer and Rog's drums started in. Then the bass joined in, becoming jazz-like. Then Rog hit his cymbals and yelled out, "One, two, three, four!!"
"I donnnnn't want my freeeeeedom...!!" and "It's A Hard Life" began. This song illustrates how Queen's songs run a wide range from low to high. Especially the high parts, even though Freddie's probably pretty tense in the middle of a tour, this year it didn't sound like it. Rog had to help him out less, as well. He was doing it mostly by himself. But as can be expected, by the 15th in Osaka, Rog had entered the equation more. It was well-done. But... the "EEEEERO" and "TEIRARIRARI RORERORERO!" and stuff like that... knock it off! We're out of energy at that point! On the 11th, he complimented the audience with "Wonderful!" In Osaka, all the audience earned was a less stellar "Not bad!" Then he turned around and smacked his butt at the crowd! I don't think he was very happy with that crowd's singing.
"Dragon Attack" and "Now I'm Here" were next. "Now I'm Here" has always been heard with the start of Bri's guitar like "Doot doot doot doot doot doot..." but this time the intro featured the drums and bass instead. It was also a shortened version, sandwiched between other songs in a medley, which I thought was strange. For me, that song should always begin with the sound of a guitar.
"Is This The World We Created"- Bri brought back the guitar, and for the first time people began to call out for Brian [lit. began the Brian Call]. I wondered if they were going to go into "Love Of My Life". On the 8th and 9th, by the time the guitar intro had ended, the audience had calmed down like they had been hit with water. Then they began chanting for Freddie with lots of
! With the second verse, the backing synth came in. It was really dramatic! I noticed that on the 11th, Freddie made a mistake coming in at the beginning of the song, but being a veteran at this point, realigned neatly with a sweep of his arm. From the beginning of the second verse, Bri would look and smile at Freddie with what looked to be great feeling and emotion."Love Of My Life"- For this one, Bri brought out the twelve-string. People began calling out to Brian again [lit. a Brian Call occurred]. The people in the front began the Brian Call and Brian said, "What's that you're saying?" People: "BRIAAAAAN!" B: "You want to sing?" People: "YEAAAAAH!" B: "Mmmm. Right, O.K. Try this one, try this!" And then Brian began playing the intro on his guitar to loud cheers. On the 11th, this is how the song began. On the 8th and 9th, there wasn't an interaction like this.
Then, Emperor Freddie ascended. His joyful voice was especially high. It's so wonderful to be able to say that he sounded so good in Japan. On the 8th and 9th, Freddie praised the singing crowd by saying, "Beautiful!" The 11th was again extraordinary. Regardless of the fact that we were in such a big place, because it was a public performance, there was such a mood and sense of unity, more than I thought there could be. Especially during the second chorus, it really was indescribable. Even though the hall was echoing, the words were clear. It was as if the hall itself were singing with one voice. Because we were doing it so well, Brian involuntarily stopped playing his guitar in the middle of the song in order to listen. Freddie listened carefully as well. Even after we sang "What it means to me~", Bri and Freddie didn't play the interlude right away and instead looked at each other with awe on their faces. They smiled at each other as if to say "Wow!" I think we were all impressed with how good it sounded. The crowd was bubbling over. Then Freddie gave us the best compliment possible... "Absolutely perfect!!"
....Ahhhhh!! Has any other audience had Freddie fling this much praise at them? ....I'm so glad I fell in love with Queen! I was boasting to myself... I'm so glad I've lived to see this...!! I kept thinking to myself through my tears.
And then the song resumed. The melody really shone [lit. boiled] from Bri's guitar.... Freddie's "I still love you, love you, love you, love you..." still rings in my ears. And then the last chorus, "Love of my life, love of my life, Ooooh, yeah~" and big
. I understand how Queen has become so popular and familiar in Japan. Once this song ended, Freddie let out a really happy-sounding "ARIGATOU!" It was so great that I got goosebumps... I wanted to thank him back. As a side note, on the 8th, during the instrumental part of this song, Freddie was heading backstage and his mic cord got caught on something and he lit it go without looking back. But someone told a roadie "Pick up that mic but don't make any noise!" and he slid and caught it right before it hit the floor. Just in the nick of time! People applauded that move.... but it was just like a manservant to the emperor!Freddie only introduced "Another One Bites The Dust" as John's song on one night, the 8th. John's bass was unusually powerful. Here they put in just a touch of "Mustapha". Freddie sang "Allah Allah Allah we pray for you~" and immediately after, the audience got involved by yelling "HAI!" (I think they meant "HEY~!"). It tells you that there's a lot of fans who really listen. You can't decide to get involved spontaneously in unison like that unless you're a true connoisseur!
"Hammer To Fall"... Roger stood up and beat the intro on his drums. This song was made for live performance, but there's no hook. So you can't sing it and I was bored. On the 11th, because of the echo in the hall, Rog's drumming started to slip up. I was nervous for him. The worse point was when the snare drum fell out of time. He fell a half beat behind schedule and. I thought to myself, "What's he gonna do?" but right as I thought that he course-corrected and I felt relieved. Why, Rog? This song felt a lot lighter than it does on the record... and inevitably I was taken aback by the session guitarist. (I knew about it beforehand but it's still really unexpected, ain't it?!)
For "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", Freddie didn't use the 12-string Ovation, opting for a cream Fender Telecaster instead. As this guitar hung from his shoulder, he said on the 8th, "This is my guitar, but I don't know if I'll be able to play it, like he was letting us in on a secret. Mischievous ❤❤
That same day, this guitar broke a string in the middle of everything. As usual, a good-spirited Rog shouted "Ready Freddie!!" which I was satisfied with. It's at this point that the session pianist, Spike or whats-his-name, came out. Freddie introduced him to the crowd.
"Bohemian Rhapsody"- Freddie went to the piano, and I figured he was going to play a different song. That intro is beloved. I thought the venue would break apart with the sound of the yelling voices. His voice gets better every year.... but to be honest, this year I felt like BoRap was shoehorned in as a matter of convenience, and there was no drama, so I felt caught off-guard.
"Radio GaGa"- Started with the backing synth, followed by Rog's drums. This song is carved with a characteristic rhythm. "Oh boy, is this what 'Radio GaGa' sounds like live?" was the feeling; the tempo was faster and the song more lively than on the record, and the vibe was great. During the chorus, the entire venue began clapping just like in the video except with even more power, If you looked up at the first and second balconies from the arena seats of the Budoukan, everyone's arms were up and their hands coming together. ...It was like we were all in the streets, like we were a "raging wave of Queen", a "roiling wave of bodies".... that's what it was. I was impressed. I wanted to congratulate Rog on his first hit single.
~ENCORE~
"I Want To Break Free" began with the same synth as in the single version, and we all one after the other started wondering if we'd get to see a cross-dressing Freddie. Then, Brian's guitar and John's bass joined in. And then from backstage came a cross-dressing Freddie with majestic breasts pointing high! There was a huge commotion in the hall. The plastic bra had to stick out at least a meter and a half, and topped with a Tina Turner-eque bobbed wig, Freddie pranced around smiling. Sometimes he'd turn over his pink tank top and we could see the super-busty bra. That made a fuss! I think Freddie was amused by the reaction of the crowd. This song sounded a lot different than the original, with more emphasis on the guitar and a heavier sound. Whenever Freddie sang "God knows!", everyone in the audience yelled it out as well, but I wonder if the members onstage heard it. In the middle of the song, Freddie removed the bra and threw it in front of the audience, and threw the wig and clothes towards a roadie. Freddie was still in the tank top when he removed the wig and the sights was a little creepy. On the 15th at Osaka Jo Hall, Freddie accidentally threw the bra into the audience, and I wondered if the roadie would go to retrieve it....? On the 9th, Freddie took off the tank top and hit Rog's cymbals with it. That made Rog stand up halfway and laugh. How cute! ❤❤
"Jailhouse Rock" is an old classic... it surprised me. Everyone was excited and in high spirits to hear it.
~ENCORE 2~
In the pitch black darkness, on the 11th through the 15th, the hall spontaneously broke out into calls of "We will, we will rock you!" The arena wasn't just clapping their hands, but stomping their feet as well. Especially on the 11th, this was very powerful. (On the 11th, the call was quite tight, but on the 15th it was in pieces from the beginning.) Then, Roger began to match the call with his drums. A bunch of girls started shrieking. Then this year, John joined in with his bass. It felt like it was slowing down a bit. Then Brian's guitar joined in. Then Freddie. On the 11th-15th, Freddie spread a big Union Jack flag out in his hands. He began leisurely walking around to the rhythm with imperial dignity. The voices yelled "WAAAAA!" Then Freddie majestically turned around to face the back. And there on the back of the spread Union Jack was the Hinomaru [Japanese Rising Sun Flag]....!! Even if you think it's a silly production, you can't help but want to promote friendship between England and Japan. Everyone's reaction got even louder. When he saw this, Freddie smiled and laughed... that kind of thing is so cute... ❤. He came across the floor with the flag as he began to sing. This year the crowd's voices were pretty amazing. In '82, I don't think they made it to the stage. That year, Freddie was complaining to us to yell "Loud, all!!!" This year we were bestowed with a "Yes!".... Everyone in the venue raised their arms.
"We Are The Champions"..... Once we saw Freddie sitting at the piano again, everyone uniformly became aware that this was the end, and the thought made us all sad. On the 8th, even though this was the last song, the voices were growing. While being really 8impressed for the first time with this song, I was sad with the thought that it was already over. So it was with pleasure that I as able to se such an amazing show, and my face was messy with tears through the smiles. On the 9th, as the song ended a bath towel-sized Union Jack came out before the audience and Freddie ran from one end of the stage to the other while holding it.
Ahh. I couldn't help but scream "Queen is the champion of the world!!" The song ended and I was so upset I didn't now what to do with myself....
"God Save The Queen"- Freddie and Brian unfurled another Union Jack and Hinomaru like the one mentioned above. (Freddie tried to open it too quickly. It took Brian a minute to come help him and Freddie looked frustrated with him.). On the 15th, the members disappeared backstage, in the order of John, Rog, Freddie, then Brian. Freddie and Rog both had their arms on each others' shoulders, and then Brian put his left hand on Freddie's shoulder which seemed to surprise him. I wonder if that patched things up a little. Anyways, the feeling that this might be the last Queen performance in Japan was floating around. A lot of fans had been crying and a lot were still crying in their seats as the lights came on. But in recent magazine interviews, they've talked about how they want to return in two to three years, so I'm not too worried about it.... Ahh, Queen, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for a great show.
IMPRESSIONS AND CONCERT GOSSIP
Well I never thought they'd play so many old songs!! To be honest, I was a little bit surprised when Bri started his "Brighton Rock" guitar solo. I never thought I'd get to hear things like "Brighton Rock" and "Liar" and "Seven Seas Of Rhye" etc in a raw state, so.... ...yep. Speaking of the guitar solo, on the 11th he played a little excerpt of "Sakura, sakura". So in that light, my impression is that the performance on the 11th was best, followed by the 8th, 9th, and 15th in that order. (I wasn't able to attend on the 13th.). A lot of people also seemed to think the 11th was the best. Since Osaka was the last day, the band as conducting themselves with a kind of "This is the last day of Japan AND the Works Tour" confidence, shall we say. I think they really wanted that kind of vibe. But to the contrary, the audience was full of expectations and the mood was unexpectedly bad, so it didn't really live up to its potential. The "We Will Rock You" call was in pieces. I have a lot of recollections of being annoyed. I think the band members were disappointed as well. I didn't see it, but according to other witnesses, Brian was crying onstage at Nagoya and Osaka. According to a member of the Mutual Aid Society, it seemed that "Brian was the only one who was immersed in sentiment and memories of when he first came to Japan."
Yes yes, and I seem to remember that on the 13th and 15th, "Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting" as performed after :Crazy Little Thing Called Love". Furthermore, for some reason, while Freddie did his vocal solo every night in Japan, I have heard that it was not done on the European or UK tours. Instead they did "Staying Power", "Stone Cold Crazy", "Great King Rat", stuff like that. They also substituted "Jailhouse Rock" for "Sheer Heart Attack". On the 8th, Freddie started out wearing tight-fitting red and black striped pants, but on other days he went with the white tights and changed in the middle to red pants. How many times did Bri change up his look as well....
This year, as he has done in other countries, Freddie let out a "HA!" and sprayed the Japanese audience with a cup of water. Was [REDACTED] of the Mutual Aid Society able to catch the cup....?? (Sadly, after the concert was over, the cup was covered in fingerprints as [REDACTED]'s friend threw it around...)
This year as Roger was drumming, his spit flung into the air. Then, after leaving the stage but before coming back out for the encore, he threw the sticks he had been using out towards the audience but he flubbed it and they didn't make it, falling upon the stage instead. Then I caught a glimpse of the roadie that thad to go out on the pitch black stage with a flashlight in order to retrieve them. Also, one time when he threw the sticks he threw them straight up and they almost hit him. It was a close call. But although he flubbed it the first time, at the end of the Osaka performance, he scattered all of his remaining sticks out into the audience. Because of this, everyone was more astonished than in '82 and thought it was a great concert.
OFF DAY EVENTS (Nothing like a follow-up report!)
4/30- John arrives. He was actually supposed to arrive on the 6th of May, but that as cancelled so it looks like he had to come early.
5/6- The other three arrive. Brian was accompanied by his wife Chrissy. No kids were with them. As always, Chrissy was wearing a long skirt...
5/8- After the concert, Freddie...example.... Lincoln Continental... [the rest is redacted, I assume it's regarding the partying Freddie did after the concert or at least where he went]
- On the other hand, the other members were on "Tonight's Hit Studio" on Fuji TV. We waited at the back door but they all got out and into cars so quickly that we barely saw anything. After that, because I couldn't catch Tokumi, I gave up for the day. [I'm not sure exactly what that means, maybe she got separated from a friend and went home?]
5/9- Arrival to the Budoukan was around 3PM for Bri and Rog, 4PM for John, and 5PM for Freddie. Freddie rode in a limo with the windows down, which is very rare. A fan said he waved to us but I didn't see it. Today, as always, Chrissy wore a long skirt....
- After the concert, Bri got in a limousine and went to Seryna in Roppongi. [Seryna is a restaurant and Roppongi is a district in Tokyo known for its nightlife.] There were barely any other fans around, so we were able to get close to see. He signed things for us and shook our hands. The Mutual Aid Society's own Play Boy-kun has said he's shaken hands with Bri four times now. And then there was Freddie's car......!! We didn't think we'd see the other members' cars, let alone Freddie's... since we hadn't thought we'd see it, Umi-chan and I were completely enthralled. Around this time a bunch of fans were gathering and it had become quite crowded, but before we knew it, Freddie's car drove up like ZOOOOOOM... and everyone was silent when they saw. Freddie got out of the car with a very calm expression. Even from only a meter away, Freddie had an extremely beautiful and unapproachable mood about him. With a complexion that was whiter than I had thought, he's a slim and delicate person. Not too tall, shorter than I would have imagined after seeing him onstage. "No way.... he's moving right in front of my eyes, Freddie's right there~~!" I kept whispering in my heart. By then, all the fans gathered on the seen were hushed. No one screamed or said "FREDDIE!" or anything. They didn't ask to shake his hand or anything at all. All we could do was earnestly watch Freddie moving in front of our own eyes. And Freddie, without smiling or even waving, or changing expressions at all, disappeared into Seryna. For some reason, even though I stood there and watched everything he did with my own eyes, I barely have any memory of it... just the pure white nape of his neck as he went past me is the only image remaining that's terribly clear to me now... a beautiful hairline at the nape of his neck, cut straight across... I was this close to fainting...
The next to come was Rog... I think? When his car drove up, fans snapped out of the earlier trance with Freddie and a big commotion began. "KYAAAAA!" "Roger, look over here!!" We waved to Rog inside of his car, and he smiled and laughed and waved back. Somehow, I was still in front this time too. A couple of minutes before when Freddie as there, I could've taken a step forward and touched him... Mutual Aid Society's own Jun-kun banged on the window of Rog's car with her hand. She's a Rog fan: a Rog fan who had lost all sense of self and sanity and has no memory of it at this time. Before Roger went into Seryna, he turned around to face the fans once, threw a kiss with both hands, and laughed. Of course, all the girls started screaming. That idiot....
We noticed a group of foreign men in Queen tour jackets walking up, and thinking to ourselves, "Oh look, a bunch of roadies hard at work...", paid them no mind. But in that group of unsuspecting roadies was John! If you're doubting me and thinking, "Why would John ever be walking up like that??" ...I saw it with my own eyes as they passed, clear as day. A bunch of other fans noticed him eventually, just as he was getting to Seryna. He had both of his hands shoved into his jean pockets. When fans began to yell "John!!", he only lowered his head and disappeared inside. Maybe he wasn't in a very good mood. That's all for that day, we went home at that point. I think this was a dinner that EMI had organized for them. After that, I heard that everyone went clubbing to let loose, except for Brian...
5/10- They had today off. Seems as though most of them went shopping.
- When people were waiting for the members to get back to their hotel, Freddie returned. (I wasn't able to come this day, so I dunno all the details.). But, since they saw him from far away and he was with a jacked bodyguard, Umi-chan et al mistook Freddie for a pro wrestler at first. They told me they were impressed, thinking things like "Oh, I guess pro wrestlers come through here too!" But since the sight was so strange, Jun-kun said, "I'll go check to see if it's Punch Ito!" ("Punch Ito" being Itou-san of Tokyo Patrol. He has a punch perm, etc.) Jun-kun stated that this "Punch Ito" was really funny... but at a later date, she didn't even remember saying that. Eventually Jun-kun came running back, saying "I dunno because it's full of punches!" (This statement was just to make everyone laugh, I'm sure!) In the end, only Jun-kun was able to see Freddie, as Umi-chan et al were looking at someone else, and said they were unable to see him. (But Jun-kun has bad myopia so honestly, she probably didn't see much of anything...)
5/11- After the concert, we waited for the band members to come out, but since we waited in the wrong spot, it was no dice. On top of that, since we were so laid back, thinking "Oh, they're in there but they just haven't come out yet," we posed for a commemorative Mutual Aid Society photo and ate snowcones afterwards. We're morons...
- Somehow, Jun-kun and Play Boy-kun passed by Freddie's limo, but the windows rolled up as they got close, so once again, no dice.
- Since today was their last day in Tokyo, we knew there'd be no mistake in checking out the Lexington Queen , and we walked in with conviction. Inside, balloons written with "Sayonara, Freddie, Brian, John, Roger" confirmed our suspicions. But as time went on and we waited and waited with no sign of them, we began to get anxious. Then we Dumbo'd some waiters having a private convo, overhearing "Rogers having a party in his room," and then we felt secure again. "They're still in there but they're on their way." ....with our Dumbo ears.... And then the club started playing "Another One Bites The Dust". And then for a slow dance, they played "Te wo toriatte". That's a bad choice for some cheek-to-cheek time. By now it was 1AM and the members minus Freddie came in. Since it was Saturday, the place was already packed, and then there were crowds of fans on top of that. Roger took the same seat he took when he was here in March for the promotional tour. Rog, John, and Bri all had beautiful foreign model-looking women with them. Since John and Bri's noble wives had accompanied them on this trip to Japan, and those women might as well be models anyway, I'm pretty sure these weren't groupies. For a while they all sat in box seats in the back, but before long BRIAN PULLED THE WOMAN HE WAS WITH OUT ONTO THE DANCE FLOOR. Then John pulled the woman HE was with out to dance as well! To be blunt, Bri was wearing clogs, he danced like Sally-chan [I think this is a reference to this dance from the anime "Sally the Witch"], and he wasn't riding the rhythm at all... so it really wasn't a good vibe... don't wear clogs to a disco!! Afterwards, we decided to call Bri's dance the Clog Dance. John, who is of course known as the King of Disco, was in a great mood and danced amazingly!! It was so cool! Rog single-mindedly stayed in his seat with a group of models, chatting radiantly. John wore skipants... as a modern man does.
We also began to dance, but... it was at this point that I realized that someone had taken the blouse I had brought! It was an 18,000 yen ROPÉ designer blouse that I had bought especially for Queen-following activities this time around....!!!! The doom and depression made me feel like dancing [the sadness away]. When John and Bri returned to their seats, Jun-kun et al were able to shake their hands without me.... but I don't care... it wasn't even a week since I bought that blouse.... ughhhhh.
- The band left the Lexington at around 3AM. Rog and John left quickly, especially John who left so swiftly we didn't even see him go! Since Bri lumbers behind them, we were out of the club before he was. Bri got in an ordinary taxicab. We also took a taxi to the Hotel Okura in anticipation of his arrival.
- We arrived at the hotel, but... pathetically, we didn't know if Bri was coming to the main building or the annex. There were about five or six people waiting in front of the annex, so we figured that must be where he would show up, so we chose to wait there. But he never came. (Turns out he had already arrived at the main building quite a while ago...)
- By 5AM there were around ten fans (including us) waiting outside the annex. Dawn in the middle of May [REDACTED PARAGRAPH]. And then, from the other side, a blue Lincoln Continental pulled up. Freddie's car!! Immediately, other fans came to hang around the hotel entrance. We also stripped to our jumpers [using American English-- the original Japanese is "shoulder skirt", a pinafore-type garment] and went to the entrance. (I was planning to just stare from afar like [REDACTED]-sama et al... but I haven't trained enough yet...). Instead I made an example of myself in the front row again. When Freddie got out of the car, one girl shrieked "KYAAAA~", but the other girls could only stare at Freddie in front of their very eyes. Again, there wasn't any commotion like there was with Roger. Freddie seemed to be in a great mood, and as he walked past he turned to us fans and asked, "Is everybody O.K.?" in a calm manner. Then in the doorway, he turned to face the fans, and I got a handshake from him ❤. I had wanted to give him a wooden musicbox that I spent a year making for him (it had "Queen" engraved on the leather lid) but the right time never happened, so I gave up. (Thinking about it now, I should've just handed it over even though there wasn't any time... ugh, SO much regret.). Instead, I just decided to humbly try for a handshake, so I held out my right hand. But Freddie's hand had about three other girls' hands on it at once, so things didn't look good for me... I held my hand out right in front of his until it was free. But I just couldn't get myself to forcibly snatch at his hand.... so, ahhh, I figured it was impossible... and decided it was time to give up. But then Freddie grabbed my hand with both of his and wrapped it up in a handshake... ❤❤... (But, another girl's hand was shoved in between ours...)
While shaking hands, Freddie said things like "Thank you, thank you, O.K., O.K.," very calmly and mindful of the fans. It made me so happy to know he was giving us such a kind smile. I saw him from about 50 cm away... other than that, I remember how pure white his skin was, like I said before. It shone through his bronzer. He's delicate and slight. With a smile on his lips.... Ohhhh.
