Ryan Newton's Concert Analyses Thread

your reviews are great but why don't you try to review other tours? you know like early years tours or 70s tours

Leiden, April 24th 1982



The Hero - This is a great opener to the show. Freddie sounds strong and the band are tight with Brian hitting a nice bend in the second verse. 8/10.

Tie Your Mother Down - Just before the first chorus, Freddie tells the audience to "sing it" and they more than obey his command. The Netherlands was always a hot spot for great audiences, but this is definitely a contender for the best one. The bands performance is also excellent with Freddie singing the song excellently. Brian seems to have some sticky fingers in his solo but it sounds good still.  7/10.

Action This Day - Freddie is giving a reprise to his voice from a week ago here, as he really has trouble with the high notes in this performance. This seems to be a one off thing though, as Freddie is in great voice tonight. Morgan's keyboard solo is a bit different and sounds good. The outro is always different and tonight has a nice one. Solid performance, although some of Freddie's voice cracks sound awful. 6/10.

Play the Game - The audience recording makes Brian's guitar sound huge here. His first solo is very different from the norm, and the second one during the outro has a lot of great phrasings too. Freddie delivers the song pretty well tonight and it makes for a solid version of the song overall. 8/10.

Staying Power - This version of Staying Power is very good, up until the very end of the song. Brian is supposed to play the "B-part" of the main riff repeatedly to end the song, but he goes back to the "A-part" incorrectly. Roger then ends the song at the correct time, but Brian is still about a measure behind, and Freddie is also trying to stay in time with Brian but it totally fails. Really, besides this major flop, this is a pretty good version of the song, but god that ending is rough. 6/10.

Liar - Liar in 1982 could do no wrong. This Euro tour was not-so-arguably the band at their 80s peak (performance-wise), and with a song that can so excellently display their chops, each of it's few performances this year (really, this month) are to be savoured. This one is performed brilliantly. Brian's solo is much better than the one last night in Brussels, and Freddie's delivery is one of his best ever, all complete with the Back Chat references that he had done a few times already. There are a couple bum notes in a few spots through the song but ultimately these are pretty negligible moments. Brian also does those interesting chords to transition the song into its final section (which, according to Queenlive.ca is a "For Your Love" reference by the Yardbirds), and they close out strong. 9/10.

Love of My Life - It would be a sin to not let the audience take over on this one. They sing the song the whole way through in what is perhaps the greatest audience-oriented version of the song ever. Freddie stops them part way through, saying "absolutely beautiful." It's a 10/10, and the band didn't even have to try.

Save Me - Very nice version with plenty of audience participation, even re-singing the chorus during the guitar solo (which is a very nice one, may I add). Freddie sounds very good too. 8/10

Get Down, Make Love - Freddie speaks through the chorus again. By this point, it seemed they (or, Freddie at the very least) had grown tires of actually performing the song and was purely meant as a showpiece for the lights. Probably the reason is was cut down even further for this tour. I'm sure this would have been great to see live, but on a bootleg, it's simply lame and pales in comparison to the versions from the News of the World Tour, or even some of the better Game Tour renditions. 5/10.

Guitar Solo - I'm not so sure about this one. There are plenty of moments where Brian sounds like he hits a wrong note, but manages to save it from becoming a total mess. But this keeps happening to the point where it's almost off-putting. He keeps teetering on the edge of totally falling apart with the delay and it kind of makes it a rough listen. Not a very good solo to my ears. A rare bad performance from Brian. 3/10. 

Under Pressure - Another standard version of Under Pressure. Not bad, but nothing outstanding. 7/10.

Fat Bottomed Girls - Freddie sings Mustapha before this one. He does a bit of speak singing in a few spots during this song but it's nothing too major. This is a pretty enthusiastic version of the song with some great jamming towards the end of the song. 7/10

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - This beginning of this one is cut on the only source available of this show, but most of the song is still available, and they sound great on it. Some of the licks Brian plays in the outro have a great feel to them. Rest of the band sound strong. 8/10.

Bohemian Rhapsody - Before this one, Freddie does the intro to Somebody to Love, but they wouldn't play that song tonight. Interesting moment during the second verse, where Freddie does a rare phrasing, singing "leave you all behind" entirely on Bb4 (the only time in 1982) like the studio version. This year, would almost always start on G and work up to Bb. This is otherwise a standard affair for the Euro Tour, which is to say fairly good. 7/10.

Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - As per usual on this tour, Brian plays a few spacey chords to kick off the song which are always a nice touch. Now I'm Here is totally coked up and blazing fast with an incredible jam to cap off the main part. Leading into the improv spot, Freddie does some unique inflections and vocal phrasings that grabbed my attention. As Dragon Attack kicks in, Brian slides down the neck, creating this droning sound that actually works well with the drum beat. The bulk of the song is also performed very well, and Roger caps the medley with a great bit of drumming. 8/10.

Another One Bites the Dust - Improv is a bit short, but the bulk of the song is pretty strong, in particular, a strong vocal performance from Freddie (including a rare attempt at "and another one gone" in the original octave). 7/10.

Sheer Heart Attack - This is a very fast version of Sheer Heart Attack. Freddie sounds great as per usual, and Brian's guitar effects work great in the chaotic jam. 8/10.

We Will Rock You - Freddie again leads the song in by singing the chorus with the crowd, as he had done at the past two shows, but this sacrifices the opening jam. Brian's solo is good, but this is otherwise a fairly boring version to listen to. 6/10.

We Are the Champions - Great version to close the show. Freddie gives a strong performance and there aren't any sloppy licks from Brian tonight. Decent. 7/10.

Summary
While this show isn't perfect, it has some excellent highlights throughout. The band perform with a lot of vigor and enthusiasm in the face of an overwhelming crowd, not because of its size but because of their volume. Brian's guitar solo is an odd off-performance, but the show is worth checking out for its peaks. Liar is the second-to-last performance of the full song and slays, Play The Game is a great display of the bands ability to really knock out a song where everyone shines, and Love of My Life is worth the price of admission alone.

Highlights - Play the Game, Liar, Love of My Life, Sheer Heart Attack

'Hot Space' Tour is something very special as it's the most variable set-list tour ever by Queen. It's so great to read and listen all these concerts date-by-date.

Unfortunately a lot of European and US dates are of fair quality... But these shows are really great. It's a pity they dropped 'Liar' after a month of touring in 1982. Really a perl of the show.

Thanks for making these reviews, they are very nice to read and are organized.

Looking forward for the next review...

BTW, this thread must be sticked to the top!

Frankfurt, April 28th 1982



The Hero - Solid performance to kick off the show. Not much more to say. 7/10.

Tie Your Mother Down - Freddie is in excellent voice tonight, which is quite obvious here. This show is where his voice had finally settled in for good, and from here on out for the rest of the Euro tour, he'd be in peak form. Overall a good performance of this song and nothing much to nitpick. 8/10.

Action This Day - Freddie bungles the lyrics a bit during his first line of the song. He sounds good, but the band seems to be playing a bit slowly on this one tonight. Freddie does some soaring vocals in the end jam that stand out a bit from this otherwise average performance. 7/10.

Play the Game - Freddie does a stunning vocal intro to this song tonight and it sounds excellent. Like always, Brian's contributions are equally stunning. His solos have some beautiful flourishes tonight. 8/10.

Staying Power - Before this song, Freddie's speech makes me think he may have a had a bit to drink before this show. He's kind of slurring his words and he sounds super relaxed. Who knows? As for the performance, Freddie still sounds great. The band seem a bit looser than usual but it's still an exciting version of the song. 7/10.

Somebody to Love - Another great vocal intro from Fred on this one. Brian has a few rough spots in his solo but he makes it through with some good improvised lines. The vocal harmonies sound excellent (particularly on an audience tape this good), and the outro jam is also great with a very nice ritardando. The clash between Brian's guitar and Fred's piano sounds very melodic. 8/10.

Liar - This is the last known performance of Liar in it's entirety. There is this chord that Brian plays after the first verse that is a bit of a dud, but he managed to work it into the melody of the song and it actually sounds really good, showing how it's really done. He then comes in a bit late to his solo, but pulls back for a great guitar solo. The breakdown, like much of their music on stage around this time, has a lot of R&B flavours to it. Roger's drumming is thunderous and leads the band out with a bang. Overall a very solid performance. A bit loose and a few sloppy moments but nothing too huge. 8/10.

Love of My Life - The audience here is nearly as loud as in Leiden. 1982 versions of Love of My Life exemplify Queen's arena rock vibe. 9/10.

Save Me - Very strong and powerful version of Save Me. I think the synths are a bit hamfisted into this song and don't really fit, but this is still a good performance. 7/10.

Get Down, Make Love - Different show, same story. Fred basically talks through the song. I bet this song was a cool piece for the lightshow, but the recordings don't show that. By 1982, this song was a functional piece of the set, and that's it. 5/10.

Guitar Solo - The first four minutes of Brian's solo is mostly just him going through the motions. Once he switches to to the clean tone, things start to get a bit more interesting and he kicks it up a bit. There is some really pretty stuff happening around five minutes into the solo. Overall, not a bad solo. He keeps it interesting enough. 7/10.

Under Pressure - Once again, another solid performance of Under Pressure. 7/10.

Fat Bottomed Girls - Freddie does some alternate phrasings in the first verse of the song to change things up. This is nice for songs like this, where he would otherwise sing it like the record night after night. Otherwise it's a pretty standard affair as far as 1982 goes. 7/10.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - A loose but groovy version. Brian has some sticky fingers during the jam but this is otherwise a decent performance. 7/10.

Back Chat Improv - Not in the set tonight, but Freddie sings Back Chat while at the piano. He then commences a very different Bohemian Rhapsody intro.

Bohemian Rhapsody - Freddie has a couple nodule moments during the first verse but it's nothing major. This is a pretty good performance. 7/10.

Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - The band begin an R&B-type jam before Dragon Attack, much like what they usually did before Keep Yourself Alive through the Game Tour. Now I'm Here is decent but fairly average. Dragon Attack sounds good but Brian's solo is mostly cut. Would probably be a 6/10, but that small jam section bumps it to a 7/10.

Another One Bites the Dust - Freddie sounds very strong on this version of the song, apart from one moment ("leave him while he's down") where his voice has a pretty bad crack. Another solid yet not very noteworthy performance. 7/10. 

Sheer Heart Attack - Freddie is starting to sound a bit tired by this point, although he does sound good enough on this song. This is otherwise a typical performance of Sheer Heart Attack. 7/10.

We Will Rock You - Good intro jam this time after having axed it for the past couple nights. Brian's solo starts off a tad sloppy but he recovers. Freddie sounds a bit bored on this song though. 6/10.

We Are the Champions - Brian strums a couple extra chords during the second verse. Freddie sounds a tad tired now, as he has for the past couple songs. Still puts in a generally good performance. 7/10.

Summary
Overall this is a fairly average Hot Space concert. While nothing about the gig is offensive, there aren't as many standout moments as there have been for the past couple of nights in April, and Freddie sounds almost bored by the end of the gig. Play the Game is probably the peak of the gig, and when you peak that early on, that's probably not a great sign, but they do still perform decent for the rest of the night. This show also probably has the best audience tape of the Euro Tour, so it's worth checking out for that alone. This show is average, but Queen's average is still pretty damn good.

Highlights - Play the Game, Liar, Love of my Life. 

This is a great thread, made me pull out a Hot Space gig for the first time in quite a while!

These early HS gigs may not always be the best performances, but this tour was a rarity that they shuffled the setlist quite a bit (even at the end in Japan), so that deserved extra credit compared to other tours with a never changing set.

thanks for pointing that out. I've fixed it.

Paris, May 3rd 1982
(technically, this show took place in the commune of L'Île-Saint-Denis, just a few minutes north of Paris)


The Hero - Freddie botches the lyrics a bit in the beginning and sounds a bit tired on some lines, but this performance goes fairly well otherwise. 6/10.

Tie Your Mother Down - This is an incredible version of this song. Freddie sounds very strong and enthusiastic and lets out a mega high note at the end of the song. Brian is playing very well, with a great solo too. 8/10.

Action This Day - Freddie doesn't sound quite as strong as the Dortmund performance of this song, but he sings well regardless.  Morgan Fisher's keyboard solo sounds a bit clunky towards the end. Brian's playing the jam has some great flow to it though. 7/10.

Play the Game - Freddie sings some great alternate melodies on this song tonight. Brian's guitar solo following the bridge has some great quick licks, and his solo for the outro is also nice. Overall a solid performance. 7/10.

Staying Power - This is a very tight version of Staying Power, with the only major error being Roger missing a snare hit just after the bridge, leaving an awkward space. Generally a pretty good version though. 7/10.

Somebody to Love - A soulful vocal intro from Freddie precedes a great performance of Somebody to Love. Much like the last few performances of this song, Brian creates some very melodic guitar lines to close out the jam. 7/10.

Love of My Life - Good version of Love of My Life. The audience isn't nearly loud enough to be noteworthy though. 7/10.

Save Me - Freddie does a unique vocal intro to this song. Freddie seems to be rushing through much of the singing in this performances though. He sounds good, but it doesn't sound like he's really giving it much effort. The rest goes about as you'd expect. 6/10.

Get Down, Make Love - Actually not a bad version. Freddie sounds decent, and the raunchy guitar from Brian May is always satisfying to hear. 7/10.

Guitar Solo - Brian starts his solo off clean tonight, which is odd, but he quickly changes to the heavy, crunchy sound that he would normally begin with. The solo cuts out for a tape flip, but much of what Brian does tonight sounds great and flows quite well. 7/10.

Under Pressure - Pretty typical strong performance of Under Pressure. 7/10.

Fat Bottomed Girls - Fairly average for the tour, but this song was always performed excellently this year. 7/10.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Great stuff coming from Morgan Fisher in the first verse, but the rest of the song is fairly bland. 6/10.

Bohemian Rhapsody - Brian slightly slips up just as Freddie sings "I don't want to die," but his ensuing solo is perfect. Freddie's voice also cracks on "Can't do this to me baby." These small missteps are ultimately negligible, as the song is otherwise performed fairly strongly in all aspects. 7/10.

Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Now I'm Here is typically strong for the era with Freddie sounding great and the band jamming with enthusiasm. Roger drums up a storm during the lead up to Dragon Attack. After the first chorus of Dragon Attack, Brian kicks into high gear and plays some spicy licks. He then starts his solo on a bend and starts off well, but his solo is oddly short tonight. Still, a good performance. 7/10.

Another One Bites the Dust - A solid performance of this song, but again, it's fairly average. 6/10.

We Will Rock You - I really like they way this one starts off. Good jam, but the way Brian leads into it is great. Everything else goes as you'd expect for 1982. 7/10.

We Are the Champions  - The strength in Freddie's voice as he sings "and we'll keep on fighting" during the second chorus is great. 7/10.

Summary
Most of the performances tonight fall under the average category. There are a couple nice moments scattered throughout, and none of the performances are poor, but it's mostly a run of the mill type gig for 1982. Nothing outstanding, nothing bad. It's worth checking out if your a completionist, but if you're looking for the absolute best performances from the tour, this likely isn't the gig you'll want to be looking at.

Highlights - Tie Your Mother Down, Play the Game

Never knew that Cologne '82 was such a wonderful gig.

Cologne, May 7th 1982

(There are no known images from this concert)

The Hero - Most versions of this song don't differ too much, but Freddie lets out some strong notes near the end tonight. After last night's performance, this is no surprise. He's in peak form. 8/10.

Sheer Heart Attack - A change in the set, the band bring Sheer Heart Attack to the front of the set for a few nights on the Euro Tour, surely a welcome surprise to those who attended both shows. The tempo isn't quite as high as other version I've heard, but the band still sound great, and Freddie again is bursting with energy. 7/10.

Action This Day - Freddie slightly yelps "your mind honey is a blank space." Otherwise he sounds fairly strong, and the song is performed well, albeit averagely. 7/10.

Play the Game - Freddie holds out "when your resistance is low" a bit too long and cracks at the end. But that's his only misstep in this one. as he sounds great again. Brian lets out some nice solos on this one too, although not differing from the norm by much. Fairly good version, although if we're comparing nights, there's no doubt that the previous night was stronger for this song. 7/10.

Back Chat - A song that was rarely performed, they started incorporating Back Chat into the set a bit more often later into the Euro Tour. This song almost always kicked ass live (compared to the relatively sterile record version). Stating the obvious, Fred sounds excellent as per usual. Brian's first solo starts off a bit differently, although he quickly has to stop as he seems to have nowhere to go. Luckily he makes this stop-and-start seems rather smooth. Some of the bends he's making must hurt too, as they are screeching! Of course, it all makes for a great sound. They eventually get to the outro jam, and things start off well with Freddie adlibbing through all the playing, but Brian eventually runs out of things to play as he seems lost, and so Roger does a quick fill to lead them out as normal. Overall, as much as I may have nitpicked this song, this is actually still a great performance and you probably wouldn't notice anything wrong on a casual listen. Very rock solid one. 8/10.

Somebody to Love - Like last night, Brian does a rather off-the-wall solo, completely going out of his comfort zone - and it shows, as he again gets a bit lost and ends up holding a single note for two measures (although he bends it a bit to make it less awkward). Good effort, but it doesn't sound too good. Freddie also sings a bit more conservatively tonight, although the way he belts out "face no defeat" is epic, and his vocalizing in the outro jam is also quite energetic. Brian plays some great lines to accompany his outro adlibbing, making for one of the better STL jams that I've heard. While this song was a bit sloppy, the band are still having fun and playing with passion, and that's always preferable in my books. 7/10

Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Freddie goes for the first "made me live again" but falls a bit short. For some reason, this is a note that he would have trouble with from time to time, particularly in the late 70s and early 80s. Subsequently, he completely dodges the next one. Nothing too major, but it's clear by this point in the show that Freddie's confidence in hitting some of the notes tonight is not quite what it was last night. Still, he sounds great. It sounds like Roger does a different kind of drum fill when Freddie sings "rain running down my face," but the audio quality of the recording makes it hard to make out what he's actually doing. The guitar solo is nice, but not really noteworthy. Moving into the transition, Freddie allows the audience to take over, resulting in his signature call-and-response. Roger builds up the tension and drums up a storm right into Dragon Attack, which is a solid performance, besides Brian's solo which has a few nice licks, doesn't have much that was more than a standard affair. 7/10.

Love of My Life - Freddie and Brian let the audience fully take control, like many nights on the tour. Once the audience sings "what it means to me" for the second time, Freddie repeats the line but with a bit of embellishment to it, which is a nice touch. Otherwise it's about as good as all the other versions from this tour. 9/10.

Save Me - This one is heavily cut, but the beginning sounds nice.

Get Down, Make Love - This one is also heavily cut, as the tape flip happened between these two songs. The main part that's actually "judgable" is entirely missing.

Guitar Solo - Much of the first two and a half minutes is just Brian doing typical chord stuff, probably doing it mostly as a soundscape for the lightshow that we obviously can not see, but once he starts playing clean then things get more interesting. At one point it almost sounds like he plays the beginning from Deck the Halls, but that's probably just coincidence of having a couple common notes. Overall, not a bad solo, although the solos in 1982 usually seem to be more focused on the visuals of the gig. 6/10.

Under Pressure - Typical Under Pressure for Europe 1982. Good, but the same as the rest. 7/10.

Fat Bottomed Girls - After the first verse, Freddie says something rather vulgar (also doing his "you made an asshole out of me" lyric). Many times this year Brian would really extend the end jam of the song, and along with some great playing from him, Freddie sounds super hyped with some great adlibs. Very solid performance. 8/10.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Solid performance overall, but it's fairly standard for 1982. 7/10.

Bohemian Rhapsody - Overall a fairly strong performance. Freddie does a unique embellishment on "can't do this to me baby" reminiscent of how he sang it on a few Euro 77 gigs. Otherwise this one goes as you'd expect. 7/10.

Tie Your Mother Down - Another version that is performed strongly, but is average for the tour. 7/10.

Another One Bites the Dust - As the song begins, Freddie exclaims "jerk off baby." Interesting to say the least. Again, this is a fairly average version. Freddie sounds decent, band plays well, but this isn't a version that differs from the norm. 7/10.

We Will Rock You - Brian intro riffing is a bit different from the norm tonight, but it's short lived as Freddie comes in for the first verse, cutting him off. Again, the song goes about as you'd expect for 1982. 7/10.

We Are the Champions - The tape cuts out towards the end of the song, but Freddie sings very powerfully and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong on the instrumental front. Good version overall. 8/10.

Summary
When two consecutive nights at the same venue exist on tape, they're bound to be compared. In this case, while tonight is still a great show, there's no doubt in my mind that the previous night was a better performance. Coupled with the fact that the recording of this show is far worse than the better source of the previous night, and you'll get a show that is generally slept on. But, that doesn't mean this show isn't worth checking out, as there are some unique moments throughout. Brian's playing tonight, particularly in the first half, is quite experimental, and while it doesn't always sound perfect, it's still interesting to hear him create new melodies on the fly. Freddie sounds excellent tonight too, even if slightly more reserved than the night before. If you can get through the horrid tape, this is still a great listen.

Highlights - The Hero, Back Chat, Fat Bottomed Girls.

Vienna, May 12th 1982


The Hero - Very solid rendition. Fred and the boys are in full swing right off the bat. Freddie also lets out a good high note right at the end. 8/10.

We Will Rock You (Fast) - Brian does a pretty good solo on this one. Everything else is standard for 1982. 7/10.

Action This Day - Freddie does his vocal improv with the audience before this song. Freddie gives a strong delivery of Action This Day tonight, nailing most of the high notes and doing some good adlibs towards the end. Morgan Fisher does a near perfect solo and the end jam doesn't overstay it's welcome while remaining entertaining. Overall this may be one of the most rock-solid renditions of the song. 8/10.

Play the Game - Like most nights on this tour, Fred does a lengthy piano intro before the song really kicks off. His vocal performance is good tonight although the higher lines sound a bit strained. Brian's outro solo sounds very melodic and flows quite nicely tonight. Overall a pretty good rendition. 7/10.

Staying Power - Another strong performance, Freddie similarly sounds good on this one with a bit of strain on the higher parts. Instrumentally the band are tight as nails as never lose their step. 8/10.

Somebody to Love - Considering this is 1982, this version is a bit held back for the first bit. Freddie's high range doesn't seem as free at times tonight and so he dodges a couple high notes here and there and sounds strained on the ones he does go for. Brian's solo is fairly standard also. However, Fred's vocal solo towards the end is incredible and the jam is fantastic with great playing from Brian and more excellent vocals from Freddie. This one started off a bit below average for this tour but came with an explosive ending. 8/10.

Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Fred goes for both "made me live again" lines in their original melody, showing some regained confidence in his voice. All the adlibs he's doing shows that he's in great spirits tonight. Brian's solo gets a bit cluttered at one point but it's nothing major, and he puts in a great performance as well. Tonight's "intermission" starts off with Freddie doing his call-and-response with the audience, with the band joining in after he's done with them. Roger's drumming gets more and more chaotic until they eventually get to Dragon Attack. Brian's playing some good accompanying licks that fit well with Fred's vocal melodies in this one. At one during his solo, you can hear John play his bass solo against the soaring guitar of Brian May. This is a fantastic performance of the two-piece medley. 9/10.

Love of My Life - Not much to say other than this is a fantastic performance from the audience. 9/10.

Save Me - On an audience tape as good as this one, it's very easy to hear all the bass notes from John, the piano accompanying the song, Brian's extra bits that he wouldn't have been able to play before 1982 since he would have been on keys, etc. The song definitely has more depth that previous years, although I still think the synths sound quite a bit dated. Regardless, The band sound great here and perform this song wonderfully. 8/10. 

Back Chat - The rare "Back Chat" makes yet another live appearance, only performed around 20 times on stage (out of nearly 70 shows this year). The syncopation of Brian's guitar bits during the verses has never sounded better (again, the recording quality helps). Everyone in the band is working hard here. Once Brian's outro solo kicks in, Deacon begins playing an octave up for a few lines (not rare, but just a nice touch). Morgan Fisher hits a bum chord just toward the end of the song, but that's pretty much the only flaw here. 8/10.

Get Down, Make Love - For 1982, this isn't terrible. Freddie actually sings the song (rather than speaking his way through). Of course, it still pales in comparison to versions from prior tours, but this is solid enough. 7/10.

Guitar Solo - Brian's solo tonight is actually very nice. He starts off playing around with his typical E minor licks, although quickly changing to F minor, and from here on out he really plays with the delay in some pleasing ways. Later on, he plays
the riff to I Go Crazy, which is really cool to hear (considering this song wasn't released for another 2 years). While he usually does some clean playing, he seemingly skips that tonight. Not really an issue though, as everything else is executed flawlessly. 9/10.

Under Pressure - Although hard to hear since it's such a small change, but Brian does a cool little lick just before the second chorus. Again, Freddie sounds flawless on this song. 8/10.

Fat Bottomed Girls - Brian's guitar work towards the end is stunning as always on this tour, and Freddie yet again sounds marvelous. 8/10.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Before this song, Freddie does the Mustapha intro. Brian's solo has a whole lot of triplets that he does in quick succession. Later, Freddie is bursting with energy encouraging audience participation. The song closes out with a few extra drum hits as well, just because. One of the very best versions of the song. 9/10.

Bohemian Rhapsody - Brian breaks a string during his solo and struggles his way through it, as the floating trem puts his guitar out of tune when the tension changes. Outside of this issue, the song is performed very well. 7/10.

Tie Your Mother Down - Brian leads into the second verse of the song with some extra embellishments. The following solo he does is also stunning. Freddie sings the song very strongly as well, about as excellent as some of his April deliveries (all of which were unique in their own way). 8/10.

Another One Bites the Dust - These last few songs were broadcast on TV and were subsequently included on the Milton Keynes DVD, so there is soundboard audio of these last few tracks. For the tour, this is one of the best performances of this song. Freddie sings it nearly flawlessly (nearly, because the high note he tries for in the last chorus is super flat and out of key). The middle section is fairly funky too (although not nearly as much as it would be in 1986). 8/10.

We Will Rock You - The intro jam is concise but good. Freddie sings the first verse on a single note which is a really odd choice, as it sounds really boring. Otherwise his singing is fairly typical for the year. Brian's solo is about what you'd expect too. 6/10.

We Are the Champions - Strong closer to the show. As expected, Freddie sings with excellence. Brian even comes in for the last chorus. No mistakes to be heard here. 8/10.

God Save the Queen - Just including this last bit, as Freddie sings along with the music, something which only happened at this show.

Summary
This is one of the most consistently excellent performances not only of the year but of the decade. While maybe not as explosive and seemingly coke-fueled as the first night in Cologne, the consistent high level of performance in each song makes this show a must listen, no less due to the excellent audio sources from this concert. Brian's inclusion of I Go Crazy in his solo spot is also a rare occurrence that makes this show all the more distinctive. Freddie starts off a bit weaker, but once the band are a few songs in, he sounds as good as all his other top nights around this time. Definitely one of the best nights of the tour.  

Highlights - Action This Day, Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack, Back Chat, Guitar Solo, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Tie Your Mother Down.