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Post by Chopin1995 on Dec 22, 2020 23:44:33 GMT
I distinctly remember when I heard this concert (Vienna 12th) for the first time, while listening to every single Queen concert in chronological order. It immediately became one of my favourite concerts of the decade, and my favourite from this tour. The recording quality surely helped.
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Post by Ryan Newton on Dec 27, 2020 4:25:18 GMT
Vienna, May 13th 1982 The Hero - Freddie nearly slips up on the words during this version but quickly catches himself. Otherwise good rendition. 7/10. Action This Day - They take a couple more measures before Roger sings the first lyrics tonight. Like last night, this is one of the most solid renditions of the song. Comparing these later Euro versions to how the song sounded in April, they are going much faster, and for this song the faster tempo works. Freddie sounds wonderful and he nails pretty much any high notes he's going for here. 8/10. Play the Game - Freddie does some adlibbing along with his piano introduction of this song and it all adds together well. Unlike last night, Freddie is in top form right off the bat. He sings "light another cigarette and let yourself go" perfectly. He later tries for the high notes on "my love is pumping through my veins," (a rarity in 1982) although he has some troubles with that one. Valiant attempt though, and it just shows how confident he is tonight. Brian's middle-eight solo is a bit out of the ordinary, and following that, Freddie sings with some unique melodies to change things up. Brian's outro solo also has some good bits to it. Overall an excellent performance. 9/10. Staying Power - The high notes sound absolutely effortless on Freddie's end (in a positive way). He is in perfect condition tonight, and similar to last night, they instrumental section is near perfection as well. About as strong as last night's version overall. 8/10. Somebody to Love - Just after his breathtaking vocal intro, Freddie exclaims "lord have mercy on your soul." It goes without saying that Freddie sounds amazing, giving one of his finest deliveries of this song ever. Brian gives a nice guitar solo between verses, never losing focus. The outro is complete with all the classic Freddie Mercury vocal trademarks: The soaring falsetto, the anthemic chorusing, etc. Brian adds a few licks as they close out that initially sound nice, but he breaks a string and the entire thing sounds flat, although he makes the most of the situation by getting some feedback from the amp and playing around with that until it's the right pitch. Very strong despite his issues at the end. 9/10. Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Freddie plays around with the audience as Brian beings playing the iconic D chords that kick off the song. Rog does a bit of extra drum filling as they lead into the second verse of Now I'm Here. He and Brian play around during their following jam section quite a bit where things get quite a bit spicy. As they lead into the transition, Roger begins a drum solo which leads directly into Dragon Attack. Compared to the show stopping vocal improvs that would normally take place, this feels a bit better in terms of how the whole thing flows. Roger continues doing some energetic drumming during Dragon Attack as well, with some good fills after every verse. Brian lets it rip for a couple minutes, always knowing how to pull together an interesting solo for this song, and the song ends as per usual. Again, another performance as amazing as the previous night. 9/10. Love of My Life - While the audience eventually takes over, Freddie takes a couple lines extra tonight, as his voice is particularly agile and he seems to want to show it off. He sounds great as do the roughly 14,000 other people in the venue tonight. Top notch stuff. 9/10. Save Me - Brian botches a couple chords on the piano as Freddie comes in singing. Brian's middle-eight bit sounds very subdued and delicate tonight. Everything else goes about as you'd expect. A very solid performance of Save Me. 7/10. Body Language - Inaugural performance of this polarizing Hot Space track. Freddie seems to be figuring out how to sing the song on stage, resulting is many odd moments where he switches octaves rapidly. Regardless, between the two European versions of the song, this is probably the better one, as the band are a bit more together than they would be in Berlin two nights later. Fairly good overall. 7/10. Get Down, Make Love - Although not my favourite song in the set by this point in it's life, the extra bits of guitar from Brian make this one sound decent, and Freddie doesn't speak through the song, so that's nice. John does an extra bass pop at the beginning as the band kicks off the song, adding just enough variety to make me actually like this version. 7/10. Guitar Solo - The heavy bits flow well tonight, and the clean bits also sounds good. At one point during the clean section, Brian accidentally plays a few notes as if he were in E Major, but he's in E minor, so he quickly corrects. Nice solo. 7/10. Under Pressure - About as good as any other version you'd hear on this tour, although I did notice that Fred's intonation on a few lines was a bit off. Still, you'd hardly notice. 7/10. Fat Bottomed Girls - Freddie changes up some of the melodies leading into the third chorus. Roger also gets a good fill in as they enter the final chorus. Brian's outro playing is just as stunning as last night's version. 8/10. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Brian's middle-eight solo is good, although perhaps not as eccentric as last nights. The band sound great still. Overall a solid version. 7/10. Bohemian Rhapsody - No string breakage tonight. Freddie sings powerfully, May gives a picture-perfect solo as well. Good rendition. 8/10. Tie Your Mother Down - Another phenomenal version. The whole band are on fire here. Nothing in particular that stands out, but they just sound excellent here. 8/10. Another One Bites the Dust - Just before this song begins, the crowd begins to build up the stomp-stomp-clap of We Will Rock You. This is probably my favourite performance of Another One Bites the Dust from 1982. With Freddie delivering the song nearly perfectly to him throwing in Back Chat references (which then allows the band to play around for a little bit), there's nothing about this version I don't like. 9/10. Sheer Heart Attack - Roger gets a bit excited when singing "Turn on the TV let it drip right down in your eyes." The pace is blistering here, and Freddie sounds flawless yet again. 8/10. We Will Rock You - Brian's intro riffing sounds fantastic tonight. The song is otherwise a standard affair for 1982. 7/10. We Are the Champions - It sounds like Fred plays a slight bum chord after singing the first "We are the champions my friends." Brian then plays something interesting after Freddie sings "and my curtain calls." Besides slightly straining his voice on "I ain't gonna lose," Fred sounds perfect. 8/10. SummaryAnother fantastic performance in Vienna that's about as good as the first night has plenty of wonderful performances leading to one of the best shows of the 80s. Even with the sloppy performance of the new track, Body Language, everything else is done pretty much perfectly and it really represents the band as good as they would get in the 80s. This show surely ranks within the top 10 of the tour. Highlights - Action This Day, Play the Game, Staying Power, Somebody to Love, Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack, Another One Bites the Dust
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Post by littlequeenie97 on Dec 28, 2020 5:39:38 GMT
After this tour which tour Will You review?
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Post by Ryan Newton on Dec 28, 2020 10:49:01 GMT
Berlin, May 15th 1982 The Hero - Freddie comes on to the stage with great enthusiasm tonight and delivers a great version of The Hero. 8/10 We Will Rock You (Fast) - Roger changes the beat a bit during the second verse (as Freddie sings "big disgrace"). Not sure if it was intentional or just a recovery from a slip up. Either way, it doesn't sound bad. Otherwise fairly standard 1982 performance. 7/10 Action This Day - Another killer performance of the song. The band have gotten this song nailed by this point in the tour and can consistently deliver it with excellence. Freddie is strong, Morgan's keyboard solo is good, and the outro jam is a bit different as it is every night. Brian plays some good licks for the jam tonight, and Freddie get a bit crazy for his vocal outro. Awesome version. 8/10. Play the Game - Brian hits a bum note just before his middle-eight solo. Otherwise this is a fantastic and adventurous rendition of Play the Game. Freddie sings the song very strongly, and Brian takes his guitar for a spin in a few spots, including a nice scale down the neck to close the song out. 8/10. Staying Power - Freddie takes an extra measure to get to the second chorus, which makes the band get out of sync with him (he sounds like he's trying to motivate the audience) as they lead into the verse while he's not quite there. Sounds quite rough. Besides this, the song is still performed pretty well. 6/10. Somebody to Love - Brian tries a new route for his solo tonight, and it initially sounds nice, but he seems to get a bit lost and goes back to what he normally does. Goes without saying that Freddie sounds great. The audience also sound ecstatic during this performance. Brian's usual additional playing as the coda ends is also excellent. 8/10. Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Now I'm Here is typically strong for the tour. Freddie sounds excellent, and Brian's playing during the jam is pretty good, although to be fair, I've heard stronger solos. He's mostly doing the chord patterns that he would normally do, but it does sound good. Tonight's transition period features a vocal battle between Freddie and the audience, which is usually what happens here. The band smoothly merge in to it, creating an escalating jam, with Deacon in particular creating some great sounds from his instrument. Dragon Attack is a bit sloppy tonight though. Freddie's voice strains on many of the high notes, resulting in some poor intonation. Brian then plays a lick after the first chorus to lead into the following verse, but he doesn't cap it off at the right time and he's still figuring out how to close it off as Freddie begins singing again. Then when he's supposed to play again, he's missing for a second or two. Even in his solo, he sounds like he has sticky fingers at times. Overall still a good performance, but this is definitely a step below previous performances of this medley. 7/10. Love of My Life - This is another version where Freddie sings a bit more than usual (although the audience does take over for a bit). I will say that Freddie's singing isn't as smooth as it was two nights ago in Vienna, although this is still a good version. 7/10. Save Me - Much of this version is cut, but what's available sounds good. Get Down, Make Love - This one is also pretty heavily cut on the tape of this show. Guitar Solo - Tonight's solo features mostly heavy riffing and general things May would usually do around this time. I've heard him do better on this tour, and he's taking it fairly easy here. 6/10. Under Pressure - Brian seems to cut out for a couple seconds as they lead into the first chorus. Doesn't sound like a string break, but perhaps a loose cable? Freddie's voice then cracks on one of the "Da do" bits soon after. Strong otherwise, but these two iffy bits bring this one down a bit. 6/10. Body Language - On the first bit of the song, Freddie sings "give me your body," while Roger sings "I want your body," so the resulting harmony sounds out of sync. Following this, Morgan Fisher screws up the synth for the verse not once but twice. One notable part about this version is that Freddie sings part of the last bit of the song in the original octave, which is impressive (although his voice slightly cracks after that). Pretty messy version, and Freddie again is on mic seemingly trying to motivate the audience, saying "come on" to them (and not in a good way), which also doesn't help. Pretty sloppy performance. 5/10. Back Chat - The verses sound mostly strong here, but Brian begins his solo with a bit of slippery fingers, as his intonation seems way off on some of the bends he's doing. He later hits a bum chord near the end of the song (sounds like an A# instead of A). This is still pretty good, as Back Chat pretty much always sounded great live. Still, there are a few sloppy moments that sound a bit rough. 6/10. Fat Bottomed Girls - This is a step up from the previous mediocre performances from the show. Freddie sounds very powerful and Brian's guitar work in the outro jam is stellar. 8/10. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Brian's lead playing during the verses is pretty great here. His solo sounds good, and the rest of the band sound wonderful. Once Brian picks up the red special, he begins to craft some fantastically melodic lines that just sound great. This song was almost always great on this tour, but this one has got a bit of extra energy to it. 9/10. Bohemian Rhapsody - After the first "mama oooo," Freddie hits a bum note on the piano, and he hits another bum note just after "too late." Compared to a couple other versions during the month, Freddie sounds like he's holding his voice back a bit here, although still a fairly strong vocal performance, as even Fred at an average pace in 1982 is still very good. 7/10. Tie Your Mother Down - Although perhaps not as receptive to some of the other songs tonight, you can tell they really dig this one. It sounds like everyone in the amphitheater is clapping along. This is a great performance too. Very solid with some good playing and singing all around. 8/10. Another One Bites the dust plays for about 2 seconds before cutting out. Rest of the show is missing.SummaryFor a May gig, where the band had been hitting great heights, this is bit of a step back, a bit more of a sloppy gig, and the audience also is usually a bit quiet, as Freddie is clearly struggling to connect with them like he usually would with a crowd. There are some strong performances and some standout moments from the show, but the consistent level of musicianship that was present at Vienna is not quiet there during the Berlin gig. It's still a good show overall, but compared to the high bar that has been set by other gigs during the month, this one is just a bit short of that bar. Highlights - The Hero, Action This Day, Play the Game, Somebody to Love, Crazy Little Thing Called Love
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Post by Ryan Newton on Dec 28, 2020 10:51:33 GMT
After this tour which tour Will You review? I'll probably jump back to 1975 and do the Opera Tour and I'll see where I go from there. |
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Post by Ryan Newton on Dec 29, 2020 8:11:56 GMT
Hamburg, May 16th 1982 The Hero - Typically strong opener for 1982. 7/10. We Will Rock You (Fast) - Freddie sings "waving your can all over the place" in the first verse, but the song is otherwise just what you'd expect from this tour. Botched lyrics usually aren't worth docking points for, as long as it's not too bad. 7/10. Action This Day - Freddie sings with excellence on this version, although some of the high notes are a bit strained. Morgan Fisher hits a bum note during his solo bit, but this otherwise is a pretty decent performance. 8/10. Play the Game - During Freddie's piano intro to the song, he plays something reminiscent of My Fairy King. Like on the first night in Vienna, Freddie sounds like he's straining his voice a bit during some of the more demanding lines. Brian's solos are decent tonight although nothing to go crazy over. Good performance, but average. 7/10. Staying Power - Overall a very solid rendition. Nothing in particular that stands out, but they are just super tight here. 7/10. Somebody to Love - Freddie's approach to singing the bridge is a bit off tonight. Much of the performance sounds fairly good although compared to other shows around this time, this is another one that simply feels average. Of course, an average version of this song in 1982 is still great. 7/10. Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Brian's noodling before they kick this one off sounds very cool. After a strong vocal performance from Freddie, Brian's lead playing during the jam is fiery. Tonight, Fred does his vocal improv between the songs. This seems to be what they would stick with, after trying a few other things out over the tour. Dragon Attack is also pretty awesome, particularly from Dr. May, who puts in a nice solo (although some of his lines during the verses sound a bit contrived). Fairly strong one. 7/10. Love of My Life - Brian's guitar seems to go missing just before Freddie sings (when I grow older), although he's back in a second or two. Freddie sings much of this version tonight. 7/10. Save Me - Although slightly cut at the end, most of this one is still available. The band sound pretty good on this one, and it's about what you'd expect for 1982. 7/10. Get Down, Make Love - This one is mostly cut (the entire verse is gone). Guitar Solo - This solo isn't something to really listen to. Brian is just cycling through his typical chord structures that he would do every night without anything else added. Snooze. 4/10. Under Pressure - Rog does a quick drum solo before this song tonight and every night for the rest of the Euro tour. For the review of this song, see pretty much every other one I've done for this tour. 7/10. Fat Bottomed Girls - While the vocals from Freddie are fantastic as always, the jam is not quite as extended tonight. Still fairly decent. 7/10. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - While generally average for most of the song, Brian's lead playing in end section is quite exciting. 7/10. Bohemian Rhapsody - Freddie does a bit of Spread Your Wings for a couple seconds before this one. Freddie's voice badly cracks on "Leave you all behind and face the truth." A strong performance in all other respects. 7/10. Tie Your Mother Down - Pretty good performance. Freddie sings the song fairly well tonight and the band sound good. 7/10. Another One Bites the Dust - Just as Deacon begins to play some interesting lines during the jam, Rog prematurely ends it which is rather disappointing (they hadn't even gone on for that long). Freddie also sounds decent although it's around this point in the tour where he would stop going for the high notes in the chorus (although he gets the first one tonight). 6/10. We Will Rock You - There really is no opening riffing from Brian tonight. He plays a single E chord and then Freddie comes in, so that's super uninteresting. He doesn't even add anything to the verses, and his solo also has no real changes to the norm. 5/10. We Are the Champions - Freddie's voice badly cracks on the last chorus. Otherwise a fairly standard 1982 version of We Are the Champions. 6/10. SummaryTruth be told, I had always heard that this show was one of the best Hot Space shows, but after giving it my full attention, I wasn't really all that impressed. I mean the performances are good (mostly), but nothing quite stands out as way above average or setting the bar. This show is good, but it's simply average for this tour and there isn't much that I can point at from this show that wasn't done better at another concert. Want great vocals from Freddie? Well, yeah, he's good here, but he's better at Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Cologne, Vienna, etc. Want great guitar playing and band work? Well, yeah they're good here, but they're better at Brussels, Cologne, Leiden, etc. While at other shows they're extending their jams and instrumentals, tonight they feel rushed. And all of that isn't even mentioning the set, which is about as bland as it got on the Euro Tour. From the previous night in Berlin, they've cut out two songs and haven't added anything back in. When you couple all of this with a mediocre recording, you get a show that's a bit of a chore to listen to. While this isn't the worst show of the tour, it's definitely a show that I could only recommend if you're a true completionist or collector. Highlights - Action This Day
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Post by Ryan Newton on Jan 4, 2021 2:23:47 GMT
Kassel, May 18th 1982 The Hero - This is a very energetic start to the show tonight. Freddie is already flexing his voice, going for some great belts towards the end. 8/10. Sheer Heart Attack - The oddball in the set tonight is Sheer Heart Attack as the #2, similar to Cologne 5/7. I actually love it when they change up the set like this, and the performance itself is excellent with Freddie effortlessly hitting all the right notes. Roger's drumming also sounds a bit extra powerful, but perhaps that's just the recording. Either way, stellar rendition. 8/10. Action This Day - One of Freddie's best vocal performances for this song. His range is very flexible and his intonation is spot on. The band are tight as ever and they are pretty much perfect also. 9/10. Play the Game - Freddie's piano intro is quite fun tonight and very different from his regular routine. Again, Freddie is in top form, and Brian's solos are fantastic. 8/10. Staying Power - Freddie has a bit of trouble on some of the choruses tonight ("I wonder when..."), but overall he still sounds very strong and the instrumentals are really pushing along with great intensity. 7/10. Somebody to Love - Freddie does a nice drawn out vocal intro tonight. Freddie seems to go missing for a bit during the second verse but comes back quickly. Later, His voice cracks on "I ain't gonna face no defeat." The outro bit is exciting as always on this tour. 8/10. Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Roger's drumming during the verses of Now I'm Here is certainly above his regular for the tour. Freddie is pretty much flawless through the whole medley. Brian's playing during the Now I'm Here jam is mostly chording again tonight but he does throw in a couple extra licks to make it interesting (although it's a bit hard to hear behind Fred's powerful improvised adlibs). The vocal improv is about what you'd expect. Fred sounds good, but if you've heard a Freddie call-and-response before, nothing will shock you here. Into Dragon Attack, the line Brian plays to connect the first chorus and second verse is pretty cool. Brian's solo doesn't last long at all tonight which is rather odd, but as Roger comes in to signal the end of the song, he throws in a couple flashy things high up on the fretboard which sound great, all while Freddie is filling the room with his mighty voice. Overall, this is a very strong performance and one of the best for this tour. 9/10. Love of My Life - Like many on this tour, the audience is fantastic. Even though you can tell it's a small crowd (the venue could only hold about 6000 people), they could easily pass for twice that. 9/10. Save Me - The beginning of this song is slightly cut. The way Freddie sings "the years belie we lived a lie" is nothing short of beautiful, changing from loud to soft in an instant. Roger seems to miss a bass drum hit during the first chorus, but it's in a spot that actually kind of works anyway, leaving a gap as Brian holds out a chord. This is surely one of the best versions from the tour. 8/10. Get Down, Make Love - Decent version for 1982, although still feels like set filler. 6/10. Guitar Solo - This is another solo where Brian is mainly just cycling through chords and going through the motions. There are a couple interesting things here and there, but nothing much else of substance. 5/10. Under Pressure - Good performance. Nothing else to say. 7/10. Fat Bottomed Girls - The bulk of the song is performed as well as every other night on the Euro tour, and the end jam has Freddie belting at the top of his lungs as Brian's riffs up a storm. 8/10. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Just before the song (and before they introduce Morgan Fisher) Roger and Fred do a quick jam together. Brian's outro solo has a some really well-executed bends and everything kind of clicks together nicely here. 8/10.
Bohemian Rhapsody - Typically strong Bohemian Rhapsody for this tour. 8/10. Tie Your Mother Down - Freddie starts off the song a bit to confident, belting out the opening lines but cracking a bit. Besides that minor hiccup, they are all in full force. 7/10. Another One Bites the Dust - Good performance. Improv bit could have been a bit more involved but still solid nonetheless. 7/10. We Will Rock You - They jump right into this one after Another One Bites the Dust. Brian doesn't do any intro riffing which is odd; one of the things that makes the song audibly interesting is totally missing. The band sound decent otherwise but it's still a bit disappointing. 5/10. We Are the Champions - Freddie sounds flawless yet again, powerfully singing the song effortlessly. 8/10. SummaryThis is more of what I expect when I hear about a concert being "one of the best of the tour." For Hamburg 1982, that simply wasn't the case, but this show definitely is. Freddie's voice is about as strong as it would ever sound in the 80s, and there is just a lot more interesting stuff going on at this show. Changing up the set with Sheer Heart Attack as the #2 is also a nice deviation from the norm, and the band just sound excellent all-around. Of course, an expanded set with a couple more songs would have been even better (the show barely comes in at 90 minutes long), but the songs that are performed are done with laser precision. Highlights - Action This Day, Play the Game, Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack, Love of My Life, Save Me, Crazy Little Thing Called Love
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Post by Ryan Newton on Jan 4, 2021 7:53:20 GMT
Munich, May 21st 1982 The Hero - The tape cuts in just as this song kicks off. Mostly similar to what you'd hear at the other shows around this time. Freddie lets out a super high belt towards the end. 8/10. Sheer Heart Attack - The last time Sheer Heart Attack would be in this spot in the set (unless a tape of the following night arises and proves otherwise), and this is probably the best of the bunch. Like always, Freddie can do no wrong, even doing a falsetto inflection on the first chorus. The band are just as good as well. 8/10. Action This Day - The way Freddie shifts octaves in the second verse sounds pretty awkward (the "sunshine ray" bit). Perhaps he was thinking about going for the original octave (as heard at Milton Keynes) and dipped out last minute? There are a couple other strange octave dips and voice cracks from Freddie that don't go over as well as some other versions. Still a decent version overall besides a few vocal bumps. 7/10. Play the Game - This is a nice, smooth performance of Play the Game. Fred sings wonderfully (albeit a bit within his safe zone), and Brian even seems to include some two-hand tapping in his outro solo tonight which is pretty cool and definitely goes beyond anything I've heard thus far. As the song finishes, Freddie plays some chord scales which also add to this great version. 9/10. Staying Power - An absolutely killer version of this Hot Space track. Similar to the 5/13/82 version in many respects, the band are all laser focused on their playing and Freddie hits all the notes with ease. 8/10. Somebody to Love - While Fred sounds expectedly phenomenal, Brian appears to break a string during his solo and it sounds pretty rough. This show has a great outro jam though and everyone sounds great. 7/10. Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Like in Hamburg, Brian does some beautiful chording before Now I'm Here. The main song is strong through and through. The jam eventually deviates from the chords tonight too and Brian plays a bit more creatively than the past couple shows. Typical vocal improv tonight, nothing much else to say about it. In the first chorus of Dragon Attack, Fred's mic cuts out for a bit. Brian does a blazing lick connected the verse and chorus, followed by a voice crack from Freddie on "blacks all white." This is also another show where Brian's solo only lasts a few measures which I think is a shame as his solos for this song were always great. This is a solid performance still, but there are definitely better versions of Dragon Attack from the tour. The bulk of the medley is still decent. 7/10. Love of My Life - Good performance with a big audience to sing with (about 16,000 strong tonight). 8/10. Save Me - This one goes about as you'd expect for this tour, which still means it's pretty good. 7/10. Get Down, Make Love - Yeah I mean this version is ok, but still pales in comparison to versions from prior years. 6/10. Guitar Solo - This guitar solo didn't really go anywhere. Pretty much just heavy riffing for five minutes straight. Boring. 4/10. Under Pressure - Just as Freddie starts doing his ad libs at the beginning of the song, John cuts out for a measure or two. Not sure what happened there. Some of what Fred sings early in the song also is a bit off in terms of pitch, although it's mostly minor stuff. 6/10. Fat Bottomed Girls - Freddie sings "you made an asshole out of me" similar to Milton Keynes. The rest of this one is great, like many of the versions around this time. Fred sounds great, Brian sounds great, etc. 8/10. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Brian's lead during the verses tonight is pretty good. Otherwise fairly standard 1982 version. 7/10. Bohemian Rhapsody - The tape has a slight cut in the opera section; fairly negligible but I thought I would mention it. This is a typically strong 1982 performance of Bohemian Rhapsody. 8/10. Tie Your Mother Down - Freddie is a bit unstable to begin with but this is not really a big deal as he still sounds great. Queen are still full of energy late into the tour and slay this one. Brian throws in a couple extra licks near the end as a bonus. 8/10. Another One Bites the Dust - Tonight's improv section is excellent. Deacon plays some very punchy bass notes to compliment May's funky rhythm guitar bits. Freddie also sings very well. 8/10. We Will Rock You - After seemingly being absent the past few performances, Brian does some riffing to kick off the song again (as he usually would). Typical 1982 performance. 7/10. We Are the Champions - Yet another stunning vocal performance from Freddie. Brian hits a slight bum chord in the third chorus. 7/10. SummaryMunich was one of Queen's favourite cities, and you can clearly tell from the great show tonight. Besides the repetitive guitar solo (which is by no means unique to this show on the tour), much of the set is done really well tonight, particularly the early songs. This is also another short gig, barely breaking 90 minutes, but like the previous show, is very strong on all fronts. There are a couple blunders here and there due to technical errors usually, but when it's in their control, Queen are totally on fire and are in tip top shape. Highlights - Sheer Heart Attack, Play the Game, Staying Power, Another One Bites the Dust
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PHT
Tatterdemalion
Posts: 31
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Post by PHT on Jan 4, 2021 14:32:59 GMT
Leiden, April 24th 1982Liar - 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. These 12 minutes of tape made all the years of listening to every Queen show worth the effort - a truly incredible moment in their career. Yes! It was my first Queen concert and I can tell you I have seen many big shows afterwards, but never seen a crowd like this. I still have somewhere a review of one of the Queen "Roadies" and he was completely overwhelmed by the crowd... Before the show there was some music of The Police and The Who (Won't get fooled again) and some guy was running up and down the stairs...everybody immediately starts clapping and singing... incredible. |
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Post by Ryan Newton on Jan 5, 2021 12:26:13 GMT
Leeds, May 29th 1982 The Hero - On such a clear recording, you can hear the sound levels being adjusted on the fly as this one plays out. This is probably what happens at every show, so it's interesting to finally be able to hear it. The band sound excellent kicking off the show. 8/10. We Will Rock You (Fast) - Fred's mic cuts out for the first verse but he comes back fast. Fred is clearly ecstatic, as he is exploding with energy even through Brian's solo. 7/10. Action This Day - As Roger kicks off the steady drum beat, Brian adds a bit of muted strumming to spice up the rhythm. Freddie's voice slightly cracks during the end of the first verse ("I've got a feeling..."). Morgan Fisher hits a slight bum note during his solo. Near the end, Brian comes back to the main riff, but he's out of sync with the rest by a measure, although he realizes this and corrects his course. Ultimately all of these errors are pretty minor and this still remains a great version of the song. 7/10. Play the Game - The audience recording is so clear that one can hear the artificial reverb on Freddie's voice has he sings "when your resistance is low," something which would only usually be heard through a soundboard. Soon after, he explodes on "let yourself go," singing the line as powerful as ever. He sings the bridge with ease as well, hitting the high notes effortlessly. Brian's solos tonight are nice with no missteps, and the rest of the band are really solid also. One of the finest versions of Play the Game ever. 9/10. Staying Power - Tonight's version is apparently "f*cking power," as that's what Fred sings in the first verse of the song. Like every night around this time, he sings with ease, and the clarity of the recording helps make apparent the extra notes and rhythmic additions to the song from Brian, Roger, John, and Morgan. There are a couple odd synth notes from the keyboardist tonight but this is minor and there is pretty much nothing to complain about. Overall a very solid performance. 8/10. Somebody to Love - The audience is clearly stunned by Fred's beautiful vocal into tonight, as their reactions are all heard. His singing tonight is extra playful, seemingly feeding off the energy from the audience. Freddie hits a slight bum chord as he sings "I've just gotta get out of this prison cell." but otherwise delivers a perfect performance. The rest of the band do their duties admirably as well. 8/10. Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Freddie cracks badly on the first "made me live again." He's confident enough to go for the second one, but he is a bit off key. Just minor things to nitpick that ultimately don't affect my view much. Brian's solo is nice tonight although I've heard him go beyond this. Freddie then makes a remark before he begins his improv that I can't decipher due to the audience noises. Anyway, they do the vocal improv to drums to Dragon Attack thing as per the norm now. In the second verse, Roger does a drum fill between lines and Brian comes in a bit too early. Freddie then stumbles through a couple lines as he's forgotten the lyrics. After doing short solos the past few nights, Brian does a much longer (and very enjoyable) solo tonight, and as Roger queues the band to close back into Now I'm Here, Brian and John both begin playing off each other fantastically. Dragon Attack was initially a bit sloppy but they made up quite a bit. 8/10. Love of My Life - Like all nights on the tour, the audience take over, with Freddie even encouraging them part way through. Perhaps due to the lack of a roof over their heads, but they don't sound nearly as loud as some of the indoor gigs on the tour. Regardless, this is still a great one. 8/10. Keep Yourself Alive (Improv) - Fred does another vocal call-and-response with the audience here, recalling their first single. Save Me - Brian kind of botches the solo a bit here, and Freddie slightly voice cracks towards the end of the song. 6/10. Back Chat - Probably the greatest version of Back Chat ever performed. As a collective they shine on this track but individually they each have stellar moments to pick apart. Freddie sings the song as close to the record as he ever would, Brian is blistering and in both of his solos, he is bouncing off the walls. But even during the verses his syncopated accompaniment to the classic bassline is equally as enticing. John cranks it up a notch, creating an extra funky, slightly altered bassline that is an octave up, clashing with the screaming guitar of Brian. While the Hot Space tracks were mediocre on the album, the stage is where they could really shine, and with Back Chat being the highest quality of that selection, it's live performances were bound to have plenty of potential, and here they deliver the goods. 10/10. Get Down, Make Love - Overall, not bad. Certainly one of the better 1982 versions of the song. There is enough things going on between the instrumentation to not sound boring, and Freddie actually sings the song instead of speaking it which is a plus. It cuts out towards the end but that's not really significant. 7/10. Guitar Solo - Brian's solo cuts in, but little is missing. Near the beginning, Brian does a slick run of 16th notes that I haven't heard him ever do. This is followed by mostly basic chording, and eventually leads into more lead-oriented things. He then goes into his clean Eminor scales that he would always do, and they do sound nice even if a bit cliché of a Brian May solo. Overall this one was pretty decent, even if not exploring too much. 7/10. Under Pressure - Broken record here, glad to report that this is yet another good version of Under Pressure. 7/10. Fat Bottomed Girls - A fantastically clean vocal from from Freddie and a ripping performance from Brian add up to a top notch performance. 8/10. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Nothing in particular stands out as different or particularly eye-catching, but this is just a really good performance and they are great here. 7/10. Bohemian Rhapsody - Freddie hits a bum chord as he leads into the second verse. Otherwise a strong performance in every other way, particularly from Brian who does those ending scales up the neck pretty much perfectly. 7/10. Tie Your Mother Down - This is another one that isn't flashy on the surface, but they really sound good, particularly towards the end of the song. 7/10. Another One Bites the Dust - Deacon has a bit of a slip up during the first chorus when Fred sings "And another one gone..." Tonight's improv is bit more involved tonight though with Brian and John both giving their contributions. 7/10. Sheer Heart Attack - A great performance all around. Brian even plays the "I Go Crazy" riff, and soon after begins to make some noise similar to what's heard on the record. 8/10 We Will Rock You - Brian's introduction to the song tonight serves it's purpose. Although I prefer the long extended stuff (a la Magic Tour), tonight's is serviceable. Freddie sounds good but it's typical 1982, remaining on G instead of going for A's like the studio. Solo is solid too. 7/10. We Are the Champions - Freddie adds to the lyrics "It's been no bed of roses I can tell you." While Freddie sounds great here, he doesn't sing the song with as much ease as he had at previous shows like Vienna and Kassel. Still solid from everyone. 7/10. SummaryThis is yet another Hot Space show that has garnered lots of praise from fans alike, many even calling it the best show of 1982. Much of the praise is well earned, as this show is fantastic, but now having gone through pretty much the whole Euro tour, is this the best show of the bunch? And my answer to that would be no. While this concert showcases everyone at the top of their game, so do many other gigs around this time, and I can definitely list off 2-3 gigs that I prefer to this one, all for various reasons. Of course, if I can only list 3, then being 4th best is nothing to scoff at, especially for a tour as great as this one. The atmosphere at this show is also great, considering it's the biggest crowd yet (although Milton Keynes would be larger), and the recording of the show is one of the best of the tour, as it sounds like it was taped pretty close to the stage. Since the set is the same as Milton Keynes (which everyone has likely heard), this serves as a good companion gig to compare with. Highlights - Play the Game, Staying Power, Somebody to Love, Back Chat, Sheer Heart Attack
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cmi
Politician
Posts: 522 
Likes: 883
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Post by cmi on Jan 7, 2021 11:47:25 GMT
We are near the of European leg of the tour...
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Post by Ryan Newton on Jan 8, 2021 10:30:17 GMT
Edinburgh, June 1st 1982 The Hero - Right at the end as Roger and Brian drum and chord together to end the song, Roger seems to miss a snare hit. This is really negligible though as the rest is pretty much as good as it gets for this song. 8/10. We Will Rock You (Fast) - John's short bass solo is a bit flashier than usual, and the rest of the band sound excellent, especially during the jam after the second verse. 8/10. Action This Day - One of the best versions of this song. Freddie's vocal performance is nearly perfect. Morgan's keyboard bit it a bit bungled in a few spots but nothing really major, and a great jam ensures that this is one the elite versions of the song. 8/10. Play the Game - Freddie's voice very slightly cracks on the second "it's so easy." That's another fairly negligible moment, as this is probably Freddie's best performance of this song of the year. He sings the bridge as close to the record melody as ever (much like the rest of the song), and the instrumentals are on-point. The only thing to really point out that is a bit off is that Brian's second solo doesn't end as perfectly as other versions. 8/10. Staying Power - This may be Fred's best show of the year, as he is slaying every song. This one (and the next song) are pretty much as good as it gets. There are a couple loose bits on the instrumental front (Brian's playing at the end isn't as steady, for example), but ultimately this still remains one of the best versions. 9/10. Somebody to Love - A wild performance in every respect, Freddie is completely in his element. He clearly loves his job, and it emanates from his singing tonight. Almost too much, as he voice cracks a couple times here and there. It's nothing too major, although worth pointing out. He is totally unchained though, singing without his self imposed limits that we're always in play while singing. Musically, everything is rock solid and things go over smoothly, making for a performance that is quite revered. 9/10. Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Now I'm Here is pretty solid but nothing really interesting happens. Freddie sings the song well and that's about all I can say. Vocal improv is pretty routine. For Dragon Attack, as Freddie begins the "blacks all white" verse, John mistakenly plays for the first couple notes. John does however play his bass solo bit behind Brian's soloing and he does a pretty good one tonight. Overall a decent performance but this one is like fairly barren in terms of experimentation. It's good, but they don't really go the extra mile here. 7/10. Love of My Life - Brian plays a little melody before the song a bit reminiscent of what he does on Live Killers. The audience is very in sync with their singing tonight too, sounding very nice. Pretty close to perfection. 9/10. Save Me - The audience is very loud during the choruses, even singing while Brian is playing his solo. Overall fairly solid for 1982. Still, after listening to a few 1980 versions, the synths in this song feel incredible out of place and dated compared to the piano. Still, for the tour it's a pretty good version, no less because the audience is fantastic. 8/10. Back Chat - Another great performance of this track. Hard to follow up to the Leeds version, although this one is still damn good. Freddie has a few small voice cracks here and there although nothing too bad, and Morgan Fisher's keyboard bit sounds great and is particularly prominent in the second verse. 8/10. Get Down, Make Love - Generally OK in terms of taming the speak-singing and the other common detriments we see from 1982 versions of this song. 7/10. Guitar Solo - Brian's solo bit starts off a bit differently tonight. He starts by letting a few chords echo out against the feedback which creates a pretty epic soundscape. He then goes into the regular stuff, eventually leading into another bit of I Go Crazy, like in Vienna. In turn, this sacrifices the cleaner bits he would usually play but that's not really a big deal. This was a pretty decent solo and didn't feel too repetitive. 8/10. Under Pressure - Something about this recording puts the keyboards super high in the mix. Just thought I'd point that out as you normally don't hear them that much in this song. 7/10. Fat Bottomed Girls - Similarly heard on the Milton Keynes show (later overdubbed on the releases), Freddie cracks while doing his "this locality" embellishment. He is otherwise pretty strong here, with a predictably awesome ending jam. 7/10. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - They nearly spark up a jam before this one, with Deacon playing a bassline that sounds pretty jumpy. You can tell Brian is having a lot of fun here too, as his playing through the whole song is very unique. 8/10. Bohemian Rhapsody - Bit of a wild card moment from Fred, as he hits the "Carry on" high note in the first verse. Not very common. Mostly a strong 1982 version for the rest of the song. 8/10. Tie Your Mother Down - The first thing I notice here is that Freddie's voice is incredibly powerful, more so than per usual on this tour. After the second chorus, Brian seems to miss a strum on his guitar, which although clearly wasn't intentional, sounds fine to me anyway. Following that, Roger does a change to the drum line, using the electronic kit to it's full advantage. Some twists and turns along with a fine performance from Fred makes this one of the best versions. 9/10. Another One Bites the Dust - The jam feels a bit empty tonight, as there are large gaps where no one really does anything and all that's left is Roger keeping a steady beat. Overall this version felt rather bland. 6/10. We Will Rock You - Similar to the last show, Brian's guitar intro is short but sweet tonight. What changes though is he plays a few chords during the verses as well which is a welcome addition. He would expand greatly on this in 1986, but for now it's just simple additions, and they go a long way. 7/10. We Are the Champions - Great performance. Freddie is as strong as he started, showing no signs of fatigue. 8/10. SummaryFor all the "unofficial" gigs on this tour, this is definitely one of the most well-known shows. Of course, there is a good reason for that, as this is one of the best gigs on the tour. Surely it's within the top 10 and perhaps top 5. Freddie is in total control and is having what is probably his best show of the year, only rivalled by the next two shows they would play. Simply put, Freddie is at his peak here, and as his voice began to fatigue beginning with the US tour, these last couple gigs mark the end of a fantastic run of nearly 3 years for him, where he was at the top of his game. He would have gigs as good as this again, but they would be few and far between. Besides the vocal powerhouse at the front of the group, the band are as strong as they normally are for this tour and really sound great. As a group, after this tour, they probably wouldn't find themselves at this level again until Japan 85. Highlights - Action This Day, Play the Game, Staying Power, Somebody to Love, Back Chat, Tie Your Mother Down
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Post by Ryan Newton on Jan 9, 2021 8:54:19 GMT
Edinburgh, June 2nd 1982   The Hero - The synths are a bit higher in the mix for this song tonight. Overall decent version but fairly similar to most. 7/10. We Will Rock You (Fast) - Again, Morgan Fisher is super high in the mix tonight, as all the added keyboards he adds to this song are fully audible, which is usually not the case. This also isn't a song where anyone really shows off but it's solid nonetheless. 7/10. Action This Day - During the first chorus, Freddie cracks on "You've got the power." Pretty much the only thing to nit pick at, as the rest of the song is pretty much perfect. 8/10. Play the Game - Just leading up to Brian's first solo, Freddie hits a bum chord on the piano. He does those scales near the end similar to what he does in Munich. Overall the instruments are fine tonight and they play pretty well. Freddie's singing is on-point as always. 8/10. Staying Power - Like last night, Freddie nails the song in its entirety, but the band sound tighter tonight and Brian even throws in a couple extra guitar parts here and there. This one is neck-and-neck with the legendary Milton Keynes version. It doesn't get much better than this. 10/10. Somebody to Love - Freddie does his usual piano/vocal intro, but tonight Brian also adds a bit of guitar to match. While lasts night's performance is definitely one of the most famous versions of the song, I actually prefer tonight's version. Freddie's intonation is just better all around, his power is unrivaled, and the ending vocal improv is maybe the best ever, if not within the top 5 (and that goes for the whole song as well). The solos from Brian May are also as melodic as ever with extra licks in spots too (for example, just before Fred sings "I ain't gonna face no defeat"). The whole song is basically a more refined version of the previous nights, and that's saying a lot considering how popular that one is. Anyway, this is probably the greatest Somebody to Love from this tour, and one of the best ever. 10/10. Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - Brian plays some nice intro chords like he did in Hamburg. Freddie is in perfect shape - no surprise, but Brian really takes the solo into the stratosphere, playing insanely quick and precise licks and definitely creating one of the best Now I'm Here solos of the tour. Roger also doing some good fills here and there. Freddie spews out a few "Cool Cat" lines during his vocal exchange, similar to how he used to sing "Fun It" during Keep Yourself Alive. Leading up to Dragon Attack, Brian plays a Beatles-esque riff (no idea which song it sounds like, but it sounds like something they would have done). Dragon Attack continues the top notch performances. During Brian's solo (which is a very good one), Freddie belts up to a D5, a note so rare for him on stage you could probably count all the times he went that high on two hands. The song closes out as per usual, leaving behind a fantastic performance and surely one of the best of the tour. 9/10. Love of My Life - Another fantastic audience tonight, and certainly one of the best of the tour. There is an ever-so-slight cut on the recording as the bridge begins, still leaving most of the song intact. Fred and Brian do well with the crowd. 9/10. Save Me - Before this song, Fred does another back-and-forth with the audience, and Brian even chimes in with his guitar, mimicking what Fred is singing to them. Save is about as strong as last night. What I like about this one is the synths don't seem to be too high in the mix. Great version though. 8/10. Get Down, Make Love - A standard yet fairly passable version. Fred sounds fine, good instrumentals. 7/10. Guitar Solo - This solo is mostly going through the motions. I think he cycles through the same chords for more than a minute at a time and much of what's happening is just pretty bland stuff. 5/10. Under Pressure - Fairly good performance. Nothing really to complain about. 7/10. Fat Bottomed Girls - An outstanding version of Fat Bottomed Girls is performed tonight. First of all, Freddie doesn't crack on "this locality" like last night (or the following night), and he just sounds incredible through the whole thing, even through the extended and very daring jam tonight. Brian changes it up quite a bit, making for one of the best versions of the tour. 9/10. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Brian's middle-eight solo has a bit of sticky fingers although nothing you'd care about unless you were nitpicking like I am. His outro solo really sounds nice, with some good phrasings that aren't too common. Fred and the rest of the band sound great too. 8/10. Bohemian Rhapsody - Just after the second "mama oooo" bit, Brian hits a slight bum note. The solo is great, as is Freddie's singing. Much of the song goes as expected for a good Hot Space version. 8/10. Tie Your Mother Down - The beginning of this one is slightly cut but comes in just as the singing begins. Freddie sounds very strong through the song (expected), and they are still incredibly energetic late into the show. 8/10. Another One Bites the Dust - Freddie cracks on "without you when you're gone." During the jam, Freddie is heard trying to get the audience to dance. Brian and John occasionally play the odd chord or note but otherwise the jam is a bit empty tonight. 6/10. Sheer Heart Attack - Some pretty chaotic noises going on after the verses and choruses. Fitting for the song. Everyone here sounds like they zipped a line of coke before coming back on stage for the encores. 8/10. We Will Rock You - Solid riffing, although Freddie practically speaks through the first verse. Song is mostly solid although I've definitely heard better. 6/10. We Are the Champions - Equally as strong as last night. Great belting from Freddie to close the show. 8/10. SummaryOk, so going into this, I knew this show was a bit overshadowed by the monster gigs that surround it. Generally when you play two consecutive nights at a venue, one of the shows will tend to get more love than the other (take Leiden 86 for example, the first night is vastly more popular than the second), but many of the performances here trump the ones from the other UK gigs and much of the rest of the Euro Tour. Not sure how the 6/1/82 version of Somebody to Love gets more praise than this one, because from my point of view, this one is better in pretty much every way and certainly tops the list for this tour. Staying Power is also phenomenal, but I've already listed all of those off. Overall I think the first half of this gig may be some of the best material from this tour as a whole and certainly doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should. Definitely underrated. Highlights - Staying Power, Somebody to Love, Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack, Love of My Life, Fat Bottomed Girls
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fcb101
Dragonfly Trumpeter
Posts: 179
Likes: 231
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Post by fcb101 on Jan 9, 2021 10:53:21 GMT
Totally agreed about Edinburgh second night and especially Somebody to love. Freddie is incredible during the middle part.
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Post by Ryan Newton on Jan 10, 2021 12:21:58 GMT
Milton Keynes, June 5th 1982 NOTE: This review is based on the audience sources of this gig, as the official release has been touched up in spotsThe Hero - Fairly similar to the Edinburgh (first night) version, although this one sounds a tad tighter (no missed drum hit). 8/10.
We Will Rock You (Fast) - Another really good version. Freddie sounds great and is heard totally unleashing his energy during the jam, adlibbing lots an creating a great atmosphere. 8/10. Action This Day - Brian must have broken a string right at the end of the last song, as he's seen playing his John Birch replica for this song. This is definitely a candidate for the best version of the song. It's definitely Freddie's best vocal performance of the song (if not top 3), with the only known instance of him nailing "sunshine ray" in the original octave. The only real error is Roger messes up the lyrics for the first line (which was patched on the release). This is Morgan Fisher's last gig with the band and he plays a near perfect keyboard solo tonight. The jam is pretty solid tonight too as Brian is more extensively branching out from chording and playing a bit more lead, although even the basic chords have a good rhythm to them tonight. 9/10. Play the Game - Freddie adds a few piano chords to the spot between the first and second verse. He sings the song pretty much perfectly like most of the gigs from this tour, and Roger goes completely wild as they lead up to the final guitar solo from Dr. May, which sounds wonderful tonight. 9/10. Staying Power - A flawless performance in every aspect. Freddie's vocal performance is nothing short of awe-inspiring, using his range and flexibility to their fullest potential. The band are tight, precise, and show their chemistry here as well as they did years back. 10/10. Somebody to Love - Another great vocal from Fred as expected. Brian's solo is not as experimental as most but the way he phrases it and all the staccato he uses makes it all come together quite nicely. The outro is also pretty good tonight, with Freddie taking a seat on the piano towards the end as seen on the video. 9/10. Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack - A great version of Now I'm Here is played tonight. With Freddie in strong voice, he even mimics some of what Brian is playing during his solo. What's interesting is that Freddie does not have his microphone stand until they reach the vocal improv. Just a little thing to point out since we have the privilege of being able to watch this on video. During the vocal improv, Freddie encourages the audience, making them "sing like Aretha Franklin." During the build up to Dragon Attack, Brian plays a few bum notes that were not patched on the official release, surprisingly. Dragon Attack is pretty strong like usual, but there is one moment that stands out. Brian breaks a string just as he's about to go into his solo. In the heat of the moment, Brian heads off stage, leaving John to play his bass solo all alone for the one and only time like on the record. Brian comes back with the Birch copy for round two, playing great solo with John doing some great lines against it as well. All of these moments make this a classic version. 9/10. Las Palabras De Amor (Intro) - Brian plays the riff to this song before Love of My Life, the only time it is played on stage in any capacity. Nice touch. Love of My Life - This one is judged off of me listening to both the audience source and the official release, as the audience was so loud that I could barely hear Freddie and Brian on the amateur recording. Freddie sings well, Brian doesn't appear to make any mistakes, so this one seems great. 9/10. Save Me - Freddie is in total control with his voice here, reaching great heights. The instruments are on-point and things go smoothly. 8/10. Back Chat - One small error in Brian's playing occurs right as Freddie sings the first line of the song. This is fairly minor, but enough of an error to be fixed on the release. Roger also misses a snare hit during the second verse, which was also fixed on the release (the camera also cuts away from his at this very moment). A much clearer audience source exists for this one song and it highlights the magnificent bass work from John Deacon on this track, always playing with such great melody and improvisation. Truly the unsung hero of the group. He and Brian play off each other in such great ways towards the end. It almost sounds like two songs are being performed together and it works so well. Despite the minor errors near the beginning of the performance, this is still magnificent. 8/10. Get Down, Make Love - Solid version for 1982. Fred sounds pretty good and the audience recording highlights the great melody of the guitar. 7/10. Guitar Solo - After the routine heavy chords he does, he goes into some clean stuff that have a real bell chime sound. Brian's guitar then cuts out and his tech quickly fixes whatever issues may have arisen, quickly closing out afterward. Even with the issues I still liked this one a bit. 7/10. Under Pressure - Even on a gig as great as this, the song remains the same. 7/10. Fat Bottomed Girls - A famous voice crack takes place on this version (probably the most significant overdub on the release), but regardless of that, this is still a really solid version with Freddie (mostly) sounding good and a great jam as always. 7/10. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - A great, well-rounded version. Brian making up new melodies on the fly during his solos is great, and a strong band overall makes this superb. 8/10. Bohemian Rhapsody - Predictably great performance. Everyone is on their A-game for the last night of the tour. Fred sounds good, band sounds good, performance is good. 8/10. Tie Your Mother Down - The main set closer is performed with great energy. I'm sure it being the last night has elevated them more than usual for this show as, while they of course sound great here, they've been sounding great all night. After the song, the audience sings "You'll Never Walk Alone." 8/10. Another One Bites the Dust - The improv tonight is much more creative than some of the gigs on this tour. John plays some great stuff and really takes the lead, Rog seems to make some noise with his electronic sets, and Brian plays a few chords to accompany the lead bassist. Much of the song is actually performed fairly routinely for the tour, but the improv section was really solid. 7/10. Sheer Heart Attack - Freddie's sustains tonight are nearly perfect (he has a few small cracks but nothing to really nitpick at). The audience recording again highlights the excellent John Deacon at work yet again, precise as ever, and Brian again does the I Go Crazy riff like he did in Leeds, amongst other on stage antics that are taking place and are captured on video. After the song, and audience member remarks to his friend "another encore, they haven't played the anthem," so he's surely been to his fair share of Queen shows. 8/10. We Will Rock You - Solid riffing, standard vocals, great solo. Nothing surprising. 7/10. We Are the Champions - Definitely a contender for the strongest We Are the Champions of the year. Freddie's voice is in incredible shape, even for the last performance of the last show of the tour he is at the top of his game. Band work is generally the same as always but nothing about the song really changed (besides that run of gigs earlier in the tour where Brian tried to play some of the studio lines), and things sound fine as they are. 8/10. SummaryGoing into this, I already knew this was a fantastic performance after having heard it several times, both the official release and various bootleg versions, and after really going in depth, I can now certainly say that this show remains the top gig of the tour, and that they couldn't have filmed a better show than this. The show is so good that the patch work on the official release is basically down to a few minor overdubs on a handful of songs and that's it, in comparison to Wembley 1986, Montreal 1981, or even Live Killers, all of which are plagued with studio bits in every song. What you hear in the packaged version is near exact to what was heard that night, and it's marvelous, and to go out on a show in from of a crowd of nearly 70,000 people is a perfect way to end the tour. Not only is it the largest paying crowd they've played to in their home country up to this point, but it also just happens to be one of their best concerts of all time as well. Highlights - Action This Day, Play the Game, Staying Power, Somebody to Love, Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack, Love of My Life, We Are the Champions
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Post by Ryan Newton on Jan 10, 2021 13:33:00 GMT
Europe 1982 Roundup
Alright, now that I'm done all the euro gigs, I thought It would be cool to make a post kind of ranking all the gigs from my perspective and all that.
Firstly, if we go by the raw averages of each show based on the grade I gave to each performance, here's how they rank, rounded to two decimal places. Note this isn't actually how I'd rank the shows (although it's not too far off honestly).
RAW AVERAGES
1. Milton Keynes - 8.05
2. Vienna 5/12 - 7.85
3. Vienna 5/13 - 7.85
4. Edinburgh 6/1 - 7.85
5. Edinburgh 6/2 - 7.80
6. Cologne 5/6 - 7.66
7. Zurich 4/16 - 7.61
8. Leiden 4/25 - 7.59
9. Kassel - 7.53
10. Leeds - 7.52
11. Brussels 4/23 - 7.50
12. Wurzburg - 7.38
13. Stockholm - 7.33
14. Drammen - 7.33
15. Cologne 5/7 - 7.29
16. Munich - 7.26
17. Dortmund - 7.16
18. Frankfurt - 7.15
19. Berlin - 7.13
20. Leiden 4/24 - 7.11
21. Zurich 4/17 - 6.88
22. Paris 4/19 - 6.84
23. Brussels 4/22 - 6.84
24. Paris 5/3 - 6.83
25. Hamburg - 6.66
26. Lyon - 6.53
Honestly this list is pretty accurate. There are a few things I'd change (Hamburg and Brussels 4/22 and Leiden 4/24 are a bit too low I feel), but the top 10 is basically bang on in my opinion (I might not include Leiden, as good as it is, we already know the averages aren't totally accurate). I might shift some of the placings around here or there but I think this is pretty decent. Speaking of which, here's my top 10, which is basically just a minor adjustment of the top 10 in the averages list.
TOP 10 SHOWS OF EUROPE 1982
1. Milton Keynes
2. Cologne 5/6
3. Edinburgh 6/2
4. Edinburgh 6/1
5. Zurich 4/16
6. Vienna 5/13
7. Leeds
8. Brussels 4/23
9. Vienna 5/12
10. Kassel
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Through the tour, there were many fantastic performances, but some managed to stick with me and really blew me away at how incredible they were. Here's my list of the top 10 performances from the tour. This time, in no particular order. (No repeat songs either)
TOP 10 PERFORMANCES OF EUROPE 1982
Liar, Zurich 4/16/82
Love of My Life, Leiden 4/24/82
Back Chat, Leeds 5/29/82
Play the Game, Munich 5/21/82 (Any version from late in the tour is just as good)
Staying Power, Milton Keynes 6/5/82
Somebody to Love, Edinburgh 6/2/82
Now I'm Here/Dragon Attack, Cologne 5/6/82
Bohemian Rhapsody, Cologne 5/6/82
Guitar/Keyboard Improv, Stockholm 4/10/82
Another One Bites the Dust, Vienna 5/13/82
But of course, nobody is perfect, so here are some of my picks for the worst blunders of the tour (again, in no particular order)
TOP 5 DUDS OF EUROPE 1982
Staying Power, Drammen 4/12/82
Guitar Solo, Leiden 4/24/82
Back Chat, Paris 4/19/82
We Will Rock You, Brussels 4/22/82
Another One Bites the Dust, Lyon 4/20/82
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fcb101
Dragonfly Trumpeter
Posts: 179
Likes: 231
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Post by fcb101 on Jan 10, 2021 18:04:07 GMT
Wonderful review of the Milton Keynes show! I agree with the fact they actually captured the right gig!
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Post by theepicranger6 on Jan 10, 2021 23:05:23 GMT
Thanks for all of the reviews, I love reading them and it gives me something to look forward to. Is Opera tour next as was said before?
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Post by Ryan Newton on Jan 10, 2021 23:08:06 GMT
Thanks for all of the reviews, I love reading them and it gives me something to look forward to. Is Opera tour next as was said before? Yes, probably, although that wont be for a while. I've got classes starting tomorrow so I'll be far busier than usual. |
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georg
Global Moderator 
wrote several books
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Post by georg on Jan 11, 2021 14:30:14 GMT
Cheers, Ryan – it was a delight to go along that journey with you. I even listened to some of the performances you recommended (or didn't!) and it was an eye-opening experience. As someone who doesn't care much for live performances, but respects those who do, this was a nice intro thread to one of the most controversial periods of Queen's career (incidentally, it's one of my favorites) – great work!
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Post by The Real Wizard on Jan 11, 2021 22:57:43 GMT
Great analysis, Ryan. Thoroughly enjoyable and pretty bang on.
Dropping Liar in April 1982 is when Queen stopped being bold in any way. But they found their formula and it worked. This tour is the one where they figured out how to perfect themselves as a stadium act, and the obscure songs aren't in that secret sauce.
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Post by mrqueenguy on Jan 12, 2021 13:22:10 GMT
Great analysis, Ryan. Thoroughly enjoyable and pretty bang on. Dropping Liar in April 1982 is when Queen stopped being bold in any way. But they found their formula and it worked. This tour is the one where they figured out how to perfect themselves as a stadium act, and the obscure songs aren't in that secret sauce. Was Liar really bold? Queen already knew that it would go down well with the fans. especially the hardcore. In that regard was Life Is Real bolder because it was an obscure album track from an album that wasn't as popular as the earlier albums in the United States. It didn't really work, and it was dropped relatively quickly. |
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Dimitris
Politician
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Post by Dimitris on Jan 12, 2021 14:14:34 GMT
Great analysis, Ryan. Thoroughly enjoyable and pretty bang on. Dropping Liar in April 1982 is when Queen stopped being bold in any way. But they found their formula and it worked. This tour is the one where they figured out how to perfect themselves as a stadium act, and the obscure songs aren't in that secret sauce. Was Liar really bold? Queen already knew that it would go down well with the fans. especially the hardcore. In that regard was Life Is Real bolder because it was an obscure album track from an album that wasn't as popular as the earlier albums in the United States. It didn't really work, and it was dropped relatively quickly. If I remember correctly, I have to check my singles, Life is real was b/side of Body Language which sold well and went gold in USA. Also I read somewhere that before the Tour Queen asked fanclub to vote their favorite songs and Liar was high on the list. So maybe that's the reason why they played it. |
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Post by mrqueenguy on Jan 12, 2021 15:18:25 GMT
Was Liar really bold? Queen already knew that it would go down well with the fans. especially the hardcore. In that regard was Life Is Real bolder because it was an obscure album track from an album that wasn't as popular as the earlier albums in the United States. It didn't really work, and it was dropped relatively quickly. If I remember correctly, I have to check my singles, Life is real was b/side of Body Language which sold well and went gold in USA. Also I read somewhere that before the Tour Queen asked fanclub to vote their favorite songs and Liar was high on the list. So maybe that's the reason why they played it. That's a good point, Life Is Real is indeed the B-side. There are some witness accounts that Liar was played on the American leg as I recall, but there are no recordings to prove that. I always felt it was a good addition to the set in 1982, my favorite of that year is Leiden. |
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cmi
Politician
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Post by cmi on Jan 13, 2021 11:00:53 GMT
Fantastic analysis!
This thread probably must be retitled with the name of the tour and placed in the 1980s section.
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Post by Ryan Newton on Jan 13, 2021 11:27:42 GMT
Fantastic analysis! This thread probably must be retitled with the name of the tour and placed in the 1980s section. Yeah, I originally had it in the general thread, and I guess the mods moved it to the 70s thread instead of the 80s by accident. It would make it a lot neater and easier of me if I had one thread for the 70s and one for the 80s. I think if I got a thread for each tour it would become a bit crowded. |
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Lord Fickle
Global Moderator
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Post by Lord Fickle on Jan 13, 2021 11:42:46 GMT
I've moved this to the 80s board.
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sam99
Ostler
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Post by sam99 on Mar 17, 2021 22:17:31 GMT
Ryan, great insight here, I love this and despite the relatively poor reception of Hot Space at this time the tour was one of Queen’s best, I look forward to more from you thanks.
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Post by Ryan Newton on Mar 18, 2021 3:32:29 GMT
Ryan, great insight here, I love this and despite the relatively poor reception of Hot Space at this time the tour was one of Queen’s best, I look forward to more from you thanks. I've told a few people that I plan on doing the 1976 gigs next. Of course, that's for when I have time, which I don't have much of these days. |
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leroybrown
Dragonfly Trumpeter
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Post by leroybrown on Mar 27, 2021 0:57:46 GMT
This is ripper thread. Thank you Ryan. For some reason I am really into discovering the best of this tour. I feel it may be because as a band, the band wanted to rock out a bit after the Hot Space disco vibes. The live version of Action This Day on 2011 bonus disc made me stand up and listen. I think this is what got me turned on to checking out this tour. I appreciate Hot Space. Listen to it with an open mind and there’s some ripping stuff on there. Side-B is a very very very different beast. Edinburgh: So ‘The Real Wizard’ recently put me on to the Edinburgh shows. They are absolute gems, and thanks to whoever taped and shared these shows. My eyes opened when I heard ‘I Go Crazy’ make a guest appearance during the Guitar Solo. And of course…the next song is Under Pressure  For fans familiar with this story, check out the original hand-written lyrics for I Go Crazy that were printed in ‘The Illustrated Queen Lyrics’. Sapporo 29 Oct 1982: at the start of Now I’m Here you can hear Brian playing a new song idea thru his strings. He’s playing around with a tune called Hammer to Fall. Thanks for your thread, it’s been enjoyable reading. |
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For fans familiar with this story, check out the original hand-written lyrics for I Go Crazy that were printed in ‘The Illustrated Queen Lyrics’.