Post by zephead2112 on May 18, 2023 15:58:45 GMT
Here are mine (I've lifted the Leeds text from something I wrote ages ago).
Elland Road, Leeds, Saturday 29th May 1982;
I was 15 years old in 1982 when I attended my first ever concert. Fortunately for me, it was QUEEN's show at Leeds AFC ground in the North of England.
I remember when my ticket arrived in the post, possibly 2-3 months before the concert, as was often the case in those days. I stuck my ticket on a cork notice board in my bedroom and could barely contain my excitement over the coming weeks. Every morning, I would wake up and look at the yellow ticket, wishing the days away. I imagined everything that could go wrong would. Queen would cancel the gig, I would break my leg, the family pet would die on the morning of the concert and it would be too insensitive of me to go, the transport wouldn't turn up or would break down, there would be a pile up on the motorway, I'd lose my ticket en route, etc, etc.
As it turned out, May 29th 1982 was a hot and sunny day, perfect weather for an outdoor gig. I was CRAZY about Queen and had been since the age of 9 but I really didn't know what to expect on that day. Myself and three friends took a coach organised by my Dad's company from Lancashire across the M62 motorway to Leeds. Our excitement began to really take a hold when we arrived at the football ground and we followed the droves of people towards the turnstiles. To me, this was something on a really big scale and I could already hear the hum of the crowd inside. Not really believing that we were actually about to witness a Queen concert, we found our seats on the West Stand, offering a great view of the stage. I remember marvelling at Queen's new lighting rig and the equipment that adorned the stage, shining in the afternoon sunshine. The ground was almost full at this point and the pitch was heaving with people. The atmosphere was relaxed as people bathed in the sunshine. I remember two guys climbing the fence from the stand and attempting to get a better spot by running into the crowd and losing themselves on the pitch. Their efforts were in vain however as they were quickly located and ejected back into the stand by two security guards.
We bought some black Hot Space tour shirts (I wore mine with pride until it literally fell apart) and a programme from a vendor inside the ground and waited for the first band to take the stage. A guy near us shouted and punched his way through Heart's set and then left just as they vacated the stage. Obviously not a Queen fan! The Teardrop Explodes suffered at the hands of the Queen congregation and found themselves battling against a shower of bottles and assorted missiles. Other than that, I don't really remember much about the support bands. I think that Wow Wow were billed to play (an odd choice) but I can't recall if they actually turned up. No matter, we were about to witness what is still one of the best gigs I have ever attended.
As the dusk descended upon us, the giant floodlights were extinguished one by one and the memory of the roar that followed still sends shivers down my spine. Dry ice drifted across the heads of the crowd on the pitch as the intro tape of Flash thumped out of the PA and the strange 'grating' noises added to the recording created a foreboding atmosphere. Two of our party were on the pitch and to this day remember their chests thumping in unison to the powerful rhythm. A sea of hands clapped in perfect time to the beat. To me, this was already an amazing experience. And then the big moment. Freddie, resplendent in dazzling white made his entrance to The Hero and the blaze of the lights. An apt number to start with. Before he had even sung a note, the audience were locked tightly in the palm of his hand. Such an entrance, such a showman. "You're a F***in amazing crowd", he exclaimed after the first rush. The beginning of the gig is, in truth, my strongest memory of the show itself. In particular, the "Flash!!!" vocals cutting through the night air with so much volume. I recall being shocked at the sheer power of Queen's performance and the clarity of the huge sound they harnessed. Morgan Fisher's keyboards during 'Action This Day' sounded bright and hypnotic. Freddie's intro to Fat Bottomed Girls caused quite a response too; "the bigger the t*t the better it is!". I also remember the follow spots darting wildly over the crowd during 'Tie Your Mother Down' and everybody going crazy. Oddly enough (and this is something I still swear by to this day), I was in a Maths lesson at school the following Monday and I swear I had a flashback of this and could actually 'hear' the music being re-played in my head. It was a weird moment and life was never quite the same again. We talked endlessly about our experience for months to come and one of my biggest regrets is not jumping on a train to attend the filmed Milton Keynes show a week later.
Having been to so many gigs since, I can honestly say that there is nobody who has been able to top Queen live; I was lucky enough to see the band five times between 1982 and 1986, including Wembley Stadium and their last show at Knebworth. I think that my personal favourite was their performance at the NEC in Birmingham on 'The Works' tour in 1984. People were literally stood there with open mouths, unable to believe how good they were. Leeds is definitely up there too. I recall Brian May stating that he thought it was one of their best performances ever. I can't argue with that Mr May.
I've often wondered if an audience shot cine film or even just photographs exist from the Leeds gig. It would be a dream come true to see my memories come to life again.
Birmingham NEC, Saturday 1st September 1984;
As I alluded to above, this was a terrific gig. Others have noted the sound at the NEC shows and it was just so powerful with incredible clarity. I particularly remember Brian's power chord just after "wanna try?" in Killer Queen almost blowing the roof off. I believe that Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet was sat at the mixing desk. En route to Birmingham, I wasn't too fired up for this gig and I've never really known why. Perhaps I thought that nothing could top Leeds. Even though I stated that this was probably the best Queen show I saw, I think it's probably on par with Leeds. Obviously, they were just in different environments.
Wembley Arena, Friday 7th September 1984;
I attended this show with friends from the Navy. Having witnessed magic at the NEC, I had said to them earlier in the week, “wait until you see this!!!”. Not Queen’s fault but the sound was dreadful, as was our view of the stage. What a let-down!
Wembley Stadium, London, Friday 11th July 1986
It was all getting a bit too big for my tastes and that brings with it the trials and tribulations of getting into a big venue and trying to find a good spot. We were quite near the front, Brian's side of the stage. The rain was a little unwelcome and I was trying to look after my then girlfriend in all the pushing and shoving. It was a good show (better than the night after IMO) but I missed the 'intimacy' of the NEC 2 years earlier.
Knebworth, Stevenage, Saturday 9th August 1986
Their final show with Freddie. They added this date whilst I was at sea but I got a ticket from the fan club (thanks to my Mum and Jackie at the fan club who also wrote a short letter with the tickets stating that "she couldn't let a sailor down!"). I’d driven up to Lytham St Annes from Portsmouth the night before to collect friends and we set off for Knebworth early the next morning. It was a long day; after the gig, we didn’t get out of the ‘car park’ until nearly 4am on the Sunday morning. The audience was HUGE. I recall looking back during Radio Ga Ga and seeing the vast sea of hands in the air. Due to the sound delay between the front and the back of the audience, it was like watching a huge wave, crashing what seemed like a mile away. We were near the tree, not too far from the stage. The ‘facilities’ weren’t good and all the men (myself included) just peed up against the fence. Whilst doing so, I remember looking up and seeing Queen’s helicopter arrive. It took me an hour to get back to my spot. I fell asleep at the wheel a few times on the way home and nearly killed us all! We arrived home at 8am. I went back to Knebworth last weekend for the first time in 37 years and found the approximate spot where we were stood. It brought back some heady memories.
All of that said, my dream would be to have seen Queen on the Crazy Tour Of London (very envious to read the posts above) but I was just a little too young and as an only child, I didn't have an older sibling to take me to gigs. P.S. despite trying a few times, I can't get rid of that Emoji in the Leeds text. I even wrote what should be there in this sentence and it still comes out as an Emoji...weird! Those who know that band will know what the word should be!
Elland Road, Leeds, Saturday 29th May 1982;
I was 15 years old in 1982 when I attended my first ever concert. Fortunately for me, it was QUEEN's show at Leeds AFC ground in the North of England.
I remember when my ticket arrived in the post, possibly 2-3 months before the concert, as was often the case in those days. I stuck my ticket on a cork notice board in my bedroom and could barely contain my excitement over the coming weeks. Every morning, I would wake up and look at the yellow ticket, wishing the days away. I imagined everything that could go wrong would. Queen would cancel the gig, I would break my leg, the family pet would die on the morning of the concert and it would be too insensitive of me to go, the transport wouldn't turn up or would break down, there would be a pile up on the motorway, I'd lose my ticket en route, etc, etc.
As it turned out, May 29th 1982 was a hot and sunny day, perfect weather for an outdoor gig. I was CRAZY about Queen and had been since the age of 9 but I really didn't know what to expect on that day. Myself and three friends took a coach organised by my Dad's company from Lancashire across the M62 motorway to Leeds. Our excitement began to really take a hold when we arrived at the football ground and we followed the droves of people towards the turnstiles. To me, this was something on a really big scale and I could already hear the hum of the crowd inside. Not really believing that we were actually about to witness a Queen concert, we found our seats on the West Stand, offering a great view of the stage. I remember marvelling at Queen's new lighting rig and the equipment that adorned the stage, shining in the afternoon sunshine. The ground was almost full at this point and the pitch was heaving with people. The atmosphere was relaxed as people bathed in the sunshine. I remember two guys climbing the fence from the stand and attempting to get a better spot by running into the crowd and losing themselves on the pitch. Their efforts were in vain however as they were quickly located and ejected back into the stand by two security guards.
We bought some black Hot Space tour shirts (I wore mine with pride until it literally fell apart) and a programme from a vendor inside the ground and waited for the first band to take the stage. A guy near us shouted and punched his way through Heart's set and then left just as they vacated the stage. Obviously not a Queen fan! The Teardrop Explodes suffered at the hands of the Queen congregation and found themselves battling against a shower of bottles and assorted missiles. Other than that, I don't really remember much about the support bands. I think that Wow Wow were billed to play (an odd choice) but I can't recall if they actually turned up. No matter, we were about to witness what is still one of the best gigs I have ever attended.
As the dusk descended upon us, the giant floodlights were extinguished one by one and the memory of the roar that followed still sends shivers down my spine. Dry ice drifted across the heads of the crowd on the pitch as the intro tape of Flash thumped out of the PA and the strange 'grating' noises added to the recording created a foreboding atmosphere. Two of our party were on the pitch and to this day remember their chests thumping in unison to the powerful rhythm. A sea of hands clapped in perfect time to the beat. To me, this was already an amazing experience. And then the big moment. Freddie, resplendent in dazzling white made his entrance to The Hero and the blaze of the lights. An apt number to start with. Before he had even sung a note, the audience were locked tightly in the palm of his hand. Such an entrance, such a showman. "You're a F***in amazing crowd", he exclaimed after the first rush. The beginning of the gig is, in truth, my strongest memory of the show itself. In particular, the "Flash!!!" vocals cutting through the night air with so much volume. I recall being shocked at the sheer power of Queen's performance and the clarity of the huge sound they harnessed. Morgan Fisher's keyboards during 'Action This Day' sounded bright and hypnotic. Freddie's intro to Fat Bottomed Girls caused quite a response too; "the bigger the t*t the better it is!". I also remember the follow spots darting wildly over the crowd during 'Tie Your Mother Down' and everybody going crazy. Oddly enough (and this is something I still swear by to this day), I was in a Maths lesson at school the following Monday and I swear I had a flashback of this and could actually 'hear' the music being re-played in my head. It was a weird moment and life was never quite the same again. We talked endlessly about our experience for months to come and one of my biggest regrets is not jumping on a train to attend the filmed Milton Keynes show a week later.
Having been to so many gigs since, I can honestly say that there is nobody who has been able to top Queen live; I was lucky enough to see the band five times between 1982 and 1986, including Wembley Stadium and their last show at Knebworth. I think that my personal favourite was their performance at the NEC in Birmingham on 'The Works' tour in 1984. People were literally stood there with open mouths, unable to believe how good they were. Leeds is definitely up there too. I recall Brian May stating that he thought it was one of their best performances ever. I can't argue with that Mr May.
I've often wondered if an audience shot cine film or even just photographs exist from the Leeds gig. It would be a dream come true to see my memories come to life again.
Birmingham NEC, Saturday 1st September 1984;
As I alluded to above, this was a terrific gig. Others have noted the sound at the NEC shows and it was just so powerful with incredible clarity. I particularly remember Brian's power chord just after "wanna try?" in Killer Queen almost blowing the roof off. I believe that Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet was sat at the mixing desk. En route to Birmingham, I wasn't too fired up for this gig and I've never really known why. Perhaps I thought that nothing could top Leeds. Even though I stated that this was probably the best Queen show I saw, I think it's probably on par with Leeds. Obviously, they were just in different environments.
Wembley Arena, Friday 7th September 1984;
I attended this show with friends from the Navy. Having witnessed magic at the NEC, I had said to them earlier in the week, “wait until you see this!!!”. Not Queen’s fault but the sound was dreadful, as was our view of the stage. What a let-down!
Wembley Stadium, London, Friday 11th July 1986
It was all getting a bit too big for my tastes and that brings with it the trials and tribulations of getting into a big venue and trying to find a good spot. We were quite near the front, Brian's side of the stage. The rain was a little unwelcome and I was trying to look after my then girlfriend in all the pushing and shoving. It was a good show (better than the night after IMO) but I missed the 'intimacy' of the NEC 2 years earlier.
Knebworth, Stevenage, Saturday 9th August 1986
Their final show with Freddie. They added this date whilst I was at sea but I got a ticket from the fan club (thanks to my Mum and Jackie at the fan club who also wrote a short letter with the tickets stating that "she couldn't let a sailor down!"). I’d driven up to Lytham St Annes from Portsmouth the night before to collect friends and we set off for Knebworth early the next morning. It was a long day; after the gig, we didn’t get out of the ‘car park’ until nearly 4am on the Sunday morning. The audience was HUGE. I recall looking back during Radio Ga Ga and seeing the vast sea of hands in the air. Due to the sound delay between the front and the back of the audience, it was like watching a huge wave, crashing what seemed like a mile away. We were near the tree, not too far from the stage. The ‘facilities’ weren’t good and all the men (myself included) just peed up against the fence. Whilst doing so, I remember looking up and seeing Queen’s helicopter arrive. It took me an hour to get back to my spot. I fell asleep at the wheel a few times on the way home and nearly killed us all! We arrived home at 8am. I went back to Knebworth last weekend for the first time in 37 years and found the approximate spot where we were stood. It brought back some heady memories.
All of that said, my dream would be to have seen Queen on the Crazy Tour Of London (very envious to read the posts above) but I was just a little too young and as an only child, I didn't have an older sibling to take me to gigs. P.S. despite trying a few times, I can't get rid of that Emoji in the Leeds text. I even wrote what should be there in this sentence and it still comes out as an Emoji...weird! Those who know that band will know what the word should be!