Freddie Mercury

FarleyUK

Seriously - just how amazing was he?

I was always a fan, but I've started watching some of his live performances..... and it's just incredible the way he sings, handles the crowd and just has such a huge stage presence.



Anyone have the fortune to see him live?

EricTheWeary

Phew, thought this was going to be an RIP thread...

Err, yes, many years ago on the Works tour. Sadly not my favourite period for the band's music and my faded memory of it is as a fairly unexceptional gig. Although I learned not to get ground floor tickets towards the rear of the NEC arena again as I couldn't actually see very much. I went with my short arsed sister who hardly saw the band at all. So they may have been better than I give them credit for. BoRap was basically twinkling lights and a backing tape so certainly that was an anti climax. 

Chalky

Saw Queen with Paul Rogers in Hyde Park. The video they played of Freddie Mercury singing got the most audience engagement by far.

RocknRollDave

He would have been 70 last week.

Am not a die-hard Queen fan by any stretch but I do own all the albums and most of the DVD's, so whilst I would never choose them as my specialist subject on Mastermind, I clearly must like them a fair bit..

Conventional wisdom is that they were exceptional live. However, that is almost always coming from people like myself who never actually saw them live, except for a few televised/ filmed moments (which are, admittedly, blummen marvellous).
I remember Brian saying about a couple of their DVD's that his memory of the shows was that they weren't great at the time but seemed better with the benefit of hindsight. In particular, the Milton Keynes Bowl one which he said he left feeling very deflated, but which seems pretty much like any other Queen gig to me, for all the pluses and minuses that entails.

Tragic that the guy is no longer with us. Just seems wrong.

ICBM

He was so great he can command an audience from beyond the grave. He got the crowd going at the London Olympics too.

Bidley

The greatest frontman there ever was, and ever will be.

strumjoughlamps

was at Wembley and Knebworth 1986, I was 14 and only got to hear them as I was busy serving people pork cobs.

vasselmeyer

I saw them at Maine Road in 1986 on the "Kind on Magic" tour supported by Status Quo (and Belouis Some). It was FUCKING EPIC. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand and stuff like "Radio Ga Ga" with the synchronised overhead clapping was a fabulous experience.

rsvmark

I was at Wembley in 86. Off the charts good. I was too young to appreciate just how epic it was. INXS, The Alarm, and Quo as support. Somebody threw an apple and it hit an unknown but posturing Michael Hutchense right in the nuts as well. Still makes me laugh thinking about it

Emp_Fab

The only time I ever saw them live was at Freddie's last ever gig - Knebworth in '86.  I say "saw them", but the reality was that I was stoned to the bone laying underneath a tree, utterly transfixed with how 'beautiful the leaves are maaaaan'.  I effectively missed my favourite band after travelling hundreds of miles to see them, and would never get the opportunity again.  Twat.

Panama_Jack666

strumjoughlamps said:

was at Wembley and Knebworth 1986, I was 14 and only got to hear them as I was busy serving people pork cobs.

What's a pork cob? Euphemism?

TheBlueWolf

Sadly I never got to see them live but I'd love to have had the chance.

FelineGuitars

RocknRollDave said:

He would have been 70 last week.

Am not a die-hard Queen fan by any stretch but I do own all the albums and most of the DVD's, so whilst I would never choose them as my specialist subject on Mastermind, I clearly must like them a fair bit..

Conventional wisdom is that they were exceptional live. However, that is almost always coming from people like myself who never actually saw them live, except for a few televised/ filmed moments (which are, admittedly, blummen marvellous).
I remember Brian saying about a couple of their DVD's that his memory of the shows was that they weren't great at the time but seemed better with the benefit of hindsight. In particular, the Milton Keynes Bowl one which he said he left feeling very deflated, but which seems pretty much like any other Queen gig to me, for all the pluses and minuses that entails.

Tragic that the guy is no longer with us. Just seems wrong.

I was at the Milton Keynes Bowl gig and whilst it came out ok on the DVD , it wasn't really their finest moment
I'd seen them be better two years before on the Game Tour (and if you see footage of the Jazz or Crazy Tours I think that was when they were at their peak.

Mind you I saw them 3 consecutive nights on the Works tour (one night of which was Freddie's birthday) and that had a much better energy than the Hot Space gig at MK...

Live Aid they just upstaged everyone else and whilst I didn't like the Kind of Magic Tour as much it was a good show

Heartfeltdawn

Panama_Jack666 said:

strumjoughlamps said:

was at Wembley and Knebworth 1986, I was 14 and only got to hear them as I was busy serving people pork cobs.

What's a pork cob? Euphemism?

Put it in your mouth and swallow. 

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