What do you think is the best live performance of any Queen song

Gregsynth wrote: Here's another mention:

Need Your Loving Tonight (Oakland 1980)

From another show I went to 'Seven seas' from Birmingham '84. Just the fact that they were playing it for the first time since god knows when - everyone jumped 6 six feet into the air on hearing the intro.

By the way Greg, is it you that put the mini show from the 'Champions' shoot up on youtube ? if so thanks - that's genuinely interesting and a good performance to boot. I don't know about anyone else but frankly I can't be bothered to trawl through the net listening to half baked recordings from every concert they ever played - for me, the official releases are enough but that is a real find - cheers.

That was me that uploaded that WATC video shoot concert! It's such a great show!

Glad you liked it!

Greg can you post a link for that please? not sure if i have seen it
thanks

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FC4C31E337C57BB0

Here's the whole concert!

Keep Yourself Alive from Newcastle (2nd night)!

thanks!

i just saw it on your fb wall as well

i also like Save Me at both Montreal and Live At The Bowl

In The Lap Of The Gods from the second Wembley gig

Brighton Rock - Hammersmith 75 mostly because it was the first time I'd heard Brian''s solo live and for his use of "3 Blind Mice" which I took to mean he was "telling" the others to get ready to come back on.

Most of the songs performances listed here are among my favourites (Hammer To Fall at Wembley '86, Radio Ga Ga/ CLTCL at Live Aid, Somebody To Love at MK Bowl etc etc) but my stand-alone favourite is Save Me from Montreal '81.  That is the best Freddie live vocal EVER!

Thistleboy 1980 wrote: Most of the songs performances listed here are among my favourites (Hammer To Fall at Wembley '86, Radio Ga Ga/ CLTCL at Live Aid, Somebody To Love at MK Bowl etc etc) but my stand-alone favourite is Save Me from Montreal '81.  That is the best Freddie live vocal EVER!
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There's an even better version! Newcastle 1st Night (from The Crazy Tour). I have never heard the song sung like that ever during that show.

jamster1111 wrote:

"Radio Ga Ga live aid. Hands down."

Hands up, actually !

spandan wrote: Staying Power is much more awesome on Leeds '82 than on Milton Keynes '82. That's one heck of a song live.
Play the game is also better on Leeds '82 show, heck I also prefer Somebody to love from this show.
Queen's 80's song in particular were much better live (Hot Space songs in particular).

I also love these:
Great King Rat performed in full. 1st May 1975 Tokyo, Japan.
Dragon Attack. This I love from Milton Keynes '82.
Stone Cold Crazy. Rainbow '75.
Ogre Battle. Hammersmith '79.
White Man. Earl's Court '77.
I gotta say I agree with Dragon Attack--maybe the best live version was played at Milton-Keynes. I don't think Ogre Battle was ever played at Hammersmith in '79 though, and the '75 version I didn't think was that good, the vocal harmonines were off (probably because of how sick Freddie and Brian were). My pick for best performance of that song was in Boston, Jan 30, '76.

My vote for best Queen song played live, probably Radio Gaga at Live Aid, '85. I think it was probably better than Hendrix at Woodstock--but I could be a bit biased! ;)

J

Gregsynth wrote: Now that we've got Staying Power out of the way (lol), here's another "best live performance" of a song:

We Are The Champions from Live Aid

Reasons:

1. Hits both Bb4s before the chorus (though he had to adjust the pitch on the 1st one)
2. Gets the C5 in the first chorus
3. Gets all the chorus notes (only time he ever does that)
Live Aid was terrific on a whole number of levels, not the least of which was hitting all those hard-to-hit notes in WATC. I have to say my favorite version of the song though, was probably at Wembley '86. Wembley was something of a mixed bag in terms of Freddie's voice I know, but I love his power and phrasing much more than I do in other versions. It's just incredible, particularly his phrasing in the "fightiiiiing to the end." He also personalized the song on that last "my friends", which I loved. Greg you know way more about pitch than I do, which do you think was the finest version of Ogre Battle? It just seemed hit or miss whether the band would get all those harmonies right in a live performance.

J

There's two versions that spring to mind: Boston 1976, and Birmingham 1973. The whole band absolutely nail the song!