'The Works' Tour - Opinion?

So I've read more than one comment recently with less than positive things to say about 'The Works' tour.

Why is that?  I'm not as familiar with that tour as I am with some of the others.  Was Freddie's range an issue?  What was it about this tour that has so many people disliking it (compared to the others, that is)?

At first I must say that Freddie's voice was in a bad shape on some gigs.

His voice was in bad shape at a lot of Opera, Races and Jazz gigs too ... but the Works tour is the one that gets the most flack.  Why is that?  Are people just applying their distaste of the album to the tour?

It wasn't nearly gay enough. Freddie should've spent even more time in drag and grew his moustahce to Mexican-bandido proportions.

 ... but seriously folks ....

Given it was the 1980s, the setlists were excellent.

I was under the impression most loved The Works 'album', no?

It's funny, so many people rejected Hot Space (at least when it first came out - I think the tide has shifted a bit now), but most will agree Freddie sounded incredible on that tour.

malicedoom wrote: I was under the impression most loved The Works 'album', no?

It's funny, so many people rejected Hot Space (at least when it first came out - I think the tide has shifted a bit now), but most will agree Freddie sounded incredible on that tour.
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Same here, there's nowt wrong with 'The Works', great album.

 Master marathon runner

I saw the "Works"-Tour in Dortmund and I only have the best memories.
 "The Hot Space"-Concert two years before was a very mixed affair with huge gaps of nothing in between the songs. The new Hot Space-songs sounded horrible live and the mood in the concert hall was very cold. Freddie also was in a bad mood and the bootleg of that tour somehow makes it look better than it actually was. There is a Zurich bootleg that comes closer to what Dortmund was like as it has some of these gaps. I remember leaving the building with the thought that this might have been the beginning of the end. Never forget, most successful bands only have three really good years.

So their return with the "Works" was a major step forward again and the show was great from beginning to the end. You should also take into consideration, that light- and stage shows were still developing in those days. So every tour ...every stage got bigger and more exiting. No bootleg can reproduce this part of the attraction. The quality of a concert has more ingredients than just Freddie hitting a high C at the right place.....

I was lucky enough to see Queen live many times throughout the 70's & 80s and enjoyed every minute.
Having said that I would have to say the 70's gigs were the most enjoyable for me personally, particularly Hyde Park and Earls Court and Drury Lane.
For sheer surrealism, the Mayfair Tottenham 1979 (Tiny venue - very big band) and just down the road as well!

kurgan100 wrote: I was lucky enough to see Queen live many times throughout the 70's & 80s and enjoyed every minute.
Having said that I would have to say the 70's gigs were the most enjoyable for me personally, particularly Hyde Park and Earls Court and Drury Lane.
For sheer surrealism, the Mayfair Tottenham 1979 (Tiny venue - very big band) and just down the road as well!
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Which of the Earls Court gigs to you go to Kurgan?  If it was the second, I'll ask before Hangman2011 does - did you record it?  What gig would you say was your absolute favourite, and why?

Earls Court was 2nd night.

Favourite gig, probably Earls Court or Hyde Park, but that mad gig at the Mayfair meant a lot.

The overall sound of the band during this tour has always disappointed me. Especially those trash cans Roger was using. What was he thinking? Must have been an 80s thing. For some reason those Simmons pads sounded amazing during the Hot Space tour, but very bad during The Works tour. Let's just say the people who witnessed the very first Works concert were lucky bastards (referring to Dust here).

The surplus of keyboards/synths during heavy songs like TYMD and Now I'm Here. The summit of disappointment being the Final Live In Japan release. A great visual release, but the audio mix is abysmal.

Brian's guitar sound wasn't too convincing, according to my ears. A really thin sound. It's missing the heavyness which the Hot Space tour had. In fact, I think the band sounded perfect during the HS tour. Great use of keyboards as well! However, it has to be sad, on some of the Works bootlegs Brian does sound stunning. Especially the third night in Birmingham.

Milton Keynes says it all, there was no official video release from 1984.

However, there is a master copy of a private video recording lurking,

You mean an audience video of Milton Keynes?

Sir GH wrote: You mean an audience video of Milton Keynes?
Sorry for confusion, no Stuttgart September 27th 1984

kurgan100, you attended the second night at the Earls Court, right?  What do you remember from that gig?  Is it true that Sweet Lady was played on this night?