Best set opener from Queen's touring life?

I originally tried to do this as a poll, but it gave me a 'server failure' message - clearly didn't like the amount of possible answers :P

Queen certainly had a penchant for dramatic openings to their concerts, unlike groups such as The Beatles or Fleetwood Mac, who'd get on stage in full light and tune up before launching into the first song. Queen's approach is hands down the better one, I feel.

Excluding Keep Yourself Alive, Son and Daughter, and Great King Rat, which were all openers at various points in 1971 and 1972, because we have no recordings of these (though one can still imagine Son and Daughter was a pretty intense opener), the options are:

- Procession/Father to Son (Queen & Queen II tours)

- Procession/Now I'm Here (Sheer Heart Attack tour)

- 'Ladies and gentlemen...' voiceover/Bohemian Rhapsody [tape, opening line sung live]/Bohemian Rhapsody rock section (ANATO tour)

- Now I'm Here (Hammersmith '75)

- ADATR Overture/Bo Rhap [tape then rock] (Summer '76 gigs)

- ADATR Overture/Tie Your Mother Down (ADATR tour

- Procession/ADATR Overture/Tie Your Mother Down (Earl's Court)

- We Will Rock You [tape with live lead vocal and guitar]/We Will Rock You fast (News of the World tour)

- Intro thunder/We Will Rock You fast (Jazz tour, some of Crazy tour, later Montreal '81)

- Intro thunder/Jailhouse Rock (some of Crazy tour, Game tour; thunder with added synth on latter tour)

- Flash [tape]/The Hero (Hot Space, Europe and Japan)

- Flash [tape]/Rock It (Hot Space, US and Canada)

- Machines [tape]/Tear It Up (Works tour)

- Bohemian Rhapsody ballad section (Live Aid)

- One Vision intro [tape]/One Vision (Magic tour)

Procession/Father to Son, without a doubt.

I like quite a few of them, can't decide between:

Procession/Now I'm Here (Sheer Heart Attack tour)

'Ladies and gentlemen...' voiceover/Bohemian Rhapsody [tape, opening line sung live]/Bohemian Rhapsody rock section (ANATO tour)

ADATR Overture/Tie Your Mother Down (ADATR tour) (with our without Procession - the opening to Earls Court is absolutely spectacular, visually as well as sonically)

Most of them are pretty strong, really. They were always excellent at arranging their songs in the set in the most effective way.

I'll go with the ANATO one, I think. Procession/Father to Son is also terrific, and is forever ingrained in my mind ever since about two years ago when I spent a few days downloading and churning through live bootlegs - for some reason, in a very completist manner, I felt the need to get every show available. I only ended up listening as far as some way through the Queen II tour before I gave up and just went for the highlights of the subsequent tours. I've not gotten sick of it - Father to Son is a stellar song.


Regarding Rock It as an opener.. I'd admittedly completely forgotten they ever did that. A pretty odd choice, really. It's a great song, sure, doesn't really feel like typical Queen opening material though.

Tough one! They did know how to open a show, didn't they?

I'll go with the thunder/drone ("One of Roger's drones" - Brian from Rock Montreal commentary) into WWRY fast, but most of those others are pretty damn good........

I just love the fast WWRY :D

Not that it was asked, but my least favorites are Flash/Rock It and Machines/Tear It Up.

Procession/Now I'm Here (Sheer Heart Attack tour)

They did that earlier in the current tour, and I feel like it's a lot better than the One Vision thing.

I like Q+AL's performances of One Vision now......the first show's one was kinda shaky, but they got it down much better now........plus the part where Brian's silhouetted against the curtain is just freakin cool :D

Intro thunder/We Will Rock You fast (Jazz tour, some of Crazy tour, later Montreal '81)

WWRY (F) is just perfect opener!

[QUOTE]

[b]thomasquinn 32989 wrote: [/b] Procession/Father to Son, without a doubt.[/QUOTE]

by a fucking mile....nice shout

My top 3

1. Intro ”One Vision” 1986 (absolutely stunning)
2. Intro ”Flash/The Hero” especially Milton Keynes
3. ADATR Overture/Tie Your Mother Down (ADATR tour)

Procession & Father To Son for me too.. Followed by Kenny Everett's ANATO intro. And the Hyde Park & Edinburgh ADATR & ANATO hybrid intro as well..

[QUOTE] [b]moonie wrote:[/b]

Procession & Father To Son for me too.. Followed by Kenny Everett's ANATO intro. And the Hyde Park & Edinburgh ADATR & ANATO hybrid intro as well..[/QUOTE]

http://www.mediafire.com/download/m32l7089h16es8f/Sheffield_1974.rar

You still here?

easy one ;)
Procession/Father to son
2.Flash theme/We Will Rock You Milton Keynes awesome ibtro awesome
Magic tour was intro killer also ;)

[QUOTE] [b]Mr.Mouth wrote:[/b]

easy one ;)
Procession/Father to son
2.Flash theme/We Will Rock You Milton Keynes awesome ibtro awesome
Magic tour was intro killer also ;)[/QUOTE]

Sorry I meant Milton Keynes aawesome intro Flash/Hero Freddie was stunning and all band emerged electricly power house
Queen allways had stunning openings. You can miss with Mr.Mercury