Some stats about their concerts

You forgot Uruguay 1983!

[QUOTE] [b]BETA215 wrote:[/b]

You forgot Uruguay 1983![/QUOTE]

That concert never took place, that's why I'm not counting it, and plenty others.

Sebastian, didn't know if this includes the Shaftesbury Hall, London gig from December 7th 1973 - this didn't happen as no London venue called this ever existed. I did a lot of research a few years ago - there was a Shaftesbury Hall in Cheltenham, part of a college, long ago sold off for redevelopment. The Cheltenham gig was the night before (6th December), so this was the Shaftesbury Hall gig at St. Georges Place, Cheltenham. All research sent to GT and GB and much correspondence about this at the time of the SIS exhibition. The result is that there was probably not a gig on the night of 7th December.

This suggests it did take place: http://www.queenconcerts.com/detail/flyer/1973-12-07/queen-in-cheltenham-on-07-12-1973.html

Maybe the 6th of December one is the one that never existed?

Of course, there's also the chance that the concert was scheduled but didn't take place (as Uruguay). The plot thickens.

Thanks, musicland ("bit of variation" is charming, :-)). I didn't know about the AMIGA-label. I thought, Queen was as unwelcome to the authorities in GDR as lots of other rock bands from the western hemisphere too.

[QUOTE] [b]Annette wrote:[/b]

In East-Germany and the rest of east Europe wasn't even one concert (except Hungary).[/QUOTE]

Not really... they played in Yugoslavia twice, so Budapest was actually their third concert in the Iron Curtain.

Queen also played six concerts in West Berlin, which was politically part of Western Europe, but not geographically.

Plans to play in the USSR were eventually shelved, which is a shame but then again, hindsight is 20/20. Maybe they thought they'd have another chance but never did.

It's also quite illustrating that, at the time, territories included in Asian and South American legs were the obvious ones: Japan, Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela. The latter one might seem surprising in retrospect but back in those days it did make a lot of sense considering they had a bit of a boost in their financial situation during the time the Middle-Eastern nations blocked transactions with the States. It eventually backfired and sent Venezuela into an even bigger crisis than before but, while they could enjoy it, they had quite a few major acts before Queen: The Police, Jackson Five, Peter Frampton, Donna Summer, Barry White...

For a comparison, 1D's current tour includes six Asian countries Queen never played in (I mean Queen, not Queen + Bieber or whoever), and they're also coming to Wales (a country Queen all but forgot about after 1976). They're also performing (as a quartet, mind) in Belfast, four times. Their previous tour ('Where We Are') included four South American countries Queen never went to as well as a Western European one (Portugal).

Of course, nowadays it's easier because of globalisation and whatever, and it could be argued that without several acts breaking new grounds in the 60's, 70's and 80's none of this would be happening at the moment.

Queen were part of that movement, but not by any means the only ones.

Elton John, for instance, had played in Budapest before Queen. He'd also visited (in 1984) other countries in Eastern Europe, namely Poland, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, two of which Queen never played in... and he also went to China and Northern Ireland, two other nations where Queen never played. He also went to Sun City before Queen.

The Police went in 1980 to a few places Queen hadn't visited, and some of which they would never tour. Police went to Asia (India), North America (Mexico), Oceania (New Zealand), Europe (Portugal) and South America (Argentina). In 1982 they went to Chile, then in 1983 to Poland, and they went to Italy before Queen did.

U2 went to New Zealand before Queen did, and they went to Czechoslovakia in 1984 and 1985.

Technically, Yugoslavia wasn't "behind the Iron Curtain". It sailed a hard-fought independent course and maintained fairly good relations with both east and west. In fact, as far as I am aware it was the only part of Europe that saw tourists from both east and west.

That certainly explains why so many acts went there.

[QUOTE] [b]Sebastian wrote:[/b]

This suggests it did take place: http://www.queenconcerts.com/detail/flyer/1973-12-07/queen-in-cheltenham-on-07-12-1973.html

Maybe the 6th of December one is the one that never existed?

Of course, there's also the chance that the concert was scheduled but didn't take place (as Uruguay). The plot thickens.[/QUOTE]

Yes the one in Cheltenham did - at Shaftesbury Hall - so that was on the 7th then. London date would be then at an unknown venue or perhaps never took place.

Countries Queen played concerts in, by year, not counting mimed performances:

1970 - 1972: Only England. Not Britain, Albion, GB or the UK, just England.

1973: England, West Germany, Luxembourg, Scotland and Wales.

1974: Australia, England, Scotland, Mann, Wales, America, Sweden, Finland, West Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain.

1975: America, Canada, Japan, England, Wales, Scotland.

1976: America, Japan, Australia, Wales, Scotland, England.

1977: America, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, West Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Scotland, England.

1978: Sweden, Denmark, West Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, England, America, Canada.

1979: West Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Spain, France, Japan, Ireland, England, Scotland.

1980: Canada, America, Switzerland, France, West Germany, England, Belgium, Netherlands.

1981: Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Canada.

1982: Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, West Germany, Austria, Scotland, England, Canada, America, Japan.

1984: Belgium, Ireland, England, West Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Austria, Bophuthatswana.

1985: Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, England (Live Aid).

1986: Sweden, Netherlands, France, Belgium, West Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, England, Austria, Hungary, Spain.

That translates to these figures:

1982: 13.
1974: 12.
1978, 1979, 1986: 11.
1977, 1984: 9.
1980: 8.
1975, 1976, 1981: 6.
1973, 1985: 5.
1970, 1971, 1972: 1.

New (to Queen) countries first visited each year:

1970: England (duh!).
1973: West Germany, Luxembourg, Scotland, Wales.
1974: Australia, Mann, America, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain.
1975: Canada, Japan.
1977: Denmark, Switzerland.
1978: France, Austria.
1979: Yugoslavia, Ireland.
1981: Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico.
1982: Norway.
1984: Italy, Bophuthatswana.
1985: New Zealand.
1986: Hungary.

All their touring years (1970-1982 and 1984-1986) included at least one performance in England, except for 1981.

Since they became international (1973), they always visited:

* America, except in 1973, 1979, 1981, 1984-1986.

* West Germany, except in 1975-1976, 1981, 1985.

* Netherlands, except in 1973, 1975-1976, 1981, 1985.

* Canada, except in 1973, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1984-1986.

[QUOTE] [b]Sebastian wrote:[/b]

All their touring years (1970-1982 and 1984-1986) included at least one performance in England, except for 1981.

Since they became international (1973), they always visited:

* America, except in 1973, 1979, 1981, 1984-1986.

* West Germany, except in 1975-1976, 1981, 1985.

* Netherlands, except in 1973, 1975-1977, 1981, 1985.

* Canada, except in 1973, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1984-1986.[/QUOTE]

They played in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 1977.

You're right. Lists have been corrected accordingly.

Thank you very much for the helpful stats, Sebastian!

I previously heard somewhere that Queen played around 600 gigs and that number already amazed me. Now they turn out to be over 700, very interesting. Luckily I'm not a collector, there's no way I could collect all these gigs at the final days of my life.

The number of gigs they played in USA is huge,
it's such a pity that they were not very popular in USA. I wonder did the 247 gigs went into thin air??

I think they were very popular in America. They had two number one singles, a number one album, quite a few top ten hits and did a lot of sold out concerts including some memorable gigs at places like MSG and The Forum. That's already far, far, far more than what 99.99% of aspiring musicians ever achieve.

Of course Led Zeppelin, Beatles and some others were more famous/successful/popular than them, but the amount of musicians who were *less* popular than Queen in America is far, far, far, far, far, far, far larger than the amount of musicians who were *more*.