Its 36 years since i saw the real Queen band play Leeds on 29th May 1982 and just wondered if any one has any special memories of this brilliant show?
I remember Freddie running on to the stage in his white trousers and jacket looking like the greatest front man ever, the crowds went crazy for him and he put on a superb performance. The rest of the band were incredible and the support acts Joan Jett and Teardrop explodes never got a good welcome either! At one point bottles got thrown on stage for the Teardrop explodes set!
Still Queen were amazing and i saw them another two times, but The Magic Tour i got right at the front and this was the very last time i finally witnessed rocks greatest lead vocalist ever close up !
I was 10 in 1986 when Queen played their last show :-(
No chance of ever seeing them live :-(
at least you can see 2 legends and a gay guy now!
Two has been legends and a pretender on stage yeah.
[QUOTE] [b]OhioMustapha wrote:[/b]
at least you can see 2 legends and a gay guy now![/QUOTE]
Two legends and a gay guy? Was Freddie not gay or a legend then?
Freddie was indeed a gay guy and only the greatest front man that ever graced a stage.
Sadly Your Adam will never have that honour my dear !
jeez, the gay guy is Adam Lambert.
I was there, fabulous concert, possibly the best show I ever saw. It was my 4th time seeing the band, I'd seen them twice on the crazy tour and also at the NEC in 1980. The weather was crazy hot. I lived in Liverpool and had applied through the fan club for tickets for the concert at Old Trafford, back in the days of sending cheques and self addressed envelopes. For whatever reason the Old Trafford show didn't happen and it got replaced with Elland Road. I'm not sure I knew that u til the tickets arrived in the mail but my memory maybe playing tricks there. I was doing my A levels at the time and had a Saturday job at a bakery. So that day I was up at 5 for my 6am start at work, worked till 11 ish, which was the usual finish time and then my mum and my auntie drove me and my cousin to Leeds for the concert.
We got in and then I realised I was going to die in the heat, especially as I'd been up since 5, so I went outside, found some shade and lay down and had a nap while Heart were on stage. I was too young and stupid to realise I was missing an iconic bands first British show. I was far more interested in seeing Joan Jett, which looking back was A POOR judgement call. I'm glad I had the nap though, I was energised for the rest of the day. Teardrop explodes were an odd support choice but they were a big band in Liverpool. Wasn't me chucking bottles at Julian Cope. He started hitting himself on the head with a bottle at one point. Queen were late going onstage, supposedly for technical issues but I've always thought it was because the sun was absolutely blazing at the time they were due on stage and the opening pyro would have been very underwhelming.
They negotiated a later curfew with the police and I think we got the full show in the end. Freddie was on Fire that night, climbing the scaffolding, running across the stage and giving it everything, I don't think I ever saw him better, either before or since. I remember the Hot Space tracks were not terrible, quite enjoyable in fact , but my overall memory is just how good the band was. I'm not really one for bootlegs and I'm sure people will tell me he made a load of bum notes that night, but he OWNED the stage, and had the audience in the palm of his hand. Even more than on the magic tour.
The other oddity from that night is that my mum and auntie had spent the day shopping in Leeds and then turned up at Elland Road to pick us up, expecting the show to have about a half hour to go. They spoke to a policeman outside and he told them it had only just started, he then said, you may as well wait inside and let them in. They saw the whole show. In those days concerts were for younger people but they loved it. I am now older than they were at the time and go to concerts regularly... times have changed somewhat.
I remember during Loser In The End, Brian does a 10 minute solo hinting these songs: Chinese Torture, Fun It, and Dancer!
[QUOTE] [b]OhioMustapha wrote:[/b]
I remember during Loser In The End, Brian does a 10 minute solo hinting these songs: Chinese Torture, Fun It, and Dancer![/QUOTE]
If you're going to do that, at least do it for a concert that doesn't have a recording available
Bottles thrown at the support band: Demonstrating the blinkered world of the Queen fan.
Nice one ggo 1 , i was at the Edinburgh show on the (I think) Wednesday of that week. They were superb then. Wish I'd chosen Milton Keynes though, due to the film.
Hi, I've posted this before a few years ago but for the purposes of this thread I thought I'd give it an airing. I hope others chime in too;
I was 15 years old in 1982 when I attended my first ever concert. Fortunately for me, it was QUEEN's show at Leeds AFC ground in the North of England. I remember when my ticket arrived in the post, possibly 2-3 months before the concert, as was often the case in those days. I stuck it on a cork notice board in my bedroom and could barely contain my excitement over the coming weeks. Every morning, I would wake up and look at the yellow ticket, wishing the days away. I imagined everything that could go wrong would. Queen would cancel the gig, I would break my leg, the family pet would die on the morning of the concert and it would be too insensitive of me to go, the transport wouldn't turn up or would break down, there would be a pile up on the motorway, I'd lose my ticket en route, etc, etc.
As it turned out, May 29th 1982 was a hot and sunny day, perfect weather for an outdoor gig. I was CRAZY about Queen and had been since the age of 9 but I really didn't know what to expect on that day. Myself and three friends took a coach organised by my Dad's company from Lancashire across the M62 motorway to Leeds. Our excitement began to really take a hold when we arrived at the football ground and we followed the droves of people towards the turnstiles. To me, this was something on a really big scale and I could already hear the hum of the crowd inside. Not really believing that we were actually about to witness a Queen concert, we found our seats on the West Stand, offering a great view of the stage. I remember marvelling at Queen's new lighting rig and the equipment that adorned the stage, shining in the afternoon sunshine. The ground was almost full at this point and the pitch was heaving with people. The atmosphere was relaxed as people bathed in the sunshine. I remember two guys climbing the fence from the stand and attempting to get a better spot by running into the crowd and losing themselves on the pitch. Their efforts were in vain however as they were quickly located and ejected back into the stand by two security guards.
We bought some black Hot Space tour shirts (I wore mine with pride until it literally fell apart) and a programme from a vendor inside the ground and waited for the first band to take the stage. A guy near us shouted and punched his way through Heart's set and then left just as they vacated the stage. Obviously not a Queen fan! The Teardrop Explodes suffered at the hands of the Queen congregation and found themselves battling against a shower of bottles and assorted missiles. Other than that, I don't really remember much about the support bands. I think that Bow Wow Wow were billed to play (an odd choice) but I can't recall if they actually turned up. No matter, we were about to witness what is still one of the best gigs I have ever attended.
As the dusk descended upon us, the giant floodlights were extinguished one by one and the memory of the roar that followed still sends shivers down my spine. Dry ice drifted across the heads of the crowd on the pitch as the intro tape of Flash thumped out of the PA and the strange 'grating' noises added to the recording created a foreboding atmosphere. Two of our party were on the pitch and to this day remember their chests thumping in unison to the powerful rhythm. A sea of hands clapped in perfect time to the beat. To me, this was already an amazing experience. And then the big moment. Freddie, resplendent in dazzling white made his entrance to The Hero and the blaze of the lights. An apt number to start with. Before he had even sung a note, the audience were locked tightly in the palm of his hand. Such an entrance, such a showman. "You're a F***in amazing crowd", he exclaimed after the first rush.
The beginning of the gig is, in truth, my strongest memory of the show itself. In particular, the "Flash!!!" vocals cutting through the night air with so much volume. I recall being shocked at the sheer power of Queen's performance and the clarity of the huge sound they harnessed. Morgan Fisher's keyboards during 'Action This Day' sounded bright and hypnotic. Freddie's intro to Fat Bottomed Girls caused quite a response too; "the bigger the t*t the better it is!". I also remember the follow spots darting wildly over the crowd during 'Tie Your Mother Down' and everybody going crazy. We talked endlessly about our experience for months to come and one of my biggest regrets is not jumping on a train to attend the filmed Milton Keynes show a week later.
Having been to hundreds of gigs since, I can honestly say that there is nobody who has been able to top Queen live; I was lucky enough to see the band five times between 1982 and 1986, including Wembley Stadium and their last show at Knebworth. The Crazy Tour would probably have been the time I'd really have liked to have seen Queen but I think that my personal favourite was their performance at the NEC in Birmingham on 'The Works' tour in 1984 (the Saturday night IIRC). People were literally stood there with open mouths, unable to believe how good they were. Leeds is definitely up there too. I recall Brian May stating that he thought it was one of their best performances ever.
Zephead : That was a brilliant post and nice to read such a sensible post for a nice guy for a change. Yeah i also attended Queens crazy Tour at Newcastle city Hall on Dec 4 1979 my very first Queen gig and i was blown away. I already knew Freddie was awesome from seeing him on tv but in real life i was utterly stunned how he moved and that voice was magnificent. I also attended Birmingham NEC in Sept 1984 and as you rightly point out everyone was in awe of Queen that night, Finally The Magic Tour in July 1986 and this was a special show for me as i was at the front of the stage with my brother and we finally got up close and personal to Freddie & Brian. Queen always delivered with Freddie and that is why i have never attended a Queen gig today because after witnessing the mighty Freddie live i know i would come away so sad and disgusted if i suffered 2 hours of Adam Lambert's shit. I find him so painful to watch.
Those are amazing posts guys I was 12yrs old in 82 I would of loved to have seen that show it was a few yes later I got to see Queen live on the Magic Tour at St James Park I couldn't get over how powerful Freddie's voice was, a blinding show for a 16yr old kid. Great posts cheers.
