--I have always wondered why Queen completely and fianlly gave up on ever touring in America--
--(their last concert was 9/15/1982 at The Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, followed by their appearance on "Saturday Night Live" in New York on 9/25/1982).--
--I realize that by 1982, their popularity was waning, with sluggish record sales, little radio airplay and nasty (though unwarrented) press.--
--But tons of music artists have had the same or worse treatment by the USA's NON-intelligencia, and yet they did not throw in the towel, stuck with it, weathered the storm for a few years, to comeback just fine.--
---Queen should have realized that while the music and popular culture tide was changing in the fickle USA,--they had (and still have) a major loyal fan base here.---
--With a thicker skin, more aggressive business approach to boosting their image, artistic direction, approaching radio and the concert promoters about getting major airplay and concerts,---
--if Queen had stayed the course, I'm certain that they would have emerged...bigger and better here in the USA.---
--Every artist has peaks and valleys in their career or--in certain geographic markets.--
--I'm sure it must have hurt that in the USA, where most British and other foreign artists want to hit and make it big and have relevance and sales, when Queen's popularity dropped off and they took alot of harsh criticsm for other items (that to me were trivial & stupid).--
--But while music is..art..it's also a business..-
--It's like you all say with Brian being super sensitive about criticsm, I realize that's probably what happened back in 1982 when Queen gave up on the USA.--
--But just because some people in the USA have the sense of a brick, NOT all of us do.--
--And again, with the right thick skin, artistic growth/direction...and aggressive business/press approach, Queen could have conquered the USA...and they still can.--
--I truly hope Brian & Roger bring the Queen with Paul Rodgers Tour here. Ater 23 years, it would be heaven sent.--
--By the way look at how The Cure handled the same problems with the USA market/fanbase. After doing GREAT in the USA from the late 70's through the early 1990's,...-they all but bombed here the last decade and took a brutal beating. Even the British press were nastily calling The Cure dinosaurs. Well Robert Smith stayed the course, and Now The Cure are a---HIT--again in the USA and toured here all last year with The Curiosa Festival and their New record did great.--
--Queen come to tour in the USA, we love you!--
Thread
Posts in chronological order
My my, that is a lot of dashes.
Queen stopped touring the US because of Elektra's negligence to promote new material as well as the relative failure of Hot Space. I think they were really just looking for a reason, as the tours between 1984 and 1986 weren't as long or gruelling (in other words, they were spread out over a longer period of time: in 1984, they only toured between late August and early October; in 1985, they only toured in April and May, with two dates in January; in 1986, they only toured between June and August), and if they had to go to the US, it would mean a long, three to four month trek.
Plus, when the video for 'I Want To Break Free' came out, apparently the Bible belt was very offended, and sales tapered off. Take a look at the US singles positions for 'Radio Ga Ga' (an impressive No. 16), 'I Want To Break Free' (No. 45), 'Hard Life' (No. 72), and 'Hammer To Fall' (didn't chart).
Queen stopped touring the US because of Elektra's negligence to promote new material as well as the relative failure of Hot Space. I think they were really just looking for a reason, as the tours between 1984 and 1986 weren't as long or gruelling (in other words, they were spread out over a longer period of time: in 1984, they only toured between late August and early October; in 1985, they only toured in April and May, with two dates in January; in 1986, they only toured between June and August), and if they had to go to the US, it would mean a long, three to four month trek.
Plus, when the video for 'I Want To Break Free' came out, apparently the Bible belt was very offended, and sales tapered off. Take a look at the US singles positions for 'Radio Ga Ga' (an impressive No. 16), 'I Want To Break Free' (No. 45), 'Hard Life' (No. 72), and 'Hammer To Fall' (didn't chart).
I know all about the debacle with "I Want To Break Free", and some other items that Queen took a beating with in the USA. And yes the press and MTV here was really sh*****y to them.--
Brian even discusses it in the new "Uncut Magazine" in the Queen/Paul Rodgers Tour Interview.
Queen has openly discussed in old and new interviews, their hurt at the events in the USA and I respect that, but again, they should have stuck with it like most artists do and weathered things to triumph.
Also, I don't mean this to come off the wrong way or trivialize things, but record sales aren't everything. Alot of music artists right here from the USA, (The Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffet) have...NEVER been able to sell records or get airplay. But they are MILLIONAIRES from touring, trading and releasing their own tapes through their websites, and alot of merchandising.
Also other artists here have endured far worse, from our press and from areas like the Bible Belt, (what about lovely Tipper Gore in the early 1990's and how she launched a McCarthy Era witch hunt on a lot of music artists)...and where is Tipper these days...yeah that's right everybody wound up forgetting her, and all of the artists she attacked...prevailed.
What about both Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne when 2 teenagers committed suicide and then their stupid parents..--
--looking for someone to blame rather than taking responsibility as the parents and also that maybe their children obviously were crying out for attention and affection and understanding--SUED--in court Judas Priest and Ozzy saying it was their fault that the kids had committed suicide as the kids had listened to their music. The music industry, press, Bible Belt, parents painted Priest and Ozzy as the Devils incarnate. Give me a break. But Priest and Ozzy endured slander, disgrace, shame, and lawsuits (all unjust and unwarranted), put up with the crap, stuck it out, made great music and yep...The USA NOW loves them better than ever!
Queen took some major beatings here but how does that old saying go...Don't get mad, don't get even,.....Get EVERYTHING! They should have not given up on the USA and I bethcha a million to one they would have emerged like I said, bigger, better.
Brian even discusses it in the new "Uncut Magazine" in the Queen/Paul Rodgers Tour Interview.
Queen has openly discussed in old and new interviews, their hurt at the events in the USA and I respect that, but again, they should have stuck with it like most artists do and weathered things to triumph.
Also, I don't mean this to come off the wrong way or trivialize things, but record sales aren't everything. Alot of music artists right here from the USA, (The Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffet) have...NEVER been able to sell records or get airplay. But they are MILLIONAIRES from touring, trading and releasing their own tapes through their websites, and alot of merchandising.
Also other artists here have endured far worse, from our press and from areas like the Bible Belt, (what about lovely Tipper Gore in the early 1990's and how she launched a McCarthy Era witch hunt on a lot of music artists)...and where is Tipper these days...yeah that's right everybody wound up forgetting her, and all of the artists she attacked...prevailed.
What about both Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne when 2 teenagers committed suicide and then their stupid parents..--
--looking for someone to blame rather than taking responsibility as the parents and also that maybe their children obviously were crying out for attention and affection and understanding--SUED--in court Judas Priest and Ozzy saying it was their fault that the kids had committed suicide as the kids had listened to their music. The music industry, press, Bible Belt, parents painted Priest and Ozzy as the Devils incarnate. Give me a break. But Priest and Ozzy endured slander, disgrace, shame, and lawsuits (all unjust and unwarranted), put up with the crap, stuck it out, made great music and yep...The USA NOW loves them better than ever!
Queen took some major beatings here but how does that old saying go...Don't get mad, don't get even,.....Get EVERYTHING! They should have not given up on the USA and I bethcha a million to one they would have emerged like I said, bigger, better.
I'm sure if they weren't doing so well in other areas of the world they would have stuck it out, they obviously didn't feel the need to do it... and I'm sure they didn't want to keep slogging it out playing gruelling tours which would have been very unrewarding.
Its also becos of the video "I want to break free" American tv band the video which Queen and Queen's record companies argued and then Americans went on to h8 that video and Queen for a small while which in one of Brians interviews he says when we went on to to the works tour we lost America!
Read, read my posts-I know about "I Want To Break Free" and "The Works",....but Queen should have kept trying and stuck with it. It's one thing that they lost momentum here.
It's a whole other thing that alot of the USA public consciousness totally forgot or cared about Queen altogether, when Queen just gave up on the USA market. Bad press, bad publicity, people here with narrow minds..so what..ride out the storm, establish a new game plan..and go for it.
I guess one of the very things that I love most about Queen, which is their heartfelt sensitivity as creative artists, rolls over into their feelings as well, and they just were so hurt and sensitive about how badly the USA treated them. I can indeed understand how that can hurt one's pride and dignity. Personally I want to apologize for my fellow USA bretheren, but that's not me and alot of other USA Queen fans. Come tour here and we will treat you with respect and dignity. We'll pack the Stadiums we will!!!
For the record, Brian, Roger, John, and (Freddie if you are looking down from Heaven,) not everyone in the USA was or is a narrow minded idiot, I and many loyal Queen fans here in the USA have and will always love and appreciate you...and again I implore Brian, Roger & Paul Rodgers, to please bring the Queen/Paul Rodgers Tour to the USA.
With Regard & Deepest Affection
It's a whole other thing that alot of the USA public consciousness totally forgot or cared about Queen altogether, when Queen just gave up on the USA market. Bad press, bad publicity, people here with narrow minds..so what..ride out the storm, establish a new game plan..and go for it.
I guess one of the very things that I love most about Queen, which is their heartfelt sensitivity as creative artists, rolls over into their feelings as well, and they just were so hurt and sensitive about how badly the USA treated them. I can indeed understand how that can hurt one's pride and dignity. Personally I want to apologize for my fellow USA bretheren, but that's not me and alot of other USA Queen fans. Come tour here and we will treat you with respect and dignity. We'll pack the Stadiums we will!!!
For the record, Brian, Roger, John, and (Freddie if you are looking down from Heaven,) not everyone in the USA was or is a narrow minded idiot, I and many loyal Queen fans here in the USA have and will always love and appreciate you...and again I implore Brian, Roger & Paul Rodgers, to please bring the Queen/Paul Rodgers Tour to the USA.
With Regard & Deepest Affection
as Roger said of their "decline" in the usa, they were too busy touring Europe to notice
There's plenty of places they could play at here...I don't see why they couldn't come here.
thing is they had broke there backs tourin the us, gruelling tours etc, i reckon they didnt need the us as roger said,they had worldwide acclaim, the us market was so dull (as it is now) and they wanted aol, who cares point is 99% of the us market really wanted straight rock n roll well sorry guys u aint gonna get it with queen,.........................
as a post note i know you are not in that minority arlene
It's not like Queen NEVER played any concerts in the U.S.A. since 1982...they've had several appearances (Hall Of Fame award shows), and a full show or two (Walk Of Fame).
But playing to a general audience in the U.S.A. outside of special appearance-type shows, I think it'd be nice if Queen would do that again.
If they'd come to Canada, THAT'D be a treat!
But playing to a general audience in the U.S.A. outside of special appearance-type shows, I think it'd be nice if Queen would do that again.
If they'd come to Canada, THAT'D be a treat!
I think that the boys had enough of the puritany of the Americans. Body Language had been banned and obviously Queen had enough with the Americans. The Americans never understood the tongue and cheek humour of Queen.
Well I'm suprised it wasn't a comment i.e. the 'more popular than Jesus, Christianity will wane' comment. Sad though, very sad.
Hey JohnC, you keep refering to us as "the Americans." Well, before you judge all of us "Americans" you need to know that THIS "American" has been following the band since '77 and THIS "American" understood the humor of Queen and what they were all about. Even as a 13 year old kid I understood what they were all about. When Hot Space came out, yeah, this "American" was a little disappointed, but I knew that what they were doing at the time was a total experiment with their music. I never dismissed them. The bible belt here in this country could be a factor in their loss of sales but their shows still sold out. They could have continued to hit it big again after Hot Space but Jim Beach was quoted as saying that they didn't want to have to work at having to build up their image again. Especially without a hit single. The hit ingle never came, therefore neither did the tours.
I think that the boys had enough of the puritany of the Americans. Body Language had been banned and obviously Queen had enough with the Americans. The Americans never understood the tongue and cheek humour of Queen.
Bollocks
Body Language may have been banned on MTV, but Hot Space in general did well in the charts. Calling All Girls, for instance, was a dance hit in American discos at the time.
The blame always gets laid on that video, yet that doesn't explain why AKOM did poorly over here. The fact is that Queen chose to tour other countries, perhaps due to their own indifference or troubles with record promotion (there were complaints toward Capitol at one point), and avoided the US. They made several television appearances, whether to promote The Works or for Freddie to promote Mr Bad Guy.
It's a cop-out to blame American attitudes, especially since those attitudes probably wouldn't effect a tour of the east or west coasts all that much. It was just easier to tour Europe than to tour America for Queen.