MovieChat Forums > Queen Live at Wembley '86 Discussion > This is an average Queen show, unfortuna...

This is an average Queen show, unfortunately


I know it's emotional and tear-jerking and all. The audience is great, and the band is really doing their best. But it doesn't quite work for me.

First of all, this is a daylight show. In the middle of the summer. Freddie was ill at the time and he's getting tired very quickly. Look how much he sweats! Also, his voice is in quite average shape, really. He's not able to hit the very high notes. Compare it to Montreal, or even to Budapest (couple of weeks later) and you'll HEAR the difference.

Second of all, the sound is too poppy for my taste. The guitar sound is truly terrible. It is so... flat. No power, no depth. Compare it with that big fat hard rocking sound from Hammersmith Odeon'79, Montreal'81 or Bowl'82. That's completely different sound. Also, I much more preferred the times, when there were only four of them on the stage (without hired keyboardist) and Freddie was playing much more piano (not only Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions and a part of Seven Seas, but also Somebody To Love, Killer Queen, Play The Game, etc.). They also play too many pop songs, so called "hits" leaving their hard rock edge on the side.

Of course someone else can find all those things irrelevant, or even working as an advantage for the show (the setlist), but for me, this is not THE Queen I always loved.

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Would you point which video live that Queen did best?

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The best Queen show ever filmed is Hammersmith Odeon from December 1979 or Earls Court 1977, maybe Houston the same year. Unfortunately, none of the above is commercially available on DVD's or cassettes, you just have to search for bootlegs to see how powerful the band was during that period (or check out YouTube, all shows are posted there). As for Freddie's voice, just take Montreal '81, he's never been better than that. None of the shows recorded after 1982 do the band justice, I mean they were still great, and you could be as well blown away by the performances from Rio (1985), Budapest (1986) or especially Live Aid (1985), but if you wanna see Queen at their most powerful stick to seventies shows, or Montreal, the only truly great Queen performance available on high quality DVD, even if the audience was virtually dead that day. On the other hand it was amazing at Wembley. Combine Montreal 81 performance with Wembley 86 and you'd have probably the greatest Queen show. From the eighties that is, cause seventies could never be topped.

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[deleted]


If you look closely they are all sweating from being under powerful lights, freddie moreso than anybody else because hes moving about quite a lot

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He wasn't Ill then, He picked up the viris AFTER this concert

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No, I'm almost sure he was infected years before this concert. You can't develop AIDS without having HIV first. And it takes years (it also depends upon the person to determine how many years) of untreated HIV infection to develop into actual AIDS. When he discovered he was sick he found out he had full AIDS not HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

It's no lie when doctors say you won't know you have any illness unless you get tested because sometimes a person shows no symptoms at all!

And OP, average Queen show? Are you mad, they were amazing! I have it on DVD and I can't stop watching it. I watch it at LEAST 3 times a week! A lot of the songs were sizzling!

Always an active American Gladiator!ΓΌ
Lance Henriksen is KING!
RIP MASK!

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Seconded, According to Jim Hutton, Freddie was diagnosed with AIDS shortly after Easter of 1987. This concert was July 12th, 1986.

He *was* likely already infected with HIV at the time of the concert and it *may* have already progressed to full-blown AIDS at the time of the concert, given that he wasn't taking any meds to help slow HIV down at all.

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I hear what you are saying in the OP but im afraid your wrong..this was one of their best. i have seen live at the bowl and doesnt compare. I agree re Spike playing piano but at the same time it opened up the opportuninty for Freddie to work the crowd. This and Live aid ARE the best shows Queen put on.

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Agree, from 77 to 82 they were immense live with 79-81 being their hardest. Imagine Live Aid almost every show!!

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