Queen: The Complete Works (133 page)

Roger returned to the Marquee Club for the first time since 23 July 1973 to perform two Christmas parties with The Cross and a slew of special guests. The band ran through a lengthy set, identical to the one presented at the Gosport Festival that summer, with a few notable additions and omissions. ‘In Charge Of My Heart’ was back as the concert opener, and only ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘Mr Tambourine Man’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘I’m A Man’, and ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ survived as cover renditions. However, Roger Daltrey, lead vocalist of The Who, appeared on stage to sing vocals on his former band’s singles ‘I Can’t Explain’ and ‘Substitute’, Bo Diddley’s ‘I’m A Man’ and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Born On The Bayou’. Tim Staffell, who had been the vocalist and bassist of Smile many moons ago, made a guest appearance, performing Smile’s only single, ‘Earth’, and an old live favourite, ‘If I Were A Carpenter’.

Brian had been asked to perform on the second night, and it was only logical that he appeared with Tim and Roger, too; thus, the power trio of Smile was reunited (performing the same songs Tim and Roger had played on the first night). Both nights featured an emotional rendition of John Lennon’s ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ before closing with ‘Radio Ga Ga’ and ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’.

GOSPORT FESTIVAL

29 JULY 1993

Musicians:
Roger Taylor
(vocals, rhythm guitar, drums, percussion)
, Spike Edney
(keyboards, vocals)
, Joshua J Macrae
(drums, vocals)
, Clayton Moss
(guitars, vocals)
, Peter Noone
(bass guitar, vocals)

Repertoire:
‘In Charge Of My Heart’, ‘Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress)’, ‘Ain’t Put Nothing Down’, ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Power To Love’, ‘Better Things’, ‘Hand Of Fools (Out Of Control)’, ‘Life Changes’, ‘Penetration Guru’, ‘All The Young Dudes’, ‘Cowboys And Indians’, ‘New Dark Ages’, ‘Sister Blue’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Top Of The World, Ma’, ‘Kansas City’, ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’, ‘Final Destination’

The Cross performed their final concert with Roger Taylor on 29 July 1993 at the Gosport Festival. The set list was similar to the previous year’s performances, with ‘A Kind Of Magic’ and a smattering of
Mad: Bad: And Dangerous To Know
and
Blue Rock
songs thrown in (including the live premieres of ‘Hand Of Fools (Out Of Control)’ and ‘Life Changes’), together with Roger’s first live rendition of ‘We Will Rock You’. The concert concluded with ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’ and an emotional ‘Final Destination’, which, in hindsight, was an entirely appropriate finale. While the name The Cross would be used occasionally for subsequent performances, the band eventually morphed into the SAS Band (Spike’s All-Star Band).

BRIAN MAY

As well as undertaking a curious US radio tour in support of
Innuendo
, in 1991 Brian was asked to organize the Expo ‘92 Guitar Festival in Seville, Spain. Taking place just before Freddie’s death in November, the experience was therapeutic for Brian: he enjoyed it so much that he organized his own solo tour the following year, which many fans considered equivalent to seeing Queen. The Brian May Band featured a rotating cast of musicians, with the only original supporting members Spike Edney on keyboards and Neil Murray on bass guitar. Jamie Moses wouldn’t join the band until February 1993 and, while Cozy Powell was always Brian’s favourite drummer, his untimely death in April 1998 almost put an end to The Brian May Band. Regardless, Brian soldiered on with Eric Singer in Cozy’s place, but it became clear that such lengthy jaunts around the world were becoming too much. To date, the final Brian May Band concert was in Brisbane on 28 November 1998, and it appears that Brian has no intention of reviving the band any time soon.

INNUENDO RADIO TOUR

25 MARCH TO 10 JUNE 1991

Repertoire included:
Guitar Solo, ‘The Invisible Man’, ‘I Can’t Live With You’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Somebody To Love’, ‘Brighton Rock’, ‘Stone Cold Crazy’, ‘Killer Queen’, ‘Headlong’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’

Itinerary:

March 25: New York, New York

April 17: Los Angeles, California

May 28: Boston, Massachusetts

May 29: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

May 31: Dallas, Texas

June 4: San Jose, California

June 10: Toronto, Ontario

In the absence of a live concert tour to support
Innuendo
, a radio tour was organized, but with a twist. Since Brian was the only one who was able to promote the new album (John was never one for promotional events; Roger was recording an album with The Cross; and an ailing Freddie was doing his best to stay out of the public eye), he would field questions from both the DJ and call-in listeners – inevitably, Brian was inundated with queries as to when Queen would return to the live circuit in the States – and then perform new guitar tracks over Queen songs picked by the DJ. Amusingly, after the radio performances were taped, the ‘new’ versions with the overdubbed guitar solos would be released on bootlegs, claiming to be alternate takes from the original sessions.

BACK TO THE LIGHT SOUTH AMERICAN TOUR

1 TO 9 NOVEMBER 1992

Musicians:
Brian May
(vocals, guitars)
, Cozy Powell
(drums)
, Neil Murray
(bass guitar)
, Spike Edney
(piano, keyboards, vocals)
, Mike Caswell
(guitars)
, Maggie Ryder
(backing vocals)
, Miriam Stockley
(backing vocals)
, Chris Thompson
(backing vocals)

Repertoire:
‘The Dark’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Love Token’, ’Love Of My Life’, ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, ‘Now I’m Here’, Guitar Solo, ‘Resurrection’, ‘Last Horizon’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Rollin’ Over’, ‘Let Me Out’

Itinerary:

November 1: New York City Disco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

November 3: Pista Atletica, Santiago, Chile

November 5: Centenario Stadium, Montevideo, Uruguay

November 6: Velez Sarfield, Buenos Aires, Argentina

November 9: Imperator Club, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Brian May Band’s only dates of 1992 were in South America, which Brian hadn’t played since 1985, returning to Argentina and Brazil but playing Chile and Uruguay for the first time. The set list drew heavily from his new album: nine of the twelve songs were performed live, with Brian’s rendition of The Small Faces’ 1968 song ‘Rollin’ Over’ (itself a raucous climax to
Back To The Light
) exclusive to these shows. After the taped intro of ‘The Dark’, the band launched into the one-two rock punch of ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and ‘Driven By You’, followed by the first ballad of the night, ‘Back To The Light’. (On subsequent tours, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and ‘Back To The Light’ would switch places.) There was a decent balance of rockers and ballads, drawn from both Brian’s solo album and
Queen’s past. Of his former band’s catalogue, Brian performed only five select songs; the only non-May penned Queen tune was ‘Love Of My Life’, introduced on this tour as a song that “everybody in the world knows ... except for me.”

Most surprising is not what was performed but what wasn’t: ‘We Will Rock You’, itself a staple of Queen shows and most post-Queen shows from 1993 on, was absent for these five concerts, though Brian introduced the song for subsequent legs of the tour. Occasionally, ‘Let Me Out’ was performed – certainly not for the first time, though it was still a welcome addition – and a rollicking rendition of ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ (originated by Rainbow, Cozy Powell’s former band) was also inserted from time to time.

What’s interesting about these five shows is that The Brian May Band was still in an embryonic phase. Instead of Jamie Moses on guitar, Mike Caswell deputized, while Maggie Ryder, Miriam Stockley and Chris Thompson all provided backing vocals. By the time the US leg started in February 1993, all four were out, with Moses on guitar and Cathy Porter and Shelley Preston on backing vocals.

BACK TO THE LIGHT NORTH AMERICAN TOUR,

FIRST LEG

23 FEBRUARY TO 6 APRIL 1993

Musicians:
Brian May
(vocals, guitars)
, Cozy Powell
(drums)
, Neil Murray
(bass guitar)
, Jamie Moses
(guitars, backing vocals)
, Spike Edney
(piano, keyboards, vocals)
, Cathy Porter
(backing vocals)
, Shelley Preston
(backing vocals)

Repertoire as headline act:
‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘’39’
(intro)
, ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, Keyboard Solo, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Guitar Extravagance’, ‘Resurrection’ / Drum Solo / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
(reprise)
/ ‘Resurrection’
(reprise)
, ‘Last Horizon’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Let Me Out’

Repertoire as support act:
‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Resurrection’ / Drum Solo / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
(reprise)
/ ‘Resurrection’
(reprise)
, ‘We Will Rock You’
(slow/fast)

Itinerary:

February 23: Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
(supporting)

February 25: Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, Alabama
(supporting)

February 28: Roxy Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
(headline)

March 2: The Agora, Cleveland, Ohio
(headline)

March 5: Hammerjacks, Baltimore, Maryland
(headline)

March 6: Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut
(supporting)

March 8: Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine
(supporting)

March 9: Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut
(supporting)

March 12: Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario
(supporting)

March 14: Beacon Theater, New York, New York
(headline)

March 16: Civic Center, Augusta, Maine
(supporting)

March 17: Boston Gardens, Boston, Massachussetts
(supporting)

March 20: Carver Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
(supporting)

March 21: Fargo Dome, Fargo, North Dakota
(supporting)

March 24: Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba
(supporting)

March 26: Saskatchewan Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
(supporting)

March 28: Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, Alberta
(supporting)

March 30: BC Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia
(supporting)

April 1: Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
(supporting)

April 3: Arco Arena, Sacramento, California
(supporting)

April 4: Lawlor Event Center, Reno, Nevada
(supporting)

April 6: The Palace Theater, Los Angeles, California
(headline)

Brian’s first major headlining tour as a solo artist started in Austin, Texas on 23 February 1993, more than a decade after Queen’s final US show. Not confident that he would be able to fill arenas and stadia on his name alone, Brian was drafted by Guns N’ Roses to be their support act for many of the dates, a position he was more than happy to accept. The only downside was the lack of promotion given to the handful of shows in which Brian was the headline attraction, most of
which were sparsely attended. The situation would be rectified (albeit too late) on his return in October; in the meantime, on 5 April Brian appeared on
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
, giving a brief interview bookended by performances of a truncated (and somewhat wearied) ‘Back To The Light’ and a raucous ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, with Slash assisting on guitar.

The set list hadn’t changed much since the South American shows, with Brian’s headlining set remaining largely the same. His support set, however, was severely abbreviated, with only the essentials – six tracks from
Back To The Light
and three Queen tracks, including a slow/fast rendition of ‘We Will Rock You’, which hadn’t been performed in that style since 1979 – making up the repertoire. These shows also established the format for future tours: solos by Jamie Moses, Spike Edney, Brian and Cozy Powell were all inserted into the set. The latter really came to the fore on ‘Resurrection’, performing a breathless solo that interpolated an anthemic rendition of the ‘1812 Overture’ and concluded with the rock section of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, before leading back into ‘Resurrection’ for a stunning finale. No surprise, then, when things slowed down considerably after such a display with the more mellow ‘Last Horizon’.

By the end of the tour, after performing in many unusual cities (Fargo, Iowa City and Saskatoon weren’t strong territories for Queen even at the height of their US popularity), the band had constructed a tight set and were undoubtedly on fire. They then took six weeks off to prepare for their first European and UK tour.

BACK TO THE LIGHT EUROPEAN AND UK TOUR,

FIRST LEG

22 MAY TO 13 JULY 1993

Musicians:
Brian May
(vocals, guitars)
, Cozy Powell
(drums)
, Neil Murray
(bass guitar)
, Jamie Moses
(guitars, backing vocals)
, Spike Edney
(piano, keyboards, vocals)
, Cathy Porter
(backing vocals)
, Shelley Preston
(backing vocals)

Repertoire as headline act:
‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Headlong’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘’39’
(intro)
, ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, Keyboard Solo, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Guitar Extravagance’, ‘Resurrection’ / Drum Solo / ‘1812 Overture’ / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
(reprise)
/ ‘Resurrection’
(reprise)
, ‘Last Horizon’, ‘We Will Rock You’
(slow/fast)
, ‘God (The Dream Is Over)’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Let Me Out’