When I heard about the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, I dismissed it. I love the cinema but, generally speaking, don’t like biopics, and I’m not keen on recreations of live performances. I’ve seen plenty of the real thing, and you can’t match those. Part of me also worried it might sully my memories of Queen and Freddie Mercury.
To be fair, those memories are fragmented, split between periods when I was bemused by them, liked them and then, finally, once I’d seen them live.
I was 11 when I heard Killer Queen. Back then, my musical influences largely came from my mum, who was into rock ‘n’ roll and middle of the road stuff – Elvis featured prominently, I have to say. So Killer Queen didn’t really fit my expectations. I didn’t get it.
The next song I remember from them was Bohemian Rhapsody, which seemed even more off-the-wall.
A couple of other singles registered with me, but not in any meaningful way. Crazy Little Thing Called Love was the one to really grab my attention. Whether it was the song, or I’d just matured enough and was ready for them, I don’t know. But it drew me in.
The album was The Game, which spawned three other hit singles, including Another One Bites The Dust. The style of both 
these songs was different to the earlier stuff, and maybe that helped attract me. Whatever the reason, I began to see Queen differently. It wasn’t unheard of for me to play The Game repeatedly. The album tracks were all as good as the singles. One, Don’t Try Suicide, even inspired a short story.
Given my growing interest in live music, they inevitably featured as a band to go and see. Of course, they no longer played small venues. They were a “stadium band” well before the phrase fell into common parlance. Fortunately for me they lowered their sights in 1984 and played the National 
Exhibition Centre on The Works tour.
I’m not 100% sure, but I suspect it was the first occasion I went to the NEC. With the number of arenas scattered around the country now, this kind of venue has become the norm. Long gone are the heady days of being able to go and see a major band, shove yourself through to the front and be close enough to shake the lead guitarist’s hand. Instead, we’re subjected to sterile, concrete monoliths that lack character and charge a small fortune to sit you as far from the performance as possible. (Bitter? Me?)
Unsurprisingly, although I was excited to go and see Queen, I was less enthused about the surroundings.
I should also say this was a period in my life when I was prone to moodiness – and not in a mean and magnificent kind of way. Like most mean and moody people, I was far from magnificent. And I recall on the day of the concert being in a lousy mood. Something had pissed me off (obviously something of enormous significance since 35 years later I can’t recall a thing about it), and I arrived looking for something to pick holes in.
With the benefit of hindsight and distance, Queen put on a barnstorming performance. The energy coming off the stage blew away any concerns I had about the lack of atmosphere, as they tore through a set-list most bands would kill to have. They opened with stuff from the new album, before launching into crowd-pleasing favourites, new and old. And the crowd were more than pleased. I suspect they were on their feet most of the gig.
Too many songs were included for me to list them (if I could remember them all anyway), but two highlights were:
- Bohemian Rhapsody – seen live, it’s stunning, even though they leave the stage for the operatic section. Apparently, rather than try to reproduce something that took three weeks to create in a studio, they would revert to the recording. I suppose standing twiddling their thumbs while it went on for a minute or so probably wouldn’t have been entertaining anyway.
- Radio Gaga – even though it was only released earlier in the year, it was such a hit the crowd were ready for it when it came. There’s something about the beat of the hand-clap, and seeing all those hands raised and moving in unison was a spectacle in itself.
In spite of my enthusiasm here, remember I was desperate to find something to pick holes in. So I was disappointed Bowie didn’t turn up for Under Pressure and I complained that, despite having a vast catalogue of their own songs, they included Jailhouse Rock. There’s no pleasing some people…
Aside from the stupidly long wait to get out of the car park afterwards, my only regret about the concert is my foul mood. Without it, I could have enjoyed the gig so much more than I did. Even so, I have a memory of an outstanding performance, and it didn’t stop me realising I’d have to see them another time so I could properly appreciate them.
And I did recently come across another reminder – though I doubt I’ll fit into it again.
Reluctantly, I was persuaded to see the movie. All I can say is, if you like Queen, make sure you see it on the big screen…
I love Queen and was a moody, difficult teenager too. So relate to this masses. Great post Graeme – sharing.
Thank you, Marje. I have to say I was in my twenties when this happened, so I can’t blame it on being a teenager!
In my mind the term teenager stretches somewhat! I’ve always been a bit of a late developer…
As Eric Morecambe used to say: “There’s no answer to that!”
Ha ha! No answer needed…
Who knew you could do misery… it is a splendid film though!
I’m sure there will have been glimpses at times, Geoff. As you say, a great film, but I fear it will not have the same impact on the small screen, so people really need to see it now while it’s still on at the cinema!
Great post, Graeme! I’m glad you did get to see the movie in the end. I loved it so much (went to see it twice and cried both times – I’m such a wet lettuce!) Never got to see Queen live (I was 12 in 1984 and doubt my parents would have let me go to a concert) and regret not going to more live gigs – a resolution for 2019 perhaps.
If you’re a wet lettuce, Shelley, I must be too. Though I must confess some of my tears were for the fact I’ll never get to see Freddie live again. There were also a few because, although I wasn’t at Live Aid, I did see Queen at Wembley a year later, so it brought back memories of my relative youth and, perhaps, some melancholy because I’ll never have that youth again.
As for going to gigs, this year you will definitely get a flavour of the range I went to when I was younger. I still go occasionally now, but a combination of that lost youth and those bloody arenas means I rarely get anything like the buzz I used to. Even so, I would encourage you to go and see more. There is something about live music, and I have some great memories that will never be taken away from me – until I get dementia!
I was captivated by your story here… I never did get to see Queen in person and I have not seen the new bio pic. I have been watching nearly every documentary created about the band and I must say, that it is pretty cool to hear their story in their own voices, blended with video of their live performances. Queen was amazing!
Thank you, Annette. I appreciate that. I would recommend the movie, and I’d strongly recommend seeing it while you can at a cinema. The scale of the live performances, particularly the one at the end, are such that they demand a big screen. To watch it on a small screen will do it an injustice. I’m sure the documentaries have been a revelation, and I’m glad you got something from them. Stay tuned. It might be a few weeks yet, but there is more to come.
Not in the slightest bit jealous here, Graeme 😜. Queen are always my answer to ‘which band would you see if you could go back in time?’ questions – I was raised on their music and Freddie died when I was about ten so seeing them at their height would have been an impossibility, and I’m a huge fan still… I tend to listen to some of their less popular songs more than the really famous ones too. What do you think of Adam Lambert as a front man?
I think Queen are a band whose music seems to cross all generations, Suzie. I was just lucky enough to be around when they were probably at their peak. And, as I’ve implied here, this wasn’t the only time I saw them, but I’ll write about the near-miss soon, and then the big one. As for the jealousy, I’m afraid I’ve inspired a lot of that in people because I have seen a lot of artists over the years, and it’s not uncommon to hear others saying they wished they’d seen them too. Again, there will be more of that this year.
To answer your question about Adam Lambert, I don’t really know much about him in general, and I lost interest in going to see Queen after Freddie died. There are only two of the original members of the band left and, whilst they’re great musicians in their own right, Queen was more than the sum of its parts. Without Freddie, they couldn’t be the same. Even having Paul Rodgers taking lead didn’t tempt me – and he has an awesome pedigree.
I’m a huge Adam fan in the sense of appreciating him for his own voice and who he is as an individual, and the fact that he’s able to perform the songs in a style that suits it and to the younger generations. Once you start comparing though… there is no comparison.
My first concert was Bon Jovi at Cardiff Arms Park in ‘95 I think, with Thunder and Van Halen supporting. Not a bad way to start, but I missed out on a lot of the ultimate bands and performers in their hey day.
Never got into Thunder. Didn’t see Van Halen, but would have loved to. Did see Bon Jovi, but not until 2010, supported by Kid Rock (he was okay) and with a special appearance by Bob Geldof. Love live music!
I’ve seen Bon Jovi 5 times now – ‘95 and then at the Ricoh Arena twice, once at Hyde Park and once at the Villa stadium… I won’t be going when he comes back this year though. I remember when Bob Geldof appeared at Wembley during the same tour I saw in ‘95 and sang I Don’t Like Monday’s
Bob and Jon obviously like that duet, because that’s what they sang when I saw them!