Queen live at the Apollo Theatre, Manchester, UK [27.11.1979]
Basic information
Artist
Queen
Date
27.11.1979
Venue
Apollo Theatre
City
Manchester
Country
UK
Support band
Girl
Video - information
doesn't exist - if you have any footage, please contact me
Line-up
Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano, tambourine, acoustic guitar),
Brian May (electric guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, piano),
Roger Taylor (drums, lead vocals, backing vocals, timpani, tambourine),
John Deacon (bass guitar)
Memorabilia
ticket stub (from my own collection)
concert program (from my own collection)
concert poster (from my own collection)
backstage pass
backstage pass
Fan stories
Written by Stan
Crazy Tour, Manchester Apollo, Tuesday 27th Nov 1979.
I was 16 and still at school and my brother, who had just turned 18 and been working for 18 months. He wanted to treat me as he was feeling flush and this was to be my very first gig - ever!
He'd also wanted to show off his first car which he'd just bought; a beautiful, very red and very shiny Triumph GT6. However as shiny as it was, it had a hole in the passenger floor so I had to lift my feet up quickly whenever he shouted, "PUDDLE!".
That Tuesday, I remember it being a very cold and wet night in Manchester and I wore a short red-cheque cloth jacket with a massive collar and sheepskin lining. I was very grateful for it in the queue outside the venue although once inside it was like a sauna but I didn't dare take it off in case it got stolen.
Our seats were right in the middle on the second row - even now 30-odd years and hundreds of gigs later it is still the closest I've ever been to the stage. Of course, everybody stood up when Queen stormed the stage and the gig started. I was utterly enthralled. The sound was so loud - like nothing I'd ever heard before - and I swear to this day, that Freddie was looking only at me for the entire gig. Of course, he had the knack of making it personal for every one in the audience but when he had you in his spell at such close quarters, it was mesmerising. I don't remember any of the songs, or even noticing anything or anyone other than Freddie - isn't that odd.
I remember leaving the venue at the end soaked in sweat, going out into the cold night air and immediately feeling freezing. My ears were ringing in the comparative silence as we walked back to the car and made our way home; and my brother put on a cassette of ANATO as we half-sung, half-screamed our way along the country lanes home. Mt ears were still ringing the next day and I remember being worried they'd never stop.
I'd never seen the point of a live album before that point but that Saturday I went and bought Live Killers and didn't stop listening to it for months.
I was lucky enough to have seen Queen live more than a dozen times before Freddie died and I'd just like to say thank you guys for all the pleasure you've brought me and for the memories.