Artist | Queen |
---|---|
Date | 11.06.1986 |
Venue | Groenoordhallen |
City | Leiden |
Country | The Netherlands |
Support band | INXS |
Attendance | 12800 |
Audio recording | Length: 112:06 Quality: VG+ [a very enjoyable recording] Direct download: https://mega.nz/folder/BkBlCAbb#ag_wOHKkMB8hQZZ4G-_IWw |
Video - information | doesn't exist - if you have any footage, please contact me |
Line-up | Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano, electric guitar), Brian May (electric guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards), Roger Taylor (drums, backing vocals, tambourine), John Deacon (bass guitar), Spike Edney (keyboards, piano, electric guitar, backing vocals) |
Photos supplied by: Tim de Scally, Koos van Zanden
This concert was the only Queenconcert I went to see. I was 16 years old at that time and we (my girlfriend, my best friend and his girl) didn't get to see a big concert like that until that day. We got hold of some tickets and went to Leiden. When the bus arrived in Leiden the doors were just opening, so I fogot all about my spare ticket. We rushed in and got right at the front of the stage. My girlfriend and myself went a little dizzy when after standing staight up and waiting for one and a half hours for the support-act. Like hundred guys were pushing us against the fences in front of the stage. We got out the crowd and found a better place just behind the jumping and pushing people (approx. 10 meters from the front).
I have a good memory of details, in contrary to my friend, so when we talk about the concert I can recall a lot. This was almost 17 years ago . After seen so much of Queen material during the later years and having no-one to confirm things, I sometimes doubted the acurracy of my memories. But the bootleg recording is the proof for me!
The support-act was INXS. Never heard of... The whole crowd was singing "We want Queen" between their songs. At a moment Michael Hutchins got a banana thrown at his feet. After their last song Michael thanked the audience and went of stage... A very loud cheer from the Queen fans followed. This was the moment we were waiting for! Queen was coming! At least we thought... After standing on the concrete for another whole hour the lights faded. The lightingset was put in a low-height position, the stage was being filled with smoke, and everybody was singing the football-anthem thing: Ole - olehe - ole!!! etc.
Suddely the loud synth beginning of One Vision! We went mad at that point. Precizely after the smoke and the lights were high above the stage, Brian hits his first chords. Out of nowhere the band was there! I think I lost my voice in those first minutes.
As we can hear on the cd's, Freddie asked us:" What was it you were singing? That football song..." So we did it all over again, but twice as loud as before. "Add a beat to it..." Roger was trying to find the beat to it, Brian and John were looking for the chords. The Groenoordhallen in Leiden is indoors with lousy accoustics and the crowd was getting to enthousiastic so it didn't work. I also recall Freddie having a beer. He asked someone in the front: "Want to have a beer, my dear?" He did give it to that person. "Pass it around, there is enough for everyone!" he joked.
Since that day everytime I hear the beginning of One Vision I go back to 1986. At that time Friends Will Be Friends was in the dutch charts. It was never one of my fav.'s but it will remind me of the concert. The videoclip had a bit of the same atmoshere.
I did see Brian Solo twice (Rotterdam and Utrecht) later, it was excellent but did not have as much impact on me as the Queen concert did...
I remember I was 12 years old and playing piano. I had study for Bohemian Rhapsody and my piano teacher told me that we go to the concert in Leiden. I was so young and was still attending the basic school. The only thing I remember was the taste of beer (for the fisrt time in my life) and the great light show and the unbelievable hard noise. Just remember I was 12 years old. What I also will remember was the fact that my piano teacher told me that he had a feeling that it was the last time we ever saw Queen. Goddamn he was right. I know that INXS were playing. We were talking about them and wondered where they come from. It's still a little scary that both singers of Queen and INXS are dead.
Now it is 2002 and I live near Het Museumplein in Amsterdam. It is raining and on the radio I hear that Queen is coming to perform. My piano teacher (I stopped lessons when I was 16) called me and told me the news. So I gave it a shot and went to check it out. I heard one song, two songs, three songs and then I was walking away of this shameless show. It wasn't great: it was bad. John wasn't there, Freddie wasn't there. And Roger is a great background singer but not a lead singer. Man, how bad it was. Shameless. never again, please!!!