From now until The Game in 1980, all of the bands tours would start off in North America, which also began a trend of the band members buying instruments in the States at the beginning of the tour. On 6th October 1977, the band invited people from the Fan Club to attend a video shoot for their upcoming single (which turned out to be We Are the Champions) and they thanked them by giving a surprise concert. That concert is included here, and not on the News of the World tour, as they still played a Races-era set and used Races-era equipment.

At the end of the tour (Earls Court), Roger trashed his drum set. John began the tour with his Fender basses but then he got a Music Man Stingray and used it as his main for the remainder, including the 6th October surprise for the fans.

Percussion

Roger's Ludwig kit
Roger's tambourine
John playing a triangle
Drum kit
  • Ludwig 26" x 14" bass-drum.
  • Ludwig 14" x 7.5" snare drum.
  • Ludwig 16" x 16", 18" x 18" and 20" x 20" floor toms.
  • Ludwig 14" x 14", 13" x 13" and 12" x 12" rack toms.
  • Ludwig 10" x 10", 8" x 8" and 6" x 6" small toms.
  • Paiste 8" splash cymbal.
  • Paiste 18" crash cymbal.
  • Paiste 22" china cymbal.
  • Zildjian 15" hi-hats.
  • Zildjian 20" and 2 x 18" crash cymbals.
  • Zildjian 22" ride cymbal.
  • 3 x Cowbells.
  • Ludwig Speed-King pedal.
  • Ludwig stands.
  • Premier sticks.
  • Bass-drum logo: white crest / black background.
Gong [hit once at the end of Bohemian Rhapsody and during White Man and Ogre Battle]
  • Paiste 60" symphonic.
  • Bespoke beaters.
  • Paiste stands.
Tambourine
  • Unknown
Triangle [Killer Queen]
  • Unknown.

Bass guitars

John's fretless bass
John's Musicman Stingray bass
John's Fender Precision '68
Electric bass guitars
  • Fender Precision 1965.
  • Fender Precision 1968 (e.g. 05.02.1977).
  • Fender Precision fretless [´39]
  • Music Man Stingray [11.02.1977 onwards].
Bass rig
  • 5 x Acoustic 371 amplifiers.
  • 3 x Acoustic cabinets.
  • 2 x Gauss 4" x 12" cabinets.
  • 1 x Cornish (?) bespoke control.

Guitars / banjo

Brian's Red Special
Brian's back-up guitars
Brian's banjo
Brian's acoustic Ovation
Electric six-string guitars
  • BHM bespoke [main]
  • Birch bespoke [spare, e.g. 17.03.1977]
  • Gibson Les Paul Deluxe [second spare]
Guitar rig
  • Cornish bespoke effect [trebe-booster]
  • EBow [06.10.1977 - Prophet's Song]
  • Eventide harmoniser
  • fOXX foot pedal [phaser]
  • 2 x Maestro tape-delay
  • 9 x Vox AC30 amplifiers
  • Vox foot pedal [wah-wah]
Acoustic guitar ['39]
  • Ovation Pacemaker 1615 twelve-string
Ukelele-banjo [Leroy Brown]
  • Sheltone

Piano

Freddie's Steinway at Earls Court
Piano

They borrowed a Steinway acoustic grand owned by Elton John and used it for the first eleven concerts; the truck taking it from Montreal to Chicago suffered an accident due to a snowstorm and that night the crew had to swiftly find another Steinway to hire. It's unknown whether Elton's piano was lost for good or if they resumed using it for the rest of the tour. At Madison Square Garden a week later, Mercury was definitely playing a Steinway, as confirmed by the photos. Now, was that Steinway Elton's one? Or a new rental? No idea!