I should preface this: I spend entirely too much time researching Queen's live performances. There were some genuinely groundbreaking shows in the '70s and '80s, and the band was renowned for mixing as much entertainment technology as they could into their shows. That's why I've asked some really stupid questions about pyrotechnics, and why I'll probably continue to ask stupid questions. Like this one:
While doing some reading/editing on that foolproof source of Internet wisdom (Wikipedia), I found a couple of passages that indicate that Queen was one of the first bands to use special effects like dry ice smoke, colored light banks, and pyrotechnics. I find that a little hard to believe--Pink Floyd was using smoke, colored lights, and pyrotechnics as far back as 1969, Paul McCartney's been blowing up the stage since the first time he performed "Live and Let Die" live (1973?), and the pre-KISS Wicked Lester dabbled in flashing lights and explosions in the early '70s as well.
What confuses me about the Wikipedia statement that Queen were "among the first" is that two other articles state they were first used during the Sheer Heart Attack tour--five years after Pink Floyd had a gorilla shooting a cannon and smoke bombs going off around an orchestra. Logically, then, one of the two statements is incorrect. Either Queen were not one of the first to use them, as five years is a long time in an era of hard rock and experimental music, or they were using smoke, lights, and pyro before 1974. Any ideas which one is correct?
Not sure about stage smoke but Queen are regarded as the first band to have a made to measure lighting rig. Actually 2 as they had one for big and one for small venues.
Don't know how old you are mate but back in the 70's most rock bands wore denim & leather and often just used in house lighting at gigs. Queen changed all that and made it a more complete show including specially designed stage clothes as well.
Pink Floyd were the first band with their own lighting team and I believe all their own lighting equipment. Though Queen were one of the top bands in terms of innovative lighting, Pink Floyd surpassed everyone. I know one of the coolest parts of PF's "Dark Side" shows around '72-'73 (before SHA) was the excessive amounts of dry ice, so Queen definitely wasn't first there. The factoid about Queen having the first made-to-measure lighting rig could be right though.
One of the things I think Brian said Queen was trying to do along with others was to make the lights into actual objects of scenery on the stage, rather than just something to light the stage with.