Its always bugged me how bad the crowd at Rock Montreal were. They didnt sing, they hardly made a noise and even during Jailhouse Rock Freddie has to say "Dance you ****ers".
Id have given my right arm to see a Queen concert with Freddie.
They was asked/told by the producer to stay in their seats, when the band found out about this they were extremely upset as they wanted their fans to enjoy themselves
That is a very typical Canadian audience. It's a 'thing' well known in the music business that Canadian audiences are not particularly demonstrative. We cheer and whistle with the best of them as songs end but there isn't a lot of spontaneous rowdiness or a great desire to have loud group singalongs. I can't speak for why it's developed that way for the whole, but for me I just want to rock and listen and eventually dance in place when I can't stay sitting any longer and be riveted by what's going on in front of me, rather than having a shouting and singing party.
They're Canadian, eh.
Same thing happens with "older crowds" (I.e. Old farts)
Some people warble at you to "sit down, you're ruining the show"
I know a few artists who pique the crowd with a point "they think this is on tv!" (I.e. Get off your ass and live the moment)
Ah well. I wondered that too. Figured it might have to do with the taping.
My favorite LIVE act: FISHBONE were incredibly subdued when filming a live dvd. It was ridiculous.
Figuring there were two shows, they probably didn't want to allow the crowd to become a VISIBLE fifth member
Yeh I guess that's all true. But I always got the feeling Freddie/Queen thrived when the crowd sang along with them. The moments when Freddie had the audience in his hands were legendary.
Exactly - this has nothing to do with Canadians. It's a North American thing. We want to be entertained, whereas in other parts of the world like Europe and Japan they like being part of the show.
This entire idea that many Queen fans think Canadian audiences suck stems from the fact that the audio mix on the old We Will Rock You VHS/DVD was awful. When recording a live album, normally there are mics on the audience. Either the film crew didn't use the mics, or they pushed them out of the final mix.
It's a completely different audio source from the one used for the Rock Montreal release in 2007, where the audience sound vibrant and alive, as they should be.
While there are things that set NA audiences apart from other parts of the world, performers across the arts draw distinctions between Canadian and American audiences all the time. We're no less passionate or vibrant or appreciative, just a little more laid back and harder to read in general. Some have said quieter and more reserved, others a little cooler, a little more hip, and a little quicker to pick up on satire. It's not about 'good' or 'bad' (or 'crap'), it's just the different characters of the countries and the way that distinctiveness is reflected in an audience setting. Completely predictable. It would be surprising if it weren't so.
I used to feel like that too....that they didn't deserve to be there, seeing the greatest band on the planet, not to mention the best frontman ever to grace the Earth. I felt so badly for Freddie/Queen, having just come off the South American tour, where they were so interactive & knew every word, to face such a dud of an audience.
But, then I found an old tape at a church fair (lol...never underestimate the power of prayer!), and the audio is completely different!
On the newer recordings, they're pathetic, but on the original, called We Will Rock You, they're screaming like crazy!
It was such a pleasant surprise to hear the roar of the crowd!
The Real Wizard wrote: This entire idea that many Queen fans think Canadian audiences suck stems from the fact that the audio mix on the old We Will Rock You VHS/DVD was awful. When recording a live album, normally there are mics on the audience. Either the film crew didn't use the mics, or they pushed them out of the final mix.
I think on the Pioneer DVD version's commentary, Swimmer said that it was mixed 'dry' because it was intended to be played for roadshows and IMAX presentations, IIRC.
As a Canadian I can attest to the way that we appreciate concerts is different than in a lot of other places.
I remember seeing Big Country in a small club back in the early 90's and being amazed at how the whole place was chanting football songs, singing along, shouting at the band... I think every transplanted Scot in Toronto showed up and I felt like I was in a different place.
The Real Wizard wrote: This entire idea that many Queen fans think Canadian audiences suck stems from the fact that the audio mix on the old We Will Rock You VHS/DVD was awful. When recording a live album, normally there are mics on the audience. Either the film crew didn't use the mics, or they pushed them out of the final mix.
I think on the Pioneer DVD version's commentary, Swimmer said that it was mixed 'dry' because it was intended to be played for roadshows and IMAX presentations, IIRC.
Bingo.
The original intention of the film was to have a mobile version of Queen live on the big screen. Hence "Mobilevision" being the company's name.
The Rock Montreal release certainly corrected the audience audio problem. I remember being surprised when Brian does the Play the Game solo while walking towards the audience and they went mad.
However, there's still Freddie's remarks during the show:
"If you guys want to move around, shake your asses a little it's Ok by us" (before Killer Queen)
and
"C'mon, move it you fuckers!" (during Jailhouse Rock)
and
"Thank you Montreal, thanks for being such good sports" (at the end).
In Canada we're more like spectators than active audience members. You are looked at funny if you sing along. It's sucks but it's true. Having said that, if I was to see Freddie Mercury live I want to hear him and not the dickhead next to me.