Keep Yourself Alive was a shocker that they didn't play this song! Fits right in to the Classic set list! I know that they played a small part of the song but would have LOVED if the full song was performed one last time in 1986
Dropping Somebody to Love and Keep yourself Alive were the two classics that should have been played but Princes of the Universe would have been awesome! What were they thinking when they decided not to play it?
I was 3 years old when Queen toured the magic album, but I'll chime in.
"Pain is so close to pleasure" should have been given the MAGIC TOUR -"in the lap of the gods revisited" treatment just one verse to showcase some of the album. Kinda like mustapha was done.
It only would have worked if they absolutely never ever ever played the entire song however, cause it's not one of their better ones.
It could have fit as a verse preceding a version of Somebody to Love. (in place of Tutti Fruitti) Although I love a band actually acknowledging Little Richard Penniman
Gimme the Prize would have been incredible but I can imagine the vocal strain and fact that it was a soundtrack song BARELY featured in the film, would have instantly taken it off the setlist.
Ditto Princes of the universe.
Even if they vamped it with the drums and guitar they could have segued it into the guitar solo or done it as a bit before WWRY.
As for stuff that should have been OMITTED
TEAR IT UP seems like a bad decision in the setlist now, but I'm sure it sounded great live back then.
All in all, I think they made good choices with the setlist. It's better than being static. They visited every album but FLASH GORDON & JAZZ right?
If they knew it was a last run I wonder why DOIN ALRIGHT didn't get just the instrumental tease like LIAR got on guitar.
*(edited for legibility)
They were probably thinking: "There is no way we can do Princes of the Universe live as it's too complicated and tricky. We would have to change the song so much that it would lose its identity or sound crap or both."
matt z wrote:
I was 3 but I'll chime in.
PISCTP should have been given the MAGIC TOUR -ITLOTGR treatment just one verse to showcase some of the album. Kinda like mustapha was done.
Strummed chords left to ring. One verse preceding a version of STL in place of Tutti Fruitti. Although I love a band actually acknowledging Little Richard Penniman
Gimme the Prize would have been incredible but I can imagine the vocal strain and fact that it was a soundtrack song barely featured would have instantly taken it off the setlist. Yeah. Ditto POTU. Even if they vamped it with the drums and stuff they could have segued it into the guitar solo or done a bit before WWRY.
TIU seems like a bad decision now but I'm sure it sounded great live. I think they made good choices with the setlist. Better than being static. They visited every album but FG & Jazz right?
If they knew it was a last run I wonder why DOIN ALRIGHT didn't get just the instrumental piano tease like LIAR got on guitar
I need an ENIGMA machine to understand half of your posts.
Holly2003 wrote:
They were probably thinking: "There is no way we can do Princes of the Universe live as it's too complicated and tricky. We would have to change the song so much that it would lose its identity or sound crap or both."
Indeed, although I don't believe it losing its identity would necessarily be such a bad thing. Many of their songs had to take on new identities due to the constraints of the live setting.
Fair enough Holly.
I just hope I never get to "reading" like Mahler.
I was just saying they could have teased a few more tracks from the release like Queen teased LIAR in 86 before TEAR IT UP.
Pain is so close to pleasure would've worked in that respect preceding Somebody To Love, which had been dropped for the tour.
Oh well. Just getting into the fantastic aspects of a "what if. .." not dealing with reality, obviously since the tour is long gone.
If I start to get Mahleristic please contact an EMT ...I may be having a stroke.
Princes Of The Universe of course! At least the first part of it. Maybe some rythm guitar and pre recorded chorus were needed but they should have done it.
The Loser In The End instead of Friends Will Be Friends.
Or The Night Comes Down instead of We Are The Champions.
Nah, just a joke.
Ha! :D
Maybe Killer Queen or Somebody To Love.
i was 2 when they toured it... and live at wembley was the 3rd of 4th album i ever heard by Queen - i was 8 when that came out. So for me... it's the perfect setlist...
now that i'm older, i'd say it's very surprising they didn't replace Gimme The Prize for Tear It Up. It just sounds like it should have taken its place for the tour. Some say Princes of The Universe... but with all those timing changes and Brian's solo... it didn't sound like a fun song to attempt in a live setting... But Gimme The Prize is a simple heavy number that easily fit the bill to get the crowd going earlier on in the show.
As for classics - given the sound mix during those shows, it would have been interesting to get Spread Your Wings added to the list or possibly an unplugged rendition of Save Me (Freddie + Brian, during the acoustic set). However, these would have been welcome surprises rather than surprises that they were not played.
I doubt Freddie had thought about Father to Son for years by 1986. He probably wouldn't have cared to perform it at all.
The heaviness might not have fit very well, either.
Actually, I remember being very surprised after the Newcastle gig that they hadn't done Killer Queen.. Not bothered mind.. But surprised.. I was even more surprised earlier, when the first chords of In The Lap Of The Gods Revisited rang out from the PA.. I suddenly got very excited then..
I think "Princes" would have worked well, especially early on in the set, "Here We Are, Born To Be Kings...!!"
I know that there's no comparison with the real thing,and I digress... but I once saw a Queen tribute band (totally live btw, no sequenced music) open their set with "Gimme The Prize"/"Princes Of The Universe" and it worked very well. I know that's a poor example, but it sounded good. They also did a great medley of "Save Me"/"Spread Your Wings"/"Las Palabras De Amor".