| Sheldon 16.01.2015 03:20 |
Over the years there's been a number of songs that have been featured on most set lists. Now of course less, since they tend to play just the biggest hits. Here are my choices. Dragon Attack - I really don't like this song, not the studio version nor the live versions. It's really boring and having Adam sing it didn't make it any better. Now I'm Here - Another one of Brian's. They seemed to really enjoy performing this early rocker, but the extended versions played on later tours are just too boring for me. Crazy Little Thing - Don't get me wrong, I love this song. But live, with the exception of Live Aid, it just dragged on. I personally have no need to listen to Freddie repeat "mama" or "CLTCL" for minutes while nothing interesting happens. There are probably more, but for now this is enough. How about you guys? |
| Chief Mouse 16.01.2015 03:48 |
Get Down Make Love. I don't enjoy it that much although in the venue it was probably a more interesting experience. Brian's guitar solo (if that counts). I just find it too long. |
| The King Of Rhye 16.01.2015 10:29 |
I love the NIH/Dragon Attack medley thing.........some nice jamming from the band........and even CLTCL, same thing, especially when they had the keyboard player get into it as well......... I do agree about Get Down Make Love, tho......I'll usually skip that on a bootleg.........the guitar solo? sometimes I will skip that, too, it's like I gotta be in the right mood for it or something......lol I often find myself skipping the encores (in post-77 shows!)........its the same WWRY and WATC.......kinda gets boring after you've heard it 50 times.......maybe Brian adds some extra guitar at the start of WWRY, or maybe the crowds more into it than usual, but that about the only real difference there ever is..........a different story if you're actually there, though! |
| Rick 16.01.2015 12:14 |
You're My Best Friend It was a hit, so they had to play it, hadn't they? I find the live versions incredibly weak compared to the wonderful album version. For this song alone, they should have brought the Fender Rhodes on stage and let John play it. No drums, no guitar, just the Rhodes and their voices/harmonies. That would have been ace :-) Example: link |
| malicedoom 16.01.2015 12:17 |
Not a huge fan of Now I'm Here, but I can understand why they keep playing it, as it's a good 'concert' song. And never thought Killer Queen sounded good live. Ever. |
| Oscar J 16.01.2015 12:54 |
Oh, there are quite a few, especially from the 80's. * The poppy and repetitive 80's performances of Now I'm Here. The song rocked in the early 70's though. * 80's performances of Tie Your Mother Down. Again, once a heavy rocker, but by the 80's it sounded like one of Status Quo's lamest numbers. * A Kind Of Magic * I Want To Break Free * Is This The World We Created? * Radio Ga Ga * Friends Will Be Friends * Under Pressure (except the Montreal version, that's a good one) * Keep Yourself Alive (go ahead and bash me for it - though the drum solo's are often great) * You're My Best Friend That's about it I think. |
| The Ghost of Lester Burnham 16.01.2015 17:48 |
The King Of Rhye wrote: I often find myself skipping the encores (in post-77 shows!)........its the same WWRY and WATC.......kinda gets boring after you've heard it 50 times.......maybe Brian adds some extra guitar at the start of WWRY, or maybe the crowds more into it than usual, but that about the only real difference there ever is..........a different story if you're actually there, though!Agreed with this – the encores got very familiar and (to me) boring by '78. (Remember they closed with Jailhouse Rock and Sheer Heart Attack between November '77 and May '78, only switching it up at the last London show – check out Bob's site for definitive answers, as I can't quite remember off the top of my head!) They switched it up a few times in '80, and then added Friends Will Be Friends in '86, but it was just very predictable. I really do wish they had been a bit more adventurous in that regard. They always switched up their openers, but kept the closer the same. Also, Friends Will Be Friends never did anything for me. It just never seemed to work as a live song. |
| princetom 16.01.2015 18:39 |
"now i'm here" is a timeless classic! no matter what the arrangement is. it's a piece of ... well... capturing a piece of time when queen were on their way to peak the top! GREAT! the '79 revisions RULE big time! as speakting of "we will rock you", "we are the champions". ... now... those are GREAT songs...! but repeating (and reducing) the legacy of that very band to those two songs (and they DO by repeating those on any occasion)... well.... dosn't feel good in any way! yes. maybe they're thinking, it's what people want to hear... but the past years... appearing on various TV-stations and repeating the same old... the same old... it's not the way that the original spirit of queen feels like. i LOVE the band for delivering stuff no-one expected... in the times where queen albums were original. i kind of ...well... think it's regressive and boring to reduce the legacy to some overplayed songs. for god's sake they don't do that with AL.! yes... they play some of their biggest hits... it's like people want to hear them.... but most welcome is to have their more unknown songs... for being simply good music and extraordinary statements. *for god's sake*.. one more arrangement of "white queen", "the millionaire waltz" or something like that. i'd die for that ! |
| tomchristie22 16.01.2015 18:50 |
The Prophet's Song's studio version is sublime - live, it just sounds bad by comparison, even in some of their stronger shows. |
| Heavenite 16.01.2015 21:02 |
Now I'm Here was never one of my favourite Queen tracks, but I'll give them credit for focussing on a particular period in that last tour. Nice to have an album or period in focus, and having Now I'm Here and Stone Cold Crazy played, along with Killer Queen of course, did that for Sheer Heart Attack to some extent. Friends Will Be Friends is another track that leaves me cold with the live versions. I also agree that WATC/WWRY has been played to death a bit unfortunately. Fine if you're there though of course. |
| jondickens1 17.01.2015 02:45 |
I hate the rock n roll medleys, especially the magic tour ones. I always skip these tracks. Hated Jailhouse Rock on previous tours too. I can understand that being there in there early days due to firstly lack of material and needing to play songs people knew if the audience were unfamiliar with there own material. But in 86, why? If they wanted to play an acoustic set,39 plus other reworked Queen tracks would've gone down a storm, surely? |
| pittrek 17.01.2015 03:47 |
Live stuff I don't like ..... Modern Times Rock'n'Roll - don't get me wrong, I LOVE this song, but Freddie's voice just doesn't fit to it, I don't know why. Roger's voice is just perfect for this song. Now I'm Here - I like the 1979-1982 live versions, but not the rest. The early versions were too slow, the later versions are too long and too boring You're My Best Friend - this song is my definition of boredom Get Down Make Love - I just hate this "headache maker" |
| ili 17.01.2015 04:29 |
Crazy little thing.... just keeps going and going like it will never end. I don't like the original song that much, and live version is unbearable. Now I'm Here sounded better in the 70s. I'm in Love with My Car... boring, and boring, would have been better if Freddie sang the leads I believe. Roger is perfect on backing vocals and occasionally on lead (especially Say It's not True) but on this one he sucks! Get Down Make Love... never loved the song |
| tomchristie22 17.01.2015 04:49 |
Roger's lead vocal for I'm In Love With My Car is great on the album. He just can't recreate the phrasing so nicely because he's trying to play drums at the same time. |
| srnapranjic 17.01.2015 05:23 |
i want it all now i'm here fat bottomed girls '39 crazy little thing dragon attack are getting boring...they should try some other songs from innuendo or made in heaven album instead |
| matt z 17.01.2015 08:50 |
Amazing! Someone dislikes I'M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR (live) .... I've always thought it THE lead vocal drummer song and found it incredible. Fun thread. Dislike: Staying power (crap song... maybe EWF could have saved it with a different arrangement) Tear it up (cookie cutter "queen rock" song) Body language (may have been dreadful to perform) Bout it. I love Prophets Song live. .. ESPECIALLY love the live versions of IWTBF....it becomes a different song. The spaciousness and crunch work great live. Not super fond of the original... prefer the single version Also. .. didn't like the new version of STL with the vamp. It cheapens the song and puts it into MEATLOAF territory. Just awful. Awful. Like a musical |
| Oscar J 17.01.2015 09:00 |
Vamp? |
| Rick 17.01.2015 12:55 |
matt z wrote: Amazing! Someone dislikes I'M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR (live) .... I've always thought it THE lead vocal drummer song and found it incredible. Fun thread. Dislike: Staying power (crap song... maybe EWF could have saved it with a different arrangement) Tear it up (cookie cutter "queen rock" song) Body language (may have been dreadful to perform) Bout it. I love Prophets Song live. .. ESPECIALLY love the live versions of IWTBF....it becomes a different song. The spaciousness and crunch work great live. Not super fond of the original... prefer the single version Also. .. didn't like the new version of STL with the vamp. It cheapens the song and puts it into MEATLOAF territory. Just awful. Awful. Like a musicalStaying Power? In my opinion, that is one of the best things they ever did live...musically speaking. The MK version is incredible. The drumming is great, both Brian and John on guitar (listen to John's part alone, some funky playing!) and of course Freddie's incredible vocal performance. |
| Wiley 17.01.2015 13:23 |
Dragon Attack. Crazy Little Thing. Later, sped up versions of Now I'm Here. Get Down make love. The '86 rock and roll medley is a waste of time. Big Spender is very cool but I prefer the early versions. |
| IanR 17.01.2015 16:08 |
Crazy Little Thing was at its best in the early 80s when Fred Mandel was pianist. All subsequent versions with Spike just aren't the same. |
| The King Of Rhye 17.01.2015 16:51 |
Oscar J wrote: Vamp?I'm presuming he meant the fast part at the end (which I love, btw...lol) |
| Jazz 78 17.01.2015 17:07 |
Never thought The Prophet Song worked for them live. The studio version is fantastic but in every recording I've heard of this song live it just seems like they're struggling each time. |
| Nitroboy 17.01.2015 17:23 |
Sheer Heart Attack - I can't stand the album version, and much less the live versions either |
| Gregsynth 17.01.2015 17:32 |
What about the one from Fukuoka Simon? :D |
| tomchristie22 17.01.2015 18:03 |
Jazz 78 wrote: Never thought The Prophet Song worked for them live. The studio version is fantastic but in every recording I've heard of this song live it just seems like they're struggling each time.Yeah. They never got the harmonies sounding quite right - it makes me think they'd actually made the wrong note choices in rehearsal, rather than them just struggling to get it right from night to night. |
| matt z 17.01.2015 19:29 |
Maybe I'm using the term incorrectly. I always thought a vamp was an extension of a song repeated to close, but instead I've found so many varied definitions, informal, colloquial etc as to not know what the established definitive musical term means. For the record "I meant the faster part at the end that was introduced with the flipping guitarists on American Idol featuring Queen +, + the Queen extravaganza. I expected to see some squats and thrusts with "jazz hands" during that corny closing. Totally going the direction of the "time warp dance" |
| Mercuryman12 17.01.2015 20:05 |
Bring back that Leroy brown. It was a short sing that was very boring on stage |
| matt z 17.01.2015 21:38 |
Mercuryman12 wrote: Bring back that Leroy brown. It was a short sing that was very boring on stageAlways thought it was frenetic and funny. It's only a two minute song. The additional ukulele bit was great. Maybe I hold it in high esteem because of its scarcity when I was growing up. I used to hear stories that it had been played live (by my law teacher) and that queen played so loud that your innards rattled. This was in the days before I could attend music shows where bootlegs were sold and traded |
| Gregsynth 19.01.2015 12:10 |
I enjoy Queen's live takes on the songs! Certainly a different animal when compared to the studio stuff - but it's fun to hear the live stuff! |