QueenZone discussion #1480519

Michael wrote: . . . And it likely will not return. You didn't think it was going to last, did you? Next to go: It's Late.

soxtalon wrote: Slim sliver of hope - tonight's show was delayed somewhat significantly from what I've heard due to some tech problems with Brian's guitar. That might be the explanation tonight. Crossing fingers. That would suck ass.

MercurialFreddie wrote: I feared that it will come to this when SYW was first dropped due to the time issues on the third night of the tour.

MercurialFreddie wrote: I feared that it will come to this when SYW was first dropped due to the time issues on the third night of the tour.

oliverd05 wrote: The real answer will be on Thursday the 13th in Chicago!! If there's curfew problems or Brian's guitar is on the blink that's probably why SYW and IL were cut, im praying they're not totally gone as it makes he whole news of the world anniversary thing a bit pointless with only 1 song from the album being played

NickESB wrote:

MercurialFreddie wrote: I feared that it will come to this when SYW was first dropped due to the time issues on the third night of the tour.

SYY wasn't dropped because of time issues at Hollywood Bowl. It fell out the set because (a) Brian couldn't live without performing another tedious as **** guitar solo and (b) the band basically have little courage left when it comes to really testing the audience.

DrumBrother wrote: If time was the issue they could have cut Get Down Make Love...probably my least favourite Queen song. . . . .

jabbo5150 wrote: I just tweeted him about the Detroit show and those songs so if it was that, it was my Tweet.

The Real Wizard wrote: I was at the Montreal show last night. I'm a bit disappointed that It's Late and Spread Your Wings have been dropped. I share and empathize with a lot of the feelings that I'm reading about here. But I'm going to attempt to bring some grander perspective into the discussion: How many successful 1970s acts survived the 1980s, commercially speaking? I think we can we count them on one hand. The LP as a medium peaked in the early to mid 70s, but was in decline by the late 70s. To survive the 1980s, it became all about the single, to get played on the radio and on MTV. Peter Gabriel stuck to albums, and coincidentally by 1982 he was flat broke, to the point that Genesis had to reunite with him for a show at the Milton Keynes bowl to bail him out. If Queen had broken up in 1979 and did a reunion tour in the 2000s, they'd probably be doing theatres and playing mostly album tracks. But for a moment in 1980, Queen were the biggest act in the US - not because of an album, but because of two hit songs. From then onward, with occasional exceptions, earlier material was axed in their setlists in favour of new songs, but the hits more or less remained the dominant part of their show. Here's one of those exceptions - in 1982, they played Liar for a few weeks at the beginning of the tour. It sounded fresh and exciting. But listen to the tapes - their audience had changed. Most people didn't know the song. The band clued in, and they dropped it. The only difference between then and now is there was no internet. Bootleg tapes circulated, but it usually took months or even years for that to happen. So people just went to the shows and generally had a great time without expectations. It was only a small minority who'd say "they aren't playing the old songs anymore." For the past 40 years or so, to most people Queen have been a hits band. How do we know that? Greatest Hits has sold better than all of their studio albums combined. Let that sink in. And a slightly more anecdotal citing - in those "guitar heroes" type books, on every guitarist's page it names three albums that best encapsulate their work. For literally every other rock player there are three studio albums, but for Brian May it's usually Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera, and Greatest Hits. But this is the path they've chosen. Maybe "Two Fux" is more important than two classics. Or maybe it's as simple as the fact that they have a fuck ton of hits to pick from, and that they've willingly chosen the flock over the few. My vote is for the latter. But let's not pretend that this sensitivity for their audience is a sudden development. It's been in their consciousness since before plenty of us reading this post were born. To people who post on forums like this, the first six Queen albums are cherished artistic statements. Connoisseurs of music see that 73-77 period as a big deal. But to Brian and Roger who have known each other for about 50 years, that's 10% of that time. As the artists who have invested themselves into this music for so many years and in so many different ways, we can't even begin to psychoanalyze them and their choices (nor should we). It may well be that those album tracks just may not matter as much to them as many of us think they do. Maybe they're happy watching people enjoy themselves to the hits, because that's what most people identify with. The arenas are full tour after tour, even if the setlist is barely different from the last time, but the production is completely different. Shows are about the events as much as the songs. Adam Lambert riding a bicycle will be far more memorable to most people than which 1977 song they played half way through the show. The fact that they're still filling arenas despite having not released an album in over 20 years probably means Brian and Roger understand the dynamics of performance art far more than many people here are giving them credit for.

ggo1 wrote: Just back from the Toronto show. Went into it disappointed they dropped saw and it's late, but I can see why they did. The pace of the show would have been adversely affected. Get down make love was wonderful, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but everyone around me sat down for that. And Two Fux for that matter. Visually, this is the best Queen show ever. And even though it seems like it's the same songs as last time, it's really not. At least it's not the same as the last NA tour, maybe it's closer to the last European tour. Anyway, bottom line is I really enjoyed the show, the use of Frank was excellent and provided me with one genuine laugh out loud moment. We got to sing happy birthday to Brian which was unique. Deliberately terrible graphic on the video screens for that. It's a good show, I won't remember it with the same fondness I have for the crazy tour shows I saw, or Brussels in 84 or Leeds in 82, but it's still a good show. I will say Brian missed a few notes and I thought he was limping. Roger is in fine form and looks pretty good. Adam is a good frontman but i know not everyone here agrees so thats fine, we can disagree. Didnt notice songs being played slow apart from FBG which really crawled along at a snails pace. Maybe they dropped its late because at that speed it would be 12 minutes long. Ears still ringing. Hotel bed looks comfy.

GonnaUseMyPrisoners wrote: A little less script and a little more "danger" (Brian's word again) might keep things lively, where the current formula delivers, but may not excite.

ggo1 wrote: No clue what happened there... my essay disappeared.

Wiley wrote: Just came back from the Jersey show. Like in 2014, shitty crowd. Great production, video, lights, lasers and spectacle. Every second with FRANK was amazing. Great concept and execution. Too bad they dropped those two songs. I fucking hated it when I heard the opening chords to Break Free because it reminded me of what had been dropped. On the other side I really enjoyed Get Down Make Love (usually don't care for it much), Hammer to Fall (surprise, surprise, it works), and I'm in love with my car. Even Brian's solo was enjoyable. I Want it all and Love of my life, two of my highlights from the 2005 tour, were dull, dull, dull... they should now be retired and never be played in the U.S. again.

Nitroboy wrote: @The Real Wizard - I think the biggest disappointement is that Brian spent so much time hyping the shows with a setlist containing "deep cuts", and now just a couple of shows in, those songs are pulled, and replaced by Greatest Hits stuff. Saying I'm disappointed in their decision and false advertising, is putting it mildly. Hopefully they get wiser once their European tour starts.