by Georg Purvis
* * *
BRIAN MAY
As well as undertaking a curious US radio tour in support of Innuendo, in 1991 Brian was asked to organize the Expo ‘92 Guitar Festival in Seville, Spain. Taking place just before Freddie’s death in November, the experience was therapeutic for Brian: he enjoyed it so much that he organized his own solo tour the following year, which many fans considered equivalent to seeing Queen. The Brian May Band featured a rotating cast of musicians, with the only original supporting members Spike Edney on keyboards and Neil Murray on bass guitar. Jamie Moses wouldn’t join the band until February 1993 and, while Cozy Powell was always Brian’s favourite drummer, his untimely death in April 1998 almost put an end to The Brian May Band. Regardless, Brian soldiered on with Eric Singer in Cozy’s place, but it became clear that such lengthy jaunts around the world were becoming too much. To date, the final Brian May Band concert was in Brisbane on 28 November 1998, and it appears that Brian has no intention of reviving the band any time soon.
INNUENDO RADIO TOUR
25 MARCH TO 10 JUNE 1991
Repertoire included: Guitar Solo, ‘The Invisible Man’, ‘I Can’t Live With You’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Somebody To Love’, ‘Brighton Rock’, ‘Stone Cold Crazy’, ‘Killer Queen’, ‘Headlong’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’
Itinerary:
March 25: New York, New York
April 17: Los Angeles, California
May 28: Boston, Massachusetts
May 29: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 31: Dallas, Texas
June 4: San Jose, California
June 10: Toronto, Ontario
In the absence of a live concert tour to support Innuendo, a radio tour was organized, but with a twist. Since Brian was the only one who was able to promote the new album (John was never one for promotional events; Roger was recording an album with The Cross; and an ailing Freddie was doing his best to stay out of the public eye), he would field questions from both the DJ and call-in listeners – inevitably, Brian was inundated with queries as to when Queen would return to the live circuit in the States – and then perform new guitar tracks over Queen songs picked by the DJ. Amusingly, after the radio performances were taped, the ‘new’ versions with the overdubbed guitar solos would be released on bootlegs, claiming to be alternate takes from the original sessions.
BACK TO THE LIGHT SOUTH AMERICAN TOUR
1 TO 9 NOVEMBER 1992
Musicians: Brian May (vocals, guitars), Cozy Powell (drums), Neil Murray (bass guitar), Spike Edney (piano, keyboards, vocals), Mike Caswell (guitars), Maggie Ryder (backing vocals), Miriam Stockley (backing vocals), Chris Thompson (backing vocals)
Repertoire: ‘The Dark’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Love Token’, ’Love Of My Life’, ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, ‘Now I’m Here’, Guitar Solo, ‘Resurrection’, ‘Last Horizon’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Rollin’ Over’, ‘Let Me Out’
Itinerary:
November 1: New York City Disco, Buenos Aires, Argentina
November 3: Pista Atletica, Santiago, Chile
November 5: Centenario Stadium, Montevideo, Uruguay
November 6: Velez Sarfield, Buenos Aires, Argentina
November 9: Imperator Club, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Brian May Band’s only dates of 1992 were in South America, which Brian hadn’t played since 1985, returning to Argentina and Brazil but playing Chile and Uruguay for the first time. The set list drew heavily from his new album: nine of the twelve songs were performed live, with Brian’s rendition of The Small Faces’ 1968 song ‘Rollin’ Over’ (itself a raucous climax to Back To The Light) exclusive to these shows. After the taped intro of ‘The Dark’, the band launched into the one-two rock punch of ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and ‘Driven By You’, followed by the first ballad of the night, ‘Back To The Light’. (On subsequent tours, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and ‘Back To The Light’ would switch places.) There was a decent balance of rockers and ballads, drawn from both Brian’s solo album and Queen’s past. Of his former band’s catalogue, Brian performed only five select songs; the only non-May penned Queen tune was ‘Love Of My Life’, introduced on this tour as a song that “everybody in the world knows ... except for me.”
Most surprising is not what was performed but what wasn’t: ‘We Will Rock You’, itself a staple of Queen shows and most post-Queen shows from 1993 on, was absent for these five concerts, though Brian introduced the song for subsequent legs of the tour. Occasionally, ‘Let Me Out’ was performed – certainly not for the first time, though it was still a welcome addition – and a rollicking rendition of ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ (originated by Rainbow, Cozy Powell’s former band) was also inserted from time to time.
What’s interesting about these five shows is that The Brian May Band was still in an embryonic phase. Instead of Jamie Moses on guitar, Mike Caswell deputized, while Maggie Ryder, Miriam Stockley and Chris Thompson all provided backing vocals. By the time the US leg started in February 1993, all four were out, with Moses on guitar and Cathy Porter and Shelley Preston on backing vocals.
BACK TO THE LIGHT NORTH AMERICAN TOUR,
FIRST LEG
23 FEBRUARY TO 6 APRIL 1993
Musicians: Brian May (vocals, guitars), Cozy Powell (drums), Neil Murray (bass guitar), Jamie Moses (guitars, backing vocals), Spike Edney (piano, keyboards, vocals), Cathy Porter (backing vocals), Shelley Preston (backing vocals)
Repertoire as headline act: ‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘’39’ (intro), ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, Keyboard Solo, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Guitar Extravagance’, ‘Resurrection’ / Drum Solo / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (reprise) / ‘Resurrection’ (reprise), ‘Last Horizon’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Let Me Out’
Repertoire as support act: ‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Resurrection’ / Drum Solo / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (reprise) / ‘Resurrection’ (reprise), ‘We Will Rock You’ (slow/fast)
Itinerary:
February 23: Erwin Center, Austin, Texas (supporting)
February 25: Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, Alabama (supporting)
February 28: Roxy Theater, Atlanta, Georgia (headline)
March 2: The Agora, Cleveland, Ohio (headline)
March 5: Hammerjacks, Baltimore, Maryland (headline)
March 6: Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut (supporting)
March 8: Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine (supporting)
March 9: Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut (supporting)
March 12: Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario (supporting)
March 14: Beacon Theater, New York, New York (headline)
March 16: Civic Center, Augusta, Maine (supporting)
March 17: Boston Gardens, Boston, Massachussetts (supporting)
March 20: Carver Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa (supporting)
March 21: Fargo Dome, Fargo, North Dakota (supporting)
March 24: Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba (supporting)
March 26: Saskatchewan Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (supporting)
March 28: Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, Alberta (supporting)
March 30: BC Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia (supporting)
April 1: Coliseum, Portland, Oregon (supporting)
April 3: Arco Arena, Sacramento, California (supporting)
April 4: Lawlor Event Center, Reno, Nevada (supporting)
April 6: The Palace Theater, Los Angeles, California (headline)
Brian’s first major headlining tour as a solo artist started in Austi
n, Texas on 23 February 1993, more than a decade after Queen’s final US show. Not confident that he would be able to fill arenas and stadia on his name alone, Brian was drafted by Guns N’ Roses to be their support act for many of the dates, a position he was more than happy to accept. The only downside was the lack of promotion given to the handful of shows in which Brian was the headline attraction, most of which were sparsely attended. The situation would be rectified (albeit too late) on his return in October; in the meantime, on 5 April Brian appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, giving a brief interview bookended by performances of a truncated (and somewhat wearied) ‘Back To The Light’ and a raucous ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, with Slash assisting on guitar.
The set list hadn’t changed much since the South American shows, with Brian’s headlining set remaining largely the same. His support set, however, was severely abbreviated, with only the essentials – six tracks from Back To The Light and three Queen tracks, including a slow/fast rendition of ‘We Will Rock You’, which hadn’t been performed in that style since 1979 – making up the repertoire. These shows also established the format for future tours: solos by Jamie Moses, Spike Edney, Brian and Cozy Powell were all inserted into the set. The latter really came to the fore on ‘Resurrection’, performing a breathless solo that interpolated an anthemic rendition of the ‘1812 Overture’ and concluded with the rock section of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, before leading back into ‘Resurrection’ for a stunning finale. No surprise, then, when things slowed down considerably after such a display with the more mellow ‘Last Horizon’.
By the end of the tour, after performing in many unusual cities (Fargo, Iowa City and Saskatoon weren’t strong territories for Queen even at the height of their US popularity), the band had constructed a tight set and were undoubtedly on fire. They then took six weeks off to prepare for their first European and UK tour.
BACK TO THE LIGHT EUROPEAN AND UK TOUR,
FIRST LEG
22 MAY TO 13 JULY 1993
Musicians: Brian May (vocals, guitars), Cozy Powell (drums), Neil Murray (bass guitar), Jamie Moses (guitars, backing vocals), Spike Edney (piano, keyboards, vocals), Cathy Porter (backing vocals), Shelley Preston (backing vocals)
Repertoire as headline act: ‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Headlong’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘’39’ (intro), ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, Keyboard Solo, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Guitar Extravagance’, ‘Resurrection’ / Drum Solo / ‘1812 Overture’ / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (reprise) / ‘Resurrection’ (reprise), ‘Last Horizon’, ‘We Will Rock You’ (slow/fast), ‘God (The Dream Is Over)’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Let Me Out’
Repertoire as support act: ‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Headlong’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘’39’ (intro), ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Guitar Extravagance’, ‘Resurrection’ / Drum Solo / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (reprise) / ‘Resurrection’ (reprise), ‘We Will Rock You’ (slow/fast)
Itinerary:
May 22: Hayakron Park, Tel Aviv, Israel (supporting)
May 24: Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece (supporting)
May 26: Inonu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey (supporting)
May 29: Rock Am Ring, Cologne, Germany (headline)
May 30: Garedn Stadion, Hannover, Germany (headline)
May 31: Franke Stadion, Nuremberg, Germany (headline)
June 2: Le Grande Rex Theatre, Paris, France (headline)
June 4: Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland (headline)
June 5: Ice Rink, Whitley Bay (headline)
June 6: Barrowlands, Glasgow, Scotland (headline)
June 8: Apollo Theatre, Manchester (headline)
June 9: City Hall, Sheffield (headline)
June 11: Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales (headline)
June 12: NEC, Birmingham (headline)
June 15: Brixton Academy, London (headline)
June 16: Hammersmith Apollo, London (headline)
June 19: International Centre, Bournemouth (headline)
June 21: Ahoy Sport Paleis, Rotterdam, Holland (headline)
June 22: Wildparkstadion, Frankfurt, Germany (headline)
June 25: Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany (supporting)
June 26: Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany (headline)
June 27: Kis Stadion, Budapest, Hungary (headline)
June 29/30: Stadio Bradioa, Modena, Italy (supporting)
July 5: Estadio Olympic, Barcelona, Spain (supporting)
July 6: Estadio Vicente Calderon, Madrid, Spain (supporting)
July 8: Zenith Carriere Soldly, Nancy, France (supporting)
July 9: La Halle Tony Garnier, Lyon, France (supporting)
July 11: Stadium Site, Werchter, Belgium (supporting)
July 13: Bercy, Paris, France (supporting)
For their first dates outside North and South America, The Brian May Band visited three countries that Queen had never been able to perform in: Israel, Greece and Turkey. The exotic locales were due to prior commitments with Guns N’ Roses, with Brian also supporting them in Frankfurt on 25 June and for the final eight dates of the tour. After the three introductory concerts, Brian returned to a more conventional itinerary, with shows in Germany and France before moving on to Scotland and the UK for ten dates. Further shows in Holland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, France and Belgium rounded out the tour.
The set list continued to evolve, with ‘Headlong’ the first post-1986 Queen song to be performed, and an emotional restructuring of John Lennon’s 1970 confessional, ‘God (The Dream Is Over)’, serving as the penultimate number of the set. ‘Let Me Out’ was the only rarity, and was scarcely performed anyway; sadly, this song wasn’t captured on the night Brian decided to record and film the show. The resulting album, Live At Brixton Academy, was an almost complete set, with technical difficulties during ‘Last Horizon’ and the complete performance of ‘God (The Dream Is Over)’ omitted due to copyright issues.
After Brian’s performance in Budapest, the band met up once again with Guns N’ Roses to complete the predetermined itinerary, with the standard supporting set reinstated. Following the Paris show on 13 July (in which Brian joined Guns N’ Roses for ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’), The Brian May Band took a well-deserved break from the road for nearly two months.
WINTERTHURER FESTIVAL
12 SEPTEMBER 1993
Musicians: Brian May (vocals, guitars), Cozy Powell (drums), Neil Murray (bass guitar), Jamie Moses (guitars, backing vocals), Spike Edney (piano, keyboards, vocals), Cathy Porter (backing vocals), Shelley Preston (backing vocals)
Repertoire: ‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Headlong’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘’39’ (intro), ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Resurrection’ / Drum Solo / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (reprise) / ‘Resurrection’ (reprise), ‘Last Horizon’, ‘We Will Rock You’ (slow/fast), ‘God (The Dream Is Over)’, ‘Hammer To Fall’
When Brian was asked to appear at the Winterthurer Festival in Switzerland, held at the Steinberggasse in Winterthur, he agreed, despite the fact that the event was smack in the middle of a three-month break from live appearances. Running through the standard headline set featured on the previous legs, the band turned in a typical performance before going back on break for the next few weeks.
BACK TO THE LIGHT NORTH AMERICAN TOUR,
SECOND LEG
4 TO 18 OCTOBER 1993
Musicians: Brian May (vocals, guitars), Cozy Powell (drums), Neil Murray (bass guitar), Jamie Moses (guitars, backing vocals), Spike Edney (piano, keyboards, vocals), Cathy Porter (backing vocals), Shelley Preston (backing vocals)
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nbsp; Repertoire: ‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Headlong’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘’39’ (intro), ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Resurrection’ / Drum Solo / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (reprise) / ‘Resurrection’ (reprise), ‘Last Horizon’, ‘We Will Rock You’ (slow/fast), ‘God (The Dream Is Over)’, ‘Hammer To Fall’
Itinerary:
October 4: Metropolis, Montreal, Quebec
October 5: The Music Hall, Toronto, Ontario
October 7: Palace Theater, New Haven, Connecticut
October 8: The Strand, Providence, Rhode Island
October 10: The Vic Theater, Chicago, Illinois
October 12: Royal Oak Theater, Detroit, Michigan
October 13: Modjeska Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
October 14: World Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota
October 17: Majestic Theater, Dallas, Texas
October 18: Rockefellers West, Houston, Texas
Returning for a second North American leg, The Brian May Band performed a nine-date tour with a set list that remained static throughout, and this was little more than a warm-up before the Japanese, European and UK tours still to come in November and December. Tackling states and provinces that had been missed the first time round, this was the band’s first full headlining US tour, and the reception did not live up to expectations. Except for a Chicago concert on 12 September 1998 to promote Another World, Brian would not return to the US for a major tour for nearly thirteen years.
BACK TO THE LIGHT JAPANESE TOUR
4 TO 13 NOVEMBER 1993
Musicians: Brian May (vocals, guitars), Cozy Powell (drums), Neil Murray (bass guitar), Jamie Moses (guitars, backing vocals), Spike Edney (piano, keyboards, vocals), Cathy Porter (backing vocals), Shelley Preston (backing vocals)
Repertoire: ‘The Dark’, ‘Back To The Light’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Love Token’, ‘Headlong’, ‘Love Of My Life’, ‘’39’ (intro), ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Resurrection’ / Drum Solo / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (reprise) / ‘Resurrection’ (reprise), ‘Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)’, ‘We Will Rock You’ (slow/fast), ‘God (The Dream Is Over)’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘Let Me Out’, ‘Driven By You’
