by Georg Purvis
Sadly, the show was just about to end. The slapdash manner of the construction of the repertoire was unusual for such perfectionists as Brian and Roger, and only after the tour concluded was it made unofficially public (through sources, hence its unofficial status) that not all was rosy behind the scenes. Reports varied over the tension, but Brian was clearly displeased with ‘Surf’s Up . . . School’s Out !’ as the opener; when ‘Hammer To Fall’ returned to the set in Nottingham, it was as the first number, and its displaced opener was performed right before the acoustic set. Furthermore, the increasing omissions of Paul’s solo material, and the general similarities to the preceding tour, made it clear that the band hadn’t rehearsed a whole lot of new material. There was some tension reported between Paul and Brian: the vocalist wanted to rehearse more songs, while the guitarist was content with the hits show the set had become. By the end of October, Brian had ceased writing about the tour on his Soapbox; he had started off as prolific as before, but there wasn’t any mention of the tour throughout November. By the time the tour ended, he had written a cryptic note on his site: “Tonight ... the very end of a long voyage.” Four days later, Brian addressed a fan who asked if the band were splitting up, responding that nothing concrete had been decided for their future. When asked of plans for a release of the South American gigs, Brian went on the defensive, protesting that he was more interested in working in the “now” than on the “past”; that gigs that took place less than a month prior could be considered in the past was a telling statement.
There was no further mention of the tour into 2009, with Brian remaining tight-lipped on the future, though he did talk at length of animal rights and his new protégée, Kerry Ellis. There was no mention of Paul Rodgers anywhere, and the vocalist finally broke radio silence in May by announcing a tour with a reformed Bad Company. As to the future of Queen + Paul Rodgers? “At this point we’re gonna sit back from this,” Paul told Billboard. “My arrangement with [Brian and Roger] was similar to my arrangement with Jimmy (Page) in The Firm in that it was never meant to be a permanent arrangement ... It’s kind of an open book, really. If they approach me to do something for charity, for instance, or something like that ... I’d be very much into doing that, for sure.” He was more blunt with VH1: “We did a world tour, we did a second tour of Europe and the Far East and Eastern Europe and a studio album, and I think we’re kind of leaving it there gently ... It’s out there for us to do things in the future if there’s something – a huge charity, say, like Nelson Mandela – but I think we are pretty much done.” Indeed, that same month, Brian and Roger appeared on American Idol, backing silver medalist Adam Lambert on ‘We Are The Champions’. The guitarist enthused to Rolling Stone shortly thereafter, “[We] are definitely hoping to have a meaningful conversation with [Adam] at some point. It’s not like we, as Queen, would rush into coalescing with another singer just like that. It isn’t that easy. But I’d certainly like to work with Adam. That is one amazing instrument he has there.” Brian and Roger were clearly throwing ideas at the wall and hoping that something – anything – stuck; happily for all, a Queen + Adam Lambert partnership never happened. The persona non grata attitude toward his association with Brian and Roger on the band’s official website was insulting enough to the mighty Paul Rodgers, but to have gone from a bona fide singer to a c-lebrity would have been a slap to the face.
* * *
GUEST APPEARANCES
Not surprisingly, Brian was the Queen member most willing to jump onto a stage and jam with any band he appreciated, though Roger wasn’t too far behind (most were with the SAS Band or for charity) – even John and Freddie made the occasional guest appearance. This is a brief overview of when and where a certain band member jammed with whom, and, where possible, what songs were played.
BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON
(BLACK SABBATH)
21 JANUARY 1981
Repertoire: ‘Paranoid’, ‘Children Of The Grave’
FREDDIE MERCURY: HOGS GRUNT PUB,
CRICKLEWOOD (TAXI)
8 JANUARY 1982
Repertoire:‘Jailhouse Rock’
FREDDIE MERCURY: VENUE UNKNOWN,
MANCHESTER (ELTON JOHN)
19 NOVEMBER 1982
Repertoire: ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘Twist And Shout’
ROGER TAYLOR: THE TUBE (ROBERT PLANT)
22 JUNE 1983 [TV SEGMENT, NOT BROADCAST] Musicians: Robert Plant (vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, backing vocals), Paul Martinez (bass guitar), Bob Mayo (guitar, synthesizers), J. Boodruffer (keyboards), Robbie Blunt (guitar)
Repertoire: ‘Little Sister’, ‘Treat Her Right’, ‘Sea Of Love’, ‘Pledge Pin’, ‘Other Arms’, ‘In The Mood’, ‘Big Log’, ‘Like I’ve Never Been Gone’, ‘Worse Than Detroit’, ‘Other Arms’, ‘In The Mood’, Drum Intro / ‘Big Log’, ‘Fat Lip’, ‘Burning Down One Side’
BRIAN MAY: THE FORUM, LOS ANGELES
(DEF LEPPARD)
11 SEPTEMBER 1983
Repertoire: ‘Travellin’ Band’
BRIAN MAY: CAPITAL RADIO GUITAR
MASTERCLASS
20 NOVEMBER 1983
Repertoire: Introduction, ‘Pavan’ (2 takes), Guitar Improvisation, ‘Love Of My Life’
While Queen were in Munich recording The Works, Brian was approached by Capital Radio to take part in an event called Rock School; Brian’s set was augmented by two guitarists from the audience whom Brian would teach on stage. It took place at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London and comprised two takes of a traditional song called ‘Pavan’, a brief guitar solo and a rendition of ‘Love Of My Life’. This performance was broadcast live on radio and was later released on cassette.
BRIAN MAY: ROCK IN RIO FESTIVAL
(PARALAMAS DO SUCCESSO)
16 JANUARY 1985
Repertoire unknown
BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE, LONDON
(REO SPEEDWAGON)
29 MAY 1985
Repertoire: ‘Johnny B. Goode’
BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE,
NEW ORLEANS (WITH EDDIE VAN HALEN & JOHN ENTWISTLE)
22 JUNE 1985
Repertoire unknown
BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON
(BAD NEWS, WITH JIMMY PAGE)
9 NOVEMBER 1986
Repertoire: ‘Drink Till I Die’, ‘Masturbike’, ‘Warriors Of Ghengis Khan’, ‘Hey Hey Bad News’, Guitar Duel’, ‘Bad News’
BRIAN MAY: READING ROCK FESTIVAL
(BAD NEWS)
29 AUGUST 1987
Repertoire: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Warriors Of Ghengis Khan’, ‘Hey Hey Bad News’, ‘Bad News’, ‘Life With Brian’
BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON
(DEF LEPPARD)
9 SEPTEMBER 1987
Repertoire: ‘Now I’m Here’
BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON
(BAD NEWS)
5 NOVEMBER 1987
Repertoire: Guitar Solo, ‘Hey Hey Bad News’, ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’
BRIAN MAY & JOHN DEACON:
PRINCE’S TRUST CONCERT
5 JUNE 1988
Repertoire: ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’ (vocals: Midge Ure), ‘What Is Love?’ (vocals: Howard Jones), ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ (vocals: Rick Astley), ‘Wonderful Life’ (vocals: Colin Vearcombe), ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ (vocals: Phil Collins), ‘The Letter’ (vocals: Joe Cocker), ‘You Win Again’ (vocals: The Bee Gees), ‘Sledgehammer’ (vocals: Peter Gabriel), ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ (vocals: Joe Cocker & Marti Pellow)
Brian played guitar on all songs, while John performed bass only on ‘The Letter’. This concert was later issued on VHS and DVD.
BRIAN MAY: WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON
(BON JOVI, ELTON JOHN, RICK ALLEN, LITA FORD)
12 DECEMBER 1988
Repertoire: ‘Get Back’, ‘Travellin’ Band’
BRIAN MAY: MARQUEE CLUB, LONDON
(BA
D NEWS, WITH JIMMY PAGE)
16 AND 17 DECEMBER 1988
Repertoire unknown
BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON
(JERRY LEE LEWIS)
21 NOVEMBER 1989
Repertoire: ‘High School Confidential’, ‘Rockin’ My Life Away’, ‘Johnny B. Goode’, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, ‘Great Balls Of Fire’, ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’, ‘Tutti Frutti’, ‘Mexicali Rose’, ‘Wild One’
Brian was invited to perform at this show, but when the notoriously unreliable Jerry Lee Lewis didn’t show up for the planned rehearsals two weeks beforehand, there was some concern that the show would be cancelled. Thankfully, Jerry Lee finally showed up, and the concert was filmed for a potential VHS release.
BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON
(MOTT THE HOOPLE)
16 FEBRUARY 1990
Repertoire: ‘All The Way From Memphis’
BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON
(BLACK SABBATH)
8 SEPTEMBER 1990
Repertoire: ‘Heaven And Hell’, ‘Paranoid’, ‘Heaven And Hell’ (reprise)
BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE, NEW YORK
(LES PAUL)
25 MARCH 1991
Repertoire: ‘Early Morning Blues’, Improvisation
BRIAN MAY: EXPO ‘92 GUITAR FESTIVAL
19 OCTOBER 1991
Repertoire: ‘Big Bad Moon’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Last Horizon’, ‘Driven By You’, Guitar Solo, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Amazing Grace’, ‘Funk No. 49’, ‘Rocky Mountain Way’, ‘Can’t Get Enough’, ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’, ‘All Right Now’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Hey Joe’
In August 1991, Brian was asked by Tribute Productions to be the musical director of their guitar festival in Seville, Spain. Brian assembled a quality backing band: Cozy Powell and Steve Ferrone on drums, Neil Murray and Nathan East on bass guitars, Rick Wakeman and Mike Moran on keyboards. As it was a guitar festival, the world’s top guitarists were also invited along: Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Nuno Bettencourt and Joe Walsh were all asked to participate, while vocalists Gary Cherone and Paul Rodgers lent their voices to the repertoire. Brian’s set included two unreleased tracks from his upcoming solo album – ‘Last Horizon’ and ‘Driven By You’ – as well as the obligatory guitar solo and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, a crowd favourite.
The repertoire listed above only includes songs that Brian performed on: ‘Big Bad Moon’ was part of Joe Satriani’s set, while ‘Liberty’ was part of ‘Steve Vai’s. ‘Funk No. 49’ and ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ were both performed by Joe Walsh, and ‘Can’t Get Enough’, ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’ and ‘All Right Now’ were all sung by Paul Rodgers, who also sang the concluding number, ‘Hey Joe’. American band Extreme was also involved, performing ‘More Than Words’ and ‘Get The Funk Out’, and vocalist Gary Cherone returned for a rousing rendition of ‘Now I’m Here’. The concert lasted more than two hours and was broadcast worldwide. The audience reception was ecstatic, which inspired Brian to organize his first live tour a little over a year later.
BRIAN MAY: WEMBLEY STADIUM, LONDON
(GUNS N’ ROSES)
13 JUNE 1992
Repertoire: ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘We Will Rock You’ (slow/fast)
BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE, MODENA
(PAVAROTTI & FRIENDS)
27 SEPTEMBER 1992
Repertoire: ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’ (Brian on vocals and guitar), ‘La Donna e Mobile’ (Brian on triangle)
BRIAN MAY: GROSVENOR HOUSE HOTEL,
LONDON (WATER RATS’ BALL)
NOVEMBER 1992
Repertoire unknown
Brian played with Phil Collins, Dec Cluskey, Joe Brown, Lonnie Donegan and Bert Weedon.
BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR:
DORO PARTY, VIENNA
19 NOVEMBER 1992
Repertoire: ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘Lucille’, ‘Long Tall Sally’
At a 1992 party in honour of the Torpedo Twins, Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher, Roger sang vocals on ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ and played drums on all songs, while Brian played guitar throughout. Campino and Nina Hagen sang ‘Twist And Shout’, with Nina singing ‘Lucille’ next, and Klaus Meine from The Scorpions sang ‘Long Tall Sally’.
BRIAN MAY: WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON
(EXTREME)
23 DECEMBER 1992
Repertoire: ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’
BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE, LONDON
(PAUL RODGERS)
9 FEBRUARY 1993
Repertoire unknown
BRIAN MAY: BRIT AWARDS, LONDON (BON JOVI)
14 FEBRUARY 1993
Repertoire unknown
BRIAN MAY: PALAIS OMNISPORTS DE BERCY,
PARIS (GUNS N’ ROSES)
13 JULY 1993
Repertoire: ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’
JOHN DEACON AND ROGER TAYLOR:
COWDRAY RUINS CONCERT
18 SEPTEMBER 1993
Musicians: John Deacon (bass guitar), Roger Taylor (vocals, drums, guitar), Joshua J Macrae (drums), Jason Falloon (guitars), Adrian Milne (keyboards), Paul Young (vocals on ‘Another One Bites The Dust’) Repertoire: ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’, ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’
Sponsored by Virgin Radio, this celebrity charity event was designed to raise £200,000 for the King Edward VII Hospital, with tickets costing between £80 and £140. John and Roger appeared as Queen and ran through a perfunctory set with Paul Young providing vocals on ‘Another One Bites The Dust’. Because Roger was midway through sessions for his Happiness? album, Jason Falloon was asked to play guitar. Following Roger and John’s set, Roger took the stage with Genesis to play drums on ‘Turn It On Again’, ‘Hold On My Heart’, ‘I Can’t Dance’, ‘Tonight Tonight Tonight’ and ‘Invisible Touch’, then performed ‘Stone Free’ and ‘Old Love’ with Eric Clapton. He then returned for the All Star Finale on ‘Gimme Some Lovin”, ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ and ‘Can I Get A Witness?’
BRIAN MAY: THE FORUM, LONDON
(PAUL RODGERS)
9 FEBRUARY 1994
Repertoire: ‘I’m Ready’, ‘Fire And Water’, ‘Mr Big’, ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’, ‘A Little Bit Of Love’, ‘Stone Free’, ‘The Hunter’, ‘Bad Company’, ‘All Right Now’, ‘Crossroads’
BRIAN MAY: BRIT AWARDS, LONDON (BON JOVI)
15 FEBRUARY 1994
Repertoire: ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’
ROGER TAYLOR: MICK RONSON TRIBUTE
CONCERT
29 APRIL 1994
Musicians: Roger Taylor (drums, vocals on ‘A Kind Of Magic’), Jason Falloon, Simon Townshend, Phil Collen, Robbie Alter (guitars), Peter Noone (bass guitar), Spike Edney, Morgan Fisher (keyboards), Steve Harley (vocals on ‘(Come Up And See Me) Make Me Smile’), Ian Hunter (vocals on ‘Once Bitten, Twice Shy’, ‘Resurrection Mary’, ‘Michael Picasso’, and ‘All The Young Dudes’), Roger Daltrey (vocals on ‘Baba O’Riley’ and ‘Summertime Blues’) Repertoire: ‘(Come Up And See Me) Make Me Smile’, ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Once Bitten, Twice Shy’, ‘Resurrection Mary’, ‘Baba O’Riley’, ‘Summertime Blues’, ‘Michael Picasso’, ‘All The Young Dudes’
After Mick Ronson died of liver failure on 29 April 1993, Ian Hunter organised a tribute concert in his honour at the Hammersmith Apollo, performed exactly a year after Ronson’s death. Roger provided drums on eight songs, with his vocal spotlight being ‘A Kind Of Magic’ (incidentally, a song that he had been unable to perform at Freddie’s tribute concert). Roger’s contributions were ultimately issued on the audio and video releases of The Mick Ronson Memorial Concert, with ‘Baba O’Riley’ later featured on the 2005 compilation, Roger Daltrey: Moonlighting.
ROGER TAYLOR: THE GREAT MUSIC
EXPERIENCE (HOTEI, YOSHIKI, TOSHINORI
KONDO
, BON JOVI)
22 AND 23 MAY 1994
Repertoire: ‘Foreign Sand’, ‘Living On A Prayer’, ‘Bed Of Roses’, ‘Wanted: Dead Or Alive’, ‘Fly Into Your Dream’
BRIAN MAY: NIGHT OF ONE HUNDRED GUITARS
(PAUL RODGERS)
26 JUNE 1994
Repertoire: ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’, ‘A Little Bit Of Love’, ‘Mr Big’, ‘Let Me Love You Baby’ (with Slash), ‘The Hunter’, ‘Bad Company’, ‘All Right Now’, ‘Crossroads’
BRIAN MAY: MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL
(PAUL RODGERS)
6 JULY 1994
Repertoire: ‘A Little Bit Of Love’, ‘All Right Now’, ‘Crossroads’, ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’
BRIAN MAY: WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON
(MEAT LOAF)
15 DECEMBER 1994
Repertoire: ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’
ROGER TAYLOR: GOSPORT FESTIVAL
(SAS BAND)
16 DECEMBER 1994
Repertoire: ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’
BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE, LONDON
(SAS BAND)
17 DECEMBER 1994
Repertoire: ‘Only Make Believe’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’
Brian appeared as T E Conway for the first time here, performing Conway Twitty’s ‘Only Make Believe’ and a country version of ‘Tie Your Mother Down’. Brian would later appear as T. E. Conway in 1998 as the ‘support act’ on his own Another World tour.
ROGER TAYLOR: ROCK AGAINST HATE
(SAS BAND)
17 JUNE 1995
Repertoire: ‘Nazis 1994’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Rock And Roll’
