Queen: The Complete Works (144 page)

A little over a year after Cozy Powell’s untimely death, a tribute concert was organised by Spike Edney at the Buxton Opera House. After a lengthy set by the SAS Band, Brian joined in with a thundering version of ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ and two other favourites. Brian then helped close the show with ‘All The Young Dudes’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’, and ‘You’re The Voice’, all with Chris Thompson on vocals.

ROGER TAYLOR: CAFÉ DE PARIS, LONDON

(JIMMY PAGE, STEVEN TYLER, JOE PERRY,

THE STEREOPHONICS, THE BLACK CROWES)

27 JUNE 1999

Repertoire:
‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Under Pressure’
(with Treana Morris)
, ‘Rock And Roll’

ROGER TAYLOR: ROGER’S 50TH BIRTHDAY

PARTY, CORNWALL

26 JULY 1999

Repertoire:
‘We Will Rock You’, Jam Session, ‘Rock And Roll’

BRIAN MAY: READING ROCK FESTIVAL

(SAS BAND)

4 SEPTEMBER 1999

Repertoire:
‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Last Horizon’, ‘Hammer To Fall’
(slow/fast)
, ‘Dragon Attack’
(vocals: Jeff Scott Soto)
, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited’

Brian sang vocals on all songs except as noted.

ROGER TAYLOR: UNKNOWN VENUE,

STUTTGART
(SAS BAND)

8 NOVEMBER 1999

Repertoire:
‘Twist And Shout’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘All The Young Dudes’, ‘We Are The Champions’

BRIAN MAY & ROGER TAYLOR: UNKNOWN

VENUE, LONDON
(FOO FIGHTERS)

25 NOVEMBER 1999

Repertoire:
‘We Will Rock You’
(intro)
/ ‘Now I’m Here’

BRIAN MAY: WEMBLEY EXHIBITION CENTRE,

LONDON

28 NOVEMBER 1999

Repertoire:
Guitar Solo, ‘We Will Rock You’ (solo only), Jam Session

Much like the Capital Radio Guitar Session in 1983, Brian was asked to participate in the National Music Show. The guitar solo was essentially Brian dissecting his showcase, explaining delays and harmonies and the features of his guitar, while ‘We Will Rock You’ was only the distorted guitar solo. A jam session then followed with Chad Smith, the drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers.

ROGER TAYLOR: SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE,

LONDON
(SAS BAND)

19 FEBRUARY 2000

Repertoire: ‘Magic Is Loose’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’

BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: HYDE PARK,

LONDON
(5IVE)

9 JULY 2000

Repertoire: ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’

BRIAN MAY: CAT CLUB, LOS ANGELES

(GILBY CLARKE, ERIC SINGER, OTHERS)

14 SEPTEMBER 2000

Repertoire: ‘The Thrill Is Gone’

BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: MILLENIUM

DOME, LONDON
(5IVE)

27 SEPTEMBER 2000

Repertoire: ‘We Will Rock You’

BRIAN MAY: BRIXTON ACADEMY, LONDON

(MOTORHEAD)

22 OCTOBER 2000

Repertoire: ‘Overkill’

ROGER TAYLOR: USHER HALL, EDINBURGH

(SAS BAND)

14 DECEMBER 2000

Repertoire: ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Strange Frontier’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’
(vocals: Fish)

ROGER TAYLOR: UNKNOWN VENUE,

MANCHESTER
(SAS BAND)

15 DECEMBER 2000

Repertoire: ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’

BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR:

WALDORF ASTORIA, NEW YORK

19 MARCH 2001

Repertoire: ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Do It Again’, ‘Johnnie’s Boogie’, ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’

Queen were introduced into the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001, and Brian and Roger appeared to represent the band (Jer Bulsara, Freddie’s mother, gave a short speech on Freddie’s behalf), performing ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, with both performances augmented by Spike Edney on keyboards and Steve Barnacle on bass guitar; Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins inducted the band and later joined them on ‘Tie Your Mother Down’. Brian later returned for the concluding all-star jam.

BRIAN MAY: MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL

7 JULY 2001

Musicians:
Brian May
(vocals, guitars)
, Jon Cleary (piano), Chris Spedding
(guitar)
, John Hatton
(bass guitar)
, Bernie Dresel
(drums)
, Ray Herrmann (saxophone), Charlie Peterson (trumpet), Emily May
(backing vocals)
, Jimmy May
(backing vocals)
, Anita Dobson
(backing vocals)

Repertoire:
‘(I Don’t Want Nobody) Teasin’ Around (With Me), ‘Let Me Out’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’

This concert saw the only live performance of ‘(I Don’t Want Nobody) Teasin’ Around (With Me)’, a standout track that was omitted from the Good Rockin’ Tonight: A Tribute To Sun Records album (though it did appear as a bonus track in Japan). With his family – daughter Emily, son Jimmy and wife Anita – assisting on backing vocals, Brian then led the band into ‘Let Me Out’ and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, before returning for ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’. The previous night, Brian had appeared with Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton on ‘Luke’s Blues’.

ROGER TAYLOR: GOSPORT FESTIVAL

(SAS BAND)

11 AUGUST 2001

Repertoire:
‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘The Show Must Go On’
(vocals: Chris Thompson)
, ‘We Will Rock You’
(vocals: Tony Hadley, Leo Sayer, and Mark Shaw)
, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’
(vocals: Fish)
, ‘You’re The Voice’, ‘All The Way’

BRIAN MAY: CAMBRIDGE UNION

9 OCTOBER 2001

Repertoire:
‘With God On Our Side’, ‘We Will Rock You’

BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR:

FREDDIE MERCURY MEMORIAL

24 NOVEMBER 2001

Repertoire:
‘Radio Ga Ga’
(vocals: Roger)
, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘Under Pressure’
(vocals: Roger and Treana Morris)
, ‘Strange Frontier’
(vocals: Roger)
, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)’ (vocals: Brian and Roger)

A memorial concert was held at the Ocean Club in London to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Freddie’s death, with the SAS Band as the main act. Brian and Roger then joined the band for the conclusion of the set, which saw many surprising additions: ‘Under Pressure’ with Treana Morris, Roger’s 1984 solo song ‘Strange Frontier’, and an emotional rendition of ‘No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)’ bringing the show to a poignant close.

BRIAN MAY: CAT CLUB, LOS ANGELES

(ERIC SINGER)

18 JANUARY 2002

Repertoire:
‘The Thrill Is Gone’, ‘Sympathy For The Devil’

BRIAN MAY: LIZA MINNELLI’S WEDDING

16 MARCH 2002

Repertoire:
‘We Are The Champions’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’

BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: MUSEUM

SQUARE, AMSTERDAM

30 APRIL 2002

Repertoire:
‘Radio Ga Ga’
(vocals: Roger)
, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’
(vocals: Patti Russo)
, ‘Under Pressure’
(vocals: Roger and Patti Russo)
, ‘Hammer To Fall’
(slow/fast) (vocals: Brian)
, ‘The Show Must Go On’
(vocals: Patti Russo)
, ‘No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)’
(vocals: Brian and Roger)
, ‘We Will Rock You’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘We Are The Champions’
(vocals: Trijntje Oosterhuis)

Designed to celebrate the Dutch Queen’s birthday, this was a special one-off performance that remained a secret until the day of the concert.

BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: BUCKINGHAM

PALACE, QUEEN’S JUBILEE

3 JUNE 2002

Repertoire:
‘God Save The Queen’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’
(vocals: Roger)
, ‘We Will Rock You’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘We Are The Champions’
(vocals: Will Young)
, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
(vocals: We Will Rock You cast)
, ‘Move It’
(vocals: Cliff Richard and S Club 7)
, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’
(vocals: Joe Cocker)
, ‘All You Need Is Love’, ‘Hey Jude’

This performance saw the iconic rendition of ‘God Save The Queen’, with Brian on guitar standing atop Buckingham Palace while the orchestra (including Roger on timpani) performed below him in the palace grounds. Brian and Roger then performed a brief set, introducing the
We Will Rock You
cast for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, after which Brian joined the all-star cast for ‘Move It’ and ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’. Roger then came out to perform drums on ‘All You Need Is Love’ and ‘Hey Jude’.

ROGER TAYLOR: COWDRAY PARK
(DAVID

GILMOUR, RINGO STARR,

BOB GELDOF, OTHERS)

21 JUNE 2002

Repertoire:
‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Jealous Guy’, ‘I Am The Walrus’, ‘My Sweet Lord’

ROGER TAYLOR: HEROES SQUARE, BUDAPEST

(F1 WITH V10)

16 JULY 2002

Repertoire:
‘Lust For Life’, ‘For Fuck’s Sake’, ‘Pump It Up’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘Gloria’, ‘“Heroes”’, ‘Let’s Stick Together’

BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR:

WALK OF FAME AFTERPARTY

18 OCTOBER 2002

Repertoire:
‘Tie Your Mother Down’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘Under Pressure’
(vocals: Roger and Patti Russo)
, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’
(vocals: Patti Russo)
, ‘Sleeping On The Sidewalk’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’
(vocals: Roger)
, ‘Stone Cold Crazy’
(vocals: Jeff Scott Soto)
, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘Hammer To Fall’
(slow/fast) (vocals: Brian)
, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’
(vocals: Roger and Brian)
, ‘Rock And Roll’
(vocals: Roger)

After being inducted into the Hollywood Walk Of
Fame (Queen received a star on the famous sidewalk), Brian and Roger performed a set in the city with the SAS Band, with several guests stopping by: Nuno Bettencourt played guitar on ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, Fred Mandel provided keyboards on ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ and ‘Rock And Roll’ featured Steve Vai on guitar and Carmine Appice on drums.

BRIAN MAY: DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND

CONCERT

10 NOVEMBER 2002

Repertoire:
‘Is This The World We Created...?’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘I’ll Do My Crying In The Rain’
(vocals: Bryan Adams and Brian)
, ‘Run To You’
(vocals: Bryan Adams)
, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’
(vocals: Bryan Adams)

ROGER TAYLOR: IN SESSION
(SAS BAND)

29 APRIL 2003

Repertoire:
‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Jealous Guy’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘You’re The Voice’, ‘All The Way’

BRIAN MAY: LONNIE DONEGAN MEMORIAL SERVICE

8 MAY 2003

Repertoire:
‘I’m Just A Rolling Stone’, ‘Have A Drink On Me’

BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: ARK CHARITY

CONCERT
(SAS BAND)

14 MAY 2003

Repertoire:
‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘The Kids Are Alright’
(vocals: Bob Geldof)
, ‘We Will Rock You’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’

Brian appeared only on ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and ‘Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’. Roger sang on the first three songs and ‘Rock And Roll’, and played drums on ‘The Kids Are Alright’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and ‘Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’.

BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: UNKNOWN

VENUE, MODENA
(PAVAROTTI & FRIENDS)

27 MAY 2003

Repertoire:
‘We Will Rock You’
(vocals: Brian)
, ‘Radio Ga Ga’
(vocals: Roger)
, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’
(vocals: Brian and Pavarotti)
, ‘We Are The Champions’
(vocals: Brian and Zucchero)

BRIAN MAY & ROGER TAYLOR: SONGWRITER’S

HALL OF FAME

12 JUNE 2003

Repertoire:
‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’
(vocals: Wynonna Judd)
, ‘We Will Rock You’
(vocals: Brian)

BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH APOLLO
(DEF

LEPPARD)

31 OCTOBER 2003

Repertoire:
‘Tie Your Mother Down’

BRIAN MAY: HOUSE OF GUITARS, LONDON

8 JANUARY 2004

Repertoire:
‘Amazing Grace’, Guitar Solo, ‘Chinese Torture’

BRIAN MAY: UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE,

HATFIELD

9 JANUARY 2004

Repertoire:
Guitar Solo, ‘We Will Rock You’, Guitar Solo, ‘Amazing Grace’, ‘Puttin’ On The Style’, ‘Rock Island Line’

BRIAN MAY: ROYAL ALBERT HALL, LONDON

(ZUCCHERO)

6 MAY 2004

Repertoire:
‘Madre Dolcissima (Mama)’, ‘Il Mare Impetuoso Al Tramonto’

BRIAN MAY: ASTORIA, LONDON
(IAN HUNTER)

28 MAY 2004

Repertoire:
‘All The Way From Memphis’

BRIAN MAY: FENDER STRATOCASTER

ANNIVERSARY

24 SEPTEMBER 2004

Repertoire:
‘Oh Boy!’, ‘Maybe Baby’, ‘Love You More Than I Can Say’, ‘Every Day’, ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)’, ‘That’ll Be The Day’, ‘All Right Now’, ‘Stay With Me’