Queen: The Complete Works (134 page)

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)

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’

Itinerary:

November 4/5: Kosei Nenkin Hall, Tokyo

November 7: Yubin Chokin Hall, Hiroshima

November 8: Kosei Nenkin Hall, Osaka

November 10: Denayoku Hall, Sendai

November 11: Kyoiku Bunka Kaikan, Kawasaki

November 13: NHK Hall, Tokyo Bay

The Brian May Band made their way to Japan in the first week of November 1993 to commence a seven-night, six-venue tour, the first time Brian had returned to the treasured country in eight years. If the reception on the previous leg had been lacklustre, Japan more than made up for it. The tour began in Tokyo, with the only change made to the set list the addition of ‘Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)’, though ‘Driven By You’ was dropped in Osaka, seemingly for good (Brian explained it was too difficult to sing). The only other major change was on the final night, when a lengthy, eleven-minute version of ‘Let Me Out’ made its final appearance as the penultimate song in the set. The band left Japan on 14 November, returning home for a few days before beginning another lengthy leg that would wrap up the year nicely.

BACK TO THE LIGHT EUROPEAN AND UK TOUR,

SECOND LEG

20 NOVEMBER TO 18 DECEMBER 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)
, ‘Last Horizon’, ‘We Will Rock You’
(slow/fast)
, God (The Dream Is Over)’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, ‘Big Spender’, ‘Mustapha’, ‘Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love)’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘Merry Christmas’, ‘Is This The World We Created...?’, ‘Chinese Torture’

Itinerary:

November 20: Terminal One, Munich, Germany

November 21: Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt, Germany

November 23: CCH1, Hamburg, Germany

November 24: Eissporthall, Halle, Germany

November 27: Huxley’s Neue Welt, Berlin, Germany

November 29: Elysee Montmartre, Paris, France

November 30: Philipshalle, Düsseldorf, Germany

December 3: Royal Albert Hall, London

December 4: Royal Centre, Nottingham

December 5: Aston Villa Centre, Birmingham

December 7: Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland

December 8: Point, Dublin, Eire

December 10: Royal Court, Liverpool

December 11: Pavilion, Plymouth

December 14: Zeleste, Barcelona, Spain

December 15: Aqualung, Madrid, Spain

December 17: Cascais Pavilion, Lisbon, Portugal

December 18: Boavista, Oporto, Portugal

The final leg of the lengthy
Back To The Light
tour started in Germany and continued through France, the UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal, with support from Robby Valentine (for the first six dates), Nine Below Zero (the UK/Eire dates only), and – interestingly – Sweet Sister (the final European dates).

The set list remained similar to previous legs,
with ‘Driven By You’ still out of the set, though the band threw in several surprises for the final dates. In Halle, to commemorate the second anniversary of Freddie’s death, Brian performed a rousing rendition of ‘Big Spender’ as the encore, while the Paris show featured a French-language version of ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’. ‘Is This The World We Created...?’ was performed as an intro to ‘Love Of My Life’ in Berlin, ‘Chinese Torture’ was inserted into the guitar solo in Düsseldorf, and The Beatles’ ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ was (suitably) performed in Liverpool; ‘Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love)’ was performed in Barcelona and Madrid, with the latter venue also featuring ‘Mustapha’. Perhaps the most surprising addition was the vocal intro to ‘We Are The Champions’, sung by Cathy Porter, before ‘Hammer To Fall’ in Oporto, and ‘Merry Christmas’ was reportedly performed as the final song that night.

It had been a prosperous and rewarding year for Brian, though he was now ready for a lengthy break to get his thoughts together before heading into the studios to work on the final tracks recorded with Freddie in the winter and spring of 1991; consequently, Brian wouldn’t go out on tour again for nearly five years.

ANOTHER WORLD PROMOTIONAL CONCERTS

MAY TO 12 SEPTEMBER 1998

Musicians:
Brian May
(vocals, guitars)
, Neil Murray
(bass guitar)
, Jamie Moses
(guitars, backing vocals)
, Spike Edney
(piano, keyboards, vocals)
, Steve Ferrone
(drums)
, Suzi Webb
(backing vocals)
, Zoe Nicholas
(backing vocals)

Repertoire, VH1 performance (May 1998):
‘On My Way Up’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Why Don’t We Try Again’, ‘Only Make Believe’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’

Repertoire, European performances:
‘Only Make Believe’, ‘On My Way Up’, ‘Driven By You’, ‘Why Don’t We Try Again’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ (slow), ‘Let Your Heart Rule Your Head’, ‘Hammer To Fall’
(slow/fast)

Repertoire, Chicago:
‘Business’, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ / ‘Gimme The Prize (Kurgan’s Theme)’, ‘I Want It All’, ‘Headlong’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tear It Up’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Chinese Torture’ / ‘China Belle’, ‘Hammer To Fall’
(slow/fast)

Itinerary: