How Queen Drive Fans Wild Article: 1977

Queen storm the USA – lightning flashes over 9000 heads!

Queen's tour in America kicked off! The eye-catchers weren't just Freddie Mercury & Co., but also a giant flashing light hovering overhead, a three-page feature in Bravo magazine, December 26, 1977.

How Queen Drive Fans Wild

Queen tour. It lasts six weeks, and 26 concerts take place all over the USA.

It is the most unusual Queen tour to date. For the first time, they did without a support act; there were two and a half hours of concentrated Queen sound without any interruption. The stage setup was also unusual: A huge crown made of gray, shiny material hovered above the stage. The Queen symbol was six meters high, 16 meters wide, and weighed 4,500 pounds.

The introduction to Queen's performance was also unusual: For an hour, instead of rock, the audience was treated to a whimsical mix of Viennese waltzes, operettas, and Wagnerian operas. But the Ride of the Valkyries was interrupted, the lights went out, a clap of thunder sounded, and the crown slowly floated to the ceiling of the hall

There stand Queen, enveloped up to their hips in enormous amounts of dry ice fog. The 9,000 roar themselves hoarse as Queen launch into "We Are the Champions."

As always, Freddie Mercury is the center of attention, again in a skintight leotard, this time black and white striped, with a large silver chain around his neck. Over it,

he wears a black patent leather jacket, which he throws into the corner after the first few songs.

During the fourth song, Freddie sits down at the piano and begins "Somebody to Love." For the first time, all the fans go wild. After the songs from their new LP "News of the World," guitarist Brian May announces a surprise: "We've never done anything like this before. We want to play two songs without the huge amplifiers."

Brian puts his electric guitar aside and sits down on a stool with an acoustic guitar. Next to him sits Freddie with a rumba rattle. Drummer Roger Taylor also stands behind a foot drum at the front of the stage, holding a tambourine. Only bassist John Deacon doesn't change his instrument. The songs are "Love of My Life," a sentimental love song, and "39," whose provocative rhythmic accompaniment gets the fans clapping along. Both songs have distinct folk influences, unusual for Queen. But the audience likes it.

When Freddie then announces a few tracks from the time when we were first in the USA (1974), as the opening act for Mott the Hoople, you could clearly see that the spark—after

Freddie Mercury Born on September 5, 1946, in Zanzibar. Hair: black; Eyes: hazel; Height: 1.76 m

John Deacon Born on August 19, 1951 in Leicester (England). Hair: dark brown; Eyes: green-gray; Height: 1.83m

Autograph address:

the tension had subsided somewhat and reignited.

It was quite clear: despite all the enthusiasm for the tracks on the new LP, the fans really got going when Queen launched into their older super-hits. The big hits of the show were "Keep Yourself Alive," "You're My Best Friend," "Killer Queen," "Tie Your Mother Down," and of course, "Bohemian Rhapsody."

After more than two hours, Freddie appears for the second time.

John Deacon, Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury, and Brian May kicked off their US tour with a fantastic show: Queen are truly champions

Brian May Born on July 19, 1947 in Hampton (England). Hair: dark brown; Eyes: hazel; Height: 1.85 m

Roger Taylor Born on July 26, 1949 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk (England). Hair: blond; Eyes: blue; Height: 1.78 m

Queen Fan Club, 40 South Audley Street, London W1, England

He is wearing a shiny, silver-scaled leotard that leaves his chest bare. Queen rock out one last time: "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You" are also at the end of the show. Finally, however, comes "Jailhouse Rock," which was also the encore of their last tour. Queen disappear, and to the strains of the English national anthem "God Save the Queen," the Queen's crown descends back onto the stage. Jürgen Tiedt Photos: W. Abbott

Sexy to the tips of his toes: Freddie Mercury