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QOL Queen - Live at Wembley Stadium

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A Farewell to Queen, A Farewell To Wembley Stadium

“The Wembley concerts in 1986 were the pinnacle for us, “ say Brian May. “We were at our height band-wise, and Freddie had developed this phenomenal way of dealing with stadium audiences. Being back home in London playing two sell-out nights was such a big, big occasion for us. None us realised that this would be almost the last time we played together…�?

Queen’s 1986 Magic Tour had been their most successful to date. Regenerated and reinvigorated by their triumph at Live Aid almost exactly a year earlier, the band were on a 26-date tour of the UK and Europe and after a month out of the country returned home to London to play two defining concerts at the ‘place of champions’, Wembley Stadium.

These were to be Queen’s biggest dates ever – the biggest stage, the biggest lighting rig, the biggest screen that not only Queen had performed with, but also that Wembley Stadium had ever seen. For director Gavin Taylor, filming it involved the unprecedented use of no less than 15 cameras and a helicopter to capture the aerial shots.

For Freddie it was the start of one very long party. Friends were flown in from New York and ferried from his London home to Wembley in special coaches. It was one of the proudest days of his life.

The Saturday show saw a previous wet day turn into one of the sunniest of the year. “It was a perfect day,�? says director Taylor. And the Wembley roar went up as Brian, Roger, John and Freddie arrived on stage to the synthesised opening chords on One Vision.

For the next 110 minutes Queen played what was undoubtedly one of their most potent concert performances. “There’s no denying that by that time Queen were the best live band in the world,�? says Rod Stewart talking on the DVD, a view further expressed by another of the DVD’s contributors, Elton John.

With maybe the exception of what was unexpectedly to turn out to be their last concert ever, a hastily added date a month later at Stevenage’s Knebworth Park, their second Wembley concert was Queen’s finest moment.

Having previously only been seen in an edited form on video, that entire concert is now available on Queen Live at Wembley Stadium, a 2-DVD release available from June 9th.

“There were things we took out because they were moments when we had tape changes,�? says director Taylor. “But we’ve put all that back, together with a lot of footage filmed the previous day and at rehearsals and backstage, which give a complete picture of that weekend.�?

Remixed and re-engineered in DTS 5.1 surround sound (disc 1) the DVD package also offers viewers the added bonus of a multi-angle feature which enables visual remixing of the concert. Says Taylor: “It means that every viewer can have their own unique experience of the concert.�?

Further bonuses include new interviews with Brian May and Roger Taylor, and there’s even the band’s own tribute to the legend of Wembley, with documentary footage showing the fall (and rise) of the famous twin towers.

“Wembley Stadium was such a special place,�? says Roger. “Having played it as part of Live Aid and to come back and play it again was such a blast.�?

It’s perhaps no surprise that Queen’s hit musical, We Will Rock You, sees the show’s heroes end up at Wembley Stadium, ‘the place of living rock’ for the storming finale where the roots of rock are rediscovered and the rebellious bohemians find their way to recreating the music of the Mighty Queen.

Towards the end of Queen’s performance at Wembley Stadium on Queen Live At Wembley Stadium Freddie Mercury addresses the audience: “There’ve been some rumours we’re splitting. They’re talking through their *****,�? Freddie says, pointing to his backside. “We’ll be together forever.�?

“And in a way,�? say Brian, “I guess we were. We might not have been a touring band much longer, but we were together as a band right until the end.�?

“I don’t think anyone expected the Magic tour to be the band’s last dates; things had gone so well and we were already planning the next one,�? says Gerry Stickells, Queen’s tour manager. “There was no sense of anything coming to an end�?.

But as things turned out, Queen only ever played 2 further UK concerts, in Manchester on July 16 and that final concert at Knebworth on August 9.

But if ever a reminder was needed of why Queen earned themselves the mantle of best stadium rock group in history, then you only have to turn to this DVD to see Queen live, uncut, and at their ferocious, majestic, best.

QOL Features