Queen Rock Montreal & Live Aid | Joe Szadkowski saw | ENTERTAINMENT
Queen Rock Montreal & Live Aid
February/16/08 06:22 PM Filed in: Joe Szadkowski
saw
Well, I can almost knock that one off of the list thanks to the Blu-ray release of a stunningly re-mastered, high-definition outing of the band in its prime.
Watching numbers such as "Dragon Attack, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," I felt as though I was in the first tier of seats on the side of the stage as singer Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor created magic.
Marcury’s flamboyant style and exaggerated form neither distracts nor enhances his fantastic vocal performance throughout, and even when he dons short shorts through the last third of the concert, eyes will meld with ears as he deliciously croons classic material.
Most powerfully delivered are the songs celebrating friendship and love and efforts as "Play the Game," "Somebody to Love," "Love of My Life" and "Keep Yourself Alive" are just plain emotionally exhausting when seen in this setting.
Set on a stage with light rigs any Close Encounter’s alien would admire, the band rips through twenty-six of its best and even debuts a killer version of "Under Pressure."
The perspiration free Mr. May delivers signature chops throughout while those incredible harmonies from the entire band, spearheaded by Mr. Taylor, will electrify the viewer who should feel privileged to listen in.
The only "what the hell" moment is found in Mr. Taylor's timpani solo that comes off as absurd as his triumphant bow at the end of it. All in all, it's arena rock at it finest but the songs clearly soar over any silly theatrics.
2. The mandatory extras: A necessary commentary track by Roger Taylor and Brian May sheds just enough light on the concert. By watching the band in action I would never have imagined that not only were they not well practiced, according to the pair, but Mr. Mercury, along with his bandmates, was furious with the intrusion of the cameras.
That supposed anger is only revealed as a passionate, lightening strike kind of performance. Additionally, for as informative as the pair are they are also very humble and a viewer might think they are sitting at a bar with them sharing a pint and talking about some cool band concert with slick lights.
3. Above and beyond: The entire 1985 Live Aid performance by Queen is included and it's 40-minutes definitely ranks up their with U2 for crowd response and showmanship at the event. An extra 10-minute rehearsal is shown with some cut in interviews that will make little impact with the average fan .
4. Fuel the disc revolution: A documentary of the band would have been appreciated but feeling like I was sitting in the side seats through splendid audio and visuals more than makes up for it.
— Joseph Szadkowski
