life willing, I'll get to the next album in a few days....JAZZ North American Tour, Part 1 Oct 28 - Nov 14th
[img width=560height=370]https://www.queenlive.ca/queen/live%20pics/78-12-06_Madison_20.jpg[/img]
Once again, Queen tour the States during the cold of late fall/early winter.
Many changes take place: the ‘Crown Jewel’ lighting rig is gone (on to E.L.O.), replaced by ‘the Pizza Oven’, a hovering monolith that covers the stage. It would rise and lower and change angles throughout. It was the ‘fifth’ star of the show (or the ‘special guest’ listed in the ads).
For the singalong acoustic set (‘Dreamer’s Ball’, ‘Love Of My Life’, and ’39), a small stage would be lowered from the ceiling to in front of the main stage during the end of ‘Spread Your Wings’.
Five new songs from ‘Jazz’ are part of the setlist, with no old songs added. The complete versions of ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We Are The Champions’ are now the final encores. Dropped are two long standing fan favorites, ‘Liar’ and ‘Stone Cold Crazy’, along with ‘The Millionaire Waltz’, ‘Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy’, ‘White Man’, ‘The Prophet’s Song’, and ‘My Melancholy Blues. And though each would be played on rare occasions, the forever encores ‘Big Spender’ and ‘Jailhouse Rock’ have finally been retired.
The showcases of just Freddie and piano are a thing of the past as well.
It is a harder edged set list. The one remaining piano ballad, ‘Love of My Life’, is changed to what is now the familiar duet of Freddie with Brian on acoustic guitar.
Freddie’s leotards are mostly a thing of the past, and are replaced with his all black leather outfit. And, John's hair is
much shorter
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Dallas Convention Center Dallas, Texas, October 28th, 1978 Attendance: 10,000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNlIWoZdEEU&t=147s Quality: B+
The first show, with quite a few flubs. The videos for 'Bicycle Race' and 'Fat Bottomed Girls' are filmed this day.
We Will Rock You (fast)/ Let Me Entertain You/ If You Can't Beat Them/ Somebody To Love Medley: Death On Two Legs- Killer Queen- Bicycle Race- I'm In Love With My Car- Get Down Make Love- You're My Best Friend /Now I'm Here/ Spread Your Wings/ Dreamer's Ball/ Love Of My Life/ '39/ It's Late/ Brighton Rock/ Fat Bottomed Girls/ Sheer Heart Attack/ Keep Yourself Alive/ Bohemian Rhapsody
Encore 1: Tie Your Mother Down Encore 2: We Will Rock You/ We Are The Champions/ God Save The Queen
Complete versions of WWRY and WATC are now played.‘Sheer Heart Attack’ would soon be moved to the encore. A rarity this night, as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ closes the concert proper, and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ does not.
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New Orleans October 31st....the day of the infamous 'Jazz' album launch party
Some video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIXUny6KOI0The write ups regarding the after show party
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/freddie-mercury-the-story-of-queens-most-infamous-party-ever.html/(or google Queen New Orleans 78 for various articles)
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Capital Center Landover, Maryland, November 6th, Attendance: 20,000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCxQK5UjnMU Quality: B (incomplete)
Though it is incomplete, it was exciting when released only a few years ago of a venue just down the road that no longer exists.
There are some complete videos from the Capital Center of bands such as Van Halen, Journey, and Styx available via youtube but, of course, nothing from this show. As is, this is the only footage currently available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiFtIQX0-cw 8mm of WWRY (fast) and most of WATC
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MARCH 26, 2023 EDITThanks to TAC for the info of part of this concert being made available just a couple of days ago
Cobo Hall, Detroit November 9th or 10th Attendance: 11,000 +
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXNtDBxAdwo Grade: A to A+ (other than a slightly harsh cut after TYMD to SHA)
Tie Your Mother Down Encores: Sheer Heart Attack / We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions / God Save The Queen
The second release this year of a Detroit show (SHA Tour '75 being the first). Freddie's voice is a bit off at times (read the review below), but 'so what!' (plus, he's incorrect in stating that only two songs were performed on the mini drop down stage). This has the first complete playing of 'Sheer Heart Attack, as a shortened version was always performed during the NOTW tour and prior 'Jazz' shows.
"Thank you. Goodnight. See you soon, Detroit." This gave me goosebumps, as I would see them in Detroit less than two years later!
These shows took place on Thursday and Friday nights. On Saturday, they'd perform at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, ...my favorite concert of all time. So this tape is extra extra special.
https://www.queenlive.ca/queen/reviews/78-11-09_Detroit_review.jpg(Original Detroit comments on page 44)
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The following night, and Queen make their second appearance in Kalamazoo.
article in queenlive.ca provided by yours truly
I'm going to bore you with some details first. We arrived that Saturday at 5pm or so for that 8pm show. Both entrances on the north and south sides already had thousands in line, since it was General Admission. We grabbed a six pack, went up near the front of one line, about fifteen feet from the doors, and stood on the curb and chatted with people on the sidewalk. At 7pm, everyone was ordered off the grass, so we were pushed right into the line. Lucky for us, we thought.
When the doors opened, there was a frightening surge forward. I remember having my arms pinned against my chest and shuffling my feet forward as little as I could as I was pushed ahead, with my friend next to me. About a minute later, all doors at that entrance were opened, and we finally had some space.
Cincinnati, Riverfront Coliseum, with eleven deaths at The Who concert taking place a year later due to a similar type of 'stampede'. That could have been us in Kalamazoo.
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Moving on to more cheerful notes.....first, thank goodness for WLAV-FM in Grand Rapids. Almost every Friday night at 11pm the station would play albums just released, or sneak previews of those still not on the shelves. In August, one week before its release, they spun ‘Pieces of Eight’ by Styx on the night before I would see them perform.
The same held true for ‘Jazz’, as it would not be released until the 14th. Once again, I had a blank 8 track at the ready. Listened to it again that night, and on the way down to Kzoo with my best friend. Hearing it certainly helped eliminate a lot of confusion of what at times could be a confusing show right from the start. Having missed the NOTW the prior year, and with the playbilll having ‘With Special Guest’, when the ‘thunderbolts and lightning’ tape started, followed by the first chords of the fast version of ‘We Will Rock You’, it took a few seconds to realize it WAS Queen on stage!
From the songs, the band, their front man, the lighting, etc.....
this remains the #1 concert of my life.
Some have come close, but nothing will ever top it.
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Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, November 14th Attendance: 14,000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkNJeZrHriA&t=219s Quality: A+++We Will Rock You (fast) / Let Me Entertain You / Somebody To Love / If You Can't Beat Them Medley: Death On Two Legs - Killer Queen - Bicycle Race - I'm In Love With My Car - Get Down Make Love - You're My Best Friend / Now I'm Here / Spread Your Wings / Dreamer's Ball / Love Of My Life / '39 / It's Late / Brighton Rock / Fat Bottomed Girls / Keep Yourself Alive / The March Of The Black Queen (intro) / Bohemian Rhapsody / Tie Your Mother Down
Encore 1: Sheer Heart Attack Encore 2: We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions / God Save The Queen(this was provided by the family of Dan Lampanski, in spite of the different name now listed by Ryan Newton)
Three days after Kalamazoo, and barely topping the Detroit ’77 News of the World show, this became my favorite bootleg of all time when made available in 2017.Problems with the lighting rig are commented on by Freddie after YMBF as being ‘f*cked’.
Unlike the album version, Freddie plays piano during both instrumentals in ‘If You Can’t Beat Them’. This would be a surprisingly good rockin' concert song, along with the two opening ones, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘It’s Late’, ‘Keep Yourself Alive’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, and ‘Sheer Heart Attack’.
‘Jazz’ was released this day in the States. This is the band’s fifth show in six days (two shows in the tropics of Detroit, Kalamazoo, and Boston preceding this night). The lead singer's voice is not as strong as it would be in the upcoming NYC shows, but Freddie on a somewhat off night is better than what most had to offer on their best.
the remaining '78 shows will be posted tomorrow...