Queen 1985 Japan Tour Diary
Monday, May 6th
Brian, Roger, and Freddie arrived at Narita Airport from London and headed to their accommodation, Hotel New Otani. John, however, did not return to London after their Sydney concert, instead arriving in Tokyo with his wife on April 30th. Around this time, Brian, who was obsessed with scubadiving, injured some fingers on his left hand when he came into contact with coral during his time off in Australia the previous month. Having heard that injuries from coral can easily leave lasting effects, he visited several hospitals in Tokyo after coming to Japan. The anxious Brian even heard there was a doctor in Okinawa who was knowledgeable about coral toxins, and one day he said he wanted to go to Okinawa. (In January 2019, he called for signatures against the construction of the Henoko base, saying he wanted to preserve the beautiful coralreef ecosystem, but it seems Brian's interest in coral started way back!)Meanwhile, Roger, John, and Freddie started their daily clubbing spree that night. They reportedly frequented clubs and discos in Shinjuku, Akasaka, and Roppongi every night, partying until around 3 or 4 AM.
Tuesday, May 7th
Freddie and Roger went shopping. Brian did a magazine interview, did some shopping, and went to the hospital. John rested because he was hungover. In the evening, Roger and John partied from Lexington Queen in Roppongi (known as a favorite spot for Western music artists) to Tokio in Minami-Aoyama. After doing an interview, Freddie reappeared around Shinjuku nichome. Brian visited an acquaintance at their house.Wednesday, May 8th, at the Nippon Budoukan
After the show, Roger, John, and Brian went straight from Kudanshita to Fuji Television in Kawadacho, Shinjuku. They appeared live on the music program Night Hit Studio and promote their remaining live tourdates.After the show ended, they went to an izakaya in Roppongi and headed back to Lexington Queen. Brian returned to his hotel at 1 AM, but Roger and John went bar-hopping to another club and disco.
Thursday, May 9th, at the Nippon Budoukan
After the show, the band went to Serina, a steak restaurant in Roppongi, for a get-together hosted by Toshiba EMI. Afterwards, Brian returned to the hotel, but the other three headed out for more clubbing.Friday, May 10th
Around this time, Freddie's favorite brand was Arrston Volaju by Japanese designer Kohshin Satoh. It was an avant-garde brand beloved by Miles Davis and Andy Warhol, and Freddie wore it in the photo on the back cover of his solo single Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow. On this particular day, he visited his favorite Arrston Volaju store in Nishi-Azabu, and afterwards did some shopping at the JUN boutique in Roppongi.While John did a magazine interview, Roger and Freddie went shopping, and Brian, after another round of hospital visits for coral poisoning, was invited as a special lecturer to the Aoyama Recording School, a music school in Shibuya, to give a guitar seminar. This school had produced Yoshiki and Toshi of X-Japan, and had invited R.E.M. in November of the previous year, Bon Jovi the previous month, and Stevie Wonder the prior fall as guest lecturers. After finishing the seminar, which was attended by about 30 students, Brian went to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate his wife's birthday.
Saturday, May 11th, at National Yoyogi Stadium
After the show that night, Freddie had dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Roppongi. The other members attended a party held in a suite at the Hotel New Otani (in Roger's room, in fact). Afterwards they headed to their usual spot at the Lexington Queen in Roppongi, and each enjoyed their last night in Tokyo.Sunday, May 12th
This was a travel day to Nagoya. Accommodation was the Nagoya Kanko Hotel. That night, a game tournament was held in Freddie's room. The band members made up a team and the staff made up a team, and they posed questions to each other for points. Apparently the staff team creamed the band's team.Monday, May 13th, at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
After the performance, everyone continued their game from the previous night in Freddie's hotel room. Despite their love of clubbing, they seemed to have a surprisingly quiet night in Nagoya.Tuesday, May 14th
This was a travel day to Osaka. After everyone went shopping individually, they gathered for dinner at a yakiniku restaurant in Umeda. Freddie was very attentive, dancing around to different tables and taking pictures with a Polaroid camera. After dinner, they headed to a club in Shinsaibashi.Wednesday, May 15th, at Osaka-Jo Hall
After the show, Freddie had dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Umeda, hosted by his manager. Afterwards he went out into the night. Roger, John, and Brian went to the hotel bar to drink. In the latter half of the evening, they got so riled up that they started throwing coasters in jest at the waiters! They enjoyed their las tnight in Japan.Thursday, May 16th
Everyone enjoyed shopping right up until departure time, heading to London on an afternoon flight.Anecdotes:
With the album The Works, Queen moved from their previous label at Warner Pioneer to Toshiba EMI. However, their affiliation in their home country of the UK had remained unchanged since their debut, under EMI. Up until then, Queen's sales in the US and Asia were handled by Elektra, a subsidiary of Warner, and consequently Warner Pioneer (now known as Warner Music Japan) released their records in Japan. It's well-known that Watanabe Productions and Music Life played a crucial role in Queen's successful breakthrough in Japan. Warner Pioneer was a record company funded by three companies: Warner Bros., the audio company Pioneer, and Watanabe Productions. Queen's immense popularity in Japan can be attributed to their affiliation with Warner Pioneer, which Watanabe Productions was involved with. Given this history, the new Japanese label, Toshiba EMI, was under considerable pressure. When The Works was released, they brought John and Roger, the disco-loving duo, to Japan solely to make promotional appearances. The two energetically carried these out, and at night they deepened their connections with their new record company's director by going to clubs and discos together every night. During this visit to Japan, they even appeared on the popular Japanese show Waratte Ii Tomo! Those interested may find the archived footage by searching video sharing sites.During the 1985 tour, ten fans who were selected via lottery were invited to visit the band's dressingroom for a meet-and-greet. There were no such opportunities for direct interaction on prior tours of Japan, which illustrates the extraordinary enthusiasm of Toshiba EMI.
Queen's 1985 tour also marked the band's last performance in Japan with Freddie Mercury as frontman. Around this time, rumors of a breakup were running rampant, and the release of Freddie's solo album only fueled the speculation. While the media at the time raved about their performances, I, having actually seen the final performance on May 15th, don't actually agree. While Freddie fought valiantly on his own, the other three lacked enthusiasm and cohesion. Of course, the members flatly refuted the breakup rumors in interviews, but judging from the Osaka performance, I felt that even if they didn't breakup outright, a hiatus was likely. In fact, their schedule after this Japan tour was completely blank, and if it hadn't been for Live Aid two months later, they might've truly broken up for good.
Looking back, each of Queen's previous visits to Japan coincided with a kind of turning point. Their first visit in 1975 saw the rookie band suddenly treated like superstars. This proved to be a boon, as it helped them finally break free from their exploitative label, Trident, which had plagued them since their debut, and this in turn helped them produce their incredible piece Bohemian Rhapsody. Just before embarking on a tour of South America—something no other Western act or musician had ever achieved—they chose to come back to Japan once again in 1981. After a leisurely stay in Tokyo to fully recharge, they bravely ventured out and achieved great success.
Seeking opportunities abroad, they returned to South America, an audience that loved them, but there too there were further problems and the band faced criticism once again. They faced more criticism of the South Africa incident on their subsequent tour of Australia, and it was as if they were fleeing from the rest of the world when they came to Japan in May of 1985. Looking back, it's clear that Japan has served as a turning point for them at various points in their history.
