Queen's 1985 Japan Tour Concert Report
Written by Sugaru in cooperation with Mickey, Umi, Jun, and Play Boy
Aboard the Tozai train line on the way to the venue, I couldn't stop shaking. The day is finally here, at long last! Once I entered the Budoukan, the Metropolis set was before us onstage. The venue was playing Mick Jagger songs and stuff like that before the curtain rose, and every time a song ended I felt my heart would stop with anticipation!
...And then, the music DID stop, and everything was plunged into darkness. Finally the the time had come! There was a great uproar before the band even came out. Everyone stood up as the tape to Machines began playing and the lights flashed along in time. But the members didn't emerge quite yet. Then Tear It Up began, and there they were! My heart swelled at the sight of Rog's glittery cymbals. John, Rog, Bri, everyone. Beautiful as ever. And then... ahhh, Freddie, in the flesh, on the stage above us! Rog's singing in the chorus was as divine as it is on the album.
Tie Your Mother Down was relegated to right before the encore back in the 1982 show, but this time it made an early appearance. I don't know why they didn't do We Will Rock You here instead. But this song uplifted the entire audience in one breath, courtesy of Bri's guitar.
Once this ended, it's established practice for the call-and-response of "GOOD EVENING!" "Good evening~~!" "ARE YOU HAVING FUN?" "Yeah!" "IS EVERYBODY O.K.?" "Yeah!" I see now what Noroshiyama said about the gathering together of a bunch of drifters in one place... it's different to experience something coming together as part of a huge group.
Under Pressure was played more naturally this time around than it was in '82. I was disappointed that Freddie didn't play his "Why~?" note off of Rog's "Love~" line. A lot of people were drawn in by John's bass here. On Somebody to Love, Freddie went to the piano and began playing the Death On Two Legs intro first. Everyone noticed that and let out a squeal of delight! Such beautiful piano... then Freddie introduced the song and there was another squeal of delight. GG was crying pretty hard at this song. This one is also one of my all-time favorites, so I'm always grateful to hear it.
Continuing on, we got to Killer Queen, which was omitted in '82. As soon as I heard that intro, I was crying tears of joy. Except to be honest, it seems like the singing style in this one has gotten a little bit less sophisticated as time has gone by. Rog's voice on the chorus was crystal-clear. Everyone in the venue sang the entire song, not just the chorus. From Killer Queen, the piano began to gradually slow down before stopping altogether. "Will he continue with the same song?" I asked myself, uncertain of what to think. And then began the intro to Seven Seas of Rhye...!! The sinfully beautiful sound of the piano poured over me like water. I was so pleased that I had goosebumps! And then I was in awe. I had heard rumors that they would play songs from the early days, but John had candidly stated in an interview that it was too difficult to play any songs from side Black of Queen II. I never dreamt they'd play this song again. Freddie sounded as good as ever, and his voice has retained its beauty. Even though it was an old song, it didn't feel old. As could be expected from Queen!
Next it was on to an excellent rendition of Keep Yourself Alive. Just hearing Brian's guitar... and then Rog hitting his drums like duh duh duh duh DAH! over the top of it, I love it so much. It has that energetic quality, it always moves me. I had heard beforehand that they would be playing it. Next they began the intro to Liar and I completely lost it because I had never dreamt they'd play this one! Mickey and I were arm-in-arm, both of us yelling "Oh my god, oh my god... THIS song?!" and crying like crazy. Freddie's voice was crystal-clear. His voice at that part that goes "I have seen [sic] dear father..." is so beautiful that you can barely believe you're hearing it live in front of you. Whenever he sang "LIAR!" everyone would just put their hands up and the lights would get brighter... so many tears...
Mickey has this to say: "Oh my god, that we got to hear this one live... My tears were seriously just going straight down in a line. I love this song so so so much... OMG... I still can't believe it!! I think Roger was wearing a white thing with blue lines, kind of like a tracksuit or something. "Liar!" Ugh, I can't BELIEVE I got to hear it live. I was so happy but at the same time, I was wondering if this would be the last time we'd get to hear a song from the Ice Age like this."
Next up was Freddie's vocal solo. He gave a strong performance, bathed in blue light. He sang so quickly! Eight days is a long time, but you never would've known it was the final night of the world tour because his voice was so serene and flexible. His treble was great as well. He put the echo machine to fantastic use. "Teriririritatatataoooyoyoyo" in a high serene voice, and then "uooeeiiiyaaa, derororororpapapapaei!" voice numero dos came out in a low sound. Then the backing synth and Rog's drums started in. Then the bass came in, becoming jazz-like, followed by Rog hitting his cymbals and yelling "One, two, three, four!"
"I donnnnn't want my freeeeeedom..!!" and It's A Hard Life began. This song illustrates how Queen's songs run a wide range from low to high. Especially the high parts, even though Freddie's probably pretty tight in the middle of a tour, this year it didn't sound like it. Rog had to help him less, as well—he was doing it mostly by himself. But as could be expected, by the Osaka show on the 15th, Rog had to be a bit more involved. It was well done.
But... the "EEEEEYO!" and "DEE DADEE DEE DADEE" and stuff like that, after a while I was like PLEASE stop!! We're out of energy by that point! On the 11th, he complimented the audience with "Wonderful!" In Osaka, all the audience got was a less stellar "Not bad!" Then he turned around and smacked his butt at the crowd! I don't think he was very happy with the crowd's singing that time.
Dragon Attack and Now I'm Here were next. Now I'm Here has always been heard with the start of Bri's guitar like "doo doo doo doo doo..." but this time the intro featured the drums and bass instead. It was also a shortened version, sandwiched between other songs in a medley, which I thought was strange. For me, that song should always begin with the sound of a guitar.
For Is This The World We Created Bri brought back the guitar, and for the first time people began to chant for Brian. I wondered if they were going to go into Love of My Life. On the 8th and 9th, by the time the guitar intro had ended, the audience had calmed down like they had been hit with water. Then they began chanting for Freddie with lots of applause! With the second verse, the backing synth came in. It was really dramatic! I noticed that on the 11th, Freddie made a mistake coming in at the beginning of the song, but being a veteran at this point, realigned neatly with a sweep of his arm. From the beginning of the second verse, Bri would look and smile at Freddie with what looked to be great feeling and emotion.
For Love of My Life, Bri brought out the twelve-string. People started chanting for him again and Brian said, "What's that you're saying?" People: "BRIIIIAAAAAN!!!" B: "You want to sing?" People: "YEAAAAAAH!!" B: "Mmmm, right. Okay. Try this one!" And then he began playing the intro to loud cheers. This only happened on the 11th thought, it didn't go that way on the 8th or 9th.
Then Freddie ascended to the throne. His joyful voice was especially powerful. It's so wonderful to be able to say that he sounded so good in Japan! On the 8th and 9th, Freddie praised the singing crowd by saying "Beautiful!" The 11th was again extraordinary. Even though we were in such a big place, and because it's a public performance, there was such a mood and sense of unity, more than I thought there could be. Especially during the second chorus, it really was indescribable. Even though the hall was echoing, the words were clear. It was as if the hall itself were singing with one voice. Because we were doing it so well, Brian involuntarily stopped playing his guitar in the middle in order to listen. Freddie listened carefully as well. Even after we sang "What it means to me~", Bri and Freddie didn't play the interlude right away and instead looked at each other with impressed expressions. They smiled at each other as if to say "Wow!" I think we were all impressed with how good it sounded. The crowd was bubbling over. Then Freddie gave us the best compliment possible... "Absolutely perfect!!"
...Ahhh! Has any other audience had Freddie fling this much praise at them? I'm so glad I fell in love with Queen! I was boasting to myself. "I'm so glad I've lived to see this!!" I kept thinking to myself through my tears.
And then the song resumed. The melody really shone from Bri's guitar...Freddie's "I still love you, love you, love you, love you..." still rings in my ears. And then it was the last line, "Love of my life, love of my life, Ooohhh...yeah~" and big applause. I understand how Queen has become so popular and familiar in Japan. Once this song ended, Freddie let out a really happy-sounding "ARIGATOU!" It was so great that I got goosebumps... I wanted to thank him back. As a side note, on the 8th, during the instrumental part of the song, Freddie was heading backstage and his mic cord got caught on something and he let it go without looking back. But someone must've told a roadie "Catch that mic, and don't make a sound!" and he slid and caught it right before it hit the floor. Just in the nick of time! People applauded the move... but it was just like a manservant to the emperor!
Freddie only introduced Another One Bites the Dust as John's song on one night, the 8th. John's bass was unusually powerful. Here they put in just a touch of Mustapha. Freddie sang "Allah Allah Allah we praaaay for you~" and immediately after, the audience got involved by yelling "HAI!". It tells you that there's a lot of fans who really listen. You can't get involved spur-of-the-moment like that unless you're a connoisseur!
For Hammer to Fall Roger stood up and beat the intro on his drums. This song was made for live performance, but there's no hook so you can't sing it and I was kind of bored. On the 11th, because of the echo in the hall, Rog's drumming started to slip up a bit. I was nervous for him. The worst point was when the snare drum fell out of time. He fell a half beat behind schedule and I thought to myself, "What's gonna happen?" but right as I thought that, he course-corrected to my relief. Why, Rog? This song felt a lot lighter than it does on the record... and inevitably I was taken aback by the session guitarist [Spike Edney]. (I knew about his existence beforehand but it's still really unexpected, ain't it?!)
Freddie didn't use the twelve-string Ovation for Crazy Little Thing Called Love, opting instead for a cream Fender Telecaster. As this guitar hung from his shoulder, he said on the 8th, "This is my guitar, but I don't know if I'll be able to play it," like he was letting us in on a secret. How mischievous!
Then Freddie went to the piano for Bohemian Rhapsody, although I figured he was going to play a different song. That intro is so beloved! I thought the venue would break apart from the sound of all the yelling voices. His voice gets better every year... but to be honest, this year I felt like BoRhap was shoehorned in as a matter of convenience which made it lack impact, so I felt caught off-guard.
Radio GaGa started with the backing synth, followed by Roger's drums. This song is carved with a characteristic rhythm. "Oh wow, is this what Radio GaGa sounds like live?" was the feeling. The tempo was faster and the song more lively than on the record, and the vibe was great. During the chorus, the entire venue began clapping just like in the video except with even more power. If you looked up at the first and second floors from the arena of the Budoukan, everyone's arms were up and their hands were coming together. It was like we were all out in the streets, like we were a raging wave of Queen. A roiling wave of bodies... that's what it was. It left quite an impression on me. I wanted to congratulate Roger on his first hit single.
Encore:
I Want to Break Free began with the same synth as on the single version, and we all one after the other started wondering if we'd get to see a cross-dressing Freddie. Then, Brian's guitar and John's bass joined in. And then from the backstage came Freddie with majestic protruding breasts to a huge commotion in the hall! The plastic bra had to stick out at least meter and a half, and topped with a Tina Turner-esque bobbed wig, Freddie pranced around smiling. Sometimes he'd pull up his pink tank top and we'd see his fake boobs. That made a fuss! I think Freddie was amused by the crowd's reaction. This song sounded a lot different than the original, with more emphasis on the guitar and a heavier overall sound. Whenever Freddie sang "God knows!", everyone in the audience yelled it out as well, but I wonder if the members onstage heard it. In the middle of the song, Freddie removed the bra and threw it in front of the audience, and threw the wig and clothes towards a roadie. He was still wearing the tank top when he removed the wig, and it was a little creepy. On the 15th at Osaka Jo Hall, he accidentally threw the bra INTO the audience, and I wondered if the roadie would go to retrieve it...? On the 9th, he took off the tank top and hit Rog's cymbals with it. That made Rog stand up halfway and laugh.
Jailhouse Rock came next. I was surprised to hear an old classic. Everyone was in high spirits and excited to hear it.
Second Encore:
In the pitch black darkness, on the 11th through the 15th, the hall spontaneously broke out into calls of "We will, we will, ROCK YOU!" Everyone was both clapping and stomping as well. Especially on the 11th, this was really powerful. (On the 11th, it was very coordinated, but on the 15th it was out of sync from the beginning.) Then, Roger began to match the chanting with his drums and a bunch of girls started shrieking. This year, John joined in with his bass as well. It felt like it was slowed down a bit. Then Brian came in, followed by Freddie. On the 11th through 15th, Freddie spread a big Union Jack flag out in his hands. He began leisurely walking around to the rhythm with imperial dignity. The voices yelled "WAAAAH!" Then Freddie majestically turned around to face the back, and there on the back of the spread Union Jack was the Hinomaru! Even if you're cynical about it, you an't help but want to promote friendship between England and Japan. Everyone went crazy, causing Freddie to smile and laugh... that kind of thing is so cute to see...
He came across the floor with the flag as he began to sing. This year the crowd's voices were pretty amazing. In '82, I don't think they made it to the stage. That year, Freddie was complaining to us to yell "Loud, all of you!!" This year we were bestowed with a "Yes!!!" Everyone in the venue had their hands in the air.
Once we saw Freddie sit a the piano again for We Are the Champions, everyone uniformly became aware that this was the end, and the thought made us all sad. On the 8th, even though this was the last song, people kept yelling. At first, I was really happy to hear this song, but then I got sad at the thought that it was all coming to an end. I was so happy to be able to see such a great show, and my face was messy with tears through the smiles. On the 9th as the song ended, a bath towel-sized Union Jack came out before the audience and Freddie ran from one end of the stage to the other while holding it.
Ahhh. I couldn't help but scream, "Queen is the champion of the world!!" The song ended and I was so upset, I didn't know what to do with myself...
As God Save the Queen began to play, Freddie and Brian unfurled another Union Jack and Hinomaru flag like the one mentioned above. (Freddie tried to open it too quickly. It took Brian a minute to come help him and Freddie seemed frustrated.). On the 15th, the members disappeared backstage in the order of John, Rog, Freddie, then Brian. Freddie and Rog both had their arms on each others' shoulders, and then Brian put his left hand on Freddie's shoulder which was surprising. It was chummy.
Regardless, the feeling that this might be the last Queen performance in Japan was floating around. A lot of the fans were crying, and a lot were still crying in their seats as the lights came on. But in recent magazine interviews, they talked about how they want to return in two or three years, so I'm not too worried about it... Ahh, Queen, thank you! Thank you so much. Thank you for such a great show.
Impressions and Gossip:
Well, for one thing I never thought they'd play so many old songs! To be honest, I was a little bit surprised when Bri began his Brighton Rock guitar solo. I never thought I'd get to hear things like Brighton Rock and Liar and Seven Seas of Rhye in a raw state, so... yep. And speaking of the guitar solo, on the 11th he played a little excerpt of Sakura, Sakura. So in that light, my impression is that the performance on the 11th was the best. Since Osaka was the last day, the band was conducting themselves with a kind of "This is the last day of Japan AND the entire Works Tour" ease, I guess you could say. I think they really wanted that kind of vibe, like a victory lap of sorts. But on the contrary, the audience was full of breathless expectation so the mood was unexpectedly incongruous and it didn't quite live up to its potential. The chanting during We Will Rock You was all disjointed. I have a lot of recollections of being irritated. I think the band members were disappointed as well. I didn't see it, but according to other witnesses, Brian was crying onstage at Nagoya and Osaka. According to another member of the Mutual Aid Society, "Brian was the only one who seemed immersed in sentiment and memories of when they first came to Japan". [See this page for more details on this hearsay.]
That's right, and I seem to remember that on the 13th and the 15th, Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting was performed after Crazy Little Thing. Furthermore, for some reason, while Freddie did his vocal solo every night in Japan, I have heard that it was not done on the European or UK tours. Instead they did stuff like Staying Power, Stone Cold Crazy, and Great King Rat. They also substituted Jailhouse Rock for Sheer Heart Attack. On the 8th, Freddie started out wearing tight-fitting red and black striped pants, but on the other days he went with the white tights and changed in the middle to red pants. How many times did Bri change up his look as well...
This year, as he has done in other countries, Freddie let out a "HA!" and sprayed the Japanese audience with water before throwing the cup into the audience. Was (REDACTED!) of the Mutual Aid Society able to catch the cup...? (Sadly, after the concert was over, the cup was covered in fingerprints as (REDACTED)'s friend threw it around...)
As Rog was drumming, his spit flung into the air. Then, after leaving the stage but before coming back out for the encore, he threw the sticks he had been using out towards the audience but he flubbed it and they didn't make it, falling upon the stage instead. Then I caught a glimpse of the roadie that had to go out on the pitch-black stage with a flashlight in order to retrieve them. Also, when he threw those sticks, he was crazy close to me, right above me. It was a close call. But although he flubbed it the first time, at the end of the Osaka performance, he scattered all of his remaining sticks out into the audience. Because of this, everyone was astonished and thought that this concert was more memorable than the one in '82.
