As Queen The Greatest: Live continues its journey to explore what makes a Queen show the ultimate live experience, and having already studied the rehearsals, opening numbers and lighting, this week’s episode turns its attention to Queen’s memorable stage wear.
In new and exclusive interviews with Brian May and Roger Taylor, QTGL series creator and director Simon Lupton learns from them both the history behind some of the band’s most iconic stage costumes, including the one that didn’t quite measure up for Roger Taylor and Brian’s initial reaction to Freddie’s infamous red sequined shorts.
And it is unlikely to come as a surprise to learn which band member was the driving force behind many of the choices.
Brian May: “The clothes are part of it, and no one was more aware of that than Freddie. Freddie really pioneered a lot of stuff and we came out of an era which was called glam, where people in rock groups realized that they could dress up and look fancy and make a big splash. But it was all very kind of random.”
“And what we tried to do was, I guess, call on the traditions of opera and other art forms and make the costumes speak for us, make them part of the storytelling. So Freddie, with his little wings on his suits and all his of crowns and paraphernalia, also the black and white stuff, which we got into, and it's all designed to be dramatic. It's designed to accentuate our movements and accentuate the moods of the songs.”
“We were lucky enough to work with some great designers. Zandra Rhodes was the first one we really worked with, and we had these very, very dramatic kind of pleated efforts and that was really helpful to us because it made us more aware of our physicality on stage, made us speak with our bodies as well as our hands and voices.”
The collaboration with Zandra Rhodes resulted in some outfits that are now legendary - but it quickly became apparent that extravagance might not work for everyone in the band…
Roger Taylor: “At the beginning, many years ago, there was this big thing, you know, that we wanted Zandra Rhodes to do everything. Well, she made me a costume. I wore it once. It was so bloody hot I never wore it again. It was completely impractical.”
“And I don't really like the word costume because with ‘costume’ I think of kids, or I think of pantomime or, you know, and this isn't costumes, this is meant to be rock and roll. So I don't really have a costume. And also, being drums, it's pretty sweaty. You need something where you can move that is not hampering you in any way.”
“And I leave it to… I leave it to the sort of those people out the front, whoever they are, to ponce around in their frilly dresses.”
For Freddie it was an aspect of the live show that he revelled in, and he particularly enjoyed surprising his fellow band members, as much as he did the fans.
Roger Taylor: “Freddie, he didn't always tell us. I mean, when he first turned up in the ballet thing, I think he slightly looked like Kermit, and the ballet pumps as well. I mean, we were we were absolutely tickled. It could have gone the other way. You know, we could have gone ‘don’t be so ridiculous’, but because it was Fred, It was ‘yeah, come on. That's brilliant.’ You know, why not?.”
“And if you’ve got the balls to get… and let's face it, we'll be able to see them, you can get away with that. Yeah, let's go. I mean, it was a great talking point. I remember several musicians faces, sort of jaws dropping in astonishment that this guy could come on, and they could play some serious rock n roll, you know?”
Brian May: “I think Freddie preferred to shock us. I do remember him appearing in the red sequined shorts. Swimming trunk type efforts and we went ‘Freddie really?’, and he went ‘Darling? This is what I do.’ Yeah, he was pretty outrageous. And he did like to shock us all - those cat suits and everything.”
“But it's all great. You know, he took so many chances, did Freddie. And I think because physically he was in such good shape as well, he could carry it off. And a lot of people would look ridiculous in those kind of leotards and stuff. But he looked like Nijinsky or whatever because he was physically at that point.”
Ultimately, Queen’s stage wear was not simply about being shocking or outrageous, but instead another well crafted, integral part of the overall audience experience.
Brian May: “I think to make best use of yourself on stage, it is a whole-body thing and it becomes very instinctive, after a while. You're conscious about it for a while, the clothes and everything and the movements, but then it becomes part of what you are. And instinctively you do that and you instinctively know if you're wearing the wrong stuff, it just kind of feels wrong. And so you go in search of good stuff and we have some great people to interact with who will say, ‘you've tried this?’. So, we're not kind of glam, but we are, I suppose…. Yeah, maybe we are glam, but mainly we’re dramatic that’s the idea.”
Having first launched their universally acclaimed Rhapsody Tour with 25 epic shows across North America in 2019, Queen + Adam Lambert are bringing their highly acclaimed production, now expanded and updated, back to where it first began.
After a 4-year long hiatus, Sir Brian May, Roger Taylor and their exceptional frontman Adam Lambert have announced they will set out on a spectacular North America run this fall. Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off on October 4 at Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena making stops in Toronto, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Denver and more before concluding at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. See full routing below.
Brian May says, “Our last tour featured our most ambitious production ever. So we decided to rip it apart and get even more ambitious. Watch out world.”
And Adam Lambert says: “I can’t wait to tour North America one more time with the Rhapsody tour alongside the two unbelievably talented legends that are Brian May and Roger Taylor.”
Queen + Adam Lambert’s 150-minute career-spanning set list celebrates the band’s extraordinary back catalogue, lining up wall-to-wall immortal anthems like “We Will Rock You”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “Radio Ga Ga”, and “Somebody To Love” alongside classic deep cuts and vintage fan favourites. Featuring a dazzling state-of-the-art stage design, incredible special effects and set pieces, this sense-swamping extravaganza has been blowing critics and fans away the world over.
As with last year's UK and European dates, the 2023 North American tour will see Queen + Adam Lambert supported on stage by their regular band members, long-serving Queen keyboard player and musical director Spike Edney, bass guitarist Neil Fairclough and percussionist Tyler Warren.
Having extensively toured over the last few years, the Rhapsody show is forever evolving. But it remains at heart a tribute to Freddie Mercury’s majestic legacy, a confirmation of Brian and Roger’s undimmed musical prowess, plus a magnificent showcase for Adam’s vocal skills and electrifying stage charisma, all of which adds up to a glorious full-blooded celebration of one of the greatest songbooks in rock history.
Tickets are available at LiveNation.com.
Queen + Adam Lambert appreciate that it is an enormous task to try and stop scalpers from taking advantage of fans wanting to purchase tickets for the tour. In an effort to help minimize resale and keep ticket prices at face value for fans, the band are collaborating with the venues’ ticketing partners to restrict the ability to transfer tickets for The Rhapsody Tour so that they may only be transferred between fans at the original price.
Fans will still have protection against unforeseen circumstances. Those who purchase tickets and are no longer able to attend their show will be able to sell their tickets at the price they paid using a face value ticket exchange, including the Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange - which is free to use for buyers and sellers. More information on how the Ticketmaster Exchange works is available here.
Unfortunately, the states of NY, IL, and CO have laws in place that protect ticket scalpers - these laws prohibit artists from being able to restrict the transfer of their tickets to face-value exchanges only. For shows in these states, Queen + Adam Lambert strongly encourages fans to only buy or sell tickets to one another on face-value exchanges. More information can be found here, with more details to follow in the coming weeks.
Tour dates:
October
4 - Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena
8 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
10 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
12 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
15 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
18 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
23 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
25 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
27 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
30 - Chicago, IL - United Center
November
2 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
5 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
8 - San Francisco, CA - Chase Center
11 - Los Angeles, CA - BMO Stadium
(Top photo courtesy of EMI Photo Archive)
