by Georg Purvis
JOHN DEACON: SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE,
LONDON (SAS BAND)
1 JULY 1995
Repertoire: ‘My Girl’, ‘634-5789’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’
BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE, BOLOGNA
(ZUCCHERO)
22 SEPTEMBER 1995
Repertoire: ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’, ‘Madre Dolcissima (Mama)’
BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE, LOS ANGELES
(PAUL RODGERS)
[UNKNOWN DATE] 1996
Repertoire: ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’, ‘All Right Now’, ‘Crossroads’, ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’
BRIAN MAY: BRIXTON ACADEMY, LONDON
(STATUS QUO)
28 JANUARY 1996
Repertoire: ‘FBI’, Rock ‘n’ Roll Medley
Brian appeared at the video shoot for Status Quo’s ‘Raining In My Heart’ and then performed an impromptu set for the audience, including ‘FBI’ and a brief rock ‘n’ roll medley.
BRIAN MAY: MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL
(ZUCCHERO)
12 JULY 1996
Repertoire: ‘Madre Dolcissima (Mama)’
ROGER TAYLOR: INDIAN AWARDS
(ROBERT PLANT AND JIMMY PAGE)
30 NOVEMBER 1996
Repertoire (mimed): ‘Rock And Roll’
ROGER TAYLOR: UNKNOWN VENUE,
CHIDDINGFOLD (SAS BAND)
13 DECEMBER 1996
Repertoire: ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘That’s The Way God Planned It’
ROGER TAYLOR: SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE,
LONDON (IAN HUNTER)
14 MAY 1997
Repertoire: ‘All The Young Dudes’
BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE, LONDON
(ZUCCHERO)
22 MAY 1997
Repertoire: ‘Madre Dolcissima (Mama)’
BRIAN MAY: SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE,
LONDON (JOE SATRIANI AND STEVE VAI)
4 AND 5 JUNE 1997
Repertoire: ‘Liberty’, ‘Going Down’, ‘My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama’, ‘Red House’
BRIAN MAY: BRIAN’S 50TH
BIRTHDAY PARTY, SURREY
19 JULY 1997
Repertoire: ‘All Right Now’, ‘All The Young Dudes’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘Route 66’
At the party for Brian’s fiftieth birthday, he assembled a group of his musician friends (including Spike Edney on keyboards, Jamie Moses on guitar, Neil Murray on bass, Geoff Dugmore on drums and Roger on drums and vocals; a notable absentee was John Deacon) to perform a brief, five-song concert for the partygoers. All the songs were sung by Brian, except ‘Rock And Roll’, which was sung by Roger.
ROGER TAYLOR: WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON
(DANA GILLE SPIE)
5 OCTOBER 1997
Repertoire unknown
ROGER TAYLOR: SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE,
LONDON (FOO FIGHTERS)
13 DECEMBER 1997
Repertoire: ‘Sheer Heart Attack’
BRIAN MAY: DORO PARTY, PURKERSDORF
7 FEBRUARY 1998
Repertoire: ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘Honky Tonk Women’
ROGER TAYLOR: ALTON, HAMPSHIRE
(SAS BAND)
22 FEBRUARY 1998
Repertoire: ‘Rock And Roll’
BRIAN MAY: WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON
(JOE SATRIANI, MICHAEL SCHENKER,
ULI JON ROTH)
19 MAY 1998
Repertoire: ‘The Thrill Is Gone’, ‘Voodoo Chile’
ROGER TAYLOR: WINTERSHALL ESTATE,
SURREY
5 SEPTEMBER 1998
Repertoire: ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Crucify Me’ (vocals: Bob Geldof), ‘Working Class Hero’ (vocals: Bob Geldof), ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ (vocals: Bob Geldof)
BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE, CHIDDINGFOLD
(SAS BAND)
12 DECEMBER 1998
Repertoire: ‘Only Make Believe’, ‘You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care)’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’, ‘You’re The Voice’, ‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer’
BRIAN MAY: COZY POWELL TRIBUTE CONCERT
1 MAY 1999
Musicians: Brian May (guitars, vocals), Chris Thompson (vocals), Spike Edney (keyboards, vocals), Clayton Moss (guitar), John Marter (drums), Neil Murray (bass guitar), Suzi Webb (backing vocals), Zoe Nicholas (backing vocals)
Repertoire (Brian only): ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Hammer To Fall’, ‘All The Young Dudes’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’, ‘You’re The Voice’
A little over a year after Cozy Powell’s untimely death, a tribute concert was organised by Spike Edney at the Buxton Opera House. After a lengthy set by the SAS Band, Brian joined in with a thundering version of ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ and two other favourites. Brian then helped close the show with ‘All The Young Dudes’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’, and ‘You’re The Voice’, all with Chris Thompson on vocals.
ROGER TAYLOR: CAFÉ DE PARIS, LONDON
(JIMMY PAGE, STEVEN TYLER, JOE PERRY,
THE STEREOPHONICS, THE BLACK CROWES)
27 JUNE 1999
Repertoire: ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Under Pressure’ (with Treana Morris), ‘Rock And Roll’
ROGER TAYLOR: ROGER’S 50TH BIRTHDAY
PARTY, CORNWALL
26 JULY 1999
Repertoire: ‘We Will Rock You’, Jam Session, ‘Rock And Roll’
BRIAN MAY: READING ROCK FESTIVAL
(SAS BAND)
4 SEPTEMBER 1999
Repertoire: ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘Last Horizon’, ‘Hammer To Fall’ (slow/fast), ‘Dragon Attack’ (vocals: Jeff Scott Soto), ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited’
Brian sang vocals on all songs except as noted.
ROGER TAYLOR: UNKNOWN VENUE,
STUTTGART (SAS BAND)
8 NOVEMBER 1999
Repertoire: ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘All The Young Dudes’, ‘We Are The Champions’
BRIAN MAY & ROGER TAYLOR: UNKNOWN
VENUE, LONDON (FOO FIGHTERS)
25 NOVEMBER 1999
Repertoire: ‘We Will Rock You’ (intro) / ‘Now I’m Here’
BRIAN MAY: WEMBLEY EXHIBITION CENTRE,
LONDON
28 NOVEMBER 1999
Repertoire: Guitar Solo, ‘We Will Rock You’ (solo only), Jam Session
Much like the Capital Radio Guitar Session in 1983, Brian was asked to participate in the National Music Show. The guitar solo was essentially Brian dissecting his showcase, explaining delays and harmonies and the features of his guitar, while ‘We Will Rock You’ was only the distorted guitar solo. A jam session then followed with Chad Smith, the drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
ROGER TAYLOR: SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE,
LONDON (SAS BAND)
19 FEBRUARY 2000
Repertoire: ‘Magic Is Loose’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’
BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: HYDE PARK,
LONDON (5IVE)
9 JULY 2000
Repertoire: ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’
BRIAN MAY: CAT CLUB, LOS ANGELES
(GILBY CLARKE, ERIC SINGER, OTHERS)
14 SEPTEMBER 2000
Repertoire: ‘The Thrill Is Gone’
BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: MILLENIUM
DOME, LONDON (5IVE)
27 SEPTEMBER 2000
Repertoire: ‘We Will Rock You’
BRIAN MAY: BRIXTON ACADEMY, LONDON
(MOTORHEAD)
22 OCTOBER 2000
Repertoire: ‘Overkill’
ROGER TAYLOR: USHER HALL, EDINBURGH
(SAS BAND)
14 DECEMBER 2000
Repertoire: ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘R
adio Ga Ga’, ‘Strange Frontier’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ (vocals: Fish)
ROGER TAYLOR: UNKNOWN VENUE,
MANCHESTER (SAS BAND)
15 DECEMBER 2000
Repertoire: ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’
BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR:
WALDORF ASTORIA, NEW YORK
19 MARCH 2001
Repertoire: ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Do It Again’, ‘Johnnie’s Boogie’, ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’
Queen were introduced into the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001, and Brian and Roger appeared to represent the band (Jer Bulsara, Freddie’s mother, gave a short speech on Freddie’s behalf), performing ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, with both performances augmented by Spike Edney on keyboards and Steve Barnacle on bass guitar; Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins inducted the band and later joined them on ‘Tie Your Mother Down’. Brian later returned for the concluding all-star jam.
BRIAN MAY: MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL
7 JULY 2001
Musicians: Brian May (vocals, guitars), Jon Cleary (piano), Chris Spedding (guitar), John Hatton (bass guitar), Bernie Dresel (drums), Ray Herrmann (saxophone), Charlie Peterson (trumpet), Emily May (backing vocals), Jimmy May (backing vocals), Anita Dobson (backing vocals)
Repertoire: ‘(I Don’t Want Nobody) Teasin’ Around (With Me), ‘Let Me Out’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’
This concert saw the only live performance of ‘(I Don’t Want Nobody) Teasin’ Around (With Me)’, a standout track that was omitted from the Good Rockin’ Tonight: A Tribute To Sun Records album (though it did appear as a bonus track in Japan). With his family – daughter Emily, son Jimmy and wife Anita – assisting on backing vocals, Brian then led the band into ‘Let Me Out’ and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, before returning for ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’. The previous night, Brian had appeared with Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton on ‘Luke’s Blues’.
ROGER TAYLOR: GOSPORT FESTIVAL
(SAS BAND)
11 AUGUST 2001
Repertoire: ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘The Show Must Go On’ (vocals: Chris Thompson), ‘We Will Rock You’ (vocals: Tony Hadley, Leo Sayer, and Mark Shaw), ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ (vocals: Fish), ‘You’re The Voice’, ‘All The Way’
BRIAN MAY: CAMBRIDGE UNION
9 OCTOBER 2001
Repertoire: ‘With God On Our Side’, ‘We Will Rock You’
BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR:
FREDDIE MERCURY MEMORIAL
24 NOVEMBER 2001
Repertoire: ‘Radio Ga Ga’ (vocals: Roger), ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ (vocals: Brian), ‘Under Pressure’ (vocals: Roger and Treana Morris), ‘Strange Frontier’ (vocals: Roger), ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ (vocals: Brian), ‘No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)’ (vocals: Brian and Roger)
A memorial concert was held at the Ocean Club in London to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Freddie’s death, with the SAS Band as the main act. Brian and Roger then joined the band for the conclusion of the set, which saw many surprising additions: ‘Under Pressure’ with Treana Morris, Roger’s 1984 solo song ‘Strange Frontier’, and an emotional rendition of ‘No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)’ bringing the show to a poignant close.
BRIAN MAY: CAT CLUB, LOS ANGELES
(ERIC SINGER)
18 JANUARY 2002
Repertoire: ‘The Thrill Is Gone’, ‘Sympathy For The Devil’
BRIAN MAY: LIZA MINNELLI’S WEDDING
16 MARCH 2002
Repertoire: ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’
BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: MUSEUM
SQUARE, AMSTERDAM
30 APRIL 2002
Repertoire: ‘Radio Ga Ga’ (vocals: Roger), ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ (vocals: Brian), ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ (vocals: Patti Russo), ‘Under Pressure’ (vocals: Roger and Patti Russo), ‘Hammer To Fall’ (slow/fast) (vocals: Brian), ‘The Show Must Go On’ (vocals: Patti Russo), ‘No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)’ (vocals: Brian and Roger), ‘We Will Rock You’ (vocals: Brian), ‘We Are The Champions’ (vocals: Trijntje Oosterhuis)
Designed to celebrate the Dutch Queen’s birthday, this was a special one-off performance that remained a secret until the day of the concert.
BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: BUCKINGHAM
PALACE, QUEEN’S JUBILEE
3 JUNE 2002
Repertoire: ‘God Save The Queen’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’ (vocals: Roger), ‘We Will Rock You’ (vocals: Brian), ‘We Are The Champions’ (vocals: Will Young), ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (vocals: We Will Rock You cast), ‘Move It’ (vocals: Cliff Richard and S Club 7), ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ (vocals: Joe Cocker), ‘All You Need Is Love’, ‘Hey Jude’
This performance saw the iconic rendition of ‘God Save The Queen’, with Brian on guitar standing atop Buckingham Palace while the orchestra (including Roger on timpani) performed below him in the palace grounds. Brian and Roger then performed a brief set, introducing the We Will Rock You cast for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, after which Brian joined the all-star cast for ‘Move It’ and ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’. Roger then came out to perform drums on ‘All You Need Is Love’ and ‘Hey Jude’.
ROGER TAYLOR: COWDRAY PARK (DAVID
GILMOUR, RINGO STARR,
BOB GELDOF, OTHERS)
21 JUNE 2002
Repertoire: ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Jealous Guy’, ‘I Am The Walrus’, ‘My Sweet Lord’
ROGER TAYLOR: HEROES SQUARE, BUDAPEST
(F1 WITH V10)
16 JULY 2002
Repertoire: ‘Lust For Life’, ‘For Fuck’s Sake’, ‘Pump It Up’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘Gloria’, ‘“Heroes”’, ‘Let’s Stick Together’
BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR:
WALK OF FAME AFTERPARTY
18 OCTOBER 2002
Repertoire: ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ (vocals: Brian), ‘Under Pressure’ (vocals: Roger and Patti Russo), ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ (vocals: Patti Russo), ‘Sleeping On The Sidewalk’ (vocals: Brian), ‘I’m In Love With My Car’ (vocals: Roger), ‘Stone Cold Crazy’ (vocals: Jeff Scott Soto), ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘Hammer To Fall’ (slow/fast) (vocals: Brian), ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’ (vocals: Roger and Brian), ‘Rock And Roll’ (vocals: Roger)
After being inducted into the Hollywood Walk Of Fame (Queen received a star on the famous sidewalk), Brian and Roger performed a set in the city with the SAS Band, with several guests stopping by: Nuno Bettencourt played guitar on ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, Fred Mandel provided keyboards on ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ and ‘Rock And Roll’ featured Steve Vai on guitar and Carmine Appice on drums.
BRIAN MAY: DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND
CONCERT
10 NOVEMBER 2002
Repertoire: ‘Is This The World We Created...?’ (vocals: Brian), ‘I’ll Do My Crying In The Rain’ (vocals: Bryan Adams and Brian), ‘Run To You’ (vocals: Bryan Adams), ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ (vocals: Bryan Adams)
ROGER TAYLOR: IN SESSION (SAS BAND)
29 APRIL 2003
Repertoire: ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Jealous Guy’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘You’re The Voice’, ‘All The Way’
BRIAN MAY: LONNIE DONEGAN MEMORIAL SERVICE
8 MAY 2003
Repertoire: ‘I’m Just A Rolling Stone’, ‘Have A Drink On Me’
BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: ARK CHARITY
CONCERT (SAS BAND)
14 MAY 2003
Repertoire: ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘A Kind Of Magic’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘The Kids Are Alright’ (vocals: Bob Geldof), ‘We Will Rock You’ (vocals: Brian), ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ (vocals: Brian), ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’
> Brian appeared only on ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and ‘Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’. Roger sang on the first three songs and ‘Rock And Roll’, and played drums on ‘The Kids Are Alright’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and ‘Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’.
BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR: UNKNOWN
VENUE, MODENA (PAVAROTTI & FRIENDS)
27 MAY 2003
Repertoire: ‘We Will Rock You’ (vocals: Brian), ‘Radio Ga Ga’ (vocals: Roger), ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’ (vocals: Brian and Pavarotti), ‘We Are The Champions’ (vocals: Brian and Zucchero)
BRIAN MAY & ROGER TAYLOR: SONGWRITER’S
HALL OF FAME
12 JUNE 2003
Repertoire: ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ (vocals: Wynonna Judd), ‘We Will Rock You’ (vocals: Brian)
BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH APOLLO (DEF
LEPPARD)
31 OCTOBER 2003
Repertoire: ‘Tie Your Mother Down’
BRIAN MAY: HOUSE OF GUITARS, LONDON
8 JANUARY 2004
Repertoire: ‘Amazing Grace’, Guitar Solo, ‘Chinese Torture’
BRIAN MAY: UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE,
HATFIELD
9 JANUARY 2004
Repertoire: Guitar Solo, ‘We Will Rock You’, Guitar Solo, ‘Amazing Grace’, ‘Puttin’ On The Style’, ‘Rock Island Line’
BRIAN MAY: ROYAL ALBERT HALL, LONDON
(ZUCCHERO)
6 MAY 2004
Repertoire: ‘Madre Dolcissima (Mama)’, ‘Il Mare Impetuoso Al Tramonto’
BRIAN MAY: ASTORIA, LONDON (IAN HUNTER)
28 MAY 2004
Repertoire: ‘All The Way From Memphis’
BRIAN MAY: FENDER STRATOCASTER
ANNIVERSARY
24 SEPTEMBER 2004
Repertoire: ‘Oh Boy!’, ‘Maybe Baby’, ‘Love You More Than I Can Say’, ‘Every Day’, ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)’, ‘That’ll Be The Day’, ‘All Right Now’, ‘Stay With Me’
Unusual that Brian would appear at an anniversary concert commemorating the Fender Stratocaster, but he strapped one on for this concert and provided guitar on all nine tracks (only on the last two did he use the Red Special), singing lead on ‘Maybe Baby’ and ‘That’ll Be The Day’. Sonny Curtis sang on all the other songs, except ‘All Right Now’ (Paul Rodgers) and ‘Stay With Me’ (Ronnie Wood).
ROGER TAYLOR: MICROSOFT IT FORUM,
COPENHAGEN (SAS BAND)
18 NOVEMBER 2004
Repertoire: ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’