GIG REVIEW: A Night at the SSE Arena with Queen

This is a special review. It is part review and part story. So please bear with me as this gig was a very personal to me.

This was a bucket list concert and Darren at Metal Planet Music had the first night covered already (read the review at MetalPlanetMusic.com). I was also taking my youngest along for her very first concert. This was a very, very special night for me. I have loved Queen (to different degrees as I got obsessed with different other bands) since I was very young in the 80s. They were always there in the background. You could never listen to the radio or watch TV without something Queen being used. I started buying Queen albums starting with Queen and Queen 2 and I had been given ‘It’s a Kind of Magic’. I was into all things fantasy, Fighting Fantasy books, Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying and of course absolutely smitten by JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Early Queen was perfect background music for all my interests. As I developed and bought more Queen I found they could morph into different genres but with still that very distinctive Queen sound. Freddie, Brian, Roger and John were a perfect combination of creativity that always seemed to keep things fresh and eclectic from pure rocking out tunes to emotionally charged ballads. In 1991, I had just bought, what was to be their last album, ‘Innuendo’, I was 17/18 and was now excited there might be a tour. It was in that moment the devastating news of Freddie’s illness was released, and then even worse a few days later it was announced that Freddie had passed away. I felt empty. It was silly in a way. I had never met, never mind known any of the band members. I had never been to a Queen concert. The closest I ever got in that respect was watching the iconic Live Aid concert which mesmerised me. My god, what were they like in concert if that was how they affected me through the TV?

And so time went on. Seeing Queen would always be that ‘What if?’ part of my life. Then there was a resurgence and the remaining members brought Adam Lambert on board for vocals and on the road they went. It was always a ‘That would be great if this or that was not happening so I could go see’.

Then it was announced, Queen was coming to Belfast. I was free and my youngest daughter was free. Oaths were pledged and tickets were bought. We were going.

We arrived and in line waiting outside the SSE Arena about 5.50pm. The line was growing quickly after us and in the beautiful sunny evening we found the countdown to 6.30 gates opening run in quickly. We filed through the gates and as fast as we could made our way onto the floor. The higher cost of seats were not the reason for just getting floor tickets. Standing on the floor in front of the stage is how a gig like this is to be experienced. Luckily we were right up front at the barrier. I was so glad as my daughter was 14 and I did not want her to feel to crowded out.

Queen were not on until 8pm and so we had to wait but that was not an issue there were plenty of friendly people milling around and we made a great friend with a polish lad living in Manchester who came over for the concert. There was lots of banter and chat to pass the time and I could actually see my daughter getting more and more excited as the time came to the start.

The stage was surrounded by a luxurious lit up curved curtain with the Queen logo front and centre and little Queen related images spiralling outward on either side. Then the lights went off the whole arena let out a gasp of anticipation. Up the curtain went, on came the music and the roar of appreciation  in the arena was deafening. It all began with short bursts of songs such as ‘Innuendo’, ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Tear It Up’ and ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’. Little teasing pieces that just hit home. I felt elated and terrified at the same time and I could feel my face elongate to try to fit with the size of my smile. Brian May appeared up out of the floor in front of us with that incredible iconic sound and then Adam Lambert kicked it off the full set powering his vocals into ‘Hammer to Fall’. It was almost a spiritual moment. In front of me and my daughter was Brian May and Roger Taylor along with Adam Lambert on vocals, Spike Edney on keyboards, Neil Fairclough on bass and Tyler Warren on percussion. This was Queen. This was in all respects Rock Royalty. Right in front of us.

Then on they went into ‘Somebody to Love’ and ‘Killer Queen’ and ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’. Each one an absolute joy to witness live. I have thoroughly enjoyed the odd Queen tribute act over the past number of years including the likes of Flash Harry. But to be in the presence of essentially the real thing was honestly mind-blowing. And might I say, Adam Lambert is no Freddie Mercury, but he is a very fitting replacement for the position. His humble joy of being there himself came through and he even took a moment to talk to us all praise Brian and Roger along with paying tribute to Freddie, and highlight he is a fan too thanking the blessed turn of events that allowed him to be there with Queen. Have no doubt out there Adam never saw himself as a full on replacement, but more a caretaker of the vocals and with his simple actions and a few words no one should ever begrudge him the incredible opportunity to be on stage singing with Queen.

Adam also let us all know that it was in Belfast, 10 years ago that he gave his first performance with Queen. This just felt perfect, as Queen were kicking off their Rhapsody Tour in Belfast. It was noted and appreciated.

Next we had the pleasure of hearing Roger deliver his most famous song ‘I’m in Love With My Car’ which I always chuckled at as it was such a wonderfully weird song but it had something extra tonight as I was there listening to Roger actually sing it. Meanwhile Adam had disappeared, only to reappear on the extended stage sitting on one cool looking motorbike as singing ‘Bicycle Race’ as it slowly turned on the spot before the utterly wonderful ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’. The pure joy was palpable as the entire arena filled with 10,000 voices singing as one along with the band. On the show went with ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ and ‘I Want It All’ each one, just as before, delivering utter joy and an almost religious or mystical experience. From young to old, the adoration crammed the entire arena with a euphoria that was completely intoxicating and contagious.

The very front of the extended stage was now set up and Brian sat on his own and began chatting to the Belfast audience before starting a beautiful acoustic set with ‘Love of My Life’ as everyone joined in. Again it felt personal, emotional and raw as I could feel the thrum of 10,000 voices join in at the same time. Overhead was a screen obviously highlight Brian for everyone at the back to see but in such a beautiful touch near the end to Brian’s right appeared Freddie helping to finish the song. And at the end they bowed to each other. It was so raw still, so tender, and so beautiful I felt there was hardly a dry eye as the emotion of remembering the loss of such an extravagant and performing genius, even 31 years later, was so much to take in. it was perfectly done. Not over egging it, and not underplaying it. The tribute was perfectly pitched in that very moment.

Brian then gave a beautiful rendition of ‘’39’ before Roger joined him on a much smaller drum set and they sang together ‘These Are the Days of Our Lives’ with Adam joining in a little later. It was so perfectly pitched hitting the right emotional chords without overdoing it. The performance and emotions just continued to flow with ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ and ‘Under Pressure’.

It was difficult to take a moment to begin to process the event unveiling before me as it was a non-stop Queen fest of songs that just always seemed to actually mean something. Each one seemed to be tied to a life event or emotional moment and with that on came ‘A Kind of Magic’, ‘I Want to Break Free’ and ‘You Take My Breath Away’ before hitting another blinder with ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’. This emotional journey just had no let up.

Then it was a moment to enjoy a guitar solo from Brian may and, as with anything Queen, it was no simple solo. The curtain went up again as did Brian who was raised up to tower above the audience as he seemingly stood upon an asteroid and all the while planets moved, stars shone and shooting stars fired past.

As he landed back down, Brian hit home the first few chords of ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ as Adam and the others followed up to fill out the rendition along with the audience. Then came probably one of the most emotional songs of the night as it will forever be associated with the last moments of Freddie’s life, ‘The Show Must Go On’.

Time for a little bit more upbeat jamming and to a sudden rush of recognition came ‘Radio Ga Ga’ as everyone’s arms and hands rose in the air and as one clapped in all the right time in all the right places. Almost immediately after this came another hit, one that has returned over the decades as synonymous with Queen. Yes it was none other than ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which mixed a live performance and the original breakthrough video.

As that closed off the main set we were far from finished. The curtain had returned and up came Freddie himself as if returned to us for one more time the video played Freddie’s infamous toying with the audience in 1986 at the Wembley Stadium, and without any prompt we all replied to every Ay-Oh that came from him. There was an honest expulsion of love, joy, laughter and sadness when it finished as Freddie flicked his head back to us and quipped ‘F*** you’.

With that the curtain rose to the rhythm of ‘We Will Rock You’ and then the whole show finished to an incredible rendition of ‘We Are the Champions’ with fireworks and exploding confetti cannons. And that was that. The place erupted in applause as they all took their final bows.

For a few moments after, something I had never really noticed at any other gig I have been to happened. There was a stunned moment, not silence but an almost confusion. Yes, it really was over. It just felt wrong. With so many other great songs the evening could have actually continued for another two and a half hours, easily.

And so, after stuffing a handful of the confetti in our pockets and grins stuck to our faces myself and my daughter started to leave. As we were leaving the Arena hall we just kept meeting others in the same state and chatted away with utter strangers. Everyone we spoke to was in the same frame of mind – this was an experience that may never, ever happen again and we were lucky enough to be there to see it.

It is without any sort of bombast or histrionics that I can easily say I felt speechless, numb, joyful, stunned, ecstatic, melancholy, and euphoric all in one. It was an evening that could not have happened before and will not happen in the future. It was a moment in time, a unique experience, a kind of magic.

The Rhapsody Tour has now kicked off and if you want to see Queen and grasp the opportunity of experiencing Queen live check out the Queen Website.

I am so glad I took the opportunity. It is something that will always be with me as an experience I will have to the end.