Queen: Rock Montreal & Live Aid

I have watched parts of the Montreal Live 1981 concert on YouTube with varying clarity. This DVD far exceeded my expectations. All audio and video played very well, with only one minor skip near the start. The REAL gem in this DVD, is the optional commentary provided by Sir Brain May and Roger Taylor. How delightful to have insight into the dynamics of this particular concert and the band in general. I wish we had such quality in all of the Queen Live concerts. As well, I purchased Queen Live Wembley Stadium 1986. In my mind, the best Queen concert ever. It is equally of high quality, and I highly recommend BOTH of these for your DVD Library.

I purchased this DVD after renting the Queen Rock Montreal concert via Netflix, which rekindled my love for Queen. I was a Queen fan in Jr. High and High School (saw them perform live in 1978 in Kansas City), but lost track of them in the early 1980's. My renewed interest came after seeing a rock documentary about Queen on the Ovation channel and then another documentary about Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story. I have to say, I wasn't expecting to like this DVD. I was a fan of Queen in their early long-hair days. I had not even listened to their music seriously since about 1980. But I was just blown away by this concert. The band is so tight and in such great form. Freddie Mercury is incredible to watch - you can't take your eyes off him. He fills every second on stage with his presence and showmanship. Watch the concert all the way through and then watch it again with Roger Taylor and Brian May's commentary. They take a while to get going and there are a few long silences, but they give an explanation as to why this film was not presented until recently. Something to do with having a falling out with the film makers and not having access to it all these years. The film is actually two concerts spliced together from the two concert dates in 1981 in Montreal ( you can tell by the costume changes) which they had restored and edited recently. The audio and visual quality are amazing for something this old. There is nothing like real film. Video does not even compare- you wonder, why even bother wth video when you have film that does such a superb job? The audio is so clean and the images so crisp! The later concerts do not even hold a candle to this in regards to quality. And I have to say Freddie Mercury was in rare form at the Montreal Show. Watching him jump back and forth to the piano with perfect timing is amazing. He never loses hold of the audience and keeps the group cooking away for full hour and a half. Yes, this is the concert in its entirety. Apparently this was one of the last times Queen performed with just the four guys and no additional musicians help. In the later concerts, Freddie got away from playing the piano as it kept him away from the stage and he wanted to walk around and sing and entertain the audience - and HOW!!! His voice is amazing! Taylor and May's comments on the commentary are very endearing too as they tell little anecdotes about the band and compliment each other on drum fills and guitar solos and such during the concert. You can tell they have great respect for each other and a lot of love for Freddie Mercury and it comes out in how they notice and comment on the details; such as how nice it is to see Freddie Mercury in his muscular prime. They also mention how the band had freedome to improvise and do what they wanted during the concerts, whereas now, groups are all programmed in concert where you are not even hearing live music sometimes. I went to see a lot of rock concerts in the 1970's, and now that I think of it, they really had to work a lot harder in those days, as there just was not all the technology around that we take for granted today. I also have to say that this concert made me realize how underappreciated Queen is now and was then. They were a truly amazing group and came up with some incredible innovations that they just don't get enough credit for. Perhaps Bohemian Rhapsody was just over played and people came to think of it as campy and jokey? And I also think a lot of people in the 1970's 80's were somewhat homophobic - and Freddie Mercury's flamboyant lifestyle on and off stage was just too wild for the maintstream? But I have to say, after watching this video and the other documentaries I saw, I realize now what an important and serious musician Freddie Mercury was and how it was his creative ideas that brought Queen to fame. Not to take anything away from the other guys - all incredible musicians in their own right who don't get enough credit for their contribution to the group's musical success. Freddie Mercury was an incredible performer who gave the audience so much more than their money's worth. You can see that he really loved what he was doing. He lived his life the way he wanted, and in doing so, as his mother says on one of the documentaries, "he made the whole world happy". There is too much snickering about his being gay and his flamboyant lifestyle. So what? Like Oscar Wilde, he was really a man born out of his time. Oh Queen - Oh Freddie, how I miss you guys!!

This is video that put me back into the fan camp. It is excellent in visuals and sonics. Talk about "wall of sound", If Phil Spector invented it for his R&B pop vision this video proves Queen learned how to extend it into rock and roll. Queen's sonics are all encompassing here in a huge way. Rarely will you experience thunder like this. The first thing you have to admit that in the annals of rock there wasn't any frontman who had the presence of Freddy Mercury. He's like a force of nature. He ins't afraid to be a musician either as he rotates between his piano and "the struct" of a hoary rock god in front of the mic. If there's another vocalist with more range and power on this night there simply wasn't. Mercury crushes it. And getting back to that wall of sound, Brian's guitar playing was Hendrix inspired in a hitting the right notes and sustains that seem to be as big as Mt. Rushmore. Roger's drum sound was truly off the charts! It is rare so precise a hitter has such a huge sound too. While the cymbal work is spot-on it's the amazing sound of the roto-toms and double floors that pound you chest into the ground. Then there's the range of the songs that Mercury can span. As heavy as Zeppelin and as delicate as Nat King Cole, this guy is the most amazing singer in rock. There might be another Elvis (probably not of course), but there will never be another Freddy Mercury. You almost feel sorry for John Deacon whose pulse is as tight as an atomic clock, he get's overshadowed until Under Pressure and you realize how driving and propulsive his playing is even in the quietest moments. What a band. What a concert. This is simply one of the greatest bands of rock's golden era and this video feels as fresh as yesterday! Plus we get Live Aid too. This is one of my very favorite concert videos and there is no weaknesses in sound, sight, and editing is nigh perfect here which is much more than I can say for 90% of rock concerts. You simply must get this if you have a passing interest in Queen as you'll soon become a huge fan.

I decided to purchase the Blu-ray DVD after viewing this concert via Netflix streaming ( sorry Amazon ) I worked in the music biz for 20+ years and if for no other reason I totally recommend this so people can see what incredibly talented, classically trained musicians can do without the whole dog and pony show so common in today's "concerts" Truly talented and skilled musicians don't need all the costumes, dancers, lasers, fireworks and other hoo-ha to put on a mind blowing show. The quality is amazing considering how long ago this was filmed and it's such a pity it's the only Queen concert that was filmed in its entirety. Freddie's talent comes through shining like the star he was...along with the rest of the band. But I mention Freddie because this makes me miss him that much more and one can only wonder what he could have achieved had his life not been cut short. Some mention that the band doesn't seem to be totally "into it" and at the very beginning I agree...but only because the audience seemed so la-di-da. I don't know if it's because of the time period...heck back then I would have been rocking out but it doesn't take long before they get the clue. Once the audience starts giving the love back to the band...this show takes off! To those who grouse that the band was at their peak prior to this concert...show me and I'll gladly buy that DVD, too. Otherwise...shut up and let true Queen and rock fans enjoy!

I was fortunate to see Queen twice during the "Jazz" tour and they were a terrific live act to say the least. This I believe is the tour for "The Game", but the set design is basically the same although Freddy had moved on from his "Biker" persona to a more wistful and sometimes shirtless version of himself. Let me just say that this is Queen at their very, very best live. They were totally in sync with each other musically and the songs have a spark and a rhythm that I've never heard before. The Live Aid portion of the disc is amazing. I saw this performance on television back in '85 and my recollection of it doesn't compare to what is actually was. For one thing, the sound now is beyond anything that existed back then. The fidelity is surprisingly full and clear. The picture is also quite fantastic especially considering that this was recorded on video tape nearly 25 years ago. One can actually see some detail in the phenomenal crowd on the reverse wide shots (what the performers were looking at). That being said, it's too bad that this history making show wasn't captured on film. The aspect ratio is only 4:3 and I can only imagine how incredible the images could have been with a clearer and wider perspective. Even so, I was actually very impressed with the camera work given the obvious limitations that the crew were saddled with. The Live Aid section is worth the price of this alone! If you have the means, get this on Blu-Ray as the picture and sound are incomparable.

Good concert

After watching the performances on YouTube on a 5x8 tablet screen many times, I finally figured it must be on DVD or Blu-ray and this disk is a very high quality Blu-ray, Much better to watch on a 65" TV screen and a great stereo! I would have Loved to have been there at Live Aid, but now as an old fart I find myself thinking how insane parking must have been LOL!

Few can say that their first ever Rock concert was Queen with Freddie Mercury. Well I can and they were awesome! This video was filmed in the same tour but different city. I still remember the lights show and equipment on stage. Back then there were no iPhones, lol, so this is the only record I have of that experience. This month I had the opportunity to watch Queen again in concert, this time with Adam Lambert. He sings good but there is no comparison to the charisma, enthusiasm and vocal power of experiencing Freddie Mercury live in concert! Video quality is high considering this was filmed in 1981. Also, I understand the audio is remastered. It sounds amazing in my Dolby Atmosphere system. I’ve re-experienced my Queen concert experience watching this video!