Just as each of their voices had its place within the harmony, all four members of Queen took the stage knowing their own distinct role. While guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon supplied the thrilling musical cut and thrust, frontman Freddie Mercury not only sang lead but stepped up as ringmaster, connecting with every audience, regardless of its size.
As Freddie reveals in this second archive interview episode, working the crowd was never an afterthought.
“I have to win them over or it's not a successful gig,” he says. “It's my job to make sure I win them over and make them feel they've had a good time. That’s part of my role, part of the duty that I have to do. This cliché of saying, ‘Oh, you have them eating from the palm of your hand’ – I just feel that the quicker I do that, the better, because then I feel I can manipulate them or whatever. But it's all to do with me feeling in control as so that I know that it’s all going well.”
With Queen wanting their shows to be as entertaining and theatrical as possible, that meant Freddie needed to bring energy, flamboyance and style to every performance – and fortunately for the fans, he never disappointed.
From Queen’s formation in 1970, Freddie bantered with fans between songs. Leading into a performance of “Stone Cold Crazy” at the famed London Rainbow show of ’74, featured here, “Do you like my claws?” he enquires while showing off his jewelled glove. “They’re real diamonds. A present from the Devil himself.”
And as Queen ascended to the stadium league, the frontman upped the ante.
“I’m very frivolous, and I like to enjoy myself,” explained Mercury. “And what better way than on stage in front of 300,000 people? I don't like to go on stage sitting on a stool. I'm very volatile and I like to actually put a song across. It's all part of showbiz and theatre, and that's another side of me.”
Pick up some Queen for your collection here.
See also:
Freddie Mercury develops Queen stage show on The Greatest Live
Queen revisit Radio Ga Ga on The Greatest Live
Queen play vocal games with fans on The Greatest Live
Queen revisit Sheer Heart Attack classic on The Greatest Live
Search Queen at hennemusic
