A Day at the Races Tour
| Tour by Queen | |
| Associated album | A Day at the Races |
|---|---|
| Start date | 13 January 1977 |
| End date | 7 June 1977 |
| Legs | 4 |
| No. of shows |
40 in North America 19 in Europe 59 in Total |
| Queen concert chronology | |
The A Day at the Races Tour was a concert tour by the British rock band Queen, and supported their late 1976 album A Day at the Races.
This tour was the first one in which the band played the song "Somebody to Love" and many others. "Brighton Rock" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" were performed in their full length for the first time. Also, singer Freddie Mercury performed a vocal canon between "White Man" and "The Prophet's Song".
The opening act on most of the North American concerts was Thin Lizzy. In New York City, the concert at Madison Square Garden was sold out within moments of tickets going on sale.[1]
The final two shows of the tour at Earls Court were officially recorded. These shows were notable as the band used an expensive lighting rig in the shape of a crown for the very first time.[2] Both shows were also professionally filmed on video and the first one can be found on many bootlegs in almost excellent quality. The gigs included a rock 'n' roll medley (this part is also the only available bootleg recording from the second night).
Setlist
- Procession
- Tie Your Mother Down
- Ogre Battle
- White Queen (As It Began)
- Somebody to Love
- Killer Queen
- The Millionaire Waltz
- You're My Best Friend
- Bring Back that Leroy Brown
- Sweet Lady
- Brighton Rock
- '39
- You Take My Breath Away
- White Man
- Freddie Mercury Vocal Cannon
- The Prophet's Song
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- Stone Cold Crazy
- Keep Yourself Alive
- Liar
- In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited
Encore - Now I'm Here
- Big Spender
- Jailhouse Rock
- God Save The Queen (tape)
Songs played scarcely:
- Stupid Cupid (Portland, OR) (played before Jailhouse Rock)
- Be Bop A Lula (Portland, OR) (played after Big Spender)
- A Day At The Races (album intro)
- Tie Your Mother Down
- Ogre Battle
- White Queen (As It Began)
- Somebody to Love
- Killer Queen
- Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
- The Millionaire Waltz
- You're My Best Friend
- Bring Back That Leroy Brown
- Death On Two Legs (Dedicated to...)
- Sweet Lady
- Brighton Rock
- Guitar Solo
- Brighton Rock (reprise)
- '39
- You Take My Breath Away
- White Man
- The Prophet's Song
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- Keep Yourself Alive
- Stone Cold Crazy
- In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited
Encore - Now I'm Here
- Liar
- Jailhouse Rock
- God Save The Queen
Song played scarcely:
- Doing All Right
- I'm A Man
- Mannish Boy (possibly)
- Lucille
- Big Spender
- Stupid Cupid
- Be Bop A Lula
- Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
- "Procession" opened the two shows at Earls Court as well as the "A Day at the Races (intro)"
Tour dates
- Cancellations and rescheduled shows
| 29 January 1977 | Dayton | Hara Arena | Cancelled due to bad weather. |
| 5 March 1977 | San Francisco | Wonderland Ballroom | Rescheduled to 6 March 1977. |
| 8 March 1977 | Sacramento | Memorial Auditorium | Cancelled due to band illness. |
| 9 March 1977 | Fresno | Selland Arena | Cancelled due to band illness. |
| 14 May 1977 | Wiesbaden | Rhein-Main-Hallen | Cancelled. |
| 14 May 1977 | Frankfurt | Jahrhunderthalle | Moved to Festhalle Frankfurt. |
| 5 June 1977 | London | Earls Court Exhibition Centre | Rescheduled to 6 June 1977. |
Tour band
- Freddie Mercury: Lead vocals, piano, tambourine.
- Brian May: Guitar, backing vocals, banjo ("Bring Back That Leroy Brown").
- Roger Taylor: Drums, backing vocals.
- John Deacon: Bass guitar, additional vocals, triangle
References
- ↑ Tiven, Jon (1977). "Queen's Live Act Stuns City". Circus.
- ↑ Hilburn, Robert (1978-12-20). "Pop Music Review: Putting Queen in Audio Seat Queen for a Night". Los Angeles Times.
