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Rating: A highly respectable lineup for Brian May, accompanied by Cozy Powell on drums, Neil Murray on bass, Spike Edney on keyboards, Jamie Moses on second guitar, Cathy Porter and Shelley Preston on backing vocals. On June 15, 1993, at the Brixton Academy in London, this concert took place, featuring Brian May in great form, despite his vocal performances not always being excellent. The concert offers a fairly varied setlist, with some tracks performed impeccably and others that perhaps could have been arranged differently, not to mention several Queen songs sung by May that may make purists cringe.
The show starts with "Back To The Light" from May's eponymous album, a good opening track, followed by the more upbeat "Driven By You." Despite the perfect execution of "Tie Your Mother Down," it's clear that May does not hold a candle to Mercury, and the chorus used in the refrain doesn’t help much. "Love Token" goes unnoticed, serving mainly as a prelude to the lovely "Headlong," unfortunately never performed by the original Queen lineup. The tension rises when May fingerpicks "Love Of My Life," sung almost entirely by the audience (and those who thought "thank goodness" are mistaken, as May actually sings it quite well). A great moment of nostalgia, almost bitterness. Subtle keyboard lines accompany the guitar, making the atmosphere even more magical. After a nice chorus singing the refrain of “‘39", "Let Your Heart Rule Your Head" begins, an acoustic track that very much recalls what was written in 1974 for the album "A Night At The Opera" ("‘39," indeed). More magical moments occur with "Too Much Love Will Kill You," perhaps the best song of the "post-Mercury" era, which would be presented on LP only in 1995 on "Made In Heaven," with Mercury's voice. The version presented here is slightly different, with a long piano session leading to a very warm and powerful solo, one of May's best. Here too, the vocal performance is not outstanding, but it is appreciable. "Since You’ve Been Gone" is a song by Russ Ballard, enriched in this live version.
Thumbs down for "Now I’m Here," ruined by May's voice and the backing vocals. The aggressive song has withstood the test of time well, being featured in virtually all Queen concerts (after all, it's a song from '74), but it could have been avoided on this occasion. A moment of glory for May with "Guitar Extravagance," which initially picks up some riffs from "Brighton Rock" and then wanders into something different. The ending is a prelude to "Resurrection," a fast and very lengthy track (I think composed for the occasion) that includes a quick Powell solo, the final part of "Bohemian Rhapsody," and a closing worthy of the name with a fine solo. A blues air with the slow "Last Horizon," where the skill of the two guitarists gifts us a very warm and pleasant track to listen to. The other banana peel is hidden behind an unlikely version of "We Will Rock You," arranged too pompously, with perhaps too daring use of sound effects. If we then add the shrill little voice of an already tired May, we've said it all. The only noteworthy aspect is the "fast" version that follows the regular one, which livens things up a bit. The concert closure is entrusted to a beautiful "Hammer To Fall," where Powell's drumming is more incisive than ever (after all, Roger Taylor was a mediocre drummer). The track is performed overall well. Dear May is exhausted but holds on well until the end.
Overall, a good concert, at least worth a try, and not to be confused with the questionable "Queen +" performances that only serve to make the name of one of the most beloved bands in history ridiculous. No improbable alliances, no "+", just Brian May with his companions in tow. Perhaps the setlist is too Queen and not enough Brian May, but one cannot have everything.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Driven by You (04:17)
Oh - everything I do I do for you
Oh yeah
We touch and you're afraid of me and
We burn and now I'm at your feet
High speed,but you know you're in safe hands
In the dark we make a brighter light
From one spark to the horizon wide
We trust and together we tame the land - yeah
You'd be forgiven if you think you're dreaming
But we're working night and day to make a dream come true - yeah
Everything I do is driven by you
Oh - come on babe
Oh well it's tough to make a journey through
The right stuff is dead ahead of you and me
And you know we've still got time
Hold on tight to the driving wheel
This ride is really out of line
Raw deal, but there's no other that's worth a dime
You know I love you but you drive me crazy
Because you're saying all the things I want to say to you
You say
Everything I do is driven by you
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do is driven by you
Inner children lost their way
Now they know the price you pay
I'm holding on to life with you
Because life without you just won't do
Driven by you
You know I'm never going to know who's dreaming
But we're working night and day to make a dream come true - yeah
Everything I do is driven by you
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do is driven by
Driven by
Driven by you
Oh - everything I do I do for you
05 Headlong (06:08)
And you're rushing headlong you've got a new goal
And you're rushing headlong out of control
And you think you're so strong
But there ain't no stopping
And there's nothin' you can do about it
Nothin' you can do no there's nothin' you can do about
it
No there's nothin you can nothin' you can nothin' you
can do about it
And you're rushing headlong you've got a new goal
And you're rushing headlong out of control
And you think you're so strong
But there ain't no stopping no there's nothin' you can
do about it
Yeah
Hey he used to be a man with a stick in his hand
Hoop diddy diddy - hoop diddy do
She used to be a woman with a hot dog stand
Hoop diddy diddy - hoop diddy do
Now you've got soup in the laundry bag
Now you've got strings you're gonna lose your rag
You're gettin' in a fight
Then it ain't so groovy when you're screaming in the
night
Let me out of this cheap B movie
Headlong down the highway and you're rushing
Headlong out of control
And you think you're so strong
But there ain't no stopping and you can't stop rockin'
And there's nothin you can nothin' you can nothin' you
can do about it
When a red hot man meets a white hot lady
Hoop diddy diddy - hoop diddy do
Soon the fire starts raging gets you more than half
crazy
Hoop diddy diddy - hoop diddy do
Now they start freaking everywhere you turn
You can't start walking cause your feet got burned
It ain't no time to figure wrong from right
Cause reason's out of the window better hold on tight
You're rushing headlong
Headlong out of control - yeah
And you think you're so strong
But there ain't no stopping
And there's nothin you nothin' you nothin' you can do
about it at all
Yeah yeah
Alright - go
And you're rushing headlong down the highway
And you're rushing headlong out of control
And you think you're so strong
But there ain't no stopping
There's nothin nothin' nothin' you can do about it
Ah ha
Headlong
Yeah yeah yeah
Headlong
Headlong
08 Too Much Love Will Kill You (04:33)
I'm just the pieces of the man I used to be
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me
I'm far away from home
And I've been facing this alone for much too long
I feel like no-one ever told the truth to me
About growing up and what a struggle it would be
In my tangled state of mind
I've been looking back to find where I went wrong
Too Much Love Will Kill You
If you can't make up your mind
Torn between the lover and the love you leave behind
You're headed for disaster 'cos you never read the signs
Too Much Love Will Kill You - every time
I'm just the shadow of the man I used to be
And it seems like there's no way out of this for me
I used to bring you sunshine
Now all I ever do is bring you down
How would it be if you were standing in my shoes
Can't you see that it's impossible to choose
No there's no making sense of it
Every way I go I have to lose
Too Much Love Will Kill You
just as sure as none at all,
It'll drain the power that's in you
Make sure you plead and scream and crawl
And the pain will make you crazy
You're the victim of your crime
Too Much Love Will Kill You - every time
Too Much Love Will Kill You
It'll make your life a lie
Yes, Too Much Love Will Kill You
And you won't understand why
You'd give your life you'd sell your soul
But here it comes again
Too Much Love Will Kill You
In the end.......
In the end.
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