Queen
Rock Montreal

THE REVIEW

After 26 years kept in a drawer, Queen's Montreal concert is being re-proposed for the many fans who still honor the royal group.

Basically, it is the same concert that first appeared on DVD years ago under the name "We Will Rock You Live in Montreal '81", but today it is re-presented in HD format for the DVD, and with the addition of two tracks not previously released ("The Hero" and "Flash") for the CD.

The show is re-proposed because only now have Queen acquired the rights, as previously they were in possession of the old director, with whom Freddie had especially quarreled due to the intrusiveness of his cameras and the incompetence of the cameramen, who did not capture the important parts, as for example in "Keep Yourself Alive", you see Freddie with a tambourine, while the guitar remains invisible.

However, the concert on a technical level is markedly superior to previous live performances, nothing to do with "Live Killers", as the volumes are perfectly calibrated, without microphone and drum overlaps. It is Roger Taylor's instrument that most strikes the listener, with unprecedented grit and a wonderful drum solo, a perfect prelude to Brian's classic solo with Red Special and Delay. Despite this, this concert is perhaps not at the levels of Wembley, as compared to the 1986 concert (Freddie's last), the audience is perhaps less "fired up", but not "playing at home" it's still the usual crowd of people eager and shouting at Mercury's arrival.

The band is in perfect form, with Freddie's voice seeming to change at times, but as always splendid, engaging and superhuman. The usual Brian May does the hard work being the sole guitar, but creates fantastic things, ranging from the sweetness of Operatic "Love Of My Life", played with a twelve-string, to the almost coarseness of "Tie Your Mother Down" or "Keep Yourself Alive".

Besides the "technical" novelties of the CD, there are also some songs that had not been performed much live. Reading the tracklist, "Flash", the song written for the superhero film, stands out immediately, as well as the classic "Rock 'n' Roll Tune": "Jailhouse Rock". Among the classics, the intense performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody", and "Somebody To Love" is striking. Both songs engage the audience in an impressive way, almost giving goosebumps.

In conclusion, we can state with certainty that on October 29, 2007, a fantastic album was released, perhaps not unpublished, but still one of those pearls without which one cannot know and appreciate their necklace.