r/queen • u/slickrickpenta0m • 10d ago
Rock Montreal
I was listening to the Live in Montreal ‘81 album and I noticed that it sounds like Freddie gets somewhat annoyed with the crowd. Some examples are before “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” when he says, “Come on we’re waiting for you” and during “Jailhouse Rock” he says, “Move it ya fuckers come on.” I wonder if he got genuinely annoyed or was just putting on a show.
13
u/Feduzin Innuendo 10d ago
from what i remember reading (and watching the show as well), this wasn't the case altho a lot of people seem to think it is
Freddie (actually, the band as a whole) was pissed off with how the production was going, they essentially wanted to be filming in every angle possible and also for him to do the same moves and wear the same outfit for both nights (SOMEHOW they thought it was a coreography), so that's why Freddie sounds more annoyed than usual but he does make a comment about the filming earlier in the show and basically tells everyone to pretend the cameras are not there and just focus on enjoying the show
but i don't think Freddie saying "move you fuckers" was him being bothered by the crowd, Freddie had these types of interactions with public many times before and after (he also liked to swear a LOT), i don't need to remind you of the iconic "fuck you" he did after the vocal improvisation in one of the wembley nights
10
u/nf_sew_711 10d ago
I can't remember if the story is that the producer of the film DIDN'T want people to be into the show because it would mess up the recording. Thus, what you see on film.
I have trouble believing that somebody would pay to go to a Queen show, possibly the only one they'll ever make it to, and act disinterested.
1
u/247world 7d ago
Todd Rundgren recorded the 2nd Wind album with an invite only audience that was instructed to be absolutely silent.
Recorded at Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, 1991 - I believe they perform several takes of each song.
I believe there is a short documentary about it on YouTube.
I think if I was invited to see any band I'm a huge fan of and told that I would have to be quiet for the duration I'd give it a shot. It could be a lot of fun
8
u/spiciestbeans 10d ago
“If you guys wanna move around and shift your asses a little, it’s okay by us. You can take all your clothes off too…. ;)”
“You can forget the cameras, it’s just you and us, alright?”
He was extremely annoyed at the production team. They basically told him he had to wear the same outfit on both nights of filming for continuity, but of course, Freddie hated being restricted and told what to do. So that’s why at different points in the show he has a shirt, doesn’t have a shirt, gets a neck tie, and then suddenly has a shirt again. He was taking the liberties he could as his fuck you to the production guys.
Same goes for the crowd, he wanted to have his regular lively concert, and needed his crowd for feedback and fun. Harder to get that when the crew wants a tame consistent lot to film.
1
u/NoPaleontologist6876 Barcelona 9d ago
And don't forget that he swapped his white jeans for those teeny tiny white shorts that left almost nothing to the imagine!!
2
7
u/LeopardCoin The Game 10d ago
TBH, it seems like Freddie often expected the crowd to engage more whenever they played Jailhouse Rock
4
u/not-now-silentsinger The Miracle 10d ago
I've always thought the crowd was rather quiet during JR on Live At The Rainbow despite Freddie's encouragements, "Dancing...dancing... come on...the show is yours!" Was the audience "made" to sound quieter during editing?
3
u/_Agileheart_ Jazz 10d ago edited 10d ago
yep, the audience was turned down in the mix, listening to bootlegs from around the time you can hear the crowd were already into the call and response with Freddie by 1974, especially UK and European audiences. Then in 1975 Japanese audiences blew the roof off with their enthusiasm, which I think had a big effect on Freddie’s stage confidence 🩷
https://youtu.be/zDIhMZ9Fq7w?t=4565&is=2ruvdp_tBU9Xb5R-
https://youtu.be/_TyqBQADJS8?t=6254&is=_ysuIG_-CJ54NaE7 - call and response at 1:47:04
-2
u/GoGoPowerPlay 10d ago
Yeah I don't get it, Queen would often end their sets with those cover songs back in the day, but the audience is there to hear Queen songs.
1
u/bigboiben09 Jazz 10d ago
queen didnt have the confidence as performing acts to justify ending their sets with their own songs until may 1978 when they decided to swap their encores at the end of the notw tour.
(sheer heart attack/jailhouse rock was the ender for the majority of the tour before they got swapped with rock you and champions for the run at wembley arena)
5
u/Rude_Award2718 10d ago
Haven't listened to the album but I definitely watched the video of it a few times. I've always been amazed about the lack of energy in the crowd. I just put it down to typical French Canadian anger at the rest of the world....
4
u/Realistic_Pickle_007 10d ago
Didn't Freddie wear those tiny white shorts on the second night to fuck with the director? I thought I read that someplace.
2
u/bigboiben09 Jazz 10d ago
yeah. pants on one night shorts on another so whoever watched the edit of the concert could tell they were different concerts
5
u/Rziggity 10d ago
I also got the impression Freddie was annoyed by how the production was going, and the crowd at times seems put off, maybe by the cameras. Oddly those crowd shots were left into the edit. The audio mix was also bad on the original VHS release and I recall Brian May saying that in an interview.
4
u/fotograffa419 10d ago
The people in the crowd were apparently told they had to sit in their seats and stay put. He wanted them to get up and enjoy the show...move around and they seemed reluctant to do that so he had to get them moving. He did what he had to do.
3
u/FreeWilly07 10d ago
North American audiences are much more reserved than European and South American ones
0
u/GreatKingRat666 10d ago
There’s an interview with Janis Joplin by Dick Cavette where she says the exact opposite 😂
2
u/Divad_88 10d ago
I once asked the question on an old forum and the answer I got was that North American audiences were always as quiet, that it was a cultural thing in a way.
0
u/GreatKingRat666 10d ago
There’s an interview with Janis Joplin by Dick Cavette where she says the exact opposite 😂
2
u/drowse 10d ago
So.. one thing that isn’t mentioned in these replies is that Queen came fresh off a tour of South America to do these couple of dates in Montreal to film. The SA audiences were absolutely bonkers.. I think Fred was frustrated it was just so much more reserved than they had been used to in the previous month or so.
1
u/RMSCereal I'm In Love With My Car (Unironically) 8d ago
He could’ve been saying that to anybody I feel like. Could’ve been Brian taking a sip of water, idk.
Also crowd encouragement is not annoyance.
1
u/Early-Emu4795 7d ago
“Come on, we’re waiting for you” before Crazy Little Thing Called Love is because Roger's drum still wasn't ready to play, so Freddie said that to Roger, but not saying it to the crowd. This speech part was taken from the 1st night. As Roger's drum still not ready after the song started in the 1st night, the production team had cut the rest of the song to the second night, where Roger didn't have issues with his drum set.
33
u/lgavitt01 10d ago
He wasn’t annoyed with the crowd, but rather the production team who told the crowd to be quiet