Queen legend Brian May surprised fans when he attended the UK preview of the 1981 live concert film Queen Rock Montreal at the BFI IMAX in Southbank on Monday night.
Prior to worldwide release in IMAX from January 18 to 21, the guitarist spoke during an exclusive preview screening as he reminisced about the Montreal shows and remembered the late Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991.
Discussing where Queen were in their career when the footage was captured, Brian admitted that he and fellow members Roger Taylor and John Deacon were somewhat annoyed by director Saul Swimmer’s footage, as much of the footage was specifically about Freddie.
Brian explained to the audience: ‘The director was very focused on Freddie, which we were a bit annoyed about at the time, because you know we’ve always been a band.
“But now you know we don’t have Freddie, this is probably the most valuable intimate recording of Freddie ever.”
Brian May, 76, made a surprise appearance at the British preview of the 1981 live concert film Queen Rock Montreal at the BFI IMAX in Southbank on Monday evening
Ahead of its worldwide release in IMAX from January 18 to 21, the guitarist spoke during an exclusive preview screening as he reminisced about the Montreal shows and the late Freddie Mercury.
He added: “This performance shows Queen at the top of their game.
“I don’t think we fully realized it at the time, but this film preserves one of the highest highlights of Queen’s touring life, on stage in the old glory days.”
Brian also played a role from Bohemian Rhapsody on a grand piano with the same microphone that Freddie used during the legendary Montreal performance, and which was decorated with beer in typical rock star fashion.
Meanwhile, Roger told IMAX: ‘Enjoy it. We were young!’
The film captures a pivotal moment in the band’s history when Queen played Montreal’s 18,000-seat Forum for the fourth time in November 1981.
The band returned to the Canadian city after a fifteen-month absence, during which they became the biggest band in the world.
Fueled by the release of the album The Game, their smash single Under Pressure and extensive touring, Queen now dominated the charts in every major territory around the world.
Yet Brian also revealed that the band weren’t really looking forward to the shows at first, as it meant they had to hit the road again, having only just returned home from their The Game tour a month earlier.
Brian told the audience: “Now that we don’t have Freddie anymore, this is probably the most valuable intimate recording of Freddie ever.”
Brian also played part of Bohemian Rhapsody on a grand piano with the same microphone Freddie used during the legendary Montreal performance, which was decorated with beer in typical rock star fashion.
The film captures a pivotal moment in the band’s history when Queen played Montreal’s 18,000-seat Forum for the fourth time in November 1981.
Fueled by the release of the album The Game, their smash single Under Pressure and extensive touring, Queen now dominated the charts in every major territory around the world.
Brian was joined for the screening by his wife Anita Dobson. The couple has been married for 23 years
Brian reflected: ‘I don’t think we fully realized it at the time, but this film has preserved one of the highest highlights of Queen’s touring life, on stage in the old glory days’
He added: ‘This performance shows Queen at the top of their game’
The musician explained that the band had all been a little reluctant to do the shows, but their tour manager Jim Beach had arranged them specifically to prepare Queen for another first: recording a full concert film to properly document their live show, with an emphasis on state-of-the-art sound recording.
Brian admitted that all four of them were tired: “You know that feeling when you think, ‘Oh, I have to?’
But the band started rehearsing again and hit the road again with their 17 trucks and more than 50 crew members in what have become two of their most legendary shows.
Despite originally being filmed in IMAX, Brian explained that there were multiple editing issues over the years and it was never the finished project that Queen hoped for, with Brian describing it as an “eyesore ‘.
But now, for the first time, the film has been digitally remastered in the picture and sound quality of The IMAX Experience, including 12-channel surround sound, crystal-clear images and IMAX’s custom theater geometry.
With the help of executive producers Geoff Kempin and Alice Webb for Mercury Studios and Jim and Matilda Beach for Queen Films, fans get a larger-than-life, immersive front-row experience to get to know the foursome at their best.
With just all four on stage, with no backing tracks or additional musicians, the performance features many of their biggest hits, including We Will Rock You, Somebody To Love, Under Pressure, Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites the Dust and We Are The Champions.
It also includes additional songs from the hit album The Game, including Dragon Attack, Play the Game and more.
Queen Rock Montreal will be released for four days starting January 18 at more than 450 IMAX locations worldwide.
Participating territories include the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Africa, Australia, Brazil and Mexico, to name a few.
Queen guitarist Sir Brian May attends the UK preview of the live concert film ‘Queen Rock Montreal’ at BFI IMAX, ahead of its worldwide release in IMAX, January 18-21. Visit IMAX.COM/QUEEN to book tickets
Queen Rock Montreal will be released for four days starting January 18 at more than 450 IMAX locations worldwide