The Works Tour
| World tour by Queen | |
 Queen performing at the Festhalle Frankfurt on 26 September 1984 | |
| Location |
|
|---|---|
| Associated album | The Works |
| Start date | 24 August 1984 |
| End date | 15 May 1985 |
| Legs | 5 |
| No. of shows | 48 |
| Queen concert chronology | |
The Works Tour was the tenth headlining concert tour by the British rock band Queen to promote their successful 1984 album The Works. During the tour, Queen participated in the Rock in Rio festival in 1985; the concert was released on VHS. The band released a DVD from a concert in Tokyo titled We Are the Champions: Final Live in Japan, but the name of the concert was incorrect as the band performed 2 further concerts after Tokyo in Nagoya and Osaka.
Stage design
The stage design was based on a scene from Fritz Lang's Metropolis with huge rotating cog-wheels at the rear of the stage and a brightly lit cityscape.[1] Due to a prior ligament damage in his knee, it was somewhat of a challenge for Mercury to navigate the complex set of multiple levels and stairs. Eventually, in Hanover, Mercury fell down the stairs during the performance of "Hammer to Fall".[2] He was only able to play "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Will Rock You", and "We Are the Champions" afterwards, shortening the concert somewhat. Due to Mercury's injury, May played the first bars of "We Will Rock You" out of anxiety to get Mercury to the hospital.
Breaking apartheid embargo
Queen scheduled 12 performances in Bophuthatswana, South Africa, at the Sun City Super Bowl in October 1984.[3] Due to the apartheid policy of South Africa, the United Nations requested entertainers to boycott the country and Britain's Musicians’ Union banned any of its members from performing in Sun City.[3] Queen played anyway, despite the controversy, though several shows were cancelled after Mercury's voice gave out after three days live performances. The show was extended to a third weekend.[3]
Tour dates
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Opening acts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 August 1984 | Brussels | Belgium | Forest National | — |
| 28 August 1984 | Dublin | Ireland | RDS Arena | General Public |
| 29 August 1984 | ||||
| 31 August 1984 | Birmingham | England | NEC Arena | |
| 1 September 1984 | ||||
| 2 September 1984 | ||||
| 4 September 1984 | London | Wembley Arena | ||
| 5 September 1984 | ||||
| 7 September 1984 | ||||
| 8 September 1984 | ||||
| 10 September 1984[a] | Dortmund | West Germany | Westfalenhallen | Lancelot |
| 14 September 1984[b] | Milan | Italy | Palasport di San Siro | — |
| 15 September 1984 | ||||
| 16 September 1984 | Munich | West Germany | Olympiahalle | |
| 18 September 1984 | Paris | France | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy | Airrace |
| 20 September 1984 | Leiden | Netherlands | Groenoordhallen | |
| 21 September 1984 | Brussels | Belgium | Forest National | |
| 22 September 1984 | Hanover | West Germany | Europahalle | |
| 24 September 1984 | West Berlin | Deutschlandhalle | ||
| 26 September 1984 | Frankfurt | Festhalle Frankfurt | ||
| 27 September 1984 | Stuttgart | Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle | ||
| 29 September 1984 | Vienna | Austria | Wiener Stadthalle | |
| 30 September 1984 | ||||
| 5 October 1984 | Bophuthatswana | South Africa | Sun City Superbowl | — |
| 6 October 1984 | ||||
| 7 October 1984[c] | ||||
| 10 October 1984 | ||||
| 13 October 1984 | ||||
| 14 October 1984 | ||||
| 18 October 1984 | ||||
| 19 October 1984 | ||||
| 20 October 1984 |
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Opening acts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 January 1985[d] | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | City of Rock | — |
| 18 January 1985[d] | ||||
| 13 April 1985[e] | Auckland | New Zealand | Mount Smart Stadium | The Narcs |
| 16 April 1985 | Melbourne | Australia | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre | Sport of Kings |
| 17 April 1985 | ||||
| 19 April 1985 | ||||
| 20 April 1985 | ||||
| 25 April 1985 | Sydney | Sydney Entertainment Centre | — | |
| 26 April 1985 | ||||
| 28 April 1985 | ||||
| 29 April 1985 | ||||
| 8 May 1985 | Tokyo | Japan | Nippon Budokan | |
| 9 May 1985 | ||||
| 11 May 1985 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium | |||
| 13 May 1985 | Nagoya | Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium | ||
| 15 May 1985 | Osaka | Osaka-jō Hall |
Cancelled shows
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 September 1984 | Verona | Italy | Verona Arena |
| 19 September 1984 | Leiden | Netherlands | Groenoordhallen |
| 9 October 1984 | Bophuthatswana | South Africa | Sun City Super Bowl |
| 24 January 1985 | Santiago | Chile | Estadio Nacional |
| 25 January 1985 | |||
| 11 April 1985 | Napier | New Zealand | McLean Park |
| 14 April 1985 | Christchurch | Queen Elizabeth II Park |
Personnel
Queen
- Freddie Mercury – lead vocals, piano, rhythm guitar (on "Crazy Little Thing Called Love")
- Brian May – electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Roger Taylor – drums, percussions, backing vocals
- John Deacon – bass guitar, rhythm guitar (on "Staying Power"), backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Spike Edney – keyboards, synthesizer, piano, backing vocals, rhythm guitar (on "Hammer to Fall")
Notes
- ^ The 10 September 1984 concert in Dortmund was originally scheduled for 11 September 1984.
- ^ The 14 September 1984 concert in Milan was originally scheduled to take place at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome.
- ^ The 7 October 1984 concert in Bophuthatswana was cancelled after three songs.
- ^ a b The 11 and 18 January 1985 concerts in Rio de Janeiro were part of Rock in Rio.
- ^ The 13 April 1985 concert in Auckland was originally scheduled to take place at Western Springs Stadium.
References
- ^ Bell, Mike (8 September 1984). "Body but no soul". The Times.
- ^ Freestone, Peter; David Evans (2001). Freddie Mercury: An intimate memoir by the man who knew him best. Omnibus Press. pp. 65–66. ISBN 0-7119-8674-6.
- ^ a b c "Queen’s Tragic Rhapsody". Gilmore, Mikal. Rolling Stone. 7 July 2014.
