Queen legend Brian May surprised fans as he attended the UK preview of live concert film Queen Rock Montreal from 1981 at the BFI IMAX in Southbank on Monday evening.
Ahead of its global release in IMAX from January 18-21, the guitarist spoke at an exclusive preview screening as he reminisced on the shows in Montreal and remembered the late Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991.
Discussing where Queen were in their career when the footage was taken, Brian admitted that he and fellow members Roger Taylor and John Deacon were slightly annoyed at director Saul Swimmer’s footage as a lot of the shots specifically on Freddie.
Speaking to the audience, Brian explained: ‘The director was very much focused on Freddie, which we were a bit annoyed about at the time because you know we’ve always been a band.
‘But you know now that we don’t have Freddie this now stands as probably the most precious intimate capture ever of Freddie.’
Brian May, 76, made a surprise appearance at the UK preview of live concert film Queen Rock Montreal from 1981 at the BFI IMAX in Southbank on Monday evening
Ahead of its global release in IMAX from January 18-21, the guitarist spoke at an exclusive preview screening as he reminisced on the shows in Montreal and remembered the late Freddie Mercury
He added: ‘This performance shows Queen at the top of their game.
‘I don’t think we quite realized it at the time, but this film has preserved one of the highest peaks in Queen’s touring life, on stage in the old glory days’.
Brian also played part of Bohemian Rhapsody on a grand piano which featured the very same microphone that Freddie used during the legendary performance in Montreal, and in typical rock star fashion was decorated with beers.
Meanwhile Roger told IMAX: ‘Enjoy. We were young!’
The film captures a pivotal moment in the band’s history as Queen played to Montreal’s 18,000-seat Forum for the fourth time in November 1981.
The band returned to the Canadian city after a 15-month absence during which they became the biggest band in the world.
Fueled by the release of The Game album, their smash single Under Pressure, and extensive touring, Queen now dominated the charts in every major territory across the globe.
Yet Brian also revealed that originally the band weren’t really looking forward to the shows as it meant they had to head out on the road again, after only just returning home from their The Game tour a month earlier.
Brian told the audience: ‘Now that we don’t have Freddie this now stands as probably the most precious intimate capture ever of Freddie’
Brian also played part of Bohemian Rhapsody on a grand piano which featured the very same microphone that Freddie used during the legendary performance in Montreal, and in typical rock star fashion was decorated with beers
The film captures a pivotal moment in the band’s history as Queen played to Montreal’s 18,000-seat Forum for the fourth time in November 1981
Fueled by the release of The Game album, their smash single Under Pressure, and extensive touring, Queen now dominated the charts in every major territory across the globe
Brian was joined by his wife Anita Dobson for the screening. The pair have been married for 23 years
Brian reflected: ‘I don’t think we quite realized it at the time, but this film has preserved one of the highest peaks in 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 were all a bit reluctant about doing the shows, but their tour manager Jim Beach had arranged them specifically to set Queen up for another first: shooting a full-length concert film to properly document their live show, highlighting the state-of-the art sound recording.
Brian admitted that the four of them were tired: ‘You know that feeling when you’re like “Oh do I have to?”‘
But the band began rehearsing again and headed back out on the road with their 17 trucks and 50 plus crew in what has become two of their most legendary shows.
Despite being filmed originally in IMAX, Brian explained how there were multiple problems with the edit over the years and it was never the finished project Queen hoped it would be, with Brian describing it as a ‘bit of a thorn in our sides.’
Yet now for the first time the film has been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience, including 12-channel surround sound, crystal-clear images, and IMAX’s customized theatre geometry.
With the help of executive producers Geoff Kempin and Alice Webb for Mercury Studios and Jim and Matilda Beach for Queen Films fans will be given a larger-than-life, front-row immersive experience into the foursome at their very best.
With just the four of them on stage with no backing tracks or extra musicians, the performance includes a host of their greatest 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 popular album The Game including Dragon Attack, Play the Game and more.
Queen Rock Montreal will be released in over 450 IMAX locations globally for four days beginning January 18.
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 live concert film ‘Queen Rock Montreal’ at BFI IMAX ahead of its global release in IMAX, January 18-21. To book tickets visit IMAX.COM/QUEEN
Queen Rock Montreal will be released in over 450 IMAX locations globally for four days beginning January 18
