Queen Rock Montreal & Live Aid Blu-ray offers solid video and great audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
The only Queen concert ever filmed in its entirety, this 1981 Montreal Live Aid performance has been digitally restored and remixed. Featuring dynamic front man Freddie Mercury, the band puts on a high-octane show for a crowd of excited fans. Songs include "We Will Rock You," "We Are the Champions," "Somebody to Love," "Get Down Make Love," "Under Pressure," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," "Killer Queen," "Bohemian Rhapsody" and many more.
As a kid, I was a huge fan of Queen and Freddie Mercury. One of the premiere rock bands of
the 70's and 80's, Queen has won more awards, filled more stadiums, and has had more
albums and singles to reach number one on the UK charts than any other rock band of
that time. From the period of 1971 to 1991, the group produced 14 studio albums, 7 live
albums, had 18 number one albums(in the UK) and 20 number one singles(on the UK
charts), and won too many awards to mention in this review. Over the lifetime of Queen
with and without Freddie Mercury, the group produced 26 top ten albums and 41 singles.
Their tunes have spent an amazing 1,322 weeks at the top of the UK rock charts, more than
any artist to date. This is an amazing achievement for any group of any genre. None of this
would be possible without the talent of Freddie Mercury, one of the best front men to ever
lead a rock band. I thought Freddie was a vocal giant, as he had the vocal chops, the
showmanship, the instrumental skills, and the energy to tear into any song he sung. I also
enjoyed Queen's musical compositions, as they were more sophisticated musically and
harmonically than any other rock band around at that time. What kept this band fresh and
interesting is its continuous experimentation of different musical styles, and mixing of
different genres of music over the band active life.
It is said that this Montreal concert film (yes this was filmed in 35mm) and the Live Aid
concert represent Queen at the pinnacle of the quartet's career. It was voted the "greatest
live gig ever" by fans and critics alike. Riding high after the release of The Game, the
group experienced a surge of popularity not only in the US and Europe, but also in South
America. Drawing huge crowds of more than 130,000 per concert, Queen was the first rock
band to play in that part of the world. The music written during this period happens to be
the most sampled music among artists today. After the death of Mercury, Queen did not split
or disband as a group. Various members of the band continued to do projects under the
name of Queen. However in 2004 Queen partnered with Paul Rodgers and announced they
would be touring under the name Queen + Paul Rodgers. Bassist John Deacon elected not
to participate and the group made great pains to state "Paul Rodgers is not replacing
Freddie Mercury". It is a good thing that they stated this, because Paul Rodgers is no
Freddie Mercury.
Track listing:
1 - Intro
2 - We Will Rock You (fast)
3 - Let Me Entertain You
4 - Play The Game
5 - Somebody To Love
6 - Killer Queen
7 - I'm In Love With My Car
8 - Get Down Make Love
9 - Save Me
10 - Now I'm Here
11 - Dragon Attack
12 - Now I'm Here (reprise)
13 - Love Of My Life
14 - Under Pressure
15 - Keep Yourself Alive
16 - Drum & Timpani Solo
17 - Guitar Solo
18 - Crazy Little Thing Called Love
19 - Jailhouse Rock
20 - Bohemian Rhapsody
21 - Tie Your Mother Down
22 - Another One Bites The Dust
23 - Sheer Heart Attack
24 - We Will Rock You
25 -We Are The Champions
26 - God Save The Queen
Band Members:
Freddie Mercury: Guitar, Piano and Lead Vocals
Brian May: Lead Guitar, Vocals
Roger Taylor: Drums, Vocals
John Deacon: Bass Guitar
Queen: Rock Montreal and Live Aid rocks the Blu-ray format in a 1080p/VC-1 encode
framed at a widescreen 1:78:1 aspect ratio. For a film that is twenty-six years old, it looks pretty
good. Sourced from 35mm film, there are no pops, scratches or dirt to distract from the
concert. Black levels are stable, sometimes crushed, and are not as deep as I have seen on
other concert videos. Colors are somewhat less vibrant than usual, but the colored lights do
manage to wash the stage with a blend of primary colors. Detail is well rendered from the
hair and facial features, to the texture of clothing. However the detail drops in the presence
of the white spotlights used with the colored stage lights. Color banding is apparent in
some shots, and film grain becomes more obvious when all lighting is shining
simultaneously. Some shots are also softer than others, but aside from all this it's a
phenomenal presentation nevertheless.
This concert video features two audio tracks to choose from - DTS-HD HR 24-bit/96 kHz 5.1 (at 3Mbps), and a Stereo LPCM track at a 24-bit/48 kHz.
Much to my
surprise I found the stereo track much more satisfying. The vocals are very well recorded,
and the balance of the vocal harmony is excellent - capturing every part equally. Although
Mercury has a very dynamic voice, there is no audible clipping to be heard. Bass emanating
from the LFE is strong and powerful, but always balanced with the other elements in the
mix. The piano and lead guitar are perfectly balanced with the other instruments, and no
element sticks out of the mix at any time. The DTS-HD track uses the surrounds for
ambience and crowd noise, and it fills out the front sound stage effectively. Both audio
tracks are strong presentations, and sure to please Queen fans everywhere.
The supplements on this Blu-ray disc include all the same extra content found on the DVD
release. One extra bonus you get not found on other concert videos is an audio
commentary track. Audio Commentary features Brian May and Roger Taylor adding their insights to the
Queen: Rock Montreal performance. I have never heard of a group being angry and
agitated at being filmed during their performance. According to May and Taylor the band
was in fact angry, and made it quite difficult for the crew as a result. Live Aid Performance (SD 25 minutes) Considered one of Queens finest
performances ever, it comes with the choice of 24-bit 48kHz 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio or Stereo 48kHz/24-bit LPCM., and I am glad Eagle Rock
Entertainment thought to include it on this
release. Live Aid Band Rehearsals (SD 11 minutes) is a combination of backstage and on
stage
warm ups and interviews with the band. TV Interview (SD 7 minutes) is an extremely funny interview taken from the
television
tabloid show PM magazine. This extra is definitely worth a watch - you will get a kick out of
it.
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