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Template:Infobox concert tour

The News of the World Tour was a concert tour by the British rock band Queen, supporting their successful 1977 album News of the World.

It was the first to feature 'We Will Rock You', 'We Are the Champions' and 'Love of My Life' – three of the anthems that helped make Queen well known for their concerts.

This tour was the first the band performed without an opening act.[1]

One of the shows on the North American leg – at The Summit in Houston, Texas – was filmed and is widely available among fans. The Houston concert is considered one of their best bootlegs.[2]

Tour dates[]

Date City Country Venue Tickets Sold Box Office
Europe
6 October 1977 London England New London Theatre Centre
North America
11 November 1977 Portland, Maine United States Cumberland County Civic Center 8,600 (Sold Out) $55,649
12 November 1977 Boston Boston Garden 15,411 (Sold Out) $122,959
13 November 1977 Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield Civic Center
15 November 1977 Providence Providence Civic Center
16 November 1977 New Haven Memorial Coliseum 9,900 (Sold Out) $71,259
18 November 1977 Detroit Cobo Hall 22,323 $184,477
19 November 1977
21 November 1977 Toronto Canada Maple Leaf Gardens
23 November 1977 Philadelphia United States The Spectrum
24 November 1977
25 November 1977 Norfolk Norfolk Scope
27 November 1977 Richfield Richfield Coliseum
29 November 1977 Landover Capital Centre
1 December 1977 New York City Madison Square Garden
2 December 1977
4 December 1977 Dayton University of Dayton Arena
5 December 1977 Chicago Chicago Stadium
8 December 1977 Atlanta Omni Coliseum
10 December 1977 Fort Worth Fort Worth Convention Center
11 December 1977 Houston Lakewood Church Central Campus
15 December 1977 Las Vegas Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts
16 December 1977 San Diego San Diego Sports Arena
17 December 1977 Oakland Oracle Arena
20 December 1977 Long Beach Long Beach Arena
21 December 1977
22 December 1977 Inglewood The Forum
Europe
12 April 1978 Stockholm Sweden Johanneshovs Isstadion
13 April 1978 Copenhagen Denmark Falkoner Teatret
14 April 1978 Hamburg West Germany Ernst-Merck-Halle 5,600/5,600 (100%)
16 April 1978 Brussels Belgium Forest National
17 April 1978
19 April 1978 Rotterdam Netherlands Ahoy Rotterdam
20 April 1978
21 April 1978 Brussels Belgium Forest National
23 April 1978 Paris France Pavillon de Paris
24 April 1978
26 April 1978 Dortmund West Germany Westfalenhalle
28 April 1978 Berlin Deutschlandhalle
30 April 1978 Zürich Switzerland Hallenstadion
2 May 1978 Vienna Austria Stadthalle
3 May 1978 Munich West Germany Olympiahalle
6 May 1978 Stafford England Bingley Hall
7 May 1978
11 May 1978 London Wembley Arena
12 May 1978
13 May 1978

Setlists[]

Europe #1[]

6 October – England
  1. "We Are The Champions"
  2. "Tie Your Mother Down"
  3. "Keep Yourself Alive"
  4. "Somebody To Love"
  5. "White Man"
  6. "The Prophet's Song"
  7. "Liar"
  8. "Bohemian Rhapsody"
  9. "Now I'm Here"
  10. "Jailhouse Rock"

Encore

  1. "See What A Fool I've Been"

North America[]

Europe #2[]

Tour band[]

Tour band[]

  • Freddie Mercury: Lead vocals, piano, tambourine
  • Brian May: Guitar, backing vocals
  • Roger Taylor: Drums, lead vocals ("I'm in Love With My Car"), backing vocals
  • John Deacon: Bass guitar, additional vocals, triangle

Reception and recollections[]

In the book The Show I'll Never Forget: 50 Writers Relive Their Most Memorable Concertgoing Experience, novelist Tracy Chevalier recalls attending one of this tour's concerts at the age of 15:

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The band wisely didn't dare attempt to reproduce in its entirety the long, baroque confection that is Bohemian Rhapsody. For the infamous operatic middle section, the band members left the stage as the studio recording played. Freddie and Brian then changed costume, and, at the word "Beelzebub", all four men popped out of a door in the stage floor and joined live again for the heavy metal section, fireworks going off, dry ice pouring out, everyone going berserk, me in tears of excitement. It was one of the best live moments I've ever witnessed. Indeed, I was spoiled by seeing Queen play live before anyone else; for sheer exuberant theatricality, no one else has come close.[3]

Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times called this concert tour the band's "most spectacularly staged and finely honed show yet".[1]

"We arrived in Las Vegas on Monday," recalled Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris, who was travelling with the band for a filmed piece, "and the band weren't playing until Thursday, so we had three days to party… On the Thursday, when the band were playing, they got the four limos to park at the back of the Aladdin. Each of them got in, then the limos drove them round to the front, where they got out and walked into the hotel for the gig. You have to do it; it's the rock 'n' roll way. You can't just walk into the lobby!"[4]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Hilburn, Robert (20 December 1977). "Pop Music Review: Queen's Royal Achievement". Los Angeles Times.
  2. "Concert: Queen live in Summit, Houston, Texas, USA". Queen Concerts. Retrieved 26-5-2012
  3. Chevalier, Tracy (27 January 2007). "These were the gigs of our lives". The Times.
  4. Yates, Henry: "Ever meet Hendrix?"; Classic Rock #148, August 2010, p40

External links[]

Template:Queen

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