The A Day at the Races Tour (also known as the World Tour '77, Summer Tour 1977 and the Jubilee Tour) was the fourth headlining concert tour by the British
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, supporting their late 1976 album ''
A Day at the Races''.
Background
This tour was the first in which the band played "
Somebody to Love" and many others. "
Brighton Rock" and "
Bohemian Rhapsody" were performed full-length for the first time. Also, singer
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...
performed a vocal canon between "White Man" and "The Prophet's Song".
"When people started singing along, we found it kind of annoying…" recalled
Brian May. "Then there was an enormous realisation, at
Bingley Hall in
the Midlands. They sang every note of every song.
Freddie and I looked at each other and went, 'Something's happening here. We've been fighting it, and we should be embracing it.' That's where '
We Will Rock You' and '
We Are the Champions' came from. It was an epoch-making moment."
The opening act for most of the North American concerts was
Thin Lizzy. In New York City, the concert at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
sold out within moments of tickets going on sale.
The final two shows at the
Earls Court Exhibition Centre were recorded, with the band using an expensive lighting rig in the shape of a crown for the first time. Both shows were also professionally recorded on video and the first can be found on many bootlegs. Of one such release – ''Top Fax, Pix And Info'' – photographer
Ross Halfin said: "It was a
Silver Jubilee show. This had excellent
soundboard quality. I actually shot this show as a much younger man."
Tour band
*
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...
: Lead vocals, piano, tambourine.
*
Brian May: Guitar, backing vocals, banjo ("Bring Back That Leroy Brown").
*
Roger Taylor Roger Taylor may refer to:
*Roger Taylor (Queen drummer) (born 1949), drummer for Queen
*Roger Taylor (Duran Duran drummer) (born 1960), drummer for Duran Duran
*Roger Taylor (author), author of epic fantasy Hawklan series
*Roger Taylor (college pr ...
: Drums, backing vocals.
*
John Deacon
John Richard Deacon (born 19 August 1951) is an English retired musician, best known for being the bass guitarist for the rock band Queen. He wrote several songs for the group, including Top 10 hits " You're My Best Friend", " Another One Bit ...
: Bass guitar, additional vocals, triangle.
Opening acts
*
Thin Lizzy
*
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...
*
Head East
*
The Outlaws
Set list
This set list is representative of the 23 January 1977 performance in Richfield, Ohio. It does not represent all the set lists for the duration of the tour.
#"A Day At The Races Overture"
#"
Tie Your Mother Down"
#"Ogre Battle"
#"White Queen"
#"
Somebody To Love"
#"
Killer Queen"
#"The Millionaire Waltz"
#"
You're My Best Friend"
#"Bring Back That Leroy Brown"
#"
Sweet Lady"
#"Brighton Rock"
#"
'39
"39" is a song by British rock band Queen. Composed by lead guitarist Brian May, it is the fifth track on their fourth studio album '' A Night at the Opera''. The song was also the B-side to " You're My Best Friend".
The song relates the tale ...
"
#"You Take My Breath Away"
#"White Man"
#"
The Prophet's Song"
#"
Bohemian Rhapsody"
#"
Stone Cold Crazy"
#"
Keep Yourself Alive"
#"
Liar
A lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deception, deceiving or Deception, misleading someone. The practice of communicating lies is called lying. A person who communicates a lie may be termed a l ...
"
#"In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited"
#"
Now I'm Here
"Now I'm Here" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by lead guitarist Brian May, it was the sixth song on their third album, ''Sheer Heart Attack'' (1974). The song is noted for its hard riff and vocal harmonies. In the UK, the son ...
"
;Encore
#
"Big Spender
"Big Spender" is a song written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the musical ''Sweet Charity'', first performed in 1966. Peggy Lee was the first artist to record the song for her album of the same name also that year. It is sung, in the musi ...
"
#" Jailhouse Rock"
#" God Save The Queen"
Tour dates
Box office score data
Cancelled shows
External links
North American Dates
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day At The Races Tour, A
1977 concert tours
Queen (band) concert tours