Crazy Tour
{{short description|1979 concert tour by Queen}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}
{{refimprove|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox concert
| concert_tour_name = Crazy Tour
| image = Crazytour.jpg
| image_caption = Promotional poster for the tour's London concerts
| image_size = 220px
| type = Local
| location = Europe
| artist = Queen
| start_date = 22 November 1979
| end_date = 26 December 1979
| number_of_legs = 1
| number_of_shows = 20
| last_tour = Saarbrücken Open Air Festival
(1979)
| this_tour = Crazy Tour
(1979)
| next_tour = The Game Tour
(1980–1981)
}}
The Crazy Tour was the seventh concert tour by the British rock band Queen during November and December 1979.
Background
After the release of the single "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", the band decided to change the concert format they do in the previous tours, as a result, they revisited smaller venues{{sfn|Chapman|2017}} and adopted a new intro tape, consisting of a droning synthesizer leading into the thunder and lightning heard at the end of Dead On Time, from the previous tour.{{cite web |title=QUEEN LIVE |url=http://queenlive.ca/queen/79-11-22.htm |website=Queenlive.ca |access-date=2 June 2021}} Initially scheduled to end on 22 December after the concert at the Alexandra Palace, the last concert of this tour at the Hammersmith Odeon, was also the first concert of the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea.{{sfn|Freestone|Evans|2001|p=18}} A bootleg recording of this concert exists as the 2-CD set Crazy Tour of London.{{cite web |work=AllMusic |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r552285|pure_url=yes}} |title=Crazy Tour of London |accessdate=2009-04-09}}
Due to the band choosing to visit many smaller venues during this tour,{{cite magazine |last1=Grein |first1=Paul |title=Queen Global Tour Most Ambitious Yet |magazine=Billboard |date=8 May 1982 |volume=94 |issue=18 |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hyQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=queen+crazy+tour&pg=PT43 |access-date=15 December 2022 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |language=en |issn=0006-2510}} their lighting rig was scaled down.{{sfn|Furniss|2011}} Additionally, many other changes were made to the band's presentation.{{sfn|Blake|2022}} Namely, Freddie Mercury decided not to wear suspenders and instead chose to wear a red tie, and either black pants with red kneepads or red pants with blue kneepads. Roger Taylor also adopted a new bass drum head, which was an edited image of his face. It would remain this way through the European Hot Space Tour of 1982. It is also worth noting that this is the final tour before Freddie grew his trademark moustache in 1980.
This is the first tour where Mercury played guitar on the track "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", in which he play a 12-string Ovation Pacemaker.{{sfn|Clerc|2020}} Brian May would also play piano on this tour for the track "Save Me", after having made his debut on the instrument several months ago on the Japanese leg of the Jazz Tour, with the track "Teo Torriatte". "Liar" was placed on rotation during this tour after a nearly two year absence.{{sfn|Purvis|2018}}
Tour dates
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of 1979 concerts !width="150"|Date !width="150"|City !width="150"|Country !width="300"|Venue |
| 22 November 1979 |
| 24 November 1979
|rowspan="3"|England |
| 26 November 1979
|rowspan="2"|Manchester |rowspan="2"|Manchester Apollo |
| 27 November 1979 |
| 30 November 1979
|rowspan="2"|Glasgow |rowspan="2"|Scotland |rowspan="2"|The Apollo |
| 1 December 1979 |
| 3 December 1979
|rowspan="2"|Newcastle |rowspan="14"|England |rowspan="2"|Newcastle City Hall |
| 4 December 1979 |
| 6 December 1979
|rowspan="2"|Liverpool |rowspan="2"|Liverpool Empire Theatre |
| 7 December 1979 |
| 9 December 1979 |
| 10 December 1979
|rowspan="2"|Brighton |rowspan="2"|Brighton Centre |
| 11 December 1979 |
| 13 December 1979
|rowspan="7"|London |
| 14 December 1979 |
| 17 December 1979
|Purley Tiffany's |
| 19 December 1979
|Tottenham Mayfair |
| 20 December 1979 |
| 22 December 1979 |
| 26 December 1979 |
Personnel
- Freddie Mercury: lead vocals, piano, guitar ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love"), tambourine.
- Brian May: guitar, backing vocals, piano.
- Roger Taylor: drums, timpani, lead vocals ("I'm in Love With My Car"), backing vocals.
- John Deacon: bass guitar, additional backing vocals
References
{{reflist}}
=Sources=
- {{cite book |last1=Freestone |first1=Peter |first2=David |last2=Evans |title=Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man Who Knew Him Best |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-7119-8674-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AH8zZsbmB98C&pg=PA18 }}
- {{cite book |last1=Furniss |first1=Matters |title=Queen: Uncensored On the Record |date=2011 |publisher=Coda Books Ltd |location=Warwickshire, England |isbn=978-1-908538-84-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BCeTqWXP6eoC |language=en}}
- {{cite book |last1=Chapman |first1=Phil |title=The Dead Straight Guide to Queen |date=2017 |publisher=Music Sales |location=Croyden |isbn=9781787590502 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NmRaDwAAQBAJ |language=en}}
- {{cite book |last1=Purvis |first1=Georg |title=Queen: Complete Works |date=2018 |publisher=Titan Books |location=London, England |isbn=9781789090499 |edition=Updated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z9xkDwAAQBAJ}}
- {{cite book |last1=Clerc |first1=Benoît |title=Queen: All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track |date=2020 |publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal |location=New York |isbn=9780762471232 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2lrODwAAQBAJ |language=en}}
- {{cite book |last1=Blake |first1=Mark |title=Magnifico! The A to Z of Queen |date=2022 |publisher=Permuted Press |location=New York |isbn=9781637585917 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fjeKEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
External links
- [http://www.queenconcerts.com/live/queen/crazy.html Queen Concerts]
{{Queen}}