Queen: The Complete Works (132 page)

Perhaps most surprising was Roger’s decision to include material from his first two solo albums, the first time any of those songs had been performed; ‘Man On Fire’, ‘Let’s Get Crazy’ and ‘It’s An Illusion’ were all seemingly designed for the live setting, while unexpected performances of ‘Laugh Or Cry’ and ‘Strange Frontier’ were most welcome. Only one Queen song, Roger’s own ‘I’m In Love With My Car’ (which hadn’t been performed live in seven years), made it into the set list, and a song titled ‘Let’s Get Drunk’ was also included, and was sung by Peter Noone.

The tour was sparsely attended, due in no small part to Roger’s insistence that the advertisements announce The Cross, with “featuring Roger Taylor” in smaller print, and not Roger Taylor and The Cross, which was what the promoters wanted. He got his way, but at a price: whereas most of the venues could hold up to 1000 people, the band would often be playing to one fifth of that number. For the German dates in April, Roger finally relented and agreed to promoters’ demands that Roger Taylor and The Cross would draw significant crowds, but the decision came too late; on the final date in Bonn, between fifty and sixty people showed up to a venue that held 500. Despite this, The Cross’ first tour was a boozy, unpretentious and enjoyable experience for both band and audience.

MONTREUX GOLDEN ROSE POP FESTIVAL

12 MAY 1988

Musicians:
Roger Taylor
(vocals, rhythm guitar)
, Spike Edney
(keyboards, vocals)
, Joshua J Macrae
(drums, vocals)
, Clayton Moss
(guitars, vocals)
, Peter Noone
(bass guitar, vocals)

Repertoire:
‘Manipulator’, ‘Heaven For Everyone’

Though he had already started recording the new Queen album after the conclusion of The Cross’ first tour, Roger had an obligation to fulfil in May 1988 at the Montreux Golden Rose Pop Festival. The Cross had agreed to appear but insisted they perform their set live; the acts that performed at the Pop Festival almost always mimed to a backing tape, making it easier for sound engineers and the crews. However, The Cross were adamant and, as Jim Beach was not only their co-manager but also involved in organizing the festival, the powers that be agreed to the request, albeit grudgingly. ‘Manipulator’, which had been heavily featured in the tour repertoire and was touted as The Cross’ next single release, and ‘Heaven For Everyone’, which had been the band’s previous single in April, were the chosen songs.

FAN CLUB PARTY

4 DECEMBER 1988

Musicians:
Roger Taylor
(vocals, rhythm guitar)
, Joshua J. Macrae
(drums, vocals)
, Clayton Moss
(guitars, vocals)
, Peter Noone
(bass guitar, vocals)
, Mike Moran
(keyboards)
, Brian May
(guitar on ‘(I Believe I’ll) Dust My Broom’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, ‘Early Morning Blues’, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, vocals on ‘(I Believe I’ll) Dust My Broom’ and ‘Early Morning Blues’)
, John Deacon
(bass guitar on ‘(I Believe I’ll) Dust My Broom’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, ‘Early Morning Blues’, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’)
, Chris Thompson
(vocals on ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’)

Repertoire:
‘Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress)’, ‘Cowboys And Indians’, ‘Heaven For
Everyone’, ‘It’s An Illusion’, ‘Contact’, ‘Man On Fire’, ‘Strange Frontier’, ‘(I Believe I’ll) Dust My Broom’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, ‘Early Morning Blues’, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’

In 1988, the fans were in for a genuine surprise at the Official Queen Fan Club’s Christmas party at London’s Le Palais. After an abbreviated set by The Cross, Brian walked on as a special guest and started to play the intro chords of Robert Johnson’s ‘(I Believe I’ll) Dust My Broom’ before stopping and saying, “OK, I guess we need a little more help. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr John Deacon.” The now-expanded band went on to perform ‘(I Believe I’ll) Dust My Broom’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, ‘Early Morning Blues’ and ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, with Chris Thompson singing lead vocals on the final number. Mike Moran substituted for Spike Edney, who was on tour with Duran Duran (featuring, incidentally, a different Roger Taylor).

MAD: BAD: AND DANGEROUS TO KNOW

EUROPEAN TOUR

21 MAY TO 15 JUNE 1990

Musicians:
Roger Taylor
(vocals, rhythm guitar, drums, percussion)
, Spike Edney
(keyboards, vocals)
, Joshua J Macrae
(drums, vocals)
, Clayton Moss
(guitars, vocals)
, Peter Noone
(bass guitar, vocals)

Repertoire:
‘In Charge Of My Heart’, ‘Top Of The World, Ma’, ‘Closer To You’, ‘Cowboys And Indians’, ‘Breakdown’, ‘Penetration Guru’, ‘Power To Love’, ‘Liar’, ‘Heaven For Everyone’, ‘Better Things’, ‘Man On Fire’, ‘Old Men (Lay Down)’, ‘Sister Blue’, ‘Strange Frontier’, ‘Foxy Lady’, ‘Final Destination’, ‘Shove It’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, ‘It’s An Illusion’, ‘Passion For Trash’

Itinerary:

May 21: Capitol, Hannover, Germany

May 22: Biskuithalle, Bonn, Germany

May 23: Blickpunktstudios, Dortmund, Germany

May 24: Outpost, Göttingen, Germany

May 26: Docks, Hamburg, Germany

May 27: Max Music Hall, Kiel, Germany

May 28: Metropol, Berlin, Germany

May 29: De Melkweg, Amsterdam, Germany

May 30: Hugennottenhalle, Frankfurt, Germany

June 1: Ku Klub, Ibiza, Spain

June 2: Ku Klub, Ibiza, Spain

June 3: Westernhagen, St Wendel, Germany

June 4: Serenadenhof, Nürnberg, Germany

June 5: Akantz, Tuttlingen, Germany

June 6: Alte Feuerwache, Mannheim, Germany

June 7: PC 69, Bielefeld, Germany

June 8: Theaterhaus Wangen, Stuttgart, Germany

June 15: Donauinsel, Vienna, Austria

After the release of
Mad: Bad: And Dangerous To Know
, The Cross were in an unusual position: they had just released their sophomore album yet no one was interested. The single, ‘Power To Love’, made little impression on the charts, and the band’s record company wasn’t inclined to promote a tour without a hit record. Much to The Cross’ relief, it was discovered that Germany had taken a liking to their recorded output, so a tour was booked for the spring of 1990.

The band varied their set list this time around, with all of the new album performed (though ‘Passion For Trash’ was played only occasionally) and a selection of previous hits scattered throughout: ‘Man On Fire’ was fast becoming a concert highlight, while ‘Strange Frontier’ and occasionally ‘It’s An Illusion’ were also brought back from the previous tour, along with
Shove It
favourites ‘Cowboys And Indians’, ‘Heaven For Everyone’ and the title track. Of course, Roger’s ‘I’m In Love With My Car’ remained in the set, promoted to concert closer this time.

The tour was a relatively short one, and when it concluded Roger was called back to Montreux to complete
Innuendo
; the other members of The Cross started writing material for a third album.

FAN CLUB PARTY

7 DECEMBER 1990

Musicians:
Roger Taylor
(vocals, rhythm guitar, drums, percussion)
, Joshua J. Macrae
(drums, vocals)
, Clayton Moss
(guitars, vocals)
, Peter Noone
(bass guitar, vocals)
, Mike Moran
(keyboards)
, Brian May
(guitar on ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, ‘Let Me Out’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, and ‘Lucille’, vocals on ‘Let Me Out’ and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’)

Repertoire:
‘Top Of The World, Ma’, ‘Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress)’, ‘Breakdown’, ‘Penetration Guru’, ‘Bad Attitude’, ‘Liar’, ‘Man On Fire’, ‘Sister Blue’, ‘Final Destination’, ‘Foxy Lady’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, ‘Let Me Out’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Lucille’

In 1990, in what was fast becoming a seasonal tradition,
The Cross were asked to perform at another fan club party, this time at the Astoria Theatre in London. An abbreviated variation of their 1990 set, with ‘Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress’) added, the show’s four-song encore started with ‘I’m In Love With My Car’. Again, Brian strolled out onto the stage to rapturous applause to help with Roger’s 1975 composition. He then took the mic for his 1983
Star Fleet Project
track, ‘Let Me Out’ (which hadn’t been performed live before) and Queen’s classic ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, which featured both Roger and Brian on vocals. The encore concluded with a rendition of Little Richard’s ‘Lucille’.

Mike Moran again guested on keyboards (Spike Edney was playing with Bob Geldof in Warsaw), and the concert was issued on cassette in early 1991 as
The Official Bootleg
, a release exclusive to fan club members.

BLUE ROCK EUROPEAN TOUR

3 TO 27 OCTOBER 1991

Musicians:
Roger Taylor
(vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion)
, Spike Edney
(keyboards, vocals)
, Joshua J Macrae
(drums, vocals)
, Clayton Moss
(guitars, vocals)
, Peter Noone
(bass guitar, vocals)

Repertoire:
‘Bad Attitude’, ‘Millionaire’, ‘Ain’t Put Nothing Down’, ‘New Dark Ages’, ‘Baby It’s Alright’, ‘Dirty Mind’, ‘Man On Fire’, ‘Power To Love’, ‘Top Of The World, Ma’, ‘The Also Rans’

Itinerary:

October 3: Tavastia Club, Helsinki, Finland

October 5: Hagadal, Hultsfred, Sweden

October 7: Konserthuset, Gothenburg, Sweden

October 9: Music Hall, Hannover, Germany

October 10: Rock Heaven, Herford, Germany

October 11: Docks, Hamburg, Germany

October 12: Astoria, Bremen, Germany

October 13: Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany

October 14: Freiheitshalle, Hof, Germany

October 15: Circus Krone, Munich, Germany

October 16: Stadthalle, Memmingen, Germany

October 18: Volkshaus, Zürich, Switzerland

October 19: Schwarzwaldhalle, Appenweiher, Germany

October 20: Maintauberhalle, Wertheim, Germany

October 21: Stadthalle, Offenbach, Germany

October 22: Philipshalle, Düsseldorf, Germany

October 23: Stadthalle, Erlangen, Germany

October 25: Festhalle, Dietenheim, Germany

October 26: Sporthalle Birkelbach, Erntebrück, Germany

October 27: Forum, Ludwigsburg, Germany

The Cross’ final tour was in support of Birmingham band Magnum, who were promoting their 1990 album,
Goodnight L.A.
, with a tour across Europe in the autumn of 1991. The set list for this tour was drastically changed, with the first six songs (and occasionally ‘The Also Rans’, which was performed after ‘Power To Love’ during some shows) drawn from The Cross’ new album
Blue Rock
. The remaining three numbers were from Roger’s Strange Frontier (’Man On Fire’) and The Cross’ previous album,
Mad: Bad: And Dangerous To Know
(’Power To Love’ and ‘Top Of The World, Ma’), and were the only three songs that survived from the 1990 tour.

Given Freddie’s imminent death, Roger obviously had other things on his mind at this time; his performances throughout were subdued and he sounded exhausted and worn out. The performances were tight and to the point, but for a final full-scale tour were also something of an anticlimax.

GOSPORT FESTIVAL

30 JULY 1992

Musicians:
Roger Taylor
(vocals, rhythm guitar, drums, percussion)
, Spike Edney
(keyboards, vocals)
, Joshua J. Macrae
(drums, vocals)
, Clayton Moss
(guitars, vocals)
, Peter Noone
(bass guitar, vocals)
, Bob Geldof
(vocals on ‘Honky Tonk Women’)

Repertoire:
‘Top Of The World, Ma’, ‘Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress’, ‘Rock It (Prime Jive)’
(intro)
/ ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘Mr Tambourine Man’, ‘Power To Love’, ‘Ain’t Put Nothing Down’, ‘New Dark Ages’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘I’m A Man’, ‘Summertime Blues’, ‘Honky Tonk Women’, ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, ‘Man On Fire’, ‘Revolution’, ‘Stand Up For Love’, ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’

The Cross were asked to perform at the annual summer Gosport Festival and, with Roger still unsure about the future of the band, agreed. They delivered a blistering set, including songs by Roger, The Cross and Queen (notably a gorgeous ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’, which served as the finale), together with covers of
songs by Bob Dylan, The Everly Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Bo Diddley, Eddie Cochran, The Rolling Stones, Barret Strong and The Beatles. Bob Geldof came on for one song as guest vocalist.

CHRISTMAS SHOWS

21 AND 22 DECEMBER 1992

Musicians:
Roger Taylor
(vocals, rhythm guitar, drums, percussion)
, Spike Edney
(keyboards, vocals)
, Joshua J Macrae
(drums, vocals)
, Clayton Moss
(guitars, vocals)
, Peter Noone
(bass guitar, vocals)
, Tim Staffell
(vocals and guitar on ‘Earth’ and ‘If I Were A Carpenter’, both nights)
, Brian May
(guitar on ‘Earth’ and ‘If I Were A Carpenter’, second night only, and guitar and vocals on ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’ and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’)
, Roger Daltrey
(vocals on ‘I Can’t Explain’, ‘I’m A Man’, ‘Born On The Bayou’ and ‘Substitute’)

Repertoire, first night:
‘In Charge Of My Heart’, ‘Top Of The World, Ma’, ‘Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress’, ‘Rock It (Prime Jive)’
(intro)
/ ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘Ain’t Put Nothing Down’, ‘Power To Love’, ‘Mr Tambourine Man’, ‘New Dark Ages’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘Heaven For Everyone’, ‘Man On Fire’, ‘Stand Up For Love’, ‘Earth’, ‘If I Were A Carpenter’, ‘I Can’t Explain’, ‘I’m A Man’, ‘Born On The Bayou’, ‘Substitute’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’, ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’

Repertoire, second night:
‘In Charge Of My Heart’, ‘Top Of The World, Ma’, ‘Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress’, ‘Rock It (Prime Jive)’
(intro)
/ ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘Ain’t Put Nothing Down’, ‘Power To Love’, ‘Mr Tambourine Man’, ‘New Dark Ages’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘Heaven For Everyone’, ‘Man On Fire’, ‘Earth’, ‘If I Were A Carpenter’, ‘Stand Up For Love’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’