I know that Queen are massive in the UK, but not sure completely how large they are in US, now?

Even though they had a few number 1s in America, the were one of best rock groups at there peak, but now i dont know?

Some history how mamoth they are in UK. Bohemian Rapsody is voted number one song of all time, since it launched, the best selling album in UK, is Queen greatest hits. In most UK magazines ( like Q) Freddie is estimated and renowned as greatest live act of all time. In categorys of voice, phyisicality, presence and overall.

So is he still know there? Interesting

He's great but he's no James Brown.

Timmy84 said:

He's great but he's no James Brown.

No. He's Freddie.

No disrespect at all, man....but..FFS.

Freddie? I don't go in for the total "over-deifiacation" of the dude, but in front of 100,000 at Wembley, 1986? Love JB......but he couldn't fuck with that.

"Hello my beauties!!!!!!!!!" Epic.

I admit that was great and he knew how to get the crowd on its toes but he was far from the only one. Not saying he's not up there as far as showmen go, just saying.

I dunno mang....

When Freddie goes into that "scat-along" thing with the crowd....... I think back to JB at the Apollo & the whole "mic stand thing" and the "exhaustion routine" at the end....and I gotta give it the edge to Freddie. He was less rehearsed & his whole vibe was about OWNING that crowd.

If I had a time machine & could be at either show, I'd be at that Wembley show 377 days a year.

Fair to say though, that shit was the collision of a bunch of planets. The band was perfect, the timing was perfect.....summer....and they played (honestly) a perfect set of a brilliant catalog...at the very moment we all wanted them most.

Only thing that would have made it better? An American summer crowd (the Brits were TOO reserved..lol)

^ It's a shame they didn't tour more in the U.S.

"When Freddy rocked the U.K., South America got horney." James Brown is the guy you wanted to see in a club. Freddy Mercury was the they guy you wanted to see in a stadium. Queen is still huge in Japan and China. My band just did 14 dates in Tokyo, Takada and Kyoto. Every night we got request for Queen.

YES FREDDIE IS THE GREATEST

No thread jack intended.....

But I just watched the full Wembley show again & for real, If I could "be" one rock star, I think I'd wanna be Brian May.

Yes, I think Freddie's greatest when it comes to live performances!
Best Voice + incredible charisma!

Love Freedie's work but the greatest? Not a chance.

SuperSoulFighter said:

I agree with Timmy, but it is a bit of a shame that it has turned into a contest. Both men were great onstage, but Queen sold more records because they were a mainstream act and thus played bigger crowds. So that says more about their commercial impact than it does about their showmanship. But I have to admit that Fred did one helluvajob at Wembley.

Exactly.

thebanishedone said:

Queen at Wembley is a very overrated performance.Queen are Freddie were much better before the 80's. Freddie was the best when he was sporting long hair,dark nail polish and no moustache.He acted much more raw and macho then.you have video of Freddie demolish the amps during Sheer Heart Attack.now thats r'n'r.80's Queen was just a polished pop act compared to 70's Queen. I'm talking about the live stuff.in studio they were amazing [Edited 10/31/12 9:10am]

Yeah 1973-1979 Freddie was something else. I did like some of Queen's '80s stuff but it wasn't as tight as their '70s work.

He was THE best during the 80s, when he fully embraced the "epic diva" mode

I've seen 70s live footage and I wasn't that impressed

curious that many people think precisely the opposite, lol

[Edited 10/31/12 9:18am]

[img:$uid]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/jonwolslau/queen-1-1.jpg[/img:$uid]

JoeTyler said:

He was THE best during the 80s, when he fully embraced the "epic diva" mode

I've seen 70s live footage and I wasn't that impressed

curious that many people think precisely the opposite, lol

[Edited 10/31/12 9:18am]

LOL I always hear Freddie's '80s period was when he became a "diva". In the '70s, he was "just another androgynous hard rocker bloke". Apparently, I guess...lol

I LOVE Freddie but.....

there is already a greatest showman

I definitly would rank Freddie in the top 5 though.

Freddie should definitely be studied by anyone who wants to perform but I've always been partial to this guy:

mjscarousal said:

I LOVE Freddie but.....

there is already a greatest showman

I definitly would rank Freddie in the top 5 though.

I'd rank MJ as the NUMBER 1 if he hadn't started with the aerobic shit surrounded by dozens of faceless dancers (which was fully embraced by his sister with often grotesque results), MJ was a better showman in the 70s-early-80s IMO

To be honest, there is no "greatest". It's just opinion.

IMHO, my top five showmen list (in popular music only, that is) includes James, MJ, Prince, Robert Plant and Freddie in that order.

From a pure "showman" stand point, Mj has no equal.

Any particular timeframe?

I'd vote "no," but he'd make the team photo, and the roster isn't very large.

In the context of frontmen for a band, he is the best. His solo work lacked the same energy, but when he was with Deacon, May, Taylor, magic happened.

As it relates to MJ, Prince, and others being considered the greatest showman, I can see how the case can be made. They transcended their craft at various points as well, but I think of them as individuals versus Freddie (who I always tie in with Queen). Slightly different arguments, but great conversation.

Timmy84 said:

To be honest, there is no "greatest". It's just opinion.

IMHO, my top five showmen list (in popular music only, that is) includes James, MJ, Prince, Robert Plant and Freddie in that order.

agree
hard to deny that some artist is a great (if it's a great singer, dancer or artist, maddening entire stadiums) ... but if we are about the greatest ... it`s always partly an attempt to disengage and look at the situation impartially, but partly - personal preferences.
For me, Freddie, Michael, Prince, - in that order ... these 3 artists I love to see on the stage more than others, they have that "wow" factor for various reasons.
Rest group a little behind ...

What about this one?

Because it's just too quiet in here.

But honestly of the new, younger set, she sets the bar pretty high.

^ Now you done it, Cynic.

BACK TO FREDDIE, BACK TO FREDDIE...

This man right here is the greatest entertainer of all time bump the bull

CynicKill said:

What about this one?

Because it's just too quiet in here.

But honestly of the new, younger set, she sets the bar pretty high.

Best performer from recent years.

Freddie's in my Top 3.

The leaked recordings of him with MJ showed up Michael's weak voice.