It was full velocity forward for Queen within the early spring of 1974. Within the UK, they have been having fun with their first hit, as “Seven Seas Of Rhye” reached its No. 10 peak. In the meantime, the Prime 5 success of the Queen II album was giving its predecessor (simply known as Queen, and launched the earlier summer season) a belated chart debut.
It was not till actually years later, when Queen have been basking within the afterglow of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the Sheer Coronary heart Assault album, that their first LP lastly peaked, at No. 24, in February 1976. That was greater than two and a half years after its launch. However again in 1974, on April 16, the band adopted a 22-date UK tour (the one which produced the Dwell At The Rainbow ’74 album, launched solely in 2014) with their first-ever present in the US.
‘First US tour, first performance’
This preliminary US tour had Queen supporting UK favorites of the day, Mott The Hoople. Town in query was Denver, and the venue was not one which repeatedly crops up within the annals of rock historical past: the college venue Regis School Fieldhouse. “First US tour, first performance,” introduced the poster. “Tickets $7.50 at campus bookstore.”
This was the primary of no fewer than 19 American dates, of which the ultimate six have been in New York, at Uris Theatre, now often known as the Broadway theatre the Gershwin. Now paying extra consideration to their picture, the quartet employed Zandra Rhodes to design a few of their stage costumes.
Freddie does Elvis…and Shirley Bassey
The set listing that evening in Denver began because the Queen II album did, with the instrumental “Procession.” It contained different new songs resembling “Father To Son,” “White Queen (As It Began),” and “Ogre Battle.” The band additionally performed that present UK hit, their first single “Keep Yourself Alive” and such covers as Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock” and “Big Spender,” the latter a lot related to Shirley Bassey.
That they had meant to play much more than 19 exhibits, however their US itinerary needed to be lower brief on 11 Could. On the day of the ultimate Uris Theatre efficiency, Brian Could collapsed with hepatitis, after which developed a duodenal ulcer. However on the identical chart date as that remaining US gig, Queen II entered the US chart at No. 134. It rose to No. 49 in a 13-week run.
Hearken to the perfect of Queen on Apple Music and Spotify.
