Queen Live at the Rainbow '74

(The following is a little "staff recommendation" I wrote for the Queen DVD Live at the Rainbow '74. Thought I'd share it here, too).
 
 
If you've seen the bio-pic Bohemian Rhapsody and want to dive deeper into the world of Queen, then this concert video is for you. It captures Queen a year away from their blockbuster album A Night at the Opera, the smash hit single "Bohemian Rhapsody" and international superstardom.  

This is a young and hungry band that delivers an absolutely ferocious live show in front of an enthusiastic audience at London's Rainbow Theatre. It's a stage in their career when the band was as close as they ever came to hard rock or heavy metal (but there are some gentler moments in their live show). 

It is also obvious from this concert that Freddie Mercury was destined to become one of the greatest performers in music history. He struts and postures across the stage in his flamboyant flowing costumes--yes, costumes plural, you'll find out when you watch this--while playfully bantering with the audience between songs. 

Considering that this is 45-year-old footage, the visual and sound quality is outstanding. The concert was captured on videotape, giving it an immediacy as if you are watching it live. The multiple camera angles capture intimate close-ups of all four members of Queen: Freddie dancing and prowling on the stage, Brian May shredding on his "Red Special" guitar, Roger Taylor's intense drumming with sweat splashing off the skins, and occasional shots of the comparatively more subdued bassist John Deacon.

So, in conclusion, it's a great concert film and I highly recommend it for all Queen fans, whether you have loved the band for decades or recently became interested after Bohemian Rhapsody.

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