“That was a life-changing experience, because of the fear”: Brian May remembers his most memorable gig
Brian May has been involved in a number of iconic gigs, but the one that sticks out most in his mind is due to the sheer amount of fear he felt beforehand.
Back in 2002, May performed the British National Anthem God Save The Queen on the roof of Buckingham Palace as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee – a moment he still recalls as “life-changing”. The stunt was even his own idea.
READ MORE: Why Brian May revamped all the guitar parts on Queen’s debut album for new edition: “I remember my dad saying, ‘There’s no ambience, Brian’”
Speaking during the Red Special meet up Q&A, as shared online by The Red Special Guitar Podcast, he named the showcase as his most memorable performance: “I mean, that was a life-changing experience, because of the fear,” he begins (via Ultimate Guitar).
“To face that amount of fear and still do it… It was a sort of milestone in the line. It was my idea [laughs], because they asked me to sort of stroll through the statements in front of the Palace, playing a la Jimi Hendrix, I think. And I just thought, ‘Ugh, it’s gonna be naff. It’s never gonna work.’”
He adds, “I thought, ‘Wow would it be if I was up there, like the lone piper who’s been up there for the last 50 years, in sun and rain and wind, and he’s a bit tattered, but he’s still up there, playing.’ I said, ‘That’s what I’m going to do.’ Because, I’m commemorating 50 years of the Queen’s rule, but also, as I saw it, 50 years of rock ‘n’ roll. I called her the rock ‘n’ roll Queen. I don’t know if she was too pleased.”
You can remind yourself of the mighty performance below:
Queen – the band, that is – also performed at the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, for which May decided not to climb atop any roofs. May also met the queen in person alongside Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page sometime after his first performance.
“You’re not supposed to speak first, but I thought, ‘This is embarrassing.’ So, I went, ‘I’m very pleased to meet you’, knowing that I shouldn’t say that. And I said, ‘I’m the person who made all that noise on your roof.’ She [said], ‘Oh, it was you!’ It was quite amusing. I think she was a very lovely woman,” he remembers.
Queen have just re-released a remastered and remixed version of their debut album, Queen I. You can buy or stream it digitally now.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
