The guitarist mentioned that the solo performance must have been among the shortest of his career, but still made a huge impact
The guitarist Brian May performed a series of historical shows with i queen. The presentations a Rock in Rio and inside Live helpin 1985, are just the tip of the iceberg of a brilliant career, which continued even after the singer’s death Freddie Mercuryin 1991.
Interestingly, however, May believes the most memorable performance of his career was not performed with his most famous band. It wasn’t even a conventional situation.
During a Q&A event shared by The Red Special Guitar Podcast (go Ultimate guitar), the guitarist offered this title to a brief performance in 2002. On that occasion he played the British national anthem “God Save the Queen” on the roof of Buckingham Palacein London, as part of the Golden Jubilee (50th anniversary) of Queen Elizabeth II.
Of course, it was a special case, but Brian emphasizes the adjective “memorable” it was also used because of the fear he felt. He says:
“It was a transformative experience because of the fear. To face that amount of fear and still have to do it… it was kind of a milestone.”
May says the idea to do such a performance was her idea. The guitarist comments:
“It was my idea [risos]because they asked me to walk in front of the Palace playing à la Jimi Hendrix and I thought, ‘ugh, this is going to be boring, it’s never going to work’. Then I thought, “Wow, what if I was up there, like the lone piper who’s been up there for 50 years, in the sun and rain and wind, and he’s a little worn out, but he’s still up there, playing ” . This was it.”
The Queen member also paid a “compliment” to Queen Elizabeth which perhaps wasn’t understood in the best way. He recalls:
“There I celebrate 50 years of the Queen’s reign, but also 50 years of rock ‘n’ roll. I called her ‘The queen of rock’n’roll. I don’t know if she was very happy.”
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Queen with the queen
Two decades later, in 2022, Queen in its configuration with Adam Lambert on vocals was invited to participate in Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. They were 70 years of reign, this time without roofs, but with the possibility of meeting the monarch in person together with three other legendary guitarists: Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, all British.
Regarding the occasion, Brian May recalled:
“It’s not ideal to be the person who speaks first in a meeting like that, but it was awkward. So I said, ‘I’m really happy to meet you,’ knowing I shouldn’t say that. And I said, ‘I’m the person who made all that noise on your roof [em 2002]’. She said, ‘oh, it was you!’ It was pretty fun. I think she was a really lovely woman.”
Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022, aged 96. The cause of death was noted on the death certificate only as “old age.” The Platinum Jubilee occurred 5 months earlier, on February 6 of that year.
+++ READ MORE: Brian May’s comforting advice for young musicians
+++ READ MORE: The guitarist who almost forced Brian May to stop playing
+++ READ MORE: Queen’s most underrated song, according to Brian May
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
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