8.13.19 QAL Columbus, OH; 1st Queen concert here in 42 years
Aug 13, 2019 1:36:40 GMT -5
Post by Q3 on Aug 13, 2019 1:36:40 GMT -5
QAL Columbus, OH, Nationwide Arena
Time: 8:00pm-10:00pm EDT ( Same as New York)
World clock: Official start time
Stream: mixlr.com/qalnewyork/
Queen plays Columbus, OH for the first time since 1977!
Queen has played Columbus, OH three times...
On February 5, 1975 Queen played the Agora Ballroom, Columbus, OH. This is a 2,000 seat theater near The Ohio State University, that is now called the Newport Music Hall. Today it is a legendary rock club/venue, but in 1975, it was just a place that rock bands played. I do not believe anyone wrote a review of this concert. The open act was Kansas.
February 19, 1976 Queen returned to Columbus and played the Franklin County Veterans Memorial Auditorium. This was a 4,000 seat venue that was 70 years old when it was demolished in 2015. It was old and decrepit in 1976 but the concert was great.
There are no reviews of this concert, but there is a contemporary review of Queen from the Village Voice's John Swenson in 1976. It is pretty much what the mainstream American rock critics were writing about Queen at the time.
In October, 2018, The Village Voice wrote about this article and about Queen's early years. www.villagevoice.com/2018/10/24/thunderbolts-and-lightning-the-voice-takes-on-freddie-mercury-and-queen/
Some of the critiques of Freddie in the old review and in The Village Voice article linked above have been written about Adam in the past 10 years. Many are far harsher than anything ever written about Adam.
On January 15, 1977, Queen came back to Columbus and played the St. John Arena. This is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of The Ohio State University. There was a plan to demolish this arena, which was built in 1956 and is not in great condition, but it was scrapped and it is still standing and used today. It was built for basketball and holds 12,000 to 15,000 people for a end stage concert -- how it was configured for Queen in 1977. It was a poor concert venue but I don't recall anyone in the audience noticing. By 1977, Queen got a local review. I found the first page but not the continuation:
I attended all three of the Columbus concerts and, while they were very different from the current QAL show, there are a few similarities:
1. Brian seems the same -- except his hair is white and he engages more with the audience. But he is still Brian.
2. Roger is the same except a bit older and a bit slower.
3. Read the review above -- it matches my memories of this tour exactly. Freddie and Adam are really not as different as everyone (even Adam) keep saying. The biggest difference IMHO is that Adam is far more modest -- both in his presentation and his attire.
One thing that is really different is the ticket prices. Concerts were far less expensive and so the demands on the artists for a big show were much lower. Check out the ticket prices:
Note: $7 in 1977 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $29.59 in 2019.
Now, over 42 years since they last played Columbus, Queen is returning with Adam Lambert. They will return to play in the gorgeous Nationwide Arena. The concert capacity is up to 21,000, but with the QAL end stage + catwalk configuration it will be about 15,000. It will be the first time Queen, in any form, plays Columbus and is in a decent venue.
Here's to a great show.
QAL North American Tour 2019
12 Jul Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
14 Jul San Jose, CA SAP Center
16 Jul Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena
19 Jul Los Angeles, CA The Forum
20 Jul Los Angeles, CA The Forum
23 Jul Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
24 Jul Houston, TX Toyota Center
27 Jul Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
28 Jul Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
30 Jul Washington, DC Capital One Arena
31 Jul Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena
03 Aug Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
04 Aug Boston, MA Xfinity Center
06 Aug New York, NY Madison Square Garden
07 Aug New York, NY Madison Square Garden
09 Aug Chicago, IL United Center
10 Aug St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
13 Aug Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
15 Aug Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
17 Aug Ft. Lauderdale, FL BB&T Center
18 Aug Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
20 Aug New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
22 Aug Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
23 Aug Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
28 Sept QAL - Global Citizen Performance, Central Park, NYC
How to earn a free ticket: globalcitizenfestival.com.
Air live on MSNBC; Comcast NBCUniversal; plus, iHeartMedia will broadcast the event live across the country on its radio stations, as well as stream it on iHeartRadio.
VIP tickets are available from Ticketmaster.com (they appear to be sold out).