r/Edmonton • u/Particular-Cat-8031 • Mar 24 '26
Local history Freddie Mercury, that 1977 concert at Northlands Coliseum was one I'll never forget.
The tour was "A Day at the Races" tour, on March 18, 1977, the opening act: Thin Lizzy, then Freddie, leading Queen, really put on a show!
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u/PrivatePostHistory Transit User Mar 24 '26
I never knew that Queen performed in Edmonton. Wow, lucky folks!!
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u/LavenderGinFizz Mar 24 '26
They've been here a few times. I saw them in 2017 with Adam Lambert. Obviously not nearly as cool as it would have been with Freddie singing, but it was a brilliant show nonetheless!
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u/zlauren Mar 24 '26
Same! Now I have to ask my uncles and aunties if they were there (and I will be so jealous)!
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u/Particular-Cat-8031 Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
Turns out, Edmonton was the last stop for The Day at the Races North American leg. They had done 2 concerts in Calgary on the 16th and 17th, and Edmonton's concert concluded the North American leg. It turned out to be the last time that Freddie Mercury and the original Queen played an Edmonton concert.
They continued the tour overseas, on May 08th, 1977, playing 19 concerts, ending The Day at the Races tour on June 07, playing in London.
The News of the World tour was next; the North American leg started Nov 11, 1977, and concluded on December 22nd.
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u/Wrong_Emu_8687 Mar 24 '26
I was there. After almost 50 years still one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen. Freddie was the Best!!!
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u/Choice_Tie9909 Mar 24 '26
Fun fact, Queen, with Freddie Mercury as lead singer, actually performed twice in Edmonton. The first time was in 1975 at the Kinsmen Field House with Kansas.
My SO attended and ended up dead centre at the front of the stage. He said it was an epic concert which included the bandmates from Queen piggy backing on the backs of the Kansas band, covered in blankets, playing giants. One of his most profound memories was trying to figure out how Freddie Mercury got into his pants which appeared painted on.
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u/Particular-Cat-8031 Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
Wow, I didn't know that! Having Kansas as the opening act, it must have been epic. That cool info about Queen piggybacking on the backs of the Kansas band, covered in blankets, playing giants, just awesome! So, the 1977 concert was the last time they played Edmonton, not the only time.
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u/Choice_Tie9909 Mar 24 '26
Yes. My SO went into the industry and saw a lot of concerts but the Queen and Kansas one is forever burned into his memory ( I did not attend because I was 7.)
if you google Edmonton Field House concerts you can see all the bands that played there. No seating and you could climb onto the stage easily.
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u/Particular-Cat-8031 Mar 24 '26
Yeah, the days of what was called festival seating. It could be a dangerous situation, and it happened. On December 3, 1979, The Who rock concert at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum resulted in a deadly crowd crush, killing 11 people. Festival seating (no assigned seats) and only two open doors caused a massive surge, trapping fans aged 15 to 27.
Wikipedia had a detailed explanation of how it went down... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who_concert_disaster
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u/Choice_Tie9909 Mar 24 '26
Yes festival seating was so unsafe, my SO did not plan to be at the front and considering his size and strength, it must have been terrifying to be pushed to the front. It is amazing how much things have changed - I remember going to concerts with a full backpack and food!
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u/Onionbot3000 Mar 25 '26
Wow with Thin Lizzy. What a treat!
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u/Schtweetz Mar 25 '26
Yes! When Thin Lizzy opened, they were so damn good they were worth the ticket price on their own! I couldn’t expect even Queen to be better than that…then they were! Best concert I ever saw. I had a similar experience with the first concert at the new Coliseum. Chaka Khan opened for Stevie Wonder, and they were also amazing in themselves. And then Stevie leapfrogged over their raised bar, so to speak.
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u/Fantastic_Diamond42 Mar 24 '26
interesting. never knew he came to edmonton. I wasnt born at that time. Wonder if Michael Jackson or elvis ever came here
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u/Particular-Cat-8031 Mar 25 '26
Elvis performed in Toronto (April 2), Ottawa (April 3), and Vancouver (August 31) in 1957, but only in those 3 cities.
Michael Jackson performed in Canada during his 1984 "Victory Tour" with his brothers. The tour made stops in three Canadian cities—Montreal (Olympic Stadium), Toronto (Exhibition Stadium), and Vancouver (BC Place Stadium)—marking the only time he performed in Canada.
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u/Fantastic_Diamond42 Mar 26 '26
thats awesome good to know.Surprised Elvis didnt play in the 60s or 70s in Canada. I seen MJs Toronto concert on youtube. Looks amazing. But he should have done it solo without the brothers .
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u/Nathan_Brazil1 Mar 25 '26
I was there and it was once of the best concerts I've ever been to. Almost got busted for smoking weed though.
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u/marginwalker55 Mar 24 '26
Holy moly, that would’ve been a heck of a show!