| City: | Tokyo, Japan |
| Venue: | Nippon Budokan |
| Date: | February 13, 1981 |
| Setlist: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, guitar/drum solos, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
 
 
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Need Your Loving Tonight returns to the setlist at the expense of Fat Bottomed Girls. It would usually alternate nights with Rock It throughout the year. It seems that an audience member jumps onto the stage just before Save Me, as Freddie shouts "Get him off!" a couple times. This is the first performance of Vultan's Theme as part of the now-extended Flash Gordon medley. The song would only be heard live tonight and at the next three shows. Freddie plays the synth part. Roger joins Brian at the tail end of his guitar solo tonight, giving it a similar effect to what was heard back on the Jazz tour. It would be like this through 1982. After Flash, Roger leads the band into The Hero, but Brian plays his part from Battle Theme again (which he clearly loves playing). About twenty seconds in, Freddie finally asks, "When am I singing?" Freddie sounds excellent in this version of Bohemian Rhapsody, showing no fear with his note sustain at the end of the second verse. It is a definite sign of how much his voice has developed in the last few years. He's generally in top form at this show, even if these are essentially warm-up dates. The second set of concert pictures, most of which were taken by Koh Hasebe, could be from any of the five nights in Tokyo (but not the third night). The colour aftershow party pics were also snapped by Koh Hasebe. Gary Numan is seen in a couple of the party pics. He explains: "I once went to Japan with the band Japan – I was meant to be doing a guest thing with them – and they blew me out and they didn't have the guts to tell me. I went all the way to fucking Japan, yeah, and they'd fucking legged it! I found myself in Tokyo on my own. Japan had fucked off and had left me behind – wankers! – and I noticed that Queen were playing at the Budokan. So I went to the gig and I didn't try to get in on the guest list; I went and bought a ticket. I was in the crowd and some security man and came and got me [Roger Taylor had recognized him], 'cause I was quite famous in Japan at the time, and he said, 'You really don't want to be sitting out here; come backstage' because everyone was standing up and I didn't realise it was because of me! I was in the crowd at it was causing quite a bit of fuss. So they came and got me and took me backstage and introduced me to the band and they were really lovely and sort of took me under their wing. We went out afterwards and they took me for sushi and I don't like that food. So Freddie Mercury says to me, 'Are you alright, luvvie?' and I said, 'I don't really like the food but I'm just happy to be here and I'm alright' so he went and got his limo driver and sent him up to McDonalds up the road and paid the restaurant owner some yen so I could sit in his restaurant with a Big Mac! And Freddie was just lovely. He was the loveliest man and when I met him after that he was always super-friendly. They all were. They looked after me like a little lost lamb." Freddie is pictured with Scottish comedian Billy Connolly in the last party pic. |
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| Recording length: | 104 minutes (2 CD, incomplete) |
| Quality: | A- |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | "Need You Loving Rock" (Gypsy Eye) silvers |
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| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, guitar solo, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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This is a prolific show for tapers, as eight audience sources exist. This source is an excellent although slightly distant recording with a great atmosphere. Only Roger's tympani solo is missing for a tape flip. Gypsy Eye EQ'd the recording and added their usual crackling sound. It is likely a couple generations from the master. They did a cross-fade in an attempt to obscure the cut for the tape flip before the tympani solo. |
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| Recording length: | 2 CDR, incomplete |
| Quality: | A- |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | "Battle Theme" (Trial) |
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| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, guitar solo, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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This is a 4-disc set also including a recording from the previous night. It has not been processed like the Gypsy Eye bootleg, but the source tape is still not the best possible copy. |
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| Recording length: | 106 minutes (2 CD, incomplete) |
| Quality: | A- |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | AUD > Analog Master > DAT (clone-2) > CDR > EAC > FLAC |
| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, guitar solo, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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This copy has superior sound to all previous versions of this source. It is the longest as well, as it has more cheering between the encores. It runs a tad fast. The length really should be closer to the 105 minutes, as there is a bit of overlap between the two discs (a bit of Brian's speech before Love Of My Life is heard twice). |
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| Recording length: | 2 CDR |
| Quality: | ? |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | "Flash Budokan Attack" (Breakdown) |
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| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, guitar solo, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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Breakdown bootlegged the master>dat copy in 2011. |
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| Recording length: | 111 minutes (2 CD, complete) |
| Quality: | A- / B+ |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | "Definitive Budokan 1981 2nd Night" (Wardour) |
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| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, guitar solo, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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In 2019 Wardour bootlegged the master>dat copy, as well as doing speed correction and splicing in the tympani solo from source 5. |
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| Recording length: | 101 minutes (2 CD, incomplete) |
| Quality: | B |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | AUD > Master Cassette > WAV |
| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack [cut], Keep Yourself Alive [cut], drum/guitar solos, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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Due to a giant cut for a tape flip, Love Of My Life is missing on source 2. |
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| Recording length: | 92 minutes (1 CD, incomplete) |
| Quality: | B |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | AUD > ? > CDR (x) |
| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack [cut], Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions [cut] |
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This is a third audience source. |
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| Recording length: | 65 minutes (1 CD, incomplete) |
| Quality: | C |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | AUD > Master Cassette > WAV > CDR (x) |
| Track listing: | Now I'm Here [cut], Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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This fourth source is in pretty bad quality. |
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| Recording length: | 2 minutes (1 CD, incomplete) |
| Quality: | B- |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | "Ultra Rare Trax" (FQ) silver |
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| Track listing: | Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme |
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This 1995 Mexican compilation bootleg contains two songs from a fifth audience source (Battle Theme isn't listed but is present on the same track). The tape plays much too fast. |
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| Recording length: | 2 minutes (1 CD, incomplete) |
| Quality: | B- |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | "The Ultimate Rarities Collection" (FBCD) silver |
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| Track listing: | Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme |
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This 1996 Italian disc is a straight copy of "Ultra Rare Trax." |
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| Recording length: | 107 minutes (2 CDR, complete) |
| Quality: | B+ |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | "Play Flash Game" (Uxbridge) |
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| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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Uxbridge released a sixth audience source of this show in September 2009. It is the complete show. |
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| Recording length: | 111 minutes (2 CDR, incomplete) |
| Quality: | A- |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | "King Of The Impossible" (Uxbridge) |
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| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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Uxbridge bootlegged this show for the second time in early 2011. Their main source is the master>dat copy of source 1, and they spliced in Roger Taylor's tympani solo from their 2009 bootleg "Play Flash Game" to complete the show. They EQ'd the recording a bit and balanced the channels. The overlap between discs is still present, but it is a different overlap. About 30 seconds of cheering at the end of disc 1 are heard again at the beginning of disc 2. |
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| Recording length: | 111 minutes (2 CD, complete) |
| Quality: | A- |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | "Need Your Loving Tonight" (Tarantura) silvers |
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| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, drum/guitar solos, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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A seventh source from this concert, taped by Mr. Peach, was released by Tarantura in late 2011. As always with his recordings, it is superb quality. But the bootleg label once again added compression, saturating and distorting it in places. The result is similar to the recording from the February 17 show. |
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| Recording length: | 111 minutes (incomplete) |
| Quality: | B |
| Source: | Audience |
| Lineage: | AUD > Master Cassette > SONY BD2-ET1200 > DVD Audio Extractor > FLAC level 8 |
| Track listing: | Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You (fast), Let Me Entertain You, Play The Game, Mustapha, Death On Two Legs, Killer Queen, I'm In Love With My Car, Get Down Make Love, Need Your Loving Tonight, Save Me, Now I'm Here, Dragon Attack, Now I'm Here (reprise), Love Of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive [cut], drum/guitar solos, Vultan's Theme, Battle Theme, Flash, The Hero, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down, Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen |
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Source 8 is decent quality, although it's slightly distorted at times and there are clicks heard throughout on louder accents. |
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