Key Takeaways
- Film Restoration: The final filmed live performance by Queen has been restored in 4K for its 40th anniversary.
- Cultural Significance: The concert in Budapest marked the first Western stadium rock show behind the Iron Curtain.
- Screening Details: Queen Budapest will be shown in cinemas and IMAX starting on Oct. 7.
- Home Release: DVD and Blu-ray versions will be available following the theatrical release.
The final filmed live performance by Queen has been restored in 4K for its 40th anniversary.
Queen Budapest documents the band’s 1986 concert in the city, the first Western stadium rock show behind the Iron Curtain.
The film will screen in cinemas and IMAX starting on Oct. 7, before a home video release on DVD and Blu-ray.
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You can watch “Radio Ga Ga” from the concert below.
Watch Queen Perform ‘Radio Ga Ga’ Live in Budapest
The concert took place on July 27, 1986, at Budapest’s Népstadion during Queen’s The Magic Tour. The sold-out audience of 80,000 marked a cultural touchstone moment in the ’80s. Additionally, it has been reported that more than 45,000 people listened to the concert from outside the venue.
In December 1986, an edited version of the concert was broadcast throughout the Communist Bloc, including China, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The performance was also screened in Hungarian theaters on New Year’s Day 1987.
Queen played only five more shows, performing their final concert on Aug. 9, 1986, at England’s Knebworth Park. Singer Freddie Mercury died on Nov. 24, 1991.
Where Is ‘Queen Budapest’ Showing?
The concert was shot on 35mm film by 17 cameras, totaling 25 miles of film.
Queen Budapest was restored in 4K from the original footage by Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production. The remixed audio comes from the original multitrack recordings.
“It’s going to be definitively the most real experience ever of us, Queen, in our glory days,” noted guitarist Brian May in a press release announcing the film. “I think people will get lost in it and even forget they’re watching a film.”
The concert includes Queen classics such as “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Under Pressure,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” There’s even an acoustic version of the traditional Hungarian folk song “Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt” to mark the concert’s location.
Queen Budapest will screen in theaters and IMAX beginning on Oct. 7. More information can be found on the film’s website.
On Oct. 30, 3LP, 2CD and digital editions of Queen Budapest will be released along with DVD and Blu-ray versions of the concert film.
What Do Queen Members Say About Their Last Filmed Live Performance?
“For years, fans behind the Iron Curtain had been able to listen to Queen music only on illegal cassettes,” May said. “It was a forbidden thing to listen to rock bands like us, so to see them play in a live show would have been unthinkable.”
“This concert, when they could finally come and see us live in person and interact with us, was a huge emotional moment for them and also for us. It felt like a very big deal – you could feel that incredible energy. There will never be an event quite like that again.”
“We did love to think that the music could transcend the politics, the political barriers, and that was sort of part of our ethos, to actually bring the audience into the show and make them feel part of the show,” added drummer Roger Taylor.
“I know Freddie tried to learn this folk song, but he had the words written phonetically on the back of his hand. When the audience just started singing, we realized, wow, music really can be a great cause.”
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Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
