| City: | Tokyo, Japan |
| Venue: | Nippon Budokan |
| Date: | May 1, 1975 |
| Setlist: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Hangman, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter, Keep Yourself Alive, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, Jailhouse Rock, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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This is the last concert of the Sheer Heart Attack tour, and the performance is incredible. The show can be seen as a culmination of early Queen, as the band would move into their next epoch and mature in many ways with the creation and success of A Night At The Opera. Like last night, Great King Rat is heard in place of Father To Son. But for the last night's sake, they also play the rarely-heard non-album track Hangman - its first performance since 1973. Queen perform nearly every song with unique embellishments tonight. Brian plays a daringly long and creative guitar solo in Son And Daughter, and they turn in an extra long version of Liar. Freddie gets very enthusiastic after Son And Daughter. "And now this is where you join in with us. You can clap your hands to this next number. We'd like you especially to join in. You can stand up if you'd like, you can stamp your feet, you can have a good time! This is called Keep Yourself Alive!" As seen in the last couple pictures, the band came on for the encore dressed in kimonos. With this gesture, the band somehow manage to turn up the excitement of the already ecstatic audience a notch. They finish up with the B-side See What A Fool I've Been, bringing their first Japanese tour to a close. This is the last time In The Lap Of The Gods would be performed. Tonight also marks the last time the full version of Great King Rat would be heard live. It would be revived, albeit in much shorter form, in 1984. During the frantic section of Ogre Battle, the band had been using a sample of the screams from the Queen II album when playing the song live. This is the last time they'd do so on a regular basis, but it would still be used a couple times in Japan the following year. The show was filmed, and initially just three songs were broadcast on Japanese TV not long after the show took place. Since then more footage has emerged and been deciphered (leading to discoveries like this clip being from Liar), leading one to almost certainly conclude that the entire show was filmed. Japan is the first country to hail Queen as superstars, making this tour a massive success. All of the band's albums and singles have sold very well up to this point, and all four band members had been consistently voted the top musicians in their respective fields in Music Life, Japan's biggest music magazine. In the September 1975 issue, the band are asked about this last gig of the tour. Roger Taylor says "the atmosphere was wonderful," while John Deacon adds, "I also remember appearing in a kimono on stage for the first time in that concert." One notable thing about these early Japanese shows is that Freddie is just learning how to communinicate with larger audiences, but often with little success since most audience members didn't speak English. The fact that bands like The Beatles, Deep Purple, Queen, and Cheap Trick were so successful in a country where most of their fans couldn't understand a word of their music goes to show how powerful music is in its ability to transcend cultural barriers. Japan has become more Anglicized in recent decades, so this observation really is a snapshot of history. Brian May's response to being asked in a 2019 interview about their stage poses: "We had our influences, but we were never choreographed. We did it all instinctively, but there was an awareness of energy flow on stage. I think Japan changed us. We went to Japan and were treated like we were the Beatles. Every move we made was greeted by some kind of response from the audience, so we learned very quickly, instinctively, to use that. I think I wasn't a very physical guitar player in the beginning, but experiencing the Budokan and that wall of appreciation molded us into people who are much more physical and responsive to what the audience felt." |
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| Recording length: | 20 minutes, incomplete |
| Video/Audio quality: | A / A- |
| Source: | Pro video |
| Lineage: | "Days Of Our Lives" UK blu-ray release |
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| Track listing: | Now I'm Here, Killer Queen, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited |
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These three songs were broadcast on TV not long after the show, along with some press conference footage and shots of the boys having a picnic with a few locals. The concert footage was previously attributed to the April 19 show, as it was labelled as such on The Magic Years documentary released on VHS in 1987. But upon closer examination, these three songs are certainly from May 1. Some of the footage of Now I'm Here was broadcast again on Japanese TV in 2004 in a documentary on the band called "The Jewels." 
On both documentaries part of the audio of Now I'm Here is actually from London '74, a choice made by the compilers of the former probably because the audio quality on the Japanese footage was poor (by broadcast standards, anyway). The best audience recording actually sounds much better than this audio. After decades of VHS copies from TV in varying quality floated around, this footage was finally seen in high quality in its entirety on the extras of the Japanese blu-ray release of the "Days Of Our Lives" documentary in 2011. An abbreviated version was seen on the UK blu-ray, with Now I'm Here being the only (almost) complete song. The footage was also included on the 2015 "A Night At The Odeon" DVD/blu-ray release of the famous Christmas Eve 1975 show. |
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| Recording length: | 4 minutes, incomplete |
| Video quality: | A |
| Source: | Pro video |
| Lineage: | "Stormtroopers in Stilettoes" exhibition |
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| Track listing: | In The Lap Of The Gods [cut], Son And Daughter [cut], Keep Yourself Alive [cut], Stone Cold Crazy [cut], Liar [cut] |
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There has been much speculation as to whether or not the remaining footage of the show still exists, and the suspicions were confirmed when more footage from this show was aired at the "Stormtroopers in Stilettoes" exhibition in London in 2011. The footage is very fragmentary, and some of the camera angles aren't great since it was filmed from below the stage. Some pieces of the footage are seen more than once from different angles, which likely means it doesn't have accompanying audio (the audio at the exhibition was the studio version of The March Of The Black Queen). |
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| Recording length: | 5 seconds, incomplete |
| Video quality: | A |
| Source: | Pro video |
| Lineage: | "Killer Queen" documentary |
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| Track listing: | Son And Daughter [cut] |
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A few seconds of this alternate silent footage were first seen in a 2002 documentary called Killer Queen (for some reason it was incorrectly attributed to a 1973 show at first) aired by Granada TV in the UK. The first snippet is from the beginning of Son And Daughter, and the second one is from Freddie's classic intro to Keep Yourself Alive (from one of two angles seen in the four minutes of footage detailed above). |
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| Recording length: | ? | |
| Quality: | ? | |
| Source: | ? | |
| Lineage: | "Live In Japan" acetate | |
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter |
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This extremely rare acetate was one of the first Queen bootlegs released, circa 1975. There are eight known audience sources from this show, and it's uncertain if this is one of the existing sources or an entirely different one. |
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| Recording length: | 39 minutes (1 CD, incomplete) | |
| Quality: | B+ | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | "Kimono My Place Live" LP | |
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Great King Rat, Killer Queen, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Hangman, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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Seven of the eight audience sources from this show have been bootlegged (the most for any Queen show, tied with Tokyo 2-13-81). This short recording came out in 1976 and was best-sounding recording of the show available for decades until the Tarantura bootleg was released in 2007. The sound quality is great, although a bit overloaded in the bottom end. The track listed as "Shag Out" is just the last segment of Hangman (although Freddie shouted those words later in the show, during his vocal exchange with the audience in Liar). The uncut tape of this source has never seen the light of day. Some collectors have referred to this bootleg as "Out Now" since that text is larger than the bootleg's actual title on the cover. |
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| Recording length: | 39 minutes (1 CD, incomplete) | |
| Quality: | B | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | "Stunning" LP | |
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Great King Rat, Killer Queen, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Hangman, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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This is a 1979 re-release of "Kimono My Place Live" in worse quality. The first issue had a front and back cover, and the later reissues had the cheaper covers with the insert glued on. |
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| Recording length: | 117 minutes (2 CD, incomplete) | |
| Quality: | B | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | "First Live Attack" (Private Masters) silvers | |
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Hangman, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter [cut], Keep Yourself Alive, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, Jailhouse Rock, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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This second audience source was released in 2000, the first release of the nearly complete show (minus 45 seconds of Brian May's solo in Son And Daughter for a tape flip, as well as most of the cheering between encores). It was transferred too hot to the point of distortion in the louder moments, EQ'd to make the top end sound harsh, and hiss reduced. The bootleg included a reproduction of the concert ticket. |
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| Recording length: | 123 minutes (2 CD, complete) | |
| Quality: | B+ | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | "Budokan 1975 Final Night Master-Stroke" (Wardour) silvers | |
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Hangman, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter, Keep Yourself Alive, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, Jailhouse Rock, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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This 2020 bootleg from Wardour uses what they claim is the master tape of source 2, with the cuts being patched in with source 6. Taped further from the stage than the first Tarantura source, the sound is still enjoyable and a substantial upgrade of the previous copy (even if it's a bit bass heavy - although it cleans up considerably part way through Stone Cold Crazy). |
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| Recording length: | 119 minutes (2 CD, complete) | |
| Quality: | B | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | AUD > ? > CDR (x) | |
| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Hangman, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter, Keep Yourself Alive, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, Jailhouse Rock, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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This (as of yet unbootlegged) third source is missing most of the cheering after In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited. The quality drops a bit for the encores. |
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| Recording length: | 120 minutes (2 CD, complete) | |
| Quality: | B | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | "Killing Me Softly" (Wardour) silvers | |
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Hangman, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter, Keep Yourself Alive, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, Jailhouse Rock, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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Wardour released a fourth audience source in 2004. The sound is well-balanced, and the audience doesn't obstruct the music too much. This source is missing most of Now I'm Here and part of Ogre Battle, so Wardour seamlessly patched in the missing parts from the "Private Masters" copy of source 2. They did the same for the cut in the guitar solo. It includes the cheering after In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, but is missing most of the cheering after Jailhouse Rock. Here's a link to the always-reliable GS review: http://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com |
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| Recording length: | 118 minutes (2 CD, complete) | |
| Quality: | A- | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | "Young Nobles Of Rock" (Tarantura) silvers | |
 
  
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Hangman, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter, Keep Yourself Alive, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, Jailhouse Rock, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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This fifth source was released in August 2007, and is the best-sounding source from this show, in true stereo. This was a monumental release at the time because it contained the first version of the unreleased song Hangman in high quality. Essential listening. It is musically complete, but there are three slight cuts - just after Son And Daughter, and before both encores. A great deal of compression has been added to the recording, something that would become a trend with future Tarantura bootlegs (including those of most other artists). Due to the popularity of this show, three more editions of this bootleg have since been released, each with different coloured artwork - in 2009, 2013, and 2017 respectively. Musically they are all identical. Here's a link to the always-reliable GS review: http://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com |
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| Recording length: | 122 minutes (2 CD, complete) | |
| Quality: | B+ | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | "An Exceptional Legacy" (Wardour) silvers | |
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Hangman, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter, Keep Yourself Alive, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, Jailhouse Rock, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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Wardour released their second bootleg of this show in April 2012. It is a sixth audience source from the epic last night in Tokyo, and one of the better-sounding ones. Here is a link to the GS review. |
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| Recording length: | 123 minutes (2 CD, complete) | |
| Quality: | B+ | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | "In The Land Of The Rising Sun" (Tarantura) silvers | |
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Hangman, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter, Keep Yourself Alive, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, Jailhouse Rock, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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Tarantura released a seventh source of this show in 2017. The tape itself sounds very good, but the bootleggers crushed it with compression to the point of being a brick wall. The recording is the most complete of all the sources, with all the cheering between encores intact. |
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| Recording length: | 121 minutes (2 CD, complete) | |
| Quality: | B+ | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | "Budokan 1975 2nd Night" (Wardour) silvers | |
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Hangman, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter, Keep Yourself Alive, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, Jailhouse Rock, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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This eighth source from Wardour was released in 2022. The sound quality is great, making it a close second to source 5. |
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| Recording length: | incomplete | |
| Quality: | B | |
| Source: | Audience | |
| Lineage: | "Live At Budokan" (EVSD) silvers | |
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| Track listing: | Procession, Now I'm Here, Ogre Battle, Great King Rat, White Queen, Flick Of The Wrist, Hangman, Doing All Right, In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Son And Daughter, Keep Yourself Alive, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Stone Cold Crazy, Liar, In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, Jailhouse Rock, See What A Fool I've Been, God Save The Queen |
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EVSD released a ninth audience source in 2024. The sound is fairly good, although it's crushed by compression. |
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