Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen—Live in Budapest

Arena rock superstars Queen take their act behind the Iron Curtain for this 22-song 1986 concert before an audience of 80,000 in Budapest. Fronted by flamboyant lead singer Freddie Mercury (on his last tour with the group; Mercury would die of AIDS in 1991), with Brian May on guitar (one of the few instantly recognizable guitarists in rock), John Deacon on bass, and Roger Taylor on drums, the band was at a new popular height, thanks to an electrifying performance beamed round the world at 1985's Live Aid concert. Touring in support of their 12th album, A Kind of Magic (also considered the unofficial soundtrack to the film Highlander), the quartet open with their then-current hit “One Vision,” followed by abbreviated versions of “Tie Your Mother Down” and “Tear It Up (among others) before finally settling in to deliver solid renditions of “A Kind of Magic,” “Under Pressure,” and “Who Wants to Live Forever” (the last especially poignant with lyrics that could stand as a commentary on the terrible sentence of AIDS: “there's no chance for us/it's all decided for us”). Not surprisingly—given the locale—the rousing “I Want to Break Free” resonated with the audience, as did a Hungarian folk song the band played as Mercury read the foreign lyrics penned on his hand. Fans of ‘70s Queen may be a bit disappointed by the ‘80s-heavy setlist (notable omissions include “Somebody to Love,” “Killer Queen,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” and “Play the Game”), but there are enough big hits here—such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “We Will Rock You,” and “Radio Ga Ga”—to satisfy most. Triumphantly closing with “We Are the Champions,” this is a winning concert—handsomely filmed by János Zsombolyai (one of Hungary's leading cinematographers)—that is only briefly interrupted by four short segments of each of the band members having fun in Budapest. Presented in DTS-5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray version) and LPCM stereo, extras include the archival featurette “A Magic Year,” and liner notes. Also available in deluxe editions with two bonus audio CDs of the concert (DVD: $34.98, Blu-ray: $39.98), this is highly recommended. (R. Pitman)