Queen Rock Montreal captures the world’s most iconic rock band at the very peak of their live powers. Recorded in 1981 and recently released as a record-breaking digitally restored IMAX concert film, this landmark moment in the band’s history is now being released as both double Blu-Ray and double 4K Ultra High Definition packages, plus double CD and triple vinyl packages. Both come May 10th the band has announced.
Queen Rock Montreal presents Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon at their most exciting and exhilarating. As Brian May puts it, this is Queen “live and dangerous.”
Queen were on all-conquering form when they returned to Montreal, Canada for the fourth time in November 1981 to play two huge concerts at the 18,000-seat Forum.
This pair of Montreal concerts marked an historic moment for Queen. After their massive success in the 1970s, the band entered the 80s bigger than ever, with the hugely successful The Game album producing their two biggest ever US singles in Another One Bites The Dust and Crazy Little Thing Called Love (both Billboard No.1’s), followed by the UK No.1 single Under Pressure.
The original concerts, which took place on November 24 and 25, 1981, were truly ground-breaking. They were arranged specifically to be filmed for a full-length concert film to document their live show. Director Saul Swimmer planned to shoot them using state-of-the-art Double Anamorphic 35mm footage, which allowed it to be projected on a gigantic, five-storey high screen. Backstage tensions between the members of Queen and Swimmer could have caused problems, but instead they propelled the band to new heights.
Queen Rock Montreal features a rawer version of the band who had released Bohemian Rhapsody half a decade earlier, showcasing their unparalleled musicianship, soaring vocal power and unstoppable live energy.
Queen Rock Montreal Double CD/Triple vinyl LP (Universal Music)
Double Blu-ray or Double 4K Ultra High Definition package (Mercury Studios)
As never before seen, the package presents this historic performance for the first time in 4K with Dolby Atmos sound to experience rock & roll royalty with Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon as they take to the stage in this historic and exhilarating live concert from 1981.
The 35mm original negative has been scanned to ensure the highest possible resolution, which was then examined frame by frame to remove any dirt, damage or splices to enhance the sharpness and quality of the picture.
For the first time ever, the concert will be presented in both full-frame and widescreen formats. The full-screen aspect ratio echoing more closely the way the film was originally shot, and the widescreen being a carefully cropped alternative presentation to fill the 16:9 ratio. In addition, the 4K Ultra High Definition release also has SDR / HDR dynamic range options.
In addition to Montreal, this package includes the most famous 21 minutes in rock & roll history – Queen’s electric performance at Live Aid, upscaled to high definition for the first time ever and with brand-new stereo, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos sound mixes, along with Freddie Mercury & Brian May performing “Is This The World We Created…?” later that evening.
Now, these double CD/triple vinyl LP and Double Blu-ray or double 4K Ultra High Definition packages bring an entirely new dimension to this iconic slice of Queen history.
The enduring power of Queen Rock Montreal was confirmed earlier in 2024, when a digitally remastered version of the film released exclusively in IMAX theatres became the most successful IMAX concert film ever, reaching a record-breaking £5.5M globally and surpassing Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense and The Beatles’ Get Back documentary.
