In a brand new interview in the latest episode of Queen the Greatest Live, Roger Taylor blasted the way concert venues in England used to treat fans back in the 1970s.
The drummer spoke of how some countries, usually authoritarian regimes didn’t like the audience getting involved, which was a real issue for Queen who encouraged fans to get on their feet.
He shared how back in the band’s early days their homeland could be just as controlling.
The 74-year-old said: “In some countries, authoritarian countries, I mean, like in England, it used to be in the Seventies the dreaded bouncers.
“As soon as anybody stood up, it was, ‘You! Sit down! Sit down!’ You know, they’d come at you. And we just used to encourage them to riot!”
Roger continued: “It was terrible. ‘You can sit in your seat but you can’t have fun.’ It was pathetic.
“England in the seventies was horrible, really. It was a pretty awful place, actually.”
Sir Brian May, who also gives a new interview in the video agreed that bouncers can be a major problem.
The Queen guitarist said: “A seated audience [at the front] feels intimidated. They have to sit there like this [arms folded] and there’s a bouncer telling them not to stand up. That’s not rock and roll. That’s not the way it should be.”
If a show still wouldn’t get going back in the day, the band would use their “secret weapon” in the form of frontman Freddie Mercury.
Roger added: “He was incredible. He could just shout, ‘Come on!’, and then everybody would get up…”
