Fanspot
Forest National
I didn’t feel totally comfortable with what Freddie was singing at the time. I found it a little bit too flippant in view of the dangers of AIDS and stuff.
Brian May
It was while Queen was on tour promoting the album Jazz that the decision was made to hire director Jorgen Kliebenst to produce a video for the new single Don’t Stop Me Now. Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor agree to use their concert at the Forest National in Belgium to capture the intensity of the song live. Only one camera was used when the combo took the stage on January 26, 1979. Nevertheless, the director asks the musicians to stay close together so that none of them will go beyond the frame. The objective here is to give as much importance to Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon as to Freddie Mercury, usually put forward in the clips. Unusually, the video is shot on film, not tape.
That evening, the audience was in particularly good shape. After all, it’s not every day that Queen crosses English Channel. Freddie Mercury, both at the piano and the microphone, and his three companions, deliver a version of the song that is very faithful to the one on the album so that the soundtrack can be set in post-production. It’s funny to see Brian May strumming his guitar when it can’t really be heard. In reality, his contribution is limited to the solo and a few more or less discreet parts mainly spread in the second half of the track. The guitarist has never hidden his dislike of Don’t Stop Me Now, even encouraging his colleagues not to play it on tour. Despite this, the song remains one of the most popular in Queen’s repertoire more than forty years after its release.
Rarely does Brian May play both rhythm and lead guitar parts on Don’t Stop Me Now. This is one of his least favorite Queen songs.
Forest National
Third largest concert hall in the Brussels region, the Forest National has been delighting night owls and other music lovers since its opening in 1971.
Since its inauguration, the Forest National has been one of the most important venues for all the groups touring in Europe.
With a capacity of more than 8,400 spectators, it is primarily dedicated to the ballet, but has also hosted such big names as Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Johnny Hallyday, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Genesis and Queen.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Prince, Iron Maiden, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Metallica and KISS rocked the venue to its foundations, soon followed in the 2000s by Mylène Farmer, Oasis, Bob Dylan, Snoop Dog, Indochine and New Order. To date, it has hosted more than 3000 concerts.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
Greatest Hits Queen Vinyl
Content quality
Interest for fans
Value for money
Discover all the places Don't Stop Me Now on our map
By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.