19 MAY 22-28, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | FIND MORE MUSIC COVERAGE AT WESTWORD.COM/MUSIC Break Free BEN PEREA IS REVEALING UNSEEN PHOTOGRAPHY THAT CAPTURED QUEEN’S FINAL PERFORMANCE IN DENVER. BY EMILY FERGUSON About four years ago, Ben Perea rediscovered a box of concert photographs he had taken in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He hadn’t looked at them in decades, but he could easily identify the faces: Freddie Mercury, Eddie Van Halen, Mick Jagger, Rob Halford, Pete Townshend. Even more impressive, the fi lm images were crisp and in focus — a rarity when it came to capturing the most energetic rock musicians at the genre’s peak. Memories of raucous concerts and camping out overnight for tickets poured from each shot. Perea debuted a selection of the photo- graphs last November, with a show at D’art Gallery titled Rock Legends: Denver’s Untold Moments in Rock History. At the time, he said it was only scratching the surface: “I could do an exhibit of just Queen if I wanted to,” he revealed. And now, he is. Queen Uncovered: Denver’s Untold Mo- ments in Rock History will include sixteen photos of Queen’s final show in Denver when it opens May 25 at D’Art. During a May 31 reception, Perea will be on hand to answer questions and share memories about the works. “I got a lot of really good feedback,” Perea says of the last show, which showcased pho- tos of such bands as the Rolling Stones, Judas Priest and AC/DC with their corresponding ticket stubs while classic rock played over the speakers. “Everyone was just amazed by the Queen photos...there was an overwhelming response for Queen.” Queen only performed in Denver twice, Perea notes. The fi rst show happened on April 16, 1974, at Regis Fieldhouse; the band didn’t return until August 30, 1982, to play the old McNichols Arena for its Hot Space tour, which is what the exhibit will cover. “Tickets were $13,” Perea marvels. “It cost more money to buy the fi lm and have it developed!” The show would be a part of Queen’s last run in the United States: While the band’s popularity was still buzzing in other countries, American album sales had de- clined. And in the midst of the buttoned-up Reagan era, controversy swirled around Queen’s proudly queer — and very unbut- toned — music videos, specifi cally 1982’s “Body Language” and later, 1984’s “I Want to Break Free.” MTV refused to air them, citing nudity for “Body Language” (though there isn’t any explicitly), and the members’ use of drag for “I Want to Break Free.” “I remember being on the promo tour [for ‘I Want to Break Free’] in the Midwest of America and people’s faces turning ashen,” guitarist Brian May told NPR in 2010. “And they would say, ‘No, we can’t play this. We can’t possibly play this. You know, it looks homosexual.’ ... I know that it really dam- aged our sort of whole relationship with certainly radio in this country and probably the public, as well.” “They kind of boycotted coming to the U.S. after that,” Perea remembers. It makes his photos all the more special: Because Perea was bringing his camera as a spectator rather than a press photographer, he was able to get shots that others would completely miss. “If you’re a press photographer, you’re in the press pit, and you must leave after the third or fourth song,” he says. “Meanwhile, I got the encore at the very end of the show. ... Freddie Mercury had a bouquet of fl ow- ers and walked to the edge of the stage, and threw all the fl owers out into the audience. So I photographed him with the bouquet of fl owers leaving his hands. You don’t get those photos if you’re in a press pit.” The images show Mercury’s unbridled energy, with such detail that you can even see his spit fl ying toward the mic. Even though he wasn’t a major Queen fan — he was into heavier rock — Perea had camped out for tickets for the concert. Back then, he says, it was a standard method to ensure you’d get a good seat. “I slept out two nights, three days waiting in the parking lot to get tickets for that show,” he recalls. “When you camped out for tickets, it was like a party. I mean, it was really fun. People would come over after work, hang out, drink some beers, roll a doobie and just talk and drink and play Queen music all night long. That was the fun thing about sleeping out.” And it was defi nitely worth the effort. At the time, Queen was shaping a new era of set design, bringing light panels to the stage, a precursor to the intricate screens and light shows you’ll see surrounding musicians today. At the exhibit, you can see the lights aglow in a photo of the band performing “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which was just the song Perea hoped to hear that night. “They were ginormous,” Perea recalls of the light effects. “They were multi-colored and giant, like twenty feet by thirty feet. There were four of them, and they were on hydraulics. They would be all the way up and just facing downwards, and then they would turn the hydraulics on, and then it would tilt them to a 45-degree angle, and then they would change the colors, and then move those panels just randomly throughout the show.” That wasn’t the only unique aspect: “They also did three wardrobe changes,” Perea remembers. “So I have all three of their wardrobe changes throughout the whole show.” (One of those wardrobe changes, of course, simply involved Mercury fi nally taking his tank top off.) Perea brought two rolls of fi lm with him that night, and developed 47 images. It was tough deciding which ones to include in the exhibit, but there were several obvious choices, such as a gorgeous, enigmatic image of Brian May surrounded by purple smoke. It was one of those dream shots photographers always hope to capture, and Perea can still remember the feeling. “The lights dimmed and then turned blue and purple, it’s kind of hazy. There was no spotlight at that point in time, so I’m looking at him through my lens, and he glances over and looks right at me,” he recalls. “And I click the picture and I’m like, ‘Yes!’” MUSIC continued on page 20 The images show Freddie Mercury at his best. BEN PEREA Queen’s fi nal show at the old McNichols on August 30, 1982. BEN PEREA
