Roger Taylor's live album a tidy, enthusiastically received triumph

The Outsider Tour Live is a scorching live set from Queen drummer Roger Taylor

Roger Taylor: The Outsider Tour Live cover art
(Image: © Queen Online)

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October 2021 saw Queen drummer Roger Taylor reaffirming that he’s more than that with an “intimate” (by his standards) UK tour. Ostensibly, it showcased his deft and topical album The Outsider, bringing that lockdown creation out for some interaction and oxygen. 

However it also reminded enthusiastic crowds of his own contributions to Queen, regaling the faithful with Taylor compositions such as Radio Ga Ga (a synchronised handclap-inducing lodestone), Tenement Funster, These Are The Days Of Our Lives and I’m In Love With My Car. Before the last, he quips: “That movie Bohemian Raspberry took the piss out of this song... fuck ’em.”

His voice retains lithe, lemony character. Under Pressure is boldly attempted by a remarkably adept band, then when Brian May joins in (at the London show) for Tutti Frutti and A Kind Of Magic, the crowd noise soars off the scale. 

Dedicated to Taylor Hawkins, this documents a tidy triumph. 

Physical editions of Roger Taylor's The Outsider Tour Live are available exclusively from Queen Online

Chris Roberts

Chris Roberts has written about music, films, and art for innumerable outlets. His new book The Velvet Underground is out April 4. He has also published books on Lou Reed, Elton John, the Gothic arts, Talk Talk, Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson, Abba, Tom Jones and others. Among his interviewees over the years have been David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Bryan Ferry, Al Green, Tom Waits & Lou Reed. Born in North Wales, he lives in London.