Queenmania!- Panties kept flying even when group had gone Sunday Times Extra, October 7, 1984 By Ezra Mantini Queenmania held thousands of rock fans spellbound at the group’s opening show at Sun City’s Superbowl on Friday night. Fans came from all over the country, with some families flying in on their private aircraft. As for the cars, the parking-lots and virtually every available space was jammed, with guards sweating to keep things under control. The security was very tight. People were searched at least five times. When the show finally started, the Superbowl had everything money could buy for lighting effects. Queen, too, rose to the occasion. From the very first moment they entered the stage everyone in the audience was caught up in their magic. But, somehow, I felt that the fans were a little too crazy about Queen. This was clear during moments when the band were offstage and only the tape was playing. The crowd went on screaming, throwing their underwear onto the stage and towards the end I counted three fans who were passed out and were carried away. I wasn’t surprised, at the rate nearly everybody was dancing. Queen had arrived! From teenagers to grannies - some of whom had flown from Bloemfontein - they were foot-stomping, hand-clapping and singing along. Though I am a lover of rock music, the acoustics nearly ruined what would have been a great show. It was just noisy and completely drowned the lyrics (granted, you rarely hear lyrics in rock music). Perhaps this was the best recipe for the teenagers, who seemed caught up in the frenzy of Queenmania. Among the songs they sang was “Radio Ga Ga”, which has been a number one hit. Other songs were “I Want to Break Free” “Another One Bites the Dust” and “Under Pressure”.
