Stars in Your Eyes (Queen/Roger Taylor)

17. Freddie

March 16, 1974
University of Stirling

We never meant to start a riot.It just... sort of... happened.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's start from the beginning.

We're halfway through the second song when I spot Skylar winding her way through the crowded auditorium. She's dressed casually in tight denim flares and a snug navy t-shirt. Her cheeks are flushed as if she's been running, and her eyes are zeroed in on a particular blonde fellow behind me.

I watch out of the corner of my eye as she elbows her way towards the stage, not quite making it to the first row. She jumps up and down, trying to get Roger's attention. But he's as blind as a bat and, sitting behind the drums, can't hear a thing unless it's coming from his monitor. So, once again, I take it upon myself to help out these star-crossed lovers.

A word in your ear from father to son
Funny you don't hear a single word I say

But my letter to you will stay by your side
Through the years because Skylar's here today

I hear a stray beat on the tom-toms as I glance over my shoulder to catch Roger's questioning look. I grin mischievously, indicating with a tilt of my head that his long-awaited visitor has finally arrived. He squints in the general direction of the audience, where Skylar is now waving her hands in the air with a massive smile on her face.

Father to son, father to, father to, father to son

Roger leans over to the mic to harmonize on cue, a gleeful and self-satisfied smirk on his face. Well, I'm happy for him. We've been giving him loads of shit for the past few months, but it's all in good fun. Although I do hope that those two start fucking like rabbits soon because my bandmate is a grumpy bugger when he's not getting any.

"We have a special someone here tonight," I croon into the microphone as Brian starts playing the opening chords to the next song. "Let's just say that one of us will be having an exceptional night."

The crowd roars, and Roger responds with an extra-loud thump on the bass drum as we transition into 'Ogre Battle.' Throughout the song, Roger tries to play it cool but, finally, gives up and grins like a fool. As I strut towards the front of the stage, I see that Skylar has the same giddy smile on her face as she dances amidst the crowd.

Those two are good together, I'll give them that. I've never before cared so much about someone else's love life, but Roger's scheme to woo his lovely doctor-to-be has become sort of a group project. Now we're all invested in it working out... or at least him seeing it through.

Not that we haven't tried to talk him out of it at various points of time. Lack of sex aside, their relationship seemed rather one-sided from the start. Did Skylar actually give two shits about him? For a while, it was touch-and-go.

But, a few weeks ago, they were all over each other at the studio. The sexual tension was palpable, but there was something else there beneath the surface. Something less sexual and more intimate. And that isn't a word that I often, if ever, use when it comes to Roger and a woman. If there's anyone with intimacy issues, it's him.

And now, here we are in Scotland on a makeshift stage in a cramped auditorium. The audience is too close for comfort, and the energy of the room becomes increasingly frenetic as the minutes tick by.

It's halfway through 'Seven Seas' when I get the first hint that this gig is about to go tits up.

As soon as I start to sing, the crowd goes wild. This in itself isn't unusual, as audiences have been responding well to the song ever since it was released a few weeks ago. But usually, they respond by singing, dancing, cheering, that sort of thing. The typical reaction is not to throw bottles, cushions, and empty aluminum cans onto the stage, which is what happens tonight.