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Photographer Denis O’Regan looks back on Queen’s historic trip behind the Iron Curtain
Queen played Budapest in 1986 during the Magic Tour, in a country still under Communist rule and behind the Iron Curtain. Photographer Denis O’Regan says the visit carried a sense of excitement and cultural significance, particularly when Freddie Mercury sang a Hungarian folk song to the audience.
O’Regan recalls travelling from Vienna by hydrofoil, visiting Hungary’s first Formula 1 race with Roger Taylor, and photographing the concert from Taylor’s drum riser. He says the band’s humour remained intact and that tour plans were still being discussed, though he cannot say whether Mercury had an inkling it might be his last tour. Looking back through the photographs for his book, *Queen: Forever*, O’Regan remembers the trip with happiness.
In short
- Queen’s 1986 Budapest concert became a memorable cultural moment.
- Freddie Mercury sang a Hungarian folk song to the crowd.
- Photographer Denis O’Regan recalls the tour in a new book.