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Queen Reunite for Spring with Paul Rodgers


TimmyB

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Who's excited about this one? I hope it comes to North America.

from www.rollingstone.com

Queen Reunite for Spring

Rockers re-form with Bad Company's Paul Rodgers

Queen is mounting their first tour since the death of frontman Freddie Mercury from AIDS in 1991 -- with former Bad Company and Free singer Paul Rodgers at the helm. The veteran hard rockers will be playing several European dates next spring, and the shows will feature both Queen and Rodgers material.

The inspiration came this September at the Fender fiftieth anniversary bash, where Queen guitarist Brian May and Rodgers -- who joined the Firm with Jimmy Page in the mid-Eighties and reunited with Bad Company in the late Nineties -- performed the classic Free song "All Right Now." "We were both so amazed at the chemistry that was going on," May writes on his Web site, "that suddenly it seems blindingly obvious that there was 'something happening here.'"

Queen and Rodgers also played together last month when Queen was inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame. According to May, the positive reaction from that performance led to more specific tour plans.

Queen's last shows with Mercury were in 1986; afterwards, the band stopped touring due to Mercury's illness. Since his death, the surviving band members have reunited for a handful of special occasions -- such as the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, their induction into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and most recently at the 46664 AIDS benefit concert in Cape Town, South Africa. May and Queen drummer Roger Taylor have also been busy as the musical directors of We Will Rock You, a musical featuring twenty-five Queen songs which has been a success in London and is currently playing at the Las Vegas theater, Paris Las Vegas.

About the idea of touring again after such a long hiatus, May writes, "It's very exciting . . . suddenly the Queen Phoenix is rising again from the ashes."

DAVID CHIU

(Posted Dec 14, 2004)

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fu©king wow I'm there.

Paul is a great singer, though he can be very very cheese, which may work in a stadium setting. I'm sure the Queen dudes will set him right. I've seen him a few times, both solo and with Bad Company. One time I saw him in a bar outside of Montreal that was like an airport hotel lounge or something. He went table to table kissing the girls there to see the show, it was ridiculous. Met him and everything, though I don't recall if we made out or not.

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Brain and Roger do have decent voices for the songs that they sing... but they don't really have the power-house voice needed for many Queen songs.

Honestly, I think they should get George Michael, or that guy that does the Queen tribute band to lead for them... they are the two that I have come closest to doing Freddie Mercury justice.

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I'm a huge fan of Queen and I also grew up with Free, Bad Company, the Firm and Law, so I'm happy about Paul Rodgers being apart of this reunion of sorts.

I obviously never saw Queen with Freddie Mercury as they stopped performing live in 1986 and I was only 11 at the time. Though I was lucky enough to see Brian May open for Guns N' Roses at Copps Coliseum on March 12, 1993. I also have seen Paul Rodgers three times over the years.

Yes the reunion does have a Doors of the Twenty-first Century feel to it, especially with one living member in both groups not performing and both having to replace a dead vocalist, but I also saw the Doors when they came in 2002 and I thought it was still a lot of fun.

I heard that the Queen musical "We Will Rock You" will be making a run in Toronto, so hopefully they will come here to perform to promote the musical.

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Obviously nobody can ever replace Freddie... one of my most respected musicians.

Did anyone see that Queen tribute band that came through? The sound was touchy at times, but man did that guy pull-off an amazing Freddie... both singing and stage presence. I was very skeptical going in, but I was very impressed with him.

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Nice to see some other Queen fans on the board! Paan, that explains the avatar! ;)

I think I'd want to hear what they will sound like before I shell out for a ticket.

And there's no way Roger or Brian could sing Freddie's leads. They're great singers, but Freddie was more than a great singer.

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Quick note.

Apparently the Brittish producer for the musical "We Will Rock You" has backed out.

After the failure of their other musical "Hairspray" they've declared that TO is no longer a viable market.

I'm not sure if this has been announced yet.

I have a buddy that works at Mirvish productions.

"We Will Rock You" won't.

At least not in T.O.

I actually was looking forward to the smoltzy cheese of the whole thing.

Oh well, maybe if we all go and see whatever drivel or drek they want us to pay 80 bucks for we'll be "viable" again one day.

Jef

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