Rock legends QUEEN to tour next year with Paul Rodgers

[Michael Allred]

from www.brianmay.com;



Well, the news seems to be out .... Roger spilled the beans on his interview with the Wettendass Web-page gal .... so I endorsed it.

And this time it's not just a rumour. We are in the process of looking at venues for a QUEEN tour in the spring. It really all came about because of the Fender 50th Anniversary gig that I did with Paul Rodgers. We were both so amazed at the chemistry that was going on in All Right Now, that suddenly it seems blindingly obvious that there was "something happening here". And if we were to play together some more, which we both thought was an exciting possibility, who would be the drummer ??? Well, the expression "No Brainer" comes to mind. Then the UK Hall of Fame awards just came up out of the blue. Apparently we had won one of the categories and the request was there for us to play. I had already had the conversation with Roger at this point, about how brilliant Paul Rodgers was, and, since, very conveniently, he had also been asked to be there, we agreed we would ask Paul if he would team up with us for this event.

The rest in a way is already History. The show went so incredibly well from our point of view, and we got so many rave reactions from out there, we decided almost then and there that we would look at a tour together.

This is what we have been doing over the last two or three weeks, looking at venues, discussing how we might approach our collective material, etc. etc.

It's very exciting .... ever since the run-up to that Awards show, I felt in my waters that something big and scary was happening. Scary because as soon as you press the button for something like this you set a massive juggernaut into motion which cannot be stopped ! So bang goes the home life, and anything else we might have planned for the coming months. Suddenly the QUEEN Phoenix is rising again from the ashes, and will take precedence over everything in our lives. So be it. So there ya go. I won't go into more details right now, but, barring accidents, QUEEN and PAUL RODGERS will be on the road, pretty much for sure, around April 2005.

[Unassisted]

I don't know who Paul Rodgers is, but he's got big shoes to fill.

[RBA]

I guess it would be like Tony Orlando and Dawn, but without Tony Orlando. Good analogy? :D

[pedro]

I don't know who Paul Rodgers is, but he's got big shoes to fill.

singer from Bad Company and The Firm

i'd rather listen to someone hitting me in the head with a hammer.

[RBA]

I hear Clay Aiken is available.

[macro]

I'm sorry, but Queen without Freddie Mercury is not Queen. They shouldn't even use the name. Like Unassisted said, those are some big shoes to fill!

[GAC]

I never was a big fan of Queen. I liked a few of their songs, but overall....Blah.

It was vocalists like Mercury (Queen), Perry (Journey), and DeYoung (Styx) that made me want to run my fingernails down a chalkboard.

I don't deny their vocal range/abilities. It's just different strokes for different folks.

Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company, Firm) is one of my favorite vocalists.


I see where a revamped Styx is about to release a version of the Beatle's "I Am A Walrus".

You can hear it here...

http://www.styxworld.com/goout.asp?u=http://www.q1043.com/info/styx.html

I did. There's a part in the song that says "I'm cryin'"

I was. It stinks!

[Michael Allred]

Well apparently their UK tour is doing very well and even the music critics are giving it their thumbs up (shocking!)

http://www.queenpluspaulrodgers.com is the official web site and they're offering downloads of virtually all the songs performed so far (for a tiny fee I believe) with 30 second preview clips.

I think that, for the most part, the collaboration has worked better than I thought. Paul's bluesy/rock voice matches up pretty well with classic Queen songs like "We Will Rock You", "Fat Bottomed Girls", etc. On tracks like "Can't Get Enough of Your Love", Queen themselves add something fresh to the well known Bad Company catalog.

Queen + Paul are getting close to their summer leg of the tour and plan on playing the bigger venues (including London's Hyde Park which could see the crowd up to 150,000!) They're still discussing a US tour this fall.

A CD and DVD taken from their UK tour will be released in America this August and September, I'm looking forward to it.

[Johnny Footstool]

It's amazing what people will do to see a cover band.

[pedro]

Shoot me. Now.

[Michael Allred]

It's amazing what people will do to see a cover band.

I guess you can say the same about AC/DC, Van Halen, etc.

[Ravenlord]

I guess you can say the same about AC/DC, Van Halen, etc.when Queen puts out a new studio album with Paul Rodgers, then they'll stop being a cover band.

[Blimpie]

I'm sorry, but Queen without Freddie Mercury is not Queen. They shouldn't even use the name. Like Unassisted said, those are some big shoes to fill!From your comments, I can only assume that you don't think Paul Rogers can pull off the "butt-less chaps" ensemble???

[Michael Allred]

From your comments, I can only assume that you don't think Paul Rogers can pull off the "butt-less chaps" ensemble???

I hope that wasn't a gay joke. Freddie never wore anything like that on stage.

[Michael Allred]

when Queen puts out a new studio album with Paul Rodgers, then they'll stop being a cover band.

How can people who originally wrote and recorded their songs be considered a "cover band?"

Brian May wrote "We Will Rock You", so you're saying that when his band played it on his solo tour in 1992 they merely covered it?

[Blimpie]

I hope that wasn't a gay joke. Freddie never wore anything like that on stage.Who ever said that "butt-less" chaps were gay? I was merely commenting on his wardrobe...

And to say that "he never wore anything like that on stage" is a bit of a stretch, wouldn't you say? It's not like he was prancing around stage in a pair of Dockers or anything.

[registerthis]

Ridiculous.

Ridiculous that they are touring with Paul Rodgers, and ridiculous that they are doing it under the name "Queen."

This reeks of milking the old cash cow.

[RedFanAlways1966]

David Lee Roth. Blackie Lawless & Chris Holmes (WASP). Some that used to wear those pants. Lawless and Holmes were both married (to a woman) at one time or another. Holmes used to be married to rock singer, Lita Ford. Being married to the opposite sex, of course, does not mean anything. There was a recently resigned governor in this country that can tell us all about that.

New singers and not changing the group's name is a common occurence in the rock industry. Iron Maiden (Paul Dianno/Bruce Dickinson/Blaze Bailey/Bruce Dickinson). Judas Priest (Rob Halford/Ripper Owens/Rob Halford). Black Sabbath (Ozzy Osbourne/Ronnie James Dio/Ian Gillian/Ray Gillen/Glenn Hughes/Ozzy Osbourne... holy!). Deep Purple (Ian Gillian/Glenn Hughes/Joe Lynn Turner/David Coverdale). Those just off the top of my head. Very common, esp. British bands.

I'd guess that the original living members of Queen do not need to milk the cash-cow. I'd guess that they are all living comfortably. Perhaps the need for that stage-rush thing is more the reason. Cash reasons? Probably makin' a pretty penny, but not the primary reason. I don't know though!

[registerthis]

I'd guess that the original living members of Queen do not need to milk the cash-cow. I'd guess that they are all living comfortably. Perhaps the need for that stage-rush thing is more the reason. Cash reasons? Probably makin' a pretty penny, but not the primary reason. I don't know though!
But all of the bands you mentioned switched lead singers at one time or another at the height of their career--in other words, that singer wasn't necessarily synonymous with the band.

Not so with Queen. Freddie Mercury was the only singer the band ever had, people can't think of Queen without thinking of Mercury. I have no problems with the band reforming--that's up to them. But they're not Queen under any sense of the name, so by touring under the name it's strictly for notoriety (read: monetary) reasons.

Ridiculous, I repeat.

[RedFanAlways1966]

But all of the bands you mentioned switched lead singers at one time or another at the height of their career--in other words, that singer wasn't necessarily synonymous with the band.

Not so with Queen. Freddie Mercury was the only singer the band ever had, people can't think of Queen without thinking of Mercury. I have no problems with the band reforming--that's up to them. But they're not Queen under any sense of the name, so by touring under the name it's strictly for notoriety (read: monetary) reasons.

Ridiculous, I repeat.

I can understand this feeling. And I think feelings about this will be divided. Some will hate it for the reasons you state and some will love it b/c it gives them a chance to see "a band" they once/still loved. Granted a major component (the biggest IMO) is missing, but seeing the others and hearing the musicians play their instruments will turn some people on.

I never was a big Queen fan, so I am indifferent. But if it makes one old Queen fan happy, than it may be worthwhile. It seems as though AARP should be sponsoring a lot of the tours these days. Aren't The Stones getting ready to kick off another tour?

[registerthis]

I never was a big Queen fan, so I am indifferent. But if it makes one old Queen fan happy, than it may be worthwhile. It seems as though AARP should be sponsoring a lot of the tours these days. Aren't The Stones getting ready to kick off another tour?
They are, and they're charging $400 for the prime seats. Which is more ridiculous than Queen touring without Freddy mercury!

[Ravenlord]

How can people who originally wrote and recorded their songs be considered a "cover band?"

Brian May wrote "We Will Rock You", so you're saying that when his band played it on his solo tour in 1992 they merely covered it?simple, Queen was a set line-up. it's not like being Megadeth, where as long as Dave Mustaine's there, the other names don't matter a lot. if Kerry King or Tom Araya left Slayer, it wouldn't be Slayer anymore. Pantera was Dime, Vinnie, Phil, and Rex; they broke up because without Phil there is no Pantera.

oh yeah, and when Damageplan played Pantera songs, they admitted they were covering them even though Dime and Vinnie wrote them.

it's quite simple.

[Michael Allred]

Who ever said that "butt-less" chaps were gay? I was merely commenting on his wardrobe...

And to say that "he never wore anything like that on stage" is a bit of a stretch, wouldn't you say? It's not like he was prancing around stage in a pair of Dockers or anything.

He never wore anything like that on stage, it's not a stretch to say a fact.

[Michael Allred]

simple, Queen was a set line-up. it's not like being Megadeth, where as long as Dave Mustaine's there, the other names don't matter a lot. if Kerry King or Tom Araya left Slayer, it wouldn't be Slayer anymore. Pantera was Dime, Vinnie, Phil, and Rex; they broke up because without Phil there is no Pantera.

oh yeah, and when Damageplan played Pantera songs, they admitted they were covering them even though Dime and Vinnie wrote them.

it's quite simple.

We'll just have to disagree then. I still say if you wrote the song, you aren't covering it.

[919191]

Is it the singer or the song?

[Michael Allred]

Well, I've listened to virtually ALL of the official downloads from the current tour and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with what I've heard. There seems to be a genuine chemistry between Queen and Rodgers, not only within the actual performances but the between song banter. I can get really used to them together.

This is not saying that *everything* works, for example Rodgers' ad-libs during Queen songs don't always work and I think some tracks could be dropped rather easily (like "A Kind of Magic.")

Fav songs so far:

"Fat Bottomed Girls", "I'm In Love With My Car" (Roger, looking like he needs to go on a diet, can still sing and drum very well!), "All Right Now", "We Will Rock You" (Paul does a great job with this) but ironically my #1 is a Bad Company track, "Feel Like Making Love" which Queen really adds some juice to.

My least favorite moments are the tedious guitar and drum solos (please let those remain in the 70s guys), useless instrumentals like "Last Horizon" and "39" which just doesn't sound the same with Brian doing it by himself.

Anyway, the show in Sheffield was recorded for the CD/DVD release and includes "Another One Bites the Dust" and (I believe) "Under Pressure." I haven't heard either of those nor "Bohemian Rhapsody" yet so I'm looking forward to the official releases.

[registerthis]

We'll just have to disagree then. I still say if you wrote the song, you aren't covering it.
Frequently, though, you write a song for a particular band at a particular time. The rendition of police songs that Sting performs now sound nothing like the versions that were performed while he was still a member of the band, for example.

[Michael Allred]

Frequently, though, you write a song for a particular band at a particular time. The rendition of police songs that Sting performs now sound nothing like the versions that were performed while he was still a member of the band, for example.

and yet, bands like Queen have often performed songs live differently than what was heard on the album. Songs can change over time and if the songwriter wants to do it differently, who can blame him?

[Matt700wlw]

I wonder if they'll do Bad Company and Free songs as well?

[M2]

I guess it would be like Tony Orlando and Dawn, but without Tony Orlando. Good analogy? :D

More like Tony Orlando and Dawn without Dawn. Part of what made Queen fun was Freddy putting on a spectacle.

[Michael Allred]

I wonder if they'll do Bad Company and Free songs as well?

They are. "Feel Like Making Love", "Can't Get Enough of Your Love", "All Right Now" plus a few Rodgers solo tracks.

[Michael Allred]

QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS LIVE ON TOUR 2-CD SET SEPTEMBER 19 WITH DVD TO FOLLOW

It was a return that began with a small fan-based Brixton set and ended in a powerhouse Hyde Park 65,000 crowd finale which also managed to frame a moment in UK history.

Rock band Queen had returned to the road close on 20 years after a retirement imposed on them by the impending tragic loss of lead singer Freddie Mercury and one which had appeared to signal the end of a recording and touring career that had marked the band out as rock champions of the world’s concert arenas.

Pairing with Paul Rodgers the legendary vocalist, songwriter and founding member of Free and Bad Company, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor surprised many earlier this year with the announcement that they were returning to ‘business as usual’ and taking on more than 32 live dates throughout the UK and Europe.

Any initial doubts about whether the band still retained the potency to recreate some of their finest live moments was dispelled immediately. The low-key warm up date at London’s Brixton Academy back in March silenced the cynics, defied the doubters. “The band closes with ‘We Are The Champions’, and how could it be otherwise? I have to admit they’re not wrong” (The Observer)….”ranks as one of the gigs of the year” (The Guardian)”…”New Queen line-up is all right now” (Daily Mirror)…“A triumphant return for rock and roll royalty.” (The Northern Echo).

From there there was no stopping Messrs May, Taylor and Rogers, as the Queen + Paul Rodgers powder-keg rolled through Europe touching over a dozen countries in seven weeks, coming to rest finally at London’s Hyde Park on June 15.

Along the way, Queen and Paul Rodgers had remade old fan friendships, and made many new ones. Over half a million people had seen and celebrated the return of the mighty force that was Queen, and realised the added rock/blues edge that Rodgers had brought to one of rock’s best loved song catalogues.

Delayed by a week, Hyde Park came at a time when London was recovering from one of the worst outrages committed against its citizens. Queen opened their show to all the heroes of the day – London’s emergency service workers, and on one of the most stunning summer evenings the city had seen, celebrated the spirit of London with a concert that united 65,000 people for one very magical day.

The energy, the extraordinary musicianship, and the return to form for Queen with the added presence of Paul Rodgers, which marked everyone of those European dates is evident in the 27 tracks which make up the 2-CD set “Return of the Champions”, set for UK release September 19 (USA release, September 13 TODAY).

The recording, captured live during the band’s sold out Sheffield Hallam Arena show back in May, delivers a virtual greatest hits collection from both the Queen and Paul Rodgers song catalogues, mixing perennial crowd pleasers such as Queen’s ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions’ with Rodgers’ own million sellers ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’, ‘Wishing Well’ and ‘All Right Now’. Here also for the first time we get we get live versions of some of the classic hits recorded after the band stopped performing in 1986 and consequently never before available on disc, among them ‘The Show Must Go On’, delivered in a scorching version by Rodgers.

The album serves also as a reminder of what fine stand-alone musicians and vocalists Brian May and Roger Taylor are; Taylor roars his way through ‘I’m In Love with My Car’ and adds new poignancy to the Mercury latter-day signature tune, ‘These Are the Days of Our Lives’. Taylor also provides the one brand new song on the set, his thought-provoking ‘Say It’s Not True’, a song especially written to help highlight the message behind Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Aids campaign launched by Brian May and Roger Taylor along with Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart in 2003.

May meanwhile delivers rock to make you smile on ‘39’, sings Freddie’s torch song ‘Love of My Life’ with the entire audience joining in, and delivers the mother of all guitar solos, which segues seamlessly into the haunting riffs of the delicate-guitar work on ‘Last Horizon’.

As a companion piece, the same Sheffield show also comes to DVD a month later; with “Return of The Champions” filmed on an 18 camera shoot by award-winning director David Mallet released October 24 (USA release date not announced yet). As a record of that special Hyde Park night, the DVD features the bonus track, Queen + Paul Rodger’s fine version of Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ which provided May, Taylor and Rodgers a moment to reflect on that moment of time in London.

Having reclaimed their positions as Champions of rock in Europe, Queen + Paul Rodgers now head West to the USA and Japan for a quick stop off either side of the USA with dates in New Jersey (Meadowlands, October 16) and Los Angeles (Hollywood Bowl, October 22) before half-a-dozen massive arena dates across Japan. It is 23 years since they played the USA and over 20 since Japan, but that has not stopped their forthcoming dates selling out well ahead of time.

And if this year hasn’t been busy enough for the band, the end of the year Queen will commemorate the 30th anniversary of their twice-hit “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which first went to No. 1 on November 25, 1975 with a special anniversary DVD and CD of the band’s classic album, A Night At The Opera to be released exactly 30 years later on November 25, 2005.

The show goes on, indeed!




I'll have to wait until the weekend to get it.