Half-QUEEN is better than no-QUEEN! North American tour announced at last!
- Thread starter SwordLord
- Start date
SwordLord said:
Freddie WAS Queen. He is dead. The band is dead.
Why would people pay such crazy money to pay for a band who's lead singer sounds NOTHING like the original?
Would it not make far more sense to just pay 1/10 the money and see a queen coverband?
J-Dubya 777
It NEVER ends
dargormudshark said:
I do a pretty mean Udo impression!
I just did "Fat Bottomed Girls" and am now going to Hell, forever!:Smokedev:
J-Dubya
Chris Rifkin(HalcyonF5 and Stu said:
I have to admit that when GM's song "Faith" (that's the tune with the acoustic guitar) came out, he sounded a lot like Freddy Mercury.
rockyracoon
...
The 2 times I've seen Bad Co, Paul Rogers couldn't even do THOSE songs justice anymore. Mercury is dead and now his former bandmates are going to allow all those great songs to be butchered by someone who even in his peak, never held a candle to to him. What a shame!
rockyracoon said:
PT Barnum said there was a sucker born every minute.
I feel worse for the people who have no idea what they are in for when they pay gawdaweful money to see a godaweful performance...
Ruthven said:
This is the first thing that's been said in this thread that I agree with. Anyone who heard George Michael's rendition of "Somebody to Love" at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert (which can also be found on many CD compilations including "Queen's Greatest Hits Volume 3+") knows that Michael is one of the few singers out there who's falsetto and range come very close to matching how Freddie sounded. To the less-knowledgeable listener, sometimes it's easy to mistake the two if the tracks are played together.
I would have loved to see George Michael on this tour, but alas it didn't happen. Queen never played Minnesota when I was old enough to see concerts, so I was always shit out of luck. I don't care how much the tickets are, I'm going to see Roger Taylor and Brian May rock out one last time before they retire. I've watched The Eagles and how many other washed out bands perform for enormous ticket prices, I have no problem at all paying a premium price to see two of my idols perform that I never got to see in the first place and will never see again.
Nathan
Greykiller said:Freddie WAS Queen. He is dead. The band is dead.
Why would people pay such crazy money to pay for a band who's lead singer sounds NOTHING like the original?
Would it not make far more sense to just pay 1/10 the money and see a queen coverband?
I agree AND I disagree with you.
To say that Freddie Mercury was an invaluable member of Queen would be a gross understatement. Freddie Mercury had the best voice in Rock-n-Roll, PERIOD, end-of-discussion. You can have Elvis, John Lennon and any of those guys -- none of them had the range or the sheer vocal bravado that Mercury had. Freddie had the voice of an angel, a god, or whatever you want to ascribe to him -- there was not anything vocally that he couldn't do.
I also am irked by the fact that the tour is being billed as QUEEN PLUS PAUL RODGERS. I would have appreciated something like The Brian May project or something like that. However, I'm sure that Brian simply did it for the sake of simplicity. Brian's solo career never really took off, Roger's didn't go anywhere either and even Freddie had very limited success outside of QUEEN. They all knew that they were much better off with the QUEEN name than without it, hence Brian's take on this tour.
However to say that Freddie Mercury "WAS QUEEN" is simply a very ignorant statement. QUEEN was very much anchored by talent on all sides. Brian was a very good song-writer and vocalist on his own (obviously not matching Freddie's voice) and anyone who has listened to '39 or Sleeping on the Sidewalk or Tie Your Mother Down (Freddie sang/Brian wrote) knows this. Not to mention that he BUILT his own guitar out of a piece of wood that he found in his father's fireplace. Likewise John Deacon wrote Another One Bites the Dust which was one of only two QUEEN songs to go #1 in the United States. (Bonus Points to whoever knows the other one!
) Roger Taylor is a very well-respected drummer and also wrote some great Queen songs, I'm in Love with My Car on the Night at the Opera album. For every project that the band ever got involved in, all the band members contributed -- the Flash Gordon soundtrack, Highlander soundtrack, etc. and this is obviously the reason why the band was so successful over the years and had no line-up changes -- it was completely unnecessary.Is QUEEN the same without Freddie Mercury? Of course not! But Freddie has not been with us for sometime now and it's unfair to deny these guys one last go-around before retirement. With all of their many musical accomplishments, asking anything less than what they are asking for is somewhat of an insult. I think that they are worth it. 20+ years of great music and I have to pay $200 to see them? No problem. I pay $100 at ProgPower every year to see bands that I have no idea what they sound like, $200 to see Brian May rip it up? Take my money ... take it please!
SwordLord said:
Absolutely. It's not the same without Mercury, but each and every one of those guys contributed something to the band.
SwordLord said:Likewise John Deacon wrote Another One Bites the Dust which was one of only two QUEEN songs to go #1 in the United States. (Bonus Points to whoever knows the other one!
"Your My Best Friend" from A Night At The Opera #7UK/#14US
or
"I Want To Break Free" from The Works #3UK/#45US
Neither of them quite #1 hits, but damn near.
I agree with you in most respects, but like our mutual friend, often known as DragonAttack, I'm trying hard to believe that they simply retired to Switzerland. It's most tricky since they're coming to town in April.
Freddie cannot be replaced. Brian and Roger should not go out as "QUEEN".
scaram0uche said:
I give you an "A" for effort! Thanks for playing!
The answer is "CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE." Ironically this song is off of the same album as "ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST," Queen's 1980 release, "The Game." This album also was Queen's highest charting album in the US, I believe it was #8 or #7 for the year.
scaram0uche said:
I do agree with this statement and it does irritate me, but I am willing to overlook it just because I am so damn excited to see Brian play again. I saw Brian May perform at the World Theatre in St. Paul in 1992 on the "Back to the Light" tour. Changed my life!!!
Crazy Little Thing was written by Mercury, I swear. It was a #1 hit in the US. I thought you ment another #1 by Deacy.SwordLord said:
SwordLord said:
I, unfortunately, was very young during that tour and was living in Chicago at the time. Even now, it would be a lot of effort to see half of my favorite band play with a mediocre voice. It's a hard choice, but I'll stick to the albums. One brilliant concert a year is enough for me, I just saw Paul McCartney.
Bryant
Mr. Sleepy
Ruthven said:
Ha ha ha... I had a friend who is... well about shot out and who primarily listens to thrash and hard core punk, but he always talked about how good George Micheal sings. I never heard anything by him that made my jaw drop, though I will admit he is a quality vocalist. By others speaking about him..... it makes me think about my friend. My friend was as close as I have seen to an idiot savant who can still at least somewhat function in life.
Bryant
Ruthven said:
I would never deny the talent of the other members. I might even consider seeing the band if they had someone--anyone--who sounded remotely like FM. In fact, now that I think about it I am more than a little annoyed that they got Paul Rogers for this tour.
It is one thing to wish the other members of the band well by forking over hard-earned money to see them. But the frontman is key for this band and they have basically spit on the memory of FM by putting Rogers in front of the mike.
kittybeast
Member
Paul doesn't sing all the songs in the show : parts from my review
QUEEN OCTOBER 22, 2005 HOLLYWOOD BOWL, CALIFORNIA
They open with Reaching out, Tie you mother down followed by Fat Bottom Girls, Another one bites the dust,
Crazy little thing called Love. Bad company
Roger Taylor took the stage next and sings a song written for Nelson Mandela but dedicated to Freddie Mercury. Say its not true is the song, but Ive never heard it before tonight. I think he also did 39.
Brian May came out and did just an Acoustic song. Brian sits alone onstage with his guitar and dedicates to Freddie, Love of my Life. During the whole song pictures of Freddie are flashing on the huge screens around the park, Brian switches back to an electric guitar and they go on to do a slow version of Its Late blending into a faster Hammer to Fall.
B.C.s Feel like making love comes next . Im in love with my car is next followed by a May guitar solo. During the solo there is film footage running in the background.
Roger Taylor comes on stage again and sings Last Horizon and Days of our Lives during these songs old 70s footage of Queen is showing in Black and White, them goofing around in Japan, pictures with the guys backstage and some live footage. Radio Gaga is next and other than B.R. song I think this had a lot of people on their feet clapping along.
Slash shows up on stage to join in on Cant get enough of your love, does his guitar solo. Then Rock and Roll fantasy, I want it all and the finale Bohemian Rhapsody with nothing but Freddie on film playing the intro on piano. Paul and the guys join in at the last break, --so you think you can love me and leave me to die, then finish the song out the entire time live Queen footage is playing on screen.
Encore: The show must go on, all right now, we will rock you/ we are the champions
QUEEN OCTOBER 22, 2005 HOLLYWOOD BOWL, CALIFORNIA
They open with Reaching out, Tie you mother down followed by Fat Bottom Girls, Another one bites the dust,
Crazy little thing called Love. Bad company
Roger Taylor took the stage next and sings a song written for Nelson Mandela but dedicated to Freddie Mercury. Say its not true is the song, but Ive never heard it before tonight. I think he also did 39.
Brian May came out and did just an Acoustic song. Brian sits alone onstage with his guitar and dedicates to Freddie, Love of my Life. During the whole song pictures of Freddie are flashing on the huge screens around the park, Brian switches back to an electric guitar and they go on to do a slow version of Its Late blending into a faster Hammer to Fall.
B.C.s Feel like making love comes next . Im in love with my car is next followed by a May guitar solo. During the solo there is film footage running in the background.
Roger Taylor comes on stage again and sings Last Horizon and Days of our Lives during these songs old 70s footage of Queen is showing in Black and White, them goofing around in Japan, pictures with the guys backstage and some live footage. Radio Gaga is next and other than B.R. song I think this had a lot of people on their feet clapping along.
Slash shows up on stage to join in on Cant get enough of your love, does his guitar solo. Then Rock and Roll fantasy, I want it all and the finale Bohemian Rhapsody with nothing but Freddie on film playing the intro on piano. Paul and the guys join in at the last break, --so you think you can love me and leave me to die, then finish the song out the entire time live Queen footage is playing on screen.
Encore: The show must go on, all right now, we will rock you/ we are the champions
Ruthven said:
I am loathe to admit it as well but even though George Michael is the biggest Fag in the world (literally)....fuck it, he could sing Queen unbelievably well. He should be singing instead of Paul Rodgers, IMO.
And on a side note, the last studio LP while Freddie was living, "Innuendo" is a masterpiece. Great album.
scaram0uche said:
Oh I see, sorry, I should have been more clear!
Seriously, thanks for writing, it's nice to see someone who is as big a Queen fan as I am.
Nathan
Walter_Langkowski said:
OMG, I'm laughing so hard, I can barely type!
I completely agree and yes, Michael can really belt it -- the only singer I've heard to come even close to the heavenly chords Mercury was able to achieve.I also cannot agree more with you about INNUENDO. It's quite a piece of work, especially the title track, what a way to open an album! I really liked Brian's little Spanish-guitar flourish mid-song. "These Are the Days of Our Lives" is an amazing song and deserves the same hype that that ridiculous Dion song in Titanic got -- it's the same type of song except done intelligently and with some talent.
I remember that INNUENDO came out around Valentine's Day and I must have drove every music store nuts calling them to find out when I could buy the album. 15 years later ... I'm still doing the same thing!
