On December 11 2004, it was announced that Queen would undertake their first tour in nineteen years with Paul Rodgers, formerly of Bad Company and Free, undertaking the task of lead singer. The ‘beans were spilled’ by Roger Taylor in the course of an interview with the German channel ZDF.

The three performed together at the UK Hall of Fame awards in Hackney, London, on November 11. For more pictures of this event, click here.

(translated by myself. Please note that I have re-translated only Brian's responses, not the questions).

KURIER: Hätten Sie je gedacht, noch einmal unter den Namen Queen in der Wiener Stadthalle zu spielen?
BRIAN MAY (Gitarre): Das war nie geplant. Ich hatte mein Queen-Leben abseits unseres "We Will Rock You"-Musicals bereits abgeschrieben. Doch dann kam eine Einladung zum 50-Jahre-Fender-Festival, und dort spielte ich zufällig auch mit Paul Rodgers. Ich habe das Band dieses Auftritts danach an Roger Taylor (Queen-Schlagzeuger; Anm.) gesandt und auch er war begeistert. Ein paar Wochen später sollten sowohl Queen als auch Paul bei der Hall Of Fame Show in London spielen. Und wir dachten uns, es sei den Versuch wert, es doch einmal zu dritt zu probieren. Plötzlich hat es Klick gemacht, und da wussten wir, dass da mehr dahinter steckt.

Nun wird die Tournee punkto Ticket-Verkäufen nur noch von U2 übertroffen.
Ich hatte zwar gehofft, dass wir noch ein paar Leute bewegen, aber dass wir die größten Hallen Europas in kürzester Zeit ausverkaufen, ist schier unglaublich.
Weshalb gibt es keine Zusatz-Konzerte?
Weil diese Tour spontan entstanden ist, wir in vielen Städten nur mehr das nehmen konnten, was zwischen anderen Konzerten verfügbar war, und wir auch nur eine gewisse Anzahl an Konzerten in Serie spielen können, um Pauls Stimme zu schonen. Aber wir planen einige Open-Air-Konzerte im Sommer.

Warum fehlt Bassist John Deacon?
Natürlich wäre es schön, wenn er bei unserem Tour-Comeback dabei wäre. Aber er hat nun mal den musikalischen Ruhestand gewählt. Da kann man nichts machen. John genießt sein Leben fern ab des Tour-Stress, ist aber in unseren Herzen mit dabei, so wie natürlich auch Freddie!

Ohne Freddie Mercury und John Deacon – manche Kritiker bezeichnen diese Queen-Tour als Mogelpackung.
Das ist Queen, weil Roger Taylor und ich Queen sind! Uns geht es dabei nur um die Musik. Wir wissen, dass wir gemeinsam mit Paul Rodgers sehr gute Musik machen können. Sehr gute Rockmusik, etwas, das dem Musik-Business ohnedies seit Langem fehlt. Und daran sollten sich die Kritiker erfreuen! Die Fans tun das, was der Vorverkauf ja beweist.

Wird Paul Rodgers dabei der einzige Sänger sein?
Nein, auch Roger und ich werden Vokal-Parts übernehmen. Und auch Freddies Stimme wird manchmal erklingen.

Wird man auch Ihren allergrößten Hit hören, "Bohemian Rhapsody"?
Das ist eine sehr schwierige Entscheidung, die wir noch nicht getroffen haben. Denn dieser Song ist viel zu sehr Freddies Baby. Letztendlich muss es Paul entscheiden, ob er das Stück singen will. Doch zum Glück haben wir nicht nur diesen einen Hit. Das schwierigstes Unterfangen auf dieser Tour heißt nämlich nicht: Was spielen wir? Sondern: Was spielen wir nicht? Aber wir werden schon deutlich mehr Queen- als Free- und Bad-Company-Songs spielen.

Sie waren seit 19 Jahren nicht mehr mit Queen auf Tour. Auf welche Songs freuen Sie sich am meisten?
"All Right Now" und "Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love" und all die anderen Songs von Paul Rodgers! Denn nun auch die Songs aus seiner grandiosen Karriere zu spielen, das ist das wirklich Spannende an dieser Tour. Das ist viel spannender als unsere Songs. Aber durch Paul entdecke ich gerade viele Queen-Songs ganz neu. Und auch Freddie war mir durch ihn schon lange nicht mehr so nahe wie in den letzten Tagen.

Ist diese Tour nun der würdige Abschied der Band Queen – oder ein Neubeginn?
Das wird mit Sicherheit nicht als unsere Abschieds-Tournee laufen. Diese Zusammenarbeit mit Paul Rodgers öffnet uns so viel neue Möglichkeiten. Es wird weitere Konzerte geben, auch in den USA, wo wir zuletzt 1982 gespielt haben. Und auch wieder neue Musik. Vielleicht spielen wir ja schon den einen oder anderen brandneuen Song auf dieser Tour.

Artikel vom 26.02.2005 |KURIER (Printausgabe) |Interview: Thomas Zeidler

Some of the biggest news to hit the classic rock world of late is the union of the surviving members of Queen with Paul Rodgers. Rodgers - who you know best from songs like "All Right Now" and "Feel Like Makin' Love" - told us the thing came about by mere happenstance, plus a bit of good chemistry.

"The U-K Music Hall of Fame asked me to go play there and I asked Brian (May) if he was going to be along because they were being nominated. He said, 'Yup.' And he asked me if I'd do a couple of Queen songs and I said, 'I'd only be too honored. Fantastic.' And it was just such a buzz to do, it just felt so very good. We walked off stage and we looked at each other and said, 'We gotta do this, we gotta take this on the road.' You know?"

As of right now, Queen and Paul Rodgers have about 24 dates planned for Europe and the U-K. Rodgers says things are shaping up pretty good for the tour to come over here to the States - as soon as we have official word, we'll let you know.

ON THIS DAY...
In 1974...Free's Paul Rodgers formed Bad Company with members of Mott the Hoople and King Crimson.

This month's of new edition of Rollingstone, out tomorrow reports on upcoming Queen tour with Paul Rodgers, "filling in on vocals", though "set to proceed without bassist John Deacon who chose not to participate".

Paul Rodgers: "I'm not trying to replace Freddie. I'm coming into this as myself, playing some of their material and some of mine. It's very challenging, because Freddie was a great frontman."

Brian May: "It will never be the same without Freddie. But it will be different in a very challenging and entertaining way. Rodgers was a real hero to Freddie. And a big influence - you can hear it on the early stuff."

Rodgers "officially at Queen school," studying the Queen catalogue, might yet be seen "trading vocals with a video image of Freddie" on Bo Rhap.

Tour kicks off (Mar 19) in South Africa, followed by European arena dates and likely a U.S. leg in the autumn.

It has now been confirmed that Jamie Moses will be joining the Queen + Paul Rodgers European Tour as a 2nd guitarist. Danny Miranda (WWRY Vegas band) will be performing bass duties. Keyboards will be handled by long-time Queen associate Spike Edney.

Queen + Paul Rodgers - European Tour
Paul Rodgers
Brian May
Roger Taylor
Spike Edney
-----------
plus Jamie Moses and Danny Miranda
For more information go to:

Interviews about the Tour on Dutch TV (Download viewed on www.roger-taylor.net):

Roger Taylor said that the idea of a tour didn’t feel right before, but that Paul Rodgers was taking it somewhere – in his own direction.

Brian May mentions that Paul Rodgers is a poet, that he interprets way he feels, and mentions the blues style of Paul Rodgers.

Paul Rodgers says that they love to play, that they are prepared to put up with the travelling because it just feels so good – that they’ll be playing Queen songs and his songs live – putting that together he’s really looking forward to that.

‘All Right Now?’ - Paul Rodgers Interview in Uncut Magazine (March Edition):

‘All we’re doing is following the feeling’ says Paul Rodgers, about going out to play live music with Queen. ‘We’ve talked about writing and recording together’. But they will see how the tour works first.

Paul feels that he is entering the tour as an equal partner with Queen. There are both those who want it to fail and Queen fans who think ‘it won’t be the same’. He pointed out, however, that they were not trying to make it the same.

He was asked about the differing styles between him and Freddie – he stated that he came from a blues/soul background whereas Freddie was a theatrical performer. However, they did share an ability to get an audience going and a conviction about being a live act.

Paul went on to speak about the taking of drugs in the 70s and 80s, but said that it got serious when ‘people started to drop off and die’.

He said they were currently working out the set list, realising that some things would work only in the studio and some live. There would also be some ‘Free and Bad Company stuff’.

When asked if there were any Queen numbers he wouldn’t want to sing, he said that he loves ‘Im Going Slightly Mad’ but doesn’t think he could sing it – To tackle something like that, maybe I’d have to loosen up a little bit’.

The Queen song Paul most wishes he’d written is ‘We Will Rock You’ as ‘it has all the qualities of a classic rock song. It’s got the beat, it’s got the enormous hook, you just get carried along by it. It’s one of those songs that brings everyone together, and that’s a magical thing’.

He assured us that he won’t be copying Freddie’s look in any way – ‘I’m just going out there to do my own thing’.

(NB - I have since learned that Paul has complained of being 'very much misquoted').

Q + PR HAVE LANDED!
London, England

The first week of rehearsals for Queen's Brian May, Roger Taylor, singer/songwriter Paul Rodgers, keyboardist Spike Edney, New York bassist Danny Miranda and guitarist Jaimie Moss.

"I did find it a little hard to concentrate, 'cause since I was a kid I've thought that Paul Rodgers has the best voice on the planet. He and Ray Charles are my favorites, If I had thought that one day I'd be playing with Paul I would have thought I was crazy to even think that. Zany how life comes full circle. To find people that I admire most are also beautiful people is a huge bonus and we're actually in the same room making music!!!
Someone pinch me"

Putting together the DVD version of Queen's 1986 Live at Wembley album rekindled something for guitarist Brian May. "It's been a voyage of rediscovery," he told Rolling Stone last night at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction in New York. "What impresses me most is the spontaneity. You can see us kind of eyeing each other to see what to do next. We were a great partnership."

Those memories might finally push May and drummer Roger Taylor back on the road for a new tour, with guest-star singers replacing the late Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1992. "We're getting closer to the idea," Taylor admitted.

"We wrestle with it daily," May said. "We don't want to go out and replace Freddie. It would be unseemly, and it wouldn't feel right. But if we can go out in some kind of partnership way, and have some special guests, we'd be up for it. We love Robbie Williams, who's quite a loose cannon but quite a phenomenal artist. George Michael, Elton. It would probably be more than one special guest."

May and Taylor warmed up to the idea even more after backing Pavarotti at his charity concert in Modena, Italy, last month. "The whole audience treated us a like it was 1986 and we were still something to scream and shout about," May said....

VH1 NEWS:
PAUL RODGERS FIT FOR QUEEN

When you reach the wise age of most classic rockers, you've probably learned a thing or two about how to keep your performance stamina up through night after night of touring. In the '80s, that usually meant a lot cocaine and whiskey. For Paul Rodgers, who is about to embark on a worldwide tour with Queen, nowadays, that means something quite different. (Actuality #1) "I do meditate, I do yoga, I do work out and I do take care of things. And I think, deep breathing and it shows, yeah. So, I mean, I find that with singing, it's a whole body thing, it's not just the voice. It comes from the whole being." Paul Rodgers will be doing a lot more yoga in the coming months: starting in mid-March with a concert in South Africa, he and Queen will be on the road to play 27 shows. And that's just the European leg. As always, we'll let you know when that itinerary grows.

What do Roger and Brian do before a performance? They were asked backstage at the 46664 Concert in Cape Town, November 2003:

Brian – I just kind of pace up and down like I’m having a baby or something!

Well, I've been reeling over the amount of material in these middle two weeks of March - the Capital Gold interviews, BBC Breakfast TV feature at rehearsals - check out http://www.brianmay.com/queen/tour05/menu.html

As regards Thomas Becker's article (below) who are these 'purists' who will mourn? There are so many Queen fans like myself for whom this tour is nothing but a great joy. I've just listened to the recording of 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are The Champions' from Fancourt - I don't see any reason why we should dwell on Paul's forgetting the lyrics. I am SO looking forward to Brixton!

Some perspective and some more respect for Mr Mandela would have been a lot more gracious.

The legendary rock band rises again – but without Freddy (sic) Mercury the effect is a little lifeless.

George – 19 March 22.48 – Paul Rodgers launches in - coming out with the others, and grabbing the microphone, bawls ’Tie Your Mother Down, tie your mother down’ into the midst of the thundering guitar. With a flash of his teeth he throws the man-sized microphone stand into the air, whirls it above his head, turns it in his fingers – and we already have the first déjà-vu. The man who for twenty years was right at the forefront of the Queen's bombastic rockers had a special relationship with the microphone stand, using it like a stripper does a metal rod - for a lascivious or even aggressive, wild dance. But the Narcissus Freddie Mercury died thirteen and a half years ago and instead Paul Rodgers stands on stage with the remainder of Queen: Brian May and Roger Taylor. Two minutes have not yet passed and the microphone stand falls out of his hand after a daring caper and crashes to the floor. Paul Rodgers laughs.

He knows what he’s let himself in for. The news of the Queen comeback, let out of the bag right at the launch of the Queen musical in Cologne in Thomas Gottschalk’s ‘Wetten, dass?’ in the middle of December, made for much scepticism among the fans of the band who were so successful in the 70s and 80s. Queen without Freddie? That’s just like the Stones without Mick Jagger – how’s that going to work? Others were more forthright - they spoke in the fan forums of robbing from the dead, and of poor Freddie, who would turn in his grave. After the appearance of Queen and Paul Rodgers at the Aids charity concert of the Mandela foundation in the South African coastal town of George just at the launch of a European tour of more than 30 concerts, one thing is certain - the fan base will remain divided. Brian May knows the problem. The exceptional guitarist, who three years ago was allowed to play his extra special version of the National Anthem from the roof of Buckingham Palace for the Golden Jubilee of the namesake Queen, was and is the brain of the band. His most favourite subjects were maths and physics; he even studied astronomy. He always turned down requests for a Queen comeback -right from 23 (sic) November 1991, the day that Freddie Mercury died of Aids.

The speculation about a successor extended from George Michael to Elton John to Robbie Williams. But nothing more than a few short performances, mostly at charity events, ever came of it. The united message was that the phenomenon of Freddie could not be replaced.

And now Paul Rodgers, 55, founder of the blues-rock groups Free and Bad Company. He had his biggest hit ‘All Right Now’ in 1970 – when Queen did not yet exist. Only the following year did Mercury, May, Taylor (drums) and John Deacon (bass) come together as a foursome, which was to set the rock world alight with its extravagant style.

But they had always thought Paul Rodgers, blues singer, was great, as Roger Taylor has now said in an interview: They heard him in the sixties in the London clubs, later playing his songs for fun - Freddie was a great fan. Brian May is complimentary: ‘Paul has a wonderful voice and lots of feeling for our music’, adding straight afterwards by way of justification, ‘he doesn’t try to take Freddie’s place at all. He’s so unlike Freddie because he’s coming from his own place’.

On the site of the official Queen fan club (www.queenworld.com) May keeps a diary. He takes a lot of time to clarify that, of course, they’re not doing it for the money, that Rodgers ‘isn’t a member of Queen’, for which reason the tour is dubbed ‘Queen and Paul Rodgers’.

Almost a plea for absolution: Dear fans, let’s just give it a go with him! The entry ends with the words ‘With love, Brian’. Last September Rodgers, May and Taylor (sic) (Deacon withdrew from the scene a long time ago) played together for a few minutes at the concert in Wembley for the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar, two months later in the UK Hall of Fame there were a couple more songs – the idea of a tour together began to develop.

Wanting to be spared from the frustration of just playing three or four songs from the abundance of the combined material, it was to become a complete show. May, 57, father of three children, says ‘I never thought that I would do this again. I was always against bringing someone in to replace Freddie. But now from nothing a big juggernaut has been set in motion which is unstoppable. So much for my family life’.

With Rodgers there should be a new form, the songs should be interpreted differently - a brave concept, as shown by the first minutes of the concert in Fancourt, the chic golf club of the prospering little garden-route town of George. It could not have got underway better than with the straight-down-the-line rock of ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ but the goose bumps over Brian May’s guitar riffs had gone when ‘Can’t Get Enough of Your Love’ – a Paul Rodgers song - followed.

‘I Want To Break Free’, a classic of the South African freedom movement, and ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ bring the 15,000-strong audience back into the realm of Queen. Rodgers asks rhetorically ‘How are we doing so far?’ But the all too soft guest voice of the worthy Katie Melua makes the atmosphere fall through the floor. There’s even whistling.

As Roger Taylor suddenly leaves his drum kit and starts singing with a delicate voice, and even the silent Brian May grabs the microphone, sounding out ‘Hammer To Fall’ having donned a completely new outfit from the boxes, it’s clear that they’re serious about the new start.

Good that the performance lasted a little more than an hour – the scale of the event allowed for no more. Queen and Paul Rodgers were to be the highlight of a concert lasting almost ten hours, but others stole the show from them. Nelson Mandela, for example. The 46664 campaign started one and a half years ago – usig his prisoner number during 18 years on Robben Island .

It’s now a symbol for the struggle against Aids, in which the state president Mbeki still refuses involvement. Mister Eversmile, the never-tiring Handshake machine Mandela, taking on a lot at the age of 86, visited, together with participating musicians, Aids victims in the clinics and homes of the town, and of course attended the concert in the evening.

Annie Lennox delivers a passionate and almost furious plea for safe sex and leaves the strongest impression as a female artist. 46664 Ambassador Will Smith entertains brilliantly but as he at 22.48 announces the first Queen concert since 1986, the good atmosphere isn’t holding out for so long.

The constant change from Queen to Rodgers and back again doesn’t work - one has the feeling of being somewhat cheated. John, a priest from Emden living in George says ‘It’s sad really, that Freddie’s still in your mind, you see his teeth, his power. It’s a shame’.

However, the halls and stadiums in Europe – six concerts are taking place in Germany – the first on 14 April in the Olympiahalle in Munich – are already or will be sold out. They want the memory, knowing very well that the former figure won’t be there.

Queen’s first single in 1972 (sic) was called ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ that’s exactly what they’re trying to do now, a two-edged sword. The fans will have to forgive some things. In George, Paul Rodgers forgets the words of ‘We Are The Champions’ - of all songs - for a second – it doesn’t really matter. The purists will be in mourning when Queen + Paul Rodgers are on the road.

At home they’ll take the vinyl records out of the worn covers or even turn on the Brian May VBM amplifier, obtained for £99.99 in the Internet fan shop. And once again dust off the £219.19 Freddie Mercury statue – the one with the microphone stand.

"I'd say, I hope we rock you, Freddie'. If he's up there looking down on us, I hope he's smiling".

Brixton Review by Christian Rischer - (excerpts):

After these introductory words, at exactly 20.45 it was underway. Music history was being written at Brixton Academy – Paul Rodgers appeared alone in front of the curtain and sang a solo acoustic version of ‘Reaching Out’. Paul Rodgers, together with Brian May and other musicians, released this song in 1996 as a charity single for the Nordoff Robbins Foundation under the name ‘Rock Therapy’. An unusual but successful start to the show. Brian May appeared in front of the curtain beside Paul Rodgers and played the first riffs of ‘Tie Your Mother Down’. The curtain fell to give a clear view across the stage. Nineteen years of waiting for Queen’s live comeback were off-loaded in one single second. The audience didn’t hold back anymore. The crowd bounced up and down, clapped and sang as if there were no tomorrow. Paul Rodger’s singing was submerged in the elation of the fans. You almost couldn’t hear Paul – The swirling crowd sang along to every word. What happened in those first minutes is indescribable. Queen is back! Queen rocks!

Although Brixton Academy is too small for a complete stage production and therefore the catwalk, a small second stage and some of the light installations will only come into use in the big halls or even the stadiums, the stage was more than impressive....the light construction above the stage was mobile and conjured up for the respective song the suitable atmosphere and lighting. The sound was loud, impressive and crystal clear. Queen were definitely still forerunners with regard to the stage show. Spike Edney on keyboards, Jamie Moses on guitar, and the new bass player Danny Miranda shared once side of the stage, while Brian and Paul, as main protagonists, swept across the whole stage.....
Then it went rocking with full power – ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ with crystal clear acapella intro boomed through the speakers. As the next surprise, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Loved’ was on the setlist, on which Brian and Paul let rip on newly constructed ‘Invisible Red Specials’. These new guitars consisted only of a red guitar neck and the edge of a guitar body. Paul did his job as a singer very well. The song was shorter here than in the familiar long live versions.
Queen surprised us once again by not holding the acoustic/unplugged part of the show near the end, as was the case in previous tours, but after the fifth song. All musicians left the stage apart from Paul Rodgers. Paul accompanied himself on the Bad Company classic ‘Seagull’ . In the middle of the wonderfully sung ballad, Roger came on to the stage to provide backing on bongos....
The acoustic section was rounded off by ‘Hammer To Fall’ which was performed in the slow/fast version. Brian played the song on the original Red Special and sang the slow version himself. On the fast version Paul took over the vocals once more and Queen rocked, to the point that the stage bent? Roger pounded the drums so that the rhythm vibrated inside the stomach. That’s how rock music has to be played!

Later on...

Queen and Paul Rodgers, having changed clothing for the first set of encores, which was devoted to Bad Company and Free. On ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’, Brian played the ‘Invisible Red Special’ again. In interviews before the tour, Brian had stated repeatedly how much he would like to sing this song live. So here we were. It was nice to see the joy and ambition with which Brian and Roger performed the song live...
The crowning finish was ‘We Are the Champions’. The audience was a surging sea of hands. People who were total strangers were in each other’s arms with tears in their eyes. Paul Rodgers threw his microphone stand in the air for the last time and caught it again skilfully. Brian May sent a last riff into the raving crowd. Roger Taylor whirled again on the drums. Then it was over and done with – Queen had passed the live test before the most critical public of the world, their fans. Queen were celebrating a triumphant live comeback.
All the musicians came to the edge of the stage to the traditional tones of ‘God Save The Queen’. Roger Taylor gave his drumsticks away to the loyal fans in the first rows. You could see how happy Brian, Roger, Paul, Spike, Jamie and Danny were over the successful start of the tour. One last bow to the uproarious fans and then Queen and Paul Rodgers left the stage after 122 minutes of total live power at exactly 22.47.

(This picture was also reproduced in the Official Fan Club Spring 2005 magazine, along with the following scanned items):

Queen is a child of love. Queen is a co-creation between the band and its fans. A unique thing in show business. And this spirit will never die.

The writer says there was a full house, many of the audience were young. It was truly a memorable concert, and praised the Spanish spirit of audience participation which was such that the writer jokes that they would have managed very well even if Paul and Brian had lost their voices!

The writer heard others praise Paul’s performance - that his blues vocals were truly brilliant and also commented on the slow version of ‘Hammer to Fall’ – ‘delighted’ to hear it in this concert.

The writer was a bit disappointed that some songs ‘dear to my heart’ were not played, but remarked that to avoid disappointment it would be necessary to have a concert the length of all the albums put together!

Brian sang ‘Love of My Life’ and ‘’39’ at the edge of a gangway that led from the stage into the audience. Paul was also in the same position for another song, during which a guy managed to get on to the stage, run towards Paul and put a red cap on him before being removed by security. This surprised Paul, who flunked a line, but then continued, smiling!

Rome/Milan/Pesaro

Rome:

(The following three pictures of the Rome show were posted by 'Alex 82' on the Italian fan club forum):

http://www.freeforumzone.it/viewmessaggi.aspx?f=49497&idd=756&p=4

(Italian Fan Club)

Posted by 'william gallagher' about the Rome show - I have translated some extracts to the best of my ability, here is a descriptive summary of his account:

The writer comments that the audience really sang 'till their throats split'(!) on I Want To Break Free - they were absolutely crazy!
'39 was simply perfect and 'Love of My Life' was one of the best moments of the concert - everyone singing tightly together in one chorus.
He comments about the slow start of 'Hammer to Fall' - forming a bridge between the acoustic guitar at the beginning and the rock part which followed, the acoustic guitar giving way to the explosion with all the 'bursting power' of Brian's guitar!
He commented that Roger lowered the key for the second verse of 'I'm in Love with my Car' and that the performance was good.

'Last Horizon' was very touching, there was a comment on the video trip to the stars, and that if you closed your eyes you could imagine being transported at sea on waves towards untouched and uncontaminated shores...
Radio Ga Ga made everyone crazy, with everyone clapping their hands!
He commented that Paul didn't know the words to 'The Show Must Go On' at times, leaving the singing to the audience.
During 'All Right Now' Paul had an excellent rapport with the audience.
He didn't have the words to describe 'We Will Rock You' and commented on the effort made by Roger, who appeared very tired by the end of it!
'We Are the Champions' was beautiful, with everyone singing, lit up with lights.

More on Rome
http://www.freeforumzone.it/viewmessaggi.aspx?f=49497&idd=756&p=1

(Italian Fan Club)
Post by 'bdsklo' (selected extracts):

It was a dream to have heard them play - the hall was full of banners for Freddie and Queen (one for Paul Rodgers)...
Suddenly we heard those unmistakable harmonies..'Tie Your Mother Down'. This song seemed just right and done deliberately for the start of the concerts - jumping, singing, sweating, screaming, crying with joy...
The two hours of the concert went by in a flash...an incredible concert, with an unimaginable intensity, Brian and Roger are on top form...the Red Special made the windows shake during the Brighton Rock solo, Roger is a powerhouse, he played and sang at the same time as in the golden days. Paul is a true singer, has a great voice, interpreting the numbers in his own way without wishing to imitate anyone...

More descriptions of the Rome concert from the Italian fan club forum:

Post by Ziosam1:

During ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ we jumped at the same tempo as Brian and his guitar – on ‘I Want To Break Free’, Paul hardly opened his mouth, the audience practically sang it alone. What a moment it was when Brian sang ’39 and the wonderful Love of My Life. It is not easy to express one’s emotions.

Roger kept up so much energy in drumming, and Brian played Brighton rock and then the space rock of Last Horizon brought on goose bumps.

During ‘We Are The Champions’ such was the singing that I never heard Paul’s voice…

At the end, a thousand thoughts pass through your head – when they took their bows during ‘God Save The Queen’: Who knows when I’ll see them again, but with an awareness that I can say that I was there…

Then from Lurex 1981:

Everyone was jumping during ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, completely crazy and everyone started to do so again ‘During Fat-Bottomed Girls’ as if they were possessed!

Paul said that he had written the song ‘Seagull’ on the seashore, sang it whilst playing acoustic guitar, it was very beautiful…

‘Love of My Life’ was dedicated to ‘a special person whom we have lost recently’.

‘Days of Our Lives’ I have to say was very very sad…with the Japanese pictures on the screen…

‘A Kind of Magic’ and ‘I Want It All’ were really fantastic, Brian’s solo at the end was

 literally overwhelming! Everyone sang along to Bohemian Rhapsody with Freddie on

video, it was a unique emotion. I’d always thought that I might hear it live one day and

yesterday I managed to even though it wasn’t Freddie in person.

In the encore ‘All Right Now’ was really good, everyone sang along....

Rome photo from Lurex 1981. Source: Italian Fan Club Fan Forum

Milan:

Posted by 'Matteo' at http://www.queenitalia.it/

(Again, just selected extracts are described):

The writer said he was worked up like a kid - he never thought he would see them again in 2005 playing their hits and that they were fantastic!
Brian's guitar riffs are incredibly exciting. He thought that everyone got goose bumps when Brian played and sang 'Love of My Life'.
Paul Rodgers is a great singer with a lovely voice, excellent technique and stage presence and he is worthy of the current Queen! Roger still has a marvellous voice. They're great, great, great!

(Thanks to OBrasilo with his help in translating).

Pesaro:

With thanks to OBrasilo, extracts from comments on the

'Made in Heaven Queen Forum'
(see the link at the very bottom of my Queen page):

Before the beginning of the show there was no music for a long time, then a man came on-stage and said, that the Pope liked the music, so the Queen music won't harm him, and that we had to stand up, because there was 1 minute of silence. Then, the 1 minute of silence. Then, some music started, which ended with Eminem (!). Then, finally - QUEEN CAME ON STAGE! They were behind a curtain (but I was sitting almost in a corner up there, so I could see behind the courtain, then the curtain fell. They were playing 'Tie Your Mother Down'...

...A Kind Of Magic was damn well performed...

Tie Your Mother Down had an extended ending (the last instrumental part (with the repeated "All your love tonight" lines) was longer, than usual).

And why the h*ck didn't Brian perform the whole '39, as Queen used to perform it back in the 1978/79. Why did he decide to perform it the same length as the version, performed on The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, back in the '92? * sigh *

Damn great performance of The Show Must Go On, We Will Rock You, and We Are The Champions.

Fat Bottomed Girls - the part after the stanza was performed as in the single version, not as in the performance of '82; a damn good performance with a very extended ending.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - it's nice that it begins like it used to begin in the old days. I really hate the drumless beginning, used on The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.

I Want To Break Free - apart the beginning (which was as the used to perform it back in 1984/85), the ending stunned me. They don't end the song, like they used to in Freddie's times. Instead, they end it with an ending, which is a slightly shorter version of the ending, used on The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.

Guitar Solo - well, well, well, it seems like Brian returned in his old times, when he used to performed his Guitar Solo as stand-alone since the 1982 ( @ the guitar problems he had on the Milton Keynes concert). Kinda a usual performance. But I would prefer to hear the complete Brighton Rock, as they used to perform it back in 1978/79.

I Want It All - nice, and all, but WTF? Why the h*ck do they perform the Queen Rock versions of it? I mean, the single-style a-cappella intro, and the rest is just like the album. I would prefer hearing the instrumental intro (album-style) instead, that would rock, when performed live. And I miss that extended instrumental part at the beginning, after the a-cappella part from The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Also, the end is now as short as in the usual version, not as nicely long as on The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert...

NB Paul sang the lead vocals on 'I Want It All'.

More on Pesaro, from

http://www.queenitalia.it/

Post by Albi (summary):

It was truly great. The performance of the songs was excellent and there was a better set list in my opinion because of the insertion of 'Say It's Not True' and the acoustic part was was opened with 'Long Away' (as an experiment, as Brian said). The 10,000-strong crowd of wild fans sang continually and the best numbers for me were: I Want It All, A Kind Of Magic The Show Must Go On, and obviously all the acoustic parts, Brian's solo and the marvellous 'Last Horizon'. There were two Paul songs - 'Can't Get Enough..' and 'All Right Now'.

What happened at Basel? Some comments from a fan with inside knowledge:

The writer described the atmosphere as sluggish, in contrast to the ‘madness’ of the Italian concerts. Paul was still struggling with his voice. During ‘I Want It All’, he was singing but suffering from his bad throat. Just before Brian’s solo the sound cut out on his instrument, then on Jamie’s, on Paul’s microphone and then Spike’s keyboard. Only drums and bass could be heard. Paul led the audience in clapping while Spike went to explain the situation to Roger, who continued with Paul’s rhythm, the sound returned and then the song was finished. Thanks to Paul and Spike for their cool reactions! The writer found out afterwards that two amplifiers had exploded!

Posted in French by Mitch:

http://forum.aceboard.net/6302-1192-18603-0-Bale-resume-QueenFrance-concert-vraiment-part.htm

'Queen zwischen Selbsthuldigung und ordentlichem Rock-Konzert'

Queen: Between Self-Homage and Neat Rock Concert

The band appear in Vienna with guest singer Paul Rodgers

Thirteen years after the death of singer Freddie Mercury, the British rock band Queen is back on tour for the first time. On balance after the performance on Wednesday in the Vienna Stadthalle: Together with guest voice Paul Rodgers of the two remaining original members Brian May and Roger Taylor are rocking neatly. It was also enjoyed by those members of the audience who were neutral. However, the show slipped elsewhere whenever the guitarist or the drummer took over the microphone - into an emotional maintenance of the historic monument. Only committed Queen fans really understand the significance of that.

“Queen ft. Paul Rodgers playing Queen, Free and Bad Company Songs’ read the ticket, and underneath, full price: 78 Euro” (seated). On average around 10,000 people pay as much for the pleasure each evening. The Stadthalle was fairly full, even if not to capacity. A few years ago May and Taylor, on tour using only their own names, had to be content with filling Planet Music - an audience of about 800. People just want big names – Queen has one.

And the audience knew what was on offer: the intro, an Eminem track, was the only concession to the present. ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ started the journey to an era when guitarists splayed their legs, tossed their long curly locks over their shoulders and stood with instrument at the ready. For that, at least, Brian May does not have to act the part. ‘I Want To Break Free’ followed, the audience taking over the chorus, ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ and ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ then fitted seamlessly into the first section.

The songs were well suited to Rodgers, who in his approach does not attempt to imitate Mercury’s affectations and way of singing. In the third section, interpretations of classics like ‘We Will Rock You’ or the inevitable finale ‘We Are the Champions’ were to prove a success. ‘Queen ft. Paul Rodgers’ was working! The addendum ‘playing Queen, Free & Bad Company Songs’ was not incorrect, but rather an exaggeration, as there was only one song in each section from the guest singer’s former bands. At least ‘All Right Now’ set the venue alight.

The second section belonged to May and Taylor and gave them the opportunity to pay homage to themselves. ‘The spirit of Queen is still alive’ mumbled the guitarist into the microphone and dedicated the schmaltzy ‘Love of My Life’ to the deceased Freddie. On ‘Hammer To Fall’ the ‘prehistoric rocks’ shared the vocal parts before rock history’s most distinctive curly head started a guitar solo (including waltz – how novel) which appeared a lot longer than the actual length of ten minutes. Taylor croaked* his way through ‘These Are The Days of Our Lives’ and ‘Radio Ga Ga’ while the drum computer provided the beat. The pinnacle of emotion: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with Mercury on video and his voice on tape.

Rodgers returned for ‘The Show Must Go On’ and demonstrated with Queen that the resurrection of a rock dinosaur need not, in fact, be painful. To be continued?

APA Tirol.com – Mein Tirol online – 14.04.05

*Translator's comment: Shame on you! Otherwise it's a good article!

Original:

http://portal.tirol.com/szene/international/7723/index.do

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'Queen-Beben lässt München erzittern'

Queen-Quake Shakes Munich

Brian May, Roger Taylor and Mercury’s successor Paul Rodgers commemorate the good old rock era

The Show Must Go On – Freddie Mercury recorded this song, but never came to celebrate it with a live performance. Almost 14 years after his death from Aids, another singer, Paul Rodgers, whom Mercury himself knew and according to guitarist Brian May rated very much, was making up for this. The former singer of the bands Free and Bad Company did his new job very well in the sold-out Olympiahalle in Munich on Thursday night. It was loud, it rocked, crashed and clattered – it was a Queen-quake that could only be produced by May’s amazing guitar sound, Roger Taylor’s thundering drums and the indestructible song catalogue of this band.

May delivered the slogan before the tour that people should simply come for enjoyment’s sake. From the first beats of ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ onwards, the two active members of the original Queen line-up, with Paul Rodgers and the valiant backing musicians on bass, rhythm guitar and keyboards, allowed no doubt that this night was devoted to all those who still want it all: ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’, ‘This Thing Called Love’ (sic), ‘A Kind Of Magic' , and - with video recordings of Mercury –‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Forming the encore of the two-hour-long show were ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’ and Rodger’s indestructible rock classic ‘All Right Now’.

At the start May affirmed that without the wondrous meeting of the three at a British show last September there would have been no Queen tour nineteen years after the last with Mercury. All these years May and Taylor had not, at best, excluded the possibility of a Queen comeback, but had found neither George Michael nor the young whippersnapper Robbie Williams suitable to occupy the place of Freddie.

And Rodgers does not try to imitate Mercury at all. True, he twirls the microphone stand around, but in everything he appears and sounds somewhat more earthy and bluesy. On ‘Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love’ May and Taylor well and truly paid tribute to Bad Company. ‘All Right Now’ became the climax, at which Rodgers confidently called on May, before the solo, to ‘Take the people higher’.

Taylor and May also presented solos to the audience in which age-wise a good mixture of all Champions from youth to senior citizens was represented. Taylor sang a relatively new composition in honour of Nelson Mandela and his fight against Aids: ‘Say It Isn’t So’ (sic). May related how he still had to keep pinching himself to be sure that he was really standing on the stage at a Queen concert: “You have kept the Queen spirit alive for 19 years – thank you!” Then he played acoustic guitar in the quietest part of the concert to ‘Love Of My Life’ as a ‘song for Freddie’. Then he led on to a version of ‘Hammer To Fall’ which was restrained at first, before the band joined in with full force. ‘Waiting for the hammer to fall’, the lyrics state – in the concert a special tribute to the loyal audience was made from those words.

There followed an excellent drum solo from Taylor to the classic instrumental ‘Wiped Out’ before May performed an unbelievable guitar solo. In Taylor’s ‘Days of Our Lifes’ (sic) Mercury was again on the video screen. ‘I Want To Break Free’ and ‘Radio Gaga’ were also part of the performance. Queen’s music has an everlasting magic, even if it cannot ever again be sung by Freddie Mercury. Music also has to be played in order to live on, and to that idea May and Taylor, who, after the sale of 150 million discs are now really financially independent, appear to have devoted themselves. A Queen concert with both of them plus Rodgers is - and remains - a perfect rock show. What is missing is a few new songs from the three of them – whether under the name of Queen or whatever.

Tour information: After the concert hall tour (sold out), Queen are additionally appearing in the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne on 06.07.

AP, 15.04.05, Stuttgarter Nachrichten Online

Original:

http://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/stn/page/detail.php/908534

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'Alte Herren begeistern in Leipzig'

Old Gents are an Inspiration in Leipzig

freiepresse.de, 18 April 05

“Queen” acclaimed by 10 000 fans at their only concert in East Germany

At the end they sang “We Are The Champions”: Brian May, Roger Taylor and Paul Rodgers. The fans ‘outvoted’ the band. After a conc