Tour Media Coverage
Kuramoto’s cameo with Queen [AUDIO] December 4, 2008
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Very few – if any – Hawaii residents can lay claim to having a cameo on a Queen record.
KITV weekend anchor Jill Kuramoto, however, is one of those people. And she had no clue her voice appears on the new Queen + Paul Rodgers single, “Surf’s Up … School’s Out.”
The Star-Bulletin’s Erika Engle broke the story on Sunday in her column, where she got a label representative to admit Kuramoto’s voice was lifted without her permission.
“Hearst-Argyle’s attorneys are looking into (the situation),” Kuramoto said last week Tuesday when I spoke to her at Senor Frog’s Waikiki. “One of our cameramen at our station bought the album and was listening to it, and then he let everyone else in the newsroom listen to it.
“And then I heard it, and I thought, ‘Oh yeah, that does sound like me.’”
According to Kuramoto, the sample in question was taken from a Dec. 1, 2007 newscast on KITV. While Erika’s column mentions Queen’s people found said clip of the newscast on YouTube, she couldn’t find it during an online search.
“I’m trying to think how they got it,” said Kuromoto last week. “Maybe one of them was on vacation out here and they heard it then?”
QUEEN - QUEEN TO ROCK ON DESPITE SPLIT REPORTS December 4, 2008
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QUEEN star BRIAN MAY has dismissed reports the group's show in Brazil on Saturday (29Nov08) was its last with singer PAUL RODGERS.
Internet rumours suggested the former Free star had split with May and Roger Taylor and would not be belting out Queen's hits in the near future.
But guitarist May insists the trio is simply taking a break after recording a new album together and touring.
Addressing the rumours on his website, the rocker writes, "Roger and Paul and myself haven't made any decisions whatsoever about the future. We just need a rest."
You can also find similar article HERE
QUEEN Guitarist Dismisses Split Rumors December 3, 2008
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reference: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=110157
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QUEEN guitarist Brian May has dismissed rumors of a split with singer Paul Rodgers, insisting that the group is simply taking a break.
Austrian web site Österreich / oe24.at reported yesterday (Tuesday, December 2) that QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS' concert in Rio de Janeiro last Saturday (November 29) was to be the group's last.
Guitarist Brian May has commented on the rumor at his official web site: "Well, I don't know where anyone got that idea — Roger [Taylor, drums] and Paul and myself haven't made any decisions whatsoever about the future. We just need a rest!"
The new QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS album, "The Cosmos Rocks", sold around 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"The Cosmos Rocks" arrived at No. 4 on the European Top 100 Albums chart back in September. It delivered a No. 5 U.K. debut on sales of 28,000.
KITV anchor rocks with Queen and Paul Rodgers November 30, 2008
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The new Queen + Paul Rodgers CD has an unexpected Hawaii connection - KITV anchor Jill Kuramoto.
Hers is the first voice heard on the "Surf's Up ... School's Out" track.
She has not started a new career as front-woman for a U.K.-based rock band, though the idea presents an entertaining visual.
Rather, it is Kuramoto's speaking voice, talking about a high surf warning and "some of the biggest waves of the season" that drew surfers and spectators to Oahu's North Shore.
The song is being played locally on KPOI-FM 105.9.
"We are certainly the first station to play the track," said Brock Whaley, director of programming for Visionary Related Entertainment's Oahu radio stations.
"I think we are the only station playing the track," perhaps in the country, he said. It was chosen for brief airplay for obvious reasons, because "it's got the surf thing happening," Whaley said.
Searching the liner notes, Whaley could find no acknowledgment that it was Kuramoto's voice - or any identification.
The promotions department at Hollywood Records linked TheBuzz to Joshua J. Macrae, producer and engineer, who co-produced the album, "The Cosmos Rocks."
"The surf report I grabbed off You- Tube," he said via e-mail. He could not remember if the lady or the newscast was from Hawaii, but "I think it was," he said.
The wave sound effects at the end of the epic song, "were recorded in Cornwall, U.K., where I surf," Macrae said.
The scream, that evokes a feeling of hurtling down a monster wave, is not vocalist Paul Rodgers, but is Roger Taylor, he said.
He suggested a search of YouTube to find the newsclip he found, but it proved fruitless.
Queen + Paul Rodgers: "Llamarnos de otra manera habría sido una estupidez"
November 17, 2008
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reference: http://www.latercera.cl/contenido/30_74883_9.shtml
Note: Article is not in English but this bit of it we have had a bit of it translated care of Little-drummer (Apparently Brian denied the rumours about TCR being the band's last tour at the Press conference in Chile two days ago):
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"I never said that. We're not thinking too far ahead, we're only doing what it feels good" (This is an approximate translation, the news is in Spanish; there's also a video there but it doesn't seem to be working)
(Audio Roger Interview) Roger Taylor y Brian May: Nosotros somos Queen November 17, 2008
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reference: http://www.cooperativa.cl/prontus_nots/site/artic/20081117/pags/20081117210534.html
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Los músicos creen estúpido pensar en otro nombre, pese a que ya no está Freddie Mercury.
La banda, con Paul Rodgers en la voz, actuará el miércoles en Santiago.
NOTE: go to links provided to get audio interview with Roger Taylor response re the use of the Queen name
Professional Pictures from the Rio Queen + Paul Rodgers Live Show
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Pictures from Press Conference Chile
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Pictures of Brian & Emily May shopping in Santiago
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Pictures from the Chile Queen + Paul Rodgers Live Show
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Press Conference in Argentina
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Press Pictures from the
Murcia (Spain) show
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Press Footage of Madrid
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Part transcript of what was said (translated by little-drummer):
Paul Rodgers Proves A Good Match for Queen
November
10, 2008
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reference: http://www.rock1075.com/Article.asp?id=975856&spid=28212
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Though Paul Rodgers had some very large shoes to fill when he stepped in as the lead singer of Queen in 2005, the band's member say the late Freddy Mercury would have approved.
Drummer Roger Taylor said "Freddie was a huge Paul Rodgers fan. Absolutely adored his voice. He was a different animal, but he would have loved to be able to sing like that."
And while Rodgers doesn't exactly match the sound of the flamboyant Mercury, guitarist Brian May wouldn't have it any other way.
"Any number of people could come along and imitate Freddie, but it would be pointless. It's wonderful to hear Paul inhabiting the songs and making them new. I know that's what Freddie would want."
The only missing member of the original band is bassist John Deacon, who retired in 1997. Deacon has turned down various offers to rejoin the group.
PAUL RODGERS SAYS NEW ALBUM WITH QUEEN RECALLS CLASSIC SOUND November 05, 2008
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reference: http://www.therock1067.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1256
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Paul Rodgers says that the new Queen + Paul Rodgers album The Cosmos Rocks shares many of the same trademarks as Queen's greatest work with late singer Freddie Mercury. Rodgers told Rolling Stone, "I was always blown away by those fabulous orchestral block harmonies that Queen are famous for, and always wondered how they did that."
"Well, now I know -- it's all in (guitarist) Brian (May's) head! We'd go out and multitrack all these harmonies, and (drummer) Roger (Taylor) and I really didn't know what it was going to sound like. And then we go back in the control room and our guys push up the faders and -- there it is!"
The new album, which is the first with the new lineup of Rodgers, May and Taylor, features Rodgers and May sharing bass duties. May says that the band still hopes retired bassist John Deacon will rejoin the lineup: "Whenever we tour, we always put a little feeler out and say, 'Perhaps you might be interested, John.' But he's not."
Rodgers added, "Somebody asked me the other day, 'What's it like singing for Queen?' And I said, 'It's a bit like sitting on the front of a rocket, going twice the speed of sound, without a seat belt.' And it's great."
He says that apart from the emotional baggage of stepping into Mercury's shoes, trying to duplicate some of his vocal lines onstage is pretty daunting: "It's been a little tougher than I thought. I always did respect Freddie, but I have a huge amount of respect for him now. He's such a huge voice, and he delivered so consistently at a very high range. It's a huge undertaking, really."
Queen + Paul Rodgers perform tonight (November 5th) in Manchester, England. A North American tour is expected to be announced for 2009.
QUEEN - TAYLOR + MAY KEEP OFFERING DEACON QUEEN LIVE GIG November
04, 2008
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QUEEN founders BRIAN MAY and ROGER TAYLOR always approach former bandmate JOHN DEACON before they plan a tour or live project, in the hope the bassist will rejoin the group.
Deacon has refused to take part in Queen activity for more than a decade, and wants no part of the band's ongoing reunion tour with former Free star Paul Rodgers fronting the group.
In his place, Rodgers, May and former Blue Oyster Cult star Danny Miranda provide bass on the group's new record and live.
But May and Taylor have never given up on their former bandmate.
May says, "Whenever we tour, we always put a little feeler out and say, 'Perhaps you might be interested, John.' But he's not."
Queen Is Back November 2, 2008
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With a new singer, the legendary rock band kicks off a world tour.
Thirteen years since their last work, Made in Heaven, and seventeen since the death of Freddie Mercury, Queen, with a new front man, a new album, and at the eve of a new world tour, has been practically reborn.
The British rock group, who dominated the musical scene of the 1970s and 1980s, disbanded and were secluded from the spotlight for nearly a decade. During that time, they accomplished numerous personal goals such as Brian May’s Ph.D. thesis in astronomy, solo productions, and once in a while appeared onstage at some fund-raising event.
The band’s newest release, The Cosmos Rocks, has as lead singer, former Bad Company and Free singer, Paul Rodgers. Conspicuously absent is bassist John Deacon, who has opted out of all band-related activity. On the new album, Brian May and Rodgers share bass duties; onstage, the parts are played by Danny Miranda, formerly of Blue Öyster Cult, whom they poached from the Las Vegas production of We Will Rock You. "Whenever we tour," says May, "we always put a little feeler out and say, 'Perhaps you might be interested, John.' But he's not."
As for the other missing member, May and Roger Taylor insist that Mercury would be pleased with their choice of front man. "Freddie was a huge Paul Rodgers fan," says Taylor. "Absolutely adored his voice. He was a different animal, but he would have loved to be able to sing like that."
According to Rolling Stone Magazine, shortly before finishing the album this summer, the trio gathered for lunch in the garden of Taylor's 13th-century estate — a former priory southwest of London — to discuss the events that led to the creation of The Cosmos Rocks, which was recorded upstairs in this very residence. "Writing together," says Taylor, "was a dive into the dark — really tentative at first." But when Rodgers offered up a song called "Time to Shine," the ice was broken. "It was very suitable for us," says Taylor. "Quite grand and big." Adds May, "That song was the first time we thought, 'Ooh, we have a record here — this actually sounds like us.'"
It is going to be hard and weird to listen to Queen’s beautiful tunes without the unique tenor voice Mercury had. However, Rodgers is a fully experienced front man, and will be successful in filling Mercury’s spot. He will do this without trying to imitate him but by expelling his own charisma and expertise and making his own mark on stage. Rodgers is, without doubt, the best man for the job.
6 bands that soldiered on October 31, 2008
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reference: http://www.azcentral.com/ent/music/articles/2008/10/31/20081031hotlistlarry.html
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Two of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin apparently are running out of patience with singer Robert Plant's reluctance to sign on for a major reunion tour.
Guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones have been holding rehearsals with Jason Bonham, son of late Zep drummer John Bonham, in hopes of nudging Plant toward a full-scale reunion, according to Billboard magazine.
But the trio apparently is ready to start auditioning singers to replace Plant on a tour, which would no doubt be one of the biggest outings of 2009. A new album also is being considered. OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1')
Plant has been touring with bluegrass singer-fiddler Alison Krauss in support of their rootsy Raising Sand album.
Here is a look at some other acts that have had to replace key members, and how they have fared:
Van Halen - Flamboyant singer David Lee Roth departed in 1985 and was replaced with blue-collar vocalist Sammy Hagar. Ever since, there has been a sharp divide between fans who prefer the original singer and those who prefer the "Van Hagar" model of the band. The band sold millions of albums with both front men. Roth returned in 2007 for a well-received reunion tour with co-founders Eddie and Alex Van Halen.
Queen - When supershowman Freddie Mercury died in 1991, the surviving members of this British band were destined for solo projects. (One final album featuring Mercury's vocals was released in 1995.) In 2005, co-founders Brian May and Roger Taylor joined with ex-Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers for a "reunion" tour. Queen Plus Paul Rodgers filled arenas, but some longtime Queen fans maintained that Mercury never could be replaced.
Bad Company - Speaking of Paul Rodgers' former band, this group brought in two singers to replace its wayward leader. Bad Company found chart success with new singer Brian Howe in 1986-94, but not so much with Robert Hart in 1995-97. Rodgers returned for four years in 1998, but he now is with Queen, which just released a new album, The Cosmos Rocks.
Genesis - Many fans thought this British group would go kaput when theatrical front man Peter Gabriel left in 1975. It took the band 18 months to recover, and after auditioning scores of singers, the group turned inward for a replacement. Drummer Phil Collins took the microphone, and the group scored an impressive string of radio hits in the late '70s and '80s.
Pink Floyd - Roger Waters, who wrote most of the group's lyrics, bitterly departed in 1984. Guitarist David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason continued on, prompting an unsuccessful lawsuit by Waters seeking to deny his ex-bandmates from using the Pink Floyd moniker. Without Waters, the group toured and made huge amounts of money. In 2005, Waters joined Pink Floyd onstage for a one-off appearance at the global Live 8 anti-poverty benefit.
The Who - Now referred to in some quarters as "The Two," singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend have kept making music despite the deaths of two co-founders. Drummer Keith Moon's loss in 1978 brought a few replacements, the most successful being Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, in the mid-'90s. Bassist John Entwistle died in 2002, just before the launch of a tour. The survivors drew criticism for only briefly delaying the start of the concert tour.
God saved the Queen: Band releases first album minus the iconic Mercury 26 October, 2008
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Like so many significant stories in the world of post-’60s rock, this one begins with the Beatles. More specifically, it begins with the 1968 double-album released simply as “The Beatles,” but known as “The White Album.”
Across the span of two vinyl discs, the Fab Four delved into nearly every musical style imaginable, from the old-school rock ’n’ roll of “Back in the USSR” to the proto-heavy metal squall of “Helter Skelter;” the folksy country stroll of “Rocky Raccoon” to the trippy psychedelia of “Dear Prudence;” and from the pure music hall charm of “Martha My Dear” to the avant-garde soul of “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?”
Already the most successful band in the world, the Beatles employed that fame as a license to split into four separate bands with four separate songwriters, and further, to fully indulge every whim of personal taste. In the process, the band created — wittingly or otherwise –what would come to be known as progressive rock.
Though it was forged in the fiery furnace of David Bowie’s gender-bending glam-rock, British quartet Queen built its career on –and employed as bedrock for its musical philosophy –the sprawling “White Album.”
It would add to the multi-idiomatic melange the Beatles presented with their masterpiece, bringing in an estimable amount of camp, show-tune grandiosity, the Sturm und Drang of opera, and ultimately, the anthemic qualities of arena-sized “big rock.” Along the way, the group would sell in excess of 150 million albums worldwide, making it one of the most successful bands in history.
Indelibly ambitious, deeply musical and fearlessly flamboyant, Queen meant many things to many people.
Singer, pianist, songwriter and one-of-a-kind frontman Freddie Mercury possessed an operatic tenor and an uncanny ability to carry off hard rock histrionics, white man’s soul, and fey Tin Pan Alley pop craftsmanship with equal aplomb and readily apparent conviction.
In Brian May, Queen boasted a genuine guitar hero, a musician whose larger-than-life solos and keen ear for orchestrated guitar harmonies gave the band much of its regal air and musical street-cred.
Drummer Roger Taylor sang like Rod Stewart and played like Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham. Bassist John Deacon was the quiet one, but his melodic lines and deep, guttural thump anchored the group, and he would prove to be perhaps the most pop-savvy of the Queen composers.
All four of them could write, all four of them were virtuosos, and most significantly, all four of them could sing. The ability to move with ease between musical styles became a Queen trademark, but it was the massive, neooperatic layering of the band’s harmony vocals that made it wholly unique within the rock landscape of the ’70s. This recipe informed all of the band’s hits, whether the song in question be the iconic mini-opera “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the arena-sized (English) football chant heroics of “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions,” or the shameless disco-funk appropriation “Another One Bites the Dust.”
When, in 1991, Freddie Mercury succumbed to a lengthy battle with AIDS-related illnesses at the age of 45, Queen died along with him. The eccentric Mercury was not just another singer, and thus, was not replaceable. The surving members called it a day, after releasing one posthumous Mercury-based album, 1995’s “Made in Heaven.” That seemed to be that.
May, Taylor and Deacon kept a low profile, while the band’s enduring influence became readily apparent in the work of a new generation of bands, and its catalog continued to sell to a generation of listeners not even born when Queen scored most of its biggest hits.
In 2004, however, May and Taylor –Deacon was firm in his commitment to retirement – played a one-off gig at an English industry awards show with former Free/Bad Company/ the Firm singer Paul Rodgers. The magic, it seemed, had not wholly abandoned them. Soon enough, the trio –with the help of a few backing musicians –had rehearsed a program of Queen songs, peppered with a few of the various hits Rodgers had accrued over the years. (Between his efforts with the various bands he fronted, Rodgers has accrued nearly 150 million worldwide album sales himself.)
“Paul is not really replacing Freddie, because no man can,” Taylor said to The Buffalo News prior to a Queen + Paul Rodgers Buffalo tour stop in 2006. “He is completely his own man, and he brings a sound, style and approach that is wholly his own to the table. That’s why we can feel good about carrying on –it doesn’t at all feel like we’ve replaced Freddie. It’s more like we’ve formed a new band to play this repertoire of music that, I must say, still retains an awful lot of power.”
At the time of the Buffalo concert, Taylor was noncommittal about writing and recording plans for this new band. “We’re committed to this tour, but we have no plans beyond that,” the drummer said.
Now, however, the first album of new Queen material to be released sans the towering vocals and considerable songwriting acumen of Mercury is poised to hit the streets. Concurrently, the influence of Queen’s large-screen, grandiose vision of rock music is more pervasive than ever. It’s both interesting and ironic that Queen, the very band so many among the first generation of British punk rockers claimed to be rebelling against as bloated and irrelevant, has in fact had a broader influence than most of those angry young neo-anarchists. “God save the Queen,” indeed.
Queen (Kinda) Comes to Davenport October 22, 2008
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The long awaited return of Queen - well, at least half of the band - arrives this coming Tuesday with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor backing former Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers. The stargazing album's title The Cosmos Rocks is rather fitting, with May's recent doctorate in astrophysics. Sorry, but his Ph.D. thesis, A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud, is not included in the liner notes.
Fans across America get a special front-row experience on November 6 when more than 400 movie theaters - including Showcase 53 in Davenport - present Queen + Paul Rodgers: Let the Cosmos Rock in a special one-night showing. The concert experience was filmed last month in Freedom Square in Kharkov, Ukraine, before 350,000 fans in collaboration with the Elena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation and Queen's Mercury Phoenix Trust. Check out FathomEvents.com for a complete listing of participating theaters. Feeling misty over the absence of the irreplaceable Freddie Mercury? Hollywood Records is also issuing expanded remastered editions of 1974's Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack, 1975's A Night at the Opera, and 1976's A Day at the Races.
Champions Queen return in glory October 17, 2008
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reference: http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/10/17/champions-queen-return-in-glory/
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Queen + Paul Rodgers
Birmingham NIA
When legendary Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers went on the road with Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor in 2005, many thought it might be a one-off.
Three years later and Queen + Paul Rodgers are still going strong with The Cosmos Rocks, the first new album of new Queen material in 13 years, and a tour which called in at the NIA last night.
While many fans remain divided about Rodgers filling the shoes of the frankly irreplaceable Freddie Mercury, the sell-out NIA crowd were on their feet from the off as he led the band through Queen songs old and new plus a choice selection from his own back catalogue.
Rodgers himself has insisted that he is not Freddie’s replacement. The key perhaps is to think of him as the singer with Queen, not the singer of Queen.
While the new album tends to sound more like a Paul Rodgers record with a Queen accent, this was most definitely a Queen show, from the gargantuan lighting rig to the huge sound, Brian May’s trademark “red special“ guitar and the big crowd singalongs.
It kicked off with the triple whammy of Hammer To Fall, Tie Your Mother Down and Fat Bottomed Girls, Rodgers and May making regular forays down a 30m walkway into the audience.
Queen shows were always about variety, so as well the all-out rockers we got pop hits like Crazy Little Thing Called Love and the recent single C-Lebrity, as well as new album tracks Surf’s Up . . . School’s Out, We Believe and Cosmos Rockin’.
Where Mercury was once Queen’s clown prince, May is the current band’s master of ceremonies. He led the NIA choir through a lump-in-the-throat-inducing Love Of My Life, dedicated to “you beautiful Brummies” and, despite a slight lapse in geography, recalled the first time that song became an iconic Queen audience participation event at Bingley Hall in Stafford 30 years ago.
In truth, Rodgers’ blues-rock vocals suit some Queen songs better than others, with I Want To Break Free not quite convincing, but The Show Must Go On, Radio Gaga and I Want It All are right up his street. His own career was represented by a storming All Right Now, Bad Company and a gorgeous solo rendition of Seagull.
Drummer Taylor got his moment in the spotlight as he joined May on the walkway for ‘39 and then dominated proceedings for the next 15 minutes with a knockabout drum solo on an ever-expanding drum kit, proving that he too has a great rock voice as he took the lead on I’m In Love With My Car, A Kind Of Magic and Say It’s Not True.
And Freddie Mercury? Yes he was there too . . . in spirit and on screen, first projected behind the stage during May’s guitar solo spot and then in sight and sound on a video and audio feed from an old Queen concert as the live band played along with the mighty Bohemian Rhapsody.
The song ended with the crowd mesmerised as the video Mercury and the real-life Rodgers traded vocal lines. The show itself ended in typical style with all arms aloft for We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions.
Special mention must go to former Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray who joined the backing band of Spike Edney and Jamie Moses at short notice after tour bassist Danny Miranda had to go into hospital.
On this evidence, Queen, with Paul Rodgers, remain the champions of the world.
Queen is missing something October 14, 2008
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reference: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/gig-23353243-details/Queen+Plus+Paul+Rodgers/gigReview.do
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Queen? Not really. Freddie Mercury cannot be with us for well-documented reasons, bassist John Deacon prefers to sit at home counting his money and polishing his dignity, leaving guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor as the half who wouldn’t let things lie.
The joy and genius of Queen was the outrageously camp Mercury vying for supremacy with three blokey blokes. More often than not, the tension in a band of four songwriters and three singers resulted in what was genuinely a kind of magic.
Since 2004, May and Taylor have replaced Mercury with Paul Rodgers. Once of Free and Bad Company, Rodgers is a harmonica-playing, microphone-stand-twirling, great British bawler. Alas, the 58-year-old Teessider married to a former Miss Canada is too sexually uncomplicated to strut in Mercury’s shoes.
Rodgers was a curious figure, occasionally brilliant, as when tearing through I Want To Break Free and wrestling in manly fashion with The Show Must Go On. Yet he fluffed more than one line and when a lighter touch was required, he struggled. Radio Gaga is a nostalgic paean to an idealised childhood, not a hairy-chested romp, although the spellbinding Leni Riefenstahl-esque syncopated clapping brought out the latent totalitarian in everyone. Strangely, he needed an autocue, although you suspect May and Taylor hoped their newish singer would be familiar with Queen’s songs by now: after all, by unhappy osmosis even I know every last lumpen line of the loathsome (“no time for losers”) We Are The Champions.
So, in a Faustian accommodation with Rodgers, May and Taylor have re-written Queen’s history to re-position them as meat ’n’ potatoes rockers and omitted the bulk of their great songs (You’re My Best Friend, Now I’m Here, Las Palabras De Amor, Innuendo, Don’t Stop Me Now among many others). It was as if the dazzling, ground-breaking, reflective, wry Queen had never existed.
Instead, there was Fat Bottomed Girls; new songs, including We Believe (improbably even more pompous than its title with its “we believe there’s a deed of obligation to bring reconciliation” line), while comedian Al Murray appeared on Cosmos Rockin’. There was a torturous drum solo, an interminable guitar solo and Free’s All Right Now (a song that is always too soon to hear yet again). Most tellingly of all, Mercury’s appearance on screen during Bohemian Rhapsody only emphasised that, in Queen’s case, the past is a superior place and nobody present last night thought otherwise.
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reference: http://living.scotsman.com/music/Music-review-Queen--Paul.4587340.jp
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It can have enhanced no-one's memories of Queen – one of rock'n'roll's greatest ever live bands – to see them as they exist now: half-hearted, half-there (original bassist John Deacon refuses to partake), past-it and prone to indulging themselves in fashions that lurched from the naff (May dedicating a song to "all our mums"), to the vain (May's ten-minute guitar solo; Taylor's ten-minute drum solo) to the plain rubbish (a botched attempt to synch Bohemian Rhapsody with footage of Mercury performing the song) to the frankly weird (Taylor knocking out the Jaws theme on an electric upright bass with drumsticks).
Worse still, not only did they manage to reduce Queen's oeuvre to the level of a very loud covers band performing for pints down the local, but they played some brand new pub rock numbers too, from their recent studio abhorrence The Cosmos Rocks. Of these C-Lebrity – Rodgers's soft-brained dissing of reality TV stars who "just want to be / a face on TV", which he growled while his own fizzog was beamed on to a 50-foot screen – was the most laughable. There should be laws against this kind of thing.
Queen rock the O2 October 13, 2008
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reference: http://www.wharf.co.uk/2008/10/queen-rock-the-o2.html
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LONG before they closed the show with a rousing version of "We Are The Champions", Queen and Paul Rodgers had conquered an adoring audience to claim The O2 as their own last night.
The veteran rockers made a triumphant return to London proving once again there's no substitute for great songs and well-honed stage-craft.
Having seen the band in their live heyday at Wembley way back in 1986 I was curious to see how the 2008 vintage, minus bass player John Deacon and the late, lamented Freddie Mercury, would compare.
The two remaining band members, Brian May and Roger Taylor, were joined by singer Rodgers, making for an interesting blend as his blues-rock instincts played against Queen's trademark pumping stadium anthems.
Mercury, who died in 1991, would be a hard act for any vocalist to follow and, to his credit, Rodgers avoids any attempt at impersonating the flamboyant frontman.
The former Free singer has his own rock-solid credentials, so he was always going to be a safe bet up front, and his more blues-orientated delivery added a new dimension to familiar material, even if he did need the safety-net of an autocue in case he forgot the lyrics.
And with a few of his Bad Company classics tossed into the mix for good measure you could say the punters were really getting two acts for the price of one.
But some things never change. Brian May's hair for one thing.
And the enthusiasm and sheer devotion Queen fans hold for their band is another.
A blistering opening to the show, featuring foot-stompers like "Hammer to Fall", "Tie Your Mother Down" and "I Want it All", got the crowd into party mode straight away. And there was to be no let up for the rest of the evening.
The crowd lapped it up and we were back to the old days - top-notch material laced with plenty of energy and noise.
Rodgers took the tempo down a bit with his 1974 accoustic track "Seagull" before May gave the audience what they were waiting for - the chance to pay homage to Mercury during a touching rendition of "Love of my Life".
This was a staple of Mercury's rapport-building with live audiences and May showed he had learned well as he led the O2 in a splendid singalong.
He followed it up with "39", an album track from 1975's "Night at the Opera", nicely played as you would expect from the virtuoso guitarist.
The show took a lurch into left-field as Taylor, who had joined May on a small stage in the heart of the crowd, took over.
We're in the grip of a 1970s -style recession, so why not another 1970s staple? The drum solo.
Taylor, starting with just a high-hat and bass drum launched into a terrific display of tub-thumping, made all the more impressive as he never missed a beat while his roadies built the rest of the kit around him.
Much as I admire Taylor's timpanic talents, more than five minutes of this would have been hard to take and fortunately he launched into a sublime version of "I'm in Love with my Car", again from 1975 and here a live tour-de-force with growling guitars aplenty.
Taylor, one of rock's finest drummers, is also a much underrated singer. He fronted his own side-project, The Cross, back in the late-1980s, and here he showed how much he contributed to the Queen sound vocally.
May had his own opportunity to show-off later with his piece-de-resistance, the lengthy, unaccompanied, double-tracked solo from "Brighton Rock". Always a crowd pleaser and this was no exception.
But what of the material from new album "The Cosmos Rocks"?
Released just weeks ago it stood up reasonably well against the classic stuff, but then this was a band preaching to the converted, with the bulk of the audience probably already well-familiar with the latest offering.
What Queen do so well, perhaps on a level matched by only three or four other bands, is make the audience feel involved in the music - perfectly illustrated by "Radio Ga Ga" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", with much of the vocal work done by a delirious crowd.
There was even time for some pathos as the set closed with film of Mercury singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" from way-back-when before May joined in for his famous solo from the ancient chart-topper.
It's a strange song and one perhaps diminished by over-familiarity but here the hoary, overblown old chestnut was imbued with some genuine emotion. Who would have thought it could have been quite so moving as Rodgers traded lines with his ghostly predecessor?
By the time comedian Al Murray - in his Pub Landlord guise - bounded on to the stage to add some surreal flavour to encore "The Cosmos Rocks", this was a gig destined to live long in the memory of the thousands cramming the venue.
This was a band clearly enjoying themselves, Rodgers beaming broadly as he belted out his best-known hit, "All Right Now", while May simulated Paul Kossof's guitar solo with evident relish.
Rounding off with "We Will Rock You" and "Champions" this was a triumph for Queen, and Rodgers. No major surprises perhaps, but one of the best shows you are likely to see this or any other year.
They return to The O2 on November 7. Go see them if you can.
(Online Article still up for viewing)
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reference: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/10/13/bmqueen.xml
(Back up text copy of article)
David Cheal finds rapture in singalong city at Trent F W Arena, Nottingham
Freddie Mercury's death in 1991 left a hole in the heart of Queen that will never be filled. Who, after all, could replace the world's most flamboyant frontman?
So it came as a bit of a shock to learn in 2005 that Queen's guitarist, Brian May, and drummer, Roger Taylor, had teamed up with Paul Rodgers, the former Free and Bad Company singer. Now, Rodgers is a terrific vocalist, but he's hardly Mr Charisma, being a bit on the short side, rather unprepossessing, and quite hairy. And yet the opening night of their UK tour turned out to be a thoroughly entertaining and at times joyous occasion. How did they pull it off?
Partly, of course, it was because they were working with a back catalogue of songs that are among the most crowd-pleasing tunes ever written. But it was also thanks to the cleverness with which they worked around the absence of Mercury, not attempting to replace him directly, but always giving the show a focal point.
To begin with, it was May who took the limelight, strutting around with his big, bouncy hair, firing off little solos as the band - including three supporting players on bass, guitar and keyboards - warmed up with Hammer to Fall and Tie Your Mother Down.
His assurance was in contrast with Rodgers, who looked frankly a bit awkward and exposed; he strikes me as a singer who is happiest behind a microphone stand rather than parading and preening.
But the show really ignited when May sat on a stool with an acoustic guitar and said: "There's someone from our party who couldn't make it tonight. He sends his love. His name is Freddie Mercury." Rapture. Love of My Life followed, and suddenly Nottingham was singalong city.
After that, it was - barring a boring drum solo from Taylor and a couple of so-so songs from the new album, The Cosmos Rocks - downhill all the way: Radio Ga Ga, The Show Must Go On, plus a couple of diversions into Rodgers's past with Bad Company and All Right Now. And Bohemian Rhapsody was performed with the help, on the video screen, of the only man who could replace Freddie Mercury: the magnificent, the magnetic, the one and only Freddie Mercury.
Queen and Rodgers rockin’ the cosmos October 1, 2008
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reference: http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/10/01/queen-and-rodgers-rockin-the-cosmos/
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The NIA will be rockin’ along with the cosmos when Queen and Raul Rodgers roll into Birmingham.
The band, made up of Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor along with former Free/Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers, arrives at the NIA on Thursday October 16.
The gig is part of a huge tour which kicked off in Russia earlier this month and ends in Brazil in November.
Q+PR’s new album, The Cosmos Rocks, has been released to critical acclaim and is the first Queen studio album in 13 years.
The first single from the album, C-lebrity, a tongue-in-cheek dig at celebrity culture, got its debut on Al Murray’s Happy Hour TV show - the comedian being a huge fan of the band.
Fans can expect an eclectic mix of tracks from the new album, along with Queen classics and songs drawn from Bad Company and Free, and Rodger’s solo career.
When Queen and Paul Rodgers played their first triumphant concerts in 2005 one of the highlights was a version of Bohemian Rhapsody which saw Rodgers singing along with a video of legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, positioned to make it look like Mercury was playing piano on a platform at the back of the stage.
Mercury died of an Aids-related illness in 1991 and fans have been divided about any incarnation of the band featuring another singer.
Before the collaboration with Rodgers, rumours had abounded over the years that singers ranging from Elton John to George Michael and even Robbie Williams might fill Mercury’s shoes.
But it was after Brian May joined Paul Rodgers to perform Free’s All Right Now at the the Fender Strat Pack concert in 2004 that the guitarist spoke of a musical chemistry between the pair.
When Queen were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, they turned to Rogers to provide the vocals for We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions and All Right Now.
In 2005 Queen and Paul Rodgers announced their first world tour, leading to the concert CD and DVD, Return Of The Champions.
Now the champions are set to return again.
Latvia's Prime Minister To Perform With QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS In Riga September 19, 2008
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According to a posting on QUEEN guitarist Brian May's official web site, Latvia's Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis invited QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS yesterday to his official offices yesterday to welcome them to his country but also to converse on one of his favorite subjects — rock music.
Prime Minister Godmanis, now serving his second term as the country's leader, further revealed during the encounter that as a hobby he relaxes by beating out his favorite rock rhythms on his personal drum kit.
The unlikely outcome of this official meeting is that Prime Minister Godmanis will take over Roger Taylor's famed QUEEN drum kit at tonight's Riga Arena concert for a performance with the band of singer Paul Rodgers' classic hit "All Right Now".
'THE
COSMOS ROCKS' TOUR 2008: ALBUM REVIEW September
19, 2008
by Aussie Queens member Alison
(text link exchange)
You can catch Alison's review on the following link: http://www.bohemia-place.net/queenpr.htm
"Queen" and Paul Rodgers arrived in Riga September 18, 2008
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reference: http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/baltic_news/?doc=1619
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The legendary band "Queen", together with Paul Rodgers, arrivef in Riga on a private jet from Moscow yesterday; they will perform a concert at the "Arena Riga" on Friday, September 19.
The musicians have expressed a wish to attend a live concert of a Latvian band during their stay in Riga, and also to become acquainted with the city, informs LETA.
Head of the concert organizing agency Baltic Music Productions Lauri Laubre informed: "We were asked by the band to prepare a list of restaurants, where they cold go for a dinner, list of live music concerts in Riga, as well as description of local attractions. They also stated some safety requirements," Laubre informed.
The interest about the "Queen" and Paul Rodgers' ''European Tour 2008'' has been very high and tickets for the most of the tour's concerts have been sold out. The tour started in Kharkov, Ukraine and is planned to end on November 14, in Dubai. From there, the musicians will head on to a tour around South America.
"Queen" are one of the world's most legendary musicians, their songs, which have gained huge popularity, include "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions".
Queen + Paul Rodgers +350,000 fans September 17, 2008
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reference: http://www.kyivpost.com/guide/general/29745
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Queen and Paul Rodgers sang to an impressive audience of 350,000 people on Sept. 12 to raise money for HIV-AIDS sufferers in Ukraine, as well as raise awareness of the problem.
Fans from all over Ukraine filled the Freedom square in Kharkiv to listen to the iconic British rock band, which lost its legendary front man Freddie Mercury to an AIDS-related disease in 1991.
This was the band’s second European tour after they teamed up with Paul Rodgers, who used to sing in Free and Bad Company bands. They played the first show of their tour in Ukraine.
The open-air charity concert named “Life Must Go On!” became one of the biggest concerts in the history of Ukraine and in the 40-years long history of Queen. The following day Brian May wrote in his blog (www.brianmay.com): “We just did our first show of the tour ... ... to 350,000 people in Kharkiv ... I can hardly believe it... More than a quarter of a million beautiful Kharkiv people gathered in the City Square and rocked!!! They shouted, screamed, laughed, cried ... and gave us the most incredible reception I can imagine. Thank you, Good Folks of Ukraine!!”
The concert started at 19.30 and lasted for over two hours. Musicians performed 28 songs and two instrumental compositions, including their classics “One Vision,” “The Show Must Go On,” “Another One Bites the Dust,“ “I Want to Break Free,” “It’s a Kind of Magic,” “Love of My Life, “39,” “I’m in Love With My Car,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Radio Ga-Ga,” and other hits. The show was free for nearly everyone, except the VIP visitors who paid to get in the special fenced-out zone. Organizers said money raised by selling tickets to VIPs will be donated to the city orphanage for HIV-positive children.
Revived Queen takes on Paul Rodgers and a new name September 12, 2008
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reference: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24329381-5003421,00.html
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IN a case of do or die, Queen - the band that was a global phenomenon - has re-emerged with a fresh identity.
What's in a name?
Well, when you're one of the biggest bands of all time, quite a lot really.
Normally musicians could be expected to have long debates over potential album titles, but for rock icons Queen, the question was slightly different - what to call their band.
The addition of former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers posed a dilemma for the remaining original members of the group, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor.
Were they still just Queen, or were they something else?
Millions of fans, meanwhile, are debating a similar question - are they Queen without the legendary force that was Freddie Mercury?
Answering the name question, the band chose Queen + Paul Rodgers.
Sitting in a London hotel suite, his trademark hair reaching down to his shoulders, May says they could have gone by any random name.
"We could have called it Green Onions and we went through all this process," he says.
"But if you call it something that's not connected to the past, really you're depriving all the people who are loosely connected with your history from finding you.
"We'd be dead before people discovered 'oh actually these guys are still there from Queen and this is Paul Rodgers'."
Earlier that day, Rodgers was asked the same question - why not just Queen?
His reply also addressed what this combination was all about.
"If I had of done that, if we'd said OK we're going to call it Queen, people would have said 'well you can't call it Queen because it's not Queen, it's something else'," Rodgers says.
"So we decided to avoid that and be very clear and up-front from the start.
"In my mind anyway it was a good idea to be very clear with the public, it's not actually Queen, it's Queen and myself joining forces so expect something different."
May, 61, agrees that this isn't Queen any more, or at least not as the world knew it.
"I feel it's a new band, I really do," he said.
"We all bring to it what we have in our histories and what we have in our hearts, but it is a new band."
This week the trio released a first studio album together, The Cosmos Rocks, with 13 new tracks.
It is Queen's first studio production in 13 years.
Simultaneously, the band has launched a three-month tour of Britain and Europe that is set to be extended elsewhere, though unlikely to Australia.
Why the new album and tour? It's not like they weren't busy.
May, remarkably, was working on his PhD in astrophysics, which he had abandoned when Queen became successful three decades earlier.
He completed it last year, an achievement of which he is rightly proud. It follows a book he co-authored on the history of the universe, while he is now working on a new book about 1850s photographer T.R. Williams.
Perhaps his mental powers were enhanced by his lifelong abstinence from drugs, of which he says: "I felt there was enough going on in my brain anyway and my brain was unstable in a sense, just with the music and my surroundings."
Rodgers was happily on a solo tour.
May says it was a case of there being nothing to lose.
"It was just like 'let's see what happens'."
So they set aside three weeks and booked into the Priory studio at Roger Taylor's home.
However it wasn't only Freddie Mercury who was absent.
Also missing, as he has been for a long time, was Queen's bassist John Deacon, who has opted for a quieter life.
May says: "We send him everything and we invite him to everything.
"And when he feels like it he will respond."
Had he responded lately, on the album for example?
"No, not really," May said.
"But there is a tacit thing, there's an agreement.
"If he doesn't respond he likes it.
"If he doesn't like something you hear from him straight away."
And on the business side of things, Deacon was still very much involved.
"He talks to our accountant more than he talks to us. Believe me," says May.
In the first recording session they got a long way into Time to Shine.
Another song, Voodoo, was done on the second take.
May says they played together every day in the studio.
"That's something I'm proud of," he said.
"We didn't just go in there and fiddle with machines.
"We went in there and we played our instruments and worked off each other, you can hear that on the album I think.
"It's an organic album at its core."
Taylor, 59, wearing a pin-striped suit, his silver hair neatly trimmed, says it was a case of no album, no tour and probably, no more Queen.
"There was no point in carrying on, I think, without new material," he said.
"Otherwise you're not a potent ongoing force.
"If you're just going to recycle old records, old songs, old hits, you sort of become your own tribute band."
The album is dedicated to Freddie, whose death from AIDS-related illness in November 1991 is still mourned. Rodgers is behind half the new tracks and it is abundantly clear he didn't take a back seat, his blues grounding unmistakable.
Rodgers, 58, was successful before Queen, of course.
Think of Feel Like Making Love, All Right Now and Shooting Star.
In fact, Mercury was known to go to Rodgers' shows and he was one of Queen's early influences, the band says.
So how does he feel about singing another band's songs, as he must do over and over again?
On this tour for example, the two-hour concerts will feature as few as three of the new songs, giving audiences the chance to sing along to the old classics.
"I feel very free in whatever I sing. I don't sing anything that I don't feel comfortable with," says Rodgers, who has been performing with Queen for three years now ("that's actually as long as the time I spent with Free, and this is still a new entity," he says.)
"Fortunately so far everything we've done I have been able to reinterpret or step into and make myself comfortable within those songs - and they play my songs so well, I have to say."
Even Rodgers admits, however, to being daunted by the global phenomenon that is Queen, whose hits such as Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites the Dust and We Will Rock You are anthems known by anyone who has ever turned on a radio, gone to a sporting match or walked into a pub with a jukebox.
Rodgers says: "To step into that from my point of view is a bit like strapping myself on the front of a rocket ship without a safety net."
What of the elephant in the room?
How can he expect to fill those very big, dancing, flamboyant, camp shoes of Freddie Mercury?
Admirably, Rodgers does not try to dodge the issue.
"It had to work on a musical level for me," he says.
"I'm a musician.
"I'm a singer and a songwriter.
"I have great respect for what Freddie did, he was flamboyant, he was a showman, a great frontman, very entertaining and people loved him, and it was great for magazines too because it was great copy.
"But you see, that's not who I am.
"The only way I could do this was to actually just be myself, which is much more down to earth.
"Sorry. Perhaps I'm a little boring, but I'm just me."
The day before the interviews, with only weeks to go before the start of their tour, the band gave a group of reporters a chance to see them in action in a full dress rehearsal.
The session was held at London's Elstree Studios where the UK's Big Brother house is located, ironic given new single C-lebrity is all about talentless fame.
It was an experience a Queen fan would give their right arm for, with a set of eight songs starting with Fat Bottomed Girls.
However as Rodgers went through his paces, it was impossible not to wonder what a 62-year-old Freddie would be doing if he was up there on stage.
The "Freddie factor" had given Rodgers pause for thought before he started down this path.
"I suppose I did say 'can I do this' because there will be a certain amount of people saying it can't be done," he says.
In the end he reasoned that if it feels right, stick with it.
"The reason I came together with Brian and Roger is because it feels good musically and I'll only do it, I will only do this for as long as it feels good," Rodgers says.
"We're only committed to the end of this tour and there are no commitments beyond that so it will remain to be seen if we even continue after that."
May, however, doesn't agree with portrayals of Rodgers as a stiff blues man.
"Paul likes to dress up too, let me tell you," May said.
"In a slightly different way, but he's a showman.
"He knows that people get to see us two hours on one night, maybe one night in their lives, so you have to give them everything."
It remains to be seen if fans accept the combination and believe they have anything of what made them a phenomenal success.
However band members say they know one person who would have approved.
"I know that if he were sitting there in the corner of the room, Freddie would be loving what Paul's doing. I know that for certain," May says.
Queen + Paul Rorgers to perform massive outdoor concert in Ukraine September 3, 2008
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reference: http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-270690.html
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Queen + Paul Rorgers will head a massive outdoor concert in one of Europe`s biggest public squares ahead of the start of their forthcoming European tour to support Ukraine`s Anti-AIDS campaign, according to Roadrunner Records. Promoting the message "Don`t let AIDS to ruin your life!", Queen will perform a free concert in Kharkov`s historic Freedom Square on September 12. The concert is expected to attract more than 100,000 to Europe`s second-largest city-centre square.
Supported by Queen`s own HIV AIDS charity, The Mercury Phoenix Trust, the free concert is being organized by the Elena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation and is being devoted to the fight against AIDS in the Ukraine.
Coming just a week after the birthday of their lost lead singer — Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991 — the concert aims to reinforce the message of the Ukrainian ANTIAIDS Foundation that the need to protect ourselves and our families remains as urgent as ever.
The concert will be broadcast live on Ukraine`s Noviy channel which will reach into homes right across the country. It will be a prelude to the launch the following day on the national channel of a new five year ANTIADS campaign, "On the Edge" being fronted by the Elena Franchuk Foundation which aims to tackle head-on the growing threat of HIV AIDS infection in the country.
For Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, now joined by legendary rock vocalist and writer Paul Rodgers, the concert is one of many the band has played to address the issue of HIV AIDS. In June the band joined a host of international stars in London`s Hyde Park at the 46664 concert to celebrate Nelson Mandela`s 90th birthday and generate further awareness of the work being done by Mandela`s HIV AIDS organization.
During their visit to the Ukraine, Queen + Paul Rodgers will join Elena Franchuk at a special press conference in Kyiv on September 11 and a visit to Red University where they will discuss with a group of students the subject of world efforts being made to address HIV/AIDS
Queen plus Paul Rodgers plus Taylor Hawkins September 3, 2008
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reference: http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=6199
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Queen`s new album `The Cosmos Rocks` will not only have a plus Paul Rodgers on vocals, you can also plus Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters on one track.
Hawkins does backing vocals on `C-Lebrity`, the lead track from the album.
The new album will be the first Queen album since `Made In Heaven` in 1995. That release was a compilation of completed tracks by the late Freddie Mercury.
`The Cosmos Rocks` was recorded between November 2007 and August 2008 at Roger Taylor`s home studio, The Priory, in Puttenham, England.
"We believe that this is an album in the old sense of the word ' something you can put on and listen to all the way through, and it takes you on a journey,” Taylor and co-founder Brian May said in a statement. “The subjects and moods in it are widely spaced, but nevertheless, a challenge to the listener to put his day on hold for an hour or so, be drawn in, make connections, and experience something new."
"There`s a lot of guitar orchestras and some of our old trademarks, but at the core of it you`ll hear the three of us playing," adds May. "People really, truly playing together in the studio ' you don`t get that much these days."
Track listing:
1. Cosmos Rockin` (4:10)
2. Time To Shine (4:23)
3. Still Burnin` (4:04)
4. Small (4:39)
5. Warboys (3:18)
6. We Believe (6:08)
7. Call Me (2:59)
8. Voodoo (4:27)
9. Some Things That Glitter (4:03)
10. C-lebrity (3:38)
11. Through The Night (4:54)
12. Say It`s Not True (4:00)
13. Surf`s Up ... School`s Out! (5:38)
14. Small reprise (2:05)
Queen
Will Rock Freedom Square
August 28, 2008
Article
submitted by 'sandrativadar' from the Aussie
Queens Forum (many thanks from AQ to Sandra)
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reference: http://www.antimusic.com/news/08/aug/28Queen_Will_Rock_Freedom_Square.shtml
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(PR) Queen + Paul Rodgers will head a massive outdoor concert in one of Europe's
biggest public squares ahead of the start of their forthcoming European tour
to support Ukraine's Anti-Aids campaign.
Promoting the message "Don't let AIDS to ruin your life!", Queen
will perform a free concert in Kharkov's historic Freedom Square on September
12 . The concert is expected to attract more than 100,000 to Europe's second-largest
city-centre square.
Supported by Queen's own HIV AIDS charity, The Mercury Phoenix Trust, the free concert is being organized by the Elena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation and is being devoted to the fight against AIDS in the Ukraine.
Coming just a week after the birthday of their lost lead singer – Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991 – the concert aims to reinforce the message of the Ukrainian ANTIAIDS Foundation that the need to protect ourselves and our families remains as urgent as ever.
The concert will be broadcast live on Ukraine's Noviy Channel which will reach into homes right across the country. It will be a prelude to the launch the following day on the national channel of a new five year ANTIADS campaign , "On the Edge" being fronted by the Elena Franchuk Foundation which aims to tackle head-on the growing threat of HIV AIDS infection in the country.
For Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, now joined by legendary rock vocalist and writer Paul Rodgers, the concert is one of many the band has played to address the issue of HIV AIDS. In June the band joined a host of international stars in London's Hyde Park at the 46664 concert to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday and generate further awareness of the work being done by Mandela's HIV AIDS organization..
Elena Franchuk, Founder of the ANTIAIDS Foundation said: "We've chosen Kharkov for this concert – it is the biggest city of our country after Kiev with a population of 1. 5 million as is at its heart a student city. For this reason it is a perfect setting for the concert: the greatest incidence of new HIV cases is registered among young people between 15-25 living in the big urban areas. After the great success of the Elton John concert we organized in Kiev in the main square in 2007 we decided to take the message of our HIV/AIDS problem not only to the capital cities but to our youth all over Ukraine. I strongly believe there are no better speakers for the cause than the founders of Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor, joined as they now are by Paul Rodgers.
Freedom Square in Kharkov is the second largest square in Europe and the sixth largest square in the world. A week before the concert a large stage with the Queen + Paul Rodgers branded podium will be set up at the center of Kharkov, where the band will step up on September, 12.
Queen + Paul Rodger's appearance will be the focus of addressing a public audience on the issue of AIDS. Everyone attending the concert will have an opportunity to receive a special gift of thanks from the band – the opportunity to download on their cell phones through Bluetooth the ringtone of their hit Say It's Not True, penned especially for Nelson Mandela's 46664 Aids Foundation and the current single C-lebrity.
Queen
Album Due Mid September - Undercover Music News for August
1, 2008
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reference: http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=5836
(Back up text copy of article)
The first new recording by Queen since the posthumous `Made In Heaven` with
Freddie Mercury will be released in September.
`The Cosmos Rocks` by Queen + Paul Rodgers has been scheduled for release on September 15 in Europe and October 14 in the USA.
The album will feature ex-Free/Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers on vocals.
Tracks so far confirmed for the album include `Say It`s Not True`, `C-lebrity`, `We Believe`, `Call Me`, `Whole House Rocking` and the title track.
Queen + Paul Rodgers is reported to have also recorded a cover of Del Shannon`s `Runaway` for the album.
Queen + Paul Rodgers will start a 14-nation European tour in Russia in September.
`The
Cosmos Rocks` will be released by EMI.
Reference: http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=5836
46664
Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Queen + Paul Rodgers media coverage
June 28 2008
Footage
Articles
Pictures
Lot 1
Pictures
Lot 2
Classic
Rock Interview / Exclusive 'Cover' News June
2008
This month’s Classic Rock (June 2008, Issue 119, Velvet Revolver Cover)
runs with a 3 page piece that includes an interview with Roger, Brian and
Paul Rodgers. Starts page 50.
According to Queen Online website "the guys openly discuss new tracks
including ‘C-lebrity’, ‘Say It’s Not True’,
‘Call Me’, ‘We Believe’, ‘Whole House Rocking’
and the inclusion of a cover version on the new album."
reference: http://www.queenonline.com/qpr/news/586/
Copies of the magazine are now out.
Click
on the following to see the 3 page Classic Rock Queen + Paul Rodgers article.
CLASSIC
ROCK COVER
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(reference: http://www.paulrodgers.com/news.html)
Queen Plans South American Return May 29 2008
Queen
is heading back to South America for the first time in 27 years after reportedly
scheduling two dates in Argentina.
Daily Entertainment
Photos - "Get all the fashion, glamour and scandal here in pictures!"
Queen is heading back to South America for the first time in 27 years after
reportedly scheduling two dates in Argentina.
Brian May and Roger Taylor will return to Buenos Aires in November for two concerts at the Estadio Velez Sarsfield, according to website Queenzone.com.
Fronted by rock veteran Paul Rodgers, the new-look band is also eyeing shows in Santiago, Chile and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The
group's South American tour will reportedly end in Rio de Janeiro, where Queen
will play a free concert on Copa Cabana Beach on November 30.
(reference:
http://www.river973.com/cc-common/mainheadlines3.html?feed=104703&article=3754550)
Paul
Rodgers Interview with Rag Magazine 17th
May 2008
Paul
Rodgers interviewed at Dolphins stadium 17th May 2008. Paul discusses his
current tour, along with his thoughts on the upcoming Queen & Paul Rodgers
Roger
Taylor interviewed on Virgin Radio 7th
May 2008
(Interview no longer on offer for streaming)
Discussed
by Roger during the interview:
- Queen + Paul Rodgers are going to South America after finishing the European/UK
dates.
- the new album
- the upcoming tour
- the 46664 Hyde Park concert
- WWRY sequel
Brian May interviewed by 95.5 KLOS Radio 5th May 2008
You can stream the interview
Part 1: HERE
Part 2: HERE
Part 3: HERE
Part 4: HERE
Part 5: HERE
Part 6: HERE
(note: this link is the direct streaming link for the interivew at www.brianmay.com and is not hosted by aussiequeens in any way)
Brian May in Rolling Stone Magazine:
Smoking Section: Queen, Scarlett Johansson, Feist 21st
April 2008
(Online
Article still up for viewing)
(Article) Click HERE
reference: http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/04/21/smoking-section-queen-scarlett-johansson-feist/
(Back up text copy of article)
The
Smoking Section got a surprise call from Queen guitarist Brian May, who phoned
with cool news about his exciting new project: In September, Queen (with singer
Paul Rodgers) will release their first new album in thirteen years, tentatively
titled The Cosmos Rocks. Queen’s new chapter began in 2005, when May
and drummer Roger Taylor teamed up with Rodgers (Bad Company and Free) for
a joyously received global tour. “It was clear that if we were to go
out again, we needed some new stuff,” says May. “It needed to
be an ongoing, living, evolving, organic unit. This album has done that.”
So, coinciding with Cosmos’ release, Queen and Rodgers will hit the
road again. (Euro dates sold out in minutes — look out for U.S. dates
next spring.) “It’s wonderful to know that people want to hear
us out there,” says May. “It’s been a real voyage of discovery.”
He adds that Freddie Mercury’s spirit lives on: “I often think
of Freddie smiling — I think he’s enjoying it.”
(Reference: Rolling Stone 4/21/08, 11:50
am EST)
Tuesday,
1 April 2008: Q + PR Guest Appear On The Al Murray Show
Brian, May,
Roger Taylor and Paul Rodgers were guests on ITV's Al Murray's Happy Hour,
which was recorded with a live audience on Tuesday, 1 April 2008.
Al Murray's Happy Hour
First screening: ITV1 at 10pm on Friday 4th April 2008
Repeat: Sunday 06 April 2008 12:20am ITV2
Scottish
viewers could catch it on ITV2 at 00:30 Sunday 06 April am and others were
able to catch English ITV1 variations on the Friday 4th April through various
Sky/cable packages.
New track 'C-lebrity' was released
for the first time off the new Album (yet to be released)
You can
find more information on this appearance in the Gallery section on this site
or just go HERE
Rockers
Queen announce first album in 13 years 20th
March 2008
Article
submitted by 'frankie' from the KISS
Army Australia Forum (many thanks from AQ to frankie & KISS Army Australia)
(Online Article still up for viewing)
(Article) Click HERE
(Image)
Click HERE
reference: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23407243-5006024,00.html
(Back up text copy of article)
LEGENDARY rock group Queen today announced their first new album in 13 years and gave details of a European tour later this year.
The yet-to-be-named album will be released on September 1 and will feature Paul Rodgers, who joined the band as its frontman after Freddie Mercury's death in 1991, according to the band's website.
Rodgers, Brian May and Roger Taylor have already recorded the album, which will be the first since Made in Heaven was released in 1995.
It is timed for release two weeks before the group's seven-week tour through 14 European countries.
The tour will kick off in Moscow on September 16 and then move through Poland, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Britain, Spain, Hungary, Serbia, the Czech Republic and Austria.
Queen's performance in Poland will be a free concert at the Gdansk Shipyard, the cradle of the 1980s Solidarity trade union movement.
Queen's website said
that a tour of Latin America would follow, but did not give details.