News
November 2005
November 29th
Q+PR return to rock USA - ticket pre-sale
TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN !!
QUEEN RETURN TO ROCK USA
QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS SET 23-DATE TOUR FOR SPRING 2006
Some of rock’s greatest anthems are to be heard performed live again across America after more than 20 years, as rock legends Queen, now joined forces with Paul Rodgers, singer and songwriter of Bad Company/Free fame, announce they are to play a 23 date tour of the USA and Canada this coming Spring.
The tour announcement comes only a matter of weeks after Queen and Rodgers ignited sold out box office and strong media attention with two showcase performances at Meadowlands, NJ, and the Hollywood Bowl on a stop-off along the way to their recent sold out Japanese tour.
Away from the North America concert circuit for more than two decades – an enforced retirement brought on by the tragic loss of lead singer Freddie Mercury, Queen with Rodgers will launch into their coast-to-coast tour Friday March 3 in Miami, Fl at the American Airlines Arena.
Spending six weeks on US soil, the band will closely re-route it’s triumphant ’82 North American tour, bringing it back to the Queen-heartlands: Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, Portland, among other US cities, plus Canadian stops in Toronto and Vancouver, where the tour winds up on April 13, 2006.
Tickets for these much-anticipated shows go on sale earliest December 3 with on sales across the country at different dates up until December 17.
Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster with a Special Presale starting November 30th at, http://www.queenonline.com , or http://www.paulrodgers.com
The announcement of this full-time return to touring in the USA by Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, with Rodgers now as vocalist, coincides with the 30th anniversary celebrations of the band’s history-making single “Bohemian Rhapsody” and its definitive 70’s album, “A Night At The Opera”.
“A Night At The Opera” was the album which provided Queen with its breakthrough in the USA, where it reached No.1 and remained on the charts for 52 weeks, giving them their first gold record in the States.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” continues to be rediscovered by new generations; the hit movie “Wayne’s World” made it a hit all over again in the 1992, and for the current generation, the song has become reality TV’s most often selected song among aspiring rock performers.
While Queen was already touring the USA regularly, having made their first appearance before a stateside audience on April 16th 1974 in Denver, performing their one and only tour support (for Mott The Hoople), this, the band’s fourth album, propelled them into the super-band status. From here until the final tour of 1982, Queen performed more often in the USA than any other country in the world; in the following two years, Queen would spend more than seven months alone playing American dates.
The early ‘80s saw Queen at their zenith in the USA; firstly the band’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” hit the No.1 spot, then “The Game” album spent five weeks at No.1 on the album chart between September-October 1980, and the single from it “Another One Bites The Dust” topped the singles chart in October, staying there for three weeks, even, unexpectedly, reaching No.2 on the R & B chart. It subsequently won the Favourite Single in the Rock/Pop category at the American Music Awards the following January. The band’s great rock anthems, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions” continue to echo across sports stadiums throughout America as the perennial favorites at any major season events.
As of this past June, according to the RIAA, Queen had sold more than 31.5 million albums in the United States, ranking them the 50th biggest selling artist in the States. The band’s catalogue continues to be much in demand; Queen is consistently among the Top 10 download artists at iTunes.
Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins inducted Queen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Two years later, in June 2003, the band was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Rodgers likewise has enjoyed a phenomenal career worldwide. Rodgers first exploded onto the music scene with mega hit “All Right Now,” co-written by Rodgers then in Free. The song became a #1 hit in 20 territories and in the ‘90s ASCAP recognized “All Right Now” for passing one million radio plays in the U.S. The members of Queen have long cited Free’s “Fire and Water” album as “one of our bibles when we were starting off.”
In 1973 Rodgers formed Bad Company with guitarist Mick Ralphs. They wrote, produced and recorded six multi-platinum albums in five years, including such global hits as “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Can’t Get Enough,” “Rock & Roll Fantasy,” Shooting Star” and “Bad Company.” Point of interest, Rodgers also played guitar and piano on several of these recordings. In the U.S., “10 From 6” still generates sales of 1,000,000 copies annually – 20 years after its release.
Since the ‘90s, as a solo artist, Paul has been honored with a Grammy nomination for his “Muddy Water Blues” album, and worked with Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh and most recently, with Aretha Franklin, The Temptations and The Four Tops on the The Tops’ TV/DVD special “From the Heart” which celebrated their 50th anniversary.
The collaboration between Queen and Rodgers was cemented when May, Taylor and Rodgers performed in public together for the first time last fall, bringing the house to its feet at the first annual UK Music Hall of Fame Awards in London when on accepting their induction, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor with Rodgers served up blistering versions of “We Will Rock You,” “We Are The Champions” and Rodgers’ “All Right Now.”
“There was a natural chemistry between us when we performed together in London. Brian and Roger brought a new dimension to my songs,” said Rodgers. “The idea took hold for us to do something together after that, and the momentum has taken on a life of its own.”
The momentum took the shape of a 32-date European tour this past spring which saw Queen + Paul Rodgers visit over a dozen countries in 12 weeks, culminating in huge outdoor summer concerts in Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands and a return to London’s Hyde Park playing to a crowd of over 65,000.
A major Japanese tour was then scheduled for early fall, and along the way, two stopover concerts in the USA. The Meadowlands, NJ, and LA’s Hollywood Bowl revived the same kind of audience worship scenes first experienced by Queen circa ‘80s; unquestionable validation that this many years on, and albeit with a different front man, the power of Queen’s music and musicianship remains undiminished in the passage of time.
“It was more than enough,” say May and Taylor, “to persuade us that it was the right time to return for a lengthier period of dates. And it is going to be great to be back in some of our favourite cities.”
For the Spring 2006 tour dates Brian May (guitar & vocals), Roger Taylor (drums & vocals) and Paul Rodgers (vocals, guitar & piano) are joined by Danny Miranda, ex Blue Oyster Cult on bass, Jamie Moses, former Brian May band member on second guitar, and Spike Edney, long-time Queen sideman on keyboards. (Queen bassist John Deacon has retired from touring.)
Anyone seeking a taster of what to expect from seeing Queen perform with Paul Rodgers can check out the two-CD live set Return of the Champions, and the companion piece DVD filmed during the European tour, both released by Hollywood Records.
Also shortly available, Hollywood Records commemorates the 30th anniversary of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which was first released in the USA December 7, 1975 with a special anniversary DVD and CD of the band’s classic album, A Night At The Opera.
Queen + Paul Rodgers North America 2006
- Fri 3 March Miami, Fl, American Airlines Arena.
- Sun 5 March Jacksonville, Fl, Veterans Coliseum.
- Tues 7 March Duluth, GA, Gwinett Center.
- Thurs 9 March Washington, DC, MCI Center.
- Fri 10 March Worcester, MA, DCU Center.
- Sun 12 March Uniondale, NY, Nassau Coliseum.
- Tues 14 March Philadelphia, PA, Wachovia Spectrum.
- Thurs 16 March Toronto, ON, Air Canada Centre.
- Fri 17 March Buffalo, NY, HSBC Arena.
- Mon 20 March Pittsburgh, PA, Mellon Arena.
- Tues 21 March Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena.
- Thurs 23 March Chicago, IL, Allstate Arena.
- Fri 24 March Auburn Hills, MI, Palace at Auburn Hills.
- Sun 26 March St. Paul, MN, Xcel Energy Center.
- Mon 27 March Milwaukee, WI, Bradley Center.
- Fri 31 March Glendale, AZ, Glendale Arena.
- Sat 1 April San Diego, CA, Cox Arena.
- Mon 3 April Anaheim, CA, Arrowhead Pond.
- Wed 5 April San Jose, CA, HP Pavilion.
- Fri 7 April Las Vegas, NV, MGM Grand Garden.
- Mon 10 April Seattle, WA, Key Arena.
- Tues 11 April Portland, OR, Rose Garden.
- Thurs 13 April Vancouver, BC, Pacific Coliseum.
Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster via www.queenpluspaulrodgers.com , www.queenonline.com , or www.paulrodgers.com.
Pre-Sale Ticket Information
Queen + Paul Rodgers Queen + Paul Rodgers will be doing more North American dates this Spring! They are offering their Fan Club and Internet Community Members a Pre Sale as well as Special VIP Packages via the Queen + Paul Rodgers Ticket Page.
www.queenpluspaulrodgers.com
www.queenonline.com
www.paulrodgers.com
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November 24th
Q+PR 2006 tour dates
Two dates has been added to the 2006 tour list: Queen plus Paul Rodgers are scheduled for two more USA dates, which are to take place on April 10th, Key Arena, Seattle, Wa AND on April 11th, Rose Garden, Portland, Or.
November 14th
Roger's Aston Martin for sale
The chance to own this stunning Aston Martin, previously owned by Roger, could be yours if you happen to have around L65,000 to spare...
The specification is:
- Aston Martin Vantage Volante (V12, 6 litre)
- British Racing Green paintwork with green hood.
- Tan/Olive hide with Walnut trim (I had the trim changed back to Walnut from the aluminium that Roger apparently changed from the original walnut?).
- 6 Speed manual gearbox
- White 'Retro' dials
- An amazing sound system (as you would expect)
- 18" Alloy wheels with low profile tyres
- 16,000 miles
- Full Service History
- Extended Warranty
- NavTrack retrieval system
If you are interested, and PLEASE no time wasters, then you can email Ken@balneaveschadwick.co.uk. The car is in the UK.
November 8th
Q + PR - ROTC DVD, vinyl and Q - ANATO
Some days agop the Queen + Paul Rodgers DVD made onto the 1st place on the UK's DVD Charts, as the best selling music DVD!
The "Return Of The Champions" Vinyl has been issued on 7th November 2005. It holds 3 discs, is issued by Parlophone and has the same track listing as the CD.
ASIN: B000AANVYC
Catalogue number: 3369791
"A Night At The Opera" 30th Anniversary Edition press release:
QUEEN - A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
COLLECTORS EDITION
COMBINED CD/DVD PACKAGE
Three decades ago Queen released their classic album “A Night at the Opera”, which went to No. 1 in many countries around the world, and on Monday, November 21, 1975, the first single from the album went to No.1 in the UK charts, a position it was to hold for 9 weeks.
Queen commemorate the 30th anniversary of this historic occasion – on Monday, November 21 2005 - with a new combined CD/DVD Special Collectors Edition release of the album.
‘A Night At The Opera’ is now regarded by many to be the definitive ’70s-era Queen release. Originally recorded in no less than six different studios between August and November 1975, it was reckoned at the time to be the most expensive album ever recorded, although, at around L45,000, it now looks remarkably cheap at the price.
Their fourth album, ‘A Night At The Opera’ encapsulated everything about Queen’s music that made it so unique. Combining outstanding showmanship with remarkable versatility, more than any rock band before or since, Queen could literally do it all – and here, on one album, was the ultimate proof. There would be many more masterful albums to come from Queen over the next 20 years, but here, perhaps, was the band at its 1970s musical apotheosis.
Recalling when Freddie sat at the piano and first played ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to him and the band, producer Roy Thomas Baker says, “Freddie set out three impressive verses then stopped and said, ‘Now dear, this is where the opera section comes in’.” That was when Baker started smiling and, by his own recent recollections, he hardly stopped smiling for the rest of the session – arduous though it was in pre-digital days to stack up the 180-voice ‘chorus’ (all Mercury/May/Taylor vocals) over seven 12-hour days. “Bohemian Rhapsody was totally insane,” he said. “We never stopped laughing. It was basically a joke, but a successful joke.”
But it was worth it. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ spent nine consecutive weeks at No.1 and became the only single to sell more a million copies on two separate occasions, and was named recently in the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles as the top song of the last 50 years.
‘A Night At The Opera’ was also the first Queen album to go to No.1 in the UK, where it sold over a million copies, giving them their first platinum record. It was their breakthrough album in the USA, where it reached No.4 and remained on the charts for 52 weeks, giving them their first gold record in the States.
A landmark release, this special edition features both the new CD and DVD formats of the album completely restored from original analogue tapes and digitally re-mastered by Bob Ludwig, in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound. As well as the original 1975 videos for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘You’re My Best Friend’, the DVD also contains brand new video footage for the other 10 tracks, along with archive audio commentary from all four members of Queen, including the late Freddie Mercury.
Says Brian May : “This DVD also features for the first time visuals for every track on the album – some, like the original ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ video, carefully digitally restored and re-graded, and some, like the stunning new video for ‘Good Company’, created especially for this release. There are also some special commentaries, ancient and modern, from all four Queen members on facets of the tracks, and … yes, this is quite simply the best ‘Night At The Opera’ ever produced. I doubt if it can ever be bettered!”
“Talent will out, my dears” – Freddie Mercury.
Queen - A Night At The Opera
30th Anniversary Edition
Collectors Edition
Combined CD/DVD package.
Release date: 21st November 2005
DISC ONE – CD
A Night At The Opera – studio album. Re-mastered in 5.1 surround sound and stereo for this set.
DISC TWO – DVD
A Night At The Opera – studio album presented in both DTS 5.1 Surround Sound and the re-mastered stereo mix.
[Source] www.queenonline.com