Don't stop me now...

So more about that Queen concert...

A few months ago, my friend Iowa Jim (the biggest Queen fan I know) asked if I wanted to see Queen with Paul Rodgers at the Hollywood Bowl. At first I was like...ooh, Queen! They're the one band I had always wanted to see live...but then, I realized, ooh, it's Queen with Paul Rodgers...from Bad Company, a band I never really cared for.

After waffling back and forth and hemming and hawing about seeing a show at the Bowl...and wondering if I'd even have the time to go see the concert...I finally said, "what the hell!"

Fortunately, I did have Saturday night free...Jim dropped by my place a little before 5. We had a little bit of time to kill before we had to head to the Studio City shuttle bus stop, so I introduced Jim to the wonders of Klaatu, the band who did "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft." I recently went on a Klaatu binge and purchased their catalog of albums after getting hooked on the Carpenters' version of the song. The albums have been getting major play lately on my car stereo...But I'll save that for another post...

Jim comes armed with a sign saying "'39...please" just like the sign in the Queen Live at the Bowl DVD as well as a Queen T-shirt like the one he wore at the Queen concert he saw back in 1980. Yes, I was (and still am) jealous...

We got to the bus and headed over to the Bowl. It was a bit moist and cold outside. There was that "it's just about to rain" feel in the air. We get to the entrance around 6-ish. The concert started at 8 so they weren't letting people in. However, we were able to hear the sounds of "I Want it All" being rehearsed. It sounded pretty damn good. We waited outside for a while and then finally made our way into the Bowl around quarter to 8. We took our places and realized that we had pretty damn good seats (good job, Jim!).

The sounds of AC/DC played as people got settled in their seats. Then there was a little bit of "It's a Beautiful Day" from Queen's "Made in Heaven." Ahh...If that voice of Freddie's were only to be heard live that night...Then, Eminem's "Lose Yourself" was played over the loudspeakers. Huh?!?

And then it happened...The opening sounds of "Tie Your Mother Down." I can't believe it...there was Brian May playing guitar just yards away from me. And there was Roger Taylor on drums! And Paul Rodgers...not too shabby at all. The crowd seemed to be enjoying it as well. As the smell of pot smoke wafted through the air, the band went into "Fat Bottomed Girls." Again, it was pretty damn good! As the night progressed, rain sprinkled in a steady stream. It was the lightest of sprinkles, but you could see the raindrops on the cameras' feeds to the big screen.

There were many highlights notably Brian May's acoustic renditions of "'39" (there you go, Jim!) and "Love of My Life" (one of my all-time faves). "We Are the Champions," "The Show Must Go On," "Hammer to Fall," "I Want it All," and "Radio Ga Ga" were other plusses of the evening. "Another One Bites the Dust" fell a bit flat without Freddie's vocal prowess and Roger Taylor's lead on "These Are the Days of Our Lives" left me feeling a cold...or was that the rain?

Didn't mind the Bad Company songs and they actually sounded quite good live. And Slash was there for a cameo! Go figure!

"Bohemian Rhapsody" was done just right letting Freddie Mercury (via video) take center stage for the iconic song.

There were a few songs that I wished were on the set list like "Under Pressure," "Don't Stop Me Now," "Killer Queen," "The Miracle," "A Kind of Magic," "Somebody to Love," and "Headlong." Even "Las Palabras de Amor" would have been a nice touch, but hey...beggars can't be choosers...

Here are some pics from the show.













A great show all around and a fun night in spite of the constant drizzling. While it wasn't Queen wtih Freddie Mercury or John Deacon, it was still a good show and worth the price of admission. Would I see it again? Probably not. Don't get me wrong...Paul Rodgers has a great voice, but I'd like to see things given a shot with somebody with a more campy flair. I mean, geez, it would be so cool if those rumors were true about Robbie Williams being considered as a lead singer for Queen. Oh well, one can always hope...