British rock band Queen returns to U.S.
Queen and Paul Rodgers will rock fans in St. Paul on March 26 after a long hibernation from extensive touring in the United States.
This will be the first tour Queen has done in the United States in 20 years.
The band did a few tours here in the late ‘70s and early ’80s and one live TV performance in 1982 during that time.
To the extreme delight of classic-rock enthusiasts, Queen will perform mostly songs from the ’70s. But the band that shocked and amazed the world in its heyday will only tour with two of the original four group members.
Since lead singer Freddie Mercury died in 1991 from AIDS complications and the quiet bass player John Deacon has been almost non-existent since then, it is up to the brilliant lead guitarist Brian May and stylish percussionist Roger Taylor to continue.
Paul Rodgers, a famous singer in his own right, will play Mercury’s part as lead singer. Rodgers is not replacing Mercury, but merely helping Queen’s remaining active members to spread Queen’s unique and phenomenal music once again.
Queen’s emergence in the United States was not received as well as it was in other countries. Queen’s music video for the song “I Want to Break Free” was banned in the United States because the band members were dressed up in drag to parody Britain’s longest-running soap opera. It was considered too risqué for American TV.
Nowadays, Queen’s songs echo mostly from sports stadiums around the United States. Hundreds of people sing along with “We Are The Champions” at baseball games. Queen’s huge hit, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” in fact, was named the Song of the Millennium by 600,000 U.K. residents in 2000.
This will be the last leg of the tour. In 2005, the group toured major U.S. cities, Japan and Europe. After the success of those concerts, it decided to return to the United States to the delight of many of its American fans.
Queen and Paul Rodgers will perform at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
For more information related to the Queen Plus Paul Rodgers tour, visit its Web site at www.queenpluspaulrodgers.com.