1.18.15 Adam News and Info, London 2.0 Today

2005 (MAY 3RD) - QUEEN AND PAUL RODGERS @ NEWCASTLE METRO ARENA

Support: N/A

Info: This was the first of two consecutive nights seeing Queen and Paul Rodgers. Now before I start I should point out that I am a huge Queen fan and always have been since very young. My eldest brother played their records all the time and I just loved what I heard. That same brother now has no interest in music and hasn't for the last 25 years. Kind of odd but hopefully it wasn't Queen that put him off! I used to be embarrassed to say I was a Queen fan; I still get weird looks from people when I tell them this. I suppose they aren't cool and never have been...maybe why they were so successful.

In the build up to these gigs there had been a lot of talk about no one being able to replace Freddie Mercury and why were Brian May and Roger Taylor even trying. Well from my perspective, and what was said many times in the press by the band, was that no one could ever replace Freddie. This is why the band wasn't just called Queen. It was a 'coming together' of artists rather than one artist simply joining another. This wasn't Queen, this wasn't Paul Rodgers, it was a mix of both. Did it work? Not fully, however it didn't stop me enjoying the concert, and the ones that followed, immensely.

I travelled with my fellow Queen loving fan; Mark. We have been to many Queen related shows, events and conventions over the years. Finally this was a chance to hear our beloved sings played on the big stage.

Highlights

- Tie Your Mother Down...seeing and hearing that guitar being played by Brian May was a moment that will live with me forever

- A spine chilling Bohemian Rhapsody with Freddie on screen

- The last three songs were phenomenal: All Right Now, We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions...what a way to finish

- Seeing my heroes....

Lowlights

- Not seeing John Deacon. This tour would have been embraced by even more Queen fans if John had been on board however stepping out of the limelight after 25 years is to be applauded…..still gutted though

- Paul Rodgers is a damn fine singer but some of the songs played weren't suited to him. I Want To Break Free for example

Delighted they did these gigs and the ones that followed in 2008. A decent album followed: Cosmos Rock but by 2008 I think Paul just wanted to go back solo. It was a pleasure all the same sir.

Had a great night out after and then moved on to Manchester for round 2.

#152 Queen and Paul Rodgers @ Birmingham NIA (October 16th 2008)

Support: N/A

Info: Three years after the first Q+PR tour the lads got together again for another jaunt around the world. This time they were playing gigs on the back of a new studio album, The Cosmos Rocks which included the excellent guitar heavy single C-lebrity.
Queen and Paul Rodgers - Birmingham NIA October 16TH 2008

Ok so this isn't Queen. Queen had Freddie Mercury as a lead singer and John Deacon as the typically quiet bass player. However this was still a chance to see my heroes (Brian May and Roger Taylor) perform on a big scale. Paul Rodgers is a great vocalist in his own right of course; yes a completely different one to Freddie but he has an outstanding voice. It would never be the same of course but three years ago I was thrilled to see them and it was going to be no different this time.

For all Queen related gigs and events it is always myself and good friend (and fellow Queen nut), Mark who get together. First stop was Birmingham with Liverpool also on the agenda in a couple of days’ time.

My love of Queen goes back to my childhood and so as you can imagine the excitement was large for tonight’s show. We queued early and so got near the front. Unfortunately our tickets were taken from us as we entered the standing section and so no ticket to keep for me (that annoys me as I am a bit of a completest and so want all the tickets from all the gigs, the fact that I am missing a couple greatly upsets me).

As the on screen visuals started up showing the planets collide the crowd started clapping followed by the famous guitar sound starting up. The visuals stopped, the pyrotechnics blew and Hammer To Fall burst into life. A good way to start the gig but in truth Tie Your Mother Down is the only way to open a Queen show. Luckily that was up next; never, ever get bored of moshing to that song. Fat Bottomed Girls was third and was my favourite on the night. A massively underrated song, live it gets heavier and heavier. Class.

Paul Rodgers was on fire for most of the concert but not every song was really suited to him. Another One Bites The Dust and I Want To Break Free for instance…just not the same without Fred. When they were played it was hard not to compare between the two vocalists and there is only one winner for me. Fred could change his style of singing depending on the song, Paul has one way of singing (not that there is anything wrong with that, most singers fail to meet Mercury’s versatility).

It wasn’t all the hits though, there were a few new songs played. Of these, the afore mentioned C-Lebrity and Surfs Up stand up with everything else played. We Believe is pretty weak in my view but the excellent Say It’s Not True sung by Roger is a superb ballad.

Highlights of the set though had to be a seated Brian alone on the runway playing Love Of My Life and ’39 (an “ancient midlands folk song" as Brian called it). Another highlight were the solos…(never thought I would type out that sentence). Normally I would not be fan as I think they can be indulgent and pretty boring but Roger’s very funny drum solo (with drums etc being added as he went along) and Brian’s guitar solo which included Brighton Rock, Last Horizon and Bijou were both excellent.

A massive The Show Must Go On and a highly emotional Bohemian Rhapsody (helped by Fred) finished the main set and the arena was buzzing.

The encore started with cracking new tune, Cosmos Rockin’, followed by one of my favourite all time songs All Right Now with Paul belting it out as per his past Free days. The show ended with Rock You and Champions (no other way to end a Queen related show) and that was it. A great show, by no means perfect but the massive highs outweighed the lower points (of which there were few).

A wonderful gig then, it’s a shame that there were a lot of Queen fans that didn’t want to know about the shows. I understand why they felt the way they did but missing the chance to see half of their favourite group still seems strange to me.