I was lucky enough to have seen Queen five times during the band’s heyday, and I can confirm that the band was one of the most powerful and entertaining units I’ve had the pleasure of watching. I’ve also seen new recruit/lead singer Paul Rodgers many times as well, fronting Bad Company, The Firm and as a solo artist. As a matter of fact, both Queen (as a band and live act) and Rodgers (as a singer) are easily in my personal Top 10 in their respective categories, so having Rodgers as the frontman for Queen isn’t a big problem for me.

Despite what I think, however, the big question is this-can Rodgers fill the huge, sparkly shoes of Mr. Mercury in the eyes of the ticket-buying public? I was quite surprised at how effective Rodgers was with the Queen material on offer here, and can easily recommend this show to you if you like Queen, Rodgers or timeless rock and roll. (The band will return to America for a lengthy tour next spring). 

The two-hour plus show wasn’t really a Queen concert, despite the presence of guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor (bassist John Deacon remains happy and retired in England). It was a celebration of Queen and Rodger’s careers, which basically paralleled each other back in the 70’s. Despite his early entry into the business with Free, Rodgers didn’t become a household name until Bad Company struck paydirt with its debut album back in 1974, about the same time Queen was getting popular with its first record.Thus, classic rock fans had absolutely no reason not to love this show, unless you can’t get past the fact that this isn’t Queen, Free or Bad Company. The mix of songs, which included most of the Queen classics, four Bad Company nuggets and Free’s one huge U.S. single, “All Right Now,” could serve as a soundtrack for 70’s and 80’s FM radio, and virtually every song played here was greeted with huge cheers and a massive sing-along. 

Opening with “Tie Your Mother Down” was a no-brainer, as that rocker is one of the best songs in the Queen catalog. The closing run that started with “Can’t Get Enough” and ended with the encores wasn’t much of a surprise, either. The band did throw a few curveballs towards the middle of the show, however, when Rogers went for a drink while May and Taylor had their moments in the spotlight. May, still dressing in a fluffy white shirt and black vest (like he has for what seems like forever), has one of the most recognizable and regal live guitar sounds in rock. And he sounded spot on, just like the past 23 years hadn’t happened at all (the band last appeared in the U.S. in 1982, despite the fact that Mercury didn’t pass away until 1991). Still an avid supporter of Vox amps all turned to 10, May played note-perfect renditions of the big hits on offer here, and added a little oomph to the Rodgers material. It’s a bit of a trip to see May playing “Bad Company” with Rodgers, but those moments were easily the big highlight of the show for me.

May also fronted the band for acoustic versions of  Taylor’s “Say It’s Not True” tribute to Freddy, and did a good job singing the classic “’39.”  Taylor was always the real rock star in the band, and still looks dapper as a 50-ish rocker. He is as solid a drummer as they come, and his vocals, especially on “I’m in Love With My Car” and “These Are the Days of Our Lives,” were performed in his low-end growl and high-pitch falsetto, respectively. 

It was Rodger’s show, however, and I personally didn’t hear one complaint. Most of the fans I talked to were just happy to finally see Queen again, and if it has to be with one of the greatest rock singers or our generation, then so be it. He certainly didn’t do anything to harm the band’s legacy, and personally, I think he added another chapter to his own story. (How many people can claim to have fronted-especially in England-three of the biggest bands in rock history?) 

Aside from his own songs and the opener, the big highlight for me was “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which could have been the biggest letdown. Mercury did the best that he could with the opening section, the band left (as it always does) for the taped “operatic” section, and then Rodgers, Taylor and May drove home the rock section with a savagery that belies there more than 100 years performing rock music onstage.