QueenZone discussion #1097142
One Night of Queen
| steven 35638 10.04.2008 23:47 |
In a few days I will be seeing 'Gary Mullen & the Works'. For the people who have seen them, what are your thoughts and opinions of the performance? |
| emrabt 11.04.2008 07:36 |
I think that Gary Mullen is fantastic, in my opinion he is the closest thing to Freddie live I’ve heard, Gary’s band on the other hand are pretty average (the guitarist for example doesn’t have that Brian may sound.) They do put on a fantastic show though well worth going to see. Here’s a video of them link (now i'm waiting for Treasure Moment to come along and miss the point of a Tribute band, and opinion, then start raving on about his band) |
| Shane Jazz 11.04.2008 10:44 |
I saw ONOQ last Thursday, and it was one of the more enjoyable nights of my life. Even though I loved the show from the start, the rest of the crowd was a bit lukewarm until late in the first act. After the intermission though, Gary came out with a fantastic 1-2-3 punch ( I won't give away the songs in case you want to be surprised!), that had the crowd on their feet for the rest of the show. Fantastic night all around. My girlfriend and I waited after the show for his autograph, and Gary couldn't have been nicer, funnier or more charming. A highly recommended night. |
| steven 35638 11.04.2008 11:42 |
Are there any bad reviews out there? Or is the performance that good? |
| Guild84BHM1 11.04.2008 13:40 |
I saw them a couple of weeks ago. Thought they were very good. The guitar player was great but there's room for improvement as far as getting better sound and playing closer to Mr. May. Although I thought adding his own style was interesting as well. |
| drwinston 11.04.2008 16:36 |
Is that Spike Edney on keys??? |
| stonecoldcrazy1 12.04.2008 05:33 |
i actually just came back from the ONOQ show in wilkes-barre pa. the show was great. i also grew up on queen but was not able to see queen live before freddie passed away. i went to this show with hopes of seeing a good tribute band. my expectations where met to say the least. freddies voice is so unique i did not think anyone could come close. "MIKA" comes close(listen to grace kelly)but gary mullen encompasses freddies voice and mannerisms. no one will ever replace freddie mercury , but gary mullen does a damn good job of honoring him. the show in PA. was very energetic. gary is very energetic on the stage, getting everyone involved. i was in the balcony, and from this distance, i felt like i watching freddie. one hell of a show, oh, and if anyone is going to a show here is a heads up, they have a c.d. out that is supposedly only sold at their shows. i did not know of this until after i got home from the show. so if anyone is going to this show don't expect freddie 2.0, expect a bunch of queen fans celebrating freddies music. have fun, i sure did |
| kingrat73 18.04.2008 14:21 |
I dont like it/him :( Then again, it might be the venues I've been to. I've seen him 3 times, and each show was a seated theatre. I think it might have been better if it was gig-style venues with the standing sections to get the audience more involved. |
| steven 35638 18.04.2008 22:56 |
I finally saw them just a few days ago, and I must say they rock. I shook hands with Gary Mullen, got his autograph, and got my picture taken with him. He's really a great guy, and impersonates Freddie really well. At the concert I didn't feel like he was ripping Freddie off, he was just paying tribute to the man. I also met some really cool Queen fans at the concert, it was awesome. I'd go again if they came back. It was just that great. |
| kansas666 24.03.2009 09:41 |
We caught the show the other night in Morristown, NJ. I have to say that this guy's voice and mannerisms were uncanny. I have a lot of bootlegs and many times I could pick out exactly which show he was pimping. The show is really all about Gary Mullen. The rest of the band are just backup musicians and don't really look or sound quite right. The show is basically a recreation of their 1986 tour with a few other songs thrown in. And that is my only real criticism. Queen pretty much fell off the face of the earth in America after The Game tour. None of their songs from Flash Gordon on were hits. Freddie was accepted here a lot more when he was more ambiguous about his persona. I would like to have heard more of the early stuff. It would have been nice if they did something like some Beatle tribute bands have done and come out with the clothing and hairstyles of the different periods of the band. |
| Erin 24.03.2009 11:03 |
Me and Pieter are going to see them April 7th....that is, if the show doesn't get cancelled due to lack of interest. The available seats have only moved back to the 4th row, so we'll see. |
| Legy 25.03.2009 11:58 |
They were in Houston a few weeks ago. I was quite pleasently surprised! I actually disagree with emrabt, I thought the band was very tight and the guitarist did have a great sound. It wasn't on the same level as Brian, but who is? Here's my little mini-review I posted on another non-Queen board: A buddy of mine asked if I wanted to see a Queen tribute band. As a rabid Queen fan I was extremely apprehensive. A Queen tribute band? Come on! I don't want to see a Queen tribute band. BLASPHEMY! He told me he was going to pay for the tickets and pay for the beer so I agreed. So it's Saturday Night and I really don't want to go. I figured I'd go to a local pub called Cecil's and just relax with this girl (I met up with her after the concert) I've been dating for a few weeks but I decide to go. Hell, free beer. My buddy and I get to The House of Blues and take the escalators to the main stage. Well what do I see? A freaking long line. A long line for a Queen tribute band! Okay, this might be good. We get our tickets and head on inside to a very cold House of Blues. It's a packed house, so it started to warm up rather quickly. We head on over to the bar and proceed to purchase two Buds at $7 a piece. Luckily my buddy was paying. Then the intro track to One Vision starts. The crowd starts to cheer, I'm still apprehensive about this entire situations then I hear a very Freddie-esk "HELLO!" Jeebuz Crist! It's Freddie Mercury! Well, it sounded just like him! The rest of the band didn't wear Queen clothes (86 Magic Tour), just the front man who's real name is Gary Mullen. It was a little eerie seeing this guy mimic Mercury's mannerisms. He was spot on! The way he messed with the crowd, the way he ran around on stage. It was a very surreal experience. And his voice, such power, such range! The band was tight, if you're in a Queen tribute band you have to be an excellent musician. The guitarist used a custom made Brian May guitar, I couldn't tell who the maker was, though. Although he did play a BHM made RS for a song that was dropped to D (Fat Bottom Girls). His sound was spot on! Great technique! His solo's were a mixture of live stuff we heard from the 86 tour and what you hear on the albums. Even though he wasn't dressed as Brian, his long curly hair reminded me of him. The rhythm section was as tight as Deacon and Taylor. The bassist was extremely precise and so was the drummer. They both showed off and went into a little impromptu of "Good Times" by Chic during the middle of "Another One Bites the Dust". The keyboardist was in the background playing the keys like Spike Edney did in the 86 tour. Their set list was pretty much a carbon copy of the 1986 Wembley Concert sans a few songs. Ga Ga wasn't on the list along with Break Free and Who Wants to Live Forever. There was a sold out crowd, a strong 2000 people or so and they all knew every song. This was the closest experience I've ever had to a Queen concert. The boys didn't make a stop at Lone Star state back in '06 when the were here in the States. If you're a Queen fan, check these guys out. You will not be disappointed. |
| The_Disabled_Jester 25.03.2009 17:51 |
Seen them three times, very good show. He sings very consistently but sadly he sings far too fast and it's difficult to make out the lyrics. Think he does it so he can hold the last note of every line for that powerful Freddie effect. |His crowd day-oh is a little far fetched...trying to show off a bit too much. His duets with guitarist are rubbish. He once sang TMLWKY after LOMY with just the BM on accoustic guitar which was nice to hear, but LOMY and ITTWWC are crappy. Worth seeing tho, you wont be disappointed. They started off solely just Magic Tour, but have added some nice changes to sets over time. |
| comingsoonkid 30.05.2009 08:08 |
I thought it was really good. its the closest thing to queen that Ive ever seen. I never even got to see the real queen for I am to young ([img=/images/smiley/msn/sad_smile.gif][/img] ) so this was the next best thing... what did you think of it steven? |
| steven 35638 30.05.2009 22:28 |
I thought Mullen's impersonation of Freddie Mercury was impressive. The overall production of the show seemed very close to what Queen might have been like live (I never saw them in concert either). However, the guitarist, for example, had his own style, so he wasn't too much like Brian May. But that's fine, I liked his playing. He just didn't sound totally "Queen." Overall, a fantastic night I won't forget any time soon! |