| plumrach 07.06.2010 07:04 |
Which queen tribute band is generally considered the best? Would you recommend going to seem them? I know that there is one that has the approval of Brian and Roger but i have forgotten the name of them |
| emrabt 07.06.2010 07:41 |
One Night of Queen with Gary Mullen and The Works is the one that's had the approval of Brian. This is the one i always recommend, they tour the UK and the US, Gary is fantastic but the band hasn’t got the “Queen” sound to it. God Save The Queen (Dios Salve a la Reina), the Spanish one with Pablo Padin, looks okay from what I’ve seen on youtube, he plays the piano, but sounds nothing like Freddie mercury. |
| Wiley 07.06.2010 10:36 |
Dios Salve a la Reina played in Monterrey last year and it was very cool. Their Freddie looks and acts very much like him (from a distance) and it is a very entertaining show. It's very odd that they cut Killer Queen and then played If You Can't Beat Them in full, and also they played Don't Stop Me Now as an encore AFTER God Save the Queen. It was a great night out. I enjoyed it a lot. |
| David Jones 07.06.2010 12:07 |
One Night Of Queen are very good, but my favourite is probably Gaga. They haven't been round my neck of the woods for a while though. |
| ILoveQueen20 07.06.2010 12:41 |
funny there should be this topic cos I wanted to write about this! xD Im from Britain and on Saturday me and my family were at a local village called Holt & every year they do 'Holt Music Festival' with various local bands. Anyway the last band on were called 'Rhapsody' a Queen tribute band and they were FANTASTIC! They are a five peice band instead of 4 (5th member keyboards) It was a great atmosphere they got everyone up on the dance floor and performed most of Queens hits they even did 'Tie your mother down' It was great! The Highlight had to be when they did Bo Rap though EVERYONE was singing along it was a great atmosphere :) I hav'nt seen a Queen tribute band before but seriosuly these guys were so good even despite the cheap wigs haha When they did I want to Break free the lead man came out with a hoover lmao! It was a great tirbute and very entertaining I would see them again :-D |
| Farrokh Mercury 07.06.2010 23:51 |
I've been to 'It's A Kinda Magic' twice in the last four years, and I'm planning on going again when they come back around. I'v heard a lot of people complaining about them around here, but everybody that I talk to after the show are regulars, too, and I love 'em. Also, they're the only tribute act I've acutally been to, because we don't get that many in New Zealand. |
| skip 08.06.2010 02:13 |
One Night Of Queen is great. Gary Mullen is excellent. Check them out. link |
| scollins 08.06.2010 08:39 |
WHAT THE FECK?????????????????? IM FROM GLASGOW AND SEE GARY MULLEN AT THE PAVILLION AND HE IS 2/10 THERES A LOT BETTER THAN THAT KARAOKE CLOWN, CHRIST WHEN I SEEN HIM HE JUST DONE THE WEMBLEY SET AND IT WAS WORD FOR WORD NO ORIGINALITY, SO IF YOU GET THE CHANCE OF FREE TICKETS TO SEE HIM, THEN BY ALL MEAN SELL THEM AND GET YOURSELF A BEER LOL |
| emrabt 08.06.2010 10:29 |
[quote]THERES A LOT BETTER THAN THAT KARAOKE CLOWN, CHRIST WHEN I SEEN HIM HE JUST DONE THE WEMBLEY SET AND IT WAS WORD FOR WORD[/quote] Can you please list some better, it would help the original poster, who is looking for some tribute bands. I’m not being funny but you have nothing to add to the thread. Staying on topic, I saw one called "mercury" a few years ago maybe 2004. Fun night out but they weren’t too great, the guitarist guitar was out of tune. The singing sounded a tiny bit like Freddie, if you imagine Freddie getting drunk screaming the start of each sentence then trailing off. They Did attempt innuendo though, the bad side is they try and do the full Bo rap themselves on stage, so look forward to lots of screeching vocals. link Found a video, looks like they have improved. Apparently they have played a gig for Roger Taylor himself, If it's to be believed, I can't find any proof other than the bands website. At least Gary Mullen has a sun article and a photo of him and Brian together to back his claims up. |
| master marathon runner 08.06.2010 12:05 |
Seen Ga Ga twice, but not for a long time, very authentic and dedicated, but somehow lack that vital spark, probably due to the fact that they are (or were, when i saw them), a threesome. But at least they don't go in for the corny 'look-alike' aspect, god i hate curly wigs and false moustaches. 'Magic, a kinda Queen' 3 or 4 times, very cabaret, lead vocalist not the best in the world, the whole thing held together by the lead guitarist who is very good, but never the less a worthwhile night out. Their E.L.O. show is well worth a watch, if they are still doing it. Master Marathon Runner |
| Rubbersuit 08.06.2010 14:29 |
I saw Itsa Kinda Magic a few years ago. I've posted about them here before. Craig Pesco was great as Freddie. He has the charisma on stage and sounds quite a bit like Fred. The rest of the band kinda sucked. "Brian" was clearly a good guitarist but didn't sound like Brian May, "John Deacon" was fine and the clown they had drumming was terrible. Really brought the band down. I think they have a new drummer now (I remember someone posting that they did) and it's a good night out, but since I saw them the ticket prices jumped. They now charge $70ish dollars per ticket to see them (at least in Canada that's what they charge). It'sa kinda ripoff. |
| sunhippieashlyn 08.06.2010 14:34 |
I was doing something else the day that a Queen tribute came to town, but some of my friends saw it. One friend recorded some of it to show me, and they were amazing! I'll have to look up their name,though.... link |
| rschoorl 08.06.2010 15:34 |
In the US, there is a very good tribute band called "Almost Queen". You can check out several videos on Youtube. |
| Russian Headlong 08.06.2010 17:26 |
A Night ata the Opera, saw them in the 90's brilliant. Seen Rhapsody too, ok not group, when they dress up like the band gets a bit silly. |
| ok.computer 08.06.2010 19:09 |
Flash Harry Hamilton, anyone....? |
| Arnaldo "Ogre-" Silveira 08.06.2010 19:16 |
- Dios Salve a la Reina, from Argentina, are great. I saw them in Sao Paulo, at a Brazilian Convention. They are very professional and very nice chaps as well. I had chats with both Pablos and they were very nice. - Lurex, from Brazil (Belo Horizonte) is freeking awesome. Even though they are not as "technical" as DSLR, they just love Queen and do it for pleasure. I saw them playing a Queen II set at the same day I saw DSLR and I was immediately hooked. I saw them about a dozen times after that, as I often go to Belo Horizonte, their home town. - Rivendel, from Argentina were fabulous, but I guess they disbanded. - As 4 Rainhas, from my home town, Brasilia (Brazil) are fun to watch. Also here in Brasilia my friend Marcelo Brandao sometimes performs with well-known local musicians. He sure knows his Queen stuff and has a great rock voice. Cheers, Ogre- |
| theroyalsQueezebox 08.06.2010 19:55 |
can't believe no one's mentioned "The Queen Kings" yet. the singer doesn't sound like freddie, but he sings good and they have a GREAT band. Or if you fancy something a little more original, check out our Queen Duo: link :) I hope you like it! |
| thunderbolt 31742 08.06.2010 21:37 |
A couple of years back, I went to see Queen Nation perform at a casino in San Diego. Their regular lead singer was elsewhere, so they brought in Gregory Finsley, the lead singer of Queen for a Day, to fill in. What happened that night sounded exactly like a Queen show. Finsley is at least as good as Gary Mullen (I'd argue better--he absolutely nails the high notes), and the band was on fire, both technically and in terms of mimicing Queen's sound. It was a match made in Heaven, pardon the pun. Finsley's vocals with Queen Nation's musicians was, I'd argue, as good as any Queen tribute out there. For 90 minutes or so, we forgot we were in a casino lounge, and it almost felt like we were in a concert hall in the late '70s. No, seriously, that's how good they were. |
| emrabt 09.06.2010 01:27 |
I'm not to keen on Finsley, he doesn't sound like Freddie to me, but I know he has a lot of fans, and I love the fact he’s more 1973 to 1980 orientated, so it's good if your tired of the magic and works set lists the others retread. |
| plumrach 09.06.2010 02:43 |
Thanks for all your replies they are most helpful i shall have a look at some of their websites now as well |
| More Cowbell 09.06.2010 11:41 |
Queen+PR Best Queen tribute band ever. |
| Rubbersuit 09.06.2010 13:03 |
^^ Nah. The guys playing Queen were too old. |
| lifetimefanofqueen 09.06.2010 16:23 |
hehehe XD |
| lifetimefanofqueen 11.06.2010 16:29 |
hehehe, I'm going to be going to see a Queen tribute act soon, looking foward to it, but it would have been even better if it were Queen themselves. XXXXXXXX hehehe XD |
| JJ Midnight 14.06.2010 09:56 |
link See you at breakthru 2010 JJ |
| LittleSilhouetto 15.06.2010 04:15 |
I've only seen QE11 in Blackpool. I really enjoyed it, but I have to admit that they weren't brilliant. Too loud for a start. But the lead singer was FIT and had a cute bum, so I was quite happy watching him all night. |
| ITSM 16.06.2010 15:08 |
I went to a show with a choir of 200 people, 3 guitarist and lots of other musicians playing Queen songs. During the show, the "main man" was playing the piano with one hand and directing the choir with the other. I was really impressed with the selection of songs - not only hits... The opener was "Dear Friends", and some where in the middel they played Innuendo, which sounded really nice with three guitarists. I sat a bit to the left on the first row, it was a great show! --- --- --- --- --- --- Two weeks later I saw Peter Freestone's show, but I didn't like that as much. But of course it was fun : ) I went to the We Will Rock You musical a month ago, and at the end Brian May and Roger Taylor came up from the floor and played the last half of Bohemian Rhapsody - NICE : ) |
| The Real Wizard 16.06.2010 16:59 |
I've seen many Queen tribute bands (both live and on the internet), and honestly, most of them are awful. Some have great Freddies, some have great Brians, but none are the whole package. "It's A Kinda Magic" were the most disappointing one I've seen in person. While they have a good stage show, there is little musical resemblance to Queen. Craig Pesco has a pretty good voice and the Freddie stage presence, but his piano playing is on tape (the piano is angled away from the audience), as are many of the vocal harmonies. Gary Mullen is the closest thing I've seen to a good Freddie. |
| GratefulFan 16.06.2010 17:49 |
I'd be quite curious to know if Peter Freestone is financially compenstated for his slavering endorsement of that Australian outfit Bob just mentioned. I've only seen them online, but, meh. Nothing special. I try really, really hard not to be a closed minded person, but I have convinced myself I'd hate Queen tribute bands. Even though I've never seen one. I think the only way I'd like it if it was comprised of genuinely great musicians who did the material complete justice and chose to forego the goofy costume schtick. But if they were genuinely great musicians they'd probably be unsatisfied with remaining a cover band, so my dream tribute band probably doesn't exist. Maybe what I'd like is an original band who did a great, extended Queen set as part of their own show. Or, alternatively, maybe I don't have a clue what I'm talking about. |
| The Real Wizard 17.06.2010 08:13 |
GratefulFan wrote: "I think the only way I'd like it if it was comprised of genuinely great musicians who did the material complete justice and chose to forego the goofy costume schtick." Then go see Classic Albums Live next time they do A Night At The Opera. "Maybe what I'd like is an original band who did a great, extended Queen set as part of their own show." You should check out Extreme. They did an excellent Queen medley at the FM tribute concert. |
| 4 x Vision 17.06.2010 08:28 |
Seen the folowing... Gary Mullen & Works - Gary does an excellent Freddie. He used to be quite predicatable with set list i.e Wembley 86, but more recently he is mixing it up a lot more. He has fantastic vocals... he just sings a little too fast IMO whci is bizarre cos when he slow's it down he sounds more like Freddie. (Glasgow) Gary Mullen doing karaoke... link Mercury - Best I've seen. Great set list, best all round band wise. (Southport) Magic A Kind Of Queen - Didn't like them at all sadly. Really poor lead singer. His voice gets on your nerves very quickly. (Glasgow) Ga Ga - Don't dress up, they just perform Queen's music... very well indeed. They are the best musicians I've seen performing as a Queen tribute. (Seen in Glasgow) QEII - The guy looks a lot like Freddie, but that's were it ends. Light hearted fun, but not as good as others I've seen by a long way. (Seen at Blackpool) Most Queen tributes are just that... a tribute. They all obviously love the music and put on a good show. Have a beer and relax when watching them... and don't judge them in terms of the real deal cos you'll only be dissapointed. |
| john bodega 17.06.2010 11:15 |
I've seen a few great Freddie's on the internet. I even had the pleasure of working with a stunning Freddie a bit over a year ago. I have never (and I mean never) heard a Brian that sounded terribly good, and I rush to include myself in that statement, as Brian was the role I was playing. Some are fine guitarists but I've never heard one that emulates Brian as accurately as some of the Freddie's impersonators seem to do their job. I find that to be a bizarre paradox because it really should be (on paper) far easier to imitate the end product of some vibrating strings + magnetic pickups + someone's guitar rig, as opposed to a wholly unique set of vocal cords + a peculiarly shaped skull that resonates a certain way. The thing I do like about tribute acts (and their Freddie players, in particular) is that they all seem to specialise in a different aspect of his live career, whether it's intentional or not. Mullen's got a great 80's thing going on. One of the American acts is pure 70's. The guy from Killer Queen has the look down (the voice less so). The one that I worked with has the long vowel sounds from the 80's down to a tee, but without the harshness. I'll say this much, the Freddie I played with is just about the most tremendous singer I've heard with my own two ears. It used to sound spooky with his voice coming out of the monitors as loud as it was - it was even spookier when he'd just be mucking about in between shows, and I'd get to hear all the stuff that we didn't do live (Don't Try So Hard, stuff like that). I was very lucky to get work with those guys - say what you want about tribute bands, but the love of the music itself is very strong. |
| The Real Wizard 17.06.2010 11:46 |
Zebonka12 wrote: "I find that to be a bizarre paradox because it really should be (on paper) far easier to imitate the end product of some vibrating strings + magnetic pickups + someone's guitar rig" ...which goes to show how unique Brian May is. Most guitarists can't appreciate him because they can't even begin to figure out how to play Tie Your Mother Down properly, never mind his more challenging stuff. Even if they do try, they usually give up quickly and join the group of millions who can play Zeppelin and AC/DC riffs. I've heard very few guitarists in my lifetime of listening who come close to capturing Brian's feeling. One of them is our friend Luke from Australia who posts here. Consider yourself plugged - you deserve it. As much as I love Dream Theater, with enough practice anyone can play that stuff, challenging as it is. There are surely hundreds of guys around the world who are Petrucci clones. But to figure out guys like Brian May, Tom Scholz, and Jeff Beck, it takes supreme dedication of getting into someone's head. The aforementioned three are victims of their own brilliance - they are so brilliantly unique to the point that most can't comprehend what they have contributed to the evolution of the guitar. This is largely why there is no definitive Queen tribute out there, and probably never will be. |
| john bodega 17.06.2010 12:23 |
"One of them is our friend Luke from Australia who posts here." Indeed! I was his fill-in boy last year. I've never met him in person unfortunately; we're on opposite ends of the continent. Top fella - the whole band are great guys. Thanks for plugging them - I don't have the audacity to do it myself, haha. |
| john bodega 17.06.2010 12:26 |
"The aforementioned three are victims of their own brilliance - they are so brilliantly unique to the point that most can't comprehend what they have contributed to the evolution of the guitar. " I think they players themselves fall into that latter category. True, it could be false modesty on their part - but Brian in particular, when he gets down to basic and just talks about guitar, speaks like any other joe. He talks about it in a language that I can really understand as someone who just likes to play the damned thing; all bullshit out-the-window. |
| john bodega 17.06.2010 12:32 |
"As much as I love Dream Theater, with enough practice anyone can play that stuff, challenging as it is." With regards to the really techie stuff, I found that it wasn't learning how to do it that was the problem; it was the way it made me sound. Sweep picking is the readiest example I can think of - when I was about 19 I saw some Jason Becker for the first time and thought "to be taken seriously as a guitarist, I should learn a bit of this". I gorged myself on some tutorials and spent a lot of my time getting acquainted with it as a technique, and just as I was getting somewhere I really began to feel disillusioned with it because I was sounding like 'someone else'. As a discipline, there just wasn't enough room in there for my to put my own expression into it. I'm not saying that anyone who sweep picks is not an individual player - but for me personally, some of those disciplines don't fit with my way of thinking, and so they're basically worthless as a form of communication. As far as tribute bands go, I can honestly say that I didn't spend a whole lot of time trying to sound like Brian. For starters I did a lot of my chop-building on Queen songs, so I fall into that idiom somewhat by default anyway. Secondly, I don't view a tribute as 100% imitation. I think you can do it at the same time as leaving a bit of room for yourself to breathe. I'm not sure how other tribute-band folk would feel about that though! Maybe one can pop in and beg to differ... |