Well, almost a week has passed since I saw the Queen tour in Phx Arizona... here is my impression.
Although i am relatively young (26), I have been a Queen fan for about 15 years now. When I heard that they were touring with Paul Rodgers, I snatched up some expensive front row tickets for my sister and me for their AZ stop.
First off, it was way out in the west valley (Glendale) which is basically far from everything, culturally speaking, in AZ. However, there is a new stadium out there, Glendale Arena, and I was very impressed with its size and stage. Despite the long drive, I now prefer Glendale Arena over other venues for such events in AZ.
There were a lot of people there, but there was a large section closed off in the back. Otherwise, I think it was packed but I really couldn't tell from the floor.
While they played more mainstream songs, they did a good job of catering to old and newer Queen fans. Of course, they played the huge commercial hits, but they also threw a couple of lesser known songs into the mix - which was nice.
I was generally impressed with Paul Rogers - he's truly a great front man. It was a little difficult to sing along since Paul adds his own style and doesn't really try to recreate what Freddy did (not that anybody could). He certainly doesn't have the stage presence or voice that Freddy had, but he was extremely energetic.
During some of the songs, they had a large projector showing pictures of the band when they younger. It was a nice touch and it really complemented a few 'flashback' type moments in their songs.
I was very excited to see original band members Brian May and Roger Taylor. They both had very long solos and both even sang a few songs - Roger sang two, one that he wrote long ago, and Brian sang a well known song ,with a new twist, in memory of Freddy Mercury. I was disappointed that John Deacon (bassist) wasn't there, but I believe he stepped out of the public eye quite a few years back.
I apologize if my thoughts are a little random and unorganized, I'm just jotting them down as they come back. :smile: Anyway, I really enjoyed the experience and would be more than happy to elaborate on any of it for those who are considering seeing the concert in their city.
Although i am relatively young (26), I have been a Queen fan for about 15 years now. When I heard that they were touring with Paul Rodgers, I snatched up some expensive front row tickets for my sister and me for their AZ stop.
First off, it was way out in the west valley (Glendale) which is basically far from everything, culturally speaking, in AZ. However, there is a new stadium out there, Glendale Arena, and I was very impressed with its size and stage. Despite the long drive, I now prefer Glendale Arena over other venues for such events in AZ.
There were a lot of people there, but there was a large section closed off in the back. Otherwise, I think it was packed but I really couldn't tell from the floor.
While they played more mainstream songs, they did a good job of catering to old and newer Queen fans. Of course, they played the huge commercial hits, but they also threw a couple of lesser known songs into the mix - which was nice.
I was generally impressed with Paul Rogers - he's truly a great front man. It was a little difficult to sing along since Paul adds his own style and doesn't really try to recreate what Freddy did (not that anybody could). He certainly doesn't have the stage presence or voice that Freddy had, but he was extremely energetic.
During some of the songs, they had a large projector showing pictures of the band when they younger. It was a nice touch and it really complemented a few 'flashback' type moments in their songs.
I was very excited to see original band members Brian May and Roger Taylor. They both had very long solos and both even sang a few songs - Roger sang two, one that he wrote long ago, and Brian sang a well known song ,with a new twist, in memory of Freddy Mercury. I was disappointed that John Deacon (bassist) wasn't there, but I believe he stepped out of the public eye quite a few years back.
I apologize if my thoughts are a little random and unorganized, I'm just jotting them down as they come back. :smile: Anyway, I really enjoyed the experience and would be more than happy to elaborate on any of it for those who are considering seeing the concert in their city.
