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Queen+ Paul Rodgers announce 2006 USA tour (1 Viewer)

Michael Allred

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QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS SET 23-DATE TOUR FOR SPRING 2006

TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN !! QUEEN RETURN TO ROCK USA
QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS SET 23-DATE TOUR FOR SPRING 2006

Some of rock’s greatest anthems are to be heard performed live again across America after more than 20 years, as rock legends Queen, now joined forces with Paul Rodgers, singer and songwriter of Bad Company/Free fame, announce they are to play a 23 date tour of the USA and Canada this coming Spring.

The tour announcement comes only a matter of weeks after Queen and Rodgers ignited sold out box office and strong media attention with two showcase performances at Meadowlands, NJ, and the Hollywood Bowl on a stop-off along the way to their recent sold out Japanese tour.

Away from the North America concert circuit for more than two decades – an enforced retirement brought on by the tragic loss of lead singer Freddie Mercury, Queen with Rodgers will launch into their coast-to-coast tour Friday March 3 in Miami, Fl at the American Airlines Arena.

Spending six weeks on US soil, the band will closely re-route it’s triumphant ’82 North American tour, bringing it back to the Queen-heartlands: Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, Portland, among other US cities, plus Canadian stops in Toronto and Vancouver, where the tour winds up on April 13, 2006.

Tickets for these much-anticipated shows go on sale earliest December 3 with on sales across the country at different dates up until December 17.

Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster with a Special Presale starting November 30th at, http://www.queenonline.com or http://www.paulrodgers.com

The announcement of this full-time return to touring in the USA by Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, with Rodgers now as vocalist, coincides with the 30th anniversary celebrations of the band’s history-making single “Bohemian Rhapsody” and its definitive 70’s album, “A Night At The Opera”.

“A Night At The Opera” was the album which provided Queen with its breakthrough in the USA, where it reached No.1 and remained on the charts for 52 weeks, giving them their first gold record in the States.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” continues to be rediscovered by new generations; the hit movie “Wayne’s World” made it a hit all over again in the 1992, and for the current generation, the song has become reality TV’s most often selected song among aspiring rock performers.

While Queen was already touring the USA regularly, having made their first appearance before a stateside audience on April 16th 1974 in Denver, performing their one and only tour support (for Mott The Hoople), this, the band’s fourth album, propelled them into the super-band status. From here until the final tour of 1982, Queen performed more often in the USA than any other country in the world; in the following two years, Queen would spend more than seven months alone playing American dates.

The early ‘80s saw Queen at their zenith in the USA; firstly the band’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” hit the No.1 spot, then “The Game” album spent five weeks at No.1 on the album chart between September-October 1980, and the single from it “Another One Bites The Dust” topped the singles chart in October, staying there for three weeks, even, unexpectedly, reaching No.2 on the R & B chart. It subsequently won the Favourite Single in the Rock/Pop category at the American Music Awards the following January. The band’s great rock anthems, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions” continue to echo across sports stadiums throughout America as the perennial favorites at any major season events.

As of this past June, according to the RIAA, Queen had sold more than 31.5 million albums in the United States, ranking them the 50th biggest selling artist in the States. The band’s catalogue continues to be much in demand; Queen is consistently among the Top 10 download artists at iTunes.

Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins inducted Queen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Two years later, in June 2003, the band was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Rodgers likewise has enjoyed a phenomenal career worldwide. Rodgers first exploded onto the music scene with mega hit “All Right Now,” co-written by Rodgers then in Free. The song became a #1 hit in 20 territories and in the ‘90s ASCAP recognized “All Right Now” for passing one million radio plays in the U.S. The members of Queen have long cited Free’s “Fire and Water” album as “one of our bibles when we were starting off.”

In 1973 Rodgers formed Bad Company with guitarist Mick Ralphs. They wrote, produced and recorded six multi-platinum albums in five years, including such global hits as “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Can’t Get Enough,” “Rock & Roll Fantasy,” Shooting Star” and “Bad Company.” Point of interest, Rodgers also played guitar and piano on several of these recordings. In the U.S., “10 From 6” still generates sales of 1,000,000 copies annually – 20 years after its release.

Since the ‘90s, as a solo artist, Paul has been honored with a Grammy nomination for his “Muddy Water Blues” album, and worked with Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh and most recently, with Aretha Franklin, The Temptations and The Four Tops on the The Tops’ TV/DVD special “From the Heart” which celebrated their 50th anniversary.

The collaboration between Queen and Rodgers was cemented when May, Taylor and Rodgers performed in public together for the first time last fall, bringing the house to its feet at the first annual UK Music Hall of Fame Awards in London when on accepting their induction, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor with Rodgers served up blistering versions of “We Will Rock You,” “We Are The Champions” and Rodgers’ “All Right Now.”

“There was a natural chemistry between us when we performed together in London. Brian and Roger brought a new dimension to my songs,” said Rodgers. “The idea took hold for us to do something together after that, and the momentum has taken on a life of its own.”

The momentum took the shape of a 32-date European tour this past spring which saw Queen + Paul Rodgers visit over a dozen countries in 12 weeks, culminating in huge outdoor summer concerts in Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands and a return to London’s Hyde Park playing to a crowd of over 65,000.

A major Japanese tour was then scheduled for early fall, and along the way, two stopover concerts in the USA. The Meadowlands, NJ, and LA’s Hollywood Bowl revived the same kind of audience worship scenes first experienced by Queen circa ‘80s; unquestionable validation that this many years on, and albeit with a different front man, the power of Queen’s music and musicianship remains undiminished in the passage of time.

“It was more than enough,” say May and Taylor, “to persuade us that it was the right time to return for a lengthier period of dates. And it is going to be great to be back in some of our favourite cities.”

For the Spring 2006 tour dates Brian May (guitar & vocals), Roger Taylor (drums & vocals) and Paul Rodgers (vocals, guitar & piano) are joined by Danny Miranda, ex Blue Oyster Cult on bass, Jamie Moses, former Brian May band member on second guitar, and Spike Edney, long-time Queen sideman on keyboards. (Queen bassist John Deacon has retired from touring.)

Anyone seeking a taster of what to expect from seeing Queen perform with Paul Rodgers can check out the two-CD live set Return of the Champions, and the companion piece DVD filmed during the European tour, both released by Hollywood Records.

Also shortly available, Hollywood Records commemorates the 30th anniversary of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which was first released in the USA December 7, 1975 with a special anniversary DVD and CD of the band’s classic album, A Night At The Opera.

Queen + Paul Rodgers North America 2006

Fri 3 March Miami, Fl, American Airlines Arena.
Sun 5 March Jacksonville, Fl, Veterans Coliseum.
Tues 7 March Duluth, GA, Gwinett Center.
Thurs 9 March Washington, DC, MCI Center.
Fri 10 March Worcester, MA, DCU Center.
Sun 12 March Uniondale, NY, Nassau Coliseum.
Tues 14 March Philadelphia, PA, Wachovia Spectrum.
Thurs 16 March Toronto, ON, Air Canada Centre.
Fri 17 March Buffalo, NY, HSBC Arena.
Mon 20 March Pittsburgh, PA, Mellon Arena.
Tues 21 March Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena.
Thurs 23 March Chicago, IL, Allstate Arena.
Fri 24 March Auburn Hills, MI, Palace at Auburn Hills.
Sun 26 March St. Paul, MN, Xcel Energy Center.
Mon 27 March Milwaukee, WI, Bradley Center.
Fri 31 March Glendale, AZ, Glendale Arena.
Sat 1 April San Diego, CA, Cox Arena.
Mon 3 April Anaheim, CA, Arrowhead Pond.
Wed 5 April San Jose, CA, HP Pavilion.
Fri 7 April Las Vegas, NV, MGM Grand Garden. Mon 10 April Seattle, WA, Key Arena.
Tues 11 April Portland, OR, Rose Garden.
Thurs 13 April Vancouver, BC, Pacific Coliseum.

Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster via www.queenpluspaulrodgers.com

Pre-Sale Ticket Information
Queen + Paul Rodgers Queen + Paul Rodgers will be doing more North American dates this Spring! They are offering their Fan Club and Internet Community Members a Pre Sale as well as Special VIP Packages via the Queen + Paul Rodgers Ticket Page.

Link: https://tixx1.artistarena.com/queenpluspaulrodgers/

Pre sale info from artist arena:

Platinum Packages are $595 each and include the following:

-A Premium Ticket (Seat Location will be given at time of Purchase)
-An Exclusive, Double Live Import CD of Queen + Paul Rodgers in Europe
-An Exclusive Tour Jacket
-A Limited Edition Tour Poster
-A Live Return of the Champions DVD and Double Live Return of the Champions CD (Queen + Paul Rodgers in the UK)
-An Official Tour Program
-A Platinum Commemorative Laminate
-A 25% discount coupon for online store.

Gold Packages are $395 each and include the following:

-A Premium Ticket (Seat Location will be given at time of Purchase)
-An Exclusive, Single Live Import CD of Queen + Paul Rodgers in Europe
-A Limited Edition Tour Poster
-A Gold Commemerative Laminate
-A 10% discount coupon for online store.

All Platinum and Gold Package Purchasers will automatically be entered in a drawing to win a Brian May Guitar signed by Brian May, a Microphone singed by Paul Rodgers and a Roger Taylor Drum Head signed by Roger Taylor!

The following shows will be available for Presale starting at 1pm Local Time on Wednesday, November 30th:

3-31 Phoenix AZ
4-10 Seattle WA

The following shows will be available for Presale starting at 2pm Local Time on Wednesday, November 30th:

3-09 Washington DC
4-01 San Diego CA


The following shows will be available for Presale starting at 1pm Local Time on Thursday, December 1st:

3-27 Milwaukee WI
4-07 Las Vegas NV

The following shows will be available for Presale starting at 2pm Local Time on Thursday, December 1st:

3-23 Chicago IL
4-11 Portland OR

The following show will be available for Presale starting at 1pm Local Time on Friday, December 2nd:

3-21 Cleveland OH

Please do not call about shows that are not listed here. The remainder of the presale dates and times will be posted on Friday, December 3rd.
 

EricSchulz

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Did ANYONE here see the shows in the US in October? They are playing Chicago the night before my birthday and Milwaukee soon after that...gottta decide soon if I am gonna go!
 

Tim L

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can't wait-going to the Worcester show for sure-it will be good to hear brian guitar riffs in person once again!
 

David Stone

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Grrrrr... Not a single venue in the Midwest! :angry: This should be promoted as the "East and West Coasts (and Great Lakes) Tour", not the "North American Tour".

The Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX is usually an obvious venue for these types of really big shows. I guess they couldn't afford the bus tickets to get the band to Texas, seeing how those Gold and Platinum ticket packages are so inexpensive. :rolleyes
 

John Berggren

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Honestly, they should be listing this as Queen- with Paul Rodgers...
or Former Members of Queen with Paul Rodgers performing the songs of Queen.

Queen without Freddie is not Queen, and it's a shame that Brian and Roger have decided it's ok to trade on the name.
 

Michael Allred

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Honestly, the name is their's to use how they wish. It's not like they hired the Muppets to sing the songs and disgrace the catalog. It's Paul bloody Rodgers, one of the best rock voices of all time. If they're going ahead, they could've done a whole lot worse don't you think?

I respect Freddie to no end but he was not Queen, just 1/4 of a band. Freddie's family approved of this union, John Deacon gave it his blessing, what more do you need to enjoy some quality stuff? John, don't get caught up with names my friend because it's nothing more than a logo. The music is what's important right?
 

Michael Allred

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Would Queen have been the same without Brian May? I think focusing on the lead singer is pretty unfair to the rest of the band, especially if they've made major contributions to their sound. Led Zeppelin would've been pretty different without John Bonham too.....
 

John Berggren

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The difference here being, if Freddie toured without Brian May, he very likely would not have called it Queen.
 

Colin Jacobson

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Anyone else think it'll be a stretch to have this tour play arenas? I see they're coming to MCI here in DC - I just can't imagine the place will even remotely approach sell-out status. Heck, I'd be surprised if they sold 10,000 tickets - who wants to see Queen without FM?
 

Michael Allred

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Well, let's use a more realistic comparison here. If Brian had died and Freddie went on tour with Roger, there's absolutely NO way of knowing what they would have chosen to do regarding how they billed themselves. You're really working with assumptions there.
 

Tim L

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well I definitley want to see them on this tour-I like the songs (of course with freddie would be great but..) but luckly I've seen Queen 3 times and saw and met brian may on his solo tour. My wife has never seen them live and would like to see at least what this tour has to offer regardless. I still think it will be a fun night out.
Tim
 

JonZ

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John Deacon isnt gonna be there either?

Its different if the singer passes away and the rest of the guys go out as a tribute or whatever, but with Deacon missing to.....

I agree,its not Queen:) Its Brian,Roger,Paul and the guy on bass doing Queen songs.
 

Bill_Mis

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It really doesn't matter how you call it, Brian May and Roger Taylor will be playing Queen songs with a new singer and supporting band. They haven't been here in this capacity since 1982. I am looking forward to this show because I know it will be great. If you are really skeptical, pick up the dvd of Return of the Champions and see for yourself.
 

Bill_Mis

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I'm down for the Pittsburgh and Cleveland shows on March 20th and 21st. Spring can't get here soon enough.
 

kamyiu

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can someone explain how/why paul rodgers was chosen for this? it seems so arbitrary. were they friends? did brian may once play on a bad co. album? did they tour together in the 70s?
 

EricSchulz

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They met at a Hall of Fame Induction ceremony (the UK branch IIRC) and performed a couple songs together. I think they all enjoyed the chemistry and decided to try a few shows in the UK after that. I seem to recall that at various times names like Robbie Williams and George Michael were considered for a "reunion" tour, but those plans fell through.
 

Michael Allred

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Anybody hear about this, from www.musictap.com

"Hollywood Records will have a few titles in stores on specific street date that will include an as-yet-untitled project from Jesse McCartney (August 8); Breaking Benjamin (July 25), as well as a Limited Edition of A.I. from Queen (April 11)."

Scroll down at that web site and it also shows the album cover.

What the hell is "A.I."?

BTW, the new US tour began on Friday, not much new in the set list other than adding "Dragon Attack" plus a new song written by Rodgers (forget the title of it.)
 

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