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

[Michael Allred]

Well, went to see the Chicago show last Thursday and yes, it did indeed rock.

First, attendance was great. By my eyes, almost sold out.

The guys sounded nearly flawless, I didn't pick up on any flubbed lyrics or missed notes played.

I must admit I loved the taped Eminem intro (with Brian hitting a few notes) and it then kicked into "Reaching Out" & "Tie Your Mother Down." I didn't remember to bring something to write with to mark down the set list in order but I do remember what they played.

I'm not sure what to make of the new song, "Take Love" just yet. It wasn't bad but I think I'll need to hear a proper studio version of it to decide.

I absolutely LOVED "Dragon Attack", it was the highlight for me. The song was played in it's entirety (why didn't Queen do that back in the day?) "Under Pressure" also came off REALLY good.

I skipped out during Brian's guitar solo as I've always thought those were so self indulgent (spelling?) but came back for the mirror ball effect during "Last Horizon." (I thought it was cool on the "Return of the Champions" DVD so I wanted to see it in person.)

All in all it was a great experience as I got to do the things I've always wanted to do. Clap along to "Radio Ga Ga", belt out "We Will Rock You" (which, BTW, they start their encore with by playing back the stomp stomp clap bit from the album and THEN Roger picks up on the drums.)

'Twas glorious my friends. If you get the chance to see them, do yourself a favor and DO IT!

 

[EricSchulz]

Michael...thanks for the positive feedback. I see them in Milwaukee tomorrow night!

 

[EricSchulz]

Michael:

Your review pretty much hit the nail on the head. The only seats at the Bradley Center that weren't full were the "nosebleed" seats. The crowd was awesome...we stood for the ENTIRE show (we were on the floor level). Also, I was VERY surprised at the number of kids in their teens/twenties that were there. Although Milwaukee is a huge classic rock market...

There were only a few missteps: Paul Rodgers seemed to rely on the teleprompters too much (VERY noticeable from where I was sitting) although the general audience might not have picked up on it. I REALLY wish they had dropped "Another One Bites The Dust"...it's just SO dated. Paul did mess up a line in "Dragon Attack", but it was still a highlight of the show.

"Under Pressure" was awesome (loved the trading vocals they did) as was "Dragon Attack". "Love of my Life" still gives me chills! And "Bohemian Rhapsody" was done respectfully and tastefully [but no "explosion" when the opera section ends...:-( ]. All in all, a fun experience, glad I went, but it did remind me of how great they were when I saw them in '80 and '82.

 

[Bill_Mis]

Just want to echo the same comments after seeing the Pittsbugh and Cleveland shows on the 20th and 21st. It really was two great shows that brought back memories of their tours from 25+years ago. Attendance at both shows was really bad with only about 7,000 people total/each venue I would imagine.

The effort was there from the band and the show did rock. I got a bunch of great pictures and video clips as Queen is one of the few acts that have allowed cameras into the shows. Their screens were effective in seeing the guys no matter what angle they played from.

 

[Michael Allred]

Tour attendance was really a jekyll & hyde thing. Some spots sold poorly (Jacksonville) but others did very well (Chicago, Toronto.) I wonder how differently the shows were promoted in each city?

I'm glad you had a great time Eric!