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: Wa****ngton, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh,
Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, ****tland, 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 or
http://www.queenpluspaulrodgers.com,
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 sup****t (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 s****ts 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 ****tugal,
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 wor****p 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 musician****p 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.
Full date sheet follows.
+ + + + + + + +
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 Wa****ngton, 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 ****tland, OR, Rose Garden.
Thurs 13 April Vancouver, BC, Pacific Coliseum.
Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster or
http://www.queenpluspaulrodgers.com,
http://www.queenonline.com,
or
http://www.paulrodgers.com.
(Check the websites for information on
pre-sales and special VIP ticket op****tunities.)
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