Very cool top - wish Paul would release some additional items as some of the design work on his tops are really unique. Unfortunately I'll not be making it to Manchester. I'd like to make it to my home gig of Newcastle but work commitments tend to get in the way. Some people yesterday had been to all of the UK gigs - lucky for them.
If you are going to Manchester hope you have a great time and make sure you get to the end of the catwalk again - for me the only place to be :-)
If you found Liverpool a great experience you should have experienced Queen earlier in their career - you really would have been blown away I can tell you. Not taking anything away from the recent tour - Liverpool from the front has to rate as one of my best Queen experiences to date. 110%
Did you see that there appears to be an official dance routine for Cosmos Rocks? Now that's something new to me and something the younger Queen fans clearly bring to the changing face of Queen. Sarah next to me should be filmed for a video for the Cosmos Rocks - great moves.
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i actualy lay claims to one of those dance mooves! stop this noise! completely mine! hahaha i cant wait for manchster, im sitting tho :( but im standing in london hoefully.
it was amazin!
something real special,
-adventure seeker- · Member since
rich tea, great pictures! fantastic!
Nummer2 · Member since
Wow, RichTea, I like your pictures so much, I took the time and watched them all, which I usually never do. How did you get them so steady and sharp? Did you use a tripod? Great job!
My hair's a disgrace · Member since
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[b]Rich Tea wrote: [/b]
Well still recovering but still rocking from last night. OK I saw Queen loads of times with Freddie and there will never be an equal but Paul Rodgers is brilliant and what a voice. Really glad this is happening and can't wait for Manchester now!!
A few pictures added to my flickr hope you like them:
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These are awesome Rich Tea, thanks so much for putting these up ! Fantastic job. How did you manage to get so many steady shots from the standing area?
I was in Block 1, the seated area just behind where you must have been. These are my photos - not a patch on yours so it's great to see some good ones from the same angle !
First off I must say it's great to finally see the big arena tours come to Liverpool, especially as I always seemed to be the designated driver for frequent visits to Manchester! Anyway....
As you can probably gather from my post count, I don't do this forum that much, although it's a great source of info and bootlegs, I just don't have much free time these days.
I was at Liverpool on Saturday with my wife (who's never really been a fan of either Paul Rodgers or Queen) and a friend (who is a BIG fan of both but, a bit like me, was a bit apprehensive about this combination).
Back in 2005 I made the decision that QPR was not gonna be my thing. I felt that, based on Paul's style of singing, the job was just not for him. I love his music but.....
Anyway, the decision bugged me until I heard that a new tour and album was being sorted. I decided to take the plunge and go for it. Last Saturday's gig was the pay off.
The atmosphere of the crowd was amazing. Before the gig I noted a few interesting costumes ranging from women wearing "fat bottom girl" t-shirts to one young kid, definitely under 10 years old, fully dressed in Freddie Mercury costume, including a fake mustache!!!!
Got a great standing position just in front of the second stage and the next 2 hours or so flew by. What I saw was a high energy, professional, fun, emotional show delivered by a band who seem to be enjoying every minute. (Not like some re-formed bands, "The Police" spring to mind)
I must say after watching the opening 40 minutes from Kharkov I was expecting a similar start, I agree that Hammer To Fall isn't a perfect opener, One Vision is so much better, but the high energy performance got the crowd moving and in full voice. It was sad to hear a small, and I mean very small, amount of booing when Paul was introduced (why buy a ticket if you don't like the guy - numptees!), they soon shut up and I saw the offenders singing and clapping along later on.
The personal highlights for me where:
1) my wife saying "i've not looked forward to a concert as much in ages" and then clapping and singing along to nearly every song. (well on the chorus's anyway) - truly converted. Those Take That Cds will be in the bin by Christmas I hope.
2) '39. Everyone on stage having a great time playing whilst the audience were in full voice.
3) 'Bad Company' - one of the highlights of the performance - this band play this classic so well.
4) 'The Show Must Go On' - Paul seems to really enjoy this one. To be fair he is always seems to be smiling.
5) Radio Gaga and We Will Rock You - got to be in the standing area for this type of gig. My arms are still feeling the effects of all that clapping!
Downside:
1) Roger Taylor singing AKOM. Give it back to Paul, he's more than capable. Roger should stick to IILWMC and SINT but that should be it.
2) 'No Wishing Well' or 'Feel Like Making Love'
3) 'We Believe' - I just don't like this song, sorry.
4) Only wished that John Deacon hadn't decided not to join in.
All in all this was a fabulous gig. In my opinion Paul brings his own style to these great songs whilst the band perform his songs better than the originals.
If you still think that "this is not Queen" then you're right, it isn't. Roger and Brian are famous as writers and performers of some of the greatest rock songs ever, they are perfectly entitled to keep and use the name Queen and perform the songs that people obviously still want to hear played live. Adding Paul Rodgers to the mix makes a very bold statement for which they must be applauded. As far as I know most, if not all UK dates, sold out on the strength that people knew what they were getting. They chose a singer with a totally different style who is humble enough to give 80% if not more of the show over to Queen material, at the expense of his own excellent back catalogue. They've done a new record and are brave enough to perform some of the songs (wished they did 'Time To Shine', maybe the next tour who knows?). They acknowledge Freddie very nicely too (saw a few tears in the crowd during BIJOU and RHAPSODY).
I really regret missing 2005, if you feel the same way about this tour I urge you to get to a gig, wherever you may be, you won't be disappointed. Looking at the 2005 DVD and comparing it with last Saturday they appear to have gone from being a combination of two great acts to being one band in their own right. I'm really happy it's working out and will be right there should they decide to do this all again.
Sorry for going on for a bit but I needed to have may say.
p.s. let's hope there's a few recordings of last Saturday's gig floating around. [img=/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif][/img]
