Best Article I've Read In Years

The writer does make some valid points and you are entitled to your opinion..
I didn't see where he said Paul Rodgers sucks. Personally I think Paul Rodgers is a decent singer.

Legally Brian and Roger have the right to use the name Queen.
Endless bitching and moaning about it is pointless

Bryans Permed Poodle wrote:

englishyob wrote:

nothing wrong with my hearing what i heard was a new sound, the music of Queen played from a diffirent prospective

So if thats the case they offer nothing more than what a tribute band would. + a tribute band would not charge you £50.00 a ticket

There is a Queen tribute act playing 3 nights at Massey Hall in Toronto in October. Best seats cost CDN$65 + $11.68 in service charges. After taxes $88.18
I think I'd rather pay more and see one of my guitar heroes play the songs he recorded

Freddie was great but he is dead.

It must be nice to have so few concerns in your life that you can expend so much energy endlessly bitching, whining and moaning about Q+PR.

englishyob wrote:

Freddie is gone and missed but Brain and Roger are still Queen no matter what

hate to break it to ya, but brian and roger are not queen, theyre qu 1/2, only half of queen

BPP...yes, u r entitled to your own opinion, but GET A GRIP!!!! u cant change what they r doing so why even rant about it? yes, it isnt Queen, but the only reason (i presume) that they are going under the name of Queen is so everybody who doesn't know about Brian and Roger (shocking, i know) knows that they are from Queen. and it's QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS!!!!!!!! GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD! not Queen, QUEEN +++++++++++++ PAUL RODGERS!!!!!! BIG DIFFERENCE!!!!! btw, if Queen is your favorite band (i dont know if they are or not, so ill just guess that they are) why dont you support the 50% of it that are touring again? or at least appreciate the fact that Brian and Roger are having a good time? *sigh*

First off, I think BPP has contributed zero to this board. However, he feels that the writer wrote a fair article about who constiutes Queen, so why does he have to "get a grip?"

Second, Oberon, you say "the fact that they are using the name Queen is irrelevant to me", and that "a tour and live CD/DVD of existing Queen songs is fine in my opinion", then finish with "in short, OPEN YOUR MIND." The fact that they are using the name Queen (and I'm not taking sides here) is obviously relevant and annoying to a lot of people, including a daily columnist in one of the two US cities Queen + PR are playing this tour who thinks it cheapens the group to do so. And they can perform a tour and record a CD which is fine in YOUR opinion. But people who disagree with your positions have to open THEIR minds? Why? Why don't you open yours and realize that a lot of people are offended by Brian and Roger going out as Queen? People who were there when Queen were listed by name on every album and the names Paul Rodgers, Jamie Moses & Spike Edney weren't listed as members. You need to get off your soapbox and look at both sides of the argument before deciding your opinion is the only one which matters.

After sifting my way through all of the children and their immaturity, I finally have a reply.

I agree with the article. If we weren't big fans of Queen, we'd be saying the exact same thing. It's two of the original members, and commercially speaking, not the most important two members. To 99% of the general music audience, Freddie Mercury was Queen. To 90% of them, it's Brian and Roger who?

I'm seeing Queen + Rodgers because it's the closest thing to Queen I'll ever see in my lifetime. Is it Queen? No. But is it close to Queen? Yes. The spirit of Queen will be there, and that's why it will be one of the greatest days of my life.

57 more days.

IF Freddie was alive today, and be truthful to what you really think he would say, and he was retired from music completely like John is, and Brian and Roger were going to tour with Paul as the frontman, do you think Freddie would be ok with them using the name "Queen."

i agree with the general thrust of the article as well...

Nobody says that Queen+Paul Rodgers are the same as Queen used to be with Freddie and John Deacon.

The question is: should they use the name Queen. The answer for me is: of course they should. It's the name that gets all the promotion and it's the name that makes people buy the tickets. I saw four concerts and they were amazing. They lived up to the name and the heritage.

People tend to say that Freddie would not have liked this or that. If Freddie were alive and retired, would they still use the name? Who knows? He is not alive. But one thing is for sure: he did everything possible in his will to enable the surviving members to do what they want with the Queen name and heritage. No family member has a say in band decisions, it's all up to the band and the executor of the will: band manager Jim Beach. (much different from the Beatles who have to ask Yoko Ono about everything)

Brian, John, Roger and Freddie's estate agree on using the Queen name for this tour, so just accept it, it's their band, their lives, their careers.

My observation is that every bad review is from someone who has heard about the tour, but hasn't gone. Every good review is a surprised person who saw the show and loved it.

The bottom line is that most of the skeptics won't go to the show because it's not Freddie. The true fans who should be the most skeptical will go and, I have noticed, for such an artificial tour, they sure do seem to cheer and scream their asses off. I know I did!

The best thing about the show to a true fan, in my opinion, is that without Freddie, Brian and Roger finally sing a huge part of the show. That was a surprise that I wasn't expecting. Paul Rodgers is great but I still prefer Brian and Roger over him with most any song.

I think they are only half as good as the old Queen. A band half as good as Queen is a band that is considerably better than most rock bands ever and way better than any of the shit that comes out today.

Furthermore, why is it that people are so ignorant to say that Freddie was Queen. Queen would have been great without Brian May, but would it have been nearly as good or distinct?? That guitar sound is a signature for them as much as Freddie's voice. Furthermore, I loved it the other day when my friend was arguing that Freddie was the best thing about the band. The part I loved was when I asked what her favorite songs were and she named 5(I Want to Break Free, You're My Best Friend, These Are the Days of our Lives, The Prophet Song and Spread Your Wings). My response was, "Then it's not the Queen you like because John Deacon isn't there, the guy who wrote 3 of those songs. Notice not one was a Freddie written track.

And just to note, I notice that all of my friends prefer The Game to all other Queen albums. I guess it's an American thing but I sure as hell don't get it. How can The Game be their best album in the USA. As great as it is, I would have thought it to be their worst album to date(with the possible exception of Jazz). At least you British figured it out.) I am going to the L.A. show which is great but I cannot tell you Brits how perfect and pleased I was to see my first Queen show in England among people with far superior music taste than us Americans. Now if you fuckers could just learn how to cook!

greaserkat wrote:

IF Freddie was alive today, and be truthful to what you really think he would say, and he was retired from music completely like John is, and Brian and Roger were going to tour with Paul as the frontman, do you think Freddie would be ok with them using the name "Queen."

No!

He invented the name and he knew just how big and important a part of the band he was. I think he would feel offended and left out (even if he had chosen to retire himself)!

I went to their Show in Madrid last april, and I must say that I enjoyed the show, but I must say a couple of things about Q+PR:

1. They are great as a band but obviously Freddie was only there when they used the Bohemian Rhapsody video. When Brian dedicated Love Of My Live to Freddie it was very stunnig how people reacted by shouting Freddie's name for at least a couple of minutes. I was shocked. I must say that even Brian was shocked, I think. But if you ask me that I like them going out on tour with PR, my answer is NO, because they can sing their songs much better than Paul does, just my opinion.

2. Unfortunately for Brian and Roger, the only member that here in Spain most people remember from Queen is Freddie, that's the truth, and I'm afraid that sometimes what they remember from him is not precisely how well he did sing. So using the name "Queen" is not only a chance for them, it's also a duty because if they were credited as Brian May, Roger Taylor and PR, only Queen fans here in Spain like me would go to see them play. Sad but true.

3. The only good things, in my opinion, they have done correctly by using "Queen" since Freddie's Tribute Concert were when they played TSMGO with Elton John and the Bejart Ballet, the WWRY musical and No-One But You. Everything else they've done except 46664 was spoiling the band's name, because WATC with Robbie Williams was awful, WWRY with Five was nothing but S**T, and this tour would have been great if they have played their stuff without PR, even if they used the name Queen, I don't care.
I hope noone gets angry, but that´s what I really think guys. Thank U

Queen is Queen They played Queen songs
freddie say THE SHOW MUST GO ON and it will

I like what you say QUEENROCKS_1991
I agree.

Bryans Permed Poodle wrote:

Nobody wants Brian and Roger to stop touring but I do agree with the article when it says using the Queen name cheapens the memory of it's two missing members. I again tried to watch the version of WATC live from Sheffield (free via Queenonline). I had to stop it half way through it's just not right. Although Brian, Roger and John are excellent musicians, Freddie WAS Queen and anything done without him should not be considered as Queen END OF STORY.

Let me ask you something, if instead of Queen they would choose another name would it make the music more enjoyable to you?
Would you have watched WATC to the end?

Take care

If they want to go on tour let them.

Although i don't see them as Queen at all, it's something very different.

It was always going to be without John and Freddie.