QUEEN SYMPHONIC
July 20, 2019 - 8:30 pm

Co-produced by the BBC, the Queen Symphonic is a show that embodies the power of the greatest band of a generation of 70’s and 80’s rock.

BIOGRAPHY

The origins of Queen lay in the hard rock psychedelic group Smile, which guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor joined in 1967. Following the departure of Smile’s lead vocalist in 1971, May and Taylor formed a group with Freddie Mercury, the former lead singer for Wreckage. Within a few months, bassist John Deacon joined them, and Queen was born.

Throughout their career, Queen embraced the exaggerated pomp of progressive rock and heavy metal. The British quartet created a huge, mock-operatic sound with layered guitars and overdubbed vocals that became their signature. Vocalist Freddie Mercury brought an extravagant touch to Queen, pushing them toward kitschy humor and pseudo-classical arrangements. Thanks to Mercury’s legendary performances, Queen became one of the most popular bands in the world in the mid-’70s with hits such as “Killer Queen”, “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Somebody To Love” topping the charts across the globe and pushing them to sell-out stadium performances.

They continued to pile up hit singles in both Britain and America in the 70’s, as all of their albums went into the Top Ten, always going gold and usually platinum in the process. Queen embraced such mass success and adoration. They were at the height of their popularity as they entered the ’80s with songs like “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and the disco-fied “Another One Bites the Dust”. In the late 80s, Queen’s activity was halted due to Freddie Mercury’s health issues that eventually took his life in 1991.

Since Mercury’s death, the remaining members of Queen have been fairly active. The Queen name has remained intact thanks to various projects led by Brian May and Roger Taylor, such as 2005’s “Return Of The Champions” where Paul Rodgers, the former lead singer of Free and Bad Company, joined Brian May and Roger Taylor (John Deacon had retired) for several live shows and a new studio album. In addition to this the creation of the musical ‘We Will Rock You’ produced by Ben Elton was also given its support by May and Taylor who performed, on numerous occasions, during the musical’s stint between 2002 and 2014 keeping Queen’s name alive.

In 2018, Queen was the subject of the biopic film Bohemian Rhapsody, which starred Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury. The band contributed to the soundtrack, which featured classic tracks as well as live recordings and several songs reworked for the film.