QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA: BLACKPOOL, UK
Queen Extravaganza
at Opera House in Blackpool, UK
by Kayla Kerridge
The show must go on as tribute band Queen Extravaganza continue their 25 date tour, celebrating the 50th birthday of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The band, hand picked and produced personally by Roger Taylor and Brian May, grace Blackpool’s nearly sold out Opera House with a 90 minute show packed with timeless favourites for Queen fans of all ages.
Opening the show with ‘We Will Rock You’, the band consists of Gareth Taylor and Alirio Netto on vocals, Darren Reeves on keyboards, Nick Radcliffe on guitar and vocals, François-Olivier Doyon on bass and vocals and drummer George Farrar. They then follow with ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and ‘Somebody to Love’ with both Taylor and Netto interchanging leads depending on the song.
‘Under Pressure’ follows closely after, with an outstanding performance from the band’s bassist, François Olivier Doyon, performing the parts of the late David Bowie flawlessly. Showcasing Queen’s legacy with performances of ‘I’m In Love With My Car’ , ‘You’re My Best Friend’ and ‘Killer Queen’ , it's almost as if the crowd had been transported back to the 1970s as people rose to dance along with the band.
Energies are kept within the crowd as Alirio Netto takes a moment to appreciate Queen and Bohemian Rhapsody for its 50th anniversary, dedicating ‘These Are the Days of Our Lives’ to Queen Extravaganza founder Roger Taylor, sending emotions high as the performance included images of young Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May and John Deacon on the on stage screens.
Gareth Taylor then concludes the first part of Queen Extravangza’s celebrations with performances of ‘Now I’m Here’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ and ‘I Want it All’ encouraging the crowd to get up and dance, which they complied, with the opera house erupting into cheers and sing song unison. Following a quick interval, the band reunite on stage for another full out 45 minutes of classic Queen hits.
Alirio Netto opens part two with ‘A Kind of Magic’, with a mix of stage visuals and vocals sending the crowd to their previous upbeat energy, leading to cheers around the concert hall. The set then continues with Netto’s rendition of ‘Hammer to Fall’ before being joined on stage by Gareth Taylor for ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ and ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’.
‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ and ‘I Want to Break Free’ creates cheers in the crowd, along with a kind of nostalgia for those who’s childhoods consisted of Queen, continuing into ‘Another One Bites the Dust’. Concluding their set at Blackpool Opera house, Queen Extravaganza performed ‘Radio GaGa’ to a choir of clapping hands perfectly timed, before ending their pre-encore set with the birthday song, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, leaving the crowd in awe as the stage went black.
Whilst a few looked to leave, Queen Extravaganza came full circle with their second performance of ‘We Will Rock You’, followed by ‘We Are the Champions’ as finale, focusing on the individual band members with lighting and solos for appreciation.
Bringing their own twist on original Queen, yet still managing to create a kind of magic Freddie Mercury held, Queen Extravaganza is keeping Queen’s legacy strong and prominent in live music.