The spirit of Freddie Mercury was alive during the performance of “One Night of Queen,” performed by Gary Mullen and The Works. However, that spirit and some mannerisms are where the talents of Freddie stopped.
I do want to say that I appreciate all individuals who have the courage to get up on stage and perform. I understand what it is like, but 20 years is a long time for someone to perform as the same tribute. I think it is time they put down the broken microphone stand.
I cannot say that I hated the performance. Queen songs are always a hit. The way Gary Mullen moved around the stage and talked with the audience was very entertaining. The downside was that you could tell Freddie Mercury was one of a kind and we will never again hear a live performance with quite the same style.
I would not say that I am a hard-core Queen fan, but I do enjoy listening to the music. I would sing along during the performance and sing as Freddie would. There were moments when there was no backup or the notes were changed from the original score. Again, I understand that performing live is difficult, but there needs to be a cut off time for how long this sort of thing can last.
The band was fantastic. Billy Moffat (bass), Jon Halliwell (drums), Malcolm Gentles (keyboards) and David Brockett (guitar) all embodied the musical sound of Queen. When they performed “Killer Queen,” both Jon and David had solos that would leave the original group in awe. Watching those two throughout the whole night was very entertaining.
One thing I do admire about Gary Mullen is the way he interacts with the audience. He was very funny and had the whole audience on their feet. Gary also went throughout the crowd multiple times to high-five them. This does not happen with every concert you go to, and I appreciated his care for the audience.
Personally, I believe that this group should take a rest from performing and see what else is out there for them. As I said, 20 years is a long time to perform as the same individual who is not yourself.
If you are someone who appreciates Queen and would like to see some type of live performance by them, by all means go see this show. If you are a hard-core Queen fan, stay away. I advise you to listen to their records or stream their music because it will never be as good as Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor.
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