Sunday 10/16/05 at the Meadowlands

After many months of waiting, last night marked the big Queen + Paul Rodgers concert at the Meadowlands. It still seems incredible that I was a stone's throw away from Roger Taylor and Brian May, two of the legendary members of the band Queen! In one of the worst examples of poor timing, I got into Queen late in 1990, only months before Freddie Mercury passed away, and I NEVER thought I would have the opportunity to see the boyz on stage rockin' through the songs I love so much.

The concert was incredible! The lights dimmed and over the speakers came a dance mix of their song "It's a Beautiful Day." The place went wild! Because the group is only playing two shows in the US, tickets were really hard to come by and it seemed that most people there were serious fans! Makes sense....

Anyway, then Paul Rodgers came out alone, walking down the large catwalk that shot out from the stage, singing a few verses of a tune called "Reaching Out". That song then segued into the famous guitar riff from "Tie Your Mother Down" and Brian May shot out from behind the stage, running down the catwalk to join Paul as the full band kicked in. The evening had begun!!!

I know that Queen + Paul Rodgers is not the same as Queen - it's been said a thousand times and it is true: You can't replace Freddie Mercury. But Paul is a brilliant frontman and a hell of a singer. He seemed to be having a blast giving us the opportunity, the first one in 25 years, to celebrate the music of Queen. He rocked his way through "Tie Your Mother Down", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Another One Bites The Dust", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (and his own tune "Bad Company") in rapid succession and never hit a bad note. Brian, Roger, and the rest of the band kept up with him, playing everything perfectly. It was great to see them enjoying it so much. Brian in particular was blown away by the reception they received. As he stepped up to sing and play "'39" and "Love of my Life", he explained how he never expected such a welcome - and the surprise on his face made it obvious he was being sincere.

The high-point for me was seeing Roger Taylor performing his songs because he has always been my favorite member of Queen. He is such an interesting songwriter with a great rock voice (the same is true of Freddie who I love too!) I have all four of Roger's solo albums and the three albums he put out as the lead singer of the band The Cross, and I was always disappointed that I wouldn't be able to see him perform live. Well, last night, I saw him sing "Radio Ga Ga", "These are the Days of Our Lives", a new song called "Say It's Not True", and the classic "I'm In Love with my Car" - and each song was fantastic! He sounded great and came off as a legitimately personable guy. My eyes swelled with tears during "Days of Our Lives" because his performance was accompanied by a video of Queen as they arrived in Japan for the first time back in '74. It was great footage which I had seen before, but seeing them so young (and with Freddie) as Roger sang the words to an already-touching song made for such a nice experience.

I know I was, but I can't really remember how excited I was the first time I saw Depeche Mode in 1986, Styx in 1990, and Bowie in 1997. Those were major events for me and I still love all three acts. However, I know that this occasion with Queen is, and always will be, one of the major highlights of my life. How much do I love these guys?? My honeymoon trip to London was basically an excuse to see Kensington Market, their fan club HQ, and to go scribble my own message on the door to Freddie Mercury's house. I've flown out to Vegas twice this year to see the "We Will Rock You" musical at the Paris.

And now this! It can't be topped really! I'm hoping that they come back in the Spring to play more dates - and I'll do and spend whatever to get tickets to see them again - but this first time won't be topped. It was so fantastic! Thanks for Paul Rodgers for being there to make this possible - I know it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for him. But mostly, thanks to Brian and Roger for flying over the ocean to do this when they could just sit around and talking about the "good ol' days." Because of them, now I have another unforgettable memory for when I'm one of those old guys droning on about those "good ol' days!!"

Meadowlands, NJ – 16/10/05

REACHING OUT
TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN
FAT BOTTOM GIRLS
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE
BAD COMPANY
SAY ITS NOT TRUE
'39
LOVE OF MY LIFE
HAMMER TO FALL
FEEL LIKE MAKING LOVE
DRUM SOLO
I’M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR
GTR SOLO
LAST HORIZON
DAYS OF OUR LIVES
RADIO GA GA
CAN’T GET ENOUGH
ROCK AND ROLL FANTASY
I WANT IT ALL
BO RAP

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SHOW MUST GO ON
ALL RIGHT NOW
WE WILL ROCK YOU
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS