After my trip to Poland and the Queen+Adam Lambert concert, I began to dive into the solo work that Brian and Roger have made both before and after Freddie's passing. I have to say, I'm growing really fond of their solo albums as well, especially Roger's album Happiness? from 1994, it has several songs that I really like, such as the song Happiness, Foreign Sand, Old Friends and of course, Nazis 1994! The song Nazis 1994 may raise many eyebrows when just reading the title, I sure as heck wondered when I first heard about it, but it's actually an anti-nazi song and Roger greatly dislikes nationalism, bigotry, discrimination and fascism. Dare say that made me like him even more! Best drummer ever, great musician in general and with an amazing voice, PLUS having such great opinions when it comes to human rights!
I haven't heard as much from Brian yet, but I like what I've heard this far! Back to the light is really beautiful! It's really no wonder he's been voted the best guitarist more than once now, just this weekend he was voted the best guitarist again in a rock magazine! He sure knows how to play his guitar in ways that you wouldn't think was possible. But even being the best guitarist in the world, he always seem so modest and gentle and keep both feet on the ground, his voice is also very soft and soothing. Then he has his Save Me Trust to give wild animals a voice, along with being a very brilliant astrophysicist/astronomer (not sure if it's one or both, but he's indeed Dr Brian May these days) and like Roger, a very good songwriter and musician in general!
I quite wish it was possible to just invite them over one day, not because they're heroes to me and are part of my favorite band ever, but because I think they seem to be really nice people to be around and just sit and talk with about things in general like awareness for HIV and The Mercury Phoenix Trust that they started after Freddie's death, animal rights, human rights, music, outer space and whatnot, just general chitchat with no journalists involved or interviews and such.
I know it's not at all likely to happen though, they're both very busy with their various projects with and without Queen, along with being husbands and family fathers. But yeah, should I ever get to meet them, I'd probably not be completely starstruck unless I accidentally bumped into one or both on the street without being prepared for it. Even the greatest stars walking on this planet are just regular people when they're off stage!
It's actually Roger's song Old Friends that made me write this post in a haste before I'm off to sleep. I played that song for mum on YouTube the other day, and then it hit her, and me, that no other band or band members have done so many songs and tributes to a lost band member! You won't hear The Beatles play tribute songs for John Lennon, and I haven't heard a Nirvana song for Kurt Cobain, nor have I heard any tribute for Michael Jackson from his own brothers! But Queen has made songs for Freddie, and Freddie is still always with them in spirit! Brian and Roger also finished the album with the last songs that Freddie sang before his death, Made In Heaven is a beautiful album, though some of the songs are just heart wrenching, like Mother Love which is the last recording of Freddie's voice, he didn't even finish the song, he never came back to sing the last verse so Brian sang it to finish the song.
Just shows what amazing people Brian and Roger are, and how much Freddie meant to them. Freddie wasn't just the lead singer, he was one of their best friends!
As for John, Freddie meant a lot for John as well, and I'm not going to speculate on why he choose to retire. I do know however, from reading, that John lost his father at a very young age, and Freddie was like an older brother to him, I've heard Freddie's passing hit him very hard. The reason I don't mention John much is purely because I respect his wish to be retired. He's never forgotten and I hope he's happy with his family and living the quiet life that he wishes, without being chased by paparazzi all the time!
This video is the last time John performed as part of Queen, many fans hope that he'll return one day, but we also know it's not likely, and again, I just hope he is happy with his family and having the quiet life that he wishes to have.
Showing posts with label Roger Taylor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roger Taylor. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
The most amazing weekend ever!
My last post was written while sitting in an airplane 10000 meters above the ground somewhere over Germany.
Mum and I went to Kraków, Poland this past weekend. It was our first time visiting Poland, but definitely not the last! We had an amazing time in Kraków, even though we didn't have the possibility to go into the city anything, see, we went there to attend the Queen+Adam Lambert concert at Tauron Arena Kraków, and since I need my wheelchair to be out and about, and couldn't bring my wheelchair to the concert, we stayed in and around our hotel until it was time to go to the arena. We were staying at Hilton Garden Inn at Kraków Airport, and it is by far the best hotel I've ever stayed at! The staff were just amazing! So friendly and helpful, and it was very nice to just chitchat too when they had time. It being weekend meant the hotel wasn't very busy. I guess most people who went to Kraków for the concert stayed in the city closer to the arena. Mum and I choose the airport hotel simply because of our late arrival time and very early departure. We landed at 11:20pm (was supposed to land at 11:35pm so we were early) the evening before the concert, and then the morning after the concert, our flight home took off at 6:35am which meant needing to check in at the airport around 5am or so to get through security and such without stressing. By staying across the street from the terminal, we at least managed to get some rest in our hotel room after the concert, and we didn't need to find a taxi at like 4am.
So, the whole reason of traveling to Kraków: The concert!
OMG! Where do I start? It was pure epic, and so much emotions! I finally got to hear and see Queen live! Something I never thought I would get to experience! Brian and Roger were so amazing! Even at 60+ and over 40 years on stage, they were just glowing and were so full of energy, and you could see the joy in their faces, they truly love what they're doing!
And Adam Lambert! What an amazing live singer he is! That voice!
Some people think it's wrong of Brian and Roger to still call themselves Queen, and no one should sing Freddie's songs and so on. But as I say: Haters gonna hate... Unlike the haters, Brian and Roger owns the music they play, and if they still want to play live they should play live! Freddie is no longer with us, John made a choice to drop out after Freddie's passing, some claim he got severely depressed, others claim he just wanted to leave. I'm not going to speculate why he choose to leave Queen, but he did and it was his choice. I just hope he's doing well and is happy with his family!
Adam was asked to sing with Queen already by the time he won Idol, but hesitated for a long time before finally accepting. He never claims to be Freddie or trying to substitute for Freddie, he simply sings the songs and he does so in an epic manner with a voice even Freddie would be proud of, and Adam is a really good front man! Adam and Freddie are pretty similar in many ways, and if Freddie's spirit can see and hear the concerts now, he'd probably have some witty remark about Adam's voice range and totally approve of Adam singing with Queen. Queen can't really have a better singer than Adam, seeing Freddie is no longer with us!
Freddie may be gone, but he's definitely not forgotten! Adam is very grateful and humbled to sing the songs Freddie once sang, and the entire concert in a way felt like a celebration of Freddie's life and achievements, and the achievements of Queen as a band. Freddie is honored and remembered throughout the entire concert and even makes some guest appearances on the screen a few times.
I cried a lot during the concert. It was just so emotional to hear my favorite music ever, being played live by my biggest musical heroes walking this earth today!
The music of Queen has gotten me through rough times, inspired me and given me strength, and it still does all that. Brian and Roger are both amazing virtuoso, and I find that very inspiring, makes me want to dive into the music again, listen more, pick up my instruments again and try to improve my own skill some. Last night I took out my large keyboard again for the first time in over 3 years, and just played some randomly, just some melodies as I don't do chords or two hand playing (yet) and before I knew it, I was playing some parts from Bohemian Rhapsody, very very simplified, but still... Last time I played on my keyboard I couldn't play anything from that song!
And the thoughts of wanting to more for HIV/AIDS awareness and The Mercury Phoenix Trust grows on me more and more. I just need to find out what I can do, other than just blogging...
I really hope Queen+Adam will tour together more, and I sure hope there will be DVD's and CD's from this tour! If they tour nearby again mum and I will definitely go see them again, both of us are huge fans of Queen, Freddie and Adam!
Having seen Queen+Adam live this weekend is something I'll remember for life, and the only thing that could possibly top this would be a time machine to visit the 80's and attend one or more of the huge Queen concerts back in those days!
As an extra bonus when on the way to the runway on Sunday morning, I spotted Queen+Adam's private jet parked at the airport! The aircraft I was on drove right past it!
Mum and I went to Kraków, Poland this past weekend. It was our first time visiting Poland, but definitely not the last! We had an amazing time in Kraków, even though we didn't have the possibility to go into the city anything, see, we went there to attend the Queen+Adam Lambert concert at Tauron Arena Kraków, and since I need my wheelchair to be out and about, and couldn't bring my wheelchair to the concert, we stayed in and around our hotel until it was time to go to the arena. We were staying at Hilton Garden Inn at Kraków Airport, and it is by far the best hotel I've ever stayed at! The staff were just amazing! So friendly and helpful, and it was very nice to just chitchat too when they had time. It being weekend meant the hotel wasn't very busy. I guess most people who went to Kraków for the concert stayed in the city closer to the arena. Mum and I choose the airport hotel simply because of our late arrival time and very early departure. We landed at 11:20pm (was supposed to land at 11:35pm so we were early) the evening before the concert, and then the morning after the concert, our flight home took off at 6:35am which meant needing to check in at the airport around 5am or so to get through security and such without stressing. By staying across the street from the terminal, we at least managed to get some rest in our hotel room after the concert, and we didn't need to find a taxi at like 4am.
So, the whole reason of traveling to Kraków: The concert!
OMG! Where do I start? It was pure epic, and so much emotions! I finally got to hear and see Queen live! Something I never thought I would get to experience! Brian and Roger were so amazing! Even at 60+ and over 40 years on stage, they were just glowing and were so full of energy, and you could see the joy in their faces, they truly love what they're doing!
And Adam Lambert! What an amazing live singer he is! That voice!
Some people think it's wrong of Brian and Roger to still call themselves Queen, and no one should sing Freddie's songs and so on. But as I say: Haters gonna hate... Unlike the haters, Brian and Roger owns the music they play, and if they still want to play live they should play live! Freddie is no longer with us, John made a choice to drop out after Freddie's passing, some claim he got severely depressed, others claim he just wanted to leave. I'm not going to speculate why he choose to leave Queen, but he did and it was his choice. I just hope he's doing well and is happy with his family!
Adam was asked to sing with Queen already by the time he won Idol, but hesitated for a long time before finally accepting. He never claims to be Freddie or trying to substitute for Freddie, he simply sings the songs and he does so in an epic manner with a voice even Freddie would be proud of, and Adam is a really good front man! Adam and Freddie are pretty similar in many ways, and if Freddie's spirit can see and hear the concerts now, he'd probably have some witty remark about Adam's voice range and totally approve of Adam singing with Queen. Queen can't really have a better singer than Adam, seeing Freddie is no longer with us!
Freddie may be gone, but he's definitely not forgotten! Adam is very grateful and humbled to sing the songs Freddie once sang, and the entire concert in a way felt like a celebration of Freddie's life and achievements, and the achievements of Queen as a band. Freddie is honored and remembered throughout the entire concert and even makes some guest appearances on the screen a few times.
I cried a lot during the concert. It was just so emotional to hear my favorite music ever, being played live by my biggest musical heroes walking this earth today!
The music of Queen has gotten me through rough times, inspired me and given me strength, and it still does all that. Brian and Roger are both amazing virtuoso, and I find that very inspiring, makes me want to dive into the music again, listen more, pick up my instruments again and try to improve my own skill some. Last night I took out my large keyboard again for the first time in over 3 years, and just played some randomly, just some melodies as I don't do chords or two hand playing (yet) and before I knew it, I was playing some parts from Bohemian Rhapsody, very very simplified, but still... Last time I played on my keyboard I couldn't play anything from that song!
And the thoughts of wanting to more for HIV/AIDS awareness and The Mercury Phoenix Trust grows on me more and more. I just need to find out what I can do, other than just blogging...
I really hope Queen+Adam will tour together more, and I sure hope there will be DVD's and CD's from this tour! If they tour nearby again mum and I will definitely go see them again, both of us are huge fans of Queen, Freddie and Adam!
Having seen Queen+Adam live this weekend is something I'll remember for life, and the only thing that could possibly top this would be a time machine to visit the 80's and attend one or more of the huge Queen concerts back in those days!
As an extra bonus when on the way to the runway on Sunday morning, I spotted Queen+Adam's private jet parked at the airport! The aircraft I was on drove right past it!
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