As Traditional Rock wrote this story in mid-March 2005, Paul Rodgers had been rehearsing with Queen stalwarts guitarist Brian Might and drummer Roger Taylor for a bit over a month. However by the point anybody learn it, the brand new band – formally dubbed ‘Queen + Paul Rodgers’ – had performed their first present, an Aids Consciousness Live performance in South Africa on March 19, and kicked off a European tour.
So, what ought to followers anticipate when the British leg kicks off formally, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Metro Area on Might 3 2005?
“I’m not imagined to let you know,” laughs Might. “It’s nonetheless barely fluid, to be sincere. We’ve rehearsed extra songs than we’re truly going to be enjoying. However when you actually wish to know, I suppose it’s about 65 per cent Queen and, and… erm, dangle on a minute… 35 % Paul,” he says, doing the maths. “One thing like that. However actually we haven’t solidified the set but. It’s shut.”
Rodgers: “It’s largely Queen, I feel individuals will anticipate to see that. Brian and Roger inform me they’ve at all times been massive followers of Free. They wish to do explicit songs within the set that I wrote with Andy Fraser in Free, and a few the numbers I wrote with Mick [Ralphs] in Dangerous Firm. There’s going to be a sprinkling of my songs all through.”
Rodgers refers once more to Freddie Mercury, who – extremely – had been useless for 14 years that following November. “I feel Freddie can be completely satisfied,” Paul insists, “as a result of I really feel his spirit all through the music. I’ve been listening to a lot of Queen typically, and Freddie’s singing particularly. Simply learning his vocal fashion, actually. Stepping into the spirit of the person. And I really feel, truly, fairly shut.”
It’s simple to be important about Might and Taylor linking up with Rodgers. (The opposite surviving member of Queen, bassist John Deacon, is retired from the stage.) However the reality is, the tickets for his or her tour offered out like stone-cold-crazy. The band had just lately introduced an enormous outside present at London’s Hyde Park on July 8.
Rodgers, particularly, was amazed by the flip of occasions – significantly as that summer time marked the thirty fifth anniversary of when Free performed the Isle Of Wight pageant, in 1970.
“I used to be pondering at present that I’ve lived about eight lifetimes. Right here I’m, I’m 55 years outdated, and I really feel like I’m 17 once more, beginning a model new profession. It’s fairly unbelievable. We put the Hyde Park present in as a result of the UK tour had offered out so rapidly. Lots of people didn’t get the chance to purchase tickets; it took them – and us – unexpectedly. It’ll be a terrific thrill; it’ll be the primary time I’ve performed Hyde Park.”
Speaking to Rodgers and Might, Traditional Rock had little doubt that this alliance was for actual. Sure, there have been in all probability truckloads of cash to be made by all events. Sure, fervent Freddie followers may be sceptical about the whole shebang. And sure, it remained to be seen if Bohemian Rhapsody can be included within the band’s set. (Not to mention songs from The Agency, Rodgers’ collaboration with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Web page.)
However Might, for one, remained defiant: “I’m not within the enterprise of persuading anyone – if it doesn’t go well with their palate, in the event that they don’t like the concept, then that’s high-quality. I’m completely comfy with that. To be truthful with you, we’ve handled cynicism our entire profession. There’s at all times been individuals grousing and sniping. I don’t actually have something to say to the cynics besides, high-quality, simply keep away. I received’t say the negativity doesn’t have an effect on you, however in a means it additionally makes you stronger.”
Rodgers urges: “Simply come and see us play. The one means you’re going to know if this works or not is to go and see it. Fairly actually, I don’t suppose individuals can pre-judge something in any respect.”
The entire Q+PR (settle down, Loftus Street followers) factor kicked off when Brian Might and Paul Rodgers appeared collectively on stage in September 2004, on the Fender Stratocaster fiftieth anniversary present in London.
Might: “We’d simply completed enjoying All Proper Now, and we each realised that it felt extremely proper. The chemistry was there, and there have been sparks flying. Paul and me checked out one another and we went: ‘Hmmm…’ We each had the identical thought in our minds. Then Paul’s girlfriend, Cynthia, stated: ‘All you want is a drummer, don’t you?’ And I stated: ‘Properly, I’d know a drummer…’
“That’s sort of the place it got here from. I bought the tape of our efficiency and despatched it to Roger, and he stated: ‘Why didn’t we consider this earlier than?’”
The trio’s relationship was cemented when Rodgers, Might and Taylor performed collectively on the UK Corridor Of Fame Awards, belting out Queen’s We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions, and ending off with one other model of Free’s All Proper Now.
“Roger has at all times been the one who’s been eager to get again out on tour, “ Might reveals. “It was me who was holding issues again, as a result of I didn’t suppose issues felt proper. There was nobody on the horizon who I assumed might do the job of singing with us. After which all of a sudden we’re taking a look at this man [Rodgers], who cannot solely do the job, he can do much more in addition to – he brings one thing utterly new to it, and that’s what turned me round.
“To be sincere with you, when you’d spoken to me even 9 months in the past, I’d’ve stated no, I’m by no means going out once more – so far as Queen is anxious, that’s it.”
Might speaks quite a bit concerning the ‘chemistry’ between him and Taylor, and Rodgers. Can he be extra particular?
“There’s a cause for it, insofar as we each actually grew up with Free’s music. Paul Rodgers is a really massive affect on us, as a result of Free had been on the market whereas we had been nonetheless in school. Free’s Fireplace & Water album is certainly one of our actual inspirations and influences. Paul has been a part of our historical past all alongside – and Freddie was an enormous fan of Paul’s; he was one of many few singers he actually regarded as much as.”
Might provides: “Freddie used to provide me a tough time if I wrote one thing that didn’t actually go well with him, and he’d say: ‘Look, Brian, you’re fucking penning this for Paul Rodgers, I can’t do that.’ It turned a joke between us, as a result of Paul had that blues edge and Freddie was one thing completely different – one thing very distinctive, as we all know. So sure, Paul and Freddie may be poles aside, however there’s an overlap as a result of they will each sing Tie Your Mom Down, and it fits them each all the way down to the bottom – as we’ve found.”
Did Rodgers ever meet Freddie?
“Not correctly,” Paul says, his Middlesbrough accent nonetheless very a lot in proof. “I handed him on the steps as soon as – I handed the entire band on the steps – when Queen had been auditioning managers one time, and so they went to see Peter Grant [who used to manage Rodgers and well as Led Zeppelin]. I occurred to be visiting Peter as properly. And we simply stated a fast hey, hey, how’re you doing… and that was it, actually. However I bought a really good vibe from Freddie certainly. He appeared actually, actually cool.”
Rodgers has an energetic solo profession. How does this collaboration with Queen slot in?
“I have to say my solo band have been extremely good and understanding about all of it. Howard Leese from Coronary heart and the fellows, they’ve simply been nice about it. There will likely be some solo dates sooner or later however for the second I’m placing that to 1 aspect.
“I just lately labored with the 4 Tops. They made a DVD for his or her fiftieth anniversary in Detroit, and so they invited me up. Aretha Franklin was there, and Sam from Sam & Dave, The Temptations had been there as properly… and I used to be truly the one white man on that stage. Which was an actual praise. I didn’t even know that the soul household, when you like, had heard of me. So it was a terrific factor.”
Rodgers continues: “Because of that, the corporate that was making the DVD, Omni Broadcasting, requested me to do my very own DVD alongside the identical strains. However I’ve needed to put that on maintain as properly as a result of this can be a big studying curve for me. I’ve bought to be taught just about the whole Queen catalogue in a brief house of time, and properly sufficient to have the ability to ship it on stage. So it’s been my whole focus.”
These are, clearly, extraordinarily hectic occasions for Might and Rodgers. We spoke to the duo individually: Might was on the automobile telephone at the back of a limo, rushing off to God-knows-where; Rodgers was holed up in a complicated resort in Bray, Berkshire, near Queen’s secret rehearsal location.
The Queen + Paul Rodgers challenge – which was initially mooted as simply a few remoted dates in London – had now taken on a seemingly unstoppable momentum, which had taken each Might and Rodgers unexpectedly. The final full set of Queen exhibits, in spite of everything, was the Magic Tour means, means again in 1986.
Might: “We’re already on the level of signing on the road for a tour in America, which we plan to do within the autumn. It makes me nervous. Properly, being on stage doesn’t make me nervous, nevertheless it makes me nervous to grasp that I’m now within the strategy of gifting away my life once more. Being in resort rooms, flying on planes right here, there and all over the place… it’s fairly robust, and I do know Paul feels the identical means. We’ve had plenty of house time to get pleasure from in current occasions… and this entails a sacrifice.”
Rodgers: “From my perspective, I hadn’t actually deliberate on doing any full-on main excursions in anyway this yr. In truth, the one cause I can truly do that enterprise with Brian and Roger is as a result of I deliberate to tug again from my very own exhibits in 2005, and simply take it simple. So I didn’t fairly realise this was such an enormous endeavor. It’s taken my breath away.”
Previous to their encounter on the Fender Stratocaster anniversary present, Might and Rodgers had collaborated sporadically previously.
Might: “We did a file collectively referred to as Reaching Out, which was written by Andy Hill and Don Black, for the Rock Remedy charity. I’ve additionally performed on one or two or Paul’s solo data. I performed on a observe referred to as I’m Prepared, which is on his blues album, and the opposite time once we labored collectively considerably was after I did this live performance in Seville [Spain] referred to as The Guitar Legends.
“I used to be employed to do the rock night time and we had a few of the world’s biggest guitarists there. However I didn’t wish to have all of them up there widdling on stage the entire time, so I rang up Paul and he got here down. In fact, guitarists like to do all this extremely technical stuff, however give them an opportunity to do the riff to All Proper Now and so they’re in seventh heaven. So Paul and me have been loosely involved since then. It goes again some years.”
So, is Queen + Paul Rodgers a short- or long-term factor?
Might: “It’s too early to say. We’re having fun with ourselves an terrible lot, I’ve to say, so the indicators are that we would wish to take it additional. However equally, we might have had sufficient of it after we’ve achieved this pretty intense tour. It’s a reasonably critical tour, I’ve to say. It’s not the form of factor I envisioned myself doing presently of life, ha-ha!”
Rodgers: “We’re going together with the way it feels – in the meanwhile it’s vast open. We’re all songwriters, we’ve three fairly good songwriters within the band, so the possibilities are that we’ll begin writing, given the chance. There are different issues I’d love to do, clearly – I’d like to do this DVD, and I’ve been requested to do a solo album of acoustic materials, which pursuits me too – however one can solely achieve this a lot at a time.”
So is there, probably, is the prospect of a Queen + Paul Rodgers album a while sooner or later?
“I wouldn’t say it was out of the query nevertheless it’s early days but,” stresses Rodgers. “Actually, the stay exhibits are the principle focus proper now.”
Though the spirit of Freddie Mercury nonetheless looms massive, Might has no qualms about teaming up with Rodgers: “I’m completely certain Freddie would find it irresistible. You would possibly suppose it unusual for me to say that, however I really feel very tuned in to Freddie on daily basis of my life. He was just about a member of the family, and that’s partly why I haven’t wished to do one thing like this up till now – I’ve by no means felt comfy about any of the concepts that individuals got here to us with.
“However I do know that Freddie can be so completely satisfied to listen to we’re doing one thing with Paul. I do know Freddie can be very excited, and the opposite factor I do know is that his mum’s excited, which suggests quite a bit to me. I’m in contact together with her very often. We’ve bought the Bulsara household seal of approval. Completely. She stated to me that she is aware of we’ll make her proud. That’s pretty. That’s all I can ask for.”
Brian Might’s Favorite Paul Rodgers Observe
“Aside from All Proper Now, clearly, Can’t Get Sufficient by Dangerous Firm has at all times been an enormous favorite of mine. They’re all favourites, to be sincere. The complete Fireplace & Water album has by no means left me. We’ll be doing a few of that on tour, and it’s a pleasure past examine. Each time we come to play certainly one of Paul’s songs, all people begins smiling. We simply find it irresistible – it’s a form of recreation for us.”
Paul Rodgers’ Favorite Queen Observe
“There’s a tune referred to as The Present Should Go On, which is extremely dramatic. In my early years as a singer, I listened quite a bit to Otis Redding. I nonetheless do, in actual fact. Otis has a terrific spirit and a terrific soul to his voice; his entire method to music could be very soulful. I’m making an attempt to use these issues – that coronary heart and that soul – to The Present Should Go On. Though it’s early days, it’s sounding simply monstrous.”
