(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) —
Queen, now joined forces with Paul Rodgers, singer and songwriter of Bad Company/Free fame, will play a 23-date tour of the USA and Canada this coming spring, kicking off March 3 in Miami, FL. This comes only a matter of weeks after Queen + Rodgers ignited sold-out box office and strong media attention with two sold-out performances at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ, and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on a stop-off along the way to their recent sold out Japanese tour.
Away from the North America concert circuit for more than two decades–an enforced retirement brought on by the tragic loss of lead singer Freddie Mercury–Queen with Rodgers will launch into their coast-to-coast tour spending six weeks closely re-routing its triumphant 1982 North American tour, bringing it back to the Queen heartlands: Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, Portland, among other US cities, plus Canadian stops in Toronto and Vancouver, where the tour winds up on April 13.
The tour coincides with the 30th anniversary celebrations of the band's history-making single "Bohemian Rhapsody" and its definitive 70's album, "A Night At The Opera." The album provided Queen with its breakthrough in the states, where it reached No. 1 and remained on the charts for 52 weeks, giving them their first gold record in the States. As of this past June, according to the RIAA, Queen had sold more than 31.5 million albums in the United States, ranking them the 50th biggest selling artist in the States.
"There was a natural chemistry between us when we performed together in London," said Rodgers "Brian and Roger brought a new dimension to my songs. The idea took hold for us to do something together after that, and the momentum has taken on a life of its own." The momentum took the shape of a 32-date European tour this past spring which saw Queen + Paul Rodgers visit over a dozen countries in 12 weeks, culminating in huge outdoor summer concerts in Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands and a return to London's Hyde Park playing to a crowd of over 65,000. A major Japanese tour was then scheduled for early fall, and along the way, two stopover concerts in the USA.
"It was more than enough," said Brian May and Roger Taylor, "to persuade us that it was the right time to return for a lengthier period of dates. And it is going to be great to be back in some of our favorite cities."
For the spring tour dates May (guitar and vocals), Taylor (drums and vocals) and Paul Rodgers (vocals, guitar and piano) are joined by Danny Miranda, ex Blue Oyster Cult on bass, Jamie Moses, former Brian May band member on second guitar and Spike Edney, long-time Queen sideman on keyboards. Queen bassist John Deacon has retired from touring.
March 3 Miami, Fl, American Airlines Arena
March 5 Jacksonville, Fl, Veterans Coliseum
March 7 Duluth, GA, Gwinett Center
March 9 Washington, DC, MCI Center
March 10 Worcester, MA, DCU Center
March 12 Uniondale, NY, Nassau Coliseum
March 14 Philadelphia, PA, Wachovia Spectrum
March 16 Toronto, ONT, Air Canada Centre
March 17 Buffalo, NY, HSBC Arena
March 20 Pittsburgh, PA, Mellon Arena
March 21 Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena
March 23 Chicago, IL, Allstate Arena
March 24 Auburn Hills, MI, Palace at Auburn Hills
March 26 St. Paul, MN, Xcel Energy Center
March 27 Milwaukee, WI, Bradley Center
March 31 Glendale, AZ, Glendale Arena
April 1 San Diego, CA, Cox Arena
April 3 Anaheim, CA, Arrowhead Pond
April 5 San Jose, CA, HP Pavilion
April 7 Las Vegas, NV, MGM Grand Garden
April 10 Seattle, WA, Key Arena
April 11 Portland, OR, Rose Garden
April 13 Vancouver, BC, Pacific Coliseum
Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
