The Queen Extravaganza, a spectacular touring concert show designed to showcase the glorious music and the live experience of the legendary rock band Queen comes to Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on June 16, 2012 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, May 23 at noon.
Behind the show are Queen’s legendary guitarist Brian May and iconic drummer Roger Taylor whose talents as writers and musicians have inspired such modern bands including the Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Katy Perry and even Lady Gaga who took her name from one of Taylor’s biggest hit songs.
Taylor’s idea was to the create the ultimate Queen concert experience in an electrifying road show that celebrates the band’s music and legacy performed by some of the best new music talent of today. Taylor personally takes the role of producer and music director.
To guarantee the touring show matches the fabled design and excitement of Queen at its live best, Taylor has enlisted a heavyweight production team headed by stage designer Mark Fisher. Fisher has been responsible for some of the most memorable rock concerts ever staged including The Wall for Pink Floyd, every Rolling Stones show since 1989, and, working with lighting designer Willie Williams, every U2 concert.
The Queen Extravaganza (QE) touring band – four vocalists and five musicians (two guitars, bass, drums and keyboards) – were hired after an intensive 12-week online audition search. The buzz surrounding the public auditions sparked worldwide interest with video submissions generating more than 10 million views. Television host Ellen DeGeneres was so impressed with the level of talent, that she invited one hopeful to perform his audition on her show. That contestant, Nashville’s Marc Martel, secured himself a place in the final band. The rest of The QE band includes vocalists and QE contestant Jennifer Espinoza along with addition vocalists Yvan Pedneault and Jeff Scott Soto; bassist Francois Olivier Doyon; guitarists Brian Gresh and Tristan Avakian; drummer Tyler Warren and keyboardist and musical director Brandon Ethridge.
In a show that will run just over two hours, The QE band will perform close to 40 true Queen classics drawn from a list of the band’s biggest all-time chart hits – “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Under Pressure,” “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions,” “A Kind of Magic,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “Somebody to Love” and “Killer Queen” – as well as highlight some of the band’s finest heavy-duty rock based anthems which have long been at the core of their live performances. Audiences can also expect a healthy dose of early period Queen including songs such as “I’m In Love With My Car,” “Tie Your Mother Down,” “Seven Seas of Rhye” and “In the Lap of the Gods.” Production values will be boosted with the inclusion of never-before-seen video footage.
“The Queen Extravaganza will not be like a traditional tribute show,” said Taylor. “It is a brand new show specially designed to enable new fans, together with fans of old, to celebrate the music of Queen in a heart-stopping event. It’s going to be very spectacular and visual with some shocks and tremendous surprises. It will truly be a rock celebration in the Royal tradition.”
Tickets are $59, $49 and $39*. All seats are reserved and available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply