Queen Extravaganza – Edinburgh Playhouse

If you love Queen… scratch that, if you like Queen just a bit… don’t miss this.

A sell-out crowd was clearly up for it but the first ‘act’ began with a peculiar, muddy version of ‘We Will Rock You’, the band in dull, pub-band regulation black and as the following two tracks travelled past the chief positive was that the sound clicked sharply into place. Though hang on, that vocal pirouette Gareth Taylor dropped at the end of ‘Somebody To Love’ was a bit special, wasn’t it?

Then came ‘Under Pressure’, a lump in the throat reflecting that this was written before mental health was a thing; we all had stuff going on, it just wasn’t ok to talk about it. Except that David, Freddie and the band did, producing an epic four-minute pop song that resonates more heavily every single year since it’s 1981 release. The fact that neither singers are now with us left an extra layer of melancholy. However, the next two or three tracks felt more like a revue than a show (or gig), the band competent but the mania and unlicensed lunacy of Freddie a missing elephant in the room. Hammy theatrics between vocalists Alirio Netto and aforementioned Gareth Taylor during ‘You’re My Best Friend’ induced a slight cringe but ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’, with images and clips of the band, really collared any doubters (hands up, how many of you knew Roger Taylor wrote this?). If the video for this track wasn’t Fredie’s bravest moment, then it has to be in his top two.

‘Now I’m Here’ rocked like the proverbial illegitimate offspring and with lead vocals shared between Gareth Taylor, Alirio Netto, bass-player Francois-Olivier Doyen and drummer George Farrar not a note was wronged. It’s clear why this is the only ‘tribute’ Roger Taylor and Brian May are happy to officially sanction and it would be negligent in the extreme not to mention MD Darren Reeves on keys and Nick Radcliffe on guitar.

Two songs into ‘act two’ things just exploded with Netto’s dynamic rendition of ‘Hammer To Fall’ and the show hurtled like a runaway train to the end, ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’ amongst others and, of course, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. An exhilarating, on-message version of ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We Are The Champions’ drew things to a close as encores, though the audience would happily have stayed for another hour had they been allowed.

It’s nigh on impossible to recreate the energy and mayhem of an original Queen performance but the Taylor and May approved/produced playing and production means this lot are as close as you’ll encounter. For those forthcoming dates, click on the link:

https://www.queenonline.com/quex/upcoming_shows

Reviewer: Roger Jacobs

Reviewed: 10th February 2025

North West End UK Rating: