QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA AT BERGEN PAC CENTER

****

NEW JERSEY GOSSIP

****

Queen Extravaganza

After making their television debut in front of 20 million viewers on American Idol earlier this year and wrapping up an incredibly successful coast to coast U.S. and Canadian tour last summer, the Queen Extravaganza have announced the first leg of their 2013 tour at Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood New Jersey on Tuesday January 15, 2013 at 8PM, reserve tickets now at Ticketmaster.com or by calling the box office at 201 227 – 1030 or visit the Box Office at 30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, New Jersey.

"The response to the second tour for the Queen Extravaganza tells us that the word is spreading about this sensational live act!” says Taylor. “Don't miss them.”

The Queen Extravaganza is a spectacular touring concert show designed to take the glorious music and live experience of legendary rock band Queen and bring it to generations of fans.

“We did the first 10 years of our career with just the four of us, no additions, you know the technology wasn't there," Taylor says. "We were relying on stripped down adrenalized versions of our songs and our own personalities. But with this band, we continue to push all the musical boundaries with technology that was not available to the four of us originally. This band is a powerhouse of talent. To hear our songs performed by them gives fans a chance to hear them (our songs) now as they could have done then and perhaps technically, even better!!"

Two of Queen’s original bandmates and songwriters—legendary guitarist Brian May and iconic drummer Roger Taylor—are the masterminds behind The Queen Extravaganza. In addition to their work with Queen, these two musicians’ talents have inspired such legends of modern times as 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 personally has taken on the role of producer with long time Queen keyboardist Spike Edney as global music director. Together Taylor and Edney have created the ultimate Queen concert experience in an electrifying road show, which celebrates the band’s music and legacy as performed by some of the best new music talent out there today.

"We're very proud of our canon of music and you know we'd like that to be represented in an absolutely brilliant way,” says Taylor. “And not as just traipsing through the hits ... we want to see a really scintillatingly put together show played, you know, almost perfectly."

To guarantee that the touring show matches the fabled design and excitement of Queen at its live best, Taylor has enlisted a heavyweight production team with set design by Mark Fisher and lighting design and video direction by Rob Sinclair. Fisher has been responsible for some of the most memorable rock concerts ever staged, including The Wall for Pink Floyd plus every Rolling Stones show since 1989. Sinclair has worked with such acclaimed artists as Adele, Peter Gabriel, Mumford and Sons and of course Queen + Adam Lambert.

The Queen Extravaganza touring band includes musicians selected by Roger Taylor after competing in a unique online talent search. The contestants were voted on by the public during several rounds of online auditions. The finalists where then flown to Los Angeles for a final in-person audition for Taylor on December 5th, 2011.

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 contestant to perform his audition on her show (see that video here). That contestant, Montreal native and Nashville based, Marc Martel, secured himself a place in the final band. The rest of The Queen Extravaganza band includes vocalist and QE contestant Jennifer Espinoza, along with bassist Francois Olivier Doyon; guitarists Brian Gresh; drummer Tyler Warren; and keyboardist & musical director Brandon Ethridge.

In a show that runs 90 minutes, The QE band will perform 22 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.” In addition, the show will highlight some of the band’s finest heavy-duty rock-based anthems that have long been the core of their live performances. Audiences can also expect a healthy dose of early period Queen with songs such as “I’m In Love With My Car” and “You’re My Best Friend” among others. The production will also be boosted visually with the inclusion of never-before-seen video footage from Queen’s extensive archives. The QE band is unique in that it is the only tribute band granted access to this exclusive footage. In addition, newly created imagery will lend majesty to the show.

“The Queen Extravaganza is not a traditional tribute show,” says Taylor. “It is a brand new show specially designed to enable these new fans, together with fans of old, to celebrate the music of Queen in a heart-stopping event. It’s very spectacular, it’s very visual, there are going to be some shocks and some tremendous surprises. It will be a rock celebration in the Royal tradition.”

bergenPAC is located at 30 North Van Brunt Street, in Englewood, NJ 07631

You can call (201) 227-1030 or visit www.bergenpac.org.

Photo Courtesy Of: BergenPAC