JUNE 13th, 2024
QUEEN: IT'S A KINDA MAGIC
Review by:Metal Mom Rita
Photos By: Char Tupper
Gallery: http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/queen-its-a-kinda-magic/

Tonight, I had the honour of attending Queen:  It’s a Kinda Magic, a tribute to Queen, on Thursday, June 13th at the Great Canadian Casino in Coquitlam. Already a bonus when my commute to a show is a little shorter then normal, haha!

Queen’s 1986 World Tour concert, was in full production here, featuring over 20 of the band’s greatest hits such as ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Are the Champions’, ‘Under Pressure’ and ‘Fat-Bottomed Girls’. You really had to be there to witness the attention that was given to all the music,  the state-of-the-art sound and lighting. Plus, the authentic costumes, this is as close as you’ll ever get to the real thing if say, you cannot go and see Queen in concert (that is, the "Queen w/ Adam Lambert" version)

This isn't just any typical tribute band, tonight was a theatrical experience that puts the audience at the Queen concert from 1986. I myself never got to see the original Queen, but I have seen videos and watched documentaries on the band, this is accurate of the performances staged by Freddie and Queen, down to the light cues, the costumes and even a replica of the Red Special, the guitar Brian May used.

It gave you chills to watch the performance of each of those band members up there on the stage, to hear those iconic songs, the movements, I mean they even had the water on the piano , everything was done to perfection. They really did a marvelous job of recreating this concert.  Great interaction too between the singer and the crowd, pretty much everyone could resite the words and sing along. The drum solo was magnificent and long, (which was a good thing), a lot of talent behind that kit. The guitar solos, just wow, everyone was hanging on every riff.

There was a 20 minute intermission, kind of a nice idea, giving the audience some time to catch their breath, it was that good.  Not used to that, heavy metal bands don't stop for breaks, they do 1.5 hours straight! That being said,  tonight I understood with all the outfit changes and what not, as metal bands don't do outfit changes very often either.

When they returned to finish off their fantastic performance, I simply sat there, I just couldn't get over how everything just flowed, and the amazing costumes that were changed into, it was like watching Queen themselves in action. There was one part that had me laugh, yes, laughing so hard. As we all know from the video, "I Want to Break Free", Freddie is dressed with short skirt, pink shirt, acting as a "house wife", well, tonight we got to  see the same outfit from the video, including the fake bra! It was quite fun to see, as he also had fun with it, going into the audience and having some good old fashioned fun with the adults. Just when you think, it was all over, right at the end, he sings the final notes, and pulls down his top to expose one of the fake breasts he is wearing underneath. We all had a good laugh and enjoyed the humour in it.

"Sombody to Love" actually had me with tears. Just hit me . The last song of the night "Bohemian Rhapsody", this is where the crowd truly shined, singing along to every single word, having a great time and enjoying the song. For some of us, I am sure a handful of us channeled our inner "Wayne & Garth", and headbanged! As the night came to an end, the band came out, with new "Freddie", wearing the identical crown and robe original Freddie had. Perfect finishing touch.

I will say that I was skeptical about going to see them, a lot of tribute bands are not, well just not so great, now "Queen: It's a Kinda of Magic" has put bigger expectations for any tribute band. Really was an over the top experience for me.

Also end of their set, they went to the lobby of the Casino, and gave fans a chance to take photos or have things signed, all for free. No one does that anymore, so this just added to my admiration for them.

Go see them, don't miss out.