{"id":39590,"date":"2006-01-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-01-03T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/return-of-the-champions-2\/"},"modified":"2006-01-03T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-01-03T00:00:00","slug":"return-of-the-champions-2","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/return-of-the-champions-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Return Of The Champions"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

To be honest, when I first heard news of the
\nremainder of Queen going out on tour, I was apprehensive. Who could
\npossibly manage to fill the enormous shoes (ballet slippers, to be
\nspecific) left by singer Freddie Mercury’s premature death in 1991?
\nAmazingly enough, seemingly out-of-left-field choice Paul Rodgers
\nmaterialized at what was supposed to be a one-off performance with
\nthe band at the Hall of Fame awards in 2004 and from there, has
\nembedded himself in the book of Queen history that most had deemed
\nshut for good.<\/p>\n

Rodgers, formerly of Free, Bad Company and The Firm,
\nis an unlikely stand-in, especially when rumors of George Michael
\nor Robbie Williams had been circling for ages. But somehow that’s
\nwhat makes the Queen + Paul Rodgers outing a success — Rodgers has
\nmade it clear he’s not out to replace the absolutely irreplaceable
\nMercury but instead, put his own spin on classic Queen hits. Along
\nwith the incredible Brian May back on guitars, drummer Roger
\nTaylor, additional guitarist Jamie Moses (who also performed with
\nMay during his solo outings a few years back) and bassist Danny
\nMiranda, standing in for John Deacon who opted to remain behind the
\nscenes, the tour was a smash hit in England and ended up in New
\nJersey, Los Angeles and Japan before an announcement of additional
\ndates in the US in the springtime.<\/p>\n

Return Of The Champions<\/i>, taken from their
\nperformance in Sheffield in May, welcomes back the members of Queen
\nfor their first tour in an unbelievable nineteen years. Rodgers
\nshines on perennial crowd favorites like the blistering “Tie Your
\nMother Down” and Bad Company classic “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” while
\nboth May and Taylor step up for vocal duties on “Love Of My Life”
\nand the subdued “These Are The Days Of Our Lives,”
\nrespectively.<\/p>\n

But the standout performances on Return Of The
\nChampions<\/i> for me are from May and Taylor, who manage to sound
\njust as incredible, if not better, than the last time they toured
\ntogether in 1986. The two have gained even more of a mastery of
\ntheir instruments and, with Rodgers and the rest of the touring
\nband, create a strong, in sync sound that’s astounding for a group
\nwho came together just months before.<\/p>\n

My only wish for future Queen shows and live albums
\nis a wider offering of material. With the amount of songs available
\nin both Queen and Paul Rodgers’ back catalogues, I would love to
\nsee them abandon the play it safe route for a bit and bring out
\nsome songs not on featured on a greatest hits collection.<\/p>\n

Return Of The Champions<\/i> is a promising debut
\nfrom some of rock’s most talented performers, and I for one can’t
\nwait to see where they’re headed next.<\/p>\n

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