'The Queen Extravaganza' Tour Kicks Off In Quebec; Video Available

May 28, 2012

The Queen Extravaganza, the spectacular touring concert show designed to take the glorious music and the live experience of legends of rock QUEEN to generations of fans in cities coast-to-coast across the U.S. and Canada, kicked off its North American tour this past Saturday, May 26 at Grand Theatre du Quebec in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

Behind The Queen Extravaganza are QUEEN — legendary guitarist Brian May and iconic drummer Roger Taylor — whose talents as writers and musicians 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'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 out there 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 THE ROLLING STONES show since 1989, and, working with lighting designer Willie Williams, every U2 concert.

The Queen Extravaganza 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 Queen Extravaganza band includes vocalist and The Queen Extravaganza contestant Jennifer Espinoza along with addition vocalists Yvan Pedneault and Jeff Scott Soto (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, TALISMAN, JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN); bassist Francois Olivier Doyon; guitarists Brian Gresh and Tristan Avakian; drummer Tyler Warren and keyboardist and musical director Brandon Ethridge.

Commented Soto: "Fabulous opening night of The Queen Extravaganza in Quebec. The audience was on fire, sold-out show and they truly ate us up like it was a real QUEEN show! The band were killing and we had an amazing time blazing through the show to an audience finally... I have a feeling this is gonna be fun! Come and join us all, you won't be disappointed!"

In a show which will run just over two hours of playing time, with a 30-minute break, The Queen Extravaganza band is performing 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", "Killer Queen" — as well as highlighting some of the band's finest heavy-duty rock based anthems which have long been at the core of their live performances, so audiences can also expect a healthy dose of early-period QUEEN with songs such as "I'm In Love With My Car", "Tie Your Mother Down", "Seven Seas of Rye" and "In the Lap Of The Gods" among them.

Production values are being boosted with the inclusion of never-before-seen video footage.

Remaining The Queen Extravaganza tour dates:

May 29 - Toronto, ON - QE Theatre
May 31 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre
Jun. 01 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
Jun. 02 - Minneapolis, MN - The Brick
Jun. 05 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
Jun. 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
Jun. 08 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Jun. 09 - Wallingford, CT - Oakdale
Jun. 10 - Bethlehem, PA - Event Center
Jun. 11 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
Jun. 12 - Huntington, NY - Paramount Theatres
Jun. 15 - Tampa, FL Louis - Lykes Ferguson Hall
Jun. 17 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live
Jun. 19 - Dallas, TX - Grand Prarie
Jun. 20 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
Jun. 23 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
Jun. 24 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's
Jun. 25 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia
Jun. 26 - San Francisco, CA - Regency
Jun. 28 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
Jun. 30 - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum
Jul. 02 - Calgary, AB - Jack Singer
Jul. 03 - Edmonton, AB - Jubilee

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