Ga Ga – A Tribute To Queen
Ga Ga – A Tribute To Queen have been touring now for close to 25 years. As the name suggests, this is a homage to Freddie Mercury and the boys, whose impact upon the global music scene will remain iconic forever more. That the tribute act received the seal of approval from Queen guitarist Brian May says it all with regards to their quality, and this was a sentiment shared by the Floral Pavilion audience at this latest show.
One task which Ga Ga do not try to achieve is to visually resemble the legendary group in terms of physical appearance. If you’re expecting to see a Freddie Mercury lookalike with a striking yellow jacket or in a white outfit waving the Union Jack, then you will be disappointed. However, this ensures that as soon as the show begins, you take your mind off the notion of watching a recreation of Queen, and focus your attention instead on what you are hearing rather than what you are seeing. By doing so, you’re guaranteed to appreciate Gaga for what they are, and to realise why they were endorsed so strongly by Brian May.
Although we don’t see the band dressing up as their heroes, we do get a screen back-drop which brings to life imagery, video content and photography of the group from their heyday, as well as related footage that brings further credence to the tunes being performed (which we’ll get to in a moment). Most notably is the unforgettable sight of the Queen band member’s faces being presented solely via spotlight on a dark background in the video for Bohemian Rhapsody, which is used to perfection here as all four are shown side-by-side (whereas they formed a diamond of sorts in the original music video), which combined with the music being performed creates an intimate atmosphere which comes as close as anything possibly could to reviving the actual Queen soundtrack in a live environment.
Ultimately, it is the music itself that ensures that this show remains a success. Queen have such a memorable discography that just a small number of their tunes would have been enough to establish them as a fantastic band, so the fact that we get to hear so many classic numbers on a night like this only serves to emphasise why Queen are remembered as one of the all-time great groups to this day. We Are The Champions, We Will Rock You, Radio Ga Ga (hence the name of these tribute artists), I Want To Break Free, Under Pressure, Another One Bites The Dust, Somebody To Love, Don’t Stop Me Now and, as alluded to earlier, Bohemian Rhapsody – these are just a number of the many truly awesome tracks that are performed to the precise and high-quality standard demanded from an act stepping into the shoes of Freddie Mercury and co. That the show ended with a standing ovation says it all, and the audience clearly enjoyed themselves to the max here.
Sadly, we’ll never get to see Queen live again, but Ga Ga – A Tribute To Queen are a superb alternative, and they are well worth checking out as the nearest thing to experiencing one of the greatest British bands ever in person.
Overall Rating: 9/10 – Outstanding
