Freddie’s gone, and Deaky’s retired. But as long as Brian and Roger are there, they’re still Queen as far as I’m concerned. The two, along with singer Tim Staffell actually formed the band Smile before Deaky and Freddie came along. The band would later evolve into the better-know Queen, but if you think about it, both guys from the very beginning are still with the band.
They’ve been to the US many a time, with and without Freddie. But the closest they ever got to Tampa was Lakeland a few times. There was only one show in Tampa, with Mahogany Rush and Kansas, but it got cancelled due to the capacity of the venue being too small to fit everyone who bought tickets. Things are about to change.
In the wake of the Bohemian Rhapsody movie’s groundbreaking success, there had to be a tour of some sort to go along with it. Sure enough, the band’s first show in Tampa was part of The Rhapsody Tour city roster. The show sold out before the tickets even went on sale to the public. The Internet could have crashed with all the people looking around for pre-sale codes. I couldn’t find any for myself, unfortunately. But after hours of communications with fellow music fans who had codes, and Google searches, I bought my $200 floor ticket in my English class that day, with my phone, which didn’t charge the night before, slowly dying. As soon as I saw the screen that said “The tickets are yours, get ready for goosebumps!”, it shut off. I was so glad it held on and fought through a dead battery the way it did.
If you didn’t know, Q+AL’s stage is shaped like a huge guitar, and from what I’ve seen, there’s a part of the show where Brian sits on a stool at the foot of the stage (the headstock of the guitar) and plays a few acoustic songs. When he does that, I’ll be three rows away from the man.
Tampa has had some pretty huge shows in the last few years. Barbra Streisand in 2016, both living Beatles in 2017, Bob Dylan last year, and this year has already seen Hamilton. As for everything else rolling into town this year, no other will compare to Queen, even if Peter Gabriel or Adele announce late fall to early winter shows here. They too have never played Tampa, but as of now, there hasn’t been an Oscar-winning blockbuster about either of their lives.
Excited is too weak of a word to describe how ready I am to welcome Brian May, Roger Taylor, Adam Lambert, Spike Edney, Neil Fairclough, and Tyler Warren to Tampa in three days. And if you’re going to join me in the welcoming, I’ll see you in Tampa!
– Josh Dezern, 8/15/2019
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