Concert Wrap — One Night of Queen, Feb. 18 @ WAC
February 19th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Gary Mullen. All text and photos by KEVIN KINDER, NWA Media
In tribute shows, either you have it or you do not.
In Gary Mullen’s case, he most certainly has it.
An appearance — and victory — on the British reality television show “Stars in Their Eyes” may have given him the initial credibility, but fans who attended the first of two shows at the Walton Arts Center on Thursday (Feb. 18) night needed no kind of proof other than what was on the stage.
Mullen and his backing band, The Works, are responsible for the Queen tribute show “One Night of Queen,” which thundered through more than 20 songs by the British rock band in a set that lasted, minus an intermission, for two solid hours.
It was a light-intensive, sound-rich, flamboyant showcase of musical ability, a flair for showmanship and unflagging energy.
And, if the screaming, dancing masses at that Walton Arts Center can be trusted, a rollicking good time.
Click the ‘more’ link below to continue reading about the “One Night of Queen” tribute show at the Walton Arts Center.
Gary Mullen and the Works as Queen
It was 10 years ago that Gary Mullen won the televised contest for his impersonation of the late great Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury, who, with a three-plus-octave vocal range and manic stage presence, must certainly be one of the most difficult performers to duplicate.
Mullen’s act is no pure duplication. He wears a wig and a mustache to pull off the part, for one. As for everything else? It’s pretty darn close.
Regardless of how much one thinks he sounds like Freddie Mercury (and count me in the group that thinks he does), it’s a shame to think that Mullen was, before being discovered on the television show, just a computer salesman living in Scotland.
His voice is a rich and bold, capable of high peaks and low valleys, a rare instrument that should be shared.
And regardless of how much one thinks the band is faithful to the original sound of Queen (and, again, count me among those who thought they were spot on), their sound, tight, crisp and honed by 10 years on the road, were all worth hearing regardless of the tunes being performed.
It’s a rare music show at the Walton Arts Center that gets the crowd on its feet, but the Thursday night attendees (about 1,000, I would estimate) were certainly doing that for much of the evening. They swayed, sang, shimmied and bellowed out applause when Mullen attacked — and achieved — the high, sustained notes in songs such as “Someone to Love,” which must be considered among the highlights of the set.
Other strong offerings were “We Will Rock You,” which featured a shirtless Mullen running around while drapped in an American flag, “Killer Queen,” on which the members of The Works showed of their prowess, and the closing number, “We Are The Champions,” which Mullen nailed regardless of the strain he must have put on his vocal cords after two hours of singing.
Of course, by that time so late in the set, no one in the audience doubted he could hit those notes. He’d spent the last two hours proving he could, and he had the crowd at his summons for the duration of it.
“Who are you?” a fan blurted out during the middle part of the show.
Coolly and calmly, Mullen responded.
“Why, I’m the head queen, darling.”
For two hours on Thursday night, he certainly was.
Note: A repeat performance of the show takes place tonight (Feb. 19) at the Walton Arts Center.
Setlist: 1) One Vision; 2) Seven Seas of Rhye; 3) A Kind of Magic; 4) Somebody to Love; 5) Under Pressure; 6) Another One Bites The Dust; 7) Save Me; 8) Killer Queen; 9) Now I’m Here; 10) Don’t Stop Me Now;
—intermission—
11) Tie Your Mother Down; 12) Keep Yourself Alive; 13) Fat Bottomed Girls; 14) Love of My Life; 15) Too Much Love Will Kill You[note: song shows up on official set list, but not in my notes; I may have missed it]; 16) Jailhouse Rock [cover]; 17) Bohemian Rhapsody; 18) Radio GaGa; 19) Crazy Little Thing Called Love;
Encore: 20) The Show Must Go On; 21) We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions