Artist News: Queen Drummer Says Tribute Project Protects Band Legacy
According to The Pulse Of Radio, Roger Taylor says that the bottom line for him and Brian May launching the talent search for their Queen Extravaganza production is quality control. The pair is prepping a self-produced tribute act to tour next year "playing Queen music combined with unseen footage and a production spectacle" which is completely sanctioned and controlled by the band.
Taylor admitted that there are several reasons for the band to put their energies into the tribute show, but it's mainly to protect the brand name of the group. "Well, that is definitely, I would say, the key aspect. I'm not going to pretend it's the only aspect. I mean, but whether this makes any money or not, I can't tell at this stage. Obviously, I'll be honest -- I hope it does -- but it's turning into an exciting project now. But it is for that very reason. There were literally hundreds of these tribute bands, and most of them are pretty cheesy, and I just thought it really is diluting whatever we might've had."
Queen is urging talented fans "who think they have what it takes to play Brian May's guitar riffs in 'Sheer Heart Attack' or do their best Freddie Mercury vocals on 'Bohemian Rhapsody' to upload their auditions to www.queenextravaganza.com."
[Source: Blabbermouth.net]