It is real life, not just fantasy. We’re not caught in a landslide, and Bradford Creative and Performing Arts Center is bringing us an escape from reality.
Almost Queen will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. May 12 in Bromeley Family Theater at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
Randy Gregg, bassist who represents musician John Deacon from Queen, assured The Era that “Bohemian Rhapsody” will be on the list of hits the group will play.
“The first time we go into a venue, we normally will do the most amount of hits as possible,” he said, explaining concertgoers will hear favorites like “Fat Bottomed Girls” and “We Are the Champions.”
He added with a laugh, “We have a little problem singing the line in ‘Bicycle Race’ — ‘I don’t like Star Wars’ — I have a full leg of Star Wars tattoos.”
Gregg said he’s the one who writes the set lists for performances, and he does take requests from the group’s Facebook page.
“We try to accommodate as many requests as we can,” he said. The group is made up of four major fans of Queen, and they know more than just the big hits.
“We constantly switch up ‘B’ sides to keep the avid Queen fans very happy and in hopes to maybe turn some other people to some Queen they don’t know,” Gregg said.
When the band formed 14 years ago, it was with a simple concept — “We all loved Queen. There weren’t many Queen tribute bands.”
In fact, Almost Queen was the first in the U.S. “Fourteen years later we’re standing pretty strong.”
For Gregg, performing in Almost Queen is a labor of love. He said the band members try very hard to emulate the musicians in the band, knowing full well “no matter how hard we try, we will never be them, look like them or sound like them.”
They have a little fun with it. The band members are Joseph Russo as Freddie Mercury, Steve Leonard as Brian May, John Cappadona as Roger Taylor and Gregg as Deacon.
Leonard’s nickname is “Brian Maybe” and Gregg’s is “John Decoy,” he said with a laugh.
“We will never, ever be Queen, but that’s why our band name is perfect — Almost Queen,” Gregg said. “We’re not saying anything but please come down and help us celebrate the greatest music ever made.”
Proceeds from the band’s merchandise sold at concerts is a tribute to the late Freddie Mercury — the funds go to the Mercury Phoenix trust to help fight AIDS worldwide, in honor of Mercury.
Their fundraising efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Gregg said he’s heard from family members of the original band who are thrilled with their work.
“I’ve heard in the office Brian May just adores us,” he added. “He posts our dates on his website.”
It’s not an official endorsement, but “it’s pretty cool to have it” just the same, Gregg said.
Describing the Almost Queen concert experience, Gregg said the crowd ranges from the very young to the elderly — “everyone loves Queen.”
He said each concert is unique as well.
“We never play the same songs, in the same order, twice,” he said. “We’re always trying to keep things fresh for the people who come to see us.
“Good music never dies and it never, ever will.”
