With songs such as "We Will Rock You" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" still receiving regular airplay on local radio stations, it's no surprise that the Tucson Symphony Orchestra is paying homage to Queen on Friday as part of its inaugural TSO Rocks the Fox concert series.
The performance, called "One Vision: The Music of Queen," is a collaboration between the TSO and Jeans 'n Classics, a Canadian-based company that pairs classic-rock tribute artists with local symphonies.
It is the third time that the two organizations have joined forces.
Last fall, Jeans 'n Classics moonwalked its way into Tucson with a Michael Jackson tribute, also a part of this season's Rocks the Fox series.
The year before that, its musicians performed with the TSO in a show of Eagles tunes, called "Take it to the Limit."
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Vocalist Michael Shotton, who will take on the role of Freddie Mercury Friday, said Queen is one of their most popular shows.
"It is all the right material that connects with people," said Shotton, who also sang at the Eagles tribute. "There is nobody on the planet who hasn't been affected by Queen's music in one way or another."
The performance will include some of Queen's lesser-known works, songs like "You Take My Breath Away" from the band's 1976 album, "A Day at the Races," and "Love of My Life" from 1975's "A Night at the Opera."
But Shotton said the evening will be primarily dedicated to the anthemic hits that made Queen a worldwide phenomenon.
Like many others growing up in the 1970s, Shotton said, he remembers hearing Queen for the first time on A.M. radio and what an impact it had on his choices in music and life.
"I was immediately hooked," Shotton said. "Brian May was a genius. Freddie (Mercury) was consistently called one of the best singers in the world. And those basslines from John Deacon are timeless. Anyone can identify 'Under Pressure' because of his work."
Shotton said he does his best to live up to Mercury's commanding stage presence and dynamic vocal range while performing.
"Any male tenor will tell you that singing a night of Queen is definitely a challenge," he said.
It doesn't take long, he added, before he is moving ahead full throttle through symphonic Queen hits set to string and choral accompaniment.
"As you get into the first song, it is like flipping on a light switch," he said. "You get so excited about being there, a participant in this collage of musicians. Bringing it to life with a symphony is pretty neat."
If you go
• What: TSO Rocks the Fox: "One Vision: The Music of Queen," featuring the Tucson Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Keitaro Harada and vocalist Michael Shotton.
• When: 8 p.m. Friday.
• Where: Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St.
• Tickets: $33-$48 through the TSO box office, 882-8585.
• Details: foxtucsontheatre.org
Contact reporter Gerald M. Gay at ggay@azstarnet.com or 807-8430.
