RELEASE: QUEEN ON AMERICAN IDOL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

QUEEN’S ROGER TAYLOR AND BRIAN MAY TO PERFORM WITH AMERICAN IDOL’S TOP 6 ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25th

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OFFICIAL TRIBUTE GROUP THE QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA SET TO PLAY HIT SHOW ON THURSDAY, APRIL 26th IN ADVANCE OF NORTH AMERICAN TOUR KICK OFF

 LOS ANGELES, CA (April 25, 2012) – American Idol audiences are in for a treat this week, with a double-dose of the music of legendary rock band Queen to be showcased on consecutive nights.  On Wednesday, April 25, original Queen members Roger Taylor and Brian May will lend their talents to perform their band’s classic songs with the Top 6 American Idol contestants.  Then on Thursday, April 26, official Queen tribute band The Queen Extravaganza will appear on the show to perform “Somebody to Love,” giving a preview of their upcoming North American tour.

The Queen Extravaganza tour launches on May 26, and will hit cities coast-to-coast across the U.S. and Canada throughout the summer of 2012 (see below for full itinerary). Masterminded by Taylor and May themselves, The Queen Extravaganza is a spectacular touring concert show designed to bring the glorious music and live experience of Queen to multiple generations of fans.  The band includes vocalists Marc Martel and Jennifer Espinoza; additional vocalists Yvan Pedneault and Jeff Scott Soto; bassist Francois Olivier Doyon; guitarists Brian Gresh and Tristan Avakian; drummer Tyler Warren; and keyboardist & musical director Brandon Ethridge.  The musicians were hand-selected by Taylor after an intensive 12-week worldwide online audition search, with video submissions generating more than 10 million views.

In a show that will run over two hours, The QE band will perform nearly 40 Queen classics, drawn from a list of the band’s biggest all-time chart hits: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Under Pressure,” “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions,” “A Kind of Magic,” “Radio Ga Ga,” and “Killer Queen.” In addition, the show will highlight some of the band’s finest heavy-duty rock-based anthems that have long been at the core of their live performances, so audiences can also expect a healthy dose of early period Queen with songs such as “I’m In Love With My Car,” “Tie Your Mother Down,” “Seven Seas of Rye,” and “In the Lap Of The Gods,” among others. The production will also be boosted with the inclusion of never-before-seen video footage.

To guarantee that the touring show matches the fabled design and excitement of Queen at its live best, Taylor has enlisted a heavyweight production team headed by stage designer Mark Fisher.  Fisher has been responsible for some of the most memorable rock concerts ever staged, including The Wall for Pink Floyd, every Rolling Stones show since 1989, and many more. Lighting for The Queen Extravaganza has been designed by Rob Sinclair (Queen, Adele, Peter Gabriel, Pulp, Mumford and Sons, Goldfrapp).

The Queen Extravaganza Tour Dates:

For more information and ticketing links, please visit: http://www.queenextravaganza.com/

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 MEDIA CONTACTS:

Erik Stein & Anna Loynes / Scoop Marketing for the Queen Extravaganza / 818-761-6100 / estein@solters.com &aloynes@solters.com

Sharrin Summers / Hollywood Records for Queen / 818-560-5787 / sharrin.summers@disney.com