Search - Queen + Paul Rodgers - Return of the Champions on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 3/16/2020...

Big fan of Queen but this was a big disappointment for me. The sound quality and video were great but Paul Rodgers is the wrong mix of Queen.

3 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

A must have for Queen Fans!

LI Techie | Long Island, NY USA | 10/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I might never have even looked at this video if not for my older daughter, who wasn't even born when Queen was at their height. She watched some of my old videos that I recorded in the '80s and was fascinated (as are others of her generation, it seems) by some of Queen's videos and each of the band members. So when Queen+Paul Rodgers came to the Jersey Meadowlands just this last Sunday I took her to her first Rock Concert! It wasn't something I was anxious to do. I watched Queen's rise and was frankly bummed out when Freddie died of AIDS. As talented as the other band members are, what would Queen be without Freddie?

Well, I figured this might be her last chance to see what was left of Queen live so we went. Was I ever surprised. To answer the most obvious question, Paul Rodgers is not Freddie Mercury, but to his credit, he IS a major talent and he doesn't try to be a substitute Freddie. His performance recalls how the master did it, but doesn't overdo it.

In fairness this should have been called "Half of Queen and Paul Rodgers," but the production (the Concert I saw AND this DVD) is masterfully conceived and arranged. It is a fine touch that they don't try to give us a sentimental retrospective but a lively performance strengthened by long time backup performers. Brian and Roger sing lead on several songs and give us a good dose of what they do best on drum and guitar. Paul Rodgers performs some of his '60s hits, including "All Right Now" which was fabulous with Queen as the band backing it up.

Of special note was the performance of "Hammer to Fall." If you ever doubted what the song was really about (no, it's not nuclear war) the way Brian May (who wrote it) performs the first half, as a slow ballad on acoustic guitar, brings the message home in a very affecting manner. Then Paul Rodgers comes in as lead, and the band breaks into the power of the hard rock version we are more familiar with. A powerful performance.

So, if you buy this as nostalgia, so be it. But a lot of the audience was too young to be nostalgic about Queen; they were there for the music, the performance, the energy. This is not Memory Lane; it is the work of a band that is full of life and talent. The production values of the live performance are well reflected in this video. A must MUST-have for Queen fans ... and those who will be."

Queen + Paul Rodgers = Extraordinary

A. Kulcsar | Ypsilanti, MI United States | 05/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I missed the tour as it rolled through Michigan, and I lament the fact that I could not see this incredible show. As another mentioned here, Paul did not attempt to serve as a stand-in for Freddie. He made the songs his own and performed admirably. No simple feat by any means...to take songs like "The Show Must Go On" and "We Are the Champions" and make them your own songs...but he did it.

It really was hard for me not to shed some tears to see Freddie on the screen performing the first Act of "Bohemian Rhapsody," to hear Roger Taylor lead the crowd in a fantastic version of "Radio Ga Ga," or to hear Brian May perform a marvelous solo on "Love of My Life." All of the artists sound amazing...it was particularly cool for me to see Roger take center stage and sing like he always wanted to. If for no other song, this DVD is worth hearing "I Want It All" performed live.

This was not a Queen concert with some Bad Company covers, nor was this a Paul Rodgers concert covering Queen songs. It was the show that it was billed to be and it lived up to my very high expectations: Paul Rodgers fronting Queen doing some of their best songs.

Not sure what some of the reviewers were missing...this DVD is presented both in stereo and in DTS 5.1. The picture is gorgeous in 16:9 letterbox format. The live sound was mixed almost perfectly with a scant few spots where it was difficult to hear vocals. The mix is well above average for a live video.

Purists will be upset, to be sure...but if you take it for what it is, this is great music."

Superb!!!!

James Allen | East Coast | 12/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the reviewers here posted that this DVD is hard to watch because the editing is choppy and there are frequent cuts. This poster had me worried that I would also find it hard to watch, but in fact, the editing is superb. Look carefully at it and you will see that it always focuses on whatever the most interesting and important thing is that's going on. For example, when there's a little drum fill we briefly see Roger Taylor doing that fill, then on to whatever is next. The editing enhances the music brilliantly.
This concert is full of touching moments that brought an ear-to-ear smile to my face. One of the best was when Brian was playing the guitar accompaniment for Love of My Life to the audience's singing. The whole time he had that I-can't-believe-I'm-accompanying-12000-people-on-the-guitar-to-a-song-I-recorded-in-a-band-30-years-ago-and-that-they-all-have-the-lyrics-memorized look on his face. I don't think that these beautiful moments would have been noticeable if the editing weren't top notch.
This DVD, though it's the same concert, is far superior to the CD version. The CD sounds nice, but the visuals of the DVD version are unforgettable. The best thing is being there, but as I said, this recording of the show brings out moments that aren't noticeable when you're sitting 100 rows away from the action."