September 5th brought on a celebration for many fans. With the upcoming release of the Queen and Freddie Mercury bio pic BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, it was a day to celebrate what would have been Mr. Mercury’s birthday. JoBlo was lucky enough to be a part of it. First we were witness to a few select scenes from the new film, then we made our way to Las Vegas for a twenty-four hour rock and roll adventure where we spoke to the stars of the new film, Rami Malek, Gwilym Lee, Joseph Mazello and Lucy Boynton. As well, we sat down with producer Graham King to discuss the many challenges bringing this story to life, including the recent director switch – which he didn’t seem to consider much of a stumbling block considering much of the film was already complete.
When it came to Rami, Gwilym, Joseph and Lucy, the group discussed the influence of Queen and of course Freddie Mercury. Rami talked about how much time he spent watching the incredible talent in order to capture the iconic singer’s essence. Both Gwilym and Joseph discussed working with Roger Taylor and Brian May. And when it comes to Lucy, she discussed taking on one of the most private aspects of Freddie’s life, the relationship he shared with Mary Austin.
While it would have been magic on its own, it was made all the more incredible when we were led to the Park Theatre inside the Park MGM and we had a short but sweet meet and greet with both Roger Taylor and Brian May. As a massive fan of Queen, I can honestly say it was a highlight of this year getting to get to chat with both of these incredible musicians about whatever came to mind. And they couldn’t have been more kind hearted, in fact, Mr. May was giving every single one of us a hug. You can see some of this in what may be one of the coolest videos on the Official Queen YouTube Channel – check it out here. What an amazing celebration it was all over the world.
And finally, to finish off the night of music, we attended a very special performance from Queen with Adam Lambert. While it would be damn near impossible to replace Freddie, Lambert brought his own energy and charisma to the band and it was brilliant. It was one of the most thrilling live shows I’ve had the pleasure of taking in. There were several highlights including “Fat Bottomed Girls”, “Somebody to Love”, “Killer Queen” and of course the classic "Bohemian Rhapsody." Let’s just say, if you are a fan of this amazing band, you couldn’t help but get swept up in the magic of the night. This was a rock and roll fantasy come true.