Patrick Myers plays Freddie Mercury in Killer Queen, which bills itself as the longest-established Queen tribute band. It was formed by art students in London in 1993, and by 1995, Killer Queen’s popularity in the United Kingdom had grown to such an extent that it had a residency in London’s Strand Theatre—becoming the first tribute band to have a show in the West End theater district. Reno audiences can revel in the opulence of Queen’s majestic music when Killer Queen plays at the Grand Sierra Resort on Sunday, March 24.
What was the impetus for starting the band?
We were students at the time—actually at the same university that members of Queen had attended—and we heard that Freddie had died (in 1991), which came as a shock to us. It was just heartbreaking. It seemed like a really natural response for us to start the band as a tribute to Queen.
Do you use vintage equipment for the show?
Our Brian May (Simon Small) plays a Brian May “Red Special” replica guitar. Brian May plays with an English sixpence coin (slightly larger than a U.S. dime)—it has a serrated edge—as a plectrum (pick). They don’t make sixpences anymore, unfortunately, but you can still buy a “Brian May” one, though. We try to get most details right, equipment-wise.
Have you ever received any feedback from Queen?
Queen themselves keeps an arm’s length away from tributes, partly because they’re touring themselves. But Brian May’s website has said some good things about us.
Do you tailor your setlist from Europe to the U.S?
There are a few changes. A track like “A Kind of Magic” is a real crowd-pleaser in Europe, but not as well-known over in America, which is a shame, as it’s a great live track. I noticed that Queen bucked that trend on their last U.S. tour, and they played “A Kind of Magic” all through America. I was pleased to see that it finally had its day over there.
What is your pre-show ritual? When do you become Freddie, and when does Freddie leave the building?
I’ve got a vocal warm-up routine, and I’ve got a physical warm-up routine—stretching and squats, all that sort of stuff—and then I pop on the makeup and put the costume on, and then I’m ready to go. It takes me about an hour to get ready. I’m “me” the moment before I go onstage, and I’m “me” the moment I go offstage, so there’s no blurring of identities. The persona that Freddie had onstage was a character in itself; it was a construct. Freddie was very different onstage, but I don’t think that I’m particularly like Freddie offstage in any way, really. He was a unique character. I’ve got training in acting, so stepping in and out of character is easy. I don’t feel that I need to pretend to be Freddie anywhere else apart from onstage and in front of an audience.
When on tour in the U.S., do you have any type of food from England that you miss?
For some reason, I miss tea. I bring tea bags out on tour with me, but the tea doesn’t taste the same in America. The water is different or something. I miss an English “cuppa tea.” That’s a very cliched answer for an Englishman, but there you go. I also bring Marmite with me on tour. Marmite is easy, because you can order that on Amazon.com and have it delivered to your hotel room.
What vision do you have for the band in the future?
We want to do what we’ve been doing for the past few decades, which is travel the world. We like to play in a variety of places. We’re making sure that we do a few arena shows here and there to make sure that the people who want to see us on a grand scale can see something like that, so we try to cover as many bases as possible—shows not just limited to 1,000 or 2,000. We want to stretch up to 5,000 or 10,000. Like, we sell out Red Rocks (Colorado) every year, and that’s about 9,500 to 10,000. It’s great to be invited back every year. That’s a real privilege. We enjoy bringing a little bit of Queen magic to the various stages that we play, and long may we continue, as far as we’re concerned, because it’s a very rewarding show to do.