Queen + Paul Rodgers
| Company type | Musical collaboration |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Brian May, Roger Taylor, Paul Rodgers |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | The Cosmos Rocks (album), live albums, concert DVDs |
Queen + Paul Rodgers—also referred to as Q+PR or QPR—represented a partnership between Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor alongside Paul Rodgers, known for his work with Bad Company, Free, The Firm, and The Law. Prior to this collaboration, May had performed with Rodgers on several occasions, including a notable event at the Royal Albert Hall.
Their inaugural performance together took place during Queen's induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame on 10 October 2004. Rodgers was introduced not as a substitute for Queen’s late frontman Freddie Mercury, who passed away in 1991, but rather as a special guest performing alongside the original members. Former Queen bassist John Deacon chose not to take part, having retired in 1997. Supporting the main trio on tour were former Queen keyboardist Spike Edney, rhythm guitarist Jamie Moses, and bassist Danny Miranda, previously with Blue Öyster Cult. Over the course of two global tours, the ensemble released The Cosmos Rocks, marking Queen’s first studio album in nearly 15 years, alongside two live albums and three concert DVDs.
In May 2009, Rodgers declared the conclusion of this collaboration, emphasizing it "was never intended as a permanent setup," though he left the door open for potential future endeavors. This partnership was later succeeded by another alliance known as Queen + Adam Lambert.
Beginnings (2004)
This collaboration originated when Brian May performed at the 2004 Fender Strat Pack concert. After joining Rodgers to perform "All Right Now" by Free, May observed a strong musical rapport between them. Subsequently, Rodgers appeared with Queen during their 10 October 2004 UK Music Hall of Fame induction, delivering renditions of "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions", and "All Right Now". This event precipitated the announcement of their world tour scheduled for 2005.
Return of the Champions Tour (2005–2006)
Their first public appearance occurred in March 2005 in South Africa, supporting Nelson Mandela’s 46664 campaign against AIDS. The official tour commenced at London’s Brixton Academy, primarily catering to members of the Queen fan club. This was followed by a European arena circuit featuring venues such as Wembley Pavilion, Cardiff International Arena, and Le Zénith in France. Summer dates in 2005 included outdoor stadium concerts at Portugal’s Estadio do Restelo (30,000 attendees), Germany’s Rhein-Energie Stadion in Cologne (27,500), the Netherlands’ Gelredome in Arnhem (25,000), and London's Hyde Park (65,000 spectators).
During the Estadio do Restelo performance on 2 July 2005, dedications were made to Live 8; Taylor introduced "Say It's Not True" in support of Mandela's HIV/AIDS initiatives. May dedicated "'39" to Bob Geldof and supporters of Live 8. The Hyde Park concert scheduled for 15 July was postponed by one week due to the 7 July 2005 London bombings, with thousands of complimentary tickets distributed to emergency personnel. British comedian Peter Kay served as warm-up before support act Razorlight. The event attracted roughly 65,000 attendees and featured over two hours of live music.
A standard setlist comprised Queen classics such as "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions", and "Bohemian Rhapsody". In an interview, Rodgers mentioned that "Killer Queen" was too intricate for live performance. The set also incorporated songs from Free and Bad Company like "All Right Now", "Wishing Well", "Feel Like Making Love", and "Bad Company". Lead vocal duties were shared between May and Taylor on selected numbers: May sang parts of "Hammer to Fall", "Love of My Life", and "'39"; Taylor took lead on "Radio Ga Ga", "These Are the Days of Our Lives", "Say It's Not True", and "I'm in Love with My Car". On some tracks, Taylor stepped away from drums to allow a drum machine to play while he was joined by auxiliary musicians Miranda and Moses on acoustic guitars during "Say It's Not True".
Additional songs occasionally added to the lineup included: "I Was Born to Love You" and Japan-exclusive "Teo Torriatte", John Lennon's "Imagine" performed at Hyde Park, "Too Much Love Will Kill You" featuring guest Katie Melua in South Africa, "Long Away" at select shows, Hungary's "Tavaszi Szel" in Budapest, and Sandy Nelson's "Let There Be Drums". In Newcastle, they paid tribute to Cream's reunion by playing "Sunshine of Your Love". During some North American shows in 2006, they incorporated "Dragon Attack".
Following their European leg, Queen + Paul Rodgers toured Aruba, Japan, and the United States in autumn 2005. At a Hollywood Bowl show, Slash from Guns N' Roses joined them for a rendition of "Can't Get Enough". Early in 2006, they embarked on a 23-date North American tour beginning at Miami’s American Airlines Arena, marking their first Florida appearance since 1978 and their first official U.S. tour since 1982. The tour concluded with a sold-out concert in Vancouver that featured a unique cover of Jimi Hendrix’s "Red House," exclusive to that tour.
The Cosmos Rocks (2006–2008)
On 15 August 2006, May revealed that Queen + Paul Rodgers planned to commence recording their debut studio album together in October at an undisclosed location. The record, titled The Cosmos Rocks, was launched in the European Union on 15 September 2008, followed by a United States release on 28 October 2008. This marked Queen's sixteenth studio effort and their first since the 1995 album Made in Heaven.
Reflecting on the project, May remarked: "We dedicated an extensive amount of time working on that album with Paul Rodgers, enduring quite a few challenges, yet it barely registered with the public. Therefore, I would be hesitant about continuing to record under the name Queen without Freddie."
Rock the Cosmos Tour (2008)
On 27 June 2008, Queen + Paul Rodgers took the stage at Hyde Park, London, celebrating Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday. Their setlist featured classics such as "One Vision", "Tie Your Mother Down", "Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions", and "All Right Now". Following this event, they embarked on the Rock The Cosmos Tour, which began on 12 September with an AIDS benefit concert attended by over 350,000 people in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The tour proceeded across Russia and Europe. The Ukrainian performance was recorded for World AIDS Day and later issued as the DVD Live in Ukraine. On 19 November, during their Latin American leg, they played at Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo in Santiago, Chile. This tour was notable for featuring a rare live rendition of Las Palabras de Amor and the debut live performance of Bijou.
Split (2009)
In May 2009, just prior to a summer reunion tour with Bad Company, Paul Rodgers announced that his collaboration with Queen had come to a friendly conclusion. He explained: "My partnership with Brian May and Roger Taylor was similar to my arrangement with Jimmy Page in The Firm — it was never intended as a permanent setup. We achieved considerable success: two world tours, live albums, and a studio record — which was meaningful for May and Taylor since they hadn't recorded like that with anyone for a long time."
Rodgers left open the door for future joint efforts: "If they ask me to participate in charity events or something along those lines, I would be very interested."
Possible reunion
In May 2011, Perry Farrell, vocalist of Jane's Addiction, disclosed that Queen was considering recruiting his former and current touring bassist Chris Chaney. Farrell joked: "I have to keep Chris away from Queen—they want him but won’t get him unless we’re inactive."
That same month, Paul Rodgers hinted at the possibility of touring again with Queen, expressing his enjoyment of their previous work together. However, on 3 June, Brian May dismissed reunion speculation by stating: "There is no discussion about that happening." In April 2012, Rodgers suggested concerts might take place in the future; nevertheless, no progress materialized partly due to his health concerns.
Other performances
Queen + Paul Rodgers appeared at the 2006 VH1 Rock Honors, performing "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" (with Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins sharing drum duties), "We Are the Champions", and "Under Pressure". In April 2008, they made an appearance on Al Murray's Happy Hour, delivering a live version of "C-lebrity" from their debut album The Cosmos Rocks.
Significantly, Queen + Paul Rodgers are featured on Eminem's 2009 album Relapse; the track "Beautiful" incorporates a sample from "Reaching Out," which served as their opening number during live shows on the 2005–06 tour. Originally, "Reaching Out" was released by Rock Therapy—a band including both Rodgers and May.
Media releases
In 2007, Queen + Paul Rodgers unveiled the single Say It's Not True to commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1. Roger Taylor penned the track, which was first offered as a complimentary download before being issued as a CD single on December 31.
Additionally, they launched a live album and DVD entitled Return of the Champions, captured at Sheffield Hallam FM Arena on May 9, 2005. The DVD features a rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine" performed in Hyde Park. A single combining "Reaching Out", "Tie Your Mother Down", and "Fat Bottomed Girls" was released, alongside a promotional American single from the Italian segment of their European tour.
Nearly all European concerts, with the exception of those in Ireland and Sweden, have professional soundboard recordings available. Performances in Sheffield, Lisbon, Hyde Park, and potentially Budapest were professionally filmed. The October 26, 2005 Tokyo concert was recorded and broadcasted on television, subsequently released exclusively in Japan as the DVD Super Live in Japan in April 2006. Numerous soundboard tracks were accessible for download through Queen’s official site, with blank Q+PR CD-Rs provided for fans to burn their own copies.
A variety of bootleg recordings from the 2005/2006 tour exist in both audio and video formats.
Band members
- Paul Rodgers – lead vocals, piano, rhythm guitar, harmonica
- Brian May – lead guitar, vocals
- Roger Taylor – drums, percussion, vocals
- Touring musicians
- Spike Edney – keyboards, piano, guitar, backing vocals
- Jamie Moses – guitar, bass, backing vocals
- Danny Miranda – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Neil Murray – bass (participated in two shows only)
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Highest chart rankings | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | AUT | FRA | GER | NL | NZ | SWE | SWI | US | ||||||||||
| 2008 | The Cosmos Rocks
|
5 | 49 | 11 | 28 | 4 | 8 | — | 24 | 5 | 47 | UK: Silver | |||||||
| "—" indicates either unavailable or not released in that market | |||||||||||||||||||
Live albums
| Year | Album details | Chart peak positions | Certifications | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUT | FRA | GER | NL | SWI | US | |||
| 2005 | Return of the Champions
|
12 | 19 | 80 | 13 | 19 | 42 | 84 | |
| 2009 | Live in Ukraine
|
— | 65 | 171 | 43 | 49 | — | 111 | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Highest chart rankings | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUT | FRA | GER | NL | SWI | US | |||
| 2005 | "Reaching Out / Tie Your Mother Down" | — | — | — | — | 27 | 22 | — | Return of the Champions |
| 2007 | Say It's Not True | 90 | — | 75 | 82 | 62 | — | — | The Cosmos Rocks |
| 2008 | "C-lebrity" | 33 | — | 96 | 67 | 50 | — | 17 | |
- Promotional singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Live from Italy" | Non-album single |
| "We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions" | Return of the Champions | |
| 2008 | "We Believe" | The Cosmos Rocks |
| "Call Me" |
Videography
| Year | Video album details | Chart peak positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | |||
| 2005 | Return of the Champions
|
13 | 1 | |
| 2006 | Super Live in Japan
*Release date: June 2006 (Japan exclusive) *Label: EMI |
— | N/A | |
| 2009 | Live in Ukraine
*Release date: 15 June 2009 (CD & DVD) *Label: Parlophone |
— | 2 | |