Advance screening on November 1st

Not to brag (except I'm totally bragging/not actually bragging and for real trying to keep it humble and remind myself that I'm super undeservingly lucky), I'll be going to see Bohemian Rhapsody in Downtown Boston on October 31 (in IMAX!), then November 1, I'll be going to see it in Gloucester with Gunpowder Gelatine and my friend George, and THEN official opening night on November 2 back in Downtown Boston!

There have been tons of screenings nation-wide so far, and 99% of the reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but I'm still waiting for input of hardcore Queen fans everywhere else before I feel secure in that. I tried very hard to ignore one twitter post in particular, but it's been eating away at me, read something to the effect of, "The movie was nothing more than a glorified Wikipedia article"

...

While it didn't feel necessary to screenshot such an astute observation, I hope that person has since been schooled on what a biopic is and how they typically work.

Anyway! I thought that Gunpowder Gelatine performing at the November 1 screening would put the evening well over the top in awesomeness, but then I saw on Facebook that The Cap Ann Cinema & Stage in Gloucester, MA will be selling a *checks notes because I'm not a beer snob* "Raspberry Kettle Sour Ale" from Ipswich Brewery called "Bohemian Raspberry"!

Photo shared with permission

(I think Ben & Jerry's had a limited edition flavor with the same name at some point, but I don't think they'd have a problem with this)

I don't really like beer (I'm more of a hard cider/rum and Coke guy), but I plan on buying one for my collection!

Advance screening in Boston

In today's episode of, "Zander Has Undeserved Luck in the Queen Department," I'm going with a few friends to see an advance screening of Bohemian Rhapsody in Boston on October 31!

I just... Why me?? I have a local Queen tribute band that I can see unless there is a damn good reason I can't go, I'm officially said tribute band's number one fan (their words!) (Gunpowder Gelatine. They're awesome and they're also awesome people), I have a rose that Freddie Mercury touched when he was tossing them into the audience at their show in Maine in August 1980 (this one landed on the edge of the stage, and my friend Tony managed to run up and snag it after the show ended), I've seen Queen Extravaganza, I got to go to the We Will Rock You musical (didn't like it, but it had been on my bucket list since 2002(?), I've met Brian May and gotten his autograph, I've seen Queen + Adam Lambert twice and had kickass seats both times, the movie exists at all, I can make plans with friends to go see it...

I have followers on my social media even though I only sporadically update my blog.

Any day now, my luck will dry up. It has to, right? I just hope I'm striking the right balance between enjoying it immensely and not taking it for granted.

FFAD post coming soon

Coming soon... On the outside...

Okay, I'm done.

FFAD in Boston was spectacular! I feel bad that I didn't do all that much but have been taking all week to recover and gather my thoughts. But a post is coming, and hopefully it will be marvelous!

Concert prep

I'm at the phase where I'm not going to listen to any Queen until the concert on the 25th because I want to ensure maximum excitement the night of (I've also been avoiding reading setlists)!

This is really bad timing because I'm still really enjoying the On Air CD set.

I also have enough space that I could listen to Queen II uninterrupted.

Are the kids still saying "FML"? Because FML!

Confirmation for Queen + Adam Lambert in Boston

:-D

That Guy is 30!

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes! The weather is actually pretty nice here in the Boston area, so I got an iced coffee, then took a walk while listening to Queen II. Being 30 feels pretty good so far!

I'm hoping to post stuff soon! Thanks for bearing with me!

Massively late Christmas post!

You guys! Wow! So sorry yet again for the delay in posting! Life continues to be busy!

This past December, Gunpowder Gelatine reached out to me and my friend George and asked if... are you sitting down for this? They asked if we could JOIN THEM ONSTAGE FOR TWO PERFORMANCES!!1!!1111!!! December 10th was a benefit to an organization that is very near and dear to my heart - The Somerville Homeless Coalition, and the following night they'd be opening for El Vez. Before anyone gets more excited than is reasonable, George and I were only needed for two songs: Billy Squier's "Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You", and Queen's own "Thank God It's Christmas".

Neither track is what I could honestly call a favorite, but I was ready to take a couple hits for an organization that helped me get my shit together, and also sing on the stage at Johnny D's while it was still possible with a band I adore, and a friend I don't otherwise get to spend much time with more than once a week. So the good definitely outweighed the surprisingly terribly-written B-side!

Plus I don't often get to tell bouncers, "I'm with the band" to gain access!

The benefit on the 10th was really quite something! The Boston area is a vast wealth of talent and artistry, so that really shouldn't be a shock to anyone who spends more than five seconds here. I didn't even mind the marching jazz band (brass instruments in an in-person live setting give me a headache, even if the player is really good) Gunpowder Gelatine had told us to arrive by maybe 10:00 or so, and that we'd be getting on by 11:00... I can't remember at this point so you'll have to forgive me if I don't have the exact times right. Either way, I think we actually finally got on at 11:30. This was not a typical, "everyone get hammered and rock out to good tunes" kind of deal. It was more, "buy some booze, but also buy raffle tickets and stuff because being homeless sucks, especially at Christmas", so there was no particular concern about the audience response to TGIC. I was more worried about nailing the harmony on the chorus! And I was super nervous about the Billy Squier song! I don't think I did as well as I'd like on either track, but I also didn't spend a whole lot of time rehearsing them on my own, so...

The next night was Gunpowder Gelatine in "opening band" mode, so the overall crowd feel was a little more familiar to me. George spent a bit of time trying to find someone in the audience to take pictures when it would be time for the both of us to get on stage for the sake of this blog and also bragging rights, and I think he picked the right person. He had his eye on someone else, initially, but when Gunpowder Gelatine got up on stage she kept trying to get either of us to dance with her. At one point, she stuck herself between us and kept bumping each of our hips! Thank G-d I was still holding onto my crutches, because she would have knocked me over! By the time I was ready to call for an adult to rescue me and George from the non-consensual touching and hip checks, she seemed to have gotten the hint that we weren't interested (we couldn't not talk about it later, and we found out we were both on the exact same page). Thankfully, there was no serious harm done for anybody!

Onto some pictures that I'm going to credit to George all the way through because I apparently didn't get that stranger's info! (Oh, right. Gunpowder Gelatine had a very Christmas-y dress code that I, of course, didn't follow because I guess I'm not a team player)

I'd like to take this time to attribute some of my awkward posture to the fact that that stage is SMALL, and there wasn't much room to move without accidentally knocking into someone.

Oh! And then a friend of Bethany's from high school(..???) joined the band to sing Under Pressure! It was AWESOME!

George and I hung out with the band for a bit during El Vez's set, but neither of us was really feeling it, so we wound up leaving to get a late dinner. Any other time, though! I'm sure I would have had a lot of fun seeing him!

I should take this time to really thank Johnny D's for being such an awesome place. I obviously haven't been attending since its beginnings, but it will always hold a very special place in my heart!

It was a worthwhile experience!

HalloQueen with Gunpowder Gelatine and Da Rods

Usually when I apologize for lack of posts due to being busy, I'm not typically as busy as I've been this time around! But thankfully I had a minute to breathe and rock out last night with Gunpowder Gelatine and Faces tribute band, Da Rods with my friend George (hi, George!)!

I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it to the gig at all because The Milky Way is a pain to get to from my area on public transportation. Unlike New York City, Boston's public transportation is not 24/7. Like, they only expanded their hours to 2am this past year or so..? I don't go out often enough to give exact dates. But anyway! It was a huge help and extra motivator to get to hang out with George. Even though I hate him a little bit because he saw Queen in Germany in 1986.

Anyway! Again! Da Rods kicked things off and killed it! I must confess that my Rod Stewart/Faces listening has been horrifically confined to one or two songs I hear on the radio sometimes. So they've done me a great service because now I'm looking up Faces on Spotify. And yes, they played Stay With Me, and it was glorious!

I've mentioned it in the past, but I feel compelled to note the difference in crowd energy compared to at Johnny D's. Not that it's bad at Johnny D's! It's just different at The Milky Way and I kind of wish that difference - whatever it is - was the standard in Greater Boston. (Seriously, Johnny D's, I love you and I'm in complete denial that you'll be closing next year)

Gunpowder Gelatine came on stage dressed up like the Radio Ga Ga video, and they've said that they never actually performed Radio Ga Ga before, but I'm really sure that they did the first time I saw them. I distinctly remember being excited to do the synchronized clapping... although I might have been only one of a few in the audience complying.

Their set was, as always, excellent, and their sound was super tight. Their unofficial cinematographer was in the audience, so hopefully he got some really great video that I can post here eventually. I'm always really excited when they perform I Want It All because the audience always responds even though it's a really obscure song in the US and not usually known by more casual Queen fans. They've also recently added Bicycle Race to their set. I'm not sure if I've noted that before because I've seen them a number of times and then never wind up writing about it. For instance, I saw them last time at Johnny D's on September 25th, and Queen played on Saturday Night Live on that day in 1982, so I thought that was really cool :-)

George has given me permission to post the pictures he took, because I've since given up trying to take pictures because they always look shitty - even with a digital camera.

You may have noticed that I keep my hair closely shaved these days. I'm starting to go bald and I'm leaning into it because a) I'm not bothered by it, and b) I don't think any other hairstyle will work without it looking like I'm in denial a la John Travolta.

Placeholder and winter holiday present for you

I'm not happy with the quality of the cellphone pictures, but oh well. The next time it's not raining I want to try to nail the exact positions and angles!

I will immortalize you

What I desperately wish was the worst part of my date from the other night:

Guy: I *love* Broadway musicals!

Me: I've only been to one so far, but I didn't enjoy it. It was We Will R-

Guy: Stop right there! I loved it! How did you not love it??

Me: The story was flimsy, the pop culture references were forced, and the protagonist referring to her as "his woman" and that crap didn't sit well with me.

Guy: But that's how it was back then!

Me: The story takes place in the future.

Guy: ...

And then the rest of the evening continued to careen downhill for several reasons that had nothing to do with Queen.

--

As my friend/writing coach/pastor/fellow Queen fan Toni Amato always says: Never piss off a writer! We will make you immortal, and you will not like it!

Actually talking about Queen in Boston

Okay! Now that I've regained the ability to think beyond, "OMG THAT TOTALLY HAPPENED!!!!"...

I met my counterpart Audrey at the bus terminal in South Station. I'm really glad I (strongly) suggested that she aim for getting in around 2:30 in case of delays, because that happens all the time. I guess New York City traffic was to blame for her getting in a bit after 3:00, which does but doesn't surprise me. I was so sure Boston would be the clusterfuck it always is.

Thankfully there was still time to get back to my place, drop off her things, and take a breath before heading to North Station. We were meeting Allison (who was wearing the shirt she got from their 1982 Boston concert), Amanda, and their friend Sarah for an early dinner at Boston Beer Works. Before we got there, Audrey and I noticed one of the tour trucks, and we both screamed and began taking pictures. And then other people started stopping for pictures as well. Audrey and I are trend setters! Once at the restaurant, and after intros were done, we got down to business and talked about Queen (duh) and how it seems now that their collaboration with Paul Rodgers has since become something they just don't want to acknowledge if they can help it - like a super embarrassing prom picture. Considering The Cosmos Rocks didn't do as great as we'd all hoped it would, and Live In Ukraine was... well, total shit, it's not too surprising that that would be their reaction.

We would also occasionally bond with passers-by rocking some sweet Queen and Freddie shirts. Turns out the shirt you see me in all the time is really popular!

The doors were opening at 6:30, and Boston Beer Works was within super easy walking distance to TD Garden, so we maybe got there at about 6:45-6:50(?). I swear you could feel the anticipation all the way from the restaurant, so of course it was massively amplified just outside the stadium! We saw Queen fans of various ages walking by and posing in front of one of the promo signs. So of course Audrey and I had to do that as well, because I don't think it would have occurred to me otherwise.

I'd never gone to North Station except for commuting purposes before this, so the construction going on was not making getting to the stadium any less confusing. This also gave my brain time to fill me with dread. "I bet those tickets you got on Stubhub are fake! Some asshole must have fabricated them! TD Garden's layout for stadium concerts says section B only has seven rows, and the tickets say 'row 24'! Etc, etc."

Anxiety disorders suck.

Anyway, There was supposed to be a parting of the ways. Allison's, Amanda's, and Sarah's seats were in the balcony, while Audrey and I had the floor. THANKFULLY the tickets I scored were legit, and we were directed to our seats. And because of the construction, Allison, Amanda, and Sarah got to be moved to the floor as well! They were one row and a number of seats down from us! We were planning on having them move next to us if our row didn't fill up. But it did. Oh well.

The concert was delayed for 45 minutes for reasons I don't know, so this gave Audrey and I time to take it all in and get more pictures (you can see them in my previous post). We even helped a few people who were failing to get decent selfies, because yay human kindness!

Gradually, the ending instrumental from Made In Heaven faded in to let the crowd know that 15 minutes or so from now, shit was going to get real. The time for fucking around was over! At random points, as the stadium continued to fill with people, and as we saw the movement of the crew behind the curtain, we'd all cheer! They do deserve praise for the work they put in, you know! The energy was building just enough to be exciting, but not abruptly so, so it was easy to just ride and enjoy it. And every minute that ticked by was one getting me that much closer to my dream! Finally! The concert started at 8:15! I heard the bass drum and proceeded to lose my shit that they were using Procession as their taped intro! BECAUSE HOW PERFECT IS THAT?! This was also the first instance I screamed too loud and too hard.

Setlists have been posted on Twitter and Facebook since the start of the tour, but I only ever glanced at them because I wanted to be surprised. While the curtain was still up, Procession transitioned to Now I'm Here. It wasn't until Adam started singing that there was zero doubt in my mind about anything anymore. I was really worried based on other performances I'd seen on video where Adam sounded great, but didn't have his footing. But throughout the tour, people kept saying that the concerts were amazing, and as the curtain fell, and hands went up, I knew he had gotten it together.

I honestly think that Adam Lambert has developed into the perfect fit for Queen frontman. He wasn't trying at all to be like Freddie. Like Paul Rodgers, he brought only himself to the table, and there were points where he was right along with the rest of us, staring admiringly, enjoying the show, and getting excited about the most amazing band in the universe. I think it makes a difference, too, that he's a Queen fan that's not a rock veteran. Like me, his introduction to Queen was watching Wayne's World in 1992. There was absolutely no point in the show where he seemed not to think it was a huge deal what he was doing. And he also happened to be massively engaging, armed with a voice that didn't falter. Much like his prettiness, it defies logic.

Seriously. Pictures and videos really don't capture how gorgeous he is. Like, if Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who/Torchwood had a lovechild with Freddie, that lovechild would look like Adam Lambert!

Anyway! There was a hitch for me during Love Of My Life. There was a guy behind me who had been spouting some Queen trivia to his concertmate off and on, and with my processing difficulties, he was just loud enough at this point that I literally could not hear anything else. I turned around and told him to shut up, but I couldn't get into what was happening. Love Of My Life is supposed to be this amazing and intimate moment we share with Brian and Freddie, and - just like when watching concert videos - I was on the outside looking in (except I couldn't hear a lot of it!). I honestly feel like I let Brian and Freddie down, and I will probably never forgive that guy.

He started up again during Last Horizon, telling his concertmate, "I think this was on The Miracle..." It took everything I had not to tell him how wrong he was. Because seriously?????!!!!!

But the rest of the show continued to be amazing. The times Freddie came on the screen was nothing like watching the DVDs at home. Obviously, it was video, but it was sort of like getting to see him on stage, too. I can't explain it properly.

The band was pressed for time, so they couldn't perform The Show Must Go On. It would have been awesome if there was time, but Audrey and I - at least - didn't feel like the set was lacking during the show.

Despite their living on the North Shore, Amanda and Allison gave Audrey and I a ride back to my apartment. It was nice to keep the momentum going while not having to deal with public transportation. We sang along to Play The Game and Princes Of The Universe :-)

I plugged my camera into my desktop computer to import the pictures I took. I was sure I took maybe 100 at most, so imagine my surprise that it was 505! I glanced at them to get a general idea of what was good enough to be posted online while Audrey looked through my Queen stuff. It was really nice getting to appreciate those things with her in person (which obviously means I should have Queen fans over more often)!

Audrey and I ordered a pizza and popped in disc 2 of Greatest Video Hits 2 to watch the One Vision documentary, followed by going on Youtube via my Roku box to watch VH1 Legends. This was special to us because it was the first thing the both of us had to look forward to as die-hard Queen fans. We finally crashed around 2am!

Before taking the bus back to New York, I brought Audrey to a hole-in-the-wall record shop near Harvard Square. The only Queen stuff we could find were two copies of A Night At The Opera on vinyl for $20 each, which I think is too expensive. But I did find a copy of Greatest Hits III on CD for $4. I'm slowly coming to terms with most likely never getting my stuff that's still at my father's house, so I'm rebuilding those parts of my collection where I can. I also got a CD copy of The Velvet Underground & Nico, and the soundtrack to the film, Magnolia, because Aimee Mann is awesome.

Audrey managed to get a good haul of stuff on vinyl - including some records she got for her sister. Then we walked to Harvard Square to see if we could get her a copy of July's Rolling Stone for the awesome Queen article. Apparently Out Of Town News no longer carries Rolling Stone, but they now have Classic Rock. Dammit.

I'm glad that this was able to happen! To say the least! I would do this again and again in a heartbeat! This wouldn't be possible if Stubhub didn't exist. Some guy named Steven Radchenko originally bought the tickets I got, so thanks Steven!

Queen + Adam Lambert in Boston

YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DID THAT REALLY FOR SERIOUS REALLY HAPPEN????????????

Bonus cell phone picture:

YES IT MOST DEFINITELY DID HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also! To the guy behind me who insisted on spouting (wrong) trivia to his concertmate during Love Of My Life: Fuck you. You ruined for me what was supposed to be a beautiful moment. Seriously, Fuck. You. I think I may literally hate you, and I am not at all exaggerating. I'm proud of me for restraining myself enough to simply say, "Shut up! I'm trying to hear!" WHO THE FUCK TALKS DURING LOVE OF MY LIFE??!!

(ETA - I have difficulties with audio processing. The guy was loud enough that I couldn't ignore him, and I literally could not hear Brian at all until that jackass shut up)

And a fun bonus conversation between me and a Freddie purist:

Him: We All know u saw Queen with Adam lamturd

Me: No, sweetie. It's spelled "Lambert", and he did a fucking good job. If you don't want to know that, then cool, but there's no need to rain on other people's parades. I know you're only 19, but grow the fuck up.

Him: Don't fucking call me sweetie where men [Audrey thinks he might have meant to say "we're"] ... U hear me ... Besides take s joke

Here's why that shit's not funny: First, it's immature as all fuck. Second, claiming to be joking in an effort to backpeddle and cover one's ass doesn't erase the fact that what was said was not a joke. Freddie purists are relentlessly aggressive toward anyone who sings Queen and isn't Freddie. "Hostile" and "joking" are not synonymous.

Gunpowder Gelatine with Bikini Whale and Pretendica

I went to a really fun show at Johnny D's last night. Boston finally got more reasonable with their late-night public transportation, so I was able to stick around for the whole thing instead of having to leave after Gunpowder Gelatine's set.

I put myself in my usual spot right in front of the stage, which is always risky because it's on the dance floor, I can't always balance so well, and drunk people who want to dance are notorious for having zero spacial awareness. I get knocked into at least once every gig. But this time - I don't know if there was some sort of conference or written agreement or something - not only did I not get knocked into, I also got a small personal bubble!

What was also really nice was Gunpowder Gelatine's Queen medley. It was put together really well and kept me on my toes :-) I didn't even try to get pictures of them because I always manage to suck at it, but I'm counting on my acquaintance John (hi, John!) to upload some of the videos he took to make up for that.

I also ran into this dude again! I didn't recognize him without the fake mustache! Maybe someday I'll be able to remember his name!

I asked him if he wanted me to take a better picture, but he said this one was fine.

I also had the pleasure of meeting someone who's sure they're a bigger Queen fan than me and Allison (bass player for Gunpowder Gelatine, for those just tuning in). I showed them that picture of me and Brian May (I downloaded it to my phone) to indicate that I accept their challenge! It's their move now!

Also playing last night was Pretendica - a Pretenders/Elastica tribute - and Bikini Whale - a B-52s tribute. Both were a lot of fun and amazing, but my disdain for the song Love Shack hasn't wavered (retail-related incident involving a broken CD system playing that song over 10 times in my six-hour shift... which was spent at the register directly under one of the ceiling speakers). And it was amusing watching people on the dance floor from a booth in the corner. Some of them were legit dancing, and others... probably should have been cut off about two beers ago...

The only downside to the evening was having to pay $6 for a rum and Coke. I don't tend to drink at bars, so maybe that's a reasonable price, but still! If there was going to be a damper in my evening, I'm glad that was it!

Classic Rock April 2014 issue

Maybe in mid-March I came across something on my Facebook feed about Classic Rock magazine featuring an article on the making of Queen II. It immediately became my mission to get my own copy because Queen II is my favorite album ever. I decided that I'd go look for it on Monday, since I would be venturing out for an appointment anyway. Out Of Town News was the obvious first place to look since it sells magazines from all over, and that's where I got my copies of Mojo and Guitar Player in December 2010 and February 2012 respectively.

No luck there. So when I got to The Landmark Center in Boston, I decided to stop on the second floor to look through their news stand. It turned out to be a misnomer. They sold candy and gum, but not magazines or newspapers... I'm still actually really baffled by that. My mission was then amended to Personal Challenge status, and - still having time before my appointment - I ducked into the bathroom to Google where else I might possibly find Classic Rock. Google told me to consult Barnes & Noble, and there was a location at the Prudential Center.

I called them to make sure it was available, and I was told to check in again on Friday when they'd be getting new magazines in stock. Then I was told to call again in a few more days, etc. until someone finally told me that they wouldn't actually get it until April. Assuming I first spoke to someone who's worked there long enough, it would have been nice to know that sooner. But! In any case, my apologies to that Barnes & Noble location for constantly calling, and a sincere thank-you to them for not showing any signs of frustration over me!

Anyway, I finally managed to get a copy today! I'm kind of bummed that Slash is on the cover, as I had my eye on the cool-looking one. Maybe that version is UK-specific? Because the USA can't have nice things?

I plan on reading the article later - provided my attention span will actually let me!

We Will Rock You in Boston

So Allison (bass player of Gunpowder Gelatine), her awesome wife Amanda, and I got dinner and saw the musical tonight. Ordinarily, I'd wait until the next day to make a post so that my thoughts are collected and fully formed. But I don't think I need to for this.

I will say, before anything else, that the cast's overall musical performance and the accompanying band were really good. However, I wasn't too impressed with the storyline or dance moves (to be fair, I'm not big on choreography in general). By no means am I an expert in musical theater, so it's likely that I really don't know what I'm talking about (I mean, We Will Rock You is over a decade old, so they must be doing something right, right?). But I am a movie geek, so I hope my standards for story structure and plot sort of translate?

Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil anything. But I will say the pop culture references felt forced and the ending was anti-climactic. I wasn't expecting to see the most awesome thing to ever awesome, but it was sad how disappointing those parts were. I probably couldn't do any better if Brian and Roger were to ask me (guys, if you're reading, we should totally hang out, though!), but as a die-hard fan who's heard a lot of hype about this show over the years, I'm sure it's not unreasonable for me to expect a bit better.

Overall, I'm really glad I had the opportunity to go, because my friends are awesome, and it was an entertaining show overall. My dislikes weren't enough for me to completely hate it. But I can definitely see why Roger isn't too keen on it. Maybe I'll have to consider Freddie's words about his music being disposable pop and apply it to this.

But Killer Queen (played by Jacqueline B Arnold) was awesome. Seriously. She gets all the gold stars for her performance.

--

Aside from gabbing about Queen with Allison (Amanda referred to us as "über fans"), my favorite part of the evening was what was in the lobby of the Boston Opera House!

FREDDIE'S KIMONO!!!

LIKE, THAT HE ACTUALLY WORE!!!

Me and Allison. Amanda was kind enough to take pictures :-)

All in all, not a bad way to spend a Tuesday night!