Patrick Myers portrays Freddie Mercury in the tribute band Killer Queen.
You’ve gotta hand it to tribute band Killer Queen. The members boldly launched their first public performances in in 1993 London, where the real Queen got its start in 1972 with a not-so-grand opening audience of six people.
In video concert clips, Killer Queen is as much about the over-the-top, colorful spectacle as the music itself, with frighteningly dead-on lead singer Patrick Myers as Freddie Mercury in trademark togs such as Union Jack vests, tank T-shirts and of course, that very ’80s mustache.
“Freddie lives!” gushed one reviewer.
With every preening movement, it seems that he does indeed.
Fans can see for themselves when the band performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at Brown County Music Center with proceeds benefiting the Bartholomew County Humane Society. The group name comes from a song title on the 1974 Queen album “Sheer Heart Attack.” It became the band’s first international hit.
By 1995, Killer Queen’s United Kingdom popularity had grown to such an extent they secured a residency in London’s Strand Theatre attracting nationwide BBC coverage — the first tribute to have a show in the West End, according to the group’s website, killerqueenonline.com.
Even though the band never had any official connection to the actual band Queen, the tribute band’s reputation continued to grow both in the UK and abroad. In 1999, members returned from a tour of Europe and Russia for an awards ceremony in Leicester Square, hosted by Suggs from Madness. He announced they had won the award for “Worldwide Best Tribute Band.”
The band also scored a No. 1 hit when they they were asked to recreate Queen’s harmonies for “The Real Life” with Fatboy Slim in 2001.
As Killer Queen toured into their second decade, the audiences grew. In 2005, Killer Queen played AhoyStadium, where the reformed Queen would be performing only a few months later.
