For our birthdays this year, Steve and I bought tickets to see the tribute band, "Queen Extravaganza" in the citites. Now, I'm not a big fan of the rock sensation, Queen as it was a wee bit before my time, but I am a huge fan of the tribute band's lead singer - Marc Martel - from the Christian rock group Downhere.
The original drummer from Queen, Roger Taylor, set out to form a tribute band designed to celebrate the late Freddie Mercury and the legendary music of Queen. There was a formal contest, and Marc Martel (who has an uncanny resemblance to Freddie Mercury and sounds just like him) was chosen as the winner to lead the tribute band.
I've followed Marc Martel and Downhere since the band's early beginnings in 2000 and was even a part of their street team doing some PR work for them. I received a big box of demo CDs, posters, stickers, etc and distributed them around our church and few Christian books stores in Rochester. Their music has touched my heart in unspeakable ways... their music was a great comfort when my grandma died and when Ben was diagnosed with leukemia. Unfortunately, just this week, Downhere released a statement that the musicians are pursuing other avenues. All of the band members with the exception of Marc Martel, have very young families, and I can imagine that the travel is difficult for all involved. It's a sad week for Downhere fans, but their legacy continues.
Anyway, we saw Downhere perform in 2007 (while I was pregnant with Amaya) and I was excited to hear Marc Martel perform in a different setting. The Queen Extravaganza was performing in Minneapolis at a place called, "The Brick." It didn't sound familiar, but when we walked in... it was the exact venue where Downhere had performed 5 years ago. It was a little surreal... we just don't go to concerts... and here we are again... seeing Marc... at the Brick... and I'm pregnant... :-) Wonder what the baby thought of the music?!?
The concert was phenomenal and while I wasn't a fan of Queen's music... I was surprised at how many songs I recognized. Marc Martel was flat out amazing. He has one of the most incredible voices... if you've got a chance check out his performance of Nessum Dorma on You Tube. A-MAZING! Did I mention that he is amazing?!? The concert was a little over 2 1/2 hours with a brief intermission - so we definitely got our money's worth. And better yet, we got to meet Marc after the show! We told him that we were huge Downhere fans (which I'm sure surprised him - most people were there to hear Queen music, not to listen to some Christian rock singer) and we mentioned that we were at the Brick five years ago. We were both surprised that he remembered how packed the venue was back then. He was very down to earth and it was an absolute honor to meet him and definitely a highlight of the night!!!