Sonic Desert Experience - The Best Of Queen - Lisaili - Dubai - 27 Jan 2024

[Frederic]

Queen (band) - Wikipedia

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970 by Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), later joined by John Deacon (bass). Their earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock, and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop rock.

We will be playing a compilation of their best songs and live performances, projected on a screen inside the desert. Total playing time is around 85mins.

1. Meetup at 6.30PM at the following location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FrXMZdXGRVA5VGpU6

2. Deflate and drive to the desert (10min) where we will set up the audio and video.

3. Bring out the chairs, blankets, and enjoy the marvelous songs! no late arrivals, driving around, bright lights, or other distractions. Dancing is allowed and definitely encouraged  drinks and snacks as well of course! 

4. Camping afterwards is possible if anyone likes it. Free of choice. We will be nearby an exit track.

 

PS This is not an Offroad-Drive.

RSVP HERE BELOW

 

 

 

[Frederic]

An Introduction to Queen

It's not easy to explain the band Queen and what they have meant for countless bands that were later inspired by them, and for the millions of fans that found happiness and joy in their songs. 

From the early 70s, Queen emerged as a band that wasn't afraid to cross musical boundaries. Was it Glam Rock, Heavy Metal, Opera, Pop, Disco? Well to be honest, they did it all, and seamlessly wrote music that 50 years later is still relevant and being enjoyed by the next generations. The movie "Bohemian Rhapsody", released in 2018, was successful in creating a biopic of a band full of extremely talented band members, helmed by a FABOULUSY talented lead singer, Freddy Mercury.

Freddy, originally named Farrokh Bolsara, who came from Parsi Indian parents, born in Zanzibar, grew up in India, and ended up in the UK, was a shy sensitive kid behind the screens, but an enigmatic performer on stage. 

There was no Queen without Freddy, who carried flamboyance, style, but above all, a voice that could carry throughout a stadium and bring out emotions unlike any other performer that time. Throughout the years, the band and its members had their ups and downs, but the real magic was always to be found on stage. Their live performances were some of the most unique, and in the playlist for the Sonic Experience, a lot of them are incorporated to showcase how good they were live and how they got the audience to give them "a touch of the heavens".

Queen has played all over the globe, with 1985 being an iconic year, where they played for a mindboggling 350,000 people in Rio, and played the Live Aid concert, which had 80,000 people attending and 1.5 Billion people watching that night. All other artists who attended the concert later admitted that it was Queen who blew off the roof of the stadium. 

Unfortunately, Freddy Mercury became HIV positive in the eighties, and during that time not much was known about the disease, that eventually turned into AIDS, which was incurable. Freddy kept performing until August 1986, and a few more albums were made. Freddy sadly passed away on 24th November of 1991.

The legacy of Queen cannot be understated. Having sold more than 300 million albums worldwide, they are amongst the greatest bands that ever existed. Since Freddy's death, the remaining band members did not feel like they wanted to carry on or replace Freddy, but by coincidence stumbled upon Adam Lambert in 2011, who was the runner up of the 2009 American Idol contest. They ended up playing together and found a unique chemistry where they felt Adam could propel Queen back onto the world stage, and they have performed several world tours from 2014 until 2023. In his unique own way, Adam was able to bring honor to the band's original songs without being a Freddy Mercury clone. 

On the Sonic Desert Experience, the aim is to go mostly chronologically through their repertoire, with a mix of original video clips and live performances. I hope we can all sing together their most iconic songs and have a great evening out !

 

[Frederic]

Added the GPX file in attachment for people who want to drive directly to the actual desert location, or for the ones who are camping and need to find an exit track. 

Sonic_21-01-2024_124103_pm.gpx

[Srikumar]

Fantastic evening Fredy. Though I have not heard much of the Queen songs before, it was really great to have such a special screening. The atmosphere was even sweeter with all those who joined and danced yesterday night.

Looking forward to the next Sonic night.

P.S. @Frederic by then please learn a bit more on the history and steps of Kolaveri Di and Sheila Ki Jaawani.