Killer Queen Presents the Ultimate Queen Tribute Show

There are hundreds of Queen tribute bands the world over. But not many, if any, capture the legendary band’s iconic sound and visuals as well as Britain’s Killer Queen.

When you see Killer Queen, you’re not just hearing the band’s songs down to the exact note. You’re also experiencing incredible attention to detail: perfectly replicated stage productions and costume changes, stage moves, mannerisms and outsized charisma. Killer Queen has been perfecting its show for 15 years and continues to astound.

It’s why they’ve been invited to play festivals on the same stadium stages where Queen once performed. They were even selected by Sir Bob Geldof to represent Queen in a re-staged tribute Live Aid concert.

You can see, and hear, for yourself when Killer Queens performs on Friday, Nov. 16 at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood. For more information visit www.killerqueenonline.com

We recently spoke to Killer Queen singer Patrick Myers.

When did you first hear Queen and what was your impression?

I was looking around for something that wasn't The Beatles that I could get into. It was around 1984. A friend said, ‘you’re going to love this,’ and put on a mix tape of Queen songs. Every single song was so amazing. I was just blown away by the production and the songwriting. It was just fantastic. It was a year before Live Aid and I hadn't really seen them. I saw that 15-minute performance during Live Aid the next year and I was further blown away. They were so electric live.

Did you grow up wanting to be a singer?

I grew up wanting to be an actor. I studied drama in college. I got to music really late. I taught myself piano and had some guitar lessons. My friends and I were doing shows playing “We Will Rock You” and “Another One Bites the Dust.” I played guitar. Singing never crossed my mind. Eventually no one wanted to sing in the band and just for the sake of having someone I sort of moved into the position. Then I got more and more into singing.

How did Killer Queen and the full on show come about?

I was in college when the news came that Freddie Mercury had passed. I realized that many in my generation expected to see Queen but now would never be able to do so. We thought, ‘let’s put our own Queen show on.’ We decided that instead of going out and gigging a lot we’d put a lot of work into one show and that would be it. We didn’t plan for anything more.

People had heard what we were preparing. Suddenly there were posters for the show everywhere and we hadn’t even played a note. We played the show and someone in the audience said, ‘I want to manage you and put you on tour next week.' It’s never really stopped. We carried on all through Europe and eventually made our way to America. When you play that beautiful and amazing music live and see the reaction it’s highly addictive as a performer. It got really weird when the stadiums where Queen had played said, ‘can you come in and build a show.’ It felt like a dream. But you want the biggest stages so you can be more authentic.

How has the band worked over the years to refine the Queen sound, look, costumes and stage mannerisms?

You just keep refining as you go. There’s a lot of preparation. There always has been. For me, I have to work out vocally both physically and mentally. You have to have real vocal stamina. “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” just to name a few, they’re big things. You've got to make sure you have a lot of vocal juice in the tank.

What about the importance of not only the music but also recreating the stage outfits, mannerisms and productions of a Queen show?

It’s what a good rock concert should be. You’re hardwiring into people's memories going back sometimes 40 years so it’s very important. We’re not an exercise in the past though. Queen’s music could’ve been released last year or 25 years ago or 40 years ago. It’s transcendent. It lives forever. We're very mindful of getting things as right as we can for people. That's why we get people coming back every year over the years, and why audience feedback is so crucial for us. At the end of the day they're fantastic songs and should be played live on the biggest stages possible.