When I looked into Brian May's eyes, I could say, "You're one of my Rock 'n' Roll Heroes."

by Nando Machado

One of the greatest pleasures I've had in my professional life was being able to work with Queen (or half of Queen), the sensational Brian May and Roger Taylor. When the band came to Brazil with Paul Rodgers in November 2008, I was working at the press conference for the show and went to meet the band to bring them to the press room at the Hyatt Hotel in São Paulo.

It was also special to meet Paul Rodgers, after all he has a very important history as the vocalist for Free, Bad Company and The Firm. But nothing compared to the emotion of greeting my Rock heroes, the guys who wrote songs like Now I'm Here, Brighton Rock, '39, I Want it All, Save Me, Tie Your Mother Down, We Will Rock You, written by May, and I'm in Love with my Car, Sheer Heart Attack, Radio Gaga, A Kind of Magic, in Roger's case, songs that contributed greatly to my development.

Queen has always been one of my favorite bands. At home too, my mother, my brother, even my grandmother loved Queen. I think after the Beatles they were the most talented band where all 4 members were excellent composers and musicians. Everyone in the band composed very well (for me the 3 greatest Rock bands of all time are Beatles, Queen and Led Zeppelin).

I remember I was about 7 or 8 years old in 1981 and Queen came to Brazil. Older friends from my building started to like the band; they would borrow LPs from the Rio Branco school record library to record tapes. One of those friends who introduced me to Queen was Pit Passarell, who also became a great composer and was always very influenced by Queen's musicality.

When I shook hands with Brian and Roger, a film played in my head; the whole history of the band was part of my life: the great shows and live albums (Live Killers, Wembley), the Rock in Rio show in '85 (on TV), Freddie's illness and death… Queen was responsible for many emotions and continues to be. Friends Will Be Friends, Spread Your Wings, Teo Toriatte, Killer Queen, You're My Best Friend, Play the Game, Don't Stop Me Now are just some of the many wonderful songs that this quartet released.

When I looked into Brian May's eyes, I could say, "You're one of my Rock 'n' Roll Heroes, thank you for everything you've done." Then I said the same thing to Roger, it was emotional (for me, of course). Brian is simple and seems quite shy; he thanked me and went to the press conference. Funny, imagine how many times he must have heard that in various places around the world.

Brian May is one of my favorite guitarists. I had the opportunity to see both shows right in front of him, in the front row, and he's in great shape, playing perfectly throughout the entire show. I can say that this Queen show, even with Paul Rodgers, was one of the best shows of my life, one of the most moving.

I remember crying with emotion at several points during the show. Imagine what it was like to see the complete Queen on The Game tour, for example; unfortunately, that won't be possible anymore. Anyway, we can still watch the DVDs to remember what this great band meant to the history of music. I recommend Rock Montreal, one of the DVDs I've watched the most in my life.

This was the story of the day I spent some time with these great heroes. I hope that one day I can see them again. But one thing is certain: the Queen's music will live forever. God Save the Queen.