The Ultimate Queen Celebration , a breathtaking tribute to the group, will be coming to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo on May 22nd and 24th, 2020, respectively. Marc Martel , who brought Celine Dion to tears during his performance of "Somebody to Love" on the Canadian program En direct de l'Universe.
In The Ultimate Queen Celebration, some of the most iconic songs in history meet theatrical performance and impeccable production. The show encompasses diverse Queen hits, from the grandeur of "Bohemian Rhapsody" to the adrenaline rush of "We Will Rock You," passing through the euphoric "We Are the Champions." Add to these successes the funky "Another One Bites the Dust," the arena rock of "Under Pressure" (a collaboration with David Bowie ), the soul of "Somebody To Love," and the swing of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"... And there you have it! The ingredients for a memorable show are all there.
The Ultimate Queen Celebration also offers a unique angle that will make the audience want to learn more about Martel's talent. “Near the end of his career, Freddie Mercury explored other musical styles, such as opera, so, keeping that in mind, the show also includes some well-known songs and how they would sound if Mercury had performed them,” explains Marc. “For example, I sing 'Ave Maria' alone at the piano and also the aria 'Nessun Dorma' in Freddie's style, thus leaving room for the audience's imagination, instead of just playing Queen songs. You could say it's a show with the greatest hits, but also with a different flavor, in which I explore other things that Freddie could have recorded.”
Marc Martel didn't emerge onto the music scene out of nowhere. The artist had a 13-year career, which began in 1999 with the Canadian rock band Downhere , including touring in cramped vans on North American roads. "When I was in Downhere, I did everything I could to avoid looking like Freddie Mercury, but it was inevitable: many people compared me to him, and I felt I was even hurting the group," recalls Martel.
In 2011, he participated in a contest to join Queen's original drummer, Roger Taylor, in the tribute project to the group, The Queen Extravaganza . The video Martel posted on YouTube singing "Somebody to Love" had over a million views in a few days. Martel ended up being one of the winners of the competition, which led him to a six-week tour with The Queen Extravaganza, where he stayed until 2017, when he left the group to join the current The Ultimate Queen Celebration.
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