One Night of Queen bringing timeless rock to Paramount in Cedar Rapids

Like much of the rest of the global viewing audience, Gary Mullen was floored when he experienced Queen at Live Aid in July of 1985. Mullen, who was 12 then, took a break from a family barbecue in Glasgow to catch his musical heroes.

“I’ll never forget it,” Mullen said while calling from Fresno. “I remember it was a beautiful summer day in Glasgow and I went inside to see what was happening on the television. I remember watching U2. Bono was amazing. I was wondering how anyone could top what U2 did and then five minutes later, Queen goes onstage and they just stole the show.”

Queen, who was a late addition to the mega-charity event, was one of the few bands to rehearse and it was evident. Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury put on a performance clinic. Queen mesmerized Wembley Stadium and fans around the world, particularly during an exceptional version of “Radio Ga Ga.”

“It was perfect,” Mullen said. “Queen blew everyone away on a global jukebox. Bono and Freddie knew how to connect with an audience. You just don’t see that as much today.”

Mullen followed in the late Mercury's footsteps: 15 years after Live Aid, he formed One Night of Queen. Mullen is a charismatic vocalist who enjoys belting out Queen classics such as “Another One Bites the Dust,” “We are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.”

“Queen's music is timeless,” Mullen said. “The songs still stand up. Now Queen is bigger than ever thanks to the movie (’Bohemian Rhapsody’). The range of fans of the band are from grandparents to little kids, and it’s awesome.”

One Night of Queen, coming March 14, 2024, to the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids, brings the music, the costumes and the energy of the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famers.

“It was a different time back when Queen performed with Freddie Mercury,” Mullen said. “Queen was brilliant live.”

Unfortunately, Mullen, 50, never caught the band with Mercury in person.

“It’s a shame, but that's the way it went,” he said. “But at least I get to get in front of Queen fans and sing those great songs. It’s not just me singing, though. What we do is turn the audience into a choir when we play songs like ‘Somebody to Love.’ The fans all know the words. It’s an amazing experience when everyone in the house is belting out the Queen songs.”

Mullen is proud to come from Glasgow, which is a musically rich Scottish city. Such luminaries as the Jesus & Mary Chain, Belle & Sebastian, and Ultravox hail from Glasgow.

“It’s a great city to be from, since so many great musicians come from my town,” Mullen said. “Growing up, I wanted to play music since it’s everywhere in Glasgow.”

As a teen, Mullen was told he sang like Mercury, who died in 1991.

“It’s just the way I sing,” Mullen said. “But it’s cool to be able to sing with someone you admire so much. But when I look back at Freddie, there was no one like him. He was a unique performer who wrote some of the greatest rock songs in history. The music he wrote will live on forever. Fans come out and pack the place since they can’t get enough of Queen.”

That’s not just in the theaters where One Night of Queen plays. Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor tour with Adam Lambert and the 20,000 capacity arenas the band performs in are standing-room-only.

“That's such a cool thing,” Mullen said. “I love that they’re out there doing their thing. It’s a shame that Freddie is no longer with us, but it’s just so great when you hear Queen music played live. I don’t ever want to stop playing these songs. It’s the greatest feeling singing Queen.”