Latest news with #QueenII
Edinburgh Live
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Queen's Brian May leaves fans in tears with 'heartfelt' family update
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Queen legend Brian May has shared a touching throwback on Instagram, delighting fans with a heartfelt map his father Harold May created during the band's first European tour in 1974. The rock icon, aged 77 and married to EastEnders and Doctor Who star Anita Dobson, posted: "My Dad's supportive handiwork for our first Queen tour of Europe... 1974! ! ! As honoured in Stockholm last night. Love to all - Bri." The nostalgic post, which commemorates the Queen II tour that saw the band play ten gigs across six countries in just over two weeks, has sparked an outpouring of love from followers. READ MORE - David Tennant's wife reacts to Billie Piper's Doctor Who 'bombshell' READ MORE - Prince William 'grieved' after losing brother Harry in 'secret summit' decision Fans flocked to the comments section to share their admiration, with one fan writing: "Oh what a heartfelt map full of love for you, Sir!". Another added their voice, saying: "Wow! ! What a treasure! ! Can't you just picture him sitting there, drawing, coloring, marking the routes, all the time thinking proudly, 'That's MY boy!'", reports Plymouth Live. A third shared a personal memory: "I saw and crying, I didn't expect than I'm a small girl at 1994 in Russia, my Papa brought me a CD The Works and told 'See, this is a good Music' then a couldn't explain my life without Queen music." An admirer also commented on the detail in the map: "What beautiful attention to detail your father gave to these maps and what a lovely tribute you gave to him last night. Inspiring word." This heartwarming revelation comes hot on the heels of the news that Brian and fellow Queen member Roger Taylor were celebrated with the 2025 Polar Music Prize at a grand ceremony in Sweden on Tuesday (May 27). The musicians were lauded for their impressive careers and impact on music, and accepting the award, Brian May told the audience: "In this special moment, I contemplate how that younger Brian May in 1974 would have felt if he knew that we would be living this kind of dream 50 years in the future." Reflecting on Queen's origins, Roger Taylor said: "When we started our band... we had ambitions, but never dreamed of the journey that was to follow. We were fortunate in the fact that our four wildly different personalities came together to achieve a wonderful chemistry." And, speaking about the uniqueness of the Polar Music Prize, Brian continued: "The Polar Music Prize is exceptional in the fact that, unlike other awards, it recognises the entirety of an artist's career. What an honour to be included in the glittering cavalcade of previous laureates." The evening celebration featured live performances honouring Queen and other recipients, including rock group Ghost who covered Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody with Opeth's Fredrik Akesson on guitar. Adam Lambert, Queen's contemporary frontman, then captivated the crowd with renditions of classic hits Who Wants to Live Forever and Another One Bites the Dust.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mitigation Project application approved by North Sioux City commissioners
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (KCAU) — Commissioners unanimously voted to apply for financial help for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Financial Assistance from the state's Office of Emergency Management. City documents indicated the money consists of a cost share of 75% from federal funding,15% from state funds, and 10% from North Sioux City for the design of the project. Meet the man who's captained Arnolds Parks' Queen II for 25 years City officials said they're committed to providing a 10% minimum local match for the project. The total estimated cost of the project is more than $1.7 million. City commissioners approved to apply before the deadline of May 30. 'We just wanted to get that in there, that includes several options that we have yet to pick to design but this gives us the flexibility to if we can get in the cue. Hopefully get the grant awarded to us and then we'll have time to choose which alternative is best,' said Mayor Chris Bogenrief. Two of the possible plans go through McCook Lake, and a third goes through Lake Goodenough, then into Mud Lake, before going to the Missouri River. Bogenrief said a public hearing may happen in July or August to determine which alternate plan to go with for the mitigation project. City commissioners also voted yes to award Steve Harris Construction Incorporated from Homer, Nebraska, for the Penrose Drive Reconstruction Project. The company bid more than $719,000 on the project, the city received bids on May 21. Mayor Bogenrief said the city will use FEMA funds to pay for the project as North Sioux City received approximately $915,000 from the agency. Story continues below Top Story: 2025 graduation ceremonies for Sioux City Community School District Lights & Sirens: 'The First Musketeer': Sioux City Musketeers founder Gary Lipshutz passes away Sports: Dell Rapids claims SDHSBA Class B title with 5-4 win over Dakota Valley in eight innings Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here Construction is set to start in the second week of June. Additionally, the city commission also approved a more than $35,000 bid from Stockwell Engineering to put a temporary storm sewer for Northshore Reconstruction due to the pooling of storm water on the road. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meet the man who's captained Arnold Park's Queen II for 25 years
ARNOLD'S PARK, Iowa (KCAU) — The Queen II, in Arnold's Park, has been taking locals and tourists out for trips on the water since 1986. For 25 of those years, it's been captained by Lance Freed. Freed has been delivering that pre-cruise message for 25 years at the helm of the Queen II. When he started 25 years ago, he didn't think he'd do it very long. 'When I started, I told myself, 'Well, I guess I'll give myself four or five years in, and I'll have had my fill of driving the boat and stuff,' and I'm still here 25-years later,' explained Freed. Puzzles, games, D&D: Sioux City Public Library hosting youth, adult reading programs He only started driving the boat because of a chance meeting with the original captain of the Queen II, Steve Kennedy, while visiting the Maritime Museum at Arnold's Park. 'I happened to walk by the door where Steve Kennedy was, and he was the curator of the museum at the time. The door was open, and I stuck my head around the corner, and I introduced myself. I asked him a few questions, and I said, 'You would by chance be looking for a captain for the boat.' [They said,] 'As a matter of fact, we are,'' he recalled. Kennedy said they were, and the rest is history, but there was an adjustment period to learning how to drive a boat the size of the Queen. Even though Freed farmed between Marcus and Paullina, he had grown up around the lakes and was used to being on the water and handling boats, just not the size of the queen. 'It's entirely different, so I rode with Captain Dean the rest of that summer while he taught me how to maneuver this boat around because it's really touchy, especially with this wind. It's like a big sailboat without sails on it, and it doesn't take much to move the bow either right or left, port or starboard.' He was able to master driving the Queen eventually, and in 25 years, he estimates he has done about 4,500 trips around West Lake. According to Freed, he's met many interesting people in his 25 years, and that's what keeps him going. Northwest Iowa schools receive thousands in STEM grants 'Every cruise is different, and it's that way with the people. You get certain people on. Some are really interested, and they want to find out certain things about the area. They've never been here before, and it's amazing some of these people how they found this place. I get that story once in a while too.' Plus, after all that time, Freed has become an institution at the lakes. 'Even as crews have changed through the years, and people come and ride the boat, seeing someone for 25 years, we have a lot of people that ride regularly. He's been there all through. So they love being able to see the same person and grow Freed is one of three captains on the Queen and right now, drives the first two cruises of four every day except Thursday and Sunday. Currently, he has no intention of stopping. 'I take one year at a time. I've been lucky my health has been good. I thank the good Lord for that, and I think it's basically up to him.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Extra.ie
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Tributes pour in as music industry icon dies at 78
Roy Thomas Baker, producer of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', has died aged 78. He died at his home in Arizona on April 12, though his family have only just announced the news. No cause of death was given. Born in London, 1946, Baker began working in recording studios at 14. He worked as an apprentice engineer at Decca Studios, which witnessed then-budding star David Bowie, the beginnings of Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, The Who and other greats of the era. He would later work at Trident Studios, where he would collaborate with Queen on their 1973 debut. Baker went on to co-produce the rock icons' albums Queen II , Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at the Opera , which featured 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. ''Bohemian Rhapsody' was totally insane, but we enjoyed every minute of it,' Baker said in a 1999 interview. 'It was basically a joke, but a successful joke.' 'The middle part started off being just a couple of seconds, but Freddie kept coming in with more 'Galileos' and we kept on adding to the opera section, and it just got bigger and bigger,' he added. Queen would produce A Day at the Races and News of the World themselves, bringing Baker back to work on their 1978 record Jazz . Outside of his work with Queen, Baker would produce albums for artists like Journey, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Darkness, Foreigner and many more. He would also produce The Cars' first four records; The Cars , Candy-O , Panorama and Shake It Up . 'Roy taught me a lot about handling band personalities,' The Cars' Ric Ocasek said in 2016. 'He was an electronics whiz, a sound guy with a classical background for mic-ing the room's sound.' 'He got harmony,' he continued. 'And he took things in stride – a very upbeat, elegant man. Spontaneous too.'
Metro
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Bohemian Rhapsody producer Roy Thomas Baker dies aged 78
Influential music producer Roy Thomas Baker, who contributed to five Queen albums including Bohemian Rhapsody, has died aged 78. Baker also worked with artists including Guns N' Roses, Alice Cooper, Dusty Springfield and Ozzy Osbourne in his four-decade-long career. The British music star's death was confirmed in outlets including Ultimate Classic Rock. The cause of death has not been announced. His publicist said he died at his home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, on April 12, and the news had 'just been revealed by his family.' Alongside Bohemian Rhapsody, Baker also produced Queen albums Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera and Jazz. His co-production credits on Queen songs include hits Killer Queen and Don't Stop Me Now. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video On Instagram, Queen star Sir Brian May paid a lengthy tribute to Baker, writing that he was 'very sad' to learn about his death. He said: 'Roy played a huge part in the production of so much Queen music in the early days.' Sir Brian added:' Roy was a part of our production team from the very beginning up to and including the album A Night at the Opera. We then parted company for A Day at the Races, but reunited for the Jazz album. Roy's production contribution along with Mike Stone's engineering for Bohemian Rhapsody will never be forgotten. 'I regret slipping out of touch latterly with Roy. I suppose life moves at such a pace these days that we imagine there will be plenty of time to rekindle a friendship, and then suddenly one day it's too late. Thank you, Roy for all the great work you did for us, and all the fun we had. Rest in Peace. Bri.' Metro has teamed up to give away 20 pairs of tickets to Polygon Live LDN, a unique new festival taking place in London's Crystal Palace Park from 2-4 May 2025. Blending light and spatial sound, the 360° immersive festival has a stellar lineup including popular artists such as Max Cooper, Jon Hopkins and Tinariwen, as well as the likes of Arooj Aftab and Photay. For a chance to win an incredible day out at this UK-first festival for you and a friend, simply enter your details here. You have until midnight on 18 April 2025 to enter. Good luck! *Open to GB (excluding N. Ireland) residents aged 18 or over. Promotion open from 12:01 on 02/04/2025 and closes at 23:59 on 18/04/2025. 1 entry per person. 20 prizes of 2x General Admission Single Day tickets to attend 1 day of Polygon Live LDN 2025 at Crystal Palace Park, valid for either Friday 2 May 2025, Saturday 3 May 2025 or Sunday 4 May 2025. 1 entry per person. Full T&Cs apply, see here. Full Polygon T&Cs apply to entry and attendance, see here. After completing his last Queen album Jazz, which was released in 1978, Baker went on to work for rock bands such as Journey and Foreigner. In the 80s, he also produced albums for Motley Crue, Slade and The Stranglers. More recently, Baker contributed to The Darkness' hit album One Way Ticket to Hell… And Back and The Smashing Pumpkins' American Gothic. On Sir Brian's Instagram, social media users remembered Baker's contribution to music, including Worleygigdotcom, who wrote: 'He was truly one of a kind.' More Trending Echoing their sentiment, Davalliana.3D commented: 'Very sad. 😔 We owe him a lot, that's for sure! Thanks for sharing your memories.' Queenfanne shared: 'Wonderful stereos with lovely memories. Thank you for sharing. Sorry for the loss.' Dakotadawnstereos also added: 'So sorry to hear this, Brian. He contributed much to the success of Queen and other musicians. RIP Roy.' More to follow. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Freddie Mercury's sister 'spent £3,000,000 to get back singer's memorabilia' sold by his ex MORE: Carlos Santana rushed to hospital after backstage medical emergency cancels show MORE: Inside 'feud' between John Lennon's sons as Sean Ono speaks out
