The two remaining members of Queen seem to be considering an avatar show in the same vein as Abba Voyage.
That’s what Roger Taylor suggested during an appearance on Virgin Radio’s Breakfast Show. When the host Chris Evans asked about future Queen activity, the drummer replied: “Brian and I talk because we live near each other. There is a possibility of doing something…not quite sure what it is yet.”
“But technology has come on so far,” he mused. “Like the Abba show, for instance. It’s come on…”
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At which point his host (and his production colleagues) became audibly excited. “So you’re going on tour with Freddie?” Evans said. “This is what’s happening! Is that what’s happening?”
“No,” said Taylor, sounding somewhat embarrassed at having raised the subject. “I wish it was.”
“It could happen, though, couldn’t it?” asked Evans puppishly.
“Sort of,” replied Taylor. “It sort of could.”
It’s not the first time Taylor and Brian May have publicly pondered the possibility of a Queen avatar show. Last year May told The Big Issue he was open to the possibility of using new technology to create such a spectacle: “It wouldn’t be just playing old footage or whatever. It would be creating Queen as if we were creating it today. I’m very taken with the idea that we can be the original Queen again.”
For such an idea to go from a ‘could’ to a ‘definitely will’, it would need to overcome some fairly considerable barriers. The two largest stumbling blocks are of course the non-availability of the other half of Queen. As we know, Freddie Mercury has been dead since 1991.
Meanwhile, John Deacon retired from public life in the late 1990s. It is very much doubtful whether the bassist would be willing to submit to the time-consuming motion capture technology necessary to create a digital avatar, or re-record his parts for such a project.
Aside from Abba Voyage, the only other ‘avatar show’ (scare quotes used deliberately) to make it from the drawing board to first night is Elvis Evolution. The dictionary definition of a damp squib, it consisted of a live band playing against projections of old footage of Elvis. It remains to be seen whether the Kiss avatar show – which is set to open next year – marks any sort of improvement.
