The Ultimate Queen Celebration Starring Marc Martel to Come to The VETS

The Ultimate Queen Celebration Starring Marc Martel will come to The VETS in Providence on May 31, 2019 at 8pm. Tickets, on sale now, are $59 - $39 and can be purchased online at TheVetsRI.com, by calling (401) 421.ARTS (2787), or in person at The VETS/PPAC Box Office located at 220 Weybosset St. Providence. Box Office Hours are Mon - Fri 10am - 5pm; Sat 10am - 2pm. The VETS on-site Box Office, located at One Avenue of the Arts, Providence, is only open on show days.

"In the history of music, few voices have been as great as that of Freddie Mercury. However, the Canadian singer Marc Martel seems to be his very reincarnation." -Alejandra Orozco, Quarter Rock Press

"That voice. You listen, close your eyes and you think it's Freddie. It's really uncanny." -Queen Drummer Paul Taylor.

Long before his YouTube videos went viral, spawning an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and a performance with the surviving members of Queen on "American Idol," Marc Martel spent 13 years recording and touring the globe with Canadian rockers Downhere. Not only did the rock band visit 49 American States, but also toured throughout Europe and even Northern Africa, collecting worldwide acclaim and four Juno Awards in their native land. "When I was in my former band Downhere, I did everything I could not to remind people of Freddie Mercury, but it became almost hilarious how many people compared me to him to the point where it felt like it was working against the band when we tested singles at radio," says Martel.

Fast forward to 2017, and Martel is the ideal match for the Ultimate Queen Celebration, an explosive, attention-commanding tribute where some of the most iconic rock anthems of all time collide with a theatrical performance style and eye-popping production. At its core, the riveting show focuses on the extremely diverse body of the band's greatest hits, from the grandiose "Bohemian Rhapsody" to the adrenaline-pumping "We Will Rock You," the euphoric "We Are The Champions," the funky "Another One Bites The Dust," the stadium-shaking David Bowie collaboration "Under Pressure," the soulful "Somebody To Love" and the swinging "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (to name but a few from the steroid-stacked set list).

In addition to the obligatory, but nonetheless consistently astounding selections, the Ultimate Queen Celebration also incorporates an entirely unique angle that will have die-hards and casual appreciators alike clamoring to hear several other sides of Martel. "Near the end of Freddie's life, he explored other styles of music beyond rock, including opera, so with that in mind, the show also includes a segment of familiar songs in the flavor of what they might have sounded like had Freddie ever gotten the chance to sing them," Martel explains. "For instance, I perform 'Ave Maria' by myself on piano and also the great opera aria 'Nessun Dorma' in the style of Freddie, so it gives the night some imaginative elements in the spirit of Queen, rather than strictly the letter of Queen. You could call it a greatest hits show with a twist where I get to explore other things that I wish Freddie could have recorded himself and wonder what could have been."