‘One Night of Queen’ brings Mercury back

It was a rainy evening in Bloomington when Freddie Mercury came back to life, tight, white pants and all. \n“One Night of Queen” blew the roof off of the IU Auditorium Thursday night, featuring UK-based band “Gary Mullen and the Works” as the legendary Freddie Mercury and Queen. But everyone might as well have been sporting bell-bottoms and protesting the Vietnam War, because I was in the 1970s at a Queen concert.\nEach song built on the energy of the last, and after some prodding from “Freddie,” the crowd of 600 was on their feet. The dynamic band kept the classics coming, pumping out hits like “Under Pressure,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Somebody to Love,” “Fat-Bottomed Girls,” “We Will Rock You” and more. Every riff, gyration and flirtatious interaction among the bandmates cried in a loud, high-pitched voice, “Queen!”\nThe show included a fun encore where Mullen even pulled a few fans on stage. \nHe pulled a group of girls, each donning a different letter to spell out “QUEEN” onstage as well. The enthusiastic fans all said they felt like “rock stars” and that it was their “fifteen minutes of fame.” Juniors Katherine Baron, Leah Kraig, Danie Coulter, Emily Erdmann and Katie Drakos all spoke with Mullen after the show and even invited him to a party.\nThey waited along with about 50 other excited people for Mullen to come and greet and sign autographs. They did not leave disappointed, as the charismatic Mullen continued the show outside with pictures and compelling conversations, showing Mullen to be a rock’n’roller even offstage.\nMullen began his career on the UK-equivalent of “American Idol” called “Stars in Their Eyes.” Mullen has been a Queen fan since the age of eight and said he believed it was only appropriate to honor his hero with a tribute. And the tribute could not have been more realistic, with each song and movement perfectly mimicking a Queen concert.\nNo Queen fan left disappointed and even some new fans were made as the rock’n’roll show unfolded in front of a hand- clapping, singing and dancing crowd. There really is no other way to say it except that “Gary Mullen and the Works” worked just a little bit of magic in Bloomington.