One of the great songs of the era which we have shared, is Bohemian Rhapsody. It is permanently welded into my memory banks. Queen was arguably one of the best bands, if not the best. They sounded as good live as they did on studio produced albums. Not an easy task. There was also never any lip syncing at their live performances.

Freddie Mercury, their lead singer knew how to connect with the audience. His performances were as much visual as they were vocal. Ever try covering Bohemian Rhapsody. Guitar arpeggios aside, I’m talking about the vocal cord workout. The range of Freddie’s vocals are hard to copy.

The other day I was on YouTube and just happened on a page full of, you guessed it, Queen songs. Then a name popped up. It should not have surprised me, as I think of this female vocalist as a Freddie Mercury clone (in a very good way). This was a video created back when Suzie McNeil was still a blonde. Rather different look compared to the red-head of today.

This touches on something which I have seen thru the lens. Magical Performers rarely get on stage dressed like their audience. They bring something unique to their show. Be it unique hats and clothes or yes, hair. Take Freddie Mercury, an incredible showman in his body stocking. Who in their right mind would go onstage in a body stocking? Freddie Mercury did and that image survives him, beyond the grave.

I was lucky enough to have seen Queen perform live. I have also been lucky enough to have seen Suzie McNeil perform live.

Who is Suzie McNeil? Ever hear the Marineland commercial? Lets all sing “Everybody loves Marineland” –  Ok maybe not. Suzie McNeil did the vocals on that commercial.

When I first saw her live show, Freddie Mercury came to mind as I was looking thru the camera lens. She worked hard trying to create a connection with her audience. Little things like jumping off stage onto the Bass Speaker bins below, to sing while sitting on the speakers. Closing the gap between the stage and the audience. Creating a connection and a memory. That my friends is showmanship, or should I say showwomanship (not sure if that word exists).

The clothes, the hair, the superb stage presence. It all combined to make me recall the Queen concert that I went to years back. No, it wasn’t Freddie Mercury on stage. Suzie McNeil was her own special blend, yet with more than a touch of the showmanship which one saw at a Queen concert.

Back to the YouTube videos. There was one video where Suzie McNeil did a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody, on a TV show. There are others of her performing that song at assorted live shows. Her vocal range is surprising, when performing Bohemian Rhapsody.

Just go on YouTube and do a search on “Suzie McNeil Bohemian”. Google’s Search engine is also your friend. Again, just search on “Suzie McNeil Bohemian” and you’ll get plenty of links to the videos.

So the next time that you are at a Suzie McNeil concert (she’s back from her Las Vegas shows) just think back to Freddie Mercury. There is something very extraordinary and special about a Suzie McNeil concert. All that is left is for her to put on a body stocking like Queen’s Frontman. She is an amazing singer and I think that we’re all lucky that she does live shows in the Greater Toronto Area. When you get a chance to see her perform, don’t miss that opportunity…