Killer Queen: Crazy Little Thing Called Tribute

By Bill Kopp

In 2025, tribute bands are a major segment of the music industry. Fans who perhaps never got to see their favorite classic rock band – or who want to relive the experiences of when they did – react with enthusiasm when a quality tribute band comes to town. But back in the ‘90s when the London group that would become Killer Queen first got started, the concept of tribute rock bands hadn’t come into being. A combination of being in the right place at the right time, coupled with talent and dedication, set Killer Queen on a course that continues today, three decades after their launch.

Ahead of Killer Queen’s March 23 date at Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, lead singer Patrick Myers recounts to Rock On how he went from being a student to becoming the onstage embodiment of the late great Freddie Mercury.

Tell me how you first got into the music of Queen and the larger-than-life personality of Freddie Mercury.

I’d been a Queen fan since about age 13, 14, I think, and I sort of cut my teeth on their music. I had played their songs at school, in concerts and things like that. But I never thought that it would become something, because back in ‘91, tribute bands didn’t really exist.

In the winter of 1991, we were just students getting to know each other. We “got” each other through Queen and [David] Bowie, with a little bit of Led Zeppelin thrown in; they were the ones everyone seemed to agree were brilliant and had been really exciting in our lives. But we weren’t thinking about it other than that just as a way of getting to know each other. We’d talk about which albums we liked, and all that sort of stuff; just general conversations about that sort of thing.

And then we got the news that Freddie was ill and then had died and it suddenly turned everything on its head. We were all in shock – a massive shock – because I stupidly hadn’t even realized he was ill. I’d seen he’d looked a lot older and had seemed to be aging a lot faster than the rest of the band.

I knew he’d had his wild times, but it still never crossed my mind that he was going to be dying of AIDS. I just thought he was all right; back in the ‘80s he’d said in interviews that he’d been tested and he was fine. And I just assumed, “Oh, thank God he’s all right then.”

So I was completely blindsided by [his death]; we all were. And we started playing the songs to each other. There was a battered old piano in a laundry room, and we played the songs to each other; we’d start showing each other how each song went.

At the same time, that Christmas, I went home and was messing about with my mum’s makeup kit. I had a beard that was only half grown and I wanted to color it in a bit with a mascara so I could go out and see my friends and pretend: “Look! I could grow a beard! How grown up am I, right?” I was only about 20 or something.

Just by chance, I was wearing a brilliant blue shirt with a polka dot red tie, which Freddie had worn in his last interview in videos. I hadn’t bought them with the view of looking like Freddie; I just happened to have those things. And I was trying to dress up because it was Christmas.

So I had a combination of the mascara and the clothes. I suddenly thought, “Oh, look! I’m wearing stuff that Freddie did, and I’ve got a beard like Freddie had.” So I pulled a “Freddie face” face in the mirror. That’s the first time I’d ever done that, and I suddenly realized if I did that, my face could look like Freddie Mercury’s.

I’d always been a vocal mimic and I’d mimicked people that I loved, so I’d mimic John Lennon and Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello and Bono and Lou Reed and anyone with a distinctive voice. And – though I found him difficult to mimic because he had a beautiful voice – I mimicked Freddie. And I thought, well, maybe…

How did that lead to the band getting going?

The idea of tribute bands was really only just starting then. At the time there was this one band called Bjorn Again that played the music of ABBA; they weren’t even called a tribute band. But I went back to university and said, “Maybe we should do a concert” of Queen’s music. So we got ourselves together, and we rehearsed and rehearsed. A friend of ours called Amanda said she wanted to make costumes for us.

And then bizarrely, we got offered this headline spot in the middle of London for our first ever show. I wasn’t sure were ready, but someone had passed a photograph of me to the venue’s entertainments officer. He’d forgotten to renew his entertainment license, so he couldn’t put on a major band like Nirvana or the Pixies or Blur or whoever was big at the time. So the only thing he could put on was a student band.

And I said, “Well, no one’s going to come to a ball to see a student band!” He said, “They will do if it’s a tribute band.” But I said no. I didn’t think were ready. I was scared. And I wasn’t sure people would like the idea of [a band] pretending to be Queen: Was it sacrilegious?

And then he said, “No, go on. I’ve got faith in you. Please give this some thought.” So I gave some thought and said, “Yes, let’s just do it, because I’m never going to get an opportunity like this again.” I thought, “Even if we do one show, wouldn’t it be great to do that one brilliant show in front of loads of students as opposed to trying to get a gig in a pub or something?” So that’s what happened.

How did that show go?

That first gig took off, and the entertainments officer said, “I want to manage you.” He booked us into big clubs like the Marquee, and he handled our marketing. He was very clever and savvy. And we were just shell shocked! This was like an abstract project, and it suddenly went from an abstract to “Oh, right, this is happening!”

Within about a year, we were in the West End; we had the first-ever tribute to anyone in the West End. There were musical shows – jukebox shows – but there wasn’t a tribute band having their own evening where there was a concert. Then we were on national TV, and we started getting loads of work abroad.

And it kept on. It kept on growing and growing, and we started winning awards. Suddenly the arenas got in touch and said, “Would you like to come and play some arenas?” I didn’t seriously expect it. So I just said yes. And then America got in touch. We played Red Rocks and places like that, and different arenas all over the world.

I’ve “just said yes” at strategic times in my life, and it seems to have worked out all right.

RENO PHIL - Founded in 1969 by Russian-born conductor Gregory Stone, the Reno Philharmonic – affectionately known as the “Reno Phil” – has become one of the region’s most prominent performing arts organizations. From its earliest days, the Reno Phil has focused on offering a program of music accessible to wide audiences. Its “pops” focus – bridging a traditional classical and orchestral approach with an emphasis on music that resonates for a contemporary audience – has resulted in a surge in the Reno Phil’s popularity. With an estimated listening audience of 55,000 the Reno Phil has a bright future as it continues into its second half-century.

The Reno Phil’s Associate Conductor Dr. Jason Altieri has a prestigious background all his own; he has conducted in every state but three, and has worked with the Hollywood Film Orchestra, London’s Royal Carl Rosa Opera Company, the National Bulgarian Opera and many others. In addition to his responsibilities with the Reno Phil, Altieri is music director of the Atlanta Pops Orchestra as well as Teaching Assistant Professor at University of Nevada, Reno’s School of Music.

CYPRESS HILL - Cypress Hill is one of the most celebrated forces in hip hop. Founded in Los Angeles in 1988, the group has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. The four-man group – B-Real, Sen Dog, DJ Muggs and Eric Bobo – is recognized for its groundbreaking work in establishing hip hop. Three-time Grammy nominees, Cypress Hill has enjoyed widespread critical and commercial success for its hits including “The Phuncky Feel One,” “Hand on the Pump,” “Throw Your Set in the Air” and the 1993 smash “Insane in the Brain.”

Drummer and percussionist Eric “Bobo” Correa has been a member of Cypress Hill since 1994. Coming from music royalty – his father was Latin jazz superstar Willie Bobo – Correa’s work demonstrates a mastery of a myriad of musical styles. Alongside his Cypress Hill duties, Bobo has been a member of Beastie Boys and industrial metal band Sol Invicto. Now in an inspired and revolutionary pairing, the Reno Phil and Cypress Hill are joining forces for a night of orchestra-meets-hip hop. Dr. Altieri and Eric Bobo share with Rock On the exciting story of how it’s all going down.

The first high-profile show Cypress Hill did with an orchestra was last July, with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. How did that idea first come about?

Eric Bobo: We worked up to that one. The very first concert was done with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, about a year prior to that. We did about four shows with other symphonies before we played with the LSO.

Dr. Jason Altieri: It’s funny to think that The Simpsons predicted all of this a few years back. It’s amazing how The Simpsons has managed to be soothsayers; they predict the future a lot.

There are early examples of Metallica doing this kind of thing, but now hip hop is really starting to take the ball and run with it using symphony orchestra, because it’s such a powerful medium. So why not blend them?

Bobo: We’re not strangers to trying new things. When the whole thing first came about, it was through a series of tweets. It was going back and forth between our Twitter account and the LSO’s: “What if we really did something? What if we really brought this Simpsons thing to life?” It got to the press, and they made a big deal about it.

What experience does the Reno Phil have with these cross-genre, hybrid type performances?

Altieri: The beautiful thing about the Reno Phil is that they can do just about any style you throw at them, from Mozart to Led Zeppelin to Cypress Hill. I myself have done a few collaborations; just recently, I did an Atlanta Pops Orchestra concert with Gucci Mane and Jadakiss.

What are the challenges in trying to combine what Cypress Hill does and what an orchestra does?

Bobo: The big challenge is to keep the essence of what Cypress Hill is about, how it can translate on stage. We’re known for giving a pretty energetic show. And I think that the [orchestral] arrangements add to the dark atmosphere that Cypress Hill tends to go at on albums like Black Sunday [1993]. We’re able to get that essence, and I think that’s what helped it to become what it is.

I come from a Latin jazz background; improvisation is a really big thing to me. Troy Miller created the arrangements; he comes from that kind of background, too. And he understands how to get that out of people. And I think it was important for the orchestra to really feel relaxed. The rehearsals were key. You know, if we went in there stiff, that’s exactly how they were going to play. Then Covid happened, so a lot of logistics were just a little too difficult at the time.

When we came [to the Royal Albert Hall], they were kind of surprised that we were as prepared and hands-on as we were. That let them loosen up a little bit; they could have fun and not think, “Oh man, here we go. How is this going to turn out?” Everybody was ready to go right from Jump Street. It’s not just us doing our thing and them doing their thing, an us-and-them thing. It’s really about combining it, letting each other shine, letting each other speak. You get the classical part of it, you get the hip hop part of it, and it all comes together.

It’s a meeting of the minds, a great experience. And I look forward to more of that.

Altieri: With all the different musicians in the Reno Phil, we all have our different ideas in approaching something like this. Usually it takes a conductor to keep one sound together. So we’re all going to be doing something brand new, and it’s really very exciting. We have to come in there with open minds and be ready to adjust quickly.

The real challenge is when things go a little bit off-kilter or not quite what we’re expecting. I do my homework; I learn the charts as best I can. But that’s the thing: you can learn the charts, but things can still get a little crazy. Yet all of us are able to adapt quickly. And some of the best music comes from the spontaneity of the moment.

Bobo: On tour, we do our regular shows, and we do symphony shows.

And to be honest, sometimes it’s kind of difficult to switch back and forth: “All right, we’re doing a normal set this week, and then in five days we’ve got a symphony show!” Because you have to really get into that mode: the way you play, the way you’re thinking. So the whole thing has been a challenge, but it’s been great.

After Covid kind of settled down, we thought, “Well, let’s try this, but let’s do it with some other orchestras and then build up to it.” And I’m glad that we did that, because the LSO is one of the most renowned orchestras in the world, and they are on their A-plus game. We had to be in that mindset.

Hip hop and other popular forms of music are about spontaneity, being in-the-moment. But orchestras work from sheet music and a planned program. How do you reconcile those different approaches?

Bobo: You have to be respectful to what they do and how they do it. You’re in their house. We are lucky to be able to do this; not many hip hop groups can say that they performed with an orchestra. We like to make it a real combination, and with the orchestras and conductors that we’ve worked with so far, it’s been just that.

Altieri: We blend using the forces of a classical or “classical symphony” with modern genres that may or may not have musical notation. It’s trailblazing.

One of the things that I do as a conductor – especially as someone who specializes in pops – is that when I see the arrangements, oftentimes I will come up with my own ideas and tweak them. I might throw out some ideas to increase the energy and the overall flow. That’s part of the fun; that’s the way that art evolves.

Even with written arrangements for the orchestra, I’d imagine that spontaneity is baked into this collaboration.

It’s not as if Cypress Hill and the Reno Phil will have days to rehearse together…

Altieri: We’ll get together [before the concert] just to see if our charts line up with what [Cypress Hill] is doing. Because sometimes things don’t quite line up like they should. So you’ve got to have somebody at the helm who can think on their feet and try to “right the ship” in real time.

That’s part of the fun too: you don’t really know [what will happen]. I’ve done some concerts where we’ve blended orchestral music with a DJ. Yeah. The DJ has his ideas of what he’s doing, but those aren’t necessarily notated. That was a real challenge, but it came off quite well. So I found out a long time ago, and it’s now a little mantra that I use: “It’s fun to be fluid.”

Are many of the musicians in the Phil fans of Cypress Hill, or of hip hop in general?

Altieri: Absolutely! You can’t live in a vacuum. Myself, I knew “Insane in the Brain” quite well. And in doing my research, I’ve gotten to know some of the other tunes too. It’s gonna be a lot of fun collaborating with Cypress Hill.

Bobo: Oh, yeah! In all of the orchestras that we have played with so far, we’ve met Cypress Hill fans. It’s not like they’re these stuffy musicians. You have some who grew up listening to Cypress, yet they play classical music. And there are a few – OGs, I call them – who have been doing this kind of thing for years; they really appreciate this combination of hip hop and classical. And it’s always cool to be able to sit down and talk with them.

There’s a certain contingent of season ticket holders who come to everything. Do you think that the audience for this concert is likely to be primarily those people, or might it draw in people who have never seen or heard the Reno Phil before?

Altieri: You’re asking the million-dollar question! The Reno Phil is always trying to branch out and find new audiences; that’s always a goal.

But that’s also the beauty of the art. We’re trying to branch out into new avenues, and who knows? There might be some dyed-in-the-wool Beethoven fan who decides they want to check out a little hip hop and see what else we can do. Because that’s really part of the excitement of music making. What we do with pops is suggest to people, “Hey, if you like that, come to listen to this and expand your horizons a little bit.

Is this collaboration indicative of the Reno Phil’s direction going forward, working with more artists outside of the classical and orchestral idiom?

Altieri: The hip hop angle is a new one for us. But yes: we’ve done rock, and we’ve done country. In the summer we’re doing a concert with a Beatles tribute band. Just a couple of months ago, we did “Nashville to Neon.” That was a purely country and western show. There are starting to be a lot more orchestras tapping into the country music market. Those artists are saying, “Isn’t it fun to have a symphony orchestra backing you up?” Because it’s a powerful sound when you’re able to put that many more colors into your show.

This whole collaboration highlights the idea of pushing boundaries, of trying new things. That seems to be a common thread that unites the Reno Phil and Cypress Hill.

Bobo: Yes, and in Cypress Hill we have a true brotherhood. We’ve kind of grown with each other. Back in the early days, everything was just so new. It was just, “Hang on! We’re all experiencing this together!” As years have gone by, we’ve been able to maintain that brotherhood and still enjoy making music together. And we still enjoy being on tour together.

When we come together, everybody falls into their spot, and then we enjoy trying out new things. When we’re in the dressing room, somebody might say, “Yo, this might be cool; let’s try this.” And then – even without a rehearsal – we’ll try it at the show. If you’re locked in like that, anything is possible.

Cypress Hill with The Reno Phil

Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre

Friday, April 4, 2025, 8pm

Killer Queen: Crazy Little Thing Called Tribute

By Bill Kopp

When hip hop and orchestral music meet, sparks fly

Cypress Hill Meets Reno Phil - When hip hop and orchestral music meet, sparks fly