On Friday April 28th, and Saturday April 29th the Uptown Music Collective & UPMC North Central Pa will present “The Show Must Go On: The Music of Queen” at the Community Arts Center in Downtown Williamsport. There are very few bands in rock and roll history whose music is as unique, exciting, entertaining, and unforgettable as the music of Queen. In the last performance of the Uptown Music Collective’s performance season, the students will take on these rock legends and perform this immortal music, complete with an awesome light show, and with all the skill, passion, and excitement that people have come to expect from the school’s students.
This performance is additionally sponsored, in part, through partnerships with Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and Hudock Capital Group.
Queen was formed in London in 1970 by vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Rodger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon. Over their long career, the band released 15 studio albums, had 53 top 40 singles — six of which went to #1 — and it was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Their music was an eclectic mix of driving hard rock, pop hooks, operatic vocal harmonies, classical chord progressions, layered harmonized guitars, theatrical elements, and pure unadulterated swagger.
In 1991, lead vocalist and songwriter Freddie Mercury died of complications from AIDs. He continued to work and record music with the band right up until the end. The song “The Show Must Go On” is one of his last completed vocal recordings.
In the years that followed, the remaining members of the group continued to perform, with friends of the band filling in for Freddie and for John Deacon, who retired in 1997.
In the Uptown Music Collective performance, the students of Special Performance Group 1 will present two hours of Queen’s greatest hits, such as “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “You’re My Best Friend,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “Stone Cold Crazy,” “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” and many more. Performers will focus on presenting each as close to the original recording, while delivering them with the same swagger and intensity Queen was known for live.
“Our last Queen performance, 10 years ago in 2012, defined a generation of Uptown Music Collective students, including Tess Marshall, Dylan Rockoff, Gabe Stillman, Nuria Hunter, Shannon Cantor, Garret Gaetano, and many more,” said Dave Brumbaugh, UMC founder and executive director. “The guitar, drum, bass, and keyboard music are very challenging, and the vocals demand an extraordinary amount of precision in every way. Students can’t go through the process of preparing to perform such powerful and eclectic music of this level and remain unchanged by it. Everyone should do themselves a favor — don’t miss this show!”
“The Show Must Go On” will feature Collective students who have been diligently preparing for this event for more than three months. Along with the music, there will be a professional-grade light, sound, and video show, organized by the students themselves, who will work alongside the professionals at the CAC.
As with all Uptown Music Collective performances, the students are not only the performers but also the directors of the show. A group of younger students, or “Tech Monkeys,” will serve as stage technicians and spotlight operators. The cast for the show is drawn from the Uptown Music Collective’s much-heralded “Special Performance Group 1.”
This show is directed by Uptown Music Collective senior students Abby Colone and Luke O’Brien (both Loyalsock Township High School). The show’s leadership committee consists of UMC students Leah Batman (Laurel Springs School), Matthew Bellino (Danville Area High School), Izzy Butters (Loyalsock Township High School), Chase Cowden (Loyalsock Township High School), Connor Evans (Williamsport Area High School), Ben Feuerstein (Lewisburg Area High School), Gabreon Godin (Williamsport Area High School), Grace Godin (Williamsport Area Middle School), Brendan Kuriga (South Williamsport Area High School), Duncan Larson (Loyalsock Township High School), Jossian Lilley (Loyalsock Township High School), Cassidy Lutz (Loyalsock Township High School), Calistra Mahoney (Pennsylvania College of Technology), and Stephanie Nappi (PA Cyber).
“One of the very first songs that I fell in love with as a musician was ‘Don’t Stop Me Now,’ by Queen,” O’Brien said. “Now I am able to close out my senior year at the Collective while playing that song in a show that I have the privilege to co-direct. The music in this show is fun, moving, and often deeply emotional — and I am very excited to share it with my community.”
Additional partners and sponsors for this performance include Chartwell Hotels, KFC of Williamsport, Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships, The Kiessling Group of Janney Montgomery Scott, UPMC Health Plan, Lycoming College, Woodlands Bank, Williamsport Sun-Gazette, FASTSIGNS of Williamsport, Pennsylvania College of Technology, The Brickyard Restaurant and Ale House, The Stonehouse Wood Fired Pizza and Pasteria, The Hartman Group, and Beiter’s Furniture, Mattress and Appliance. Media sponsors include Backyard Broadcasting, Lamar Advertising, 92.1 WSQV, NorthCentralPa.com, The Graphic Hive and Engage Media.
Tickets for the performance, which are $20 in advance and $25 at the door (plus fees), are available through the Community Arts Center box office, 220 West Fourth St.; website, http://www.caclive.com; and phone, 570-326-2424. Live stream tickets for Saturday night are also available.
For more details about “The Show Must Go On,” visit uptownmusic.org/queen, or call 570-329-0888. Check out the Collective’s official Facebook page, as well as other Collective social media outlets, for teasers, previews, behind-the-scenes info, and more from the performance.
