Queen are to be honoured at this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, organisers have revealed.
The much-loved Queen anthem The Show Must Go On, the band’s last single released before Mercury’s death in 1991, will be performed at the finale of the show, which opens on Friday.
The tribute will be performed on the castle esplanade by the full cast of the show, including the 250-strong massed pipes and drums ensemble, accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display above Edinburgh Castle’s esplanade, where the show is staged.
Brigadier David Allfrey, chief executive and producer of the Tattoo, said he got the idea for the Queen tribute after watching Bohemian Rhapsody on a flight to Australia during research for this year’s production.
He added: “I’ve got a house full of Queen records. Their music, which mixed orchestral, classical and opera with rock and roll, was what I grew up with. When I saw Bohemian Rhapsody on my flight I just thought this would be a fantastic thing to do in the show. The Show Must Go On was always the track I wanted us to do. There is so much power and pain in the song and the story behind it. It will be the most dramatic moment in the show – it’s got everything in it.”
More details at www.edintattoo.co.uk
See also: THE SCOTSMAN
Queen legend Freddie Mercury to be honoured in Edinburgh Tattoo’s fireworks finale
29 July 2019 by Brian Ferguson