Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts Wanted to Play Queen’s Concert

There’s plenty of activity this week surrounding The Rolling Stones.

First the Stones delayed their 50th anniversary tour by a year, and then drummer Charlie Watts said he’d liked to have been on the bill for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert.

He told the Daily Express: “I’d love to have done the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, because that’s a great thing, I think, but I don't think we'd have the time to do it. It’ll be a night of the Sirs, won’t it, with Paul McCartney and Elton. Lovely guy, Elton.”

The televised concert will take place at Buckingham Palace in London on June 4. The lineup so far features Ed Sheehan, JLS, Jessie J, Annie Lennox, Madness, Cliff Richard, Shirley Bassey, Elton John and Paul McCartney.

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Queens of the Stone Age, Strokes Join Pearl Jam Festival

As previously reported, 2011 marks a big year for Pearl Jam. It’s the 20th anniversary of the release of their debut album, Ten, and the rockers have been commemorating it with the release of deluxe re-issues and a new documentary (Pearl Jam Twenty) about the band directed by Cameron Crowe. And, after revealing that they would host a one-time festival to celebrate two decades in rock, Pearl Jam have now announced the details.

The “concert celebration” will be held Labor Day Weekend (September 3 and 4) at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. Of course, Pearl Jam will headline, but they’ve invited Queens of the Stone Age, The Strokes, Mudhoney, John Doe, Joseph Arthur, Glen Hansard, and Liam Finn to join them, according to PearlJam.com.

Tickets for the two-day event go on sale to fan club members on May 23 and to the general public on June 4. The shows will mark Pearl Jam’s only U.S. appearances in 2011.

Following the festival, the band will embark on a Canadian tour that will include 10 dates in September.

Pearl Jam Canadian tour:

Sept. 7 – Montreal – Bell Centre
Sept. 11 – Toronto – Air Canada Centre          
Sept. 12 – Toronto – Air Canada Centre          
Sept. 14 – Ottawa – Scotiabank Place            
Sept. 15 – Hamilton – Copps Coliseum            
Sept. 17 – Winnipeg – MTS Centre                    
Sept. 19 – Saskatoon – Credit Union Center      
Sept. 21 – Calgary – Scotiabank Saddledome    
Sept. 23 – Edmonton – Rexall Place                  
Sept. 25 – Vancouver – Pacific Coliseum

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Radio Ga Ga: Queen’s Brian May and Lady Gaga Team Up

Legendary Queen guitarist Brian May plays guitar on a track on Lady Gaga’s new album, Born This Way, according to The Daily Mirror. The two musicians paired up for the song “You & I.”

“It’s always been Gaga’s dream to perform as Queen. If it wasn’t for Queen, there would be no Gaga,” a source told The Daily Mirror. “This collaboration with Brian May means the world to her.”

Of course, Lady Gaga famously took her name from a Queen song, “Radio Ga Ga,” thanks to producer Rob Fusari. In the past, Gaga (whose real name is Stefani Germanotta) has credited Queen frontman Freddie Mercury as one of her big influences.

“Freddie was unique – one of the biggest personalities in the whole of pop music,” she said. “He was not only a singer but a fantastic performer, a man of the theater, who constantly transformed himself.”

Born This Way will be released on May 23.

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Queen’s Brian May Records Song for Yuri Gagarin

Brian May of Queen has recorded a new song dedicated to Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The Soviet cosmonaut became the first human to fly into space 50 years ago today (April 12). May, who is famously a Doctor of Astrophysics, has recorded the song with electronic music pioneers Tangerine Dream.

The song, as yet unnamed, will debut at the Starmus Science And Music Festival on the Spanish island of Tenerife to be held June 20-25. They will also record a second song dedicated to cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who was the first man to carry out a space walk. Both songs will be based on “cosmic” sounds, a festival spokesman said.

Of course, May is not the only rock star honoring the first manned space flight. Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson planned his own unique tribute.

May’s love of astrophysics is no rock star whim. He delayed study for his Ph.D. (doctorate qualification) to pursue his career with rock band Queen. May completed his academic papers over 30 years on, in 2007.

“I worked on my thesis at Imperial College [London] from 1971 to 1974 when I had to give it up because Queen became a full-time thing. I kept all my notes and I was able to find them in my loft and start working on them again,” May recalled in 2006.

May is co-author, with legendary British astronomist Sir Patrick Moore, of the book Bang! The Complete History of the Universe. Now we know why Queen named an album Hot Space.

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