I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but I had never heard of Gary Mullen prior to his concert at Solaire Resort and Casino in Paranaque, Metro Manila last October 2015.
As I entered The Theater with my husband and kid, I said sarcastically to myself, “Oh great! Another mediocre mimic trying to imitate the late great Freddie Mercury.”
For those who live in another planet, Freddie was the rock band Queen’s lead singer and songwriter known for his powerful voice and mesmerizing stage persona. He penned many of Queen’s hits, but died in 1991 of bronchopneumonia brought about by AIDS – a day after he announced to the world that he had the disease. He was only 45 when he passed away.
When he first appeared on stage that night, Gary certainly looked like Freddie, but I still doubted his singing ability. Boy, was I in for a surprise! Once he opened his mouth and started singing, Gary took on another personality. Not only did he resemble Freddie, but he moved, talked and sang like the latter too.
I was immediately hooked. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life! During the entire evening when Gary belted out Queen’s many hits like “Bicycle Race”, “Another One Bites the Dust”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and “We are the Champions” to name a few, he captivated the audience with his awesome act and flamboyant theatrics.
For a moment, it felt as if Freddie were alive and had possessed Gary’s body. Indeed, I came to The Theater expecting a half-baked performance. What I got was the time of my life listening to Gary’s tribute to one of the greatest singers in the history of music.
While Gary’s vocal range is not as wide as Freddie’s who could easily switch from bass to soprano in a snap, his version of Freddie is dead on. His act clearly shows his love for the late singer. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that evening that Freddie was there on stage in the person of Gary who wowed the audience left and right.
Gary is a longtime Queen fan but he began mimicking Freddie in 2000. He later proved his prowess in imitating his idol when he won the grand finals in the TV show “Stars in Their Eyes.” He got over 800,000 votes and set a new record. After the show, Gary embarked on a career as a solo artist, but was encouraged by the audience to do more Queen. That’s when he formed his own band “The Works” composed of Davie Brockett on guitar, Gordon McNeil on drums, Billy Moffat on bass, and Malcolm Gentle on keyboards.
Since then, Gary and his band have been touring the world with their two-hour tribute show aptly called “One Night of Queen” and continue to receive rave reviews. The show is patterned after the many ‘80s Queen tours and has reached Europe, New Zealand, and the United States. In the past five years, Gary and his gang have made over 150 shows a year and just like the Queen hit “Don’t Stop Me Now”, they’re unstoppable. To stay in shape, he lifts weights and practices yoga.
However, imitating Freddie is just one of Gary’s many talents. He also does voiceovers for radio, television, and computer games. He recorded an album of original material with his songwriting partner Barry Kelly. Unlike Freddie, Gary is not gay, is married, and has three kids.
I wish I had the time to interview Gary when he brought his show to the Philippines on that fateful night at Solaire. Unfortunately, this was not arranged, but his spellbinding performance definitely made a mark in me and the audience that night. Based on how the people reacted, I’m sure this will not be Gary’s first and last visit to the country and I look forward to his next performance.
Long live Queen!
