(Columns often contain opinions)
With its beautiful stained-glass windows and architectural features that I know the names of because of Joe LeVert’s classes during my junior year of high school, Sacred Heart Cultural Center is one of those places in Augusta that I love to go to simply to soak up the environment.
Oftentimes, I’m there for an event which focuses my attention in other directions.
But on Thursday, the event and the venue went hand-in-hand as flickering lights from a sea of LED candles bathed the former altar and front of the former church and a string quartet played the music of the band Queen.
I admit that two violins, a viola and cello playing songs such as “We Will Rock You” and “Radio Gaga” might not marry in your mind, but as the quartet played them, I imagined could hear Freddie Mercury’s iconic voice and the other instruments.
For other songs that group of instruments was perfect. The mix adds to the haunting nature of “The Show Must Go On” originally sung by Mercury months before his 1991 death related to HIV/AIDS. According to interviews with Queen guitarist Brian May, May was concerned about Mercury straining his voice, but Mercury threw back a shot of vodka and recorded it in a single take.
This is the second year in a row I’ve seen the Fever presents Candlelight tribute to Queen. I went last July and when my daughter, Allie, saw my post, she was aggravated with me. How dare I go without her?
So, this time she went with me.
The concert didn’t begin until 8:45 p.m. and even though, I rarely leave my house after 8 p.m., this was worth it. With the sun setting so late, the full effect of the candlelight event can only be achieved with the night sky.
The hourlong concert hit many of the high notes associated with Queen’s catalog of music. “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love” and “We Are the Champions” are a few of the others the musicians played. And what’s a night of Queen music without “Bohemian Rhapsody”? That was the finale, of course.
To find out more about upcoming events, check out Fever’s website.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards and is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
