Hammer To Fall by Queen featuring Gary Cherone

[Stealthkeys77]

he's running around like a fucking monkey !! ha ha ha ha ha ha

[Paul8820]

Gary was moving and shaking like we were seeing another incarnation of Freddie. The was no need for professional dancers to be on stage with him, Unlike many of today's artist.

[Paul8820]

The will never be another Freddie Mercury but why didn't they use Gary Cherone. No offense to Paul Rodgers still one of Rock's greatest vocalist but his style just didn't fit in.

[BlackWind90]

Best performance of the whole concert...Gary put his soul in it, his skills and an awesome stage presence just like Freddie did all the times...best way to pay tribute to him.

[jshealy]

this is who Gary should've been with, not VH. we'd have appreciated him more.

[AceAlive2]

he moves around alot mroe than freddie....and thats saying somethin cuz freddie was like lightning in a bottle. it just makes me wonder what could have been with either gary or if george michael had kept his act together.

[gordlightfootfan]

NoRulesInNam, I don't honestly think that George Michael could have pulled this off. To perform this song well LIVE, you have to really be able to BELT IT OUT. I really like George Michael but I can't see him doing this song. All due respect

[gordlightfootfan]

Gary Cherone hits this out of the park. Period. What a great performance. GREAT tribute to FREDDIE MERCURY (R.I.P.)

[funkmasterflex28]

this sucks. cherone is off key all too often and prancing around a little too ridiculously.

[0Mike0Banks0]

it should've been him instead of paul rogers

[NoRulesInNam]

@0Mike0Banks0 George Michael would've been the best fit of anybody.

[0Mike0Banks0]

Uhhh, being gay would only be half of the battle

[NoRulesInNam]

@0Mike0Banks0 What? Michael has a better voice than either of those two.

[0Mike0Banks0]

Alright he has a good voice, but does he have that frontman presence that a band like queen needs?

[NoRulesInNam]

@0Mike0Banks0 Yes. Paul Rodgers sure as hell doesn't/didn't.

[0Mike0Banks0]

Your opinion won't change mine

[NoRulesInNam]

@0Mike0Banks0 I don't care if I change your opinion or not, that's not what I'm trying to do by expressing mine.

[0Mike0Banks0]

Then I don't care either. George Michael, seriously??? The '80s pop guy that had no career after he came out? Why should he be in queen??? You might as well put the Thompson twins or spandu ballet in there! No way, Gary cherone

[NoRulesInNam]

@0Mike0Banks0 Yes, because Gary Cherone has had soooo much of a career after he joined Van Halen. It's not about popularity, it's about the voice, and George Michael has a better voice than either of those two.

[investigator100]

I think that Brian May and Roger taylor shoud have gotten Gary Cherone to tour with them instead of Paul Rogers....he was not a good choice

[ter50]

Freddie would be happy of this performance

[buckfastbee]

For me the best gig in that tribute (okay, not in this video version, there are better ones in the interwebs)

[perokosarkas]

gary sucks on this clip

I`ve got full concert and I can say he siged this song exelent..

voice on this clip sucks

[goongoon]

gary sucks

[dsbiehl]

Not a bad version at all.

[RUJO96]

HAMMER TO FAAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!!!!!!

[jumpy27]

at 0.43 you can see May changing his guitar...

[jimmyb227]

Amen! I like this version. Queen Forever!

[oldschool80tih]

Great song!

[rgsnow89]

you know what... enough about freddie. i know a vocalist who outdoes both freddie AND cherone.

his name is captain beefheart. he could outdo both cherone and freddie in his prime. he had four and a half octaves worth of voice, my friend.

that's your true, underdog vocal legend right there. cherone can hang his head in shame compared to beefheart (and freddie as well, for that matter).

[rgsnow89]

also, to further demonstrate freddie's vocal superiority, i refer you to this video:

watch?v=QFLu6bu7LEk

this was freddie's final performance before he left the stage for good. he had already been diagnosed with aids and was quite advanced in the process at this point...

yet, he performs this song with great gusto... i would like to see cherone attempt to perform this song, and try to maintain himself in the same way.

[Jeebers87]

I've no idea what it is because it's not available in the UK. If it's the performance with Cliff Richard, then I hardly think any conclusions can be drawn on anything, considering the appalling quality of the sound file.

[rgsnow89]

it's his performance with opera singer montserrat caballe... yes, it is an OPERA performance. cherone, as great a vocalist as he is, could never maintain a performance of that caliber.

it is a testament to the range, power, precision and control of freddie's voice. he is virtually unparalleled in the industry because of this. yes, some vocalists can sing "higher" than freddie could, but lack the same kind of control that freddie had.

he was one of the best. no contest.

[Jeebers87]

I'll reserve judgement till I see it. I'm not disputing that, when on form, Mercury was a good singer. But never could he be called a great.

[yurimalmsteen]

Nem Bruce Dickinson dá conta que nem o Freddie dava. Nossa não é todo dia que posso ver 2 grandes guitarristas juntos Brian e Tony!

[kennycarini]

mercury é insuperavel... so bruce dickinson pode fazer cover dele... so o bruce dickinson!!!

[steveo9996]

Fuck off dont joke idiots this guys voice is NOTHING on mercury. What a load of clueless idiots you are hahaha

[Jeebers87]

Greater range, more accomplished vibrato and all-round better technique. No, he has everything on Mercury.

[stonerh]

Ah I love Gary :D Saw Extreme live back in November! Gary is pushing 50 and he STILL moves like that. Fantastic :D

[SignusMelko]

What a freak... and he just like smacks Brian's head at some point, asshole.

[Jeebers87]

Cherone is a legend and trumps Freddie Mercury vocally.

[SignusMelko]

Uhh... I've never seen Cherone on a list of top 20 singers. I've seen Mercury in the top 5 of virtually every list. Hardly anyone has even heard of him.

[davidandbess]

your kidding no one but yourself idiot

[Jeebers87]

My argument is backed up by undebatable, technical facts, yours is merely an insult. I'll take the win in this one.

[rgsnow89]

yeah right... you're just a bitch.

consider this... cherone was in top form for this concert, and wasn't dying a slow death from aids.

also, notice how "untamed" his voice sounds... he lacks the control and precision freddie did, live or studio.

you're just an arrogant "intellectual" piece of shit. nothing you say is of even the most remote value to anyone, including yourself.

now fuck off.

[Jeebers87]

The Live Aid take was OK, but as always, notes were lowered and there were a few cracks on the A4's. Mercury wasn't even diagnosed with AIDS until two years later. Sure, Cherone isn't perfect here - also consider that he had little experience with this song. He still destroyed Mercury, hitting all A4's and even hitting an impromptu F#5 at 3:44 - something the limited Mercury has never come close to doing live, even in his younger years.

Accept your defeat.

[rgsnow89]

cherone has range and power, but little control over it. that is why freddie is considered to be one of the best... because not only did he have tremendous range and power, but also he had complete control over it.

i have nothing against cherone... he's a great vocalist, and extreme is a great band. but he isn't freddie... he can't control his vocal power the same as freddie.

there is only one defeat here... and it's not me.

[omagama]

god, im sry for the fans, but u actually can see, how exhausted brian is by cherones behaviour, and at one point he just laughs at gary, when gary is shaking his ass! xDD

(he does have a big fking ass and he loves to shake it) but what i didnt like was when gary went to brian may, then je just grabbed brians head , and brian was kinda like ...what the hell?

[stonerh]

Nothing wrong with being an exuberant frontman! He's just putting on a show and the crowd loved it. Plus, I'm sure he was just really excited to be singing on stage with Queen...haha

[lmccall6860]

Gary Cherone.Not Paul Rogers,

[aleksmadi]

i want queen+ gary cherone...not queen+paul rodgers

[Andie1928]

I have loved Gary since 1991. This is definitely one of his best performances!

[09Tina04]

I love Gary Cherone! He sings it so good! The new album from Extreme is good! 5 stars

[jtxtremerocker73]

Cherone had my favorite performance in this concert

[buckfastbee]

Mine too. But had he to put down the pitch a little?

I can't sing exactly along with Freddie and the original but with Gary it's much easier for me...

I'm a mezzo-soprano...;-)

[Jeebers87]

No, he sung it at the exact same pitch Mercury did, but was able to hit all the high A's, unlike Mercury, who either lowered them or cracked when trying to reach them in a live setting. This concert, in many cases, served to illuminate how overrated Mercury was, with Cherone and others showing that they were far more competent vocalists than the beloved diva Freddie.

[SignusMelko]

Not to mention he acts like a prick on stage.

[Jeebers87]

And hits notes live that Mercury can only hit on his rigged, electronically manipulated studio recordings.

[SignusMelko]

Haha, keep telling yourself that. After 40 concerts, you try hitting that note. Ask Mr. Shake his Ass if he can hit the notes in Bohemian Rhapsody, which Freddie has done live.

Whatever, just try to make yourself feel better because no one has heard of that singer.

[Jeebers87]

The highest note in Rhapsody is C5 on "leave me to DIE", which Mercury consistently lowered live (Live Killers, Queen Rock Montreal, Queen on Fire, Wembley and almost all live takes I've heard). Cherone hits an F#5 at 3:44 in this very video (SIX notes higher than the weedy Rhapsody C5), which illuminates your lack of knowledge. Queen have certainly heard of Cherone, it's not my problem if you know nothing of rock music and its great singers. Go on - continue being a sucker for "classic status".

[xabsentx]

it is and it will forever be that Mercury>Cheron

just get used to that, and stop talking crazy.

btw as long as you are such an expert in Freddie`s high notes, i suggest you dig up some bootlegs and listen 2 Impromptu from Tokyo, May 9, 1985. And FYI I`m a big fan of Extreme and Gary

[Jeebers87]

As far as "classic status" is concerned, yes. Hopefully you're a little brighter than that. Impromptu features some sweet falsetto, but that's not the issue here. Falsetto, as any schooled singer knows, is a walk in the park. We're talking full voice. Freddie Mercury's highest note is an F5 (on record of course, never reproduced live). Cherone hits a LIVE F#5 in THIS VERY VIDEO!!!

[rgsnow89]

jeebers, i don't know what it is you hope to accomplish with this crusade of yours against freddie.

i will not deny in any way whatsoever that cherone is a good vocalist... because he is. but saying that he's better than freddie simply because he arguably has a higher range is silly.

gary has range and power, but he lacks the control and precision freddie had. range is nothing if you can't control it.

again, i point you to "barcelona" with freddie and caballe. it's one of his best.

[Jeebers87]

Cherone clearly has greater control than Mercury. Wembley, Queen's most famous concert video, serves as a testament to a man struggling in vain to control his voice, with Hammer To Fall, I Want To Break Free and Who Wants To Live Forever being obvious examples. I'm not on a crusade against Mercury at all. Mercury has written some of the greatest songs ever and is a good vocalist. But suggesting that he's better than, or can even match, greats like Cherone is pushing the limits of idiocy.

[tobyobrie]

Spot on. The idiots who are arguing that Freddie is better are the same idiots that abide by Rolling Stone lists which claim that people like Mick Jagger are among the greatest singers ever. Freddie couldn't lace Gary's boots on his best day.

[Jeebers87]

Finally someone with working ears... and some taste! Yeah, idiocy is running amok on this video, as you can see by the plethora of weightless posts by idiots like rgsnow89. That I'm outnumbered by Queenies and having my comments voted down doesn't signify that I'm wrong. It merely signifies that there are a lot of people who don't like the truth.

All power to you sport!

[tobyobrie]

Idiocy haha. I'ma start using that for the shocking idiocy of idiots who idiotically claim that Freddie boy can match up to Gazza. Gaz will rise above it all and hit an F# that Mr Bulsara could only dream of :D

[rgsnow89]

sounds like a sockpuppet account to me.

cherone does NOT have the same control in his voice as freddie. you can hear it very clearly in this video that he lacks the control and precision freddie had.

you are not one to question the status of freddie as a "legend". your argument is hollow and based largely on your opinion. if i'm a "queenie", then you clearly must be an extreme fanboy.

and for the record... mick jagger fucking sucks. the rolling stones are one of the most overrated bands ever.

[tobyobrie]

Yeah yeah. Don't use words like "sockpuppet" btw, first this ain't wankipedia and second it takes gayness to new highs. I just happened to drop in on your debate and notice that you were arguing IN VAIN (quote the Fred from this song) that Fred was in the same league as Gaz. Big deal he fluffed a few notes in this song, it was new to him. He is a better songer than Freddie in every possible way.

[rgsnow89]

i wonder how many people will actually support your pitiful little pep rally for cherone, against freddie.

tell your pathetic story to the millions of queen fans. tell it to all the van halen fans who booed him off stage. tell it to all the peple who don't even know who in the hell gary cherone or extreme even are.

your numbers are few, and your opinions mean little. you can believe in your elitest minds that cherone is better... but you are wrong.

also... i still say captain beefheart owns.

[tobyobrie]

Ha that doesn't matter one bit. Of course Freddie Mercury is better known. Van Halen fans might have booed him offstage, but they're Van Halen fans, they don't have ears or a fucking brain. What matters is that Gary is a more competent singer than Freddie. And yes Beefheart is a better singer than both. But that's not the issue you tit.

[rgsnow89]

look... this is ridiculous. freddie is a legend for a reason, you dolt. he had CONTROL... he had RANGE... he had PRECISION... he was PASSIONATE in his singing.

he was also one of the greatest showmen in the business. every concert, he had the crowd going... eating out of his hand.

cherone lacks many of these qualities... many of them. i'm not saying he's a bad singer (he's not), but damn... he is not "better" than freddie.

please, give this pitiful charade up. it's fucking vain.

[tobyobrie]

Of course Freddie is a legend. He's the greatest frontman of all time. If there were a definitive list of the 1000 greatest songs ever, Freddie would have penned at least five of them. When he was on form, he was also a very good singer.

But Gary Cherone is the better vocalist.

[rgsnow89]

fair enough.

[Jeebers87]

"Fair enough."

Finally he admits that Cherone is the superior vocalist. You knew all along yet had to be rude to me and we ended up having our little falling out. Don't worry - it's all in the past now.

[DimiPeich]

Cherone sure is the better vocalist, seeing as how he's off at 1:50.

He's really great nonetheless. But being a better vocalist than Freddie is no easy task. I'd say only Ian Gillan, maybe. And still Freddie is the better showman. Besides, this is a tribute concert, and not about who's greater. The only really pitiful thing was Plant singing Innuendo (pretty much off) and forgetting the lyrics to it. Still he had the decency to ask for it to be excluded. Have fun!

[maurillion]

I think bruce dickinson has some special charm maybe suitable with queen. He is so british, with a sportive and elegant stage performance, and his voice has a similar high range.

Also, i consider he is more metalish, and less delicate as freddy on softer songs, but i think he is closer to be a good singer for queen than rodgers ( too bluesy )...

Obviously, is my opinion..... but i think it would be interesting to see them playing together...

[maurillion]

I know Freddie was (is) from Tanzania, but he retrieved some british accent when singing, slightly similar with bruce....

that was my point of comparisson

[hanadulsarutobi]

he at 18 in the 100 greatest of all time

[tobyobrie]

A Mick Jagger is higher than him. List means sweet feck all.

[distefanodude]

i know gary hes one of my dads best friends

[wheelzwheela]

Sweet! Is he nice?

[distefanodude]

yeah man, hes like my uncle.

[TulipOHare]

Cherone IS my new hero.

[buckfastbee]

And Gary was bouncing on stage like Freddie, moving the audience...that's rock'n Rrrrroll...

[deeowenz]

cherone sounds great. he gets as close to hitting mercury's high notes as anyone probably could

[buckfastbee]

Yes, as I said before, he's the only one fitting QUEEN with his voice.

They should have kept him.

Much more rockin' than Paul Rodgers....

[buckfastbee]

Best performance of all sets in this tribute!

Gary was GREAT...

[Vatch1966]

Wow Tony Iommi playing alongside Queen!! Brian and Tony have always been longtime friends.

[betonman9]

Fucck off Gary ownz!

[wildstallyns]

Gary kicks ass.....I love his vocal style. All out.

[leewelshy]

Why is he shouting??? 'Trying' to reach Freddie notes no doubt but not doing a good job at all!!

[henryj2112]

He's not shouting really - the quality isn't that great. On the DVD he's absolutely brilliant. One of the highlights of the concert by a long way! Not as good as Dave in Van Halen, but here he was quality!

[leewelshy]

I am not too sure, really sounds strained plus the dvd is edited big time so he does actually sound good on it. I guess all the performers at this concert found it hard singing these songs!

[andreastrato]

tony??? what are you doin' here??? tony brian and gary!!! this song rocks!!!

[buckfastbee]

Why didn't they keep Gary?

He was soo great, with Extreme also as with Queen...

[buckfastbee]

This will be my all-time-favourite of this concert, Mr Cherone's voice and performance are incredible...

Listen to the scream at 3: 41...

And Brian with Tony - also gorgeous!

[Skibble5150]

Extreme did the best job at that tribute show.

They did a full montage of hard Queen tunes, perfectly!

[PAGAN19]

Gary Cherone is just perfection here. Fantastic voice and fantastic moves - all the energy we could ever want from a front man and then some.

I never had the privelege of seeing Queen live, but I'd bet this is a close second.

[mlmr11]

Man did they try to push Gary Cherone huh??

They put him on stage with all those greats and he still can't buy a cup of coffee..

Poetic justice I suppose.

Thank god he's out of Boston for the most part.

As a musician growing up around here it was like the Twilight Zone watching everyone lick his ass

[jockoman62]

mlmr11..does that stand for multi-level-marketing?

Hmmmm..no ass-licking involved there.lol!

[deeowenz]

damn good performance. you can't deny that cherone can sing. he may be a little fem or metro, which turns people off.

[syndrome477]

a little fem..?

I don't understand what you mean by that.

He sings loud and hard and WELL...I love that.

[buckfastbee]

A damn good performance, Cherone can sing, and he also can MOVE.

Americans always call a man with movably hips gay or metro but every really good dancer is most time also very good in bed...*g*

But most men prefer to be macho and have a stiff spine and move like brooms.... :-(

[syndrome477]

I am a huge Cherone fan. And I love the way he bounced around on the stage doing "Hammer to Fall". Got a nice ass too ;)

[yomamadontdanz]

gary cherone looks like a broke back mountain wannabee

[nowiguess]

Gary Cherone does the intro yell "Hammer to faaaall!!" on the root note, whereas Freddie Mercury chooses to do more of a tension-building lead-in yell that's a half-note below the intro riff.

[TheSanityInspector]

Oh, shuddup & bang yer head like the rest of us!

[dirkvankrieken]

One of the best performances at this concert!!!

[z0so2263]

my dads chick singer used to date gary

[airdriver]

With all due respect to Paul Rodgers, Queen should have taken Gary on tour.

[syndrome477]

I totally agree with you. The guy has ll kinds of energy and can sing like nobody's business!!!

[Nothervard]

nice pants man.. and that 'over the rainbow' hand movement.. ew.

[TheSanityInspector]

Rough voice for this song, but he's sure got some good stage moves.

[KingOfTheRumble]

Who The Hell Is Gary Cherone?????

[Maxharddrive64]

Your obvoiusly young or had some damn good drugs during the 80's and 90's. Originally he was the lead singer of band "Extreme" (Check em out) after that he filled in as lead singer for VanHalen.

[syndrome477]

KingOfTheRumble: Gary Cherone has a "myspace". Also check "Extreme" on myspace. When you go to Extreme, click on "More Than Words". Listen to that. The voice is very distinctive and powerful.

[EsbyDarling]

I think that Gary is very good singer. This rocks

[TheSanityInspector]

I don't think Brian 'preshayted gettin' cuffed upside the head like that.

[syndrome477]

You have to expect the unexpected with the "Energizer Gary"!

[syndrome477]

Did you know that Brian May is one of Gary's all-time heroes?

[luquetas1]

Bad version

[ratmg]

LOL.... i now dub Gary Cherone in his new name "Poodle Butt" after how he shakes it more than a poodle....

lol

but still the whole concert was a blast...(except axel rose...he just looked pissed as)

[syndrome477]

"Poodle Butt"...I'll watch him shake that poodle butt all day long!!

[luquetas1]

he's gay and use drugs

[syndrome477]

luquetas1: Not gay. No drugs. That's all Gary.

[jockoman62]

Correction..he's happy,and uses Claritin.

[olmen375]

Oh man! Gary fucks it up bad :(

[ledzeprox666666]

hey, man. he could easily replace paul roders, id like to see him do so. gary may have fucked up van halen, but he has a freddy mercury style voice. basically if mercury, although an excellent singer, had replaced hagar or roth. its all about styles, man, and this guy fits extrem and queen quite well.

[syndrome477]

David Lee Roth should have stayed. No question. He was the best frontman they ever had.

[syndrome477]

ledzeprox666666: Gary did not "fuck up" Van Halen. Van Halen was never right since they let Diamond Dave go. They make a horrible mistake when they did that. I saw Van Halen live with Diamond Dave fronting the band in 1981. Amazing show. I agree with you that he should have been the frontman for Queen instead of Paul Rodgers. He has tons of energy and incredible stage presence.

[ledzeprox666666]

yeah... thats it. i guess gary got the scapegoat. but in all fairness, not the right man for the job. but i'd like to see him replace paul rodgers.

[syndrome477]

If Gary wasn't doing solo projects now he would make a great frontman for Queen.

[syndrome477]

Gary's amazing. The man can sing!

[syndrome477]

olmen375: "Oh man! Gary fucks it up bad :("

Are you kidding me? I can watch that guy all day long. In my opinion, he was the best act at the tribute concert.

[TurboSmurffi]

Gary could beat Shakira with that ass shaking. xD Brians guitar sound is still powerful. Iommi was a happy to see with Queen and seemly worked good with Brian.

[misfit9]

gary cherone fucks this up badly, u can tell that the other members of the band think so too, he just cant hold the notes or hit the highs, great singer, but no freddy

[jockoman62]

You can tell that? Are you a mind-reader?

Gary is a true talent, he's multi-faceted..

he played the lead in JC Superstar..A+

He's got rarely-matched stage energy,check out video Kid Ego or Little Girls..Extreme Rocks with Gary.

[misfit9]

i was a dick back then, i am much more open minded now, back then i was just sorta spiteful to him cos he wasnt freddy mercury, know what i'm sayin?

[jockoman62]

I hear ya..Freddie was one of a kind.

[KaayyM]

Yes I do, you're right

[joshheisel]

This is killer! Extreme + Queen = fucking awesome!

[Neppset]

He does an amazing job. Hell, it is great. One of the best guests.

[zappator]

great!!! CHerone was one of the best guests on this concert. And it's still great to see Iommi with Bri'

[1killahead]

This is how it aired live. I taped the live airing and was shocked to see the released DVD that was touched up BIGTIME...It sounds good though.

[cruehead10]

Probably because the DVD is touched up

[FreddyKillpxe]

Hey, where did you get this video? I have the DVD and the sound is different, here it sounds awful... gary's voice is very different from the version that I have. Very strange because it's the same video.

[goongoon]

what an embarrasing fartknocker senor cherone is on this.

[kateebabee]

Brian was great on the guitar! A good performance

[nowiguess]

He did a pretty good job! Most importantly not neglecting the "Hammer to faaaaall!" lead in to the beginning distorted riff.

[JediCris]

cool!