Thursday, 2 October 2025 - 9:35am
QUEEN: IT’S A KINDA MAGIC TRIBUTE EN ROUTE TO NEW ZEALAND
Celebrating 50 years of Bohemian Rhapsody!
Fresh from its successful tours of Canada and Australia, the international hit show Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic returns to New Zealand to celebrate 50 years of Bohemian Rhapsody. Stopping at 20 different locations across the country, from 30 September to 26 October.
It’s been a big year for Queen fans, marking 50 years since the release of the British band’s iconic song Bohemian Rhapsody. At the time, it was one of the most controversial songs, running a full six minutes, and breaking the standard pop single length. Despite being advised to shorten the song, Queen insisted on releasing it at full-length, and it went on to become a massive hit.
Among its many credits, the historic song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 and in 2018 it was announced as the most streamed song of the 20th century. This year, Brian May made a surprise return to the stage at Coachella Valley during Benson Boone’s cover of the famous hit, inspiring a whole new generation of fans.
Warren Vernon-Driscoll, lead singer and performer of Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic considers himself “incredibly honoured” to have the opportunity to perform such a lauded song night after night, and has put countless hours of rehearsals and study into his performance, in which he plays piano and sings Freddie Mercury’s vocal part – in its original key no less – all live on stage.
“It’s one of the biggest and most iconic songs ever written. As a singer and musician, this is the kind of music most people only dream about performing, and I get to do it all over the world, it’s truly a dream come true,” says Vernon-Driscoll, a classically-trained musician who cut his musical teeth at the prestigious Drakensberg Boys Choir School in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, where he grew up.
Vernon-Driscoll will bring an international band with him to New Zealand to deliver what producers claim is ‘a real rock extravaganza’ full of Queen’s biggest rock anthems performed live on stage, including We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Radio GaGa, I Want to Break Free, Somebody to Love, Don’t Stop Me Now, Another One Bites the Dust, A Kind of Magic and, of course, everyone’s favourite - Bohemian Rhapsody.
Taupō – Monday 13th October 2025
Tickets on sale now, click here to purchase!
Tickets on sale now, click here to purchase!
