Queen champion Dubai as 'quick stop' on tour

DUBAI // They have rocked some of the biggest cities in the world and soon they will be bringing their unique sound to fans in the UAE. The original members of Queen, the iconic British band, will stage a live show in Dubai as part of a world tour, featuring Paul Rodgers as the frontman. The show is just one of several major concerts planned for the city this year. Maroon 5, the Grammy-winning US rock band, has just announced a show for Dec 8, while Sting will perform on Dec 12.

The Queen show, which is scheduled for Nov 14 at Festival City, will be one of the largest concerts the country has seen, with more than 12,000 tickets expected to sell, event organisers say. Another 2,000 seats will be available at the exclusive corporate hospitality village. "More than a million people saw the tour the band did in 2005/06 and they were averaging over 20,000 people per gig," said Mark Povey, of the Transguard Group, which is the event director for the Dubai show.

Dubai will be the only Middle East stop on a 33-date tour in support of the band's soon-to-be-released album The Cosmos Rocks. It is the first studio album the band has released in 13 years. The Rodgers and Queen collaboration has been met with impressive critical review since they went on tour a few years ago. Past shows have included a mix of Queen classics such as We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions, and the band's signature song, Bohemian Rhapsody. Rodgers' hits, including All Right Now, were also performed.

Queen stopped performing after their flamboyant frontman Freddie Mercury died in 1991. The band was revived, however, when Rodgers, who is most famous as the singer/songwriter for the bands Free and Bad Company, stepped in to take on the lead vocals. Mr Povey said it was unusual for a band to include a Dubai stop in its tour, and that the city was more accustomed to hosting "one-off" concerts. "Dubai will be the link between the European and South American parts of the tour. It's a quick stop, but I do know the band are looking forward to a few days in Dubai and they were very keen on putting Dubai on the tour just to see the place."

Brian May, Queen's legendary guitarist, will take to the stage with the drummer Roger Taylor. The band's touring keyboard player from the 1980s, Spike Edney, joins the principal members, along with Jamie Moses, the rhythm guitarist formerly with the Brian May Band, and the Blue Oyster Cult's former bassist Danny Miranda. Queen and Rodgers began touring after several members of the band and Rodgers played a live jam session at a concert to mark the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar in 2004.

Tickets for the Queen and Rodgers show will start at Dh400 (US$108). Maroon 5 are also due to play in Dubai, appearing on Dec 8 at The Palladium, a 6,000-seat theatre at Media City. The band has won two Grammy awards and has sold more than 10 million albums since releasing Songs About Jane in 2002 and It Won't Be Soon Before Long in 2007. @email:mkwong@thenational.ae

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The biog

Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.

The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.

As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau

He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.

If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah

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Andy Murray - hip

Novak Djokovic - elbow

Roger Federer - back

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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

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Quick facts on cancer

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
At least one third of common cancers are preventable
Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion