Queen's Roger Taylor has denied rumors that the band considered hiring George Michael as replacement for Freddie Mercury following the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.
"I remember hearing the rumors, but it wouldn't have suited us," the drummer recently told Classic Rock. "George wasn't really used to working with a live band. When he heard the power he had behind him in rehearsal, he couldn't believe it. He thought he was on Concorde or something."
Mercury tragically died in November 1991, aged 45, from AIDS-related complications. The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness benefit took place in April 1992 at London's Wembley Stadium.
Michael performed three songs with Queen: "39," "These Are the Days of Our Lives" (with Lisa Stansfield) and "Somebody to Love."
Meanwhile, Queen were recently forced to postpone their 2021 U.K. and European Rhapsody tour into 2022 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The tour will now kick off on May 30, 2022.
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