Who doesn’t like to rock out to some classic Queen songs every now and then? Judging from the way Masquerade packed in the crowds for Simply Queen, the answer is: no one. Under the watchful eye of director Anthony Bezzina, the much-loved band was paid fitting tribute. With a seating capacity just shy of around 800, the Sir Temi Zammit hall at the University seemed particularly packed with people ready to be rocked by some all-time favourites.

If the band’s motto going through with rehearsals was We Will Rock You, then congratulations guys, we have been rocked! The fantastic music and arrangements supplied by Kevin Abela and his band of super-stars were absolutely spot on. The band were never any-thing short of rock stars in my opinion, with the guitar solos in tunes like Radio Gaga being a particular highlight.

Congratulations guys, we have been rocked... the second half of the show packed a little more punch than the first

Unfortunately, although the masterful wailing of drums and crashing of guitars filled the auditoriuml, I couldn’t help but feel that Temi Zammit Hall lacked something as a venue for a rocking Queen tribute.

Although it’s perfectly serviceable in general, it lacks a little something by way of ‘wow’ factor. Maybe, my years of student soirées and lectures have forever coloured the venue in my eyes, but I couldn’t shake the somewhat underwhelming feeling it left me with.

This was not helped much by the somewhat choppy use of lights and projection, which felt a little thrown together at times.

While certain songs got full-on lighting displays and videos, others had little more than a static image to accompany them. Obviously, this is a music show and the music is what counts – but, when you’re remembering a showman as great as Freddie Mercury, visuals count for something too.

Let’s get back on track to the music, though, the real star of the show. Lead by the extremely capable Roger Tirazona as vocal coach, there were some truly great moments in the show. Apart from Tirazona himself, whose passion for the music really shows through in his solo numbers, the soloists proved to be a talented line up: Ludwig Galea, Dorothy Bezzina, Nadia Vella, Francesco Nico-deme and Neville Refalo. They were accompanied by a strong choir which itself boasted several talented soloists.

With a band like Queen, it’s not exactly hard to fill a programme with crowd-pleasing hits. However, I felt that the second half of the show packed a little more punch than the first.

Of particular note throughout the show were the performances by guest soloists, particularly David Ellul Mercer’s spirited rendition of It’s a Kind of Magic, which was sung with infectious enthusiasm. The younger choir members singing Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy and One Vision also gave very enjoyable performances.

There is a certain electric energy that comes from a performance with real enthusiasm- not put on for the sake of the audience, but something that stems from inside. While it’s difficult to really capture the spirit of a rock legend like Freddie Mercury, there were a couple of standout performances with real heart.

The crowd went wild for famous classical turn Barcelona, carried away by Dorothy Bezzina and Ludwig Galea’s soaring high notes. However, for me the highlight was The Show Must Go On, as performed by Neville Refalo, striking just the right balance between technique and emotion.

Unfortunately, as I find so often happens in musical performances in Malta, the sound seemed to be balanced in favour of the band, which sacrificed clarity on the part of the singers. This is (as always) a shame, but is often a sad fact of similar shows in Malta.

An enjoyable evening for Malta’s sizable collection of classic rock fans, we were even teased with a hint of Masquerade’s next musical tribute. Let’s just say they’re going to Get Back to the music and Come Together to work Eight Days A Week for their next act: Simply Beatles.