The three surviving members of Bad Company have scheduled a series of rare European shows this summer, their first since the tour in support of 1975’s Straight Shooter. Announced dates so far include six concerts in June, beginning at Solvesborg, Sweden, and the Sweden Rock Festival. Bad Company will also make stops in Berlin, Stuttgart, Augsburg, Trier and Monchengladbach, Germany, that month.
Singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke, who have been regrouping for the occasional tour since 2008, were initially together as Bad Company from 1973-82 — a period that included the hits “Feel Like Making Love,” “Can’t Get Enough,” “Shooting Star,” “Bad Company,” and “Run With The Pack.” Original Bad Company bassist Raymond “Boz” Burrell died in 2006 of a heart attack at age 60.
“It is amazing to me that there is still so much interest in Bad Company’s music after all these years,” Rodgers told UltimateClassicRock.com. “We have toured in the U.S. and U.K. in the last couple of years, and it only seems fair to play for the faithful rock fans in Germany and Sweden. I can’t wait to hit the stage and reconnect with our fans.”
Rodgers has also been a member of Free, and fronted Queen for a time in the 2000s. Ralphs was formerly with Mott the Hoople. Bad Company is appearing on the Germany dates as part of the Rock the Nation Festival.
Meanwhile, everyone else around the world will have to make due with Rodgers’ new single, “With Our Love,” a benefit project for the Racehorse Sanctuary and Rocking Horse Children’s Charity, amongst others. It’s very much in the vein of his old Bad Company sides:
Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on Paul Rodgers. Click through the titles for complete reviews:
ONE TRACK MIND: PAUL RODGERS, with BILLY SHERWOOD AND DAVID GILMOUR, “STANDING AROUND CRYING” (1993): Rodgers’ second solo album was an all-star tribute to blues legend Muddy Waters that became a Grammy-nominated smash success. It’s perhaps the best-ever showcase of his blues-rock influences. “The guy’s such an amazing singer, it was ridiculous to watch in person — just to be behind the console and see it,” said Sherwood, who produced Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters. “You just have to cross your fingers that the band doesn’t screw up. It’s that good. Paul’s vocal takes are amazing right out of the gate, one and all … It was like a dream come true.”
ONE TRACK MIND: QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS, “SAY IT’S NOT TRUE” (2007): “Say It’s Not True” originally appeared on the group’s 2005 live album, Return of the Champions, in a more stripped-down acoustic form sung by Roger Taylor. This version, however, is a much more embellished studio recording with Brian May and Paul Rodgers contributing significantly. Otherwise, it’s a very typical charity song: The lyrics were a bit trite and obvious; the melody was also a bit simplistic. It felt like something we’d heard a million times before. Yet, while there were no real surprises in store, it managed to invoke some of the magic of Queen: It builds at just the right moment into a glorious power ballad.
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