Alien Queen Gestates Into A Concert

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 26, 2011 3:00PM

Scott Bradley and Jonny Stax of the Scooty & JoJo Show have been crafting musical parodies for years now. They’re the guys behind Carpenters Halloween, the yearly Halloween show that parodies the classic horror flick Halloween set to the musical stylings of the Carpenters. Last winter, they premiered another mash-up - Alien Queen: A Sci-fi Rock ParOdyssey, a musical that combines the movies Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) with the epic rock hits of Queen. And now that its first run is over, they’re transforming the musical it into a concert.

As the musical's counterpart, the concert lays a greater emphasis on the music. Along with more songs and dancing, it features a full-on Queen tribute band comprised of local musicians Nick Davio (keyboards, guitar, and vocals), Eric Engelson (drums), Charlie Malave (bass), and Dave Saenger (lead guitar). Oh, and they’ll be dresses up as aliens and other characters from the movies. Chicago actor Ryan Lanning plays Ridley, Sigourney Weaver’s role in the movie (in the film, her name was Ripley but it was changed for the musical in honor of director Ridley Scott), and director Bradley plays the title-role, Alien.

Unlike the musical, which ran in December and January, the concert is a one-night-only show. The whole thing goes down Friday, May 13 at the Metro. Along with the main event, the show will open with special guest performances, including a set by local, '80s-inspired synthpop trio Brilliant Pebbles. Tickets start at $16 for advanced general admission or $20 the day of the show. The Metro is also offering VIP packages, which come with tickets for two people, balcony seating, and your own cocktail waitress.

Alien Queen: The Concert is Friday, May 13 at the Metro, 3730 N Clark, 9 p.m., $16 in advance, $20 at the door, or $60 2-person VIP package, 18+