Marc Martel is Freddie Mercury

It came as no surprise to hear the news this weekend that Marc Martel, vocalist for the band downhere, will take front stage as he portrays Freddie Mercury. Martel will be on stage for the next year as he handles lead vocals for the Queen Extravaganza tour. Martel vocals were featured in an audition he did for the role. Marc’s video of his performance of “Somebody to Love” was, bluntly put, astounding and 5 million YouTube viewers agreed. In LA last week, Martel did a formal audition with former Queen drummer Roger Taylor who made the final decision to let Martel take the Freddie Mercury spot. Mercury passed away 20 years ago as a result of contracting AIDS.

I posted this video before, but it’s worth a second look.