ESPN has had a banner running for the last few weeks promoting the halftime shows of the BCS College Bowls for their musical acts. One of them has been Queen + Paul Rodgers.

I am huge Queen fan, and really got into them again in 90/91 when they were re-releasing their albums on CD. I had almost completed my collection when Freddie Mercury died in 1991. I’ve had mixed feelings on this whole tour with Paul Rodgers not understanding why Queen would be touring again without their frontman, the legendary Freddie Mercury.

Who was this Paul Rodgers guy? Why was he touring with Queen, and why would Brian May and Co. resurrect Queen with a new lead singer?

Well, it turns out Paul Rodgers was the founder and lead singer for Free, Bad Company, and the Firm. He has an impressive resume. Now knowing his background, I can respect Queen’s decision to tour with him.

Browsing around Queen’s website, I came across their store where they offer their Official Bootlegs. While the collection is still growing, the price is amazing for what you get. For about $9 after translating the currency, you can buy live bootleg albums with up to 30 songs. Encoded in 192k WMA (192k = good, WMA = bad), the price is phenomenal for what you get. I’ll definitely be picking up a few of those in the days to come.