When I got the offer from the Queen Real Tribute band, my first thought was “This can’t be good”. As a life-long fan of Queen and Freddy Mercury, I didn’t believe that anybody could do a good enough cover of the renowned rock band. But all my doubts disappeared in thin air once Ivan Ristanovic came up on the stage and started singing. At that moment I was put back to the time before 1991 and Freddy became alive again. Accompanied by the brilliant band, Ivan displayed faithfully how it looked when Queen performed in front of the audience. The way Ivan impersonated Freddy put me and the whole don Ivan Saric square in Primosten in trance.
The guys played for two hours and the quality didn’t drop for a second, despite the singer’s energentic performance. He was jumping all over the stage, went to quickly change his clothes a few times, and even climbed the stage truss. The audience was amazed and called for an encore. I recommend Queen Real Tribute wholeheartedly. Many of us agree, that their performance was the highlight of the tourist season in Primosten and an event that will be talked about for weeks after. I will certainly invite the guys a few more times to enrich the music scene of Primosten.
Ivan Matošin
Director of the Tourist Board of Primosten Municipality
Queen Real Tribute or is it the real Queen?
It’s amazing how the band can achieve the real sound of one of the greatest bands ever. When I first time hear them a live, I really thought that it’s some kind of a playback playing instead of the live singing.
When the band started with the first song, I was speechless and I had goosebumps immediately. The sound, atmosphere, the show, all in one package and it’s awesome. The show on stage that the lead singer makes, kind of reminds us on the real legend, Freddie Mercury.
His performance is filled up with energy which can be sensed all over the place. Excellent show, sound and brilliant performance. Guys are absolutely amazing! One of the rare tribute bands that can match with the original Queen band.
Nina Blagovič
O.F.A.K. Festival
Ormož, Slovenia
Our first encounter with Queen Real Tribute took place four years ago.
The band parked the van right behind the venue, had a quick soundcheck and rushed off to have a rest.
They came back about an hour before the gig, but without the frontman, Ivan Ristanovic, who arrived 45 min later.
And the rest is history! I asked what took him so long and he replied he was warming up by doing vocal and physical exercises on his own. I joked there was no need for such extensive preparations, as this was just another gig… What he said next I still repeat to bands when we make arrangements for gigs:
Borut, imagine there was a cup called a “Tribute to Messi” and you were the one playing the best footballer in the world, Leo Messi.
Ok, I said, still missing the point. He continued:
Well, you see, when I get onstage, I’m expected to be the best pop performer of all time, Freddie Mercury!
That’s why I warm up for over an hour.
Hats off and the rest is history!
It took just a few chords, instrumental introduction to “Under Pressure”, to realise that, as Americans would put it, this was going to be a hell of an evening.
And it was!
I’ll just mention that some 20 min into the gig, a few people living close by came to check if the music was live or played from a CD!
There were three other concerts as a part of the VAKANZA SPORT & MUSIC FESTIVAL held in Zadar. Each year the ever growing number of people, not only from Zadar but abroad as well, await impatiently for Queen Real Tribute’s show, and each year it leaves them breathless. This year, several thousand people sang and danced for 2.5 hours with the band led by Ivan Ristanovic’s incredible energy and performance. To make things even more impressive, Ivan Djerfi, the band’s bass player, had a nasty fall a day before, when he fractured several ribs, and we literally had to carry him to the stage. But that did not prevent him from delivering a stellar performance, not once showing a sign of the pain he was going through. I am extremely pleased I’ve “discovered” them and booked the gigs these past four years. We’ll do another 44!!! The band consists of top musicians, and in addition to that, you can spend hours talking with them about the original Queen and everything related to the band. They are an inexhaustible source of information on Queen and it’s a pleasure to know them, collaborate with them, relive that 80s’ spirit and witness a music expression hard to find nowadays.
Thank you for it all.
God Save the Queen!
Borut Gatara
VAKANZA Festival
Zadar, Croatia
„Nice Queen tribute band. Wow!!! What a sound, what a singer!!! You are the best Queen tribute band!!! Hopefully, I will see you in Belgium.“
– Jack Cantella, Belgium