As AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” blared on the sound system at Cox Arena Saturday night, fans from age 7 to 70 joined in for the anticipatory hype.

The electricity amongst the audience was enough to make the hair on your arms rise.

As the curtains rose, the loud murmur throughout the crowd turned from a small wave into a thunderous tsunami.

Roger Taylor took to his drums, Brian May took to his guitar, Paul Rodgers took to his microphone, and all those in the crowd took to their feet.

The reason?

Queen. Is. Back.

With the memory of Freddie Mercury flowing through the collective veins of thousands, Rodgers grabbed the mic and tried to fill Mercury’s shoes.

He came close.

Rodgers – the former frontman of hair-metal favorite Bad Company – brought a stage presence to the show, waving his mic stand through the air like a cheerleader twirling a baton. While his sound wasn’t as sharp as Mercury’s, Rodgers left the crowd satisfied, if not wanting more.

He’s no Freddie – no one ever will be – but he sure knows how to put on a show.

With Queen, pyrotechnics aren’t necessary, background dancers aren’t considered, stunts aren’t needed – besides the mic stand almost poking Rodgers’ eye out.

In an age where the show makes the band, Queen made the show.

The music said it all.

And the fans screamed it back.

The grandfathers holding their lighters, and the grandsons holding their camera phones stood side-by-side, shouting out the words to “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Under Pressure.”

But, as the crowd sang with Rodgers, the band still took control.

Taylor, a master of his craft, wailed on his kit with all of the passion he did in 1981. May ripped through rifts like a madman, reminiscent of a punk kid thrashing in his garage.

And Rodgers.

The soon-to-be 60 year old, clad in leather pants and a fire-engine red, collared shirt, looked closer to 25. His chest hair peaking out of his tight white T-shirt, Rodgers led the crowd in stirring renditions of the band’s most famous work.

When the song called for pure, raw, heated emotion, Rodgers’ voice scratched with the intensity that only a seasoned lead singer can have. But when the song called for melody, for slow, methodic beats and heartfelt cries, Rodgers toned it down for the fans.

But, in toning it down, he certainly didn’t leave the crowd impatient.

In the beginning of “Hammer to Fall,” Rodgers sings with calmness and serenity, watching as a sea of arms sways in the air. But, just as the audience started to get into the groove of the slowed version, Queen brought the rhythm up two notches, startling the spectators with the spectacle.

The concert wasn’t all show, though. There were a few moments during the performance that were particularly moving.

Taylor took the lead for “These are the Days of our Lives,” while videotape of the original band members played in the background. A previously recorded version of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” with a vivacious, young Mercury nailing every note, brought the crowd to a frenzy. As “Rhapsody” got some momentum, Rodgers joined with Mercury in a captivating duet of past and present.

As a whole, the concert was unforgettable. The band blasted with triumph and the crowd responded equally. All of the words, all of the melodies, all of the sounds and sights and smells left the crowd in a daze thinking just one thing.

Queen.

Never.

Left.