Passengers at Barcelona's Universitat metro station were met with a live Queen tribute performance before 11am on Wednesday, when God Save The Queen turned the main concourse into an impromptu stage for about 30 minutes.

According to Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, or TMB, the city's public transport operator, the event was organised with the BARTS Festival and Pride Barcelona. For commuters passing through one of the network's central stations, the immediate effect was a brief live concert inside the metro rather than the usual station announcements and foot traffic.

The band played a run of Queen songs including A Kind of Magic, Another One Bites the Dust, Don't Stop Me Now, I Want to Break Free, We Are the Champions and We Will Rock You, according to TMB's account of the event.

Universitat station used as a live music venue

TMB said the surprise performance transformed the main hall at Universitat into a meeting point between music and passengers. The operator described people stopping in the station to watch as the group recreated Queen's sound, staging and visual style in an unusual setting far from a conventional concert venue.

TMB said the event was intended to promote the use of public transport, surprise passengers, bring live music closer to users and support equality and inclusion.

The appearance took place on a hot Wednesday morning and was presented as a one-off live intervention in the metro rather than a scheduled public concert inside the station.

Concert at Poble Espanyol follows on 9 July

The metro performance also served as a curtain-raiser for God Save The Queen's concert on Thursday 9 July at Poble Espanyol as part of the BARTS Festival, according to TMB and the festival listing.

TMB described the Argentine group, also known as Dios Salve a la Reina, as one of the most internationally recognised Queen tribute bands, with more than 20 years of experience. The operator said the Poble Espanyol show will mark 40 years since Freddie Mercury's last performance with Queen.

  • Location of the metro performance: Universitat station
  • Time: before 11am on Wednesday morning
  • Duration: about 30 minutes
  • Next announced concert: Thursday 9 July at Poble Espanyol

Readers wanting details of the scheduled Barcelona concert can check the official Poble Espanyol event page.

Primary sources: noticies.tmb.cat, noticies.tmb.cat, noticies.tmb.cat, noticies.tmb.cat. Reported by mundodeportivo.com, Por Newsroom Infobae Agregar Infobae en Agrega Infobae a tus medios preferidos en Google, beteve.cat, poble-espanyol.com, events.musicofourdesire.com, concerts50.com, Xavier Cervantes.