Standing ovation brings 2019 Open Air Theatre Season to a close

Scandinavian tribute stars Queen Machine were joined on Stage by West End leading lady Kerry Ellis and the London Symphonic Rock Orchestra, to create an unforgettable night of non-stop hits.

The evening started with an energising performance of 80's classic One Vision before swiftly winding back the clock for hits including Tie Your Mother Down, Seven Seas of Rye, Killer Queen and You're My Best Friend.

Then a very familiar opening beat began and before long the crowd were clapping in unison, joining in with the anthemic We Will Rock You.

Lead singer Bjarke Baisner exited the stage and was replaced by the incredible Kerry Ellis, wearing an eye-catching teal sequined jumpsuit, she held the crowd in the palm of her hand as she sang hits Don't Stop Me Now and These are the Days of Our Lives.

Kerry left the stage and Bjarke rejoined his Queen Machine band members Peter Møller Jeppesen on guitar, Henrik Østergaard on keys, Jens Lunde on bass and Paolo Romano Torquati on drums.

The show continued with Crazy Little Thing Called Love, I Want it All, The Show Must Go On before Kerry Ellis returned to sing No One But You and Kerry and Bjarke bought the first half to a close with fan favourite Save Me.

If the crowd had thought the first half was good, the second half raised the bar completely. Bjarke Baisner came out channelling his inner Freddie Mercury, as he totally owned the stage during a riveting performance of Radio Ga Ga.

This was followed by Hammer to Fall which allowed the London Symphonic Rock Orchestra to fully show off the additional richness and depth they bring to the performance.

The crowd then fell silent for the only time in the evening as Bjarke Baisner asked "Are there any Fat Bottomed Girls here tonight?" before breaking into the much-loved song.

The internationally renowned tribute band, who the Official International Queen Fan Club hail as: “Quite simply one of THE best Queen tribute bands we have ever had at any of our events,”, followed with Another One Bites the Dust and the crowd was theirs.

Kerry Ellis came back to the stage for a solo performance of Love of My Life before captivating the crowd with the hauntingly powerful duet Who Wants to Live Forever with Bjarke Baisner. The two then ramped up the volume with a foot tapping rendition of Under Pressure.

It's a Kind of Magic and I Want to Break Free followed before Bjarke sat at the piano and played the opening bars of Bohemian Rhapsody. In what has to be one of the most special moments ever at the Open Air Theatre, Bjarke stayed silent while the crowd sang the first verse alone, the Dane, clearly moved by the occasion, simply shook his head before joining in with the second verse.

As the final words of the song echoed around the venue, the crowd rose as one to their feet, cheering and shouting and begging for more.

The group didn't disappoint, joined once again on stage by Kerry Ellis, they gave a rousing rendition of Somebody to Love before sending the crowd on their way home with the Queen Anthem We Are the Champions.

An absolutely incredible night at the OAT, summed up on their Twitter page which read "WOW what an incredible show!!! A huge thank you to Queen Machine Symphonic and Kerry Ellis for rocking Scarborough! A great end to a fantastic Summer season, thank you for joining us!"