I went to the Queen tribute at Chop Suey last night, a fund raiser for kids affected by AIDs/HIV.

It was packed. They were expecting to raise about $1500 to $2000. At $5-a-head, I imagine they came pretty close to raising the $2K. I’ll report back on that tomorrow or this afternoon when the numbers come in. [THIS JUST IN: $1900. Nicely done. Congrats to event sponsor Rise n’ Shine.]

A note on the show: Queen brings it out. The lead singer in each band showed up obviously having practiced their scales for hours. For example, Sean Bates (“as in masturbates” he told me), brought the house down with a prancing roaring rendition of “We are the Champions,” dressed in a tight white Flash tee shirt. And the guitarists showed up with brand new, glowing electric strings and expensive polished tuned Gibsons 1970s style.

They were all there to bend the club out. And they all did. Highlight songs included “Fat Bottomed Girls” (two different bands on that one), “Somebody to Love,” “Pressure” (a breath taking garage arrangement), “Death on Two Legs,” and a great great work out on “Sheer Heart Attack,” the absolute best Queen song.

Queen, obviously, is the 2nd best rock band of all time. Which, of course, means they’re the best rock band of all time.