John Deacon has made a rare public appearance of sorts by signing a copy of Queen’s seminal 1975 record ‘A Night at the Opera’, alongside Brian May and Roger Taylor. The signed vinyl, confirmed authentic by the Mercury Phoenix Trust, will be auctioned at the Freddie Mercury Birthday Party in Montreux on September 6, with proceeds supporting HIV/AIDS awareness.
The album will be up for silent auction at the annual Freddie Mercury Birthday Party in Montreux, a fundraiser for a charity set up in the late legend’s name.
This marks Deacon’s first memorabilia signing since retiring from the band in 1997. While he remains out of the spotlight, May and Taylor have said Deacon still approves major band decisions behind the scenes, though he avoids creative involvement.
Taylor has reflected that, had Mercury lived, Queen would likely still be active, though Deacon may not have continued due to his introverted nature. Meanwhile, May has not ruled out the possibility of new Queen material in the future.