Queen + Paul Rodgers

After they first performed together at the 10 October 2004 induction of Queen to the UK Music Hall of Fame, it was made clear that Rodgers would not be replacing Queen's former lead singer, Freddie Mercury, who died on 24 November 1991, and instead would simply be "featured with" past Queen members. Former Queen bass guitarist John Deacon declined to participate in the collaboration after having retired in 1997. The group's three principal members, May, Taylor, and Rodgers, were supplemented on tour by Queen's former touring keyboard player Spike Edney, rhythm guitarist Jamie Moses, and bass guitarist Danny Miranda, who had previously worked with Blue Öyster Cult. The collaboration spanned two world tours, the studio album The Cosmos Rocks, two live albums, and three live DVDs.
Rodgers announced in May 2009 that the Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration had come to an end, saying, "it was never meant to be a permanent arrangement." He did, however, leave open the possibility for future collaborations, later realized as Queen + Adam Lambert.