Bad Company on stage July 23

Original members of the British Supergroup Bad Company reunite this summer for a North American tour that takes them from California to Massachusettes.

Founding members Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke will be joined by Howard Leese on guitar (of Heart) and Lynn Sorensen on bass. The quintet will perform Bad Company hits like "Can't Get Enough," "Feel Like Makin' Love," "Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy," "Run with the Pack," "Bad Company" and "Shooting Star."

Compass caught up with frontman Paul Rodgers to chat about his recent stint in Queen, philanthropy and the ever-changing music industry. Here's a little bit of our conversation:

Compass: Tell me about the UK tour you guys just wrapped up.

Paul Rodgers: We finished up at Wembley (Stadium) and it was an absolutely scorching show. We managed to record and film that show, which I'm very pleased with. That's going to be coming out next year. We had a lot of great visitors for the shows. We had Sting . . . and Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. So it's really nice to be appreciated by one's peers. Since then, I've done 10 solo shows in the U.S. and so music is pretty much my life.

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Compass: You guys will be partnering with Abbey Road Live to record and sell live concert CDs onsite at each venue throughout the tour. Tell me about that.

P.R.: Each show is recorded and people can buy it right there that evening, which is interesting because very often you can buy the band's (albums), but you can't buy that very evening's music. It's quite a nice concept. We did it three times in the UK and it worked sensationally. Actually, that's why we recorded Wembley [Stadium] and you can catch some great shows that way.

Compass: You did a stint as Queen's lead singer ...

P.R.: I did four years with Queen. Actually, I was amazed it was four years. It felt like five minutes. We were only going to get together for a couple of shows and it turned into two worldwide tours, numerous live DVDs and a studio album with all original material.

Compass: You've been in the music industry for over four decades. A lot has changed in that time. What's been the most difficult thing to adjust to?

P.R.: Well, there has been a lot of changes. I adapt quite easily, actually. Music fashion changes quite a lot. But I'm pretty set in my way (musically). My style formed itself from lots of blues and lots of soul way back when I was 13 and 14 - playing in clubs and bars around town. I just kept going my own way. I kind of do go with the flow. I like to work with different people. Currently, it's really nice to come back together with Bad Company. The one thing that I've found hard is the lack of vinyl. And I see it's making a comeback (laughs) and I'm quite happy to see that.

Compass: Do you think part of your success over the years is attributed to adaptability?

P.R.: I wonder. That's a good question. If I'm successful, I think it's because I'm still passionate about what I do. I mean, I've always found music fun and I love to hear a great singer or a great guitarist or a great musician or whatever it might be. I'm still a music fan and I'm still very passionate about what I do. When I step on stage, I might be playing a song that I wrote a long time ago like "Shooting Star," but for me it's absolutely fresh that night - it's tonight's version. I'm very much in the moment with what I do.

Bad Company performs at 8 p.m. July 23 at the Amphitheatre, 1340 A1A South.

Tickets are $39, $49, $65 and $85. For details, go to staugamphitheatre.com or call 471-1965. Tickets are available at the Amphitheatre Box Office, online at ticketmaster.com, or at (800) 745-3000.

Kids Rock Free

Paul Rodgers has announced that during both his solo and Bad Company concert tours this year, he will be donating autographed memorabilia and collectibles for a nightly drawing with all proceeds going to the Fender Centers' Kids Rock Free, a national music education initiative. During the concert, raffle tickets will be available for $5 at the merchandise booth. There are also bonus monthly drawings at paulrodgers.com or you can donate $10 to Kids Rock Free by texting "ROCK" to 50555. Rodgers and his wife, Cynthia, will match all monies raised. "Music is being dropped from the school curriculums and if we don't do something, there's going to be less music in the world," Rodgers explains. "For me, the more music in this world, the better the world will be."

FREE MONEY

At each show, Paul and Cynthia Rodgers will give out between $500 and $1,500 to unsuspecting audience members. Cynthia will put $100 bills in envelopes with a letter that says "This is a random act of kindness. All that we ask in return is that you perform a random act of kindness for someone." Then she will pick random people out of the crowd and give them an envelope with the cash inside.