I experienced my first Candlelight Concert on Thursday evening. It was a unique experience for me on several levels.

Rather than hosting this concert in a theater, nightclub, or concert hall, it took place in the ballroom of a Logan Square mansion.

Nearly all the light in the venue came from hundreds of candles placed around the stage and the floor. The only exceptions were EXIT signs above the doors and tiny bulbs illuminating sheet music.

The Metropolis String Quartet (two violins, a viola, and a cello) provided the evening's music. One would expect chamber music from this quartet. But they played their arrangements of the music of the rock band Queen.

Some of the selections were soft and melodic ("Somebody to Love," "Who Wants to Live Forever," "Love of My Life"), and playing on acoustic strings seemed natural. Others, such as "Another One Bites the Dust," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," and " Under Pressure," required creativity on the part of the performers. For some songs, the artists set aside their bows to pluck their strings, mimicking the guitar and bass guitar of the original rock quartet. Other times, they thumped on their instruments to add rhythm. They sometimes relied on the audience, such as when the crowd stamped hands and feet to the classic " We Will Rock You."

Most songs selected this evening were massive hits, recognizable by even a casual Queen fan, but they did choose a few deep album cuts, like "Who Wants to Live Forever" and "I Want to Break Free."

The quarter consisted of great musicians technically. But it was clear they had fun performing for us. And we had fun listening!