As Queen prepares to take its world tour with Adam Lambert into the UK and Europe in 2015, Brian May is making a bold statement about how they compare with the band’s Freddie Mercury-fronted era.
“The energy which we generate in an arena is I would say as strong as ever — and I think Freddie would agree with me,” May tells Neu Magazine. “I don’t think he would be upset with me saying that. I think the Queen show today that we do with Adam Lambert is the equal of anything we ever did.”
Mercury, who passed in 1991 from AIDS-related complications, was a cornerstone in Queen’s initial success. Since his death, May and Roger Taylor have appeared with a number of guest vocalists — though Paul Rodgers and now Adam Lambert have enjoyed the longest stints.
May admits, however, that he wasn’t seeking another frontman when Queen initially met Lambert during a joint appearance on American Idol in 2009.
“I wasn’t looking for a lead singer,” May says, “but suddenly, here’s this guy who is very much like Freddie, in some ways. He’s very ebullient, he’s very camp, he’s very funny — and the voice is outrageously brilliant. And he can do Queen songs. He has the spirit for it. So we just said, ‘OK, we have to do this. Let’s give this a try.'”
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tired of Brian May. Adam Lambert won’t even be a footnote in the story of Queen. hopefully some people understand the difference between an airbrushed pop star and the genuine article.
Oh, yeah? Then why were all of Queen + Adam Lambert’s shows sold out in 2012, 2014, and the shows for 2015 were sold out, too? People can’t get enough of them. Adam can’t write his own music? He’s written about 80% of the songs in both of his albums, plus over 50 songs he didn’t record in his second album! How about you do your research before you talk about somebody before making a total fool of yourself like you just did? You know nothing about Adam Lambert and it is obvious in your comment! Sadly, Freddie will never come back and if you refuse to accept that, don’t watch or attend Queens performances! It’s that simple!!
I read an article recently about a family who kept the fathers corpse locked up in his bedroom for six months because they thought that if they prayed hard enough he would be resurrected, sort of reminded me of some of the deluded Freddie fans.
Pretty sure one can prefer a band’s earlier work with its deceased members without being placed in the same category as weird death fetishists. If not, fans of the Who, the Rolling Stones, Metallica, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Deep Purple, the Ramones, Alice in Chains, the Band, Yes, the Cars, Bad Company, the E Street Band, the Grateful Dead, Black Sabbath, Chicago, the Allman Brothers Band, Kiss, Styx, Boston and the Electric Light Orchestra (to name but a few) should be seeking prompt medical attention.
sorry but you do not understand. I’m happy to close the chapter on Queen. If only Brian and Roger could do the same.
If you were one of the best guitarists in the world you wouldn’t want to spend your days gardening while your axe collects dust.
if “selling out” is your definition of success then you are hereby forced to watch Britney Spears and Jonas Brothers concerts for the rest of your life.
Everything you said in that comment is just plain wrong. Every word from beginning to end. Why do people who think themselves music experts insist on showing themselves up constantly in this way?
He’s a songwriter like Beyonce and all the others which means he doesn’t write his own songs. Booya!
Adam is a songwriter. In fact he is often praised by those he collaborates with. The worst song on his last album was written by Bruno Mars. Adam wrote all of the good ones.
His last album was written by him every song and it charted at number 1 on Billboard so anything you say from now on is moot. He has far more range than Freddie ever had and his voice has been trained since he was 10 yrs old. I am an old Queen fan having seen them several times in the 70’s and 80’s and I saw this show this summer here in the US. Amazing and every bit as good as old Queen, just different. So Freddie fundamentalists go listen you your old vinyl so there will be more tickets for those of us who actually know what good real music sounds like.
Adam Lambert certainly has range but he unfortunately has the tone of a rabid crow. if this is your definition of “good music” then I’d like to see what else is in your collection.
Well, I don’t know about her, but Prince, Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC, Neil Diamond, Queen, Lenny Kravitz, Sarah Brightman, Bocelli, Jimmy Hendrix, INXS, some old jazz classics like Lighthouse Five, Gerry Mulligan, Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner, Stan Kenton band, and Latin music (Jose Jose, Mexican singer, Agustin Lara, singer/songwriter and many others), some Portuguese fado.
Lawd! Do your research at least. Adam’s written his own songs for many years now, they’re all registered at music copyright sites like ASCAP – go do a search – it’s not hard. Nah, of course you haven’t. Too busy rushing to judge instead of actually giving the guy a chance. Do you really think 10s of thousands of people worldwide would be clamoring to watch them for 2 plus hours straight if it “lacked energy” etc? Yes fortunately most people CAN see the genuine article – and that would be Adam Lambert.
right. a middle-class kid from San Diego who begged for approval from Paula Abdul on live television. Sounds like a real rock star. I’m noticing a trend with these comments… it’s all females. Could it be that you like Adam because he’s good looking and not because he’s actually a real musician?
Yeah because women are so stupid and trivial we only go for looks and are totally incapable of liking artists for their actual talent and skills. *rolls eyes* But I agree he is a real musician. Thanks for pointing that out. 😀
Why do you have this desperate need to defend Freddie’s legacy? And PLEASE, explain to me how bashing Adam contributes anything good to Freddie’s legacy?
All he’s doing is singing Queen songs (as others have done before him) at the request of Brian and Roger, who want to do a last tour of arenas. They love to perform, and obviously there are lots of people who want to see and hear them live. And while Adam is doing this tour (which has really put Queen in the spotlight again and caused their albums and music to be charting again in US iTunes and others) they have released TWO NEW compilations of FREDDIE’S work, Live at the Rainbow and Queen Forever, both selling very nicely worldwide. I, along with hundreds of other current Adam and long-time Queen fans, have bought them. Live at the Rainbow is just magnificent, and Queen Forever has some lovely tracks too; I especially love Bijou.
Profiteering? Brian and Roger are each worth more than 50 million pounds reportedly. And per Forbes, in his 5 years after Idol, Adam has earned $12.5 million, from his tours, private gigs, merchandise, and music sales worldwide. Enough to buy a $2.9 million house in the Hollywood Hills BEFORE THIS QUEEN TOUR.
Of course the money is nice, but they also love to perform. And they don’t give a damn what you call it, or whether you like it or not. As long as the concerts do well, and they can experience that energy of live audiences, they are happy and having a blast on stage.
And finally, some of the greatest singers never wrote a single song, they are interpreters. That is a nice addition, but totally irrelevant. Freddie sang plenty of songs that he didn’t write. So did Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, etc. etc. Queen has covered other bands’ music too. When majority of people hear a song they like, they really don’t go and look up who wrote it.
I have to disagree w/you Scott. I think Adam Lambert fits in with them perfectly. If you have not seen them live, then your opinion is invalid. I went to one of their concerts and I have to say that it was one of my favorite concerts of all time. The energy in the air was unbelievable. There wasn’t a person there that was sitting. Everyone was up on their feet, singing along, cheering, whistling, hands in the air. If I could, I would see them again.
i’ve watched every clip from every concert they’ve performed together. So we’re talking at least a hundred hours. The energy comes from the songs, not from Lambert. These fans would be just as happy with a Freddie hologram. It’s crap, and it’s no substitute.
hahaha if you’ve watched that much footage you’re doing better than any fan I know of & that takes real dedication. Also, videos are NOT live. By definition – they’re videos. Live means being in the same room as the performers not in your basement in front of a computer screen. So sorry, you wasted your time…. assuming you really were so obsessively determined to “prove” how awful Adam is that you really and truly watched EVERY SINGLE CLIP FROM EVERY SINGLE CONCERT THEY PERFORMED TOGETHER IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS (that’s 100s & 100s BTW).
Think I just heard the rock world laughing. It all comes down to this, May is liking the attention finally spouted on him and Taylor is like some zombie who just goes with the flow. This Lambert character has a Clay Aiken following and this is what May is seeing though he’s not bright enough to realize it. Lambert is a manufactured tool. For years he’s had a large group of people working with him to mold and to try to make him better, something Mercury never had to do. With Mercury what you heard and saw on stage was the work of a man who developed everything himself, his voice, his songwriting, his stage presence. Can’t even compare the eras. The past era was of natural talent with real rock fans who knew their stuff. The current era is manufactured talent with fans who don’t know rock music.
Anybody care to read this manuscript length comment? I think not.
Ignorance is not a profession and it won’t comfort you when you’re old, you should know that by now.
What proof can you offer that he is a “manufactured tool”? Seems to me he’s a pretty straight-forward, honest person with a mind of his own. Having been to one of their concerts I can tell you it was a very age-diverse audience. the old Queen fans were rocking it just as hard as anyone.
Are you posting just to annoy people? Obviously you do not have any insight that is based in reality. Adam is a self made man. Early Adam, Zodiac Club, Upright Cabaret is the same Adam today. He is just an older more experienced performer who has refined his craft. He is the best vocalist of this generation. If you don’t think so get your ears checked.
Mercury wrote some songs and he’s a good songwriter, but most all he did was with the other band members. They even played on his solo albums, which his diehard fans didn’t even support enough to make them hits. And when did he ever tour on his own?
Adam has two successful albums which supported two sold out int’l tours with his own band, plus many one off lucrative gigs like two Hennessey concerts in Shanghai & Vietnam, the huge Life Ball in Vienna, rare invite as guest performer on the huge Asian Music Awards, his own sold out concert in Shanghai, and many others with his band. He has fan clubs in about 15 countries, such as Russia, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Czech Rep, Brazil, even Iran. His albums/singles have gone Gold and Platinum in several countries including the U.S. ALL BEFORE QUEEN. They did not contact Adam until 2 1/2 yrs after Idol . He wanted to make it on his own.
His worldwide fan base is well known as one of the most dedicated and supportive in music.
The industry today is tough and cutthroat, which explains why Metallica just spent a week playing on a late night talk show in the U.S., the Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS. Have to find audiences wherever they can. TV brings big audiences.
downgrading Mercury’s legacy and lauding Adam Lambert, rambling about fan clubs and Craig Ferguson and who knows what else. I’m honestly fascinated by your logic.
You nailed it. Lots of people will shell out money to see this nostalgia act but in the end Lambert will be forgotten and Mercury will be studied and revered.
Awosome RollingwiththeBenz you said the right. Swings Freddie Mercury will never be substituted . He is the #1 … No body can be like him. He has the love that flows from his heart and love for the fans that made him so proud to sing with us His fans. But the shows has to continue e I am sure that Freddue where his now it is much better than this material world and still Freddues is happy that Queens songs still alive because Freddie is a legendary forever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever
Such a well deserved tribute to the men and their music …mutual love and respect!>> Queen + Adam Lambert – “Somebody to Love” #1 trending topic on Facebook
for hours!>>”the voice is outrageously brilliant”.
The most incredible point here to be made is QUEEN plus ADAM LAMBERT is current! It’s here. NOW! You have ROCK LEGENDS, still alive and well. You have an amazingly talented singer with a voice that can handle difficult ranges, and still sound like beautiful MUSIC. Then…you have us! Fans! We are both QUEEN and ADAM LAMBERT fans coming together with a common bond-MUSIC! It wakes up the soul. It kills the sorrows! And thankfully, it lives forever someplace in our hearts. Freddie Mercury did it! Adam Lambert is still doing it. And…so why not BRIAN MAY and ROGER TAYLOR. No one here, so far, has even mentioned RUFFUS TIGER TAYLOR! <–An extremely talented artist who takes after his father. This union of excellence has given fans something never planned, nor orchestrated. It wasn't made out of some manufactured idea to recreate QUEEN. It is QUEEN as it should be here and now! When I lost my brother, I could not imagine anyone ever filling up his shoes. I could not imagine anyone healing my heart from the hurt I felt. But if he were here today, just like FREDDIE, he would want me to let MUSIC be my healing source. He would embrace seeing a smile on my face again. And he would be there, just like FREDDIE, to cheer for this group of genius men. He'd love ADAM. I have no doubt about it. The man, my brother, was brilliant. He knew history and music and lots more. He introduced me to to QUEEN, and other very talented musicians. You have to give this a chance. BELIEVE the sold out crowds around the world. Stop sitting on your hands and your ears. We can honor those who left us with sincerity. And like they would, find new ways to keep their energy flowing through us. I LOVE QUEEN PLUS ADAM LAMBERT!
I agree with you about Rufus, He adds to the young energy that Adam creates.
except they are performing songs from 20-30 years ago.
I agree with you. I am fan Queen with the best swing and voice in the world Freddie Mercury. But we know that where Freddie is now it is much better than this material world and he is happy that Brian and Rogers still can run their’s songs and why not with Adam Lambert that love Queens song and love Ferddie Mercury too? He has a beautiful voice but not the same swing. But still singing Queens songs very nice too. We can enjoy Bruan and Rigers playing some nice. The show has to go on…… Love you all ??????????????????
There are about five(5) people that run from one Adam Lambert article to the other making snide comments, at least two of them are here. Either they have no life at all or they’re caught up in an undertow of stupidity.
Yep. And there are a similar number of people who run from one Adam Lambert article to the other singing his praises. Either they too have no life at all or …
There is no comparison between people visiting an article about someone they like to sing their praises and someone who visits articles about someone they dislike just to spew hate.
it’s not “hate” it’s disagreement.
No I don’t see any self-contradiction. People who do not like something typically don’t subject themselves to more of the same by visiting multiple articles much less commenting on each one. Call it hate, negativity or whatever you want, but it’s totally different then someone visiting multiple articles about someone they like.
You finally sold your soul, Brian! It could not have been easy living in the shadows of Freddie.
Brilliant!! Adam Lambert is a genuine artist who has been working hard at his craft since he was a young boy & it shows. He has a fascinating history with Broadway, his rock band & songwriting/studio work before intelligently using a tv talent show to get himself in front of as big an audience as he could. His vocal range, control, technique etc are second to none but the best part to me is how much joy he radiates when he performs. I love the chemistry he has with Bri & Rog and his humour & humility on stage. So wonderful that the music of Queen continues to live on via this awesome collaboration.
What did Adam do on Broadway? I was unaware he’d played there.
he hasn’t. but if he’s lucky that’ll be his future.
I believe you mean Broadway “musicals” as in the genre not the place. Because he’s never wanted to work in NY he’s done the touring companies’ versions of “Broadway” shows including internationally – HAIR.
Aside from the voice and the performance, there’s the songs Freddie wrote. Lambert doesn’t come anywhere close in songwriting ability. Tell me a song written by Lambert within his first few years that’s as amazing or well known as ones Freddie wrote in the first few years of his career. Anything that compares to Killer Queen? Bohemian Rhapsody? Somebody To Love? We Are The Champions? Don’t Stop me Now? No. Not at all.
Adam is your average modern day pop star. Freddie Mercury, a legend. That’s the difference.
i’m not sure why Lambert’s defenders are saying he’s written his own songs. he has a few writing credits, lesser known tracks on his albums, but he’s basically just a face and a voice. to be fair he seems like a nice guy but to compare him to Freddie, or even allow him to sing these songs, is artistically crass.
You’re not sure why they’re saying Adam writes his own songs….. gee let me think…..Oh I know….that would be because he HAS written his own songs. Dozens of them. LMAO
And as for “allowing” him to sing Queen’s songs, that’s really not up to you is it. That’s up to Queen (Bri, Roger, Spike etc) and they’re more than happy about it. He does a fantastic job & I’m not sure why some people keep whining about it. AFAIK no-one has died or been left homeless over the past 3 years because Adam’s been fronting Queen.
Let’s just stick to facts ok. 🙂 Adam has around 30 song writing credits dating back to 2007, including rock songs he wrote for his band The Citizen Vein, 3 or 4 songs on his 2009 debut album and all but a couple of the tracks on his critically acclaimed sophomore album. Sites like ASCAP can help you be a more informed commenter. Cheers!
Why do people have to compare and put others down. If you dont like it, dont watch or dont listen. Freddie was awesome, no one is disputing Freddies talents, but he is gone and Brian and Roger would like to go performing, they were Queen just as much as Freddie Mercury. I have seen Queen about 7 times with Freddie and would jump at the chance to see them with Lambert. I would pay to see Brian May play with anyone, he is an alltime great guitar player.
Very few song writers, no matter how experienced or talented, have ever written songs as popular and amazing as Queen & Freddie wrote so you can hardly bash Adam for not having done it yet either. 🙂
obviously. which is why he keeps making self-indulgent decisions.
just because something sells out doesn’t make it good. that’s a really shallow definition of success.
He is GAY ,cat ladies ,simmer down .AL will be well forgotten …Freddie is a legend for generations to come
Interesting, but none of that is on Broadway. It’s all in LA and regional. Has Adam done any stage work on Broadway, in New York City?
Oh look. ^^ One of the queen online trolls trolling Lambert all over the internet still. MANY MANY MANY months after the FIRST concert. Try getting your OWN life, Lambert’s is TAKEN. ALIVE, WELL and THRIVING.
Geez, chill. I just asked a question about when Adam did Broadway because I hadn’t heard he had (and, as it turns out, he hasn’t). Not sure asking one question on one forum makes a person a troll “all over the Internet”, but OK. Whatevs. I’m glad to hear he’s doing well. 🙂
Adam Lambert is the perfect stand in. If it was just profits, the audience wouldn’t come. but they have heard queen with adam and that’s why they come. No one can replace Freddie, but adam is pretty damn close. Just like arnell pineda as Journy’s lead singer. they have sold out everywhere they go.
Yes Lambert is ok. For sure nobody will substitute Freddie Merury. Lamberts know it. And he doesn’t like substitute he said that he loves Queens songs and love Freddie Mercury too. Everyone loves Freddie. I never saw a swing that Freddie had ( he is the only one that has so nice swing and voice) Lambert was little he likes the Queens songs.
The fans must leave Freddie soul free. I am sure where Freddie is now is much better than this material world. He is happy seeing his friends queen going one alive with their songs. Freddie is happy with this I am sure. Queens go one and good luck. God bless you all.??????????????????