Queen seems set to play some concert dates in 2014 — Brian May says he and Roger Taylor have even toasted the idea — but, in a surprise move, no mention is being made of Adam Lambert.
Lambert, of course, has been appearing in place of the late Freddie Mercury consistently since 2009 — including a well-received debut in the U.S. in September 2013. Previous to that, the Idol finalist had made a number of concert stops through Europe with Queen.
But May, in confirming that the band is “looking at doing some dates,” goes on to say that any proposed tour stop would include stalwarts May and Roger Taylor — “and who knows who else.”
Queen has, since Mercury lost his battle with AIDS in the early 1990s, appeared with a number of guest vocalists — most notably Paul Rodgers, with whom they recorded and toured in the 2000s.
Over the years, George Michael, Robbie Williams, Wyclef Jean and Keane’s Tom Chaplin have appeared with Queen, as well. But, other than Rodgers, no one has consistently performed with Queen for longer than Lambert.
Unlike Rodgers, Lambert has yet to record with Queen, however. The 2008 Queen + Rodgers release The Cosmos Rocks is the only Queen-related full-length studio effort ever issued without Mercury out front.
The group returned to the vaults for 1995’s Made in Heaven, and are reportedly preparing a second album of left-over Mercury vocals — though a release date has not been mentioned.
So, where does this leave Lambert? May seems suddenly coy on the issue, though he admits that keeping secrets has become increasingly difficult in the age of social media.
“We’ve been looking at doing some dates — Roger and myself and who knows who else,” May now says. “Of course, these days nothing is a secret for more than the five minutes it takes for Twitter and Facebook to spread rumours. I think we’re up for one more swing out there. In fact, in our Queen meeting today we drank on it!”
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