Queen + Adam Lambert

41 Replies

I believe it was 1977 when I first heard Queen and Bohemian Rhapsody playing on the radio.  I know the song was released earlier, but this is from my ancient memory banks.  My mother had a pink T-bird in 1977 (I kid you not); we used to cruise around Tucson and that song would come on all the time. The funny thing is Mom loved it. So at the ripe old age of 10, I was instantly in love with Queen and all things Freddie.

In and around 1980 when I was 12, I bought the piano sheet music to Bohemian Rhapsody so I could get to work on perfecting it.  It took me 10 years or more, but I managed to master it to the best of my ability.  If you’ve ever played any Queen music… on a musical instrument… you understand.  Freddie did not compose easy music.  And I am not an accomplished musician.

When I was 14, my father bought my sister and I a stereo for Christmas along with a couple of vinyl albums to get us started, one of which was Queen. Ahhh, that opened a whole new world to us by way of music. Money allowing for a teenager, I eventually owned everything Queen.

(By the way… July 3rd is my father’s birthday… he would’ve been 88 today!  Happy Birthday Dad!)

Fast forward to 1991 when devastation hit and Freddie died.  Gone were my chances of ever seeing Queen live in concert…

But then… enter Adam Lambert some 20 years later.  Brian May and Roger Taylor (the remaining members of Queen) for whatever reason took a chance on this kid to bring Queen back to life and give fans what they wanted… one last shot to see and hear their music.  And wow, I have to say, Adam rocked the house.

 

Adam doesn’t try to personalize Queen’s songs.  He sings them as Freddie would have sung them of which I was very appreciative.  And he sings them well.  Dr. Brian May still managed to make that guitar come to life just as he did 40 years ago, and Roger Taylor… well, how he doesn’t manage to lose 5 pounds every night from the workout he gets with every show is beyond me. The older boys definitely still have it!!

I can count at least 3 times during the show when I become so overwhelmed with emotion that tears flowed, as did the entire audience.  One moment in particular was during Love Of My Life. Brian sat down with his acoustic guitar and sang the song as Freddie would have, and towards the end, Freddie appeared on the big screen with Brian and took over the singing… then walked off at the end of the song as Brian waved goodbye.

Another tear jerker was when Adam sang Who Wants To Live Forever…

By the by, Adam has a new single out, Two Fux.  I’m thinking this is one we will never hear on the radio, but he sang it during the concert and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  He deserves recognition for that catchy little tune and I will definitely be adding it to my playlist.

It was an amazing time.  This is one show I would see over and over again if I could, so if you love Queen and ever get the chance, do go see it.  You will not be disappointed.

41 thoughts on “Queen + Adam Lambert”

  2. Janet wilson

    A great concert by the sound of it. Yes years of memories, it was Alan who brought Bohemian Rhapsody when it first came out. We were all hooked. Yes the oldies can still rock!!! Loved the pics. Jx

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  3. tyronepierre

    Wow! It looks like it was an incredible evening! Freddy Mercury was such a show man and great talent! Sounds like Adam Lambert done an amazing job too! Like Brian I am also jealous, but the night looked amazing! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thank you! Yes, it was fabulous! I was extremely impressed with Adam, he did an amazing job! I actually had my doubts, but when he sang Somebody To Love and he hit that note at the end, I was sold. I think that was a biggie for everyone. I even met a groupie from California who had actually seen them opening night in London (how on earth did you miss it, hehe). She traveled all that way to see them, and right now she is in the middle of a 4-city tour, following them. It was fascinating to talk to her though. Yes, a really good show! 😀

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      3. greg-in-washington

        I have more LPs than I feel interested to count, mostly from the 60’s, but the one Queen album is “News of the Worldl”. It is a single album in a double album cover with giant robot artwork on both sides with the robot grabbing people. Released in 77 but my copy was purchased in the early 80’s.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Lady G

    I’ve been waiting on your review of this concert!
    You know how much I wanted to go!
    Now…first, let me wish your dear late father a happy birthday, he’s probably looking about 25 right about now! Heaven lets you do that right? LOL!
    Ok…I am impressed that you can bang out anything that remotely sounds like Bohemian Rhapsody!
    You are the woman!
    I also wondered if Lambert stayed true to the music as it was sung by that dynamo, Freddie Mercury…my question is now answered! Like you, I appreciate that very much.
    Oh..I love, love, love those pics!
    Thanks for this Paula! You made my day!
    Queen! Forever! YAAASSSS!

    In other news, my friend just moved to a house in the Alki Beach area-are you familiar?

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Awww, thank you so much for the lovely comments, Lady G! Yaaasss, Queen forever!! ❤

      And yes indeedy I’m familiar with the Alki Beach area… well, know of it anyway! We actually want to move to that area once AJ starts college (although I would miss my lovely little town). I hear it’s fabulous there, and there’s also a running trail around it that I want to go check out (of course, haha)! That is very cool for your friend! I hope she loves it!! 😃 Was she living in the heart of the city before?

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      1. Lady G

        🙏🏾🙏🏾She lived in West Seattle when she first moved there. She just got recruited by Amazon to come work for them and an opportunity to move came at the same time. What a huge blessing that was ✨✨

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Lady G

        I’ll let you know as soon as I make it up there. Can’t say when that’ll be but my son is going up in a couple of weeks 🕺🏿🕺🏿🕺🏿🕺🏿

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  12. Susan Leighton

    Thanks for sharing your Queen experience, Paula. I also love the group and Freddie Mercury. I think he was one of the best front men ever. What a voice! I do think Adam has the theatricality and the chops to represent Freddie. You are so lucky to have seen them in concert. I envy you.

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Hehe, thanks Susan! True that… if anyone can pull off singing Freddie, Adam can… and he did it really well. I remember years ago that Brian and Roger tried this with the lead singer from Player, whose name escapes me right now, but that didn’t go off very well. A total mismatch. Anyway, seeing them live was an incredible experience.

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  14. Doctor Jonathan

    Music is one of those powerful POSITIVES I talk about regarding healthy sources of release. The harmonics create REAL physiological changes in addition to the emotional satisfaction achieved within. Glad you were able to have such an amazing experience!

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  17. The Happy Healthy Kiwi

    I love Queen! I didn’t ‘discover’ them until well after Freddie passed but he definitely lives on in their songs. Would love to see this concert.

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