Melbourne show proves Queen still musical champions
It’s been eight years since Adam Lambert joined Queen. And the iconic band’s Melbourne show proved we can finally end the debate about Lambert stepping in as frontman.
Entertainment
Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Now on their third Australian tour together, we can surely stop the debate about Adam Lambert fronting Queen.
It just works. So much so that they’re now back in stadiums, something no one saw coming after the death of Freddie Mercury and retirement of bassist John Deacon.
Eight years on, the chemistry between Lambert and Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor is undeniable.
No one’s trying to erase Mercury from history — he’s on the screens, his DNA is in the lyrics, Lambert points out early on that Mercury is “irreplaceable” and that as a fan, he will “keep his memory in all our hearts and celebrate tonight”.
Why Queen watched their Live Aid performance again to prep for Fire Fight
That celebration stretches from stadium-ready singalongs (Killer Queen, Somebody to Love, Under Pressure, I Want to Break Free, Another One Bites the Dust, Don’t Stop Me Now, We Are the Champions) and clap-a-longs (Radio Ga Ga, We Will Rock You) to some deeper cuts the huge amount of kids present who possibly discovered them through the movie Bohemian Rhapsody will have to stream (Dragon Attack, 39, Doing All Right, In the Lap of the Gods).
The way they perform Bohemian Rhapsody in its entirety never fails to stun — Lambert starts it, Freddie surfaces at one point and then even with the multimillion-dollar visuals and staging on this tour, it’s that primitive $10,000 video from 1975 that is the real special effect, as the classic Queen line-up are projected on every possible screen during the ‘Galileo’ section, the vintage clip still overpowering all the modern lasers and hi-tech lighting around it.
There’s been a lot of younger fans at previous Queen shows, but it feels like something’s shifted in the last few years and kids as young as five were dazzled by the mammoth production.
Which reminds you again how lucky Queen were to find Lambert — many bands have tried to do this after losing a sing (including Queen themselves) but few have achieved this level of success.
Lambert makes singing some of the most vocally challenging songs in rock history look effortless, and oozes showmanship. That’s crucial.
And make no mistake, Lambert not only came into this band with his own fiercely loyal solo fanbase thanks to his charisma and voice, he’s expanding it show by show — including after being seen by fresh eyes on the Fire Fight Australia concert performing Queen’s iconic Live Aid set.
Because it’s Queen, there’s the kind of drum and guitar solos you don’t get in modern concerts. Surely they could have probably shaved a few minutes off May’s intergalactic-themed lengthy solo-fest, but there’s a core bunch of fans there for May’s guitar prowess.
And maybe as these tours continue they could look at throwing in singles like Body Language or Flash to mix it up.
The bad weather that has followed Queen around the country so far finally kicked in halfway through the show.
The band had erected a gazebo on their catwalk to keep them dry when away from the safety of their enclosed stage, as well as a system of umbrellas to escort them back and forth.
But fans were quick to don ponchos and even official VIP raincoats as the downpour grew, but the show went on — a bit of singing in the rain wasn’t going to stop the reign of Queen.
Queen and Adam Lambert play AAMI Park again tonight, hitting the stage at 8.30pm sharp, with no support. Tickets are still available.