The Friday 5: Five Reasons Why Queen & Adam Lambert Will be Amazing

Yesterday at Madison Square Gardens in New York, it was announced that Queen (Brian May and Roger Taylor) will be back on the road this summer for a full-fledged North American tour. Selected to fill the lofty shoes of long-deceased frontman, Freddie Mercury, is past American Idol standout and Grammy Award-nominee Adam Lambert.

While I’m not an Idol franchise supporter, the moment I first heard Lambert’s voice and witnessed his stage presence, I began waiting for a tour like this.

Lambert has performed numerous times with Queen in the past, but this will likely be a whole new beast as soon as the collective reaches their first North American stage on June 19 in Chicago.

With this being the hot topic of the moment, here are five reasons why Queen + Adam Lambert will be an amazing thing.

The Voice: We all know May and Taylor can handle their business. But when everything is boiled down, what’s needed to really bring Queen back to life in some format is a Mercury-esque voice. Lambert has this in spades. While unfortunately looked upon by many as solely a pop act, Lambert’s voice is very rock n’ roll, and theatrical, and will be showcased as such within this grand scenario. Sometimes, it’s not always where you came from that’s important.

“Bohemian Rhapsody”: The purist of Queen fans may thumb their nose at this connection with Lambert, but if a song as epic as “Bohemian Rhapsody” is to be brought back into the live setting, that is the singer I want trying to sell it.

The Next Generation: One very real thing to consider will be Lambert’s ability to draw in a whole new generation of Queen fans. Pop fans can be a loyal bunch – if the pop artist actually has talent – so I wouldn’t doubt for a second that Lambert fans will come out to these gigs to see him first, and figure out Queen second. By the time they leave, all they’ll be thinking about is the finished product.

Theatrics: Lambert is not one of those dudes that just stands behind the mic…the dude has stage presence. While few have ever been able to touch what Mercury brought to the stage, Lambert’s notorious showmanship will be at the forefront of this marriage and examined very closely. With May and Taylor both well into their 60’s, Lambert will be called upon to really steal the spotlight. I think he’s game.

Hearing it All: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” has already been mentioned, but damn, hearing the hit-infested Queen catalogue in this fashion will be epic. “We are the Champions,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “We Will Rock You,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “The Show Must Go On,” and “Somebody to Love,” are all coming our way again and I can’t help but be excited!

-Adam Grant

Tickets go on sale March 14. Here are the dates:  

6/19 Chicago – United Center
6/21 Winnipeg – MTS Centre
6/23 Saskatoon – Credit Union Centre
6/24 Edmonton – Rexall Place
6/26 Calgary – Scotiabank Saddledome
6/28 Vancouver – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
7/1 San Jose – SAP Center
7/3 Los Angeles – The Forum
7/5 Las Vegas – The Joint
7/6 Las Vegas – The Joint
7/9 Houston – Toyota Center
7/10 Dallas – American Airlines Center
7/12 Detroit – The Palace of Auburn Hills
7/13 Toronto – Air Canada Centre
7/14 Montreal – Bell Centre
7/16 Philadelphia – Wells Fargo Center
7/17 New York – Madison Square Garden
7/19 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
7/20 Washington, DC – Merriweather Post Pavilion