Queen in London 2012

Posted by aliceb on May 24, 2012 in News | 0 comments

Adam Lambert joins Queen in London 2012

Ever since the untimely death of Queen front man Freddie Mercury in 1991, the band have been looking for a suitable replacement in order to deliver the crowd pleasing tours that their fans had become accustomed to. Original band members Brian May, Rodger Taylor and John Deacon have performed together since in a number of capacities, although Deacon retired from the band in 1997 leaving May and Taylor to work together to keep the spirit of the band alive.

In 2009 the band reformed along with Paul Rodgers, embarking on a UK tour using many of the original tracks along with some new collaborations. For 2012 however, American rock singer Adam Lambert will join May and Taylor for Queen’s 2012 summer tour. The band will perform at the Sonisphere Festival in London, and although it will be the first official full concert for Lambert in his new role of lead singer, he is no stranger to performing many of the iconic songs. The former American Idol has sang with the band on numerous occasions, even using their songs to help him win nationwide appeal whilst staring on the eighth season of the hit US show American Idol.

Some fans have expressed their disappointment that Lambert will sing with the band, worried that he will try to overshadow the late Freddie Mercury. As a huge fan of the band and Freddie himself, Lambert is keen to pay respect to the performer by performing his songs in front of an appreciative audience. The London concert takes place on July 7th at Knebworth Park, which is coincidentally the venue where Queen played their last concert together with Freddie Mercury in 1986.

The Queen concert on May 14th 2012 in London offered fans an alternative way to keep the dream alive, as a hologram of Freddie Mercury was used throughout the performance to give the audience the effect of him singing live on stage. Although this technological advance is not necessarily a new technique (Broadway show ‘Come Fly With Me’ projected Frank Sinatra throughout most of their all singing, all dancing production back in 2009) it was a first for Queen fans, and allowed younger audience members the chance to experience what an original Queen concert may have felt like. Brian May was delighted at the new technology saying it was an ‘excellent’ way for fans to see the show.

After artists such as Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert have joined the band, who else would you like to see take to the stage with the group? Lady Gaga has previously been rumoured to perform with the group, and her stage presence and overall feel is very close to Freddie himself. Her ability to whip a crowd into a frenzy and perform to such large audiences would suit the rock group, and who knows – she may appear with the band in the future!