7.3.17 Travel Day
Jul 3, 2017 1:54:09 GMT -5
Post by Q3 on Jul 3, 2017 1:54:09 GMT -5
Review: Queen and Adam Lambert are the champions of KeyArena
Originally published July 1, 2017 at 10:52 pm Updated July 2, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Brian May, guitarist and songwriter, performs with Queen on Saturday, July 1, 2017 at KeyArena. (Kjell Redal / The Seattle Times)
Adam Lambert gets in the crowd’s face during the Queen show Saturday, July 1, 2017 at KeyArena. (Kjell Redal / The Seattle Times)
Adam Lambert, left, and Brian May, right, perform Saturday, July 1, 2017 at the Key Arena. (Kjell Reda l/ The Seattle Times)
An excited crowd watches Queen perform Saturday, July 1, 2017 at Key Arena. (Kjell Redal / The Seattle Times)
Lambert wins over any doubters with his reverent take on Queen classics at Seattle show.
By Owen R. Smith
Special to The Seattle Times
It’s not often artists gets to live their own dream and keep someone else’s alive at the same time, so it was refreshing to see Adam Lambert and Queen attack the opportunity with zeal Saturday night at sold-out KeyArena.
Queen only has two original members left, guitarist Brian May and Roger Taylor, and it was these two pillars of rock history that most of the older crowd was there to see. The band opened with a thundering snippet of “We Will Rock You,” and used a blistering May guitar solo to transition smoothly into “Hammer to Fall,” reassuring the audience early and often that yeah, at 69 years old he’s still got it.
The partnership between Lambert and Queen has been going strong for five years, and the former “American Idol” runner-up’s elastic, laser-beam of a voice is a natural fit to fill the sonic void left by Freddie Mercury. While no one can ever truly replace the legendary, pioneering frontman, Lambert is good enough that it introduces an uncomfortable notion: were Mercury still alive and with the band, he would be 71 and it is unlikely they’d sound as vital as they do in their current form.
That thought was on no one’s mind as Lambert tore through a parade of hits including “Another One Bites the Dust,” off 1980’s “The Game,” and “Fat Bottom Girls,” which had the crowd roaring the lyrics in a raucous singalong.
After whipping the crowd up, Lambert used a moment to catch his breath and acknowledge that he would never try to replace Mercury.
“I’m a fan just like you guys,” he said in a speech that would be lip service if not for the obvious care Lambert has for Queen’s catalog. That love was evident throughout the evening but was especially prominent on “Under Pressure,” which they dedicated to David Bowie, who contributed vocals to the 1982 hit.
With Taylor playing a second set of drums on the large catwalk that cut through the arena floor, Lambert circled the drums and locked eyes with him as they sang the duet. It was as intimate a moment as you can have playing rock music in an arena filled with thousands of people and showed the reverence Lambert has for his sexagenarian tourmates.
To no one’s surprise, Queen closed out the main portion of the show with two of their greatest hits, “Radio Ga Ga” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” As theatrical as much of Queen’s music is, “Bohemian Rhapsody” takes it to another level and in the wrong hands, it could end up seeming like parody or even karaoke but that was never a fear with Lambert, who won over any doubters by night’s end.
The band came back out for a few more, including “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” It was a triumphant way to end the evening.
Link: www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/queen-and-adam-lambert-are-the-champions-of-keyarena/
QAL 2017 Tour Schedule
North American Tour
June 24th Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
June 26th Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
June 27th Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
June 29th San Jose, CA - SAP Center
July 1st Seattle, WA - Key Arena
July 2nd Vancouver, BC - Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
July 4th Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place
July 6th Denver, CO - Pepsi Center Arena
July 8th Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Arena
July 9th Kansas City, MO - Sprint Centre
July 13th Chicago, IL - United Center
July 14th St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
July 17th Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
July 18th Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
July 20th Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
July 21st Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
July 23rd Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
July 25th Boston, MA - TD Garden
July 26th Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
July 28th New York, NY - Barclays Center
July 30th Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
July 31st Washington D.C. - Verizon Center
August 2nd Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
August 4th Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
August 5th Houston, TX - Toyota Center
European and UK Tour
November 1st - Prague, Czech Republic, O2 Arena
November 2nd - Munich, Germany, Olympiahalle
November 4th - Budapest, Hungary, Sportarena
November 6th - Lodz, Poland, Atlas Arena
November 8th - Vienna, Austria, Stadhalle
November 10th - Bologna, Italy, Unipol Arena
November 12th - Luxembourg, Amneville Galaxie
November 13th - Amsterdam, Netherlands, Ziggo Dome
November 17th - Kaunas, Lithuania, Zalgiris Arena
November 19th - Hartwell Arena, Helsinki, Finland
November 21st - Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
November 22nd - Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
November 25th - Dublin, 3 Arena
November 26th - Belfast, SSE Arena- BUY TICKETS
November 28th - Liverpool, Echo Arena
November 30th - Birmingham, Barclaycard Arena
December 1st - Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena
December 3rd - Glasgow, The SSE Hydro
December 5th - Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
December 6th - Leeds, First Direct Arena
December 8th - Sheffield Arena
December 9th - Manchester, Arena
December 12th - London, 02 Arena
December 13th - London, 02 Arena
December 15th - London, The SSE Arena, Wembley
December 16th - Birmingham, Barclaycard Arena