7.24.17 Adam News & Info
Jul 23, 2017 23:07:21 GMT -5
Post by Q3 on Jul 23, 2017 23:07:21 GMT -5
Why Queen teaming with Adam Lambert makes whole lotta sense
They will, they will rock you
Jed Gottlieb Sunday, July 23, 2017
I want to see Brian May play guitar. Thankfully, he wants to play for me — and half a million more on the Queen + Adam Lambert tour, which stops at the TD Garden on Tuesday.
May and his Queen bandmate, drummer Roger Taylor, have taken some heat for teaming with “American Idol” contender Lambert. For many Freddie Mercury fanatics, the move represents a cash grab by May and Taylor. To some, Lambert’s inclusion offers Queen an opportunity to tap the millennial fan base and gives the young singer an inroad to rock ’n’ roll legitimacy.
We’ve seen this kind of pairing elsewhere this year: John Mayer working with three members of the Grateful Dead; Billy Idol joining Pete Townshend on his “Quadrophenia” tour; Axl Rose filling in for Brian Johnson in AC/DC.
Many people hate this. I think we should cut these bands some slack. (Oh, man, I can’t believe I’m actually advocating cutting Mayer some slack, and yet somehow, I feel the need to defend rock’s greatest modern punching bag.)
Maybe those cynical Queen fans and Deadheads are onto something. But there’s another radical way of looking at the whole situation: These people love playing music, and they’re damn good at it. I refuse to fault May or Mayer for doing what they were put on this earth to do.
While Mayer has a long way to go before he’s a legend, May is a straight-up rock god. He’s a Top 5 living guitarist who is more interesting, innovative and awesome than Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck. Yes, that’s just one man’s opinion. But it is an opinion backed by fans who have purchased upward of 300 million albums. The man deserves to play rock ’n’ roll on a grand stage.
May and Taylor have worked with a number of singers since the death of Mercury in 1991. Lambert hasn’t been my favorite. My first thought after George Michael’s death was, “Ugh, what a tragic loss”; my second was, “Damn, now he’ll never front Queen.”
But Lambert’s pretty spectacular. Take a look at a few YouTube clips. (I’d suggest starting with “Somebody to Love” from the British “X-Factor” in 2014.)
But it doesn’t matter that Lambert can do the songs justice. It doesn’t matter that May is still a revelation on the six-string. If older musicians — even lousy ones — want to keep their craft alive by teaming with young talent, let them do it. Fans who don’t like it don’t need to spend money on the ticket. Fans who think Mercury’s or Jerry Garcia’s legacies are being poisoned need to have a little more respect for their idols. Lambert and Mayer aren’t about to erase (or even compete) with the icons they emulate.
Please, feel free to stay at home and watch Freddie do his thing on your “Queen: Live at Wembley” DVD. I’ll be at the Garden checking out May rip through “Stone Cold Crazy.” I’m confident I’ll be making the better choice.
Queen + Adam Lambert, at TD Garden, Tuesday. Tickets: $45-$942; ticketmaster.com.
Link: www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/2017/07/why_queen_teaming_with_adam_lambert_makes_whole_lotta_sense
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
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