|
Post by adamrocks on Aug 1, 2017 17:21:39 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by adamrocks on Aug 1, 2017 17:25:39 GMT -5
|
|
msloyalfan
Member
"And I can't see the truth in living when we hide behind a wall of fear."
Posts: 1,297
Location:
|
Post by msloyalfan on Aug 1, 2017 17:27:44 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by adamrocks on Aug 1, 2017 17:32:38 GMT -5
I don't think we have this review.
Concert Review: Queen + Adam Lambert at Barclays Center, Brooklyn by DANIEL BUKSZPAN on AUGUST 1, 2017
I’ve been listening to the music of Queen since I was seven years old. The new album at the time was “News of the World,” which contains the one-two punch of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions,” and I listened to it obsessively.
When singer Freddie Mercury died in 1991, I believed that the book had been closed forever, that any chance I had to see the band died with him. Maybe that was for the best anyway. Who wants to see those guys continue solely out of some morbid sense of obligation? Sometimes it’s better for something, even something great, to just be over.
Queen tried to soldier on with Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company at the helm, and even though he’s one of my all-time favorite singers, it just didn’t work. He was simply the wrong person.
A few years later, I heard that they were going to go back out on the road, this time with “American Idol” finalist Adam Lambert at the mic. This struck me as an even shittier choice than Paul Rodgers. Rodgers at least had decades in the business behind him. Lambert, on the other hand, was a runner-up on a glorified game show. Why didn’t they just pull some homeless guy off the street and give him the mic while they were at it?
Well, on July 28, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, I was served heaping helpings of crow, heavy on the humiliation, right in front of the band. Lambert is not only an excellent singer who’s 100% up to the technical challenges of singing Queen’s music, but his entire approach is one of appropriate humility.
Lambert seems both cognizant of how lucky he is to be fronting this band, but not intimidated by the task. He sings the songs like he’s been singing along to the records for his entire life, but he doesn’t imitate Mercury – he has a style all his own, both completely original yet a fitting tribute. It’s a delicate balance to strike, and he nailed it.
The set list didn’t include any deep cuts or rarities, which was one of only a couple of problems I had with it. There are a lot of songs less famous than “Another One Bites the Dust” and “Radio Gaga” that would have been nice to hear, but at this point, it’s fairly well-established that the people at the concerts want to hear the hits. The crowd, which ranged in age from my 10-year-old son to people who appeared to be in their 70s, certainly didn’t seem to mind.
So it was a set list that was heavy on the familiar, not that that’s necessarily a problem. In addition to the expected “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the band performed “Killer Queen,” “Stone Cold Crazy” the mighty “Fat Bottomed Girls,” and many, many more. It also had a couple of moments of tribute to Freddie Mercury that I don’t mind saying got both me and my lovely wife more than a little choked up, which we really weren’t expecting.
The only really noticeable flaws came courtesy of drummer Roger Taylor. His playing seemed to drag a bit and the tempos wandered freely, up and down. He sounded kind of tired, and with good reason. He’s now 68 years old, playing the drums every night of the week on a 100-plus-day tour, in a set that lasts for two hours, may simply be more than he can handle.
The fact that there was a second drummer onstage with the group would seem to bear this out. It wasn’t enough of a problem to compromise anyone’s enjoyment of the show, but it’s definitely there, and the recent retirement of Rush drummer Neil Peart from live performances may simply mean that rock drumming is a younger person’s game, like playing football, or any other physically demanding vocation.
Not affected by his age was guitarist Brian May, who just turned 70 and played every note flawlessly. His performance, as well as that of Adam Lambert, was extraordinary enough to overshadow any other problems that might have beset the evening, including the row of doofuses sitting behind me who generally acted like drunken yahoos from the beginning of the show until the last note.
If you have any doubts about whether or not you should see the band perform in this incarnation, you should ignore those doubts and go see them while they’re still playing. Everything works with Lambert at the helm, and if you’re any kind of fan of this group’s music, you should see them perform while they’re still alive and well. You won’t regret it.
|
|
msloyalfan
Member
"And I can't see the truth in living when we hide behind a wall of fear."
Posts: 1,297
Location:
|
Post by msloyalfan on Aug 1, 2017 17:34:34 GMT -5
So that attempt at a post to Talon didn't work out! But here's what I wanted to say to Talon: I had 20 Queen fans sitting behind me at the Philly show and none of them was an Adam fan. They all agreed that George Michael would have been their first choice to replace Freddy. I admired George Michael but, of course, I'm an Adam Lambert fan and he would be MY first choice to replace Freddie. Of course, we all agreed that if G.M. had become the Queen frontman, the band would have lost their frontman for a second time and probably would not have survived that. So, Talon, what's your opinion of how George Michael would have been as a Freddie replacement? Just wondering!
|
|
|
Post by csquared on Aug 1, 2017 17:35:49 GMT -5
I'm so sick of the "He's no Freddie" stuff in every single frickin review too, but I don't think anything Adam says or doesn't say during the show will stop people from saying that. However, all indications are that by saying something about it he is probably gaining more acceptance from those Freddie fans who didn't want to like him. People seem impressed by the fact that he isn't some arrogant diva who's coming in there thinking he's so much better (although to some of us he might be!). So I don't think he'll stop with the speech any time soon. Also, most people in the audiences see only one show, so it isn't really being overdone. And to me (from videos, which is all I've seen), I 'm impressed with how much more natural his delivery of the rote speeches he has become! Bodes well for his future acting career!
ETA That review just above by Daniel Bukszipan is so good!
|
|
|
Post by lelemaple on Aug 1, 2017 17:46:14 GMT -5
I'm so sick of the "He's no Freddie" stuff in every single frickin review too, but I don't think anything Adam says or doesn't say during the show will stop people from saying that. However, all indications are that by saying something about it he is probably gaining more acceptance from those Freddie fans who didn't want to like him. People seem impressed by the fact that he isn't some arrogant diva who's coming in there thinking he's so much better (although to some of us he might be!). So I don't think he'll stop with the speech any time soon. Also, most people in the audiences see only one show, so it isn't really being overdone. And to me (from videos, which is all I've seen), I 'm impressed with how much more natural his delivery of the rote speeches he has become! Bodes well for his future acting career! ETA That review just above by Daniel Bukszipan is so good! I went to 8 shows on this tour and even though I knew the speech was coming, the delivery was genuine and charming every time. He has to say something for the longtime fans, although I think he could get away with saying less. Most importantly though and as I've read many times, he is humble and grateful, and for the diehard Queen fans, that is extremely important to them. That's what matters the most..
|
|
|
Post by cassie on Aug 1, 2017 17:49:32 GMT -5
I see I am in the minority here, but I have no problem with Adam's speech about Freddie. I think he is totally right, that in every audience there are more than a few folks who are saying to one another "He's no Freddie Mercury!" That's their opinion going into the concert, and as they see Adam strut pompously across the stage and blast out vocals in the first section, they need to reinforce that opinion with others of their kind. Cannot surrender now!
Adam simply brings that sentiment out in the open, and gives them his "blessing" to feel that way. Instead of trying to take Freddie's place on stage and in their hearts, the enemy to their hero, he joins the "loyal opposition" and agrees that, "Duh, of course I am not Freddie. I am a fellow fan. Freddie was great. He was incredibly talented. He was a singular being." Adam totally disarms them by joining in the Freddie fan club. Very smart, and very effective.
Many of you think that Adam puts himself down with this speech. I respectfully disagree. He never puts down his own vocal abilities. He never says he can only hope to be as good a vocalist as Freddie. He doesn't put down his own composing abilities, either. The only Freddie trait he compares himself to sometimes, is being a fashionista; aspiring to equal Freddie there. (Which to me is different from putting down his ability or talent.) Acknowledging how great Freddie was and how beloved says absolutely nothing about Adam's own talents and abilities.
Thinking back on the many interviews Adam has given where he addresses the issue of taking on the front man role with Queen, I cannot recall him expressing a lack of confidence in his own abilities compared to Freddie. He was intimidated by the legend. He worried if the audience and the band would accept him. He wondered if he could handle the weight of such a daunting repertoire in a full two hour gig. I do not recall him ever disparaging his own abilities compared to Freddie.
When asked by interviewers if this is the gig of a lifetime or a dream come true, I have noted that Adam graciously dodges the question. It is a huge honor. It is one highlight of his career. But he doesn't say that he is undeserving, or unequal to Freddie, or is trying to be a satisfactory substitute for Freddie.
I believe Adam knows full well how extraordinary his vocal abilities are. In the theater world where he grew up and navigated, he would HAVE to know he stood out from a teenager on forward. I believe he also knows there are many talented people in the performing world, and acknowledging their talent and success in no way diminishes his own capabilities. To me, THAT is what Adam does in his speech each night.
Finally, Adam is an actor. He is performing a script. One that he has crafted, tried out, assessed audience response to, tweaked, and has down pat at this point. He recognizes the resistance, faces it head on, charms the opposition, and wins them over to the point where they can relax and enjoy the ride without having to defend Freddie. And without ever putting himself down or degrading his own abilities on that stage.
Bravo!
|
|
|
Post by Jablea on Aug 1, 2017 17:54:22 GMT -5
Thanks again to all who are posting the great picture, videos, and the re-caps are great to read. WhenI read these recent posts, I notice more of we think Freddie should be acknowledged but Adam needs to do it in some way that does not put himself down and perhaps calling Freddie a god is setting an impossibly high standard. One of the main problems is that p, as we have talked about before, if someone repeats a thing too much, more and more people are prone to believe it. So then, Adam is presented with the possibility that even the younger viewers will come to believe it to be so, and etc... (I was a college professor for 26 years until a few years ago, and even the younger and some of the older ones are quite impressionable, so we cannot say for sure that even people in that age group will make up their minds: just look at some of the more recent postings under Freddie videos) Now there is, of course nothing at all wrong with preferring Freddie over Adam, as we discussed. I love them both. However, if Adam "handicaps himself, each person might not be able to form his/her own opinion (and even decide to love them both equally for different reasons). It would seem to me that entering Europe would be a perfect and logical place to still acknowledge such a worthy person as Freddie while still presenting himself as a fan or something. It is possible to build something up without tearing something else down. My question is this: is there some way to get either these posts or even one post that sums up these sentiments in a clear, concise way to BrIan? We can't just rely upon Brian, Roger, or Adam (who might be too humble to even mention it?). I am out of town for a few days and am a bu pit surprised to get a signal here. Have a good day😀 I love his speech. I look for it in all the concert videos each night and I wouldn't tell Brian to tell Adam to change one iota. Adam is getting mad props for everything and being humble without a big ego and yet being fantastically wonderful is huge. It's really who he is, he's not ever going to say he's as good as or better than Freddie. That would be putting on an attitude and that, to his core, is not Adam. I say long live the speech. I like the version where he has the really good seat and the sensible hiking shoes was a hit too.
|
|
|
Post by adamrocks on Aug 1, 2017 17:55:41 GMT -5
|
|