www.telegram.com/entertainmentlife/20190805/queen--adam-lambert-are-still-champions-of-arena-rockAmazing review!
By Craig S. Semon
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Aug 5, 2019 at 11:03 AM
Updated Aug 5, 2019 at 11:03 AM
MANSFIELD — Singer Freddie Mercury once declared Queen as being “The Cecil B. De Mille of rock ‘n’ roll.”
If that’s the case, Adam Lambert is certainly ready for his close-up.
It’s a great time to be Freddie Mercury. Too bad he’s dead. It’s even a greater time to be “American Idol” Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert, who is very much alive.
After the soaring success of last year’s Academy Award-winning, blockbuster biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen is more popular than ever.
And cashing in on this latest wave of Freddie-mania is Lambert, plus Queen’s original guitarist (and guitar god) Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, both of whom have been with Queen since the very beginning.
Thirty-three years after Mercury’s last performance with Queen, nearly 28 years since Mercury’s death (at the age 45 due to complications from AIDS) and 18 years since Queen’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Lambert has emerged as the worthy successor to the Mercury throne, as evident by Queen + Adam Lambert’s very entertaining, crowd-pleasing, two-hour and 27-song performance Sunday night at the Xfinity Center.
As the curtain raised to the thunderous applause coming from Mansfield’s sold out crowd of 19,900, the 37-year-old Lambert and Queen’s “two legends” (May, 72, and Taylor, 70) marked their arrival with a trio of rocking tunes from Queen’s early days — “Now I’m Here” (from 1974′s “Sheer Heart Attack”), the band’s first UK hit “Seven Seas of Rhye” (from 1974′s “Queen II”) and the band’s first single “Keep Yourself Alive” (from Queen’s 1973 eponymous debut, which, somehow, failed to chart on either side of the Atlantic).
With his bewitching good looks, perfectly coiffed jet black hair and blessed pipes, Lambert came out with the first of his five outlandish get-ups, a golden tapestry suit that looked like it was stitched out of the sofa cushions from Liberace’s bachelor pad with a black puffy, pirate shirt that would have made Jerry Seinfeld envious.
In the evening’s campiest outing, Lambert provocatively posed on top of a grand piano, while cooling himself with a big red fan during a killer version of “Killer Queen,” Queen’s first hit in the United States.
After “Killer Queen,” Lambert stated the obvious — “I know what some of you might be thinking. He’s not Freddie! But, this is just the thing. You guys and me are exactly the same. We’re all fans, right? Do you miss Freddie? Same here. So can you make me a little promise tonight ... That we’ll celebrate Freddie and Queen together.”
Lambert and the crowd kept their promise.
After transforming “Don’t Stop Me Now” into a big, Broadway-worthy showstopper that was more joyous and celebratory than anything that found its way in the film “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Lambert was no longer playing second fiddle to Freddie Mercury’s legacy. Lambert proved he is a bonafide superstar in his own right.
Lambert’s full-bodied version of “Somebody to Love” was another showstopper that brought to mind George Michael at the stellar Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert 25 years earlier singing the same song.
Despite being hidden behind his drum-kit, Taylor took center stage to pound the skins and sing his heart out during “I’m in Love With My Car,” the B-side of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and a running gag in the film “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I guess Taylor gets the last laugh.
For “Another One Bites the Dust,” Lambert reemerged with the most non-threatening leather apparel this side of Michael Jackson, knee-high biker boots, black sparkly trousers with a matching V-neck T-shirt, topped off with a leather jacket decorated with silver spikes and tassels. As for the song, it still sounds better than your typical pop song being played on the radio today.
In case anyone forgot that this is Queen + Adam Lambert, not the other way around, May delivered a mini-acoustic set at the front of the catwalk, starting with a tender version of “Love of My Life” (from 1975′s “A Night at the Opera”), in which Freddie Mercury popped up on the LED screen and sang the final verse.
May was joined by his fellow Queen bandmate Taylor and the two sang, “Doing All Right,” almost as a testament to the world that they are fine and dandy and there is life (and music to still be played) after Freddie. No argument here.
After getting the nostalgic pleasantries out of the way, Lambert returned with a new outfit (a sleeveless long coat and long black shirt with red designs combo) and plenty of cocksure swagger for “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
“Under Pressure” was a mini-triumph of sorts, with Lambert singing the Freddie Mercury part, and Taylor singing the David Bowie part.
Lambert warmly sung the opening strains of “Who Wants to Live Forever” (from the soundtrack to “Highlander,” which features another Lambert, Christopher Lambert; no relation), before elevating the song to new heights.
May also took the audience on a trippy tour of our solar system. Looking like he was standing on top of a meteor floating in the cosmos, May squeezed out mournful cries out of his guitar before being engulfed by a virtual reality meteor shower and elaborate laser light show.
When May finally came back down to earth, he unleashed one of rock’s greatest guitar riffs on “Tie Your Mother Down” but was almost overshadowed by Lambert’s latest get-up, silver space pants and a rhinestone encrusted vest with silver fringe almost touching the floor.
As expected, the main-set ended with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which featured another Mercury cameo (via the groundbreaking video of the band from 1975) during the song’s operatic “mamma mia” part. This rousing, head-banging opus was, arguably, the most invigorating number of the evening, serving both as a tribute to Freddie Mercury and a testament to Queen’s staying power.
The encore kicked off with footage of Mercury delivering his signature “Ay-Oh” call and response 33 years earlier, followed by a symbolic coronation of Lambert as Mercury’s successor, completed with jeweled crown and ceremonial Edwardian robe, as Lambert delivered the one-two punch of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.”