2.10.14 Adam+Melissa would be epic!, more FECLA Awards
Feb 10, 2014 10:47:41 GMT -5
Post by Q3 on Feb 10, 2014 10:47:41 GMT -5
Talon says these fans want the artist handling Freddie's role to have:
1. A successful career of their own (long term, many albums and/or hit singles)
An established track record as a hitmaker is a good thing. However, I’d say it’s more important for an artist who wants to play with Queen to have a superb voice and glam performance style. And vocal passion too. There are many artists who’ve been around awhile and have many albums or singles to boast of – but they would be wrong for Queen. I’ve always adored the Beatles, but do I want to hear Paul McCartney standing for Freddie? Roger Daltrey? Jagger? Nope, not even Elton. I also couldn’t get behind any of the artists Talon mentioned (Matt Bellamy, etc., though I love Matt)
2. Be from the UK
I get the British pride thing. But if the incomparable Queen music catalog is what’s most important, who cares where the singer comes from if he does justice to it? Journey has successfully been rocking it out with Filipino Arnel Pineda in place of Steve Perry. (True, not all Journey fans have embraced Arnel, but there’s also a huge group of new fans who now follow the band BECAUSE of him.)
3. Have an amazing voice
Never been any question about Adam’s qualifications in this category.
4. Be someone who can challenge Brian and Roger
It would be difficult for any singer, even one with a long history in the business, to be on equal footing with Brian and Roger as a contributor so long as they are a guest artist and not incorporated into the band. Naturally as a guest, Adam is going to defer to them. But Adam has often demonstrated that he has definite ideas about how he wants the music he presents to sound. And I believe that the more he works with Brian and Roger, the more he’ll push to have his artistic visions expressed.
5. Be someone from the rock world
The music business has changed a great deal since Queen and other legendary bands burst onto the scene. There weren’t any reality singing competitions back then. (If there had been, who’s to say that Queen might not have gotten their start on an Idol/X Factor type show?) Artists build careers differently than they once did, and genre mixing has never been more popular than it is now; can anyone coming up today be called pure rock? Also, let’s not forget that just like the members of Queen, Adam has paid his dues for years singing at small clubs, piano bars, and other less celebrated gigs. He didn’t just emerge magically from Simon Cowell’s pocket.
2. Be from the UK.
How long does someone need to live in the UK to count? Farrokh Bulsara (Freddie Mercury) was born in Stone Town, Zanzibar (now Tanzania), raised in India, and moved to the UK when he was 17 years old. He became a member of the band we know as Queen 5 years later. So if Adam moves to the UK for 5 years, does that make him worthy?
4. Be someone who can challenge Brian and Roger
I think Adam does challenge Brian and Roger artistically which is what matters IMO.
5. Be someone from the rock world
What rock world? Take a look at rock in the US today. The biggest current rock bands are Maroon 5 and Imagine Dragons. And there is You Me at Six in the UK. But other than this indie/pop/alt rock acts, there are just classic era rock bands whose lead vocalists are over 50 or frontmen who are not big enough or female pop singers.
May I add one more that should have been on the list --
6. The lead singer needs to be a powerful entertainer (although no one can be Freddie in this respect). Queen's frontman needs to be able to do more than just stand at a mike and sing. He must be a showman. That is one thing that really made Queen a stunning live act.
**
I just want to add one wish -- I wish John Deacon would come out of retirement for just a few more shows.
Adam Lambert @adamlambert 
Melissa Etheridge @metheridge 
@--- 
