6.20.14 Adam News and Info

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This thread is for Adam News and General Q+AL News. The 6.19.14 Q+AL Chicago, United Center Thread is located here: adamtopia.cothread/2396/concert-thread-chicago-united-center?page=1&scrollTo=504833


Forgive me for being behind a bit.... Q3






By Althea Legaspi, Special to the Tribune
8:29 a.m. CDT, June 20, 2014

"We've played to some of your mothers and fathers," Queen guitarist Brian May remarked to the full-house crowd during their show at United Center on Thursday. "And some of your grandchildren, I'm sure." Certainly, Queen's reign has spanned generations. And with their current incarnation including former "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert as singer, the audience's ages at the opening night of their North American tour ranged from younger Glamberts, as Lambert's fans are called, to folks who may have seen Queen with their late singer Freddie Mercury in the '70s.

After Mercury died in 1991, Queen's May and drummer Roger Taylor had toured with Bad Company's Paul Rodgers, but their teaming with Lambert proved a better match as evidenced at Thursday's concert. From Lambert's amazing vocal range to his sense of style, humor and showmanship, he was a natural fit to the bombast and over-the-top production that is Queen. And while Mercury's virtuosic voice is unparalleled, Lambert's impressive take on the material paid appropriate homage while adding his own flourishes to the mix.

They launched the show with "Now I'm Here," the rocking, dramatic opener set the tone for the theatrical performance, which was punctuated with laser and strobe lights, a disco ball, smoke blasts, drum riser hydraulics, a catwalk leading to a middle stage, a video backdrop and of course, many costume changes. The set mixed hits with more obscure offerings, such as a rendition of Mercury's 1984 solo tune, "Love Kills," which was made for Giorgio Moroder's restored version of the 1927 film, "Metropolis."

The chemistry among the trio was evident: Lambert grooved to Taylor's beats on the drum platform, May and Lambert's respective guitar and vocal gymnastics interlaced effortlessly. Queen also took individual turns front and center. Taylor and his son Rufus, who was part of their backing band, conducted a giddy drum duel that segued into an excellent "Under Pressure." May's poignant, acoustic guitar-led "Love Of My Life" on the middle stage featured him duetting with Mercury via the video backdrop.

Lambert's role was not to be underestimated, though. He brought spine-tingling prowess to the epic "Who Wants To Live Forever" and "Somebody To Love," campiness to "Killer Queen," rockabilly dance poses to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and respect during "Bohemian Rhapsody," where he traded vocals with Mercury on screen as the band and audience harmonized along.

While there were a couple misfires – the mix was a bit muddy, the mic went out during the first song and the audio cues to the video were not always on target — the show epitomized Queen, in all its flamboyant glory.

More pics here: galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-adam-lambert-queen-perform-photos-20140619/

Link: www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-queen-adam-lambert-review-queen-chicago-20140620,0,5542786.story



Queen + Adam Lambert Tour Opening Night
by Anthony Kuzminski

Chicago, IL- United Center - June 19, 2014

When Freddie Mercury passed away in 1991, I assumed it meant the end of Queen. Obviously, Freddie's physical presence was no longer with us, but as evidenced at the opening night of the Queen + Adam Lambert world tour in Chicago, his spirit reigns over the crowd like never before. For just under two-hours, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor delivered a greatest-hits set designed to pummel led by raging riffs that took center stage. Queen has always had a peculiar relationship with America. The last time they toured here with Mercury was 1982 (in a suburb) and the last time Queen played Chicago-proper was December 7, 1978 at the Chicago Stadium. The United Center now stands in its place and it was a homecoming of sorts with the band not just staking their claim to the throne of rock n' roll but also introducing a flashy and fierce performer who helped bring these hymns to the masses; Adam Lambert. On paper, Lambert looks like a bit of a Mercury clone with his flamboyancy, but there's so much more to him than the naysayers know about. He knows there's no replacing Mercury, but there's no denying he's a musical descendant of Mercury. But would it work onstage? Could the two remaining members of Queen (bassist John Deacon retired in 1997) bring these classics to an audience who is hungry for them without soiling their memories? I am thrilled to report that with a mixture of impassioned musicianship, a crowd charged with brazen enthusiasm and a catalog that is only matched by a handful, this tour serves Queen and their legacy with purpose and pride.



A massive curtain with the Queen's logo covered the stage, you could feel the anticipation in the air in the moments before it dropped unveiling the band. Opening the show with "Now I'm Here", the crowd leapt to their feet and stayed there for the majority of their two-hour show. There was a minor snafu with Adam Lambert's microphone going out, but being a true professional, he simply moved across the stage to a back-up microphone and continued as if nothing had happened. I mention it only to show how well they recovered. If Lambert had arrived onstage on a motorcycle he could have been mistaken for Rob Halford circa 1990. Dressed in black leather and studs, Lambert complimented these songs in his own way. As good as Lambert was, the curly silver-haired guitarist, Brian May, continually stole the show song-after-song. During the night's second song, "Stone Cold Crazy", May unleashed his musical muscle on his Red Special guitar in such a manner it was hard to not get emotional over seeing him onstage playing these songs. Reaching back to the past in what seems like a bottomless reservoir, May continually thrust his magic through his fingers where it spilled out into the audience. Since 1990, I've had a hard time hearing "Stone Cold Crazy" without the Metallica version in my head, but tonight, May took it back and with infinite spirals of guitar wizardry, he continually left the Chicago audience is mouth-gaping awe. Drummer Roger Taylor provided a sense of urgency to his dynamic pounding behind the kit. Despite being in his sixties, "Stone Cold Crazy", "I Want It All", "Under Pressure" (for which he provided the Bowie harmonies) and "Tie Your Mother Down" were every bit as thunderous as you could hope for. He let his son take over the kit so he could sing the emotional "These Are the Days of Our Lives" which was the final video he band shot with Mercury in 1991.



I always knew Adam Lambert had to goods to be a great performer and front man, but could he pull of these songs with this band? Early in the show on "Another One Bites the Dust", he roamed to the front of the stage and immediately engaged the crowd for a call-and-response. During the trio of "In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited" the unbelievable "Seven Seas of Rhye" and a delicious "Killer Queen" Lambert found his groove. This is where he became less self-conscious and started embracing his inner rock God. He can command a stage like the best veterans and even though he is singing songs that are not his, it didn't stop him from pouring every ounce if his being into it all. He's playful, a tease, but he always took the music seriously. Musically the set is veers heavy on hits. This didn't seem to bother any of the 17,000 in attendance. Nearly twice as many people paid to see Queen + Paul Rogers in 2006. Ticket demand was so high that the arena opened up semi-obstructed seats behind the soundboard and next to the stage to fill demand. I've always said that you can tell ticket demand for a show when these sections are sold. Among the highlights were "I Want It All" and "The Show Must Go On" from their latter records, The Miracle and Innuendo. For a reason I can't exactly pinpoint I went on a Queen kick earlier this year. What this means is I listen to every record, begin reading biographies and get my hands on anything I could. Growing up in America, there was a time when Queen did not have a label in America, so their entire catalog was out-of-print until 1992 and since Queen stopped touring here in 1992, their records in the US came and went within a month. However, what struck me was the musical maturity on The Miracle and Innuendo, two records that were written and recorded when the band knew Mercury would not be with them forever. This awareness permeates the records in a way no one could have foreseen. More shocking is the masterpiece Made in Heaven, which was largely recorded after Mercury's death. "I Want It All" and "The Show Must Go On" despite being from records the band didn't tour behind were fist-pumping highlights.



The main stage featured a circular screen, lasers, lights and smoke but it was the mini stage that featured some of the night's finest and most intimate moments. May tackled "Love of My Life" alone with an acoustic guitar but before the song could finish the screen featured Freddie Mercury singing the song. It was almost too much to bear. Moments like these make you wish you could have seen a sixty-something Mercury creating music and what it would sound like. May continued with a stunning rendition of "'39" from A Night at the Opera which feature the band joining him on the smaller stage upfront. Roger Taylor took his turn with a dueling drum solo with his son, Rufus Tiger Taylor. As the band gathered around Taylor and his kit, they launched into a drop-to-your-knees version of "Under Pressure" where Taylor and Lambert gleefully traded lyrical barbs as the audience hung on their every word. Following it was a new Queen song, "Love Kills" which will see a release later this year on a compilation album entitled Queen Forever. "Love Kills" was originally a Mercury solo single, but it's been recorded by the band in order to make it a Queen number (much like some of the material on Made In Heaven). Lambert was especially heartrending in his stoic delivery of the song.

Back on the main stage, Lambert wrung every drop of humanity from within on "Who Wants To Live Forever" with May pairing arena bombast with gripping despair. The band was accentuated by lasers and a disco ball, which descended upon the mini stage where Lambert and May touchingly brought to song to its climax in a moment I won't soon forget. The first time I ever heard the song was on Rockline two days after Mercury passed in 1991 when Axl Rose was the featured guest. He was so moved and inspired by Mercury that he asked the host to play this song. Inside the walls of the United Center, Queen tapped into the emotional core of the song in a way I never imagined. It was during this moment when Lambert wholly won me over. He's not Freddie Mercury and he's not trying to imitate him, but he captures his soul, his talent and his drive to inspire people. In the end, Lambert is deserving of not just your time and money, but your emotions as well. For the final thirty-minutes, the band hit one home run after another with the Godzilla sized hits "Tie Your Mother Down", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Bohemian Rhapsody" (with video of Mercury singing the second verse), "We Will Rock You" and the rousing finale of "We Are the Champions". Each one of these hits was like a lightning bolt to the crowd, but "Radio Gaga" that left me an emotional mess.



"Radio Gaga" was one of the last Queen singles to chart here in America and they never toured behind The Works, so here we are thirty-years later and watching 17,000 hands clap in unison during the chorus gave me a chill up my back, goose bumps on my arms and watery eyes. Written by drummer Roger Taylor as a song how television overtook the radio that used to be the prime form of entertainment prior to the tube, it takes on a bit of twisted irony today considering how much has replaced music as a form as entertainment. As Lambert belted the song with all his might, he encouraged the crowd to raise their arms to the sky, which they did. The Mercury descendant commanded the audience like an arena pro eliciting responses he could only dream about a few years ago. For Roger Taylor and Brian May, this is something else; it is home. The concert stage is a sacred place they had to leave before their time was up. As the crowd watched Queen and Lambert embody this song they followed their lead and reached for the skies. Some of us lifted our arms to keep the beat, others to feel alive and free for a few fleeting moments but the majority lifted our arms in the hopes Mercury would see our signal above letting him know that "someone still loves you". This is the quintessence of Queen and its heart is still beating loud and proud. It may be too much for you to bear to hear these songs sung by someone other than Mercury, but I hope you brave it, because Queen + Adam Lambert is pure majesty.

Queen + Adam Lambert Set list at United Center in Chicago
(All songs sung by Adam Lambert except ****)

Now I'm Here
Stone Cold Crazy
Another One Bites the Dust
Fat Bottomed Girls
In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited
Seven Seas of Rhye
Killer Queen
Somebody to Love
I Want It All
Love of My Life****(Brian May)
'39**** (Brian May)
These Are the Days of Our Lives**** (Roger Taylor)
Under Pressure (Taylor and Lambert)
Love Kills
Who Wants to Live Forever
Guitar Solo
The Last Horizon
Tie Your Mother Down
Radio Gaga
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
The Show Must Go On
Bohemian Rhapsody
We Will Rock You
We Are the Champions

Photos in this review by Neal Preston

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMUSIC Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at tonyk AT antiMUSIC DOT com and can be followed on Twitter

Queen + Adam Lambert Tour Opening Night
Rating:

Link: www.antimusic.com/reviews/14/Queen_+_Adam_Lambert_Tour_Opening_Night.shtml#.U6RiJbFiOVV



Queen, Adam Lambert rock the United Center in tour kick-off
By Sun-Times | Get In Touch: @suntimes | digitalteam@suntimes.com Arts & Entertainment, Music, The Daily Sizzle - June 20, 2014 1:06 am


Brian May of Queen (left) and Adam Lambert at the United Center Thursday night. | PHOTO BY JEFF ELBEL / FOR THE SUN-TIMESBrian May of Queen (left) and Adam Lambert at the United Center Thursday night. | PHOTO BY JEFF ELBEL / FOR THE SUN-TIMES

BY JEFF ELBEL | FOR SUN-TIMES MEDIA

One thing’s certain: Thursday night’s concert at United Center by Queen and Adam Lambert was the only show in Chicago to include both a physics lesson and a singer in a diamond-studded leopard skin suit. It was the perfect pairing of brainy and challenging rock music with outrageous and glamorous attitude.

Since the death of beloved Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor have tended the eternal flame of the band’s legacy. During the 2000s, the pair partnered with Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers. Rodgers’ pipes were well-matched to full-tilt rockers like May’s “Tie Your Mother Down,” but perhaps lacked a measure of the flamboyant flair to fully inhabit the grand, romantic sweep of Mercury’s “Somebody to Love.”


Adam Lambert brought his personal glitz to the music of Queen Thursday night at the United Center. | PHOTO BY JEFF ELBEL / FOR THE SUN-TIMES

As he struck a decadent pose atop a purple-and-gold chaise lounge during a very glam “Killer Queen,” it was clear that Lambert possessed the charisma to pay maximum tribute to Mercury’s larger-than-life persona. It helped that he had skill to match the theatricality. Rafter-raising showstoppers including “We are the Champions” and “The Show Must Go On” displayed Lambert’s pop sensibility and dizzying range while simultaneously showcasing May’s unparalleled rock soloing technique.

“We played to some of your mothers and fathers, I’m sure,” said May after crossing the catwalk with his acoustic guitar to the center of the room. Dr. May then gave a brief description of Einsteinian relativity while introducing “’39,” a tale of tragic love and time travel.


Adam Lambert and Brian May in Chicago, June 19, 2014. | PHOTO BY JEFF ELBEL / FOR THE SUN-TIMES

Taylor paid tribute to Mercury while singing “These are the Days of Our Lives.” The video screen flashed nostalgic images of Queen’s younger days. Next, Taylor performed a drum duet with his son. Taylor brought the house down with bombastic precision during “I Want It All.”

The players offered little evidence of opening-night jitters on their North American tour’s debut. The technical side exhibited a few minor bugs including microphone trouble during “Now I’m Here,” occasional synchronization glitches with the video, and a missed cue on the steam jets.

Although the band was somewhat loose during “Love Kills,” Lambert’s empathic delivery and soaring vocal flight were spine-tingling. The deep cut was taken from the score for Giorgio Moroder’s 1984 restoration of the film “Metropolis.” “Metropolis” footage also rolled during “Radio Ga Ga,” while the crowd mimicked the unified hand-clap motions of the MTV-era video.


Adam Lambert and Brian May ignite the crowd at the United Center on Thursday night.| PHOTO BY JEFF ELBEL / FOR THE SUN-TIMES

The camaraderie and mutual love between Queen and Lambert was evident. May and Lambert frequently rubbed shoulders and struck heroic poses together. Taylor and Lambert high-fived after assuming the roles of David Bowie and Mercury for “Under Pressure.”

“You know, love makes me feel a little cray-cray, too,” said Lambert as the band launched “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Lambert channeled Mercury and Elvis Presley in equal measure.

By the time the band finally reached the show’s centerpiece with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” anticipation had built to fever pitch. The crowd roared as Mercury’s image sang the second verse via projection screen. Lambert threw May briefly off balance by bowing down to him, causing May to laugh and miss his last solo entrance. Rather than derail the moment, it seemed endearing and joyful.

The performance wasn’t flawless, but the spirit was right for Queen. It was both openly human and majestic.

Queen’s next move will be to release “Queen Forever” later this year, featuring outtakes from previous Freddie Mercury studio sessions. It is unknown whether May and Taylor will record with Lambert, as they did with Rodgers for 2008’s “The Cosmos Rocks.” The show at United Center suggested that it could be a powerful collaboration.

SET LIST:
Now I’m Here
Stone Cold Crazy
Another One Bites the Dust
Fat Bottomed Girls
In the Lap of the Gods
Seven Seas of Rhye
Killer Queen
Somebody to Love
I Want it All
Love of My Life
’39
These are the Days of Our Lives
Drum duet (Roger Taylor and son)
Under Pressure
Love Kills
Who Wants to Live Forever
Guitar solo (Brian May)
Tie Your Mother Down
Radio Ga Ga
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
The Show Must Go On
Bohemian Rhapsody

Encore:
We Will Rock You
We are the Champions

Link: voices.suntimes.com/arts-entertainment/the-daily-sizzle/queen-adam-lambert-rock-the-united-center-in-tour-kick-off/



Queen and Adam Lambert's Tour Opener:
5 Things We Learned
Regal rock band and their new frontman make a grand U.S. debut at Chicago's United Center


Adam Lambert and Brian May perform at Chicago's United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Neal Preston

By Dan Hyman June 20, 2014 11:55 AM ET

Even when he was auditioning for American Idol, singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" for the judges with all his falsetto fireworks, it was readily apparent Adam Lambert had a major soft spot for Queen. That he would later perform with the band itself at the end of his season — and brilliantly so, at that — only solidified the increasingly obvious fact: This singer and all his octave-defying range and theatrical flair owed a clear debt of gratitude to the late Freddie Mercury.

It was fitting and not altogether surprising, then, when Lambert quickly linked up with the legendary act, serving as their frontman at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards and again during a brief European tour. Last night, kicking off a 24-date North American run at Chicago's United Center, the union of Lambert and Queen became official.

"It's so crazy that this came out of American Idol," Lambert admitted during a recent interview with Rolling Stone. Yet if the singer was any parts bewildered by his luck, he didn't show it on Thursday evening: The tour's opening show was a spectacle of the grandest order. Here are five things it taught us:

Adam Lambert is no Freddie Mercury, but the man sure can sing.

This isn't the first time Queen have attempted to replace their iconic frontman: Everyone from Wyclef Jean to Robbie Williams to Bad Company's Paul Rodgers, who toured with the band for the better part of the Aughts, has stepped into the late singer's massive shoes. From his cheeky call-and-response during "Another One Bites the Dust" to his outsize take on "Killer Queen," spreading out on a purple lounger and fake-chugging champagne, Lambert proved as brilliant a fill-in as you're bound to find.

It's a shame he wasn't given more a cappella turns, however: "Somebody to Love" was goose bump-inducing thanks to Lambert's vocal acrobatics. And that's to say nothing of his vocal magic during "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Are the Champions."


Neal Preston

Queen don't skimp on spectacle.

Queen put on a rock show, but one that often feels more like a Vegas spectacle. Dizzying, rainbow stage lights: check. Red-and-green laser lights draping the entire arena in a Christmas hue: surely. A floating drum riser from which Taylor smacked the skins during a thrashing encore rendition of "We Will Rock You"? Of course. A gold glitter shower to close out the evening? How could they not? These flourishes were always for the best.

Queen have a boatload of hits... and a boatload more.

Beyond the classics, Queen earned a huge response from tracks like the slinky soiree "Who Wants to Live Forever," the Broadway-esque "The Show Must Go On" and the swaying "In the Lap of the Gods." Their greatest undertaking? A reinterpretation of Mercury's "Love Kills," a 1984 solo track that the frontman made with Giorgio Moroder for a restored version of the 1927 silent film Metropolis. Here, the band slowed it down, performing as a trio at the front of the catwalk. Lambert's vocals hung just below the upper-deck risers: "Bless him," he said in a toast to Mercury. "But we do a version of this our way."

May and Taylor are supremely underrated talents.

Lambert made the headlines, but his vocals would have nowhere to sit if Brian May and Roger Taylor weren't such pros. Last night, the former channeled David Gilmour during a brilliant extended guitar intro to "Tie Your Mother Down" and unleashed far more thrash and distortion then many would have expected. The latter, meanwhile, kept his sticks on the pulse all evening, dropping smacking martial beats during "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Radio Ga Ga."

The wardrobe department came through bigtime.]

Let's be honest: What's a Queen show without some spectacular outfits? By our count, Lambert wore eight different ones during the two hour gig. His bandmates? They stuck to more traditional attire — shirt and slacks — but don't worry: May did don a gold cape during "Bohemian Rhapsody." It was only fitting.

Read more: www.rollingstone.com/music/news/queen-and-adam-lamberts-tour-opener-5-things-we-learned-20140620#ixzz35CXZqmKq


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2014 Queen + Adam Lambert Tour Dates



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