7.14.14 Q+AL CONCERT THREAD -- Montreal, Canada
Jul 15, 2014 0:48:05 GMT -5
Post by adamrocks on Jul 15, 2014 0:48:05 GMT -5
Do we have this review? Feel free to delete if we do.
Erik Leijon @eleijon 12m
Was Adam Lambert's turn with the killer Queen dynamite with a laser beam? Here's my review of tonight's show blogs.montrealgazette.com/2014/07/15/concert-review-queen-adam-lambert-at-the-bell-centre-july-14-2014/
Posted by:
Erik Leijon
There was no way Adam Lambert could fill Freddie Mercury’s black and white bodysuit. Wisely, he didn’t even try. Monday evening’s show at the Bell Centre was billed as Queen + Adam Lambert (the former a few font sizes larger) for good reason – it was neither the old band nor a foreign new one on stage revisiting the 70’s British rock royals’ greatest hits.
Instead, Montreal fans received exactly what they had been promised: original members Brian May and Roger Taylor on guitar and drums, respectively, as well as the American Lambert, a fiery exhibitionist of a frontman with an impressive wail, his own flashy animal print wardrobe and the confidence required to front maybe not Mercury’s Queen, but this unique iteration of it.
The group opened with Now I’m Here and Stone Cold Crazy, two songs designed to showcase May’s guitar playing. At that point Lambert may have looked like little more than a stand-in, but he soon found his groove on Another One Bites the Dust and Fat Bottomed Girls, two hits that benefited from an over-the-top lead vocal. By the time they reached Killer Queen – the highlight of Lambert’s contributions – he was wearing platform shoes and lying on a psychiatrist’s couch, fully invested in his assumed persona. The former American Idol finalist – one of the few to have transcended the show’s assembly line – could have easily fallen into the trap of Queen on Broadway-style overacting (such a show existed, although not with him), but his playfulness was as controlled as his technically proficient vocals. That being said, he’s a better performer than he is a rock singer.
By entrusting the Mercury role to a younger man, Queen avoided a major pitfall for an ageing group – a regressing lead singer. As bands get older, they often have to drop their songs by a key just to match their vocalist’s decreased range. Having the explosive 32-year-old Lambert at the helm forced May and Taylor to be equally as sharp, and both proved more than able to keep up.
May’s playing – outside of a meandering, cosmos cruising guitar solo – was muscular and straightforward, with just enough fuzz. Taylor was aided by a second percussionist, his son Rufus. Otherwise, there was only a keyboardist and bassist as far as backing musicians go, and they played minimal roles. There were even times where it was just a power trio of May, Taylor and Lambert playing to the packed arena. One such moment was their cover version of Mercury’s first solo recording, Love Kills, a song Lambert said would be included on a new Queen album – made up of older and redone material – due out later this year.
The late Mercury, who passed away in 1991, made a pair of appearances via the egg-shaped screen behind the band. A recording of his sang along to a solo acoustic rendition of Love of My Life by May, a sweet moment that could have felt manipulative, but instead garnered heartfelt applause from the audience.
Mercury showed up again on pre-encore set closer Bohemian Rhapsody. The performance of this song was another delicate mix of live and recorded parts. Lambert handled the first verse, Mercury the second, then the band left the stage while the mamma mia portion was shown on the screen (the three of them along with the crowd could have done a reasonable facsimile, but why mess with history?), only to return for May’s crushing guitar crescendo and Mercury’s forlorn denouement. It was, like the show itself, a pragmatic solution to an impossible situation.
Erik Leijon @eleijon 12m
Was Adam Lambert's turn with the killer Queen dynamite with a laser beam? Here's my review of tonight's show blogs.montrealgazette.com/2014/07/15/concert-review-queen-adam-lambert-at-the-bell-centre-july-14-2014/
Posted by:
Erik Leijon
There was no way Adam Lambert could fill Freddie Mercury’s black and white bodysuit. Wisely, he didn’t even try. Monday evening’s show at the Bell Centre was billed as Queen + Adam Lambert (the former a few font sizes larger) for good reason – it was neither the old band nor a foreign new one on stage revisiting the 70’s British rock royals’ greatest hits.
Instead, Montreal fans received exactly what they had been promised: original members Brian May and Roger Taylor on guitar and drums, respectively, as well as the American Lambert, a fiery exhibitionist of a frontman with an impressive wail, his own flashy animal print wardrobe and the confidence required to front maybe not Mercury’s Queen, but this unique iteration of it.
The group opened with Now I’m Here and Stone Cold Crazy, two songs designed to showcase May’s guitar playing. At that point Lambert may have looked like little more than a stand-in, but he soon found his groove on Another One Bites the Dust and Fat Bottomed Girls, two hits that benefited from an over-the-top lead vocal. By the time they reached Killer Queen – the highlight of Lambert’s contributions – he was wearing platform shoes and lying on a psychiatrist’s couch, fully invested in his assumed persona. The former American Idol finalist – one of the few to have transcended the show’s assembly line – could have easily fallen into the trap of Queen on Broadway-style overacting (such a show existed, although not with him), but his playfulness was as controlled as his technically proficient vocals. That being said, he’s a better performer than he is a rock singer.
By entrusting the Mercury role to a younger man, Queen avoided a major pitfall for an ageing group – a regressing lead singer. As bands get older, they often have to drop their songs by a key just to match their vocalist’s decreased range. Having the explosive 32-year-old Lambert at the helm forced May and Taylor to be equally as sharp, and both proved more than able to keep up.
May’s playing – outside of a meandering, cosmos cruising guitar solo – was muscular and straightforward, with just enough fuzz. Taylor was aided by a second percussionist, his son Rufus. Otherwise, there was only a keyboardist and bassist as far as backing musicians go, and they played minimal roles. There were even times where it was just a power trio of May, Taylor and Lambert playing to the packed arena. One such moment was their cover version of Mercury’s first solo recording, Love Kills, a song Lambert said would be included on a new Queen album – made up of older and redone material – due out later this year.
The late Mercury, who passed away in 1991, made a pair of appearances via the egg-shaped screen behind the band. A recording of his sang along to a solo acoustic rendition of Love of My Life by May, a sweet moment that could have felt manipulative, but instead garnered heartfelt applause from the audience.
Mercury showed up again on pre-encore set closer Bohemian Rhapsody. The performance of this song was another delicate mix of live and recorded parts. Lambert handled the first verse, Mercury the second, then the band left the stage while the mamma mia portion was shown on the screen (the three of them along with the crowd could have done a reasonable facsimile, but why mess with history?), only to return for May’s crushing guitar crescendo and Mercury’s forlorn denouement. It was, like the show itself, a pragmatic solution to an impossible situation.
