7.26.14 Q+AL CONCERT THREAD --Atlantic City, NJ USA

Queen + Adam Lambert Spice Up Atlantic City

rockinconcertreviews.com/2014/07/29/queen-adam-lambert-spice-up-atlantic-city/

Synopsis

This was to be show two of two for me on the Queen + Adam Lambert tour. After the astounding performance in Philadelphia, I was not surprised to be greeted by another show that blew me away. Truly telling is the fact that my mom and sister joined my dad and I at this show, and they enjoyed it enormously, despite not being big fans at the outset.

The Show

The curtain once again dropped a few verses into the criminally underrated “Now I’m Here.” The curtain drop was just as exciting as it was in Philadelphia, except during this show I had to contend with a particularly nasty security guard physically pushing people off of the barrier of the catwalk. I’ve never seen a venue where people were not allowed on the catwalk – I had secured seats right at the end of it and was really looking forward to this. Luckily this nasty security guard was not seen in my section again. Stationed there instead was a guard who could not have been friendlier, and did a damn good job keeping everyone in line while not being rude about it. I actually called Boardwalk Hall to tell them how nice of a guy he was. Back to the show: Adam’s voice seemed in even better shape then it was in Philly, and that is saying something. “Stone Cold Crazy” seemed to possess a bit more swagger the second time, with Brian May riffing with great power and Roger Taylor laying down and indomitable beat. “Another One Bites the Dust,” however, is where I really noted an improvement in Adam’s vocals. During the Philly show, he sang “Without you when I’m gone” and “And kicked me out on my own” in a lower octave, while in Atlantic City, he sang it in the higher octave in which Freddie intended it to be sung. A minor thing, no doubt, but I am pretty picky when it comes to vocalists, and I was very pleased with Adam’s near perfectionism. “Fat Bottomed Girls” was brilliant once again, with Adam’s voice blending in beautifully with those of Roger and Brian. It truly is a testament to the skills of Roger and Brian that their voices seemed to have changed very little through the years. They still slay those harmonies!

“In the Lap of the Gods…Revisited” and “Seven Seas of Rhye” are such great parts of the setlist; that keyboard riff at the beginning of the latter never gets old, and Adam does a great job getting the crowd singing along with “Lap of the Gods.” “Killer Queen” was quite the spectacle; the crowd really got a kick out of Adam strewn across a velvet, plush couch. I could really see during this song how great of a time that Adam and Brian have playing together. They really interact like they have been playing together for decades. “Somebody to Love” and “I Want it All” were as killer as ever, with the sing-a-long during the latter always a great time.

Next up was the fitting tribute to Freddie Mercury that has happened during the middle of each show of the tour. Brian May took to a chair at the end of the catwalk and broke into the beautiful “Love of My Life.” This is another criminally underrated song that Brian May sang wonderfully. Having Freddie come up on the screen to sing the final verse was quite a great touch as well. The folky “’39” was next, with Brian, Roger, and the whole rhythm section coming down to the end of the catwalk for a fun performance that they definitely seemed to be enjoying themselves. Sung by Roger, “These Are the Days of Our Lives” was another great touch, though Roger’s voice, in my opinion, is not as good as Brian’s.

After a fun drum battle, Adam retook the stage to rousing applause. I enjoyed the slower tribute very much, but many in the audience, unfortunately, did not know the songs and were rather docile throughout it. “Under Pressure” was amazing, with Adam and Roger doing a great job channeling Freddie and David Bowie. That bass riff is certainly one of the most iconic in modern music. While I expected “Love Kills” to be up next, Adam announced that they were changing up the setlist simply because the felt like it and unexpectedly broke into “Dragon Attack,” a very pleasant surprise. Brian May’s riffing during this number coupled with Roger’s beat was a thrill. Adam spit out those vocals unbelievably. This was an amazing addition to the show. Next up was arguably my favorite moment of the show, “Who Wants to Live Forever.” That disco ball and the lighting during this number really add an untold brilliance to the song. And the vocal performance is from another world. I once again felt Brian May’s solo was a buzzkill; nearly every single member of the audience sat down during it. He has certainly earned the right to play a long guitar solo, but the paying audience has earned the right to be bored by it.

After the long guitar solo, the mood was lifted instantly with the powerful “Tie Your Mother Down” which led seamlessly to the hit “Radio Gaga.” Everyone in the audience was clapping along as if it were their jobs. It really was a sight to behold. “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” was up next, another fun sing-a-long. I was really hoping for “The Show Must Go On” next, as it is my favorite Queen song, but I was not rewarded. What is really strange is that on the copy of the setlist that I was able to procure, it had “The Show Must Go On” listed, albeit with a bunch of question marks (see photo gallery). I wonder what made them not play it? “Bohemian Rhapsody” was a thrill; Adam and Freddie trading off verses was simply brilliant. It was certainly the most fitting tribute of the night. It really is amazing to think that “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the song that started it all for Adam; he tried out on American Idol singing that song!

The predictable, but nonetheless fantastic, encore of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions” had Adam coming out in a leopard print suit and sparkling crown. The crowd must have sung every word to these songs. Coming together onstage for a collective bow at the end of the show, I was amazed at how youthful Brian and Roger still look, even though Brian’s hair is long past its prime. This certainly was not a tour to miss, and anyone that made it certainly was treated to quite the spectacle.

Conclusion

I truly hope that Queen + Adam Lambert decide to tour again. I am sure this sentiment is shared by many! Lots of friends were at this show, and it was great to be able to discuss it with everyone at the end!

Réka @shadyrekuu
#adamlambert #rogertaylor #queen #queenbert #atlanticcity #boardwalkhall #mypic instagram.com/p/rFOqYDTbVE/

I'm down the concert rabbit hole today and once viewing the videos for Adam's performance, it's fun to re-view and notice the audience response...yes, lots of smiling , singing guys. So much fun !!

Marilyn ‏@marilyn_AQ 17m
"Now I'm Here. A sort of statement from Adam Lambert, I presume. And man, he WAS there!" Funny excellent review - AC www.facebook.com/notes/paul-about-music/queen-adam-lambert-atlantic-city-nj-72614/758743450833619 …



QUEEN + Adam Lambert at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. on July 26th, 2014

My wife, also known as EmKay, had won us tickets to this show a few weeks ago. The seats were in the 200 section on side of the stage. Pretty good seats, especially when you consider the price. I was so excited for this show because I had never seen Queen before, not even when they came around a few years ago with Paul Rodgers. And then something amazing happened. A week before the show my wife sent me a text and said "you'll never believe what I just won! 4th row floor seats for the QUEEN show!!!" HOLY CRAP! (That was my actual text back to her) So now I was even MORE excited for the show.

The day of the show arrived and we made our way to Atlantic Shitty. I'm not saying that to be funny. It really is the shittiest place on earth. Just a terrible, awful place. And I wouldn't be fighting traffic and tolls to be in this hell hole if it wasn't a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Brian May up close and personal. It is for him that I sacrifice my sanity. I hope he appreciates it. (He did tweet later that the AC show was his favorite show of their short U.S. tour) Once we gave that human parasite Donald HeWhoCannot amed our $20 for the "privilege" of parking at his craphole casino, we made our way out onto the Boardwalk and into the dregs of human existence. Did I mention I can't stand Atlantic City? Oh, ok, moving on. We hung around trying to decide if we should abuse our bodies by feeding it Boardwalk food. Hmmm, hunger or possible hospitalization? Tough choice. I chose hunger. After she finally couldn't take it anymore, and sensing my shooting spree about to begin, my wife dragged my lifeless corpse of a body inside of the cavernous Boardwalk Hall. Once inside, I started to come back to life. Ahhhh, I was amongst my people. Music fans. Music fans of all shapes, sizes, colors and sexual orientations. I'm home.

We made our way to our unbelievably close seats and sat in awe of the stage. I couldn't believe how close we were. I was feeling pretty anxious, so EmKay popped a couple anxious pills into my mouth and forced me to swallow them. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, better. Looking around at the enormous crowd I was struck by how popular this band's music truly is. I mean, sure, there were many Glamberts in attendance and many young kids who were probably just American Idol fans but the majority of the crowd were my age and older. Queen, bringing out the old fogies by the thousands for a show. Nice!

At exactly 8pm the lights dimmed and the intro music started playing. I immediately stood up and began cheering, much as I can since the surgery to remove my thyroid ruined my voice. The band blew onto the stage with the awesome opener Now I'm Here. A sort of statement from Adam Lambert, I presume. And man, he WAS there! The dude really brought it. He was not a Freddie pretender! He had all the pizzazz and excitement of Freddie but he was his own man. And he had the pipes to back up the glamor. He sounded amazing! And he was really funny too. You could tell he was having the time of his life up there. I thought he was spectacular and I hope he stays with the band and they make some new music together. Something to wash the taste of The Cosmos Rocks out of our collective mouths. (I could write an entire book about how truly disappointing that album was)

Brian May was the true star of the show for me, as I expected. He was just incredible! His "Red Special" was singing all night long (even when he was playing another guitar). His solo was a real highlight of the show for me. He incorporated his solo guitar anthem Last Horizon into it but had many other textures in it as well. And his solo acoustic numbers on the small stage at the center of the arena was a real tearjerker. He played a beautiful solo version of Love Of My Life, which included a guest vocal turn from Freddie Mercury on the screen. Brian himself was even moved to tears by it. You can tell that playing this music again moves him and Roger deeply. He was joined on the small stage by Roger, as well as the other members of the band, which included Roger's son Rufus Taylor on percussion and drums, Spike Edney on keyboards (he's been with the band since 1984!), and new bassist Neil Fairclough, who did an admirable job filling in for the retired John Deacon. They played a great sing-a-long version of the Queen classic '39. They did several numbers from this stage which gave me a great view of their asses. Ha! Listen to me complain about being in the 4th row. #whitepeopleproblems

The shocker of the night for me came when, after we sang Happy Birthday to Roger, Adam announced they were going to do a special song for Roger's birthday. One they had never played on this tour so far. And with that they launched into my favorite Queen song of all time DRAGON ATTACK! Oh Adam, you can pretend that this was for Roger but in reality we all know it was for me. And I thank you for that.

The hits started coming in rapid-fire succession, so I had a feeling we may be winding down. Also, it had been over 2 hours. And with that the band kicked into their signature tune, Bohemian Rhapsody. No matter how many times I hear it. No matter how many parodies there have been. I still freaking love that song! I still sang along with my raspy Alec Baldwin-esque voice. It is pure pop genius. My only complaint is that it was a duet between Adam and hologram Freddie. Just let Adam sing it! But I get it. Sort of. After that the band took a short break and were brought back out for an encore of the requisite We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions finale. The band then took their final bows as God Save The Queen played over the P.A.

To sum up. Fantastic show! Sure, we went for free but I would have happily paid for that experience. I think the band need to strike while the iron is hot and get into a studio with Adam and create a grand finale of an album. They aren't getting any younger and this may be their last chance to go out in style. Amazing show by an amazing band. Freddie would have been proud.

Set List:

1. Now I'm Here
2. Stone Cold Crazy
3. Another One Bites The Dust
4. Fat Bottomed Girls
5. In The Lap Of The Gods
6. Seven Seas Of Rhye
7. Killer Queen
8. Somebody To Love
9. I Want It All
10. Love Of My Life
11. '39