Lambert a good fit for Queen's swaggerBY GEORGE A. PAUL / CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Published: July 6, 2014 Updated: 3:21 p.m.
www.ocregister.com/articles/lambert-628116-queen-mercury.html“I’m thrilled that the Forum is back,” Queen guitarist Brian May said before starting an acoustic segment at the venue Thursday night. “It’s been 30 years since we trod these boards.”
The band’s original lineup last played there in September 1982 during the “Hot Space” tour. Before that was a four-night stand in 1980, which Michael Jackson attended. The King of Pop went on to do some recording sessions with Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury.
Since both vocalists are now dead, those songs are being finished by founding members May and drummer Roger Taylor for an album (“Queen Forever”) of new and old material due next winter.
Also in the works is a film biopic starring Ben Whishaw (“Skyfall,” “Cloud Atlas”) as Mercury. “We Will Rock You,” the long-running theatrical production based on the veteran London rock group’s music, opens at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles on July 15.
Having previously toured and recorded with Paul Rodgers during the mid-2000s to mixed reviews, Queen has found the ideal frontman in Adam Lambert. The “American Idol” runner-up initially performed with the group in the ’09 season finale and then did half a dozen European dates with the band.
May recently told Rolling Stone, “This (American tour) is the closest you’ll ever get to see Queen as it was in our golden days.”
Indeed. Lambert, 32, has a strikingly similar sense of panache when compared with Mercury, plus an impressive vocal range. Each was on full display in Inglewood amid a spectacular show rife with classic rock bombast (i.e. the requisite drum and guitar solos) that clocked in at just over two hours.
Plenty of U.K. hits were represented within the 22-song set, but several selections were probably unknown to all but the faithful. Lambert first appeared in silhouette and then emerged from the top stage tier, clad in black leather.
Also including longtime keyboardist Spike Edney, bassist Neil Fairclough and Taylor’s young son Rufus on drums/percussion, Queen + Adam Lambert kicked everything off with the brawny rocker “Now I’m Here.” It was the first of four tunes culled from 1974’s “Sheer Heart Attack.”
“Stone Cold Crazy” featured a strong careening guitar intro as the singer nailed those rapid-fire lyrics and knelt in awe of May’s muscular riffs. All the musicians harmonized well on the stomper “Fat Bottomed Girls.” Lambert strutted his stuff with authority, and a mini-cam attached to May’s guitar neck provided a bird’s-eye view of the legend’s masterful fretwork.
Lambert’s change into a glam-styled glittery shirt with fringe, spikes and platform shoes led into “Lap of the Gods … Revisited,” which contained the night’s first singalong. He headed to a smaller B-stage amid the venue’s floor section to camp it up during a sprightly “Seven Seas of Rhye,” all the while lounging on a regal couch. Lambert playfully sipped from a bottle of Champagne on a solid “Killer Queen” and May joined him there.
The frontman easily proved his mettle during an ultra-dramatic “Somebody to Love,” while Taylor gave thunderous heft to “I Want It All” as the tempo increased and May did another fast-fingered display. A tribute to Mercury came during a solo acoustic take on “Love of My Life,” during which the ax man said, “This is for Freddie. He’s not very far away,” pausing after singing the line, “I still love you.” It finished with a film clip of Mercury singing the song.
Before the group performed the folky space tale “’39,” also on the B-stage, May mentioned Einstein’s theory of relativity (he has a Ph.D. in astrophysics) and was joined by the other musicians. Taylor handled lead vocals on the poignant ballad “These Are the Days of Our Lives.” Once Lambert returned, the drummer impressed again during their stunning duet “Under Pressure” and said, “It’s good to be back here; it feels like home. There’s no dancers. Just real singing.”
Lasers and a mirror ball provided ambiance to the breathtaking “Who Wants to Live Forever” (another subtle nod to Mercury’s absence). Later, “Tie Your Mother Down” was a full-throttle attack with some call-and-response action. Lambert was a bit shaky on the slide guitar-enhanced “Radio Ga Ga” and a tempered, extended version of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” but redeemed himself for the stunning high drama of “The Show Must Go On.”
Queen + Adam Lambert finished the main set with “Bohemian Rhapsody” as Lambert traded verses with Mercury via the classic 1975 music video, and a caped May emerged looking like a sorcerer to finish with some ferocious licks.
All told, the band still sounded great. Here’s hoping Lambert continues with them for awhile.
But I still have no idea what you're talking about ??? 
LOL..... I had a history teacher that called it 'spit swapping'!