9.03.14 Q+AL Auckland New Zealand Concert #1

Just got back home. I got to say I knew Adam was good over watching Youtube over the past five years. But wow Youtube does not do him justice. Not just his voice, I was struck by his stage presence, it was like watching a cartoon character come to life. It was like seeing a boy transform into a man. On Idol he was this almost precocious Kid, Last night it was like the final product unbeleivable. I can't judge as I wasen't at the other shows, but I can tell you the crowd were insanely loud, the crowds energy was off the chart. You could tell Adam was feeding off the crowds energy. Brian May was incredible, his guitar solo had the crowd in the palm of his hands. Adam did get a Standing Ovation for Who wants to live forever, it was so surreal seeing it live after watching on Youtube so many times lol. Singing is the guy's craft, he feels every nauance, and breathes life into songs with such power, depth, and sensitivity. Even when Freddie was onscreen which was surreal too, Adam came back and owned the stage like he did all night. For me I was introduced to Adam 5 years ago via American Idol, for a very straight guy to be enamored by this openly gay, flamboyent singer never made sense to me lol, so seeing him live was one of the best nights of my life.

Makayla @ xIIHY4lyfx

Oh hey, me and elyse in brians selfie xD pic.twitter.com/eOFpgAJS6N

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Is Queen + Adam Lambert A Tribute Or Triumph? Auckland Concert Review, Plus Analysis Of "Under Pressure"

I read on Facebook today somebody likening Queen + Adam Lambert to the Pink Floyd tribute show that possibly too frequently plays the 1,200 capacity Founders Theatre in Hamilton. Well two sold out nights of 9,000 (18,000 total) in Auckland capping off a sold out world tour (including New York's Madison Square Gardens) would at least suggest some differences. So too presumably the presence of the man who wrote A Kind Of Magic (original drummer Roger Taylor) and the man who wrote We Will Rock You (original guitarist, PHD holder Brian May).

Last night's concert was quite incredible. 32 year old Adam Lambert was born to be in Queen and just as Bee Gee Barry Gibb came to realise his catalogue was too significant not to be heard live despite the loss of his brothers, so too is the music of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon.

More important than the fact the staging and light / laser show was as expertly reaslised as any I've seen at an indoor concert, more important than Taylor and May being A-list rock musicians who wrote many of Queen's finest songs and more important than Adam Lambert's vocals and charisma being almost as remarkable as Mercury's, it's the reality Queen + Adam Lambert is tonally bang on.

What that means is that in concert they sound outstanding, they sound like Queen and they don't sound like a tribute act. Lambert is both in sync with his famous band as well as being his own man in much the same way Brian Johnson of AC/DC is, despite having inherited the mantle of Bon Scott. Of course the AC/DC / Queen lead-singer comparisons are far from exact considering Johnson replaced the deceased Scott just months after his death and Lambert's arrival is more than 20 years on from the death of Mercury. There's also the small matter of AC/DC somehow picking up the pieces of losing their lead singer to almost immediately release Back In Black, sell more than 40 million copies and secure their legacy in the process.

Queen in the mid-80s: Freddie, John, Roger and Brian.

But all told Queen have have had a far greater musical and cultural impact than AC/DC and it is unrealistic to expect new chart-toppers from a band whose history stretches back approximately 45 years. But unlike Paul Rodgers who became the post-Mercury Queen frontman for a time, Lambert could not be more right for this band, nor more honouring of his idol's legend. He is flamboyant without being cringe-ably camp and is very likely the most remarkable singer to have ever featured in the 12 years of American Idol (2009 runner-up).

See below the lyrics and video to one of last night's standouts, Under Pressure. How is it you can hear a song a million times but it's not until you see it live that you stop and think about the lyrics? Sure, I knew the Queen / David Bowie 1981 #1 hit Under Pressure reportedly once had the working title People On Streets and that the final title clearly indicates people battling pressure. But it wasn't until Roger and Adam were trading lines that I thought about the simple compassion of:

'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure
Under pressure
Pressure

I'm pleased Roger and Brian found Adam and I'm pleased he found them. Freddie and maybe even the long retired John would be proud.