Queen + Adam Lambert, O2 Arena, review: 'spectacular'
No-one can better fill Freddie Mercury's shoes better than Lambert says Catherine Gee
Adam Lambert and Brian May at the O2 Arena on January 17, 2015 Photo: GettyBy Catherine Gee
July this year will mark 30 years since Live Aid’s enormous simultaneous concerts at Wembley Stadium and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.
That day, Freddie Mercury, dressed all in white, helped Queen deliver a performance so electrifying that their 20-minute set has since been declared the world’s greatest ever live show.At the time, Adam Lambert was just three years old. But it’s his youth and rapturous energy that has given Queen the glittering boost that they’ve been so desperately lacking since Mercury’s death. Without attempting to impersonate Mercury - if anything, he looks more like George Michael - Lambert has brought dazzling showmanship and style back to the band. He's also everything that Queen’s last long-term singer, the blokey, bluesy, ex-Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers, is not.
It’s 24 years since Mercury died. Queen have actually been together longer without him than they were with him. But there is no detaching Mercury from Queen and throughout this packed show at London’s O2 Arena, their painfully missed singer was a constant presence.
On stage, Lambert was the first to pay tribute, saying warmly, “I love him just as much as you.”
Though he may be less well known over here, in America, Lambert is a familiar face, having been runner up in 2009’s American Idol. But when he walked into the audition room and performed Bohemian Rhapsody for Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, he was already a trained and seasoned performer who’d cut his teeth on Broadway.
On Saturday, with 31 dates of a world tour with Queen already under his belt, Lambert looked entirely at home. As for the two remaining original members, the now-grey-haired 60-somethings Brian May (guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums) - they looked like they were having the most fun they’d had in years.
Both men are clearly still at the top of their game and midway through the 23-song set they indulged in what so few music veterans can resist: prolonged instrumentals. May, bassist Neil Fairclough and Taylor all had a go - with Taylor accompanied by his son Rufus, who regularly plays with the band. Unfortunately, this lengthy indulgence did result in one of the show’s few flatter moments - and one where many audience members grabbed the chance to run to the lavatory.
The stage was suitably dressed for a spectacular show, flanked by giant video screens with another set inside an enormous Q. At one poignant moment, May sat alone under a spotlight at the end of a long walkway and paid his own tribute to Mercury. Love of My Life, the song he and Mercury used to perform as a pair, became his solo number - until suddenly footage of Mercury singing it live appeared on the giant screen behind. For a moment, it felt like he was there.
It was Lambert’s own virtual duet with Mercury on Bohemian Rhapsody that truly showed how well his vocals compete with the great man himself.
The 32-year-old’s talent is truly staggering, with a range, clarity and tone that make him one of the world’s great vocalists.His captivating performance saw four costume changes - opening the show clad in black studded leather and closing in a leopard print suit and bejewelled crown. May even got in on the fun during the encore, emerging in a gold lamé poncho.
For a brilliantly camped-up version of Killer Queen, a pouting Lambert draped himself on a purple chaise longue. Spitting a long jet of champagne out onto the crowd, he seductively asked an audience member, “Did I get you wet, lady?”
As a performance, it was empowering. During those less enlightened times, Mercury himself could never risk being so verbally sexual in public. He could never risk being completely honest about his sexuality either - as the openly gay Lambert can now.
No one will ever be able to replace Freddie Mercury, this much we know.
But there’s currently no one else who could better fill his shoes and put on such a spectacular show than Adam Lambert. And it only took May and Taylor two decades to find him.Link:
www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/live-music-reviews/11353627/Queen-Adam-Lambert-review.html#disqus_threadComment under the review: Camille • a few seconds ago
sorry but Mr Lambert was never on Broadway, was in touring companies of Wicked and Hair. He is unmatched in music today, once you've seen him live- and you will be unprepared for that voice live- you just want to see him again and again.
