7.22.17 Auburn Hills Reviews
Jul 22, 2017 3:30:24 GMT -5
Post by Q3 on Jul 22, 2017 3:30:24 GMT -5
Photo in banner from GlamBecks @becksie1 “Great gig in Cleveland at #quickenloansarena @adamlambert #AdamLambert #QAL”
No QAL show today.
Queen and Adam Lambert pay tribute to Freddie Mercury with rockin' Palace show
Updated on July 21, 2017 at 11:53 AM Posted on July 21, 2017 at 8:02 AM
Gallery: Queen performs with Adam Lambert at the Palace (go to link below)
By Edward Pevos
epevos@MLive.com
AUBURN HILLS, MI - They came, they rocked and they paid tribute to the late Freddie Mercury. Queen and Adam Lambert played two hours of hits with some surprises at their concert at The Palace of Auburn Hills on July 20, 2017.
Lambert told the crowd it's a big honor for him to perform with Brian May and Roger Taylor. He also said he knows he's no Mercury, and he didn't try to be. Lambert performed Queen's music in his own style, but not too much where it took away from the music fans know and love.
"There's only one rock God called Freddie Mercury," Lambert told the crowd. "I love him just as much as you do. I'm a fan just like you, except I'm up here in a really gay suit. I have to keep up with Freddie. He was a fashion icon. He was also an incredible singer. An incredible composer."
Queen took the stage at 8:45 with a pretty cool entrance. An image of the robot featured on the cover of their "News of the World" album punched through a giant screen and then lifted it off the ground to reveal the band as they performed a portion of "We Will Rock You."
The energy continued with "Hammer to Fall" and "Stone Cold Crazy" before the band went into some bigger hits with "Another One Bites the Dust," "Fat Bottomed Girls," and "Killer Queen," where Lambert sat on top of the robot's head as it rose from beneath the stage.
Next, Lambert introduced his only solo song of the night. "One of the things I loved the most about going back and watching Freddie perform, or stories from the guys, is that he didn't care what you thought. He didn't give... well, you get the idea as that led into "Two Fux." Lambert then rode along the stage in a pink bicycle as they performed a short version of "Bicycle Race."
Lambert left the stage and drummer Roger Taylor sang lead on "I'm In Love with My Car." He would be front and center later in the show as well.
Lambert returned in one of the many different outfits he changed into throughout the concert and performed "Get Down, Make Love" and "I Want It All."
Then, it was guitarist Brian May alone on stage as he performed "Love of My Life." Mercury appeared on the big screen behind May toward the end of the song to finish it off.
Next, one of Queen's signature songs with a twist with "Somebody To Love." Mercury would sit at the piano for this one, but instead, May lead the song off on his guitar with Lambert singing next to him before the full band eventually joined in. This is one example of how Queen and Lambert stayed true to their music, but at the same time, didn't try to duplicate what a show with Mercury would be like.
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was next before a terrific drum battle of sorts between Taylor and Tyler Warren. Then, a song Taylor dedicated to the late David Bowie with "Under Pressure." Taylor sang Bowie's parts.
"I Want To Break Free" was next, followed by "Who Wants to Live Forever," before a mesmerizing guitar solo by May leading into "Radio Ga Ga." Then, the final song before the encore... "Bohemian Rhapsody." Mercury again appeared on screen toward the end of the song to finish it off.
The encore got the crowd back on their feet with "We Will Rock You" and "We are the Champions."
Final thoughts: This was simply a fun night of music with two living legends and a young, powerful singer. Yes, as Lambert said, he is no Freddie Mercury, but in his defense, Mercury is perhaps the greatest front man in music history. The crowd was at its loudest the entire night when a video of Mercury played as he belted out short bursts of sounds while the crowd would repeat them, something Mercury did during Queen concerts.
Lambert never came close to getting a reaction from the crowd like that. But, he is a solid performer with a powerful voice who did Queen's song's justice. Both Taylor and May still bring lots of energy and look like they are truly having a great time on stage at ages 67 and 70.
From the notepad:
May asked fans to sing along to "Love of My Life" and told the crowd, "Detroit was one of the first places in America where people actually did sing to us."
After "Love of My Life," May brought out a selfie stick and the live image was put on the big screen as he took pictures of the crowd from all angles.
During the encore, May sported a shirt with "Detroit" on it.
Toward the end of the concert, different colored laser lights shined across the entire arena during a few different songs.
During "Radio Ga Ga," Lambert walked into the crowd and gave some fans high fives.
The stage was shaped like a guitar. It went out into the crowd about halfway through the floor portion of the audience.
Link: www.mlive.com/music/index.ssf/2017/07/queen_and_adam_lambert_pay_tri.html
Review: Queen + Adam Lambert reigns supreme at The Palace
Adam Lambert, left, and Brian May perform during Queen + Adam Lambert’s concert Thursday night, July 20, at the Palace of Auburn Hills (Photo by Ken Settle)
By Gary Graff, The Oakland Press
Posted: 07/21/17, 6:48 AM EDT | Updated: 20 hrs ago
AUBURN HILLS -- Adam Lambert would be the first to admit that there will never be another Freddie Mercury -- and, in fact, he did just that on Thursday night, July 20, at The Palace.
But the 2009 “American Idol” runner-up, performing with Queen co-founders Brian May and Roger Taylor, proved again that he’s the next-best-thing. And then some.
Making their second appearance at The Palace, Queen + Adam Lambert put on a glorious two-hour rock ‘n’ roll spectacle whose only flaws were one bad song choice (the ponderous “Get Down, Make Love”) and a trying 45-minute wait past the show’s advertised 8 p.m. start time (fans got bored enough to start doing The Wave at one point). But once on stage the trio and its three support players dazzled with the kind of musical and visual magic that insured Queen’s enduring, regal legacy.
Credit Lambert for that success. Granted credibility by May and Taylor’s open embrace, even including his new single, “Two Fux,” in Thursday’s setlist, the Indiana-born singer displayed a firm grasp of the two key elements that made the late Mercury so iconic -- a winking, grinning sense of campy theatricality and formidable pipes. The latter were evident on every song Lambert sang, but particularly on soaring renditions of “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “I Want It All,” “I Want To Break Free” and “Somebody To Love,” threading the needle between aping Mercury and adding his own style to the mix.
Lambert gave the nearly full Palace plenty to see, too, with his hair dyed bright red and seven intensive outfit changes -- even sporting a bona fide crown for the encore -- and visual stunts such as singing “Killer Queen” while seated atop a giant replica of the robot from the cover of Queen’s 1977 album “News Of The World” and riding a flower-festooned tricycle around the stage during “Bicycle Race.” Lambert spent much of the 22-song set prowling a ramp that stretched towards the center of the Palace floor, even venturing into the pit surrounding it to press some flesh during “Radio Ga Ga.”
The spirit of Mercury was more than channeled, too, as Queen’s original main man got his due via video with cameos for the last verse of the May-sung “Love Of My Life” and at the end of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” virtually trading lines with the in-the-flesh Lambert.
May and Taylor -- who also changed outfits several times each during the show -- were hardly eclipsed by their younger frontman. The former, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Wednesday, July 19, laced searing, extended guitar breaks into songs such as “Stone Cold Crazy,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “I Want It All” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and played an atmospheric, laser-lit solo spot, with portions of his own “Last Horizon” and Queen’s “Brighton Rock,” atop an elevated platform.
Taylor’s “drum battle” with Tyler Warren, meanwhile, was a quick diversion, and he successfully took on the late David Bowie’s parts in a galvanizing rendition of “Under Pressure.”
The night ended the only way it could -- with the tape-assisted “Bohemian Rhapsody” ending the main set and an encore of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions,” with glittery confetti showering the arena. The heavyweight, i.e. Mercury, may be gone, but on Thursday Queen + Adam Lambert could still lay claim to the championship belt -- or, if you prefer, the crown.
Link: www.theoaklandpress.com/arts-and-entertainment/20170721/review-queen-adam-lambert-reigns-supreme-at-the-palace
QAL 2017 Tour Schedule
North American Tour
June 24th Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
June 26th Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
June 27th Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
June 29th San Jose, CA - SAP Center
July 1st Seattle, WA - Key Arena
July 2nd Vancouver, BC - Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
July 4th Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place
July 6th Denver, CO - Pepsi Center Arena
July 8th Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Arena
July 9th Kansas City, MO - Sprint Centre
July 13th Chicago, IL - United Center
July 14th St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
July 17th Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
July 18th Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
July 20th Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
July 21st Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
July 23rd Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
July 25th Boston, MA - TD Garden
July 26th Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
July 28th New York, NY - Barclays Center
July 30th Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
July 31st Washington D.C. - Verizon Center
August 2nd Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
August 4th Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
August 5th Houston, TX - Toyota Center
European and UK Tour
November 1st - Prague, Czech Republic, O2 Arena
November 2nd - Munich, Germany, Olympiahalle
November 4th - Budapest, Hungary, Sportarena
November 6th - Lodz, Poland, Atlas Arena
November 8th - Vienna, Austria, Stadhalle
November 10th - Bologna, Italy, Unipol Arena
November 12th - Luxembourg, Amneville Galaxie
November 13th - Amsterdam, Netherlands, Ziggo Dome
November 17th - Kaunas, Lithuania, Zalgiris Arena
November 19th - Hartwell Arena, Helsinki, Finland
November 21st - Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
November 22nd - Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
November 25th - Dublin, 3 Arena
November 26th - Belfast, SSE Arena
November 28th - Liverpool, Echo Arena
November 30th - Birmingham, Barclaycard Arena
December 1st - Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena
December 3rd - Glasgow, The SSE Hydro
December 5th - Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
December 6th - Leeds, First Direct Arena
December 8th - Sheffield Arena
December 9th - Manchester, Arena
December 12th - London, 02 Arena
December 13th - London, 02 Arena
December 15th - London, The SSE Arena, Wembley
December 16th - Birmingham, Barclaycard Arena