Queen and Adam Lambert are hitting the road this fall for a North American expansion of their Rhapsody Tour, with a freshly minted knight onstage and plenty of post-pandemic energy.
The band boasts about a new production with a some new songs added to the setlist and a few surprises that members won鈥檛 reveal, the product of plenty of time to think about the way the tour looks and sounds.
鈥淲e do constantly try and keep ourselves interested because it鈥檚 nice to change the show around, even in small ways,鈥� says drummer Roger Taylor. 鈥淥bviously we do some sort of deep cuts whilst at the same time keeping the big hits that everybody knows. People want to see what they know. But it鈥檚 nice to spice it up with a few things they might not expect.鈥�
The tour will make 14 stops throughout the U.S. and Canada, including shows in Baltimore, New York, Atlanta, Denver, Boston, Toronto, Chicago and Dallas, before closing out in Los Angeles in November. The concerts are being billed as a continuation of Queen鈥檚 2017-2019 Rhapsody Tour.
It鈥檚 the first time the band has toured North America in four years, because of the pandemic, and guitarist Brian May 鈥� 鈥� says he, Taylor and singer Lambert have deepened their bond.
鈥淔or a long time we were sitting there thinking, 鈥榃hat the hell do we do?鈥� But when we came back to it, it was very fresh, which is probably a nice thing,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think we learned all over again how to interact with each other. So I think we are on a different level.鈥�
The band is riding a wave of respect following the 2018 release of the Oscar-winning the biopic of lead singer Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991.
鈥淚t brought in a younger audience and younger people are what you feed on, in a sense,鈥� says May. 鈥淭he energy of young people is what we鈥檙e about. We鈥檝e always been about that. So it鈥檚 been fantastic for us that a whole new generation understand what we鈥檙e about and come and want to really rock.鈥�
While the band won鈥檛 reveal the setlist, it isn鈥檛 too hard to predict 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody鈥� will be played. The complex song that no one thought would be a radio hit has emerged as one of their top tracks, in large part because of 1992鈥檚 鈥淲ayne鈥檚 World,鈥� where it played during a key scene.
鈥淭hat one took us really into another league,鈥� says Taylor, who calls it a 鈥済ame-changer.鈥�
Expect also to hear 鈥淒on鈥檛 Stop Me Now,鈥� which Taylor says started as a medium hit and has emerged as a top Queen request and 鈥淲ho Wants to Live Forever,鈥� which May says Lambert takes 鈥渢o a different place鈥� live.
The time away has also given members a chance to appreciate finding Lambert, who impressed with a Queen song when he auditioned for 鈥淎merican Idol鈥� during the 2009 season. Lambert started performing with Queen in 2011.
鈥淥ur material, our songs, are very eclectic and the plain fact is that Adam is a truly great singer, and there are not many singers that could cover that range of material as wonderfully as he does,鈥� says Taylor.
May agrees, calling Lambert 鈥渒ind of a gift from God鈥� who combines a powerful voice with a stage presence and emotional interaction with the audience.
鈥淗e ticks every single box that we could possibly want and he鈥檚 quite a nice chap, too,鈥� May says.
Lambert, who earlier this year put out 鈥淗igh Drama,鈥� an album of covers from such hitmakers as Duran Duran, Bonnie Tyler and Culture Club, says he always tries to keep Mercury at the forefront.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no replacing Freddie Mercury. That鈥檚 impossible. And so I think we鈥檝e made it a real priority to sort of honor him every night, every show we do. It鈥檚 a celebration that includes Freddie. And I think the audience feel that,鈥� he says.
As for his knighthood, May jokes his bandmates need to adjust to a new reality.
鈥淚 have the sword now,鈥� he says, laughing. 鈥淭hey have to be much more respectful.鈥�
鈥擬ark Kennedy, The Associated Press
READ MORE:
