We all want to live forever as both Freddie Mercury and Oasis have sang. Queen, whose legacy has continued well past the death of Mercury, is no exception. Their latest leg of the “Rhapsody” tour, which opened in Baltimore, showed that Brian May and Roger Taylor, along with Adam Lambert, will still rock you. However, it does feel like this is their time to say goodbye and that they're facing the truth.
Queen + Adam Lambert concert review
Over the course of a two-hour, jam-packed show, Queen + Adam Lambert rocked CFG Bank Arena. This was a classic example of a megaband opening their tour in a smaller market before heading to a bigger one (Scotiabank Arena and Madison Square Garden are next). Elton John did it by opening his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Paul McCartney opened his “Got Back” tour in Spokane, Washington.
But that only creates a more intimate setting for a band like Queen, whose catalog is filled with stadium-rocking anthems, to connect with their audience. Take notes, Greta Van Fleet. There's an ample difference between arena shows in the Garden or Capital One Arena and CFG Arena. The nosebleeds, which is where I resided during Thursday night's show, still make you feel close to the band.
Given the simplicity of their set and stage design, there's very little paraphernalia and excess compared to what you may assume for a band that was once led by Freddie Mercury. No, Queen + Adam Lambert's gig doesn't compare to the spectacle that U2's Sphere gigs are, but there is something almost chill-inducing about seeing two stalwarts of the rock genre playing for perhaps their final few times.
Throwback to a different age
Seeing a Queen concert is a throwback to the old days of rock concerts. Opening with a medley of “Machines” and “Radio Ga Ga,” Adam Lambert and Brian May had the crowd in the palm of their hands. “Hammer to Fall,” “Stone Cold Crazy,” and “Another One Bites the Dust” followed and kept the energy up.
Adam Lambert, who told the audience that this is now a decade of him touring with Queen, has been a godsend for the band. There's no denying that there is only one Freddie Mercury. His voice was transcendent and arguably the greatest in all of rock ‘n' roll.
However, Lambert hits all of the same notes. I mean no disrespect when I say this, but there were times when you could close your eyes and hear Mercury's voice during Queen's concert. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep post-Vegas, the incessant smell of weed (told you it was a throwback to the '70s!), or the horrid audio mixing (I'd expect nothing less from an arena in Baltimore). Nevertheless, you can't deny that Lambert has nearly unmatched belting power.
He, along with the release of the very overrated-yet-equally-enjoyable Bohemian Rhapsody, have given new life to Queen. Other fill-in singers have been fine, but Lambert has the same swagger — as seen in his mirror-facing “Killer Queen” performance — and vocal power required to even try and stand into Mercury's shoes. His stage presence is unmatched in modern rock, as he came out with bleach-blonde hair and shades reminiscent of Bono's The Fly shades.
That said, he knows the presence that he's in. Getting to stand in for one of the most iconic rock bands ever has to be daunting, if not a big pat on the ego. Bram van den Berg, who's currently filling in for U2's Larry Mullen Jr., has a similar look of pure “pinch me” energy on his face. Lambert introduced Taylor and May as the two members of Queen who “need no introduction.” He also lamented that he's “so f**king lucky to do what I'm doing.”
Lambert earned his roses (bows and curtain calls), no doubt. But May and Taylor are still the wheels that keep Queen moving. The guitar is the sexiest instrument out there, and I'm not saying that as a guitarist myself. Take away the little pyrotechnics that flew out of the head of his guitar or the prolonged guitar solo (sorry, but if I condemned Greta Van Fleet's Jake Kiszka for this, I can't not mention it), and you still have a guitarist with some of the most iconic riffs ever.
The band is extremely tight when it comes to live performances. There were minimal mistakes outside of a couple vocal harmony missteps. They're only playing their second gig of this tour, so they'll get a pass for working out the kinks.
Top-heavy setlist
Speaking of kinks, while the band has a few days off between gigs, they could also sort out its setlist. Queen's set was exactly the same from Night 1 to Night 2 of the tour. And that's fine in principle, but it's a very top-heavy set. You get songs like “Radio Ga Ga,” “Another Bites the Dust,” “I Want it All,” “Killer Queen,” “Don't Stop Me Now,” and “Somebody to Love” in the first half alone. There's even a three-song medley of songs about wheeled-vehicles consisting of “I'm in Love With My Car,” “Bicycle Race,” and “Fat Bottomed Girls” that works despite how much I despise the middle number.
From there on out, for every “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” there's a “'39” or “Is This the World We Created?”
Both are fine songs, but the last act of the show before the encore hits a serious lull. Truthfully, “Who Wants to Live Forever,” “Is This the World We Created?,” and “The Show Must Go On” have never been amongst the top of Queen's catalog for yours truly. Let alone if you play them all in succession (with a 10-minute “New World Symphony” guitar solo sandwiched between them). “Bohemian Rhapsody” awoke the entire audience, which was a varied mix of older, OG fans, and the younger kids who either A.) went with their dad, or B.) dubbed Bohemian Rhapsody as one of their top films of 2019.
No, the audience wasn't filled with walkers and canes the way Paul McCartney's gig in Syracuse was last year (hallelujah), but if not for the rampant amount of phones that went up per song to record three-quarters of it, you'd swear the audience was asleep. I'm not sure what it is about modern concert-going, but crowds have gotten extremely lame. Thank goodness for the four drunk moms behind me who stood for practically every song. It'd feel slightly less looked down upon if you stood up whenever they would.
Of course, the show ends with two crowd-pleasers, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” Those got everyone on their feet, along with the “Radio Ga Ga” reprise that, by that point, had me gaslighting myself questioning if we had already heard that song.
It's likely that Queen has been playing the same songs for 50 years now and want to play some for themselves that aren't “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Fair enough, but I think the sequence toward the end has one too many snoozers that make you anxious for the next fun song. No amount of David Bowie-like lights can distract you when you're nearly falling asleep during this segment of the show.
Should you see Queen + Adam Lambert?
Queen + Adam Lambert is still a bucket list-worthy act. Their show is a true testament to the timelessness of Queen. Their music doesn't sound modern, yet their songs are ageless. How does that happen? Is it Lambert's reinvigoration of the band? Or is the band just that great?
I'd lean toward the latter, though Lambert's addition gave this band more of a spark than they ever could have imagined. He thinks he's lucky to be in the presence of two legends, but the greater world at large is lucky that the band has continued touring (and sounding good!) for over five decades.
Whether they want to admit it or not, their times has nearly come. Take it in while you can, Brian May and Roger Taylor. Everyone wants to live forever, and like Freddie Mercury, Queen's legacy will. Their “Rhapsody” tour shows prove that.
Grade: B+
Queen + Adam Lambert's “Rhapsody” tour will continue until February 14, 2024.
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