aaamusic | On 18, Jul 2012

London, Wednesday 11th, Thursday 12th, Saturday 14th
London is burned to the ground in a Flash by the royal family Queen with their American Buddy!
Queen have a new guest vocalist in Adam Lambert after the disastrous few years with Paul Rogers, a singer who is great with his blues stuff, in bands like Free and Bad Company but just doesn’t fit the vocal range and style of the Majesties of rock Queen. Adam Lambert is a much younger singer who made his name from coming second in American Idol a number of years ago. Adam has gone a long way from his reality TV show days with his new album reaching number one on the American chart. ‘Trespassing’ which is full of pop gems and really shows of the talent of this young man who can hit many a fantastic note.

The show starts off with the Queen coat of arms on a massive banner at the front of the stage and the flash intro playing to start of this rock extravaganza. The first song ‘Seven seas of Rhye’ hits you like a punch in the face and you realise that this band have got their impact back. Queen are performing three times in the same week and each day see’s the same set with a few songs altered here and there like on the first two nights swapping round ‘The show must go on’ and ‘Somebody to Love’ and on the Saturday playing both. It’s a shame that the first night don’t get to here Adam sing ‘The show must go On’ which is one of the best numbers he sings with Queen, he really has made it his own and like the amazing ‘Who wants to live Forever’ it really fits his operatic vocals. It is nice to see the chemistry between Queen and Adam Lambert they really show that they have real respect for each other and that there is a bond between them that they have let him into the ranks to not replace Freddie but to sing his songs in the way he would have wanted them sung. So when it comes to a duet between Roger Taylor and Adam Lambert you feel the strong connection.

Roger Taylor later sings a couple of songs on his own ‘A kind of Magic’ and ‘These are the days of our Lives’ which is really nice to see cause Roger sang at least one of the songs on each album. This leads on to a heartfelt acoustic segment with Brian May where he plays a different song each night and then does the most amazing version of ‘Love of my Life’ I have ever heard where he is joined by Freddie at the end who is projected on the big screen behind it is like he is actually in the room and is a really moving moment especially when you can see a tear in Brian May’s eye and see how much the guitarist still misses his friend. Brian is joined by Roger on stage and they play a version of ‘39’ acoustic before they are joined back on stage by Adam who seems to have murdered Elmo backstage and turned him into a coat. They burst into ‘Dragon Attack’ which is one of the best songs to suit Adam’s voice and he jiggers around doing erotic dance moves which looks fantastic. On the Thursday night during the next song ‘I want to break Free’ Adam really breaks free splitting his trousers in a place you would not want to split them, but in true Queen fashion the show must go on and they continue for the next few songs which include a version of ‘Radio Ga, Ga’ which must have looked amazing from the balcony cause everyone claps their hands in time. This is a true rock show in every sense and probably the best show in town and when they hit into one of the best songs ever written ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which virtual Freddie sings as well, and consists flames and amazing visuals you realise Queen with Adam will probably be the closest you get to seeing a full Queen show again. It’s an explosive climax with ‘We will rock You’ and ‘We are the Champions’ and you realise this is one of the best gigs of your life. As a lifelong Queen fan I know they certainly did rock me.

Wednesday 11th – Setlist
Flash – Intro
Seven seas of Rhye
Keep yourself Alive
We will rock You (Fast Version)
Fat bottomed Girls
Don’t stop me Now
Under Pressure
I want it All
Who wants to live Forever
A kind of Magic
These are the days of our Lives
The show must go On (Acoustic)
Love of my Life (Acoustic)
’39 (Acoustic)
Dragon Attack
Drum Battle / Guitar Solo
I want to break Free
Another one Bites the Dust
Radio Ga, Ga
Somebody to Love
Crazy little thing called Love
Bohemian Rhapsody
————–
Tie your mother Down
We will rock You
We are the Champions
God save the Queen (Outro)

Thursday 12th – Setlist
Flash – Intro
Seven seas of Rhye
Keep yourself Alive
We will rock You (Fast Version)
Fat bottomed Girls
Don’t stop me Now
Under Pressure
I want it All
Who wants to live Forever
A kind of Magic
These are the days of our Lives
Somebody to Love (Acoustic)
Love of my Life (Acoustic)
’39 (Acoustic)
Dragon Attack
Drum Battle / Guitar Solo
I want to break Free
Another one Bites the Dust
Radio Ga, Ga
Crazy little thing called Love
The show must go On
Bohemian Rhapsody
————–
Tie your mother Down
We will rock You
We are the Champions
God save the Queen (Outro)

Saturday 14th – Setlist
Flash – Intro
Seven seas of Rhye
Keep yourself Alive
We will rock You (Fast Version)
Fat bottomed Girls
Don’t stop me Now
Under Pressure
I want it All
Somebody to Love
Who wants to live Forever
A kind of Magic
These are the days of our Lives
You’re my best Friend
Love of my Life
‘39
Dragon Attack
Drum Battle / Guitar Solo
I want to break Free
Another one Bites the Dust
Radio Ga, Ga
Crazy little thing called Love
The show must go On
Bohemian Rhapsody
————–
Tie your mother Down
We will rock You
We are the Champions
God save the Queen (Outro)

 

Daniel Cairns