06-20-14 – Chicago – Rolling Stone
Queen and Adam Lambert’s Tour Opener5 Things We Learned
Regal rock band and their new frontman make a grand U.S. debut at Chicago’s United Center
Even when he was auditioning for American Idol, singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” for the judges with all his falsetto fireworks, it was readily apparent Adam Lambert had a major soft spot for Queen. That he would later perform with the band itself at the end of his season — and brilliantly so, at that — only solidified the increasingly obvious fact: This singer and all his octave-defying range and theatrical flair owed a clear debt of gratitude to the late Freddie Mercury.
It was fitting and not altogether surprising, then, when Lambert quickly linked up with the legendary act, serving as their frontman at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards and again during a brief European tour. Last night, kicking off a 24-date North American run at Chicago’s United Center, the union of Lambert and Queen became official.
“It’s so crazy that this came out of American Idol,” Lambert admitted during a recent interview with Rolling Stone. Yet if the singer was any parts bewildered by his luck, he didn’t show it on Thursday evening: The tour’s opening show was a spectacle of the grandest order. Here are five things it taught us:
Adam Lambert is no Freddie Mercury, but the man sure can sing.
This isn’t the first time Queen have attempted to replace their iconic frontman: Everyone from Wyclef Jean to Robbie Williams to Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers, who toured with the band for the better part of the Aughts, has stepped into the late singer’s massive shoes. From his cheeky call-and-response during “Another One Bites the Dust” to his outsize take on “Killer Queen,” spreading out on a purple lounger and fake-chugging champagne, Lambert proved as brilliant a fill-in as you’re bound to find.
It’s a shame he wasn’t given more a cappella turns, however: “Somebody to Love” was goose bump-inducing thanks to Lambert’s vocal acrobatics. And that’s to say nothing of his vocal magic during “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Are the Champions.”