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And of course Freddie owned the songs. He WROTE the damn songs!

The bottom line is that Brian May and Roger Taylor are sharing the stage with Lambert. If he's good enough for them, he's got something going on.

Saw this today online, thought it worth posting here:

bohemianrhapsody.png

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^^^^^^^^

all that proves is that specific Beyonce song has trite lyrics. You could also point to last years worldwide smashes by Adele as an example that good songwriting is still alive and well and appreciated by many people. I could also find plenty of trite top40 stuff written at the same time as Bohemian I'm sure. People use music for different purposes, they don't all have to be Bohemian Rhapsody. It's not like Crazy Little Thing Called Love was an example of superior song craft either.

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I think Queen should've done what Journey did by finding a replacement that sounds identical... He's certainly out there ready and waiting for the opportunity.

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Listened on phone. Didnt seem "pitchy" to me but lowish fidelity on phone. I work around theater so that didnt seem "gay" compared to some of my buddies. Dont get the harsh critique at all.

IMO it's a combo of Lambert coming up on American Idol and him filling a role once occupied by perhaps the greatest entertainer in the history of rock. Both offend the snobbish sensibilities of music aficionados.

Speaking of American Idol, would anyone outside of the industry be using the term "pitchy" if not for that show?

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Well heres my take. Count Basie has passed but his orch still plays. IMO rock trying to time capsule the artists in their 20s has backfired. They mostly look dumb w their dyed beards crazy jewelry and whatnot. The latest VH at least tries to play the tunes accept where they are in life and let the work speak ( rock ). I want to see some growth and change as an artist, not a 65 yr old stuffed into his old suit. I think Plant has done it right Tyler not so much. May and Taylor believe in these tunes and believe in the guy they are using

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Listened on phone. Didnt seem "pitchy" to me but lowish fidelity on phone. I work around theater so that didnt seem "gay" compared to some of my buddies. Dont get the harsh critique at all.

IMO it's a combo of Lambert coming up on American Idol and him filling a role once occupied by perhaps the greatest entertainer in the history of rock. Both offend the snobbish sensibilities of music aficionados.

Speaking of American Idol, would anyone outside of the industry be using the term "pitchy" if not for that show?

I don't watch American Idol and I don't give a dime where Lambert came from. I think in fact he's a quite competent singer, he has a wide vocal range, he's rather good-looking and has a cool stage presence. He goes slightly off-key pretty often though -the term "pitchy" I think it's a shortcut I took from this forum.

Well, I took it slightly personal, right? :)

But my point is, I have no problem with someone else fronting what's left from Queen, even if Queen is my preferred rock band ever --and Brian May my most-loved guitar hero.

In short, Lambert is OK and very probably has the potential to become a true new frontman for Queen. Let's just hope it will work in the long term. From my perspective, there's still a long way to go though.

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Lambert sounds ok, never heard him before. Not a fan of his look, but it doesn't really matter to me. But hearing that Brian May sound live again is worth whoever might sing with them.

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Anyone who can step on a stage with that trio, their catalog and the audience's "Freddie" expectations and peform as Adam did has my complete respect.

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Anyone who can step on a stage with that trio, their catalog and the audience's "Freddie" expectations and peform as Adam did has my complete respect.

Be ensured he has my complete respect too.

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I think he does a ok job. He looks like he's pressing, his body language is tight, probably because he's focusing on his vocs and he's a bit intimidated. Understandable. That should be cured with time.

Even if he does get to a point where he can relax and be fluid with the catolog I think it's impossible to convey the same sincerity because he's not Freddy. It doesn't matter if he's gay he'll have to do some writing of his own. Good luck with that.

I just watched a Foreigner concert recorded in Nashville. Their replacement singer actually sounds better than Lou Gramms IMHO. Plus they've written new material with him that has the same nuances as the older classics that has charted well. Of all the fossil bands to rise from the dust with a new front man I think they've done the best. YMMV.

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Ok, so I'm up and going - kinda. Still waiting for the coffee to kick in. Gonna break this up in to at least two posts I think. This one will be a little about why we went (so you can skip it, unless you really need a cure for insomnia). I've always kind of moved to a different beat than most folks I know - sometimes I'm in step with what's generally popular and cool, but most times not. I like GM products, but not Chevrolet - I have a 77 Trans Am and a GMC Sierra. I like guitars (duh), but not so much Fender or Gibson - Hamers have always done it for me. I've leaned towards music that has good guitar playing/tone at its roots (Queen & Boston), but not always. And I've got a soft spot for power-pop earworm songs even if the band isn't quite so popular (Slade & The Darkness). Wasn't until I got a little older that I finally started appreciating good vocals too - good lead singer, harmonies, studio multitracking tricks, etc. Also have a soft spot for musical theater too, mostly brought out because my wife is big in to it. In any case, I'm at the point where I like what I like even if I don't completely understand why. And since I'm a bedrooom/garage hack guitar player at best, and can't carry a tune in a bucket to save my life, I'm not too critical about music as much as I used to be when I was younger.

So back to Queen. I'm of that age where I was a either a little too young or not financially able to catch them in their heyday. So when Freddie passed in '91 and John called it a day ('92 or '97 depending on which performance you want to count.) I wrote Queen off as a "would have been cool to see them, but that's out now" situation. Thought George Michael did pretty well at the Freddie memorial concert in '92, and that Paul Rogers was an interesting take, but neither never really caught my interest.

Then along comes American Idol Season 8 (yes, my wife is prompting me with the details here.) Love him or hate him (and I went down each of those roads as the season went on), Adam was definitely a standout. He definitely has a stage presence, has an impressive vocal range, and has power. But, with that, I still think he gets a little shrieky when he hits his upper range. Regardless, when he and Kris Allen did the medly with Queen there was definitely something interesting going on. Still, that was a "made for TV' performance and didn't think much of it at the time. Sure, there was a little discussion in our house as to how it was kind of neat, but neither one of us expected much from it.

Jump to early spring of this year when it's announced Queen + Adam are lined up to play Sonosphere. Generated some interest in the household, but neither one of us were looking forward to slogging around in a field for a multi-day outdoor festival. Guess we're finally getting old & grumpy. Then when Sonosphere got cancelled, that seemed to close the books on seeing any incarnation of Queen again. But then odd things started happening - a series of dates gets announced starting in Kiev, with a 2 show (ultimately 3) finale at the Hammersmith (now HMV) Apollo in London.

So that kicked off some more discussion and it boiled down to a few things. We've been sitting on a cache of frequent flier miles for a while and saving them for "something silly." We both like London and haven't been there in a few years. We had the vacation time. My wife's other favorite singer (Michael Ball) is playing the lead in Sweeney Todd at the moment. Things lined up for free flights, hotel & show tickets, so off we went.

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I just watched a Foreigner concert recorded in Nashville. Their replacement singer actually sounds better than Lou Gramms IMHO. Plus they've written new material with him that has the same nuances as the older classics that has charted well. Of all the fossil bands to rise from the dust with a new front man I think they've done the best. YMMV.

Totally agree. With Hanson and a series of younger drummers in tow they are better than ever IMO.

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If you're still awake after my previous post (and if I don't kill this thread, which I seem to do a lot), here's the rundown on the 2 shows. One thing I didn't mention earlier - we quckly got over the lineup. After all how many bands that we grew up with are still around & touring, much less with their "original" members. Besides, I finally got to see Brian live, and the wife got to see Adam. Definitely some fringe benefits there for me :) .

The HMV Apollo is a little bit older (as in still doesn't have air conditioning) and holds roughly 5000 people. Think it's the first time Queen played there since '75 as well. Both nights were sold out, and unlike some venues/events here in the States, it was a true one. I couldn't see an empty seat on either night. And it was definitely a global audience as well. Lots of locals, America represented, as well as other European, South American and Asian countries.

Big black & white Queen stage screen (Crown, Lions, Seraphim, Cherubim, Griffin, etc.) facing the audience. Usual miscellaneous "house music" going on in the background. Lights out around 8:20, "Flash's Theme" starts playing in the backround with lighting effects. Boys come on stage behind the screen while this is playing. Screen gets dropped & they open with Seven Seas of Rhye. OMG - here it is live (which I never thought I'd get to experience), the goosebump inducing tone from Brian. Then on to Keep Yourself Alive and a "different" version of We Will Rock You. Not bad, but Adam is wearing a godawful KISS like leather outfit with chrome shoulder spikes. Doesn't quite fit with the toned down outfits the rest of the band is wearing.

Then Fat Bottomed Girls - Adam's working the crowd, but hasn't quite got it right. He's rambling on about "fat asses" which is OK I guess. He got it closer on the 2nd show when he asked if there were any "fat bottoms" in the crowd. That went over a little better. One thing through the first few songs - Brian's tone was frickin' amazing. But at the same time, much more guitar heavy than what you're used to hearing on the albums. Makes sense I guess given that he was carrying the load. Still sounded great, but took a little getting used to. Definitely not karaoke like up to this point - Adam was "on" and working the stage & crowd, and Roger & Brian were having a great time. (Hey, if I actually make it to that age, I hope I have that much energy and ability to still have fun too . . . )

Next up was Don't Stop Me Now. Definitely not a song I expected to hear, and I don't think the rest of the crowd did either. This one was right up Adam's alley and he definitely owned it.

Roger came out from behind the kit for Under Pressure, and his son Rufus took over. Yeah, maybe a little bit of fatherly ego going on here but Rufus did fine.

Next up was I Want It All, Who Wants To Live Forever & A Kind Of Magic. Again, Adam was "on", not trying to sound exactly like Freddy, but weirdly kind of channeling him a bit. Roger & Brian still grinning ear to ear.

Roger comes out front again for These Are The Days Of Our Lives. LIttle sentimental with a video montage in the background from their "younger" days, Big, warm crowd reaction when Freddie & John are featured.

Little band break next and Brian comes out with the acoustic. Tells a really bad, nerdy joke about the Higgs Boson particle. "So, Higgs Boson walks in to a church and the head priest says 'I'm sorry, this is a Church, not a laboratory. Higgs says, 'that's fine, but without me you can't have mass.'" He then does a snippet of The Show Must Go On, and then Love of My LIfe in full. For the 2nd show, Brian does a snipppet of Somebody To Love and then '39. Personally, I think Love Of My LIfe is a nice tune, but it's a little tired - yes, it's great for audience participation, but still. And they work a video bit of Freddie singing one of the verses with "live" Brian playing along. On one level, nice nod to Freddie, but on another, well, little video karaoke like. Roger then comes out and they do '39.

Band comes back in at this point for another deep cut surprise - Dragon Attack. Good funk background as expected, but a little guitar heavy compared to the original. This leads in to the ubiquitous "solo" portion of the concert - bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, etc. My thoughts here - definitely talented guys overall, but I've never found this part of any show interesting.

Everyone comes back in for another big surprise - I Want to Break Free. Another song I definitely didn't expect to hear, and Adam was all over this one too. And again, Roger & Brian were having a great time with it. I still find the original video hilarious, espectially given that MTV banned it back in the day.

Then on to Another One Bites The Dust. Good overall, but again, a little guitar heavy compared to the original bass driven version. Still, it's Brian and that "tone" so can't complain much. Adam does an audience participation "scat" session both nights that goes on a little too long for my taste, but the crowd seems to enjoy it. Adam also boogers this one a bit on the 2nd night and comes in too early on one of the verses, but they recover fine.

Next up, Radio GaGa and the first big train wreck of the night. (Some minor ones before this point - mostly Adam twisting up the lyrics on some songs). The band was completelly out of sync from the start. Not sure what happened - could have been Rufus (only 21 after all), could have been Adam (caught up in the moment), could have been Roger (weird rhythm from the synth to sync the drums to.) But, strangely enough it was nice to see compared to some of the sterile, album perfect, autotune performances that are starting to become the norm these days. Yes, it started off as a train wreck, but they got back on track and pulled it out. Pretty impressive. And Brian broke at least 1 string, maybe 2 on Somebody To Love which came immediately after. Adam was definitely good on Somebody To Love, but kinda still like the George Michael version a little better. They did nail Radio GaGa on the 2nd night though.

On Wednesday, they went from Radio GaGa (full audience handclaps on both nights) to Somebody To Love, to Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Thursday was a bit of a changeup - Radio GaGa to Crazy Little Thing Called Love, then The Show Must Go On. Crazy powerful vocal from Adam on that one.

Bohemian Rhapsody was next on both nights. Started out with the full band, but gradually everyone dropped out and it transitioned over to a clip of Freddie and the original video. Pretty powerful overall.

That ended the main show, and for the encore on both nights, Brian came out and did Tie Your Mother Down, and then the band came back in and did the traditional version of We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions.

Overall, damn glad we went. Like I said earlier, never thought I'd get to see any flavor of Queen live. Adam held his own, even if he did twist up some lyrics here and there. Brian, Roger and Adam seemed to be having a great time, which definitely rubbed off on the audience.

Remains to be seen what the future will bring. Whether any US dates come up is certainly up in the air. And whether they try and write any new stuff with Adam is way off the map. For now, just an enjoyable experience and we'll have that memory to tuck away.

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..., so off we went.

Story to be continued? What happened?

Edited: reply-overlap - Very nice documentary. I enjoyed much more reading it than watching the videos.

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YUCK!!, Freddy was gay, but not flaming. I can't watch a man prance like that.

Preach it, brother:

freddie_mercury_102.jpg

I also kinda thought "huh?" when I saw that.

The Lambert performances are fine. Their seems to be a need for a meeting of the wardrobes somewhere in between.... and I'm not talking about looking like the above.... something that makes them look more like a band perhaps.

ETA: I think the Roy Kahn look would be about right for fronting Queen.... and if Lambert does not pan out, then call Roy himself:

l.jpg

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I know I've probably rambled on way too long here, but . . .

3rd and final show is tonight, 8:20 or so London time, about 3:20 or so EST (I think). Given the woeful security, I'd be very surprised if someone isn't streaming the concert from inside the venue. Little internet searching could produce interesting results.

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When I said Lambert was flaming, and Freddy was not, I know they both were/are gay. Freddy was more manly in his gayness, he had cool rock guy traits too, which I didn't mind watching. The Lambert guy moves more like a woman on stage. I'm not gay bashing or anything, I just don't like Lamberts stage presence. It's not costumes that I don't like either, it's the way he walks and moves that I don't care for.

Cool Beans

Gene Wallace

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Lambert has pipes.

Freddy Mercury was one of the greatest front men in classic rock ever..there is no doubt.

Check out Queen's Montreal concert on netflex online. It is incredible.

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