Adam Lambert Would Like to do More Work with Queen

Credit: Classic Rock Magazine

Former ‘American Idol’ contestant Adam Lambert might come across like a strutting, seasoned performer onstage, but in a new interview he admits that even with all of his bravado, he was nervous when he was approached to perform in Freddie Mercury‘s place with the legendary British rock group Queen.

Lambert tells Classic Rock  magazine that he understood why some fans were skeptical before he even took the stage. “I mean, it’s Freddie Mercury!” he exclaims. “You don’t want to f— with that. When I got the offer I immediately said yes, and then I hung up the phone and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, how the f— am I going to do this? This is a big deal.’”

The singer says he was intimidated not only by the sheer scope of Queen’s catalog — part of which was unfamiliar to him — but by the generation gap separating him from Brian May and Roger Taylor. But as they rehearsed and got to know each other better, he started to find his way both musically and socially. “They both said, ‘You and Freddie would have giggled together,’ Lambert recalls. “‘He would have gotten a kick out of you.’ Then I felt accepted.”

Even so, Lambert says that his first live gig with the band was still intimidating. “The first show we did was to 250,000 in the Ukraine. I’m not going to lie, I was deeply nervous for the first half of that show,” he admits. “After the gig I felt a weight lift.”

In fact, Lambert enjoyed the experience so much that he would like to do more work with Queen, though he emphasizes that it would have to be balanced with his solo career: “I would definitely be open to it.”

QUEEN AND ADAM LAMBERT NAMED BEST LIVE ACT OF 2012

Queen and Adam Lambert's London gigs in 2012 have been named Gigwise readers' favourite live shows of 2012.

The legendary band's pairing with the US star was thrown into jeopardy when their planned performance at Sonisphere festival was scrapped when organisers cancelled the show. The band then performed three shows at London's Hammersmith Apollo with Lambert stepping into the mighty shoes of Freddie Mercury at the show.

Speaking of his time performing with Queen, Lambert said: "It was such a tremendous honor to take the stage with Rock and Roll royalty earlier this year. Brian May and Roger Taylor are true gentleman who inspired magical moments onstage and off.

"In paying deep respect to the late, great Freddie Mercury, I feel I have evolved into a better artist. Thank you to all the fans who supported me in this venture. It was your fervent energy that fanned the flames and set the stage on fire!"

Queen and Adam Lambert top the poll by an easy margin ahead of The Killers, who place second in our poll, despite the band having to quit a Manchester show due to Brandon Flowers having a sore throat and being unable to sing. Muse place third, with Animal Collective and The Foo Fighters in fourth and fifth place.


At the bottom of the poll, somewhat surprisingly, is indie-dance collective SBTRKT, who drew the fewest votes in the poll, tied with Jay-Z and Kanye West's huge collaborative shows.

Rihanna failed to impress with her live shows, as her troubled 777 tour caused headlines for all the wrong reasons this year. Crystal Castles and The Cribs also disappointed Gigwise readers, as they placed fourth and fifth from bottom.

Click here to view the poll.

LADY GAGA, KATY PERRY AND KRISTEN STEWART FIGHTING OVER ROLE IN FREDDIE MERCURY MOVIE

Credit: UltimateClassicRock 

Pop singer Katy Perry and ‘Twilight’ star Kristen Stewart are reportedly fighting over a plum role in an upcoming movie about the life of flamboyant Queen front man Freddie Mercury. According to a recent article, the pair are both vying against Lady Gaga for the role of Mary Austin, Mercury’s lifelong best friend and confidante with whom he had a romantic relationship in the ’70s.

Mercury lived with Austin in the early ’70s before beginning a relationship with a male record company executive, and even after that, the pair were best friends for the rest of his life. He was the godfather to her oldest son, and when he died in 1991, he left his London home to Austin instead of his partner, Jim Hutton.

“Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Kristen Stewart are on the short list for Mary, who played a huge role in Freddie’s life,” a source reportedly told Star magazine (quote via Popcrush). “They all desperately want the part, and it’s getting ugly!”

Sacha Baron Cohen is slated to play Mercury in the biopic, and he reportedly has the final say in choosing his leading lady. The women apparently aren’t doing themselves any favors with their catty behavior. “With the girls fighting like this, it’s just hurting their chances of getting the part,” the source adds. “It’s unprofessional, and Sacha is tired of the back-and-forth — he wants to choose one of them and be done with it.”

Screenwriter Peter Morgan says he has had to tread carefully in dealing with the three surviving members of Queen for the film, which has no title or projected release date as yet. ‘Queen are sensitive because it will show rancour and disagreements in the collaborative process,” he tells Time Out. “In a way, the film, for me, reflects my own experience of film making as a collaborative process. Just as a film is never the result of one person, so the band doesn’t like the idea of Queen being ‘a band by Freddie Mercury’ – and they’re right. It won’t just be about Freddie Mercury.”

Greatest Queen + Collaboration Poll:

Queen + ?
You Can Vote Every 6 Hours!!
Poll close: 2/14/2013

Queen + Robert Plant

Queen + Steve Howe

Queen + Roger Daltrey

Queen + David Bowie

Queen + Adam Lambert

Queen + Wyclef Jean

Queen + Elton John

Queen + George Michael



Queen + Paul Rodgers

Queen + Michael Jackson

Queen Extravaganza In 2013

Credit: pollstar

The official tribute show produced by Queen drummer Roger Taylor shores up its 2013 plans, announcing a one-month residency in Quebec City in addition to the production’s U.S. and Canada dates set for January-February.

You actually have three Queen vets involved with The Queen Extravaganza. Masterminded by Taylor and Queen guitarist Brian May, the global music director is Spike Edney, the band’s longtime keyboardist.

Assembled by an online competition, the Queen Extravaganza’s band includes two vocalists taking on the chores once handled by famed frontman Freddie Mercury – Marc Martel and Jennifer Espinoza. Also in the band are bassist Francois Olivier Doyon, guitarist Brian Gresh and Tyler Warren on drums. Brandon Ethridge handles keyboards while serving as the tour’s music director.

The Queen Extravaganza comes with a top-flight production team. Mark Fisher, who worked on The Wall tour with Pink Floyd as well as every Rolling Stones tour since 1989, handles set design while lighting design and video direction is helmed by Rob Sinclair, who has worked with artists ranging from Adele to Peter Gabriel as well as Queen + Adam Lambert.

Taylor recently commented about how advancements in technology enables the Queen Extravaganza’s band to recreate the magic on a somewhat larger scale than the original band did during the 1970s.

“We did the first 10 years of our career with just the four of us, no additions, you know the technology wasn’t there,” Taylor said. “We were relying on stripped down adrenalized versions of our songs and our own personalities. But with this band, we continue to push all the musical boundaries with technology that was not available to the four of us originally. This band is a powerhouse of talent. To hear our songs performed by them gives fans a chance to hear them (our songs) now as they could have done then and perhaps technically, even better.”

While many of the 2013 dates were announced previously, new to the schedule is the August residency planned for Theatre Capitole in Quebec City. Along with a week in January at the same venue, the Queen Extravaganza will also appear in East Coast markets and Canada locations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario.

Here’s the plan:

Jan. 11 Tarrytown, N.Y., The Tarrytown Music Hall
Jan. 12 – Wallingford, Conn., Toyota Presents The Oakdale Theatre
Jan. 13 – Huntington, N.Y., The Paramount
Jan. 15 – Englewood, N.J., Bergen Performing Arts Ctr.
Jan. 16 – Hershey, Pa., Hershey Theatre
Jan. 17 – Verona, N.Y., Turning Stone Resort Casino
Jan. 18 – Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton Place Theatre
Jan. 20 – Ottawa, Ontario, National Arts Centre
Jan. 21 – Toronto, Ontario, Sony Centre For The Performing Arts
Jan. 22-23 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole
Jan. 25-27 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole
Jan. 29 – Sherbrooke, Quebec, Granada Theatre
Jan. 30 – Montreal, Quebec, Bell Centre
Feb. 1 – Saint John, New Brunswick, Imperial Theatre
Feb. 2 – Moncton, New Brunswick, Moncton Casino
Feb. 3 – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
Aug. 6-7 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole
Aug. 9-11 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole
Aug. 13-14 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole
Aug. 16-18 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole
Aug. 20-21 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole
Aug. 23-25 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole
Aug. 27-28 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole
Aug. 30-31 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole
Sept. 1 – Quebec City, Quebec, Theatre Capitole

Some shows are already on sale. Visit QueenExtravaganza.com  for more information.

Brian May launches Queen 3D photo set

Credit: 3D Focus

Queen guitarist and stereoscopic expert Brian May wishes everyone “a Stereoscopic Queen Christmas!” with new 3D photo packages.

With the help of the London Stereoscopic Company team, Brian May has retrieved and digitally restored 3D images he took during the Queen touring days, using a Stereo Realist camera. Queen series 1 and 2 are designed to be viewed in the OWL viewer – a viewer launched with Brian May’s book, A Village Lost and Found, last year.

There are two sets of 12 Queen stereo photos as well as a new addition to the OWL – the OWL nest; a London Stereoscopic Company crest embossed box which secures the OWL viewer and card sets.

There is also an astronomy set available (Brian May is an Astrophysicist) he created using material from various credited sources.  A second astro set is due soon as well as various Nature studies.

Brian May writes “I'm excited ! Yes, even amongst the immense emotional pitch of playing Queen and Adam Lambert concerts, I still get excited about stereo cards … and these are the long-awaited Queen cards, which I've been working on for months … These are the first two series of 12, plus two bonus cards for each set. It's very satisfying to see these 'wet proofs' – after all this time … the result of many updates and re-edits. It's Queen in the Freddie days, at various times … converted from 35mm film stereos – mainly using a Stereo Realist camera. I hope they will be enjoyed …”

You can purchase the sets and OWL viewer from the London Stereoscopic Society website.