Fun. explain how their iHeartRadio collaboration with Queen & Adam Lambert came about and what it meant to them

Fun's Jack Antonoff and Brian May of Queen perform during the iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas

By Steve Baltin
September 24, 2013

Back at the beginning of the year, as fun. planned their Grammy night performance, they came up with the idea of sharing the stage with their musical heroes, Queen. Unfortunately, Queen guitarist Brian May had knee trouble and was unable to make it at the time. But the fact that Queen was even interested was exciting enough for fun.

"It had been discussed for the Grammys and it didn’t work out, but they had shown interest, which was mind blowing in the first place," fun.’s Jack Antonoff told Rolling Stone backstage at iHeartRadio.

As the long-planned collaboration was finally about to happen on Friday night, Antonoff and Andrew Dost's sense of wonderment at playing with their idols had not dissipated. "It’s not possible to digest," Antonoff said. "I played Brian May’s guitar at rehearsal, which is the one you saw at Live Aid, the one you saw all on the albums, the one he built with his dad. That’s the guitar and he hands it to me. Playing lead with his guitar tone [was] probably the most surreal experience ever."

Dost concurred that the experience was beyond their wildest dreams. "Rehearsal went really well, it was just neat, surreal obviously, but musically it worked out in a nice way," he said. "I don’t know if we’ll know how to think about it or process it for years down the road."

For Queen, the fact that bands like fun. continue to cite them as an influence is a tremendous source of pride, and they credit Adam Lambert for his role in bringing them into an event dominated by current radio acts.

"It’s just good to be here, it’s good to be a part of what’s happening and this is definitely what’s happening. It’s nice for us to be alive still and still able to do our thing," May told. "Adam Lambert is a great channel for us. It’s great that we have Adam, because he’s a bridge almost to the new generation and a wonderful performer. It’s fantastic working with him."

Fun's Frontman, Nate Ruess to Join Adam Lambert for Queen Performance at iHeartRadio Fest

Queen will team up with another powerhouse singer at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Nate Ruess of fun. is set to take the stage with the legendary British rock group at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Ruess and Queen -- led by Brian May and Roger Taylor, along with guest frontman Adam Lambert -- were spotted rehearsing "Somebody to Love" and "Fat Bottomed Girls". It's unclear how many songs they'll perform together, but the set is slotted for 35 minutes -- the longest of the festival, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry were each allotted 30 mins.

Queen and Lambert are on the bill for Friday night, as is Ruess' Fun., whose hits include "We Are Young," "Some Nights" and "Carry On." Queen is scheduled to take the stage at 11:59 p.m..

Friday night will also see performances from Katy Perry, Elton John, Keith Urban, J. Cole, Muse, Tiesto, Chris Brown and Benny Benassi. Saturday artists include Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Drake, Miley Cyrus, Tim McGraw and Bruno Mars, among others.

‘I definitely paid my dues’: Adam Lambert Remembers His Difficult Path to Fronting Queen

by Something Else!

Some of Adam Lambert’s staunchest fans tend to get defensive when his history in American Idol is mentioned — and not just because he finished second. The implication from detractors is often that Lambert, who’s getting ready for his U.S. debut this month with Queen, didn’t pay his dues.

Far from it, counters Lambert — who worked as a singing waiter at corporate events, in retail and as a Starbucks server while trying to get his start in the music business.

“If you rewind my 20s,” he says during this In Sixty clip, “I definitely paid my dues. I definitely lived a very unglamorous life.”

Lambert was determined, long before he joined a group of Idol contestants often criticized as mere interpreters, to create music that showcased his own narrative voice.

“I was doing a lot of theater stuff, but I was in the ensemble, always,” he adds. “I would never get hired beyond that. I was getting frustrated. I was getting to pay my bills, finally, but I don’t feel like I’m creating something. I had this hunger to make something.”

That continues today, even while he’s established a parallel persona as Queen’s frontman. Lambert, in fact, issued his second album Trespassing — featuring nine of 12 co-written originals — last summer as he took part in a multi-show run with Brian May and Roger Taylor.

Queen are Planning a New Album Featuring Freddie Mercury

The We Will Rock You band’s singer died in 1991 but left behind a number of vocal takes, some of which were used for 1995 album Made In Heaven. 

Now guitarist Brian, 66, is keen to use the recordings for another album.

Brian told iHeart Radio: “We thought we’d exhausted everything that was around and could be worked on but since then a number of things have come to light from various sources that we’d just plain forgotten about, including stuff with Freddie and Michael Jackson.”

Following Freddie’s death bass player John Deacon retired but Brian and drummer Roger Taylor have kept the group’s name alive, continuing with vocalist Paul Rodgers under the name Queen + Paul Rodgers and also performing with Adam Lambert as vocalist.

However Brian says - "It’s important to carry on Mercury’s wonderful legacy."

“As well as being the perfect frontman he was the perfect catalyst to channel the band to the audience,” says Brian.

“He’s always very much in my mind and I’m proud of what we did together."

KATY PERRY: 'FREDDIE MERCURY MADE ME FEEL LIKE A CONFIDENT WOMAN'

Katy Perry claims her music career was inspired by Freddie Mercury, and says the Queen star's fingerprint is 'all over her'.

The singer has always cited Mercury as one of her greatest influences, and previous praised his 'don't give a fuck' attitude. Now, in a new interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, she credits the music icon with influencing her entire career.

"Queen's track 'Killer Queen' made me discover music and helped me come into my own at the age of 15," she tells the magazine. "The way Freddie Mercury delivered his lyrics just made me feel like a confident woman; I'd say his fingerprint is all over me in general. And I also love the idea of a woman who reigns and has power, like Queen Elizabeth in the UK."

Katy Perry is set for a No.1 single in the UK this week, after 'Roar' toppled Ellie Gouling from the top of the chart with her single, 'Burn'.

By Wednesday this week, Perry had sold nearly 103,000 copies of the first release from her third studio album, and is on track to score the fastest selling single of 2013. The record is currently held by Avicii with his own chart topper, 'Wake Me Up', which sold over 266,000 copies in its week of release in July.