Live Review: Queen + Adam Lambert

The Queen + Adam Lambert run of Australian dates was coined a “once in a lifetime tour”.  

First things first, Adam Lambert is not and never will be Freddie Mercury. However, with Lambert already having to live up to the late Mercury’s purist fans, this was a heavy headline to live up to, and he held his own in front of a crowd of 15,000 spectators at Perth Arena by far surpassing any expectations with his unbelievably theatrical performance. He may not be Freddie Mercury, but Lambert oozed the sex appeal, stage presence and soaring vocals that characterised him.

As the crowd waited with baited breath for the show to begin, the lights dimmed and the arena erupted into screams and applause as Lambert’s silhouette appeared behind the curtain, opening the show with Now I’m Here. The arena exploded into light with an onslaught of laser effects and finally we were graced with the presence of the rock'n'roll legends.  

With their musical accomplishments they could have easily done a four-hour show without covering all their most loved songs, so the two-hour concert, though lacking some fan favourites, was an impeccable sample. From guitarist Brian Mays ear splitting riffs in Another One Bites The Dust and an epic solo to close out Fat Bottomed Girls to the graceful drum duo of Roger Taylor and son, Rufus “Tiger” Taylor, it was truly a head spinning experience.

Queen and Lambert turned the pumping rock show into an intimate and touching experience when May honoured Mercury in an acoustic rendition of Love Of My Life, originally performed by both May and Mercury. Throughout the show, footage of Mercury performing Bohemian Rhapsody, Love Of My Life and We Are The Champions was displayed in all its glory on the giant Q-shaped screen in the centre of the stage.

Apart from May’s 15-minute distorted guitar solo (which was a little excessive), the performance was amazingly tight and the set was expertly arranged with a perfect combination of old school rock'n'roll, glam rock and contemplative sentimentality.