If there ever were a pair of shoes that were near impossible to fill, they’d be the rhinestoned loafers of Freddie Mercury. The iconic rocker was as good as it gets, which is why we can’t be the only ones who were surprised (and a little nervous) when it was announced that American Idol vet Adam Lambert would take the stage with Queen and attempt to rock the house down.
Well, while nobody will ever do it better than Freddie, Adam is doing a bang up job.
Here’s a look at his glammed out glory:
And if you want to see him in action, here’s a full concert uploaded to YouTube:
How about we take this to the next level?
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Wilberforce
No way. I heard him do a song, and his phrasing and timing were off. And his voice just doesn’t do it for me. Freddie’s voice was sweeter than sugar.
I actually saw Queen years ago in SF. And mother were they loud. I’ll never forget a hot solo by that lead guitarist, whatever his name is.
Merv
I think he’s great at the physical part of the performance, but the timbre of his voice is a little thin for my taste. The person who I really thought did justice to Freddie Mercury’s vocals was George Michael in his prime.
MarionPaige
Could anyone stand the image of Tim Curry (in his prime) doing Freddie Mercury? Of course, for the longest time, I thought Freddie Mercury was doing Tim Curry from Rocky Horror.
BBellairs
I don’t think anybody, even the Queen band members, expected him to be a Freddie Mercury clone. If the only criticism you have is that he doesn’t sound like Freddie, then let it go. Adam Lambert is fabulous and has a great voice. He was hired to be himself and sing in his own style.
mandy123
He has already proven he can do Freddie justice through 24 shows with 95% positive media reviews and thousands of reviews/comments from skeptical Queen fans who actually attended and changed their minds about him. There is lots of proof of this on Twitter, Ticketmaster reviews, other reviews, and Queenzone, so if you try to say the opposite, you’re full of shit. And please don’t comment if you didn’t attend live. Videos never did his voice justice. I attended 4 concerts and the crowd loved him. No one left early like the purists would like to believe.
Jim
If you get a chance to see this show GO! I was never really a big Adam Lambert fan prior to seeing this show but he and Queen put on an amazing concert. There were great tributes to Freddie Mercury during the show as well 🙂
Sammy2
@Merv: GM only ever sang one or two songs of Queen’s. Hardly enough to say he would have done well with others. Many of Queen’s catalogue would way out of George’s league – in his prime or not. ANd I’m a GM fan. Just a realistic one.
Sammy2
LOL at the person judging Adam’s vocals on the basis of just ONE song they heard once probably on utube. I’ve heard Adam sing with Queen dozens upon dozens of times now, including live, and I’ve never heard his timing, phrasing etc being “off” (although he does introduce his own style at times which might confuse you if you’re only used to hearing a song performed in one way). He brings in a range of textures and styles that suit particular songs – something other vocalists who’ve fronted Queen have been unable to do. Adam has a multi-octave range (like Freddie)and his years of vocal training pay off when he’s performing power songs like WWTLF where he projects massive difficult notes to the back of the stadium or when he holds a note for 22 seconds during STL and keeps up his strong vocals for a grueling 2 hour set. So yes, Adam has shown many times now he can ‘do Freddie justice’ – or rather – that he can do justice to Queen & their iconic music.
dayglowjim
I think he’s great. And I was a HUGE fan of Queen growing up. No he doesn’t sound like Freddie, no one ever will, but I might start listening to them again.
ironeagle
Queen is my all time favorite band. I am lucky to have been able to see them live, many times over the years,
This tour with Adam is another gem in their crown. Thank you Adam for taking it on, you have been outstanding!
truly
iron eagle
Tim
No-one will EVER ‘replace’ Freddy. But Adam and his awesome vocal range certainly comes close.
Milk
I’m not sure how many times people have to keep comparing Adam to Freddie. Yes, Adam is touring with the remainder of the Queen. He is not replacing Freddie Mercury. No one can replace Freddie. Not even the closest impersonator in the world. The current collaboration is not an attempt to make people forget about Freddie, you can’t and you won’t. Having said that, there’s no one else today who has the vocal power to tackle Queen songs like Adam Lambert. No one alive come close to the performance level of Adam Lambert especially with Queen’s band. We know Freddie Mercury was closeted until he died. As amazing a his performances were, he can’t quite fully be himself in the public and was restrained on stage. Adam manage to update with no reservation in his performance. It suited the current social climate. Many who went to see this concert are die heart Queen’s fans. Most of them fully embraced Adam Lambert fronting for the Queen. For years since Freddie’s passing, Brian May and Roger Taylor have been searching for a suitable singer to revive the band. They had several replacement. They even ran the Freddie impersonator contest. Not until at the season finale of the American Idol 8 when they get to perform with Adam Lambert did they finally found someone who fit perfectly with Queen post Freddie Mercury. It’s 5 years in the making to have Adam Lambert perform with Queen. This is not a permanent arrangement and given the age of the two remain veterans and still in their prime to perform, it’s perhaps the last time anyone get to see the magic of Queen. The show was very respectful to Freddie Mercury and makes every attempt to incorporate the magic of Freddie Mercury for the fans that misses him. If anything I thought it was quite a risk for Adam Lambert who is trying to carve out a career of his own to tour with the Queen. Those who get to see the current tour including myself are lucky to experience it.
TTTTom
@Wilberforce: Brain May is his name
vive
Well, kudos to him for trying, but there is no voice close to Mercury’s. If he really has talent, it would be better if Lambert did something original instead of this derivative thing.
ironeagle
@Milk: ……..and John too 🙂
AtticusBennett
having seen the tour, he’s doing a bang-up job. vocals, presence, embodiment of glam with power in the lungs – and openly proudly gay. make no mistake – freddie mercury is proud of him.
Gigi Gee
YES! My man and I saw Queen + Adam Lambert a few weeks ago and we really enjoyed the show. Adam isn’t Freddie, obvs, but he did a great job. Amazing show!!!
Donald
Before I saw the Toronto concert, I had not even heard one Lambert song (don’t watch American Idol etc)…so I went for Queen..3rd row…well, he blew me away…I loved that he was surprising humble…didn’t try to mimic, just sang the hell out of the songs. I sat beside two strangers who happened to have seen Freddie in Toronto late 70s..they loved Lambert and the concert.
Hellebore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dREKkAk628I
jd2222248
I am very proud of Adam for taking the courage to “try” to feel Eddie’s place in the group. I think Adam is holding his own with one of the best groups on earth. 🙂
tdx3fan
Has he managed to find his range yet or is he still screaming like a bitch in the vast majority of his songs. If he wasn’t gay, he would have been kicked off American Idol on the first week.
DeeJayMiles
the kid in the video above, mark martel, is fabulous. re adam lambert, he is good, and i love the way he moves, very sexy, but he’s lucky to be backed up by queen right now, they are out of his league. true, he’s not supposed to be another freddie, he’s adam and that’s okay too. just not for me.
mandy123
@vive: He has his own career too. He’s already had two world tours as a solo artist filling venues as large as 17K. His next album will be out next year and he is also an actor who received rave reviews for his five appearances on Glee. It’s been reported in the media that he is getting multiple offers for just his acting. He really can do it all.
mandy123
@DeeJayMiles: Did you actually go to a show? If not, how can you comment?
mandy123
@DeeJayMiles: Oh and Marc Martel is fugly (huge square head and looks like a cartoon character), no charisma or stage presence, and has a tiny, tiny fan base. Only 7K Twitter followers and the Queen Extravaganza did poorly in the US, with some small venues only filled 30%. I highly doubt he could have sold out Madison Square Garden and several other large venues like Adam did.
mandy123
@tdx3fan: Did you actually see one of the concerts? Please tell me what songs and which notes he is “screaming”. 95% positive reviews in the media and thousands of skeptical Queen fans have changed their minds about Adam AFTER seeing him live. Anyone who hasn’t seen them live really doesn’t have a right to comment.