Skinpress Demo Rss

CONCERT REVIEW: Queen + Adam Lambert, Charlotte (NC), August 23, 2019 (final show of the NA tour) (UPDATED)

Filed Under () by broddybounce on Friday, August 30, 2019

Posted at : Friday, August 30, 2019

Review of the final show of the Queen + Adam Lambert North American Tour, which took place on August 23, 2019 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

All I'm gonna say is that the reviewer at this newspaper must be good friends with the reviewer for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the one for the San Jose Mercury News.   (Do note that the quotes I've placed below have been put in a way sunnier light than the actual overall context of the review!)

UPDATED (8/30/19): Wonderful review (light years beyond the "big" newspaper critic!) from a teen critic in The Record newspaper (published in Dunn, NC).  This is a late review that was published yesterday.


Charlotte Observer:
Concert review: 
Queen + Adam Lambert = a killer show.
But something was still missing.

credit: Jeff Siner / Charlotte Observer
"There’s being excited to see someone ... and then there’s being really excited to see someone ... and then there’s the sellout crowd at Spectrum Center on Friday night — which was really, really excited to see Queen."
"Lambert...is clearly about as perfect a stand-in for Mercury as anyone could ever find. Clearly, as evidenced by the fact that May and Taylor not only said grace over him in the first place, but that they’ve also continued saying grace over Lambert since giving him the job back in 2011."
 "... uniquely soaring voice...Very talented. Very likeable. Very fun."



~𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞~


The Record:
Queen joins Lambert on stage for stellar show

credit: Jordan Ryan Lester / Daily Record

This review from teen critic Jordan Ryan Lester is so wonderful ⁠— and so short! ⁠— that we're just gonna post the entire piece here (but link to The Record's website is below, as well).
After years of one-off performances and no touring, one of the most popular bands of all time has returned.

Queen has been making a trek across the United States this summer with American Idol star Adam Lambert. The tour stopped in Charlotte and that was quite possibly the best concert I’ve ever been to.

The original lineup (besides John Deacon) has returned with the legends that are Brian May on the guitar and Roger Taylor on the drums, with Adam Lambert belting out the lyrics to every song.

In a move that could be unheard of, the band has not only found someone who respects Freddie Mercury’s immaculate vocals and legacy, but also plays well with the rest of the group. Watching the three bond onstage was an uncanny experience, and leads me to believe that this band is back with a vengeance.

Adam is incredible, and his beautiful voice and rock star stage presence are exactly what’s needed when filling such big shoes.


17 comments:

Dee R Gee said...

Yikes. Another reviewer who thought the show was excellent but still wished he could have been transported back to the 1980s to see Freddie. Oh well. Some people are just determined to NOT have a 100% good time. To read this review, you'd think that Freddie had just stepped out for a while for a smoke and would be (thankfully!) back in a few minutes to take back the reins from the very talented, though slightly inferior Adam. LOL It's all so absurd.

I keep saying that reviewers need to judge the QAL shows on their own merits. This guy really liked the show and praised Adam, Brian and Roger, but still couldn't quite let go of the ghost of Freddie tapping him on the shoulder.

And BTW, Freddie was more theatrical and crazy onstage with his antics and costumes than Adam has ever been. He was the supreme showman. Frankly, I think Adam is just too gay for this guy.

If Freddie was still performing with Queen after all these years, I think he would have evolved a lot. He would have changed over time, keeping up with the trends of the day. He may even have become a bit more like Adam. But of course we'll never know. We do know that Adam is the best vocalist out there, with or without Queen. I'm fine with that.

Patria said...

I think it's a very nice review.
The show is named "The Rhapsody Tour" to connect to the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody". It's all about keeping the memory of Freddie alive as much as it is the actual music. Freddie keeps appearing during the concert by design. It's only natural that the audience might be wistful and wishful about seeing Freddie and saying so. Adam, Brian, and Roger all have outstanding things said about them. The reviewer was very generous in his praise for QAL.
When the touring and movie is behind us, Queen will still be promoting Freddie and helping with conquering aids. It's all good.
I think it's a very nice review.

The Dark Side said...

Obviously these guys did not get Rogers memo that Fred was dead and not goi g to be at the show. I’m personally sick to death if the Freddie adoration bandwagon from these people who never saw him live.

Dee R Gee said...

When famous people die (esp. celebs and rock stars), it's not unusual for their perceived talents and attributes to grow immensely. The adoration for them takes on mythic proportions. Not saying that they weren't all very talented, and Freddie sure was. To paraphrase George Harrison (not referring to Freddie), "He looms large in his legend." Freddie will always be larger than life. And the fact that Adam is so damn good just makes the current QAL so hard for some people to accept. Even some of the reviewers can't see the Lambert for the Mercury.

LAMBERT Outlaw said...

Another review filled with innuendos & left-handed compliments .. not my idea of a positive review!! It was as if the reviewer had somehow thought they were going to see Freddie miraculously perform instead of ADAM .. they were looking for another Freddie up there like an ELVIS impersonator!! Once they had that mind set it clouded the fact that they had enjoyed the show & were chastising themselves & everyone else who did!! Too bad .. they ruined what could have been a chance to give a good review!! BIG FAIL!! IMO

tess4ADAM(LAMBERT Outlaw)

Sunflower said...

People should stop wishing for Freddie! He's dead and Adams here to "as Adam says to carry the torch"! I don't feel sorry for people who didn't see Queen way back with Freddie, they lost that chance. Honestly some of these people don't know what to say, so they bring down what or who is good. I'm sorry, not sorry for these ignorant idiots!

broddybounce said...

Wow ... Amazing points made by all!!! Love the last line of your second comment, Dee! 🤭

Kathy said...

So sick of hearing the comparisons, that was then, this is now. Was not a Freddie fan and yes I have been there for it all. Give it up people and enjoy the best singer of all time. Don't even get me started on how much work it takes to just sing and be such a perfect entertainer for 2 plus hours and sound just as good in the beginning as the end of the show. He gets an A+++ for being such a professional after hearing all the adverse talk thru the years. I think Adam will go down as one of the greatest singers/entertainer of all time.

broddybounce said...

Thanks for your input, Kathy -- great to have you here! Excellent points!

Nanbert said...

I agree with most of you...this Freddie adoration IS getting old. He was never as canonized when he lived as he is now that he's dead.

It's not news that I think Adam's "pink elephant" speech and the many inclusions of Freddie into the Queen and Adam Lambert concerts are serving to confuse the audiences and reviewers...and dividing their loyalties...or what/who they feel they should be loyal to.

Because of that, many seem to feel their tours are a tribute to Freddie....whereas in fact, it is because.....

BRIAN AND ROGER WANT TO PERFORM THEIR MUSIC.. AGAIN... AT THE TOP OF THEIR FORM, WITH THE

BEST FRONTMEN IN THE WORLD, IN THE BIGGEST VENUES IN THE WORLD... BECAUSE THEY LOVE IT!

And now I think it's time to stop "playing the Freddie card"! It's accomplished their purpose....in fact, it's overshot their goal! I hope to God they finally do so on the next leg of their tour!

Dee R Gee said...

Thank God for Spike Edney.

Rosemary White said...

From tweets I’ve read on Twitter, there are some people who really appreciate Adam’s “pink elephant” speech. Whether Adam continues or stops making the “pink elephant” speech is for him to decide.

I imagine there are people attending the concerts who may not have heard of Queen and Freddie until they saw the “Bohemian Rhapsody” film, and Freddie wasn’t on his death bed in the movie. However, no doubt they know by now he’s no longer alive, and they're enjoying Adam as lead singer.

Sue Smith said...

So agree Kathy for me there is is no one to compare to Adam. I wrote something similar to your statement but it accidentally disappeared into cyper space. How lucky we live in a time to see someone with the talent and quality of vocals of a life time that Adam has. He is no impersonator to anyone his own unmatched Talent is the only thing I've
been interested in and have admired for ten years. Like I said before I am so very proud of Adam. To heck with any comparisons Adam is the real deal for me.

Angeladam said...

If Adam wants to keep making the "pink elephant in the room" it's his decision, NOT his fans, I saw Freddie back in the day and was fortunate to be there at the Live Aid concert, would never compare the two completely different talents

Nanbert said...

Yes, I think we're all tired of comparisons. But they're STILL being made, because the subject is STILL being brought up!

Also, we do not know WHOSE decision it is/was to make those speeches...or even if Adam HAS a choice. Even if he has a choice, he may be reluctant to hurt someone's feelings by stopping, or suggesting he stop. And, for all we know, it may even have been written into Queen and Adam's contract.

The point is, reviewers are even remarking now on this, as well as many, many fans. If the word spreads enough, it will reach Brian, Roger and Adam...and they can take steps to stop---or greatly cut it back. A brief remark or song dedicated to Freddie's memory would be appropriate. In fact, just keeping Brian's "duet" with Freddie's "ghost" is perfect!

One last thought. As I understand it, John Deacon still has full partnership in all decision making for Queen. It's possible that HE requires/required the speech and inclusion of Freddie in order to sanction QAL....since it is well known what he felt about Queen without Freddie.

In the meantime, many reviewers and fans will continue to consider QAL a "tribute band"...because they act like one! If Brian, Roger and Adam are offended by that assumption, they can easily remedy it!

broddybounce said...

I was trying to find a recent post where most of our "regulars" left a comment and this one fit the bill the best -- even though what I'm writing about regards the Sunrise, FL concert, not Charlotte.

A few weeks ago I did a post of a guy on YouTube who put up a video of the ENTIRE two-hour+ concert in Sunrise. Inevitably, Queen's record company spies had YouTube take the video down because they don't like single videos that show the full-length concerts (and, again, I truly hope that's because they are planning to release their own pro version on DVD -- fingers crossed!)

Well, the same fellow decided to defy the 'video sheriff' and put the video up again earlier today and, since it's the holiday weekend, nobody has asked YouTube to take it down ... yet. So, if you missed it the first time and want to see it, take a look -- but you'd better hurry up, it will probably be taken down again at some point Tuesday. And I purposely am not updating the original post on this because I'm thinking the exposure it will give might just hasten the video being taken down. But hidden here in comments? No worries! We won't be able to get the word out to our entire readership, but at least we can reach all of you faithful folks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0nxecgcb88&t=1883s

Nanbert said...

Thanks broddybounce....at least I got to enjoy this again! Hope it gets to stay this time.