Live review: Queen + Adam Lambert, Vector Arena!
Filed Under () by Adam Lambert on Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Posted at : Wednesday, September 03, 2014
No gesture was too extravagant, no genre was left unmolested.
They might have started out as an early 70s hard rock band. But they somehow became a pop perennial, like Abba or the BeeGees, with hits just as enduring too.
And when frontman Freddie Mercury passed away, Queen endured.
Sure, affection for those hits kept them there, as did the likes of stage musical We Will Rock You and a thousand Idol show covers of Somebody to Love.
So seeing what's left of Queen - original members guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor but not long-retired bass player John Deacon - bringing in American Idol's biggest breakout talent Adam Lambert as frontman was always going to take some getting used to.
Lambert proved he had plenty stage presence along with a winning personality and very busy costume department.
But vocally, it sounded as if his strengths are up top.
Still, his takes on many of the songs did - as they say in Idol land - make them his own. That's whether it was his Michael Jackson-like tilt at Another One Bites the Dust or his Elvis lip-curl on the rockabilly of Crazy Little Thing Called Love near the end.
And the more theatrical numbers and challenging melodies like Killer Queen, which had him propped upon a purple chaise longue at the end of the stage runway, proved his forte more than the straight rockers.
Yes, there were inevitable moments when Mercury held sway over proceedings with posthumous duets delivered via video screen footage.
Full article:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11318692
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8 comments:
Great review! More and more people, and esp. reviewers seem to be getting it. The whole Queen thing plus the exquisite-ness of Adam.
BTW, if you like this sort of thing, and I do, visit Adamtopia under the Aukland thread. There is a wonderful essay by a music person analyzing what Adam did with WWTLF on the first night. It's really amazing to know how technically savvy he is about using his voice. It is an instrument like any other. She really delves into how Adam can do what even some opera singers cannot do. She mentions his range and specific notes that are very difficult to sing well. Head voice, chest voice, falsetto, etc. He is a master of it all and doesn't have to rely on cheap tricks to make it all work. He is a singer in the truest sense of the word.
DRG
I read it enjoyed it very much.
Thanks for an astute and Queen fandom review! For those of us who lived through the Freddie era it is difficult to conjure up a concert that would be worthy. But May and Taylor sure found the formula. And because of it, many generations can experience it through the talent of Adam Lambert without bias and truly enjoy the music! Hurray for introducing the music that will make Queen's legacy sparkle!
Where's Liam
DRG, I would love to read that essay you mentioned, but I can't find it. Could you provide a link or a more detailed description of where to find it? Thanks!
@krismidas - I think this is the link - the bottom-most post.
http://adamtopia.com/thread/2482/qal-wwtlf-analysis
Still don't know how to embed - so, please copy and paste.
@krismidas, following is a direct link:
http://adamtopia.com/post/542154
Great read!
Sophie and Eli, thanks for the links. It really is fun to read a great technical critique of Adam's singing. Very educational, and just further validation of how wonderful "our man" truly is! ;)
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