Pulse Pause Moments – Adam Lambert

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adam-lambert-queen-london-600x450This month’s pulse pause was so unexpected and from such a wonderfully different source that my usual TV/Film inspirations.

My son emailed me one Monday. Doing anything tomorrow night?

I replied that no, I didn’t have anything on.

Well, now you do. I have two tickets for you, for the Queen concert.

Blow me standing, as Queen might even say.

I couldn’t find anyone to go with (Mark would rather watch paint dry than Queen live) – so my son went with me.   I confess I had never heard of Adam Lambert until that moment, and figured he was the opening act, and also, by-the-by, who would be filling in for Freddie Mercury?

I went to the Roger Waters concert last year, and while it was good, even brilliant, it was so polished, rehearsed and computerized, that you were left feeling that you hadn’t so much attended a concert, as you had watched a micro-managed performance.

queen-1Queen was the complete opposite. Oh, they were rehearsed and smooth and there were some lasers and stuff, but they relied nearly completely on their music and playing to entertain. Even my son, who thought he would be bored out of his brain a) enjoyed himself and b) recognized far more of the songs than he thought he would and c) confessed that he finally understood what a live rock concert should be – and that Queen had delivered on that score.

There were guitar solos and a stunning two-set drum solo (Roger Taylor and his son on the other set).

And there was Adam Lambert.

As a fill-in for Freddie Mercury, I think Lambert was perfect. He had the vocal range and he had the power. He was openly and flamboyantly gay, which put just the right twist on the songs (I loved “Killer Queen” – when he lolled on a chaise longue to sing the song).

But mostly, I was impressed with the power of his singing. I get shivers down my back when I hear really good singers, especially live, and because Lambert and the songs, and the history of Queen fit so well together, I found myself screaming like a teenager and having the time of my life.

__________

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21 thoughts on “Pulse Pause Moments – Adam Lambert”

  1. Yvette

    AHHH haaa…we have another Glambert! Adam Lambert is second to none Vocally and his stage presence mesmerizing! He Spellbinds you and holds you captive throughout your journey with him..and when it’s over you truly wonder what just hit you! Because Seeing Adam and more importantly HEARING Adam Live is an Extraordinary experience and you will never be the same. Adam uniting with Legendary Queen is a Phenomenal Dream Team like no other. They made some History this summer with this Kick Ass tour. And all the Arenas across USA & CANADA are having to repair their Roofs right now.

  2. madamimadam

    Hi!

    Could you tell me which show you saw? I mean which venue?

    I keep track of all the reviews/videos/pictures of the Queen + Adam Lambert Tour and just want to assign your review to the right show!

    Thank you!

  3. Rachel

    I went to 5 of the shows and still crave more. Have been a Queen fan forever and an Adam fan since friend called January 2009 and said, “You gotta see this guy on American Idol.” Since then, huge fan of Adam’s! Happy you enjoyed it!

    1. Tracy

      Hi Rachel:

      Thanks for commenting! Five shows? Wow, you’re dedicated. 🙂

      I’ve always loved Queen, so it was great to see (some of) them live.

      Cheers,

      Tracy

  4. Naomi Bellina

    Pleeeeease say this is coming to the US! I love Queen and would love to see Adam Lambert do his Freddie Mercury thing.

      2. Marilyn

        Queen and Adam Lambert just completed their U.S. and North American Tour which started in June 2014. There is talk they might return to the U.S. but it isnt in the current plans. Follow @adamlambert on twitter and Adam Lambert musician/band (verified) on facebook.

  5. Pauline

    “But mostly, I was impressed with the power of his singing. I get shivers down my back when I hear really good singers, especially live, and because Lambert and the songs, and the history of Queen fit so well together, I found myself screaming like a teenager and having the time of my life”

    This made me smile.. Adams voice is incredible and his stage presence is awesome. Together with the legends that are Queen and their iconic songs
    it makes for a show that will go down in history.

    __________

  6. Sherry

    Enjoyed reading your account of your concert experience. I think I enjoy seeing Adam front Queen so much is that he brings these amazingly well written iconic songs to life again. After Freddie passed away I didn’t feel like listening to the Queen songs as much anymore maybe because I hadn’t grieved long enough. But seeing Queen on this tour was best concert experience of my life. It was real vocals no lip synching and Adam’s interaction with Brian and rest of band was so much fun that I have to relieve my experience almost daily by watching the videos.

    1. Tracy

      Hi Sherry:

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Glad to hear you enjoyed the concert so much and relived Queen’s glory days. 🙂

      Cheers,

      t.

  7. Kathryn

    Oh, Naomi – they just left the North America – just finished a 24 (I think) venue tour! They are now headed to Asia, Australia and New Zealand. I saw them in Toronto twice in July.

    Tracy – how nice to discover you this way! FYI – Jodi Picoult references Adam in her book Sing Me Home – Page 150 🙂

    I was also fortunate to see Queen with Freddie in Montreal back in the day. We in Canada always loved Queen and it was wonderful to see them do so many cities here!

    Kathryn
    Toronto

  8. Dee Wallace

    Naomi, so sorry to say, but the final North American tour date was in Toronto, July 28, 2014. They did 24 concerts across the US and Canada, starting in Chicago on June 19 – most of them sell-outs. Next week they head out to Asia, then to Australia and New Zealand. The fans in the UK and Europe are hoping for Queen to continue the Tour over there some time in the next few months.

    I’ve been to many rock concerts over the years, and this Queen + Adam Lambert concert was the best I’ve ever attended. Again, so sorry that you missed out, but check out some of the youtube concert postings – you’ll be glad you did 🙂

  9. Irishgal719

    I came here to read your positive review of Queen + Adam Lambert. As a longtime Glambert I love to read/hear positive reviews from newbies to Adam. He has a voice and stage presence perfect to mesh with Queen. He doesn’t try to imitate Freddie but has a wonderful way of interpreting Queen’s music that Brian May and Roger Taylor have been telling us Freddie would totally approve of. I also love to read and dug a little deeper through your list of books and I’m looking forward to reading Kiss Across Time I just bought by you.

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