'vampfever' date='Jul 11th 2014, 2:36 PM'
My Review of Queen + Adam Lambert in Houston *Warning* Spoilers (self.queen)
submitted 7 hours ago * by small_town_nebraska
Reddit
*Note: Not a professional review
Set: Now I'm Here, Stone Cold Crazy, Another One Bites the Dust, Fat Bottomed Girls, In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited, Seven Seas of Rhye, Killer Queen, Somebody to Love, I Want It All, Love of My Life (Brian), '39 (Brian & Band), These Are the Days of Our Lives (Roger vocals), Under Pressure, Love Kills, Who Wants to Live Forever, Guitar Solo - Cosmos, Tie Your Mother Down, Radio Ga Ga, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, The Show Must Go On, Bohemian Rhapsody
Encore: We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, God Save the Queen
Music: 10/10 As we've come to expect from Queen, music quality/performance was spectacular. Brian was able to do by himself what other bands can't pull off with 3 guitarists. The individual song solos were spot on and his extended solo was simply mind-blowing, completely shattering my expectations. Roger, although accompanied by another drummer for most of the show, (which I believe was his son,) also delivered a solid performance throughout. The supporting cast (which include familiar faces such as Spike Edney,) also did their part to complete the sound without distracting from Brian and Roger
Song Selection: 8/10 Mostly hits, but for a band doing their first real tour in 9 years or so, it was to be expected. On the plus side, their selection seemed to be spread pretty evenly throughout the years, so there seemed to be a very good balance. (I was particularly excited to hear '39. ) Just a word of caution - there were really only 1 or 2 songs played during the show that were not played by the Queen Extravaganza, so if you were at that show as well, you might walk away wishing there had been just a tiny bit more variety.
Vocals: 7/10 Although it's obvious that Adam's voice may be tough to accept for hardcore Queen fans out there, there is no denying that he is a very talented singer and it was apparent that he gave it all he had. I did notice that quite a few songs had to be transposed down a key from the original recordings, but he certainly added a style that stayed true to the spirit of the music and he was able to keep it up throughout the entire show. As I have mentioned in previous posts, he would not be my first choice for a lead singer, but he made the show enjoyable and certainly was a better choice than Paul Rodgers. Brian and Roger, while not quite where they were 20 years ago, could still sing the higher harmonies and, in my opinion, still were essential contributers to that classic Queen sound.
Showmanship: 8/10 What Adam lacks vocally in similarity to Freddie, one might argue that he makes up for it in showmanship. I appreciate that he did not necessarily try to mimic Freddie's moves; instead, he added his own sensual feel to the different songs that seemed to be a decent fit. That being said, in every classic Queen concert that I've watched, there is no denying that Freddie had the crowd in the palm of his hand for the entire show, which Adam could never seem to pull off. The crowd certainly respected him and enjoyed his performance, but it seemed to end there.
Stage Chemistry: 8/10 I can definitely see the potential for differing opinions on this one. As far as chemistry on stage goes, there always seemed to be a noticeable distinction between "Queen" and "Adam Lambert". They certainly work very well together, but the distinction seemed very clear. On one hand, one would argue that this is completly to be expected because they are billed as two separate entities. On the other hand though, it stays in the back of your mind as an ever so slight distraction. (To many people, it may not be an issue at all, but to me it just seeemed like a small nagging reminder that I was born just a little too late.)
Overall, I have to say I really enjoyed the show and it was a bucket list item that I certainly wouldn't trade for anything. Would I have made the decision to go if I had to do it all over again? Absolutely. Would I have paid $400+ for floor seats? Eh, probably not. Brian and Roger really do make it all worth it, and there were enough small tributes to Freddie throughout (I won't spoil everything,) to leave me feeling satisfied.
Any other thoughts on the Houston (or any show) are welcome.
Replies
slothzy
Saw them in Chicago and I agree on all points. I didn't go for Adam Lambert but he surpassed my expectations and did very well. He had an obvious respect for Freddie and his legacy and did not try to be or replace him. He stayed true to himself while staying true to Queen and I'm sure that was a very difficult balance. I commend him. It's a very difficult position he stepped into and I think he did very well.
Spoilers : I especially loved the little flashbacks to Freddie. I cried. Very sweet.
Apatosaurus
I think you've given a pretty fair review.
Music: Was great. It was indeed Roger Taylor's son Rufus who was playing along on drums and even took over the main drum set for a few songs.
Song selection: A good assortment of the more popular songs, which I have absolutely no problem with, it's kind of what I was hoping to hear... what remains of the greatest rock band playing their greatest achievements. I would say the set was fast, slow, and then fast... like there seemed to be a whole bunch of slower songs strung together (not a problem, I loved '39 and Love of My Life and being able to sing along to the latter like all the old concerts) but it was just something I noticed.
Vocals: Agreed. Adam could hit some of the higher notes and was a better choice than their last frontman, I have to wonder if they could have done something akin to what Journey did and find someone who was a pretty good match (hardcore Perry fans will disagree about the Journey thing, but he's a pretty good copy imo).
Showmanship: Agreed. Crowd involvement was so so or poor in many cases, but I think half of it is the crowd, not the performance.
Chemistry: I see your side and think you have a valid point. Brian seemed to be fine with Adam and they seemed to rock out well (leaning back to back on stage, performing from the couch etc...).
