15 October 2023 (gig)
17 October 2023
With the anniversary of the passing of Queen's vocalist Freddie Mercury coming up next month (it's incredible to realize that he has been gone nearly 32 years), the time seems quite appropriate to celebrate one of the greatest front men in Rock history.
It appeared that after Mercury's death, Queen was over. However, original members Brian May (guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums) decided to revive Queen and have been celebrating their legacy since 2005 (and have been somewhat of a touring workhorse since).
Queen is currently being fronted by "American Idol" alum, Adam Lambert. Touring band mates: Spike Edney (keyboards and guitar); Neil Fairclough (bass); and Tyler Warren (percussion and drums), help May and Taylor recreate the group's quite complex studio material.
Queen + Adam Lambert performed at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on October 15, 2023.
Dubbed "The Rhapsody Tour", the concert is broken up into five separate acts. Act one started with a pre-recorded introduction of "Machines" and began with two songs from 1984's "The Works" album; "Radio Ga Ga" and "Hammer to Fall". They quickly went back to their earlier roots with a frantic take of "Stone Cold Crazy". Not one to be shy, Lambert had an outfit on that made him look superhero-like and sported high heel shoes quite similar to KISS' Ace Frehley (circa 1977).
Next up was "Another One Bites the Dust", which features one of the most recognizable bass riffs of all time. While it's sad that the man who created the riff, original bassist John Deacon, has chosen not to join any of the post-Mercury tours, Fairclough does a remarkable job replicating all of Deacon's bass lines.
The second act featured mostly '70s classics with Taylor's signature song, "I'm in Love with My Car" and hits from 1978's "Jazz" album, "Bicycle Race" (during which Lambert went out to the "B stage" in the middle of the Garden and sang on an over-the-top tricked out motorcycle) and "Fat Bottomed Girls". Lambert also did a fantastic job on 1989's powerful, "I Want It All".
Act three featured some of Queen's best moments with "Killer Queen", showcasing May's exquisite guitar workings, and the act closing song "Somebody to Love", which became a sing-a-long with Lambert and the electrified Boston crowd.
May got his time to shine during the fourth act and did a solo spot on, "Love of My Life", which was made all the more emotional as Mercury appeared via the screen over the stage. One of Queen's most underrated tunes is undoubtedly, "'39" (from 1975's "A Night at the Opera"), as May's acoustic guitar licks fine tune the song's haunting melody. The spotlight then turned to Taylor, who played an impressive drum solo which led into a duet with himself and Lambert on "Under Pressure". Queen's hard rock epic, "Tie Your Mother Down" was easily the heaviest moment of the night as May showed again why he is considered one of the best rock guitarists ever.
Wrapping things up with "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", they began the final act with "I Want to Break Free" and "You Take My Breath Away." "Who Wants to Live Forever" led into a sonic guitar solo from May, which melted into "Is This the World We Created...?"
One of the ultimate arena rock songs ever, "Bohemian Rhapsody", ended the set. At nearly five decades old, the song still resonates with the multitude of generations in the crowd who were all too happy to sing along during the operatic part of the song at full volume.
The encore featured a powerhouse take of "We Will Rock You", followed by a reprise of "Radio Ga Ga" (the band's last major US hit), before ending strongly with "We Are the Champions" (quite appropriate in the Boston arena where the ceilings of the TD Garden are adorned with a slew of championship banners from the Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics).
A piped in rendition of "God Save the Queen" saw the group take their final bows, ending a grand night of celebrating one of rock's greatest quartets ever.
