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Graham Clark
Music Features Writer
@Maxximum23Clark
9:17 AM 22nd January 2015
arts

Gig Review: Queen With Adam Lambert - Leeds Arena

 


There are not many groups who can continue when they no longer have a strong frontman like Freddie Mercury was. But Queen was never about just one man: Roger Taylor wrote Radio GaGa and A Kind of Magic, Brian May wrote We Will Rock You and Who Wants to Love Forever.

Many of the 11,000 fans here tonight were probably present the last time Queen played Leeds at Elland Road on a balmy spring night in May 1982 when the support groups were Joan Jett and the Blackhearts along with The Teardrop Explodes (who got bottled off). Tonight there is no support act, just over 2 hours plus of classic Queen tracks.



In Adam Lambert Queen have found probably the best man for the job of lead singer of Queen in the 21st century. He is not, it has to be said a replacement for Freddie Mercury, it is more like the next chapter in the Queen story. He has a strong stage presence and is entertaining and engaging - at times though you sense he is still wearing in his new pair of shoes that he has stepped into.

A curtain with a huge Queen logo on it drops to the stage floor as Brian May's guitar rings out the riff to One Vision with Lambert stood centre stage dressed in leather wearing his sunglasses looking like George Michael's double. Roger Taylor still plays the drums with energetic precision.



The hits continue with Another One Bites the Dust and Fat Bottomed Girls before Lambert poses on a chaise lounge complete with platform boots from the 70's as he waves about his fan as he sings Killer Queen. It is so camp you can almost see Freddie giving his wink of approval.

The original members of the group perform solo sets with Brian May starting his spot off by greeting the fans with the words "Good evening you lovely people of Yorkshire" before he performs Love of My Life as footage of Freddie appears on the video screens.



A roadie hands, what looks to be one of Freddie's half cut microphone stands - it turns out to be a selfie stick as May films himself and the fans "This will be on Twitter later" he shares with the audience.

Roger Taylor performs These Are the Days of Our Life as further footage of Queen from the mid-1970's is projected onto the video screens. Under Pressure is performed as a duet with Taylor and Lambert: it works perfectly.



Things get heavier again as the whole band return to the stage for Tie Your Mother Down, Radio GaGa and of course, Bohemian Rhapsody.

All hands are raised into the air for the encore of We Will Rock You before the gig ends with We Are The Champions. Still the champions and rather than Queen fizzling out, they proved yet again they are still the champions