No, this isn't deja vu. I got to witness the presence of Queen and Adam Lambert once again after seeing them for the first time around 2 years ago (see my review of their last show here). I will not beat around the bush, there were some similarities to the last time I saw them on tour, however there were a lot of things that were very different which divided my opinion on if I thought that this was better or not. Luckily, this time I was seated so I had a full view of the stage (short people problems at standing concerts) so I felt like I had a more fulfilling experience which will give me a much more rounded review of their performance at Metro Radio Arena on the 1st December 2017.
I will begin with my negative thoughts, which in no way means it was a bad show, just personal criticisms. The theme of this tour revolved around a robot, using 3D imagery to project a the character on the screen as a way of kicking off the action. The 3D effects uses on the screen were commendable, I genuinely thought that a robot's hand was coming out to reach me; however I just did not understand why it was there and what the concept of it was. I knew that it was in celebration of News of the World; but it was only used throughout a handful of numbers; Killer Queen where Lambert was sat on the model robot's head rising out the ground, and for a few more numbers after. I just struggled to grasp the concept of it; because it was only used a limited amount, I think that if they were going to carry out the robot feature they either needed to use it a lot or not at all.
This does not reflect on the talents of Queen and Lambert though. However, one thing that was a giant elephant in the room was due to Lambert's flamboyant and elaborate performance style. Arriving on stage performing the first number of the evening Hammer to Fall, he was wearing a visor over his head which covered his eyes. To me, this is an instant lack of connection to an audience and I think this was reflected in the first couple of numbers where the crowd weren't overly hyped about being there. It was only when Lambert's personality came out later in the evening where I felt the audience had a better connection with him as a front man and were able to experience the evening further. Aside from this, it was a pretty spectacular show. Lambert seemed to warm more to the audience, providing engaging conversation with the audience explaining how "he is no Freddie", and how he is a fan of Queen just like everyone present (except he had the better seats). His flamboyant performance style shone in his multiple costume changes, and in is music, strutting around the stage and riding a pink tricycle during the song Bicycle Race which really made me chuckle.
However, it wasn't just Lambert's personality that shone through this time. One of the key differences I found between this show and the last performance I viewed was the comradery between Lambert, May and Taylor was more prominent. There was a lot more unity between the three of them compared to last time where I felt they were using that tour to establish Lambert as a front man. The thrust staging added to this dynamic, where the three performers were metres away from the audience performing some of Queen's greatest hits, I Want It All was one which really stood out for me. Although Lambert had the opportunity to chat to the audience, so did Taylor and May. Both with ample individual opportunities to wow us with their astonishing drum and guitar solos. May's tribute to Freddie performing Love of My Life with his hologram projected on the screen to look like he was performing next to May was something which was emotionally touching, I did feel a tear in my eye.
It was also noted when May and Taylor performed Kind of Magic without Lambert, which was one of my favourite numbers which got the audience excited and up on their feet. Tell you what, they can still sing well! They still got it! Although they didn't outshine Lambert's performance of Who Wants To Live Forever; my personal favourite performance of the evening. Stationary with a mic stand, Lambert just sang in to the mic showing off his powerful vocal range and falsetto which I think was required at that point in the evening to show that he wasn't all bells and whistles, giving the audience a reminder of his vocal talent which got him to where he is today (a long way from American Idol). The performace was accompanied with a beautifully crafted lights show where images of clouds were projected onto the rainbow lights shining out to the audience, to be honest the picture better explains it but it was beautiful.
Overall, I wouldn't say the show was either better or worse than the previous I have seen- maybe it is because I had expectations, I don't know. But there were positives and negatives to take from this, but it definitely seemed like they had developed from their previous tour. The unity between Queen and Lambert for me is what stood out as a strength of this performance as well as each of their individual talents and opportunity to connect with the audience. With that being said, I will leave you with this image of Brian May attempting to take a selfie with the crowd which was then projected onto the screen... Now doesn't that speak volumes!
I will begin with my negative thoughts, which in no way means it was a bad show, just personal criticisms. The theme of this tour revolved around a robot, using 3D imagery to project a the character on the screen as a way of kicking off the action. The 3D effects uses on the screen were commendable, I genuinely thought that a robot's hand was coming out to reach me; however I just did not understand why it was there and what the concept of it was. I knew that it was in celebration of News of the World; but it was only used throughout a handful of numbers; Killer Queen where Lambert was sat on the model robot's head rising out the ground, and for a few more numbers after. I just struggled to grasp the concept of it; because it was only used a limited amount, I think that if they were going to carry out the robot feature they either needed to use it a lot or not at all.
This does not reflect on the talents of Queen and Lambert though. However, one thing that was a giant elephant in the room was due to Lambert's flamboyant and elaborate performance style. Arriving on stage performing the first number of the evening Hammer to Fall, he was wearing a visor over his head which covered his eyes. To me, this is an instant lack of connection to an audience and I think this was reflected in the first couple of numbers where the crowd weren't overly hyped about being there. It was only when Lambert's personality came out later in the evening where I felt the audience had a better connection with him as a front man and were able to experience the evening further. Aside from this, it was a pretty spectacular show. Lambert seemed to warm more to the audience, providing engaging conversation with the audience explaining how "he is no Freddie", and how he is a fan of Queen just like everyone present (except he had the better seats). His flamboyant performance style shone in his multiple costume changes, and in is music, strutting around the stage and riding a pink tricycle during the song Bicycle Race which really made me chuckle.
Overall, I wouldn't say the show was either better or worse than the previous I have seen- maybe it is because I had expectations, I don't know. But there were positives and negatives to take from this, but it definitely seemed like they had developed from their previous tour. The unity between Queen and Lambert for me is what stood out as a strength of this performance as well as each of their individual talents and opportunity to connect with the audience. With that being said, I will leave you with this image of Brian May attempting to take a selfie with the crowd which was then projected onto the screen... Now doesn't that speak volumes!
Elisa x
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