Queen + Adam Lambert, Auckland NZ, 2020

Queen + Adam Lambert

7th February 2020
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.

A balmy summer’s evening set the scene for the passing of the rock baton last night; Wellington having enjoyed perfection personified on Wednesday evening, seeing Queen + Adam Lamberts’ The Rhapsody Tour then bestow its riches upon Auckland.

Queen throughout their career have been synonymous with stadium shows, and with productions such as the one seen last night, it would seem that they will long continue to rule over this domain; the beautifully curated show whose graphic designs are based around their 1975 album Night at the Opera and encompasses three acts, each acknowledging a different Queen album guaranteed to have thoroughly entertained all, from the ‘hits only’ fans, through to the devoted disciple and everything in between.

Accompanying the legendary Brian May and Roger Taylor on stage of course, the incomparable Adam Lambert, who after almost a decade of performing alongside his own personal heroes has more than earned his stripes. Is he trying to replicate the great Freddie Mercury, no he is not, nor has he ever attempted to. Instead, each and every night he pays homage to the man himself, celebrating both his life and his gifts right alongside not only those on stage with him, but the vast sea of faces before him; the addition of his own nuances only adding a vibrancy and colour to the music that would no doubt curl the corners of Mercury’s lips in delight.

Stage awash with haze, it was ‘Innuendo’ that first caressed the audiences ears, cascading from the speakers like sweet elixir; significant too in this tour which celebrates in its own way the immortality of the music itself, its ability to live on through the hearts and minds of generations both past, present and future; the track of course from Queens last album with (by then) an ailing Mercury.

Multiple set pieces, each in themselves a separate screen shifted and separated revealing none other than Brian May who was met with rapturous applause; ‘Now I’m Here’ from 1974’s Sheer Heart Attack album springing forth, Lambert bejewelled and glittering, gliding across the stage with vocals that stopped one and all in their tracks. ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’ from Queen II and ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ from their self-titled 1973 debut making up the trio of songs that signified the beginning of what was to be a stupendous night of artistry.

Of course, what would a Queen show be without the hits, ’Killer Queen’ seeing Lambert in his element as he expertly strutted, the deliciously infectious ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ setting the stadium alight in song and dance. The music came thick and fast, one track barely finishing before the next would be chasing its tail, the performance so polished – unsurprisingly from a band of such consummate performers – that there was just a smidgen of an opportunity for fans to feel it was just a mere run through of songs. But the devil is in the detail. There is such pride in what they have created that it gives rise to a flawlessness, however one only needs to truly observe to see the joy in each song; from May’s small smiles as his fingers deftly traverse the strings with ease, to Taylors tenacity behind the kit, his chin jutting forward as he shifts gears, right through to Lambert embracing the power of his own vocal range to belt out the big notes with a sly twinkle in his eye. The band comprising of Neil Fairclough on bass, Tyler Warren on percussion and the formidable Spike Edney – who is not only the musical director, but Queen’s live keyboardist since 1984 – all fully invested in their own parts with enjoyment written across their faces.

‘In the Lap of the Gods … Revisited’ made way for Taylor to infuse the show with a little snarl as he impressively belted out ‘I’m in Love with My Car’ without missing a beat on the drums. Another wave of huge hits rolling over the fans on the back of Lambert draping himself across a chromed Harley like a second skin for ‘Bicycle Race’ and concluding with the stonking ‘I Want it All’ before May once again took centre stage for a solo acoustic interlude of ‘Love of My Life’, an on screen Mercury joining him for the end of the song before poetically fading back into the shadows, the fans illuminating the stadium with their phones as if to light his way back home, his presence always felt close by.

Yes, the big singles punctuated the night, as only Queen’s greatest hits could, but it is the deeper cuts that make The Rhapsody Tour truly something special; ‘Dragon Attack’ the B-Side to the iconic ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ reminding all that the sheer scope of their song writing skills knew no bounds, Mercury’s own ‘I Was Born to Love You’ from his 1985 solo album Mr Bad Guy respectfully taken for a jaunt around the stage by Lambert in yet another fabulous outfit.

From out of the darkness beams of rainbow coloured light fanned across the stadium, the crowd collectively drawing a breath as they took a moment to savour the beauty, the haunting ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ shifting through the air under the pale moon that was now watching over the scene below, a rather apt setting for May’s psychedelic guitar solo through the solar system atop a meteorite; his place setting as one of the greatest guitarists in the world (as well as a nod to his PhD in astrophysics) witnessed and confirmed.

All good shows must sadly come to an end, Queen closing theirs in a crescendo with ‘Radio Ga Ga’ and of course ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ before the iconic footage of Freddie Mercury from Wembley Stadium in 1986 ushered in the encore with a fun filled call and response. ‘We Are the Champions’ a song for one and all, no matter what age, race or creed, fittingly bringing the night to its conclusion. Because that is what Queen’s music is, and what it was always intended to be.

Just how Freddie would have wanted it.

Were you there at Mount Smart Stadium for this theatrical arena rock show? Or have you seen Queen + Adam Lambert perform somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Innuendo [prerecorded]
2. Now I’m Here
3. Seven Seas of Rhye
4. Keep Yourself Alive
5. Hammer to Fall
6. Killer Queen
7. Don’t Stop Me Now
8. Somebody to Love
9. In the Lap of the Gods… Revisited
10. I’m in Love With My Car
11. Bicycle Race
12. Fat Bottomed Girls
13. Another One Bites the Dust
14. I Want It All
15. Love of My Life
16. ’39
17. Doing All Right
18. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
19. Under Pressure
20. Dragon Attack
21. I Was Born to Love You
22. I Want to Break Free
23. You Take My Breath Away
24. Who Wants to Live Forever
25. Guitar Solo
26. Tie Your Mother Down
27. The Show Must Go On
28. Radio Ga Ga
29. Bohemian Rhapsody
30. Ay‐Oh [Freddie on screen – prerecorded]
31. We Will Rock You [encore]
32. We Are the Champions [encore]
33. God Save the Queen [traditional – prerecorded]
34. “Heroes” [David Bowie – prerecorded]

If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating towards the running of Ambient Light, covering expenses and allowing us to expand the coverage you love by visiting our PressPatron page.