GAY STAR NEWS
17 March 2014 by Greg Hernandez
‘Freddie Mercury is one of the greatest singers that ever lived, and he’s a big idol for me’ Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert’s tenor voice has proven to be the perfect match for the classic songs of the rock band Queen so it’s no surprise he would join forces with the surviving band members to do a tour this summer. But Lambert wasn’t always so sure that he would be able to step in successfully for the band’s late, great lead singer Freddie Mercury.
‘At first it was a little daunting when we did our first incarnation of this,’ he said of a handful of European shows he did with the band in the summer of 2009. ‘I definitely felt apprehensive,’ he said at a recent press conference. ‘Freddie Mercury is one of the greatest singers that ever lived, and he’s a big idol for me, and I thought to myself, you know I hope that the fans dig this, you know, because there is a possibility that they wouldn’t. It felt really good. The reception was warm, the press reaction to it the first time was very warm.’
Original band members Roger Taylor and Brian May have full faith in Lambert. ‘If you concentrate on the negative you’re not going to get anywhere,’ said May. ‘It’s very important to have your focus, and you play to people who want to hear us. Anyone that doesn’t want to hear us, thanks, goodbye. No problem.’
Added Lambert: ‘But you’re missing out because it’s going to be one helluva show.’
Lambert’s connection to Queen dates back to his American Idol days when he auditioned for the show with Bohemian Rhapsody. Then later he and fellow finalist Kris Allen performed We Are the Champions with the band members on the show back in 2009.