PRESS RELEASE:
LINE-UP REVEALED for BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace
- Queen + Adam Lambert to open concert and Diana Ross to close the show
- An eclectic evening of entertainment to celebrate The Queen’s 70-year reign will feature global stars Alicia Keys, Duran Duran, Sam Ryder, Sir Rod Stewart, Hans Zimmer, Celeste, Sir Elton John and more
The BBC and Buckingham Palace today unveiled a glittering group of performers from the world’s of music and dance set to perform at the Platinum Party at the Palace concert, which takes place on Saturday June 4th at Buckingham Palace – and live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Radio 2.
Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, Ella Eyre, Craig David, Mabel, Elbow and George Ezra will share the three-stage set up with the likes of Duran Duran, Andrea Bocelli, Mimi Webb, Sam Ryder, Jax Jones, Celeste, Nile Rodgers, Sigala and Diversity – all performing their biggest hits in a star-studded tribute to Her Majesty’s unprecedented anniversary.
Stars from the stage and screen, and the sporting world appearing at the event and on film will include Sir David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, David Beckham, Stephen Fry, Dame Julie Andrews, The Royal Ballet, Ellie Simmonds, and a specially recorded performance from Sir Elton John. Sam Ryder, the United Kingdom’s Eurovision hero, will also perform live, fresh from his success in Italy.
The evening will pivot around global themes that have been born, or evolved, during the breadth of Her Majesty’s reign due to extraordinary British and Commonwealth contributions including Fashion, Sport, The Environment, 70 Years of Pop Music and Musicals – the latter curated by legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, featuring a special appearance by Lloyd Webber and Lin-Manuel Miranda plus performances featuring casts and special guests from The Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton, Six, The Lion King and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
Queen + Adam Lambert will open the concert with a very special one-off production, which will no doubt summon memories of Brian May’s historic appearance on the Palace roof at the Golden Jubilee Concert in 2002.
Closing the 2.5-hour show will be legend Diana Ross with her first UK live performance in fifteen years.
Hosts Kirsty Young and Roman Kemp will lead live coverage of the Platinum Party at the Palace to be broadcast live across the BBC. 22,000 people will attend the event including 10,000 tickets allocated in a public ballot and over 7,500 tickets for key workers, members of the Armed Forces, volunteers, and charities.
The unique Platinum Party stage design consists of three stages, linked by walkways, which create a 360-degree experience in front of Buckingham Palace and The Queen Victoria Memorial. Linking the stages together into one overall design are 70 columns representing Her Majesty’s 70-year reign that can be illuminated to provide a full formation of lights and beams. For the first time, two of the three stages sit immediately in front of Buckingham Palace, framing the iconic home of The Queen.
Speaking for Queen + Adam Lambert, Brian May says: “Twenty years after playing The Queen’s glorious Golden Jubilee we’re very happy to be invited again. Then there was a moment when I wondered … after Buckingham Palace roof where can you go? Well … you will see!!!”
Diana Ross says: “I have had the honour of meeting The Queen many times throughout my life, including when I was with my family. Her Majesty has and continues to be such an incredible inspiration to so many across the world and I was absolutely delighted to receive an invitation to perform on such a momentous and historic occasion.”
Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s Chief Content Officer, commented: “We are thrilled to be bringing the nation together for this incredible, once in a lifetime event, broadcast live across the BBC with an amazing star-studded line up of performers to celebrate The Queen’s momentous 70 years on the throne.”
Further details and additional artists will be confirmed closer to the event – with some surprises left for the evening itself.
BBC Studios Productions are staging the event and producing the live broadcast on behalf of the BBC and Buckingham Palace.