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        Queen And Adam Lambert

        Photo: Steve Baltin

        News
        queen-and-adam-lambert-iheartradio-theater

        Queen And Adam Lambert At iHeartRadio Theater

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        GRAMMYs
        Dec 2, 2014 - 3:22 pm

        Welcome to The Set List. Here you'll find the latest concert recaps for many of your favorite, or maybe not so favorite, artists. Our bloggers will do their best to provide you with every detail of the show, from which songs were on the set list to what the artist was wearing to which out-of-control fan made a scene. Hey, it'll be like you were there. And if you like what you read, we'll even let you know where you can catch the artist on tour. Feel free to drop us a comment and let us know your concert experience. Oh, and rock on.

        By Steve Baltin
        Los Angeles

        During a video interview that aired prior to Queen And Adam Lambert's performance at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, Calif., on June 16, Queen guitarist Brian May stated what seemed obvious. "For us it was all over when Freddie [Mercury died], we never thought we'd be playing The Forum and Madison Square Garden again."

        Pink Floyd, Alice In Chains and, perhaps most famously, AC/DC, who lost lead singer Bon Scott in 1980 and replaced him with Brian Johnson and went onto even greater success, are just a few of the bands who have shown that the show must go on, literally. But the thought of Queen going on without the charismatic and once-in-a-lifetime talent of Mercury is different (though the group did tour in the past with Paul Rodgers, another all-time great, but one who had a markedly different vocal style and stage presence than Mercury). In polls debating the greatest frontmen in rock history, Mercury is deservedly near the top alongside the likes of Robert Plant, Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger. Personal preferences aside, there is no denying Mercury belongs in the conversation. That's what makes this current Queen and Lambert pairing even more shockingly impressive.

        The teaming made their full national debut at last year's iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas, delivering arguably the best performance of the weekend. Last night, appearing only three days before the proper kickoff of their forthcoming tour in Chicago, the pairing made clear their much ballyhooed Vegas appearance was legit.

        The taut eight-song set opened with "We Will Rock You," an obvious choice that fired up the audience, getting them to wave their fists and sing along to the familiar refrain. Lambert then asked the crowd if they were ready to get funky as the group kicked into "Another One Bites The Dust." The show went to the next level with "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," during which May delivered two solos that electrified the crowd.

        Lambert introduced the next song by saying it would be something new for Queen. Indeed, the group tackled "Love Kills," a 1984 Mercury solo song he worked on with iconic GRAMMY-winning producer Giorgio Moroder for a restored version of the film Metropolis. Lambert said it was a disco song without the disco done "Queen style," and while most of the song was done as a sweet ballad, with Lambert and May seated on stools, the song did feature a disco kick near the end, taking on a contemporary remix feel.

        The energy surged back up for an aggressive "Fat Bottomed Girls," the most rocking song of the night, which Lambert dedicated to all the "fat-a**ed b****es out there."

        So much of the reason why this incarnation of Queen is exciting is Lambert, whose confidence and theatricality fit like a glove. While his admiration of Mercury is clear to see, he is wisely not trying to replace an irreplaceable legend. Of course, May and drummer Roger Taylor remain two of rock's finest at their respective instruments and they propel this version of Queen to lofty standards. That pedigree came through especially on the rock grandeur of "Fat Bottomed Girls," but also on the musically bipolar "Under Pressure," Queen's classic duet with David Bowie, which excelled with Taylor handling a majority of the vocals.

        Following a spirited rendition of "We Are The Champions," done on this night without its pairing with "We Will Rock You," the night wrapped with "Don't Stop Me Now" from 1978's Jazz. The perfect vehicle for Lambert's vocal range, the trademark Queen song was the unquestioned highpoint of the set.

        In an interview with Rolling Stone in March, May said that this teaming with Lambert "is the closest that you'll ever get to see Queen as it was in our golden days, but it's not a reproduction." That's exactly why this pairing works. It is an iconic band sharing their legend with a frontman who understands and appreciates their legacy. And the results are a joy for anyone who loves Queen.

        Set List:

        "We Will Rock You"
        "Another One Bites The Dust"
        "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
        "Love Kills"
        "Fat Bottomed Girls"
        "Under Pressure"
        "We Are The Champions"
        "Don't Stop Me Now"

        Catch Queen And Adam Lambert in a city near you

        (Steve Baltin has written about music for Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, MOJO, Chicago Tribune, AOL, LA Weekly, Philadelphia Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, and dozens more publications.)

        Adam Lambert & Brian May of Queen

        Queen + Adam Lambert

        Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

        News
        Queen + Adam Lambert Set To Rock With 2019 Tour queen-adam-lambert-set-rock-us-arenas-2019-rhapsody-tour

        Queen + Adam Lambert Set To Rock U.S. Arenas With 2019 Rhapsody Tour

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        The remaining members of the classic rock band, with Lambert on vocals, are launching an "epic" North American tour following the success of the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody
        Ana Yglesias
        GRAMMYs
        Dec 4, 2018 - 5:58 pm

        On Dec. 3, Queen + Adam Lambert, as the revived group calls itself, announced an "epic 23-date arena and stadium Rhapsody tour" in North America for summer 2019, beginning in Vancouver in July and closing out in Charlotte, N.C. in August. The new tour follows the revitalized excitement around Queen's music—for new and long-time fans alike—following the Nov. 2 release of the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody.  

        #theRhapsodyTour @QueenWillRock SUMMER 2019 North America pic.twitter.com/r7NQx3Mago

        — ADAM LAMBERT (@adamlambert) December 3, 2018

        The touring members include the iconic group's remaining co-founders, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, with Lambert filling in for the late, great Freddie Mercury. The lineup will also feature Spike Edney on keyboards, Neil Fairclough on bass and Tyler Warren on percussion.

        May, Taylor and Lambert first performed together in 2009 on the American Idol stage, the same year the singer placed as a runner-up on the show and gained a loyal following. Queen + Adam Lambert came to fruition in 2012 when they embarked on their first tour together in Europe, with their most recent 2017/2018 tour taking them around the world. The tour wrapped in September 2018 in Las Vegas.

        In the group's announcement, Taylor shared his excitement to keep the moment going: "We are ready for America and raring to get back in the saddle." Lambert added: "We have been designing a brand new visual spectacle that will reframe these iconic songs and we are excited to unveil it!"

        According to Variety, Bohemian Rhapsody is "on track" to become the highest grossing music biopic of all time, a spot currently held by the 2015 film about N.W.A.,Straight Outta Compton.

        For more info on where to catch Queen + Adam Lambert on tour, visit Live Nation; tickets go on sale to the general public Dec. 7.

        Rami Malek Is Finally Ready To Rock You With 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Out Today

        Queen l-r May, Taylor, Deacon, and Mercury

        Queen circa 1975

        Photo: Chris Walter/WireImage

        News
        Queen Movie Casts Bandmates: Who's Playing Who? queen-biopic-casts-jurassic-park-x-men-actors

        Queen Biopic Casts 'Jurassic Park,' 'X-Men' Actors

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        Upcoming 'Bohemian Rhapsody' feature announces Queen members to be played by Ben Hardy, Gwilym Lee and Joe Mazzello
        Philip Merrill
        GRAMMYs
        Aug 22, 2017 - 2:35 pm

        Bryan Singer's forthcoming  Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, has announced who will play each of the band's memorable members, so here is a look at what makes the actors, and their roles, so special.

        Last month's announcement that "Mr. Robot"'s Rami Malek will play Freddie Mercury paired these two talents, but rounding out the supporting cast of band sidemen seems like a job for a superhero. Thus, Singer has reached back to his work on X-Men: Apocalypse in casting Ben Hardy to play Queen's drummer, Roger Taylor.

        Highly influential as both a drummer and as one of the band's songwriters, Taylor participated fully in bringing Queen's unique sound to life. Hardy has a big job ahead of him, but he is used to acting tasks which require wings — he played henchman-in-chief Archangel in Marvel's X Men: Apocalypse.

        As a child, Joe Mazzello stared in 1993's Jurassic Park, running from dinosaurs. All grown now, he will be the one controlling the big thumping sounds as Queen's bassist John Deacon, who composed the thumping Queen classic "Another One Bites the Dust."

        Guitarist Brian May not only has otherworldly musical abilities, but he is also an astrophysicist. British television audiences already have great expectations for the man cast to play May, Gwilym Lee. While this role is quite different from playing a Puritan settler in Jamestown, we are sure Lee will strive to conquer new frontiers in Bohemian Rhapsody as May, the guitar wizard who also works with NASA.

        Shooting is scheduled to begin this fall, and while anticipation for the film mounts, we will have to wait until Christmas 2018 for the final product.

        Prince's Paisley Park Memorabilia Headed To London For O2 Arena Exhibit

        President Barack Obama

        Photo: Shahar Azran/WireImage.com

        News
        week-music-president-barack-obama-sings-blues

        The Week In Music: President Barack Obama Sings The Blues

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        Obama sings an ode to Chicago with B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Mick Jagger
        GRAMMYs
        Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
        GRAMMY.com

        It's no secret President Barack Obama is a big music fan (after all, his Spotify playlist reveals a love of everything from REO Speedwagon and U2 to Aretha Franklin and No Doubt), but is he also a closet singer? On Feb. 21 Obama joined an all-star cast of artists, including B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Mick Jagger, at the White House to sing a few bars of the classic Robert Johnson blues standard "Sweet Home Chicago." This wasn't Obama's first turn at the mic — just one month prior he belted out Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" at a fundraiser in Harlem, N.Y. "We were trying to get you to sing that," prodded Guy. "Because I heard you had sung Al Green, so you started something so you gotta keep it up." While Guy was the instigator to get Obama to sing this time around, it was actually Jagger who handed him the mic. "I thought he was courageous, because there was some element of reluctance," Jagger said following the event. Though he is a GRAMMY winner, a music career for the president does seem unlikely. However, we wouldn't count out anyone for whom Jagger gives up his mic.

        Fresh from winning a record-tying six statues at the 54th GRAMMY Awards, an acceptance speech with a bit of snot and her album sitting atop the Billboard 200 for 21 weeks and counting, it may prove difficult for Adele to top herself. The golden-voiced artist did her best at the Brit Awards 2012 this past Tuesday in taking a page from the M.I.A. Super Bowl playbook and flashing a middle finger. No, this wasn't a message to the muse for songs such as "Someone Like You," but a reaction to being cut off during her acceptance speech for British Album of the Year by host James Corden. "I was about to thank the British public for their support and they cut me off, and I'm sorry if I offended anyone," said Adele. How this incident will impact her Album Of The Year GRAMMY-winning 21 should prove interesting. While we're betting sales will not be as robust as the 207 percent sales increase spurred by the GRAMMY Effect, the Middle Finger Effect may be enough to keep her at No. 1.

        While the candles between Chris Brown and then-girlfriend Rihanna were quickly blown out after an altercation that left Brown in custody in 2009, the two artists are making amends in the form of a musical collaboration. Following a performance with Coldplay on the 54th GRAMMY Awards telecast, on Feb. 21 Rihanna released a remix of "Birthday Cake," a track from her 2011 album Talk That Talk, featuring vocals from none other than Brown. Returning the favor, Rihanna appears on a remix for Brown's "Turn Up The Music," which dropped the same day as her "Birthday Cake" remix. Is this a rekindling of longing hearts, or merely musical minds? Or, to quote Rihanna, have the two found love (again) in (what some thought was) a hopeless place?

        Adam Lambert recently asked the musical question, "Whataya want from me?" Well, Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor know the answer. They want Adam to be in Queen for a day. Lambert will fill the role of late legendary vocalist Freddie Mercury for the band's July 7 set at the Sonisphere festival in Stevenage, north of London. It will actually be Lambert's third stint with the band following an eight-minute set at the MTV Europe Awards last November to celebrate Queen's Global Icon Award, and a 2009 performance of "We Are The Champions" on "American Idol." A longtime fan of Mercury, Lambert says his goal is not to try to be Freddie, but to pay tribute. Will Adam be a killer Queen? Let us know your thoughts below.

        And before we close, what have some of our other favorite stars been up to this week? The TWIM Twittertable says: @katyperry: Thank U to all the AMAZING radio stations playing "Part Of Me" & the Katycats that keep requesting the ish out of it! #ioweuandiwilldeliver; @ladygaga: Oh the irony of winning "Most Pretentious Album Ever" from none other than NME. *eyeroll* I might laugh forever + then return to narcissism; @BrunoMars: You gotsta chiilllllll......; @rihanna: Fold under pressure, I would never ever ever ever!; @MileyCyrus: What a rad Wednesday! Puppy class, tanning, pilates, more tanning, then Mexican food with @CheyneThomas woop wooppp!!!!  

        Katy Perry's "Part Of Me" is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Fun's "We Are Young" featuring Janelle Monáe is tops on the iTunes singles chart.

        Any news we've missed? Comment below.                                                            

        For the latest GRAMMY news, visit us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

        Last Week In Music

        Mariah Carey photographed in 2016

        Mariah Carey

        Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage.com

        News
        Vote: Which Vegas Residency Is Road Trip Worthy? blink-182-mariah-carey-queen-adam-lambert-las-vegas-residency-road-trip-poll

        Blink-182, Mariah Carey, Queen + Adam Lambert: Las Vegas Residency Road Trip | Poll

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        So many Vegas residencies, so little time — which one is worthy of a roadie? Cast your vote in our poll
        Tim McPhate
        GRAMMYs
        May 11, 2018 - 4:31 pm

        Is there a destination more worthy of a road trip than Las Vegas? Go ahead and think it over, we'll wait.

        The truth is it's hard to argue against Sin City, especially for music fans. After all, the calendar of artist residencies just seems to keep getting bigger and better, making Vegas a perfect getaway for an unforgettable concert experience.

        Polls

        Which of the following 2018 Las Vegas residencies is most worthy of a road trip?

        Mariah Carey announced recently that she's heading back to Las Vegas for another residency engagement. The Butterfly Returns will run from July through September and, though details are scarce at this point, it promises fans a taste of songs spanning her entire career, including "One Sweet Day," "Hero" and "Someday."

        Queen + Adam Lambert will usher in their Las Vegas residency reign Sept. 1. The Crown Jewels, a limited 10-day engagement, will deliver gems such as "We Will Rock You," "We Are The Champions," "Killer Queen," and "Bohemian Rhapsody."

        Backstreet's back in Vegas, alright! Backstreet Boys' Larger Than Life residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino picks back up in July and will run through November 2018. Armed with '90s favorites like "Larger Than Life" and "I Want It That Way" and plenty of choreography and extras, it's no wonder the show was extended due to popular demand.

        She may be a SoCal girl, but Gwen Stefani is ready to try her luck in Las Vegas. The GRAMMY winner's residency, appropriately titled I'm Just A Girl, will launch in June and feature plenty of "Hella Good" No Doubt favorites and solo hits such as "Hollaback Girl."

        Celine Dion's Celine is back at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace through June 9. Why? Because Las Vegas loved her, of course. Dion's 2018 stint marks the sixth consecutive year of her residency, which features GRAMMY-winning hits such as "Beauty And The Beast" and "My Heart Will Go On."

        Blink-182 will set up shop at the Palms Casino starting Memorial Day weekend, continuing on through November. Titled Kings Of The Weekend, the trio's Vegas residency promises tuneage from 1995's Chesire Cat all the way to 2016's Best Rock Album-nominated California.

        Are you All In for Ricky Martin? His residency, which debuted in April 2017, features Latin smashes such as "Livin 'La Vida Loca," "Shake Your Bon Bon" and "Cup Of Life. An added bonus? All In is directed by Jamie King, who oversees Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil.

        Vegas glitz and glamour have nothing on J.Lo. Jennifer Lopez: All I Have packs the hits ("Jenny From The Block" anyone?), mind-blowing production and choreography into a must-see spectacle. Lopez even packs more than 10 costume changes into the 90-minute show. Oh, and her internet-breaking green Versace dress from the 42nd GRAMMY Awards is on display in the Planet Hollywood lobby.

        What's better than being together in Vegas? Nothing, especially if you're Reba McEntire, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn. The two country forces have united for Reba, Brooks & Dunn: Together In Vegas, a one-of-a-kind residency that picks back up in August. From "Fancy," "My Maria" and "Cowgirls Don't Cry," the two-hour production all the country favorites you can handle.

        With this type of all-star talent on the calendar, multiple trips to Vegas might be in order. But, if pressed to select just one, we want to know: Which of these Las Vegas residencies is most worthy of a road trip? Cast your vote in our poll!

        Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

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        Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.