ABC/Craig Sjodin
ABC/Craig SjodinQueen and current lead singer Adam Lambert launch a new North American trek, the Rhapsody tour, tonight in Vancouver, Canada. Lambert, who’s toured with the British rock legends since 2012 while also maintaining a successful solo career, says interest in this trek has been amplified thanks to the popularity of the Oscar-winning biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
“It’s amazing. I mean, the tour sold out so quickly,” he tells ABC Radio. “I keep hearing from people saying, ‘Oh, my teenager’s really into Queen…because of this movie.’ So I’m excited to see how that affects our audiences. We always noticed all generations at our audiences, but I think now it’s gonna be even more new fans.”
Regarding why he thinks Queen’s music has remained popular for so long, Adam says, “[T]hey transcend all genre, which I love…I mean, yes, they are rock, a hundred percent. They’re also very much pop…They’ve gone into the blues…funk…operetta…rockabilly. I mean, they do it all. So I think that’s one reason why they’re so major.”
As for the set the band is preparing for this tour, Lambert notes, “[W]e always try to change it up…Obviously it’s the same hit songs that you know and love. We always like to throw a couple more obscure B-sides in. And the challenge is to figure out a way to restructure the set in order to maybe tie certain songs together and, most importantly, giving them a new visual context.”
Adam also says Queen’s show will “look way different” than previous tours.
“The production is super next level,” he maintains. “[W]e’re creating little worlds for these songs.”
Queen + Adam Lambert’s North American tour is mapped out through an August 23 show in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here are all the dates:
7/10 — Vancouver, BC, Canada, Rogers Arena
7/12 — Tacoma, WA, Tacoma Dome
7/14 — San Jose, CA, SAP Center
7/16 — Phoenix, AZ, Talking Stick Resort Arena
7/19 — Inglewood, CA, The Forum
7/20 — Inglewood, CA, The Forum
7/23 — Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center
7/24 — Houston, TX, Toyota Center
7/27 — Detroit, MI, Little Caesars Arena
7/28 — Toronto, ON, Canada, Scotiabank Arena
7/30 — Washington, D.C., Capital One Arena
7/31 — Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paints Arena
8/3 — Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center
8/4 — Boston, MA, Xfinity Center
8/6 — New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
8/7 — New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
8/9 — Chicago, IL, United Center
8/10 — St. Paul, MN, Xcel Energy Center
8/13 — Columbus, OH, Nationwide Arena
8/15 — Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
8/17 — Fort Lauderdale, FL, BB&T Center
8/18 — Tampa, FL, Amalie Arena
8/20 — New Orleans, LA, Smoothie King Center
8/22 — Atlanta, GA, State Farm Arena
8/23 — Charlotte, NC, Spectrum Center
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