Queen + Adam Lambert announce live album 'Live Around The World'
Featuring two songs performed at Isle of Wight Festival
Last updated 21st Aug 2020
Queen + Adam Lambert will release their first ever live album ‘Live Around The World’ on via EMI Records.
As the title suggests, ‘Live Around The World’ is a compilation of live performances from Queen + Adam Lambert over a seven-year period from 2014 right up to earlier this year.
Featuring 20 tracks on CD and vinyl, and 22 on DVD and Blu-Ray, a total of five songs performed in the UK make the album – ‘Somebody To Love’ and ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ at Isle of Wight Festival in 2016, plus ‘Tear It Up’, ‘The Show Must Go On’ and ‘Love Of My Life’ at London’s The O2 in July 2018.
Elsewhere there are songs played in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Lisbon and Tokyo, and ‘Live Around The World’ culminates with Queen + Adam Lambert’s entire 22-minute Fire Fight Australia set in February 2020.
The Fire Fight Australia show saw the band recreate Queen’s landmark 1985 Live Aid set in full: Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, Hammer To Fall, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Will Rock You and We are The Champions, plus Freddie Mercury’s iconic ‘Ay-oh’s.
Queen + Adam Lambert 'Live Around the World' trailer:
‘Live Around The World is available to buy on CD, CD+DVD, CD+Blu-ray and Vinyl formats, with the DVD and Blu-ray featuring extra performance footage which include a Roger Taylor ‘Drum Battle’ with drummer son Rufus Taylor, and Brian May ‘Last Horizon’ guitar solo.
Queen guitarist Brian May comments: “As we all grapple with the challenge of creating live shows in a world dominated by a formidable viral enemy, it seemed the perfect time for us to create a collection of hand-picked live highlights from our Queen shows over the last 7 years with our brother Adam Lambert.
“It’s a first! As you watch and listen to these tracks, you’ll be journeying all around the world with us, and experiencing a complete virtual live set.
“The collection climaxes in Sydney earlier this year when, in support Fire Fight Australia, we recreated the complete Queen Live Aid set. It was a historic event for a great cause - with perhaps the highest adrenaline level since the original Live Aid in 1985. It makes me particularly happy that we can now share this unique moment with the whole world.”
Adam Lambert, who first performed with Queen on American Idol in 2009, adds: “When we couldn’t tour this year we wanted to give the fans something in place of that, and a Live album just felt right.
“It’s the first time we have released an album together and we have had a lot of fun putting it together, picking out favourite performances over the past seven years.”
Since they started performing live in 2012, Queen + Adam Lambert have played 218 shows to a total of 3,659,232 people.
Originally due to take place earlier this year, the UK leg of Queen + Adam Lambert’s Rhapsody Tour will now take place in June 2021.
Queen + Adam Lambert Live Around the World track-listing:
CD / VINYL:
1) Tear It Up (May) The O2, London, UK, 02/07/2018
2) Now I'm Here (May) Summer Sonic, Tokyo, Japan, 2014
3) Another One Bites The Dust (Deacon) Summer Sonic, Tokyo, Japan, 2014
4) Fat Bottomed Girls ft. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (May) American Airlines Center, Dallas, USA, 2019
5) Don't Stop Me Now (Mercury) Rock In Rio, Lisbon, Portugal, 2016
6) I Want To Break Free (Deacon) Rock In Rio, Lisbon, Portugal, 2016
7) Somebody To Love (Mercury) Isle of Wight Festival, UK, 2016
8) Love Kills - The Ballad (Mercury/Moroder) iHeart Radio Theater, Los Angeles, USA, 2014
9) I Was Born To Love You (Mercury) Summer Sonic, Tokyo, Japan, 2014
10) Under Pressure (Queen/Bowie) Global Citizen Festival, New York, USA, 2019
11) Who Wants To Live Forever (May) Isle of Wight Festival, UK, 2016
12) The Show Must Go On (Queen) The O2, London, UK, 04/07/2018
13) Love Of My Life (Mercury) The O2, London, UK, 02/07/2018
14) Bohemian Rhapsody (Mercury) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
15) Radio Ga Ga (Taylor) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
16) Ay-Ohs (Mercury) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
17) Hammer To Fall (May) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
18) Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Mercury) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
19) We Will Rock You (May) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
20) We Are The Champions (Mercury) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
DVD / BLU-RAY:
1) Tear It Up (May) The O2, London, UK, 02/07/2018
2) Now I'm Here (May) Summer Sonic, Tokyo, Japan, 2014
3) Another One Bites The Dust (Deacon) Summer Sonic, Tokyo, Japan, 2014
4) Fat Bottomed Girls ft. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (May) American Airlines Center, Dallas, USA, 2019
5) Don't Stop Me Now (Mercury) Rock In Rio, Lisbon, Portugal, 2016
6) I Want To Break Free (Deacon) Rock In Rio, Lisbon, Portugal, 2016
7) Somebody To Love (Mercury) Isle of Wight Festival, UK, 2016
8) Love Kills - The Ballad (Mercury/Moroder) iHeart Radio Theater, Los Angeles, USA, 2014
9) I Was Born To Love You (Mercury) Summer Sonic, Tokyo, Japan, 2014
10) Drum Battle (Taylor) Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia, 2014
11) Under Pressure (Queen/Bowie) Global Citizen Festival, New York, USA, 2019
12) Who Wants To Live Forever (May) Isle of Wight Festival, UK, 2016
13) The Guitar Solo (Last Horizon) (May) The O2, London, UK, 2018
14) The Show Must Go On (Queen) The O2, London, UK, 04/07/2018
15) Love Of My Life (Mercury) The O2, London, UK, 02/07/2018
16) Bohemian Rhapsody (Mercury) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
17) Radio Ga Ga (Taylor) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
18) Ay-Ohs (Mercury) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
19) Hammer To Fall (May) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
20) Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Mercury) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
21) We Will Rock You (May) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
22) We Are The Champions (Mercury) Fire Fight Australia, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 2020
Scroll through to see Freddie Mercury's life in pictures:
Freddie Mercury's early years
Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town in the British protectorate of Zanzibar on 5th September 1946. Here's Freddie as a baby. His parents, Bomi (1908–2003) and Jer Bulsara (1922–2016) were from western India.
Freddie Mercury's childhood
Freddie Mercury spent much of his childhood in India and attended St. Peter's School from the age of 8. Pictured is Freddie at St Peter's in 1958.
Freddie Mercury's childhood home
In 1964, Freddie Mercury and his family fled to England from Zanzibar to escape the violence of the revolution. They lived at two properties in Feltham, Middlesex before eventually settling at 22 Gladstone Avenue. Pictured is Brian May and Freddie's sister Kashmira Cooke at the property when a blue plaque was unveiled in September 2016.
Freddie Mercury at Ealing Art College
Freddie at Ealing Art College in London in 1969. He earned a diploma in Art and Graphic Design.
Freddie Mercury in 1969
Freddie Mercury in Kensington, West London in August 1969. Prior to fame he worked as a market stall trader in the now-demolished Kensington Market in London.
Freddie Mercury with band Ibex
Freddie Mercury (left) on the road in St Helens, Merseyside with the short-lived Liverpool band Ibex. When they failed to take off, he joined another band called Sour Milk Sea but by early 1970 they had split too
Freddie Mercury in early 1970s
Although famously shy, Freddie Mercury was an extrovert on stage. Here he is wearing a typically flamboyant outfit on stage in the early 1970s
Queen in 1973
Queen's Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May and John Deacon photoshoot in London in 1973.
Freddie Mercury in 1973
Freddie Mercury in 1973.
Freddie Mercury in rehearsals
Freddie Mercury rehearses for Queen's first major tour on 9th July 1973
Freddie Mercury in London in 1973
Freddie Mercury in London in August 1973.
Queen accept gold disc for debut album
Queen are presented with a gold disc for their eponymous debut album 'Queen' in Tokyo, 1974
Queen in 1974
Queen arrive back from their successful Australian tour in 1974.
Freddie Mercury in 1976
Freddie Mercury at Heathrow airport in January 1976 ahead of Queen's USA tour
Queen before receiving British Phonographic Institute awards
Queen in London, September 1976, to receive a British Phonographic Institute Platinum, Gold and Silver award for record sales.
Freddie Mercury at Madison Square Garden in 1977
Freddie Mercury in his imperious live prime at Madison Square Garden in January 1977.
Queen at Earls Court in 1977
Queen at Earls Court in London, June 1977.
Queen in 1978.
Queen looking cool in 1978.
Freddie Mercury in Paris in 1979
Freddie Mercury in his element, live in Paris in 1979.
Freddie Mercury in California in 1982
Freddie Mercury performing live in Oakland, California in 1982.
Freddie Mercury at Live Aid in 1985
Freddie Mercury during Queen's legendary Live Aid performance at Wembley in 1985. It's widely regarded as one of the finest concert performances of all time.
Freddie Mercury at Live Aid with Paul McCartney, Bono and David Bowie
Freddie Mercury performing with Paul McCartney, Bono, David Bowie and more at Live Aid, 1985.
Freddie Mercury in Sydney in 1985
Freddie Mercury on stage in Sydney in 1985.
Queen in 1985
Queen pose for a portrait in 1985.
Freddie Mercury and Anita Dobson in 1988
Freddie Mercury with Brian May's second wife Anita Dobson in 1988.
Freddie Mercury and Monserrat Caballe in 1988
Freddie and Monserrat Caballe perform 'Barcelona' at Barcelona's Montjuich park, to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic flag from Seoul, October 1988
Queen in 1989
Queen pose together in smart attire in 1989.
Queen at The BRIT Awards 1990
Freddie Mercury's appearance at The BRIT Awards in February 1990 was his last public appearance.
Flowers left outside Freddie's home after his death
Fans leave flowers outside Freddie's London home on 24th November 1991 – the day of his untimely death aged 45.
Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux
The iconic Freddie Mercury statue overlooking Lake Geneva in Montreux. Standing three metres high, the Irena Sedlecka sculpture was unveiled five years after Freddie's death by Montserrat Caballé and Freddie's mother Jer.
Freddie Mercury exhibition at Sotheby's
In 2023 Freddie Mercury's closest friend Mary Austin (to whom Freddie left half of his £75 million estate) announced that she was finally selling his life's possessions, which had been stored in his Kensington mansion since his death. Before the auction, Sotheby's displayed the 1,500 items at an exhibition in London, with members of the public able to view Freddie's outfits, artworks, lyric sheets, instruments, furniture and more.
You can hear songs by Queen on the Greatest Hits Radio playlist.