Adam Lambert opens up to Jackie Brambles on touring with Queen for 10 years
"It’s a collaboration"
Singer Adam Lambert, who has been touring with Queen for the last 10 years, joined us at Greatest Hits Radio to talk to Jackie Brambles. He opened up about the fans' reactions to him singing with the band, how he thinks Freddie Mercury would have felt about him collaborating with them, and whether it feels like he is part of the band after so long.
Last month, Brian May responded to comments about Adam joining them on tour, insisting Freddie would have wanted Queen to go on, so Jackie asked Adam how he felt about the fans' reactions.
"There’s always going to be haters," Adam admitted. "That’s just how it goes and it’s fine - I get being protective of your memory of the band, I totally understand. I think early on that actually lit a fire in me to prove myself and prove them wrong.
"I was very careful not to imitate Freddie, I always felt that would be tacky and disrespectful, and that’s not what Brian (May) and Roger (Taylor) would have wanted. But I did try to consider the spirit with which the songs were originated, so why the song was written, what it was about, and why Freddie approached singing it that way I try to stay true to the intention."
Mirroring Brian's previous comments, Adam also revealed how he thought Freddie would have felt about him singing with Queen, saying: "Brian and Roger have often said Freddie wouldn’t have wanted the songs to gather dust, he wanted the music to live on, so I hope in whatever afterlife that might exist he’s having a good time and getting a kick out of it.
"I always have in the back of my mind when I’m making certain decisions - how to approach a song or what to wear - I’m always like would Freddie get a kick out of this?"
And with 10 years touring with the band, Jackie wanted to know whether he felt like part of the band now, but as he explained: "It’s a collaboration - the songs were written and originated by the band and everyone knows their songs because of their records, so I look at it as I’m a guest.
"I get to go on stage and sing these incredible songs. I get to be of service to Brian and Roger so they can perform their songs live and the fans of Queen want to hear these songs played so they need a singer. I’ve tried to approach it with that kind of respect. Freddie was one of a kind, there’s no replacing him but what we try to do on stage is really celebrate him and remember him fondly with the audience."
In 2022, Queen + Adam Lambert performed at Platinum Party at the Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee celebrations, you can watch the performance below...
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