Iconic rockers of the Seventies and Eighties. Pompous and prestigious, Queen are arguably behind some of the greatest songs of the 20th century. Be it 1975 and Bohemian Rhapsody; or nearly a decade later in 1984 with Radio GaGa - instantly recognizable anthems that defined the band as a force to be reckoned with. Google "Live Aid" and the video that comes up is of Queen, the act who stole the show whilst performing on the world stage.
It's difficult to believe that a week ago, I was queuing to see them live on stage. They've suffered some adversities since their glory days; with the tragic death of Freddie Mercury in 1991, and the departure of bassist John Deacon from the group in 1997, but regardless - it was still the most electrifying experience I've ever had at a gig.
New Years Eve. 'Queen + Adam Lambert Rock Big Ben Live'. Sitting at home and watching Brian May and Roger Taylor perform with this liberal, wild pretty-boy singer. Take American diva Adam Lambert, a man with a powerhouse vocal range and killer good looks. Eyebrows that deserve their own camera angle. Place him in with one of the most prominent bands of all time and you have one hell of a show.We queued for 6 and a half hours. I'm going to sound extremely British and say the queue wasn't even bad. On the contrary, it was pretty good. A Queen gig queue is different in the aspect that everyone has paid a lot of money to be there; and everyone is extremely nice about it. There isn't any bitterness, nor anyone unwilling to talk to you. We made friends; really nice friends (we even have inside jokes I mean come on), even with the security guy.
When doors opened, we ran for the barrier with our new friends and actually made it. We were front row at a Queen gig. I only realized I was grinning when my cheeks began to hurt from it. The time before they came on stage went by and eventually; 'Untitled' started to play.
There was a special guest whom we were aware of, but couldn't see. The crowds of people obstructed our view. A whisper went through the crowd saying it was Jer Bulsara, Freddie's mum. We only found out during the intro to 'Love of My Life' that it was indeed her, as introduced by Brian himself. It was pretty special to be in the company of such an extraordinary woman. I've heard stories of Freddie fans falling to her feet before in tears! After the gig, we also found out that Kashmira Cooke; his sister, was in the crowd too from Brian's soapbox entry.
Without giving too much away for those who have yet to see the spectre; I would recommend the show to anyone who still wishes to experience the magic of Queen in the company of those who curated it 40 years ago. It was spellbinding; magnificent. For two and a half hours; you are thrown into a world of Fat Bottomed Girls and the space adventures of '39. Dry ice and strobe lights. Singing until your throat is raw and feeling like you're really part of it all, just for a while. Even if you do cry when Brian May makes eye contact with you for a second, its all part of the experience.
I can't rate highly enough of Adam Lambert. He was extraordinarily entertaining, fabulously camp. He evidently knows how to work a crowd as we were all eating out the palm of his hand. Paired with Brian and Roger; as well as Roger's son Rufus on drums/percussion, Spike Edney on keyboards and Neil Fairclough on bass guitar; they all really were incredible live.
The finale of 'We Are The Champions' put an end to a remarkable evening full of love, music and lights with every pair of hands in the room up and the cannons firing gold confetti. It was a rather melancholy way to end, but it was definitely on a high note.
Luckily, I'm doing it again next month.
words and images by madds crossan
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