As if you really needed persuading
Alexandra Pollard

13:34 29th September 2014

This morning, Queen and Adam Lambert revealed that they'll finally be returning to the UK for a series of tour dates in January.  

If you're a Queen fan, it's unlikely you really need to be convinced - but there is a chance you're harbouring one of two reservations: 1) Aren't Brian May and Roger Taylor a bit, well, old? 2) How is that bloke off of American Idol ever going to ever fill the shoes of Freddie Mercury?

Like your musical guardian angels, we're here to put your mind at rest. Here are 8 reasons why, even though they're not the same band they were 40 years ago, you should still make a trip to see Queen's spectacular live show with Adam Lambert. 

  • Adam Lambert: Let's start by addressing the leather-clad elephant in the room - Adam Lambert is not Freddie Mercury. Nor, thankfully, is he pretending to be. In his tenure as Queen's frontman, Lambert has gone all out to capture the spirit of Mercury's flamboyance, energy and powerful voice, without ever becoming an impersonator.

  • Brian May taking the spotlight: Adam Lambert may be the band's nominal frontman, but these shows belong to May, and rightly so. Expect to see incredible, consistently energetic guitar playing from May, as well as the occasional ten-minute solo. And we mean occasional, because no-one likes a show-off.

  • Nostalgia: During their gigs earlier this year, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was preceded by video footage of the band's younger selves performing the operatic section, and in an unforgettable finale, Adam Lambert duetted with Freddie Mercury using stock recordings.

  • Taylor and May proving their ongoing stamina: We hate the industry's fixation on age, we really do, but at 65 and 67 respectively, Roger Taylor and Brian May would be forgiven for taking it a bit easy during extensive tours. Nope. Instead, Taylor performs drum solos with an ageless energy, and May struts the stage as well as he always did.

  • The visual spectacle: Including, but by no means limited to, rainbow stage lights, lazers, gold glitter showers and a floating drum riser.

  • Little-known numbers: Of course the setlist reads like a dream, but they'll also be throwing some welcome curveballs into the mix. Recently they've performed a re-imagined version of Mercury's 1984 solo song 'Love Kills', as well as 'Dragon Attack' and '39'.

  • Outfit changes galore: If you're worried a Queen gig sans Mercury might be lacking the glitzy campness of his stage persona, then you'll be happy to know that Lambert has at least eight costume changes during his shows, and May wears a gold cape.

  • Guest stars: We can't guarantee this of course, but Lady Gaga turned up during a recent show to lend her vocals to 'Another One Bites The Dust'. Such is Queen's enormous and far-reaching influence, they could ask pretty much anyone to come on stage with them, and they'd probably say yes.

  • New music: The tour is in support of Queen Forever, a compilation album which includes unreleased material recorded with Freddie Mercury. Expect to hear some of this new music showcased, either via a re-imagined Adam Lambert offering, or using Mercury's own vocals in a live setting. Either way, it'll be one to remember.

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