ISLAMABAD-Queen + Adam Lambert first took the stage together in 2009 when Lambert was still an American Idol contestant. And after seven years of officially touring all over the world together, the joint party will finally release its first album in 2020.
While COVID-19 forced them to postpone their UK and European Rhapsody Tour across nine countries until next summer, Lambert, Brian May and Roger Taylor still plan to go Live Around the World -- just in different physical formats.
“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,” Lambert said in a press statement. “It’s the first time we have released an album together and we have had a lot of fun putting it together, picking out favorite performances over the past seven years.”
Their first-ever live album will be out Oct. 2 in CD, CD+DVD, CD+Blu-ray and vinyl formats, brining together hand-picked concert highlights captured around the world from over 200 shows. And all formats will include the band’s whole 22-minute Fire Fight Australia benefit show from Feb. 16, one of their last shows before the worldwide lockdown, when they recreated Queen’s historic 1985 Live Aid set in its entirety: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “Hammer To Fall,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “We Will Rock You,” and “We are The Champions.” They also highlighted late frontman Freddie Mercury’s “Ay-Ohs” hallmark.
“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,” May said in a press statement. “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.”
Queen + Adam Lambert’s postponed 27-date UK and European Rhapsody Tour has been rescheduled to start on May 23, 2021, in Bologna, Italy, including a 10-day residency at London’s The O2 Arena in June and ending on July 7 for a final concert in Madrid, Spain.