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Queen brought The Rhapsody Tour to PPG Paints Arena last night as part of a 23-date arena and stadium tour celebrating the song first made famous by original singer Freddie Mercury in 1975.
The legendary band, with original members Brian May and Roger Taylor, teamed up for this tour with American Idol alum Adam Lambert, who has filled in on vocals with the band since 2011.
Lambert has long praised Mercury’s influence on his own work. “When I look at the history of rock & roll,” he told Rolling Stone, “Queen is the band that resonated the most with me: ‘That’s me, that’s my life.’”
The Rhapsody Tour follows 2018’s “barely mediocre” biographical drama film Bohemian Rhapsody, according to Pittsburgh City Paper movie critic Hannah Lynn. “Unlike the band and the song, which found the exact right formula of heart and insanity to make something magic, the movie fails to synthesize the band and Freddie Mercury’s life,” penned Lynn in her review.
Did Lambert’s performance last night give the memory of Freddie Mercury more justice than the film? You tell us. Sound off in the comments.
Below are CP photographer Mike Papariella’s standout photos from last night’s concert.
This article appears in Jul 31 – Aug 6, 2019.
For some reason, I was underwhelmed. I enjoyed the Queen w/Paul Rodgers gig a little more (sorry Brian, you were wrong, it has NOT been 40 years!) and Jeff Lynne’s ELO.
I thought that the show was amazing. Adam Lambert did an outstanding job, but also stepped back at the appropriate times to allow the original members to shine. Unlike the film that focused mostly on Freddie’s sexuality, the concert celebrated his work. I will definitely see them in concert again if they ever return.