Last night I had an amazing experience. I went to the Queen with Adam Lambert concert. And I learned some lessons from Queen.
I’ve been a big fan of Queen for a long time. Let me define “long time.”
I grew up in a fairly sheltered musical environment. When I was very young my sister and I listened to the radio and our mom’s records. A lot of Neil Diamond and oldies. When I got a little older, we were fundamental Protestant church goers so only listened to “Christian” music such as Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. Even Christian rock was frowned upon. We did rebel a little on that but only listened to our Petra records on the sly.
We heard songs on the radio and at school but didn’t have any “secular” music in our home. There were plenty of songs that I liked that were “satanic” but I didn’t really know band names or details of the music, just that I enjoyed the beat and knew the lyrics.
It wasn’t until I was much older – late 20’s and on – that I started to put together who performed some of my favorite songs. Three of the bands that I realized were my favorites were AC/DC (which I saw a few years ago and LOVED), Eagles (which I’ve never seen) and, of course, Queen.
When I heard Queen was coming – with Adam Lambert attempting to fill Freddie Mercury’s shoes – I wanted to go. When might another chance like this come along? Having seen Adam Lambert on Glee, I was fairly certain he could do a decent – if not better than decent – job.
One day on Facebook I saw a post – a friend couldn’t use her Queen ticket. TADA! I was on my way.
Lesson: The universe listens when you put out your desires.
People often ask me how I can do things like concerts, plays, and so on alone. My philosophy is that I’d rather go alone to something than miss out because I can’t find anyone to go with. Granted, someone may have come with me, and if I had waited to find someone, I might have missed out on the chance.
Lesson: Jump on opportunities that arise!
The show was 2 hours of magic.
Two original members – Roger Taylor and Brian May were so incredible! They are certainly getting up there but watching them was a revelation. There are a lot of good – even great – musicians out there, young and old. The thing about these guys was not only how amazingly fast their fingers and arms move, it was about skill and finesse. One of my least favorite parts of rock concerts is the drum and guitar extended solos. They usually turn into a mass of noise as the players wank off showing how fast they can go. After a 5 minute guitar solo by Brian, I was still mesmerized at not only the speed of some parts but the musicality overall. 40 years after their first hits, these guys are masters of their craft.
Lesson: When you have the talent and passion, age is not a factor.
Adam Lambert had big shoes to fill. Freddie Mercury is a legend. Even though I never had the opportunity to see him live, his reputation certainly precedes him. Adam didn’t try to imitate or overshadow Freddie. He was the perfect mix of respect and individuality. His 5 costume changes and respectful pauses as video of Freddie played during Bohemian Rhapsody showed the right amount of bluster and reverence.
Lesson: Change can be good.
To close the show, they did their biggest hits, of course – Bohemian Rhapsody and We Are the Champions/We Will Rock you. During Bohemian Rhapsody, Adam took a break while video of Freddie played on the big round screen. During the middle section they played part of a music video. The whole show was so beautifully produced and this part was truly magical. It brought me to tears. We Are The Champions was virtually a religious experience with everyone standing and swaying with their hands in the air. I was moved by the whole night. The talent, the music, the joy, the respect, the awe of the entire experience.
Lesson: Beauty comes in many forms.
This concert will be a highlight of my live performance experiences whether it be theatre, music or other. Queen lives up to their name. They reign supreme!
Christie Mawer – The Bad Kitty
thebadkittyis@gmail.com