Queen + Adam Lambert Live Open Air – RheinEnergiestadion Köln 27.05.16

My 1st ever concert, and what a show it was.Pelting rain from the moment the supporting act (Larkin Poe) came on stage until the very end…but what is an Open-Air gig without rain? 🙂

There were surely a few songs missing that I would’ve thought of being put on their setlist, too (“Show Must Go On”, “(No-One But You) Only The Good Die Young”, to only name two amazing songs), but overall, the setlist done was perfect. It was all a big party as well as a lovely reminder of Freddy Mercury, who was inserted singing on the big screens during two songs, which made the entire crowd cheer even louder than they already did. The entire band made sure nobody would forget that we all wouldn’t have been there that night if not for Freddy.

Adam Lambert
That damn hot limelight hog! What a man! He did more than great. Although he surely does not hold the notes at the end of “Somebody To Love” as Jeannine Michele Wacker in the Musical “We Will Rock You” does (but maybe that is just the way he decided to do it, to give the song his own special note, which is nevertheless great!) , his voice is absolutely phenomenal and harmonizes so well with the music and the voices of Brian and Roger. His stage presence is worthy of being in Freddy’s place; he catches the audience with just a smile, or a wink, or even just saying “I’m so queer!” when playing with an umbrella in the rain of Cologne (“My feathers!” was his explanation, regarding his black costume, done with loads of  feathers). There were high notes that would almost make your ears bleed, both because they were perfect, as well as belted out. Adam also absolutely knows how to play with the audience, to find the balance between letting the crowd wait and cheer for him, Brian and Roger to come (back) on stage, and making them cheer, scream, whistle and clap even louder as soon as the next song starts. I’ve always dreamed of one day seeing him on a stage, and it was definitely worth the wait.

Roger Taylor
Without this man, Queen wouldn’t have been the same. I can’t believe where he, being his age, gets the power of doing a drumming solo stand-off with the other drummer, Rufus Tiger-Taylor – his son – the way he did – and always smiling while at it! At about the middle of the concert, he sat on his drums, starting slowly, alternating with his drumming partner, each of them trying to exceed the other one’s drumming set. And Roger surpassed any expectation I’d ever had. The rate at which he kept playing for minutes, over and over again, surely made the crowd’s heads spinning, and when, towards the end of his drumming stand-off, he and Rufus fell into a joint rhythm that made the floor rumble, the audience was in his hands. It was all topped when he sang “These Are The Days Of Our Lives”; that song has always made tears well up in my eyes, and hearing it sung by the man himself who’s largely written it, was a spectacular feeling. His voice is so smooth, and at the same time, somewhat “raw” that it’s a shame he only sang that one song and part of “Under Pressure”.

Brian May

Everyone in the audience that night – and probably all over the world, – will agree that this man is a total LEGEND. That man is 68 years old and he plays the guitar like a young God. His guitar riffs…I have never heard anything like it in my entire life. I had once seen him shortly, doing the guitar solo in “Bohemian Rhapsody” on stage of the Dominion Theatre in London, in the musical “We Will Rock You”, so I knew what he was capable of. But what he presented the audience with that night was absolutely out of this world. It’s the longest riff I ever witnessed anywhere (it was about 10 minutes long!), but Brian made it feel like it was just a few seconds, and he ended it by introducing “Tie Your Mother Down”, which had all the crowd on their feet. He also had everybody hung on his lips when, sitting at the end of the stage, with a member of the crew holding an umbrella over him and his guitar, he sang “Love Of My Life”. This was the first time I experienced a full stadium – or a room – singing together with the performer at the top of their lungs. And Brian definitely enjoyed it, given the huge smile plastered on his face afterwards. It gave me goosebumps how suddenly, almost everyone around switched on the flashlights on their phone in the dark stadium, swaying in the rhythm of that heartfelt song. It was short, and over way too soon, but you could see and feel that it was one of the most magical moments ever. It was like Freddy was around, just by belting that ballad out loud and lighting up the sky.

Bottom line: Adam, Brian & Roger were on fire. They were turning the stadium into a big party with their rock anthems, swayed with everyone during the ballads, and throughout the entire gig, the audience was in the palm of their hands with their unique voices and stage presences. And once again, Adam Lambert proved that he is worthy of currently being in the place that Freddy Mercury made so unforgettable for all the fans of Queen all over the world. He may not be among us anymore, but these three men – Brian, Roger & especially Adam, made and make sure that nobody ever forgets the legend that was Freddy Mercury and Queen.

What an incredible and unforgettable night it was. Thank You.