Brian May Gives Real Thoughts On Adam Lambert’s Singing For Queen

Queen guitarist Brian May has expressed his amazement at how Adam Lambert breathes new life into the band’s classic songs, taking them to unexpected heights.

In an interview with Sammy Hagar, filmed backstage at a show honoring Nashville guitar legend James Burton in late 2019 and recently uploaded to AXS TV’s YouTube channel, May shared his thoughts on Lambert’s impact. May said:

“Adam brings fresh views on things.
“He’s not afraid to say, ‘why don’t we try it this way or that way?’ so the songs are not fossils. They’re alive and evolving with Adam, which is great, and sometimes he blows my mind.”

May highlighted Lambert’s performance of “Who Wants to Live Forever,” a song originally performed by Freddie Mercury.

“Freddie would do it at times, but if he felt a little off-colour, that was going to be a little bit too much strain for him… you know, Adam will always do it, and always pull it off, and he will take it higher and higher.”

May continued:

“So I’m standing there playing and I’m going, ‘what did he just do?!’ It blows my mind, the range that he has and the courage that he has to kind of blend things into a different place, just slightly morph things into a new place. So I love it. I love working with Adam.”

In addition to praising Lambert, May discussed working with Freddie Mercury during his final days and how he and Roger Taylor have managed Queen’s legacy since Mercury’s death. The interview also featured Hagar chatting with Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh about longevity, failing to recognize David Letterman’s bandleader Paul Shaffer, and speaking with country star Tanya Tucker, whom he described as a lifelong love.

Sammy Hagar’s Best of All Worlds tour kicked off on July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida.