Queen + Adam Lambert at Madison Square Garden

Beginning in 1968, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor played in a band called Smile in pubs in London, England. Vocalist Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) was a fan and left his job working as an airport baggage handler shortly after joining the band in 1970. Mercury suggested they call themselves Queen and encouraged the other musicians to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. John Deacon became the band's permanent bassist in 1971. Queen became one of the world's best-selling music artists, with record sales estimated at between 170 million to 300 million units. The band earned many awards, including a Brit Award, the Ivor Novello Award, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, plus induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Mercury died in 1991 from AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia, and Deacon retired in 1997. Beginning in 2004, May and Taylor began touring with other vocalists, initially as Queen + Paul Rodgers and currently as Queen + Adam Lambert.

"I am not Freddie Mercury," Lambert told the audience, referring to the proverbial elephant in the room a few songs into Queen + Adam Lambert's second of two nights headlining Madison Square Garden. He went on to declare himself a fan of Mercury's who is humbled to have the opportunity to work with the remaining members of Queen for the past nine years. To his credit, Lambert affected a vocal style similar to Mercury's but perhaps intentionally did not replicate the songs exactly. May and Taylor were brilliant in their musicianship. The music was made full with the help of keyboardist Spike Edney, bassist Neil Fairclough, and percussionist Tyler Warren. Mercury appeared on a couple of songs via video. What Lambert said earlier rang true all evening, however, in that no one could replace Mercury's phenomenal voice, innovative songwriting, and over-the-top performance skills. The band revived all the well-known and several little-known songs with flash and talent, but in the end, Queen + Anyone could never be as exciting as when Mercury was creating new songs and pumping the audience with his unbeatable showmanship.

Setlist:

1. Now I'm Here (Queen song)
2. Seven Seas of Rhye (Queen song)
3. Keep Yourself Alive (Queen song)
4. Hammer to Fall (Queen song)
5. Killer Queen (Queen song)
6. Don't Stop Me Now (Queen song)
7. In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited (Queen song)
8. Somebody to Love (Queen song)
9. The Show Must Go On (Queen song)
10. I'm in Love With My Car (Queen song)
11. Bicycle Race (Queen song)
12. Another One Bites the Dust (Queen song)
13. Machines (Or 'Back to Humans') (Queen song)
14. I Want It All (Queen song)
15. Love of My Life (Queen song)
16. '39 (Queen song)
17. Doing All Right (Queen song)
18. Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen song)
19. Under Pressure (Queen + David Bowie song)
20. I Want to Break Free (Queen song)
21. You Take My Breath Away (Queen song)
22. Who Wants to Live Forever (Queen song)
23. Guitar Solo
24. Tie Your Mother Down (Queen song)
25. Fat Bottomed Girls (Queen song)
26. Radio Ga Ga (Queen song)
27. Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen song)

Encore:

1. Ay‐Oh (Queen song)
2. We Will Rock You (Queen song)
3. We Are the Champions (Queen song)