Queen and Adam Lambert rocked the Wells Fargo Center in Philly on July 16, 2004.

I have seen many, many bands play live over the years but there was always one band that I wished I had seen but hadn’t… until the other night.  The band I’m talking about is Queen.  Queen’s last American tour was in 1982 and I remember when they played the Spectrum.  A friend of mine saw them and loved them.  I always said I’d catch them the next time but unfortunately there wasn’t a next time.

When Queen got together with Paul Rodgers around 2006, I just couldn’t bring myself to go.  It’s difficult to see a band you really like play without all of the original members, but I think it’s even more difficult when the original front man isn’t there.

When I heard Adam Lambert would be touring with Queen, I actually gave some serious thought to going.  I was a big Lambert fan from his days on “American Idol” and thought he certainly had the singing chops to do Queen’s songs justice.  Although, once again, it just didn’t seem right to me that they’d have another lead singer, but when I got a last minute invite from a friend who had an extra ticket, I decided to go.

I am so glad I did!  Although NO ONE could ever take Freddie Mercury‘s place, Adam’s voice was amazing and he really put on one hell of a show.  With costume changes, an audience sing-off, effortless interaction with the band members, and his own unique styling, I think Freddie would’ve been pleased with his performance.  It sure seemed like the audience was pleased and happy to hear all of Queen’s wonderful music live again. Queen’s remaining original members were pretty terrific too! Brian May’s guitar playing was sick! I especially loved his trippy guitar solo and his tribute to Freddie. Then there was Roger Taylor who was totally rockin’ out on the drums.  He gave the younger drummer playing with them a run for his money! Overall, the entire band sounded great and they looked like they were really having a fun time on stage.  They gave the audience a great show over two hours long with just the right mix of hits and lesser known numbers.   I would definitely see them again.

If you went to the show, what did you think and would you see them again?