For the first time, “American Idol” alum Adam Lambert and legendary rock band Queen performed the singer’s latest single “Ghost Town” in Sao Paulo, Brazil, turning the stage into an arena for the ultimate head-banging event.
During the stop at the famed Rock in Rio Festival on September 17, Queen and Lambert, collectively known as Q+AL, has taken Sao Paolo by storm as part of their Queen + Adam Lambert World Tour as well as the opening night of the traditional Brazilian music festival.
Their performance of the aptly-titled “Ghost Town” proved to be an anthem for those who are into clubbing and partying. Lambert, who sported an all-leather suit, performed with the famed band at the festival’s 30th anniversary alongside performers like the One Republic and The Script, Just Jared reports.
According to Rolling Stone, the performance opened with Lambert smoothly serenading the audience over Brian May’s strumming and Roger Taylor’s light drumming, but when the original tune drops, May did the honor of unleashing the guitars in a barrage of stirring grooves.
The gig also served as the kick-off date for the Queen + Adam Lambert South American Tour. It includes two more Brazilian tour dates followed by plenty more in Argentina and Chile. Their stop in Santiago, Chile by the end of this month will mark the end of the Q+AL World Tour.
The original version and the live version of “Ghost Town” obviously have many differences with May delivering a lot of guitar additions during their Sao Paolo act. However, the new arrangement neither felt forced or awkward. Instead, it made fans love both versions equally.
Lambert even shared a video of himself performing his single with the rock band. On his Instagram, Adam shared an impressive photo of the crowd during Friday’s music festival jokingly captioning the photo that the 80,000 people gathered to watch them was no big deal.
The 33-year-old singer is currently serving as the front man for the Queen on the band’s tour of South America replacing the band’s original lead singer, Freddie Mercury, who succumbed to AIDS in 1991.
The Queen + Adam Lambert World Tour is a collaboration between the active members of the British band — May and Taylor — and the “For Your Entertainment” singer. The collaboration did not include the band’s original bassist, John Deacon, who has declined involvement with the project due to his retirement in 1997.
They began performing occasionally in 2011 which led to a European tour in 2012 that then led to a full-blown world tour in 2014. Queen + Adam Lambert World Tour is the band’s first long-term project since the Queen + Paul Rodgers project which concluded in 2009.
Speaking to Rolling Stone about his involvement with the Queen duo, Lambert says that he gets along really well with Brian and Roger. More than that, they trust and support each other too especially with how they create music together.
Tagging along the trio on their world tour are professional keyboardist Spike Edney, bassist Neil Fairclough, and percussionist Rufus Tiger Taylor, Roger Taylor’s son.
Despite the year they have spent touring on many continents, there are no current plans to release a studio album yet. Although the British duo have long stated that there is a huge possibility for the group recording a new material.
Amid what can be considered as the ultimate gig for Adam, he has remained fully committed to his solo career. Last June, the “American Idol” Season 8 runner-up released his third studio album titled “The Original High” in which one of the tracks includes “Ghost Town.”
“The Original High” marks Lambert’s first album release since leaving his previous record label, RCS records. His last album, “Trespassing” was released back in 2012. Upon its release, it debuted at No. 3 in the revamped Billboard Top 200.