Queen & Adam Lambert: The SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow 2015

 

Ever since I was little I have enjoyed listening to the music of the legendary, world famous rock band Queen. Their music is extremely influential to me alongside so many others out there. I mean who doesn't know their catalogue of hit songs such as We Will Rock You, Bohemian Rhapsody and Somebody to Love?

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I'd see them in concert! From experience I've discovered that dreams do in fact come true. Last Wednesday one of my dreams actually came true; I finally had the opportunity to see Queen in concert!

A couple of months ago Queen announced that they'd be touring the UK, one of the shows happened to be at Glasgow's newest concert venue The SSE Hydro Arena. Of course I had to buy tickets, I could not have missed the opportunity to see them live!

The entire show was absolutely amazing from start to finish; up until now Fleetwood Mac had topped my list as my all-time favourite concert. Queen however, may have just knocked them off the top, I seriously thought I'd never see another band put on a show at such a high standard!

 

Adam Lambert, a former contest from the popular TV show American Idol is currently touring with Queen as their lead singer. I was already familiar with some of Adam's work but decided to do a little more research by checking out footage of his performances on YouTube. After watching a few videos I knew I was in for a real treat-I was extremely impressed! Seeing Adam perform in person was even better than I had initially expected. His vocals are phenomenal! There are very few people out there who can sing Queen songs and pull it off like Adam did.

 

From around twenty minutes before the show started the sounds of instruments could be heard, there were blasts of smoke which were also used at points during the show. Bizarrely, even the noise of what sounded like a helicopter filled the room. I still haven't quite worked out where it came from but nevertheless it definitely hyped the audience up.

Unlike a lot of bands I've seen they arrived on stage as scheduled at exactly quarter past eight. The arenas lights dimmed and the music began. There was a large curtain covering the stage where a large silhouette of Brian May playing guitar appeared. Moments later the curtains parted revealing the band that we all braved such a cold winter's night to see. As you can imagine by this point the room had erupted in cheers as they performed the opening number One Vision. I sat there and found myself remembering watching one of Queen's concerts on television when I was younger. There was all the lights and smoke that had made it look so spectacular on television and seeing it right in front of me gave me a rush of adrenaline.

 

Before long the famous bass line of my favourite Queen song Another One Bites the dust filled the room. I have been learning to play bass myself and this is one of the songs that have really inspired me as a bass player. It is such catchy song that I am so pleased to have been able to hear performed live.



Adam Lambert

Killer Queen was an absolutely brilliant way of showcasing just how much of a showman Adam Lambert is. The performance that he brought to the Glasgow audience whilst singing Killer Queen for me, was definitely one of the highlights of the entire concert. If you're having a bad day it's definitely worth checking out Killer Queen videos on YouTube as its sure to put a smile on your face.

 

 

Following a few of Queen's other electrical hits we were treated to an acoustic set on the B stage. The B stage shaped like a circle sits out amongst the audience connected by a walkway leading to the main stage. By having a secondary stage it allows the audience to have an up close and personal experience with the band.

Speaking from the view point of a wheelchair user; I've never had the opportunity to see any of my favourite bands up close due to where the accessible seating is situated. The Hydro is definitely one of the better venues I've visited when it comes to accessible seating however the stage is still a fair distance away. On this occasion it was great to see a performance in more detail from the disabled area. I would love to see more bands provide this sort of experience for their fans.

Brian May

 

Brian May treated the audience to a beautiful and heartfelt acoustic performance of Love Of My Life in tribute to their legendary frontman Freddie Mercury. It was one of the moments where the audience sing along and the atmosphere feels simply magical. The miniature acoustic set continued with Brian singing  a song named '39. I really love acoustic performances during a show as you really get to hear the power and emotion in someone's voice.

 

On opening night of the UK tour in Newcastle, Brian used his selfie stick to take a selfie or two with the audience in the background. In Glasgow he decided to change things a little and this time took a panoramic photograph of the entire audience which was posted to his social media accounts and website. It's pretty cool to be in the photograph despite the fact I'm struggling to actually find myself amongst the crowd!

 

Roger Taylor and his son Rufus, took to stage and had a drum battle. A set of drums was set up on the B stage and the actual drum kit on the main stage was used too. Although at this exact minute I cannot remember who played on which stage. 

There was also the most spectacular guitar solo performed by Brian May. I was in awe watching and listening to such a breath-taking performance. The guitar solo has a sort of sci-fi type feel to it, I could picture the images of space ships, planets and stars that fill our solar system. That's what I like about music, it can take you to a completely different world and really provoke your thoughts and emotions.

 

As the solo drew to close they blasted into back to back hit after hit consisting of Tie Your Mother Down, I Want It All, Radio GaGa and then of course everyone's favourite Bohemian Rhapsody!



Bohemian Rhapsody



Adam started by singing Bohemian Rhapsody before the stage lights faded and a video of Freddie singing appeared on screen much to the crowd's approval. They even had footage from the music video for those famous operatic parts-it was so cool! Of course to top it off Brian came on and preformed that amazing guitar solo! 



 I don't know about you but have you ever seen one of those pictures on social media where it mentions that familiar moment where you find yourself singing all of the different parts during Bohemian Rhapsody? Well I put my hand up and admit that I do-I suppose it's just too hard not to!

When Bohemian Rhapsody sadly came to an end Queen vanished off the stage leaving the room to fade into darkness. Minutes later a piper appeared on stage playing Scotland's iconic instrument (the bagpipes) as an introduction to We Will Rock You. By this point the entire audience were chanting the lyrics to We Will Rock You. The atmosphere was incredible with the crowd singing and clapping along, I don't think it's possible to listen to that song and not join in. 

 

The entire band entered on to the stage once again welcomed by the crowds seal of approval towards the Scottish themed intro. Adam was dressed in a leopard print suit, gold coloured shoes and a crown encrusted with sparkly gems. His gold toned attire perfectly matched golden confetti that fell from the ceiling as they brought the show to a close singing We Are The Champions. I even managed to catch a couple pieces of confetti to keep as small reminder of the gig.

Overall, the show was absolutely amazing! I knew it would be good but didn't expect it to be that good! I really hope that I'll have the chance to see them in concert again one day. If any of you get the opportunity to see them live; don't think twice! It's worth every single penny! You won't be disappointed-promise!