Massive thanks to Queen

Also, big thanks to the "youtube to MP3" converters, as I can listen to the show full volume in the car on the way to work and I seem to the only commuter singing and grinning like a kid

I've heard Lambert's voice melts your brain - here's the proof!!!!!

On the plus side, at least I have a brain to melt

And whilst it would ALWAYS be best if dear Freddie was still with us and still belting out the shows, I make no apologies for giving thanks for three amazing concerts to hear the music of Queen live, the atmosphere at Hammersmith was fantastic and me singing along brings back great memories. Not that my singing is any good . . . maybe I could audition for Queen + guinness !

I'd just like to say a huge thank you to Brian and Roger (and everybody else at Queen productions) for making the last few weeks happen. I thought I'd start this thread for people like me who are just glad that they have the opportunity to be part of an incredible Queen experience again.

Please don't pollute my thread with Adam vs Freddie vs Paul arguments, or aim any vitriol at anybody in fact! I'm not interested in getting involved in anything like that. I'm new to the forum (not new to Queen!) so I'd like my experience here to positive and supportive.

I'm a Queen fan of old, and I was lucky enough to see Queen on the Magic tour in 1986; I loved it at age 14. However, I was lucky enough to see the Hammersmith show in 2012 and I absolutely loved it at age 40, as did my wife and as did everybody else I've spoken to after the shows. I thought it was exciting and respectful but above everything else, it had fire!

I would also like to pay tribute to Adam; I thought he took on the biggest, most nerve-wracking job in the world. Not only from a vocally technical point of view, but having to walk out on stage for the first time in front of a potentially hostile audience. There were many detractors on this forum prior to the shows, and although I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, I think the barrage of negativity aimed towards Brian and Roger from some users would have made Freddie very sad. That's a real shame, but luckily not representative of Queen fans on the whole, as was proved by the fabulous reaction at the Hammersmith shows.

I'm also glad that a whole new generation of people have discovered Queen through Adam's involvement. Music is an art form that enriches you. Whether you are lying on your bed aged 12 listening to Queen 2 through headphones almost crying at how incredible it is, or you are standing in a venue with 5000 other people singing at the top of your voice, how you made the discovery is irrelevant. Making the discovery is all important.

Ultimately, I don't believe in good and bad music; I only believe that there is music you like and music you don't. If somebody has made the music, THEY like it...and that's the only justification there ever needs to be. I for one would love to hear any new material Brian and Roger write with or for Adam. I loved the 'old' Queen, I love the 'new' Queen.

I'm a couple of weeks late in seeing and appreciating this wonderful post by frisco. Thank you for posting this--it was the next best thing to my being there myself!

On the plus side, at least I have a brain to melt

And whilst it would ALWAYS be best if dear Freddie was still with us and still belting out the shows, I make no apologies for giving thanks for three amazing concerts to hear the music of Queen live, the atmosphere at Hammersmith was fantastic and me singing along brings back great memories. Not that my singing is any good . . . maybe I could audition for Queen + guinness !

I've got to agree with that - the atmosphere was electrifying. I don't think I have ever been to a concert where thousands of people sing along to every song, and are so attuned to what is going on (although the Pulp concert I saw earlier this year was pretty good too). I'll never forget Brian standing in the spotlight, and realising that what I had been watching on TV and youtube was happening there, for real, in front of my eyes

I know I'm a few months behind, but I just want to echo the thoughts of the 'thankers' here.

I'm 31, and since discovering Queen at 14yrs old, I'd always had the desire to see them live. I never really expected to, but the desire was there. I was too young to see Brian when he came to town in 1998 (he played an 18+ club ... and I was 17-and-a-half!), and Q+PR never came to Australia, so my desire to see them became a burning desire!

I got the e-mail about Sonisphere back in February, and after weighing up my options working out roughly how much it'd cost (I'd never been overseas before, so I needed to account for EVERYTHING!!!), I went for it. There were some dramas regarding change of flights when Sonsisphere went arse-up and the new Q+AL dates were announced, but in the scheme of things, who cares?! Going to London to see Queen was the best thing I've ever done. It was a mindspin being there and seeing Brian and Roger RIGHT THERE in front of me and not on my tv or computer screen. I almost had to pinch myself throughout the shows because at times, I was 3m from Brian and 10m from Roger.

I went to the Wednesday and Thursday shows, but not the Saturday one as it was added later and I was halfway back to Australia by then. I wasn't going to re-jig flights AGAIN! I saw Queen twice, which is once more than I'd ever hoped for, and twice more than I ever expected to.

I'm not going to comment on the shows themselves other than to say that they were everything I wanted from them. I got to sing along to 'Love Of My Life', hand-clap along with 'Radio Ga Ga', rock out to 'Tie Your Mother Down' ... and more. I'd not seen any previous Q+AL gigs except the EMA mini-set, so was hesitant about AL prior to the first concert. Even despite a few slip ups or moments where he did something I preferred he didn't, I was pleasantly surprised by him. To be honest, I kinda ignored him throughout the shows as I was more intent on watching the Queen aspect of the shows. I'd flown 16hrs and put myself on the line financially to see Queen, not Adam Lambert.

The concerts were amazing, the atmosphere was incredible, and the whole experience was the greatest of my life thus far. I always thought IF I ever got to see Queen (or even Brian solo), then that'd be it for me (my desire to see them live would have been fulfilled), however having seen them a few months ago, I find myself now knowing what it was like ... and wanting more!!!

I'll add my thanks here now too. Thankyou to everyone who made this possible. Even Sonisphere..!