Arts & Entertainment
Queen thinks Freddie Mercury ‘would have loved’ Adam Lambert
the group explains how they all came together
Adam Lambert (Photo courtesy 42 West)
Adam Lambert has served as Queen’s frontman since 2014 and while the “American Idol” alum isn’t a replacement for Freddie Mercury the band believes Mercury “would have loved” Lambert.
Lambert, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor spoke with Entertainment Tonight about how Queen was reborn.
“We didn’t plan it. It just happened really,” May says. “Along came Adam, out of the blue. We saw him on ‘American Idol’ and we’d already had an avalanche of messages saying already, ‘This is the guy you need to sing for you! You should do this!’ We felt good about it, so organically, suddenly, we were a band again. We’re like family. It’s amazing.”
Queen would eventually join Lambert on stage on the season eight finale of “American Idol” in 2009 to perform “We Are the Champions.” In 2014, they joined back together to go on tour. Now, they will embark on a second North American tour this June.
“Freddie is actually featured in our show, and I think Brian and I continually feel his presence because we grew up together and he’s a part of our mental wallpaper,” Taylor says. “I think it’s important that it comes over that we’re actually enjoying playing together, but Freddie would have loved Adam. No doubt about it.”
For Lambert, the love would have been mutual.
“I wish I had been able to meet him,” Lambert says. “[He was] so inspiring. Seeing footage of Freddie in live set-ups is particularly liberating as an artist stepping into the situation, because I feel like because he was so bold and fearless, he gives me so much permission to sort of take it wherever I want to take it. He didn’t hold back at all.”
Queen and Adam Lambert perform at the Verizon Center on July 31.
Photos
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony
The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.
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