Getty Singer Adam Lambert, drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May of Queen + Adam Lambert perform as the group kicks off its 10-date limited engagement, "The Crown Jewels," at Park Theater at Park MGM on September 1, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Adam Lambert and Queen opened tonight’s Oscars.
In honor of the hit film Bohemian Rhapsody, the pair sang “We Are The Champions” and “We Will Rock You”, and had everyone on their feet.
Tonight, Bohemian Rhapsody is nominated for a number of awards at the Oscars, including the Oscar for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.
The living members of Queen took to the stage with Lambert singing lead vocals as the show kicked off.
Tonight won’t mark the first time that Queen and Lambert have performed together. In fact, Lambert started being the frontman for Queen in 2011. Speaking to Billboard, Lambert admitted that he was always a big fan of Freddie Mercury. The outlet quotes him as saying, “Musically, I loved his attack: He was very aggressive and seemed in control of everything he was singing. Later, seeing some live performances [on video], it was also his stage presence, the way he was so over the top. I knew he meant to be campy and wild to entertain people. I identified with that in him very quickly.”
Queen and Lambert recently finished a month-long residency in Las Vegas.
The performance was an explosive way to start off the evening. Speaking to USA Today, the show’s producer, Glenn Weiss, said, “If you’re ever heard Queen’s music, I think this will be something that will invite you in in a really great way.”
He continued, “The music is so well-known that this to us became a really great way to open the show and not be traditional like a normal awards show and depend on things like a monologue.”
Donna Gigliotti, who is producing the show alongside Weiss, seconded his sentiments, saying, “Well, you have to look at the fact that this is a movie (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) that has done in excess of $800 million worldwide business. Japan alone is $100 million. We are putting on a show for a worldwide audience. So Queen is kind of a natural for us. I mean, don’t you want to be at rehearsals when Queen are rehearsing? It’s exciting. It’s fantastic.”
Lambert actually auditioned for American Idol in 2009 with the song “Bohemian Rhapsody.” He was joined that same year by Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor for a performance of “We Are the Champions.”
Queen and Lambert’s performance is not the only musical highlight of the night. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga will perform Shallow, while Bette Midler will perform The Plae Where Lost Things Go from Mary Poppins.