A spectacular stage that combines talent and technique with passion by @yujifav3
Queen + Adam Lambert's performance in Japan starts on February 4, 2024. The official report for the first day of this Japan tour, which will hold all 5 performances at the Dome, has arrived. This is a contribution by music critic Yuji Muraoka .
In addition, the set list for this first day performance has been released as a playlist ( Apple Music / Spotify / YouTube )
Rock aesthetics by Living Legends
Queen + Adam Lambert's new tour titled The Rhapsody Tour begins on February 4th at Vantelin Dome Nagoya. The performance on the first day in Nagoya was two and a half hours (2 hours and 13 minutes to be exact), fully expressing the living legend's magnificent rock aesthetic.
The familiar "Radio Ga Ga", which was played in a medley-style link from "Machines (Or 'Back to Humans')" at the beginning and the end of the show, and "Don'", which became a hot topic when performed at the Kohaku Uta Gassen. They performed over 30 famous songs and hit songs like a machine gun, starting with ``T Stop Me Now.'' It was so much fun that if this was a dream, I wouldn't want to wake up from it, and it was a moving stage that sometimes brought tears to my eyes. .
First performance in Japan in 4 years
Vantelin Dome Nagoya is a name that is not yet familiar outside of Nagoya, but due to naming rights, the name was changed to the originally popular Nagoya Dome under a five-year contract starting in 2021. At the time of Queen's last Nagoya performance (January 30, 2020), it was still called Nagoya Dome. This will be their first stage performance in Nagoya in four years, and this time coincides with the coronavirus pandemic that shook the world. Last time, there was a sense of tension in the audience, as if it was a sign of a storm coming, but this time there was a sense of relief, as if the triumphant return of our heroes had finally been realized after overcoming the coronavirus. There was a feeling. For this reason, the audience was deeply empathetic as they watched Queen + Adam perform and sing passionately for the first time in four years. It would be a problem if the tome were shaken by an earthquake, but it felt like the inside of the tome was shaking from the excitement of the people.
Queen's music is characterized by its core focus on hard rock, but also the greedy use of various musical expressions such as funk, R&B, rockabilly, and opera, and variations on this are the birth of the rock musical ``We Will Rock You.'' As with the last time, this tour also used a huge space called a dome to create a different dimension, creating a kind of grand rock opera or rock musical show.
Maria, the robot who appeared in the legendary science fiction film "Metropolis" (1927), whose footage was also used in the music video for "Radio Ga Ga", is at the core of the visual, and from the album "News Of The World" Images of characters familiar from movies such as the robot illustrated on the jacket of ``Dedicated to the World'' (1977), C-3PO from the ``Star Wars'' series, and the Terminator from ``The Terminator'' are also synchronized, and the multi-screen With the full use of leather lighting, it truly became a huge pageant.
It is an expression that is also linked to artistic entertainment such as ``Cirque du Soleil.'' Brian May, standing on a giant planet floating in space and playing a guitar solo, looked divine, like a god of music. The luck and passion of having genius musicians Brian and Roger Taylor as members is the basis of Queen's career, which has overcome tragedy and built a long history despite the loss of an unparalleled artist named Freddie Mercury. I think it is.
The legendary band's ongoing live performance
As expected, in the dome that has become a space in another dimension, Brian mesmerizes with his dynamic yet gently whispering guitar, and Roger and Freddie play a rhythm that seems to have dominated time on Earth.・Vocalist Adam Lambert, who inherited the spirit of Mercury while further evolving Queen's music, performed and sang at a high level for two and a half hours. This is because he has the genius talent of a transcendent musician who has overcome the image of aging that haunts career legends like Brian and Roger, but in order to achieve this, he has to maintain stoic physical strength and conduct careful rehearsals in his private life. It seemed like it was.
In addition, the big takeaway from this tour was that Adam Lambert had achieved further growth as a vocalist. He was amazing four years ago, but he's clearly progressed now. It adds a sense of weight to his overall vocal expression, and on the other hand, his head-piercing high-pitched parts are also wonderful.
Brian introduced "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" in English and Japanese while performing in Japan, and he appeared on screen as he performed to the chorus of the audience at the venue. The highlight of this album is once again the masterpiece performances and famous scenes that make you realize the history of Queen, including ``Love of My Life'', a collaboration with Freddie Mercury. I'll avoid spoilers for the upcoming performances, but the ongoing live performances of the legendary band most loved by Japanese people will forever be moving.
Following the opening night in Nagoya, Queen + Adam Lambert will then take on Kyocera Dome Osaka on February 7th, Sapporo Dome on February 10th, Tokyo Dome and Japan's Megadome on February 13th and 14th. GLAY will be a special guest at the Sapporo performance, which will be the first in 42 years. Even though I was able to experience Living Legend's spectacular performance in Nagoya earlier than anywhere else and am still basking in the afterglow, I still feel envious of the audiences in Osaka, Sapporo, and Tokyo.
