We’re kicking off with a stunning Adam Lambert performance of his most successful solo single, Whataya Want from Me, at YouTube Space Studio, NYC, from 2019. Several factors contribute to making the video special. At the beginning of Adam Lambert’s solo career – following the fallout from intense public scrutiny of his sexuality resulting from his 2009 American Idol run (he was runner-up) – Lambert gained a reputation for “controversy baiting” and being “too much” by “dialing up the camp.”
Lambert’s television appearances for his debut album (For Your Entertainment, 2009) and the singles from the album, including Whataya Want from Me, which peaked at #10 on the US Billboard chart, were heavily criticized. By 2019, however, Adam Lambert was the admired singer (and, with Brian May, co-front man) for Queen & Adam Lambert. The skills and stage presence gained from around-the-world stadium tours with Queen are immediately evident in the Space Studio performance. Then there is the superb band. Let’s look.
How about that (all-female) band?! On top of the experience gained from touring with a mega-star act as professional as Queen, Lambert’s Space Studio performance benefited from Adam Lambert’s pent-up need to pay attention to his solo career after several years working with Queen. Lambert first performed with Queen when Brian May and Roger Taylor were featured guests on the finale show of American Idol 2009. Finalists Kris Allen and Adam Lambert sang We Are the Champions backed by May and Taylor.
In November 2011, Adam Lambert started playing occasional gigs with Queen, including a short tour in 2012. In 2014, Queen and Adam Lambert got serious about touring. In 2019, the group set off on their third tour – the Rhapsody Tour of North America, Asia, Oceania, and Europe. This COVID-19-interrupted tour wound up in Tokyo on 14 February 2024. Not one to rest on his laurels, by September 2024, Lambert was acting as EmCee in Cabaret on Broadway. This tasty snippet is the opening of Lambert’s first night in Cabaret:
What will Adam Lambert get up to after his six-month Broadway stint in Cabaret? Will he stick with stage musicals? Before he appeared on American Idol, Lambert appeared in stage musicals, notably The Ten Commandments: The Musical (with Val Kilmer) and the first National Tour and Los Angeles run of Wicked. Will Adam Lambert release a new solo album?
There is no news of upcoming Queen and Adam Lambert shows. As Music Man readers know, Brian May suffered a slight stroke in 2024. May regained use of his left hand and can play guitar, but we’ll have to wait for news of Queen performances. On a positive note, Queen has been named one of the three winners of the prestigious Polar Music Award 2025. The other winners are jazz and fusion maestro Herbie Hancock and the accomplished classical singer Barbara Hannigan. Queen responded, “We are highly and deeply honoured to be given the Polar Music Prize this year. It’s incredible, thank you so much.” The Music Man congratulates Queen, Herbie Hancock, and Barbara Hannigan!