We’ve all heard how Brian May and Roger Taylor heard from their friends about Adam Lambert, this fantastic singer competing on Season 8 of American Idol. They checked him out and the rest is history.
Screen cap by Carol Hagey
Here’s a little more detailed version from a radio interview with Roger Taylor, complete with identifying the exact video that convinced them to check him out. And it’s completely gratifying to learn that it was Brian and Roger who contacted Idol, asking to come on the show specifically to work with Adam. They just didn’t know it was going to be the finale!
From Britain’s Smooth Radio:
Queen’s Roger Taylor has confirmed the exact video the band saw of Adam Lambert that convinced them the singer could pay tribute to their legendary frontman, Freddie Mercury.
The drummer confirmed it was a performance when Adam Lambert was a contestant on season eight of American Idol that spurred him to contact his bandmates saying he may have found a new lead singer for Queen.
Speaking on Good Morning America, Roger Taylor said of the 2009 incident: “A friend of mine called me up and said, ‘I’ve just seen the most amazing singer on American Idol.’
“I checked it out and [Lambert] was singing ‘Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin and just blowing it away. Fantastic.”
Roger and the rest of Queen were so impressed with the performance that they contacted American Idol directly regarding Adam Lambert.
The band asked to be on the show to perform with him, seeing it as a unique opportunity to see if the young singer would gel with the rest of Queen.
Roger continued: “We got in touch, and we were then asked to do the finale of Idol, which we flew over to do with the two finalists and we just got on magically with Adam.”
Click here to read more, including comments from Brian May.
Love ya!
~ Carol ~
Such an iconic moment!!!