3
/10
Imagine Mick Jagger dying and the rest of the Stones hiring a youngster to “keep their legacy alive”…. would it feel OK or would you think that the Stones should stop, having done enough for rock music? Much as I liked Queen, without being a die-hard fan, I didn’t feel the need for their show to go on. However, May and Taylor had other plans and certainly they can do whatever they want.
A cynical would describe this version of Queen as the perfect cash cow, the crown jewel of marketing strategies that joins a band those last act was played in 1992 and a young American singer, struggling to get a wider fan base among a crowd of clones produced by reality shows.
One can figure Taylor and May starting to get bored after some time in semi- retirement and missing the thrill of performing live. However, Mercury was such gigantic personality that replacing him was going to be a tough call. What about someone young (Queen fanbase is the older side, they need fresh blood); American (allowing them to break immediately into that vast market) and slightly provocative (in the wake of Freddy, but updated for the younger generation, fed by reality TV). Lambert is a decent singer (nowhere near Freddy…), but more importantly, he knows how to work a young crowd and ticks all the boxes to attract the right kind of attention.
May and Taylor have the key to the American market and start a mutually profitable partnership. There’s nothing wrong with that, but this documentary felt hypocrite and apologetic. Hypocrite, because of its hyperbolic tone, praising Queen+Lambert as the best band ever (seriously? A couple of ageing rockstars performing as a cover band of their own songs and a Elvis clone, updated for generation snowflake?). Apologetic, because May and Taylor sort of kept on justifying their decision of not calling it a day.
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