Rock group ‘Queen’ comes to Seoul for two-day concerts

The legendary British rock band “Queen” has come to South Korea. They will hold two evening concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Seoul Gocheok Skydom. At a press conference at the Conrad Seoul Hotel on Thursday, Brian May and Rodger Taylor, the original members of the band, said that their fanbase became so much younger thanks to the success of the film, making the whole experience surreal as if traveling the times back.

“I think this time, our visit to Korea may be on another level, after the fantastic success of the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ movie,” said drummer Rodger Taylor.

“So it's not like we're a dead animal. It's still very much alive and we're still evolving with Adam Lambert,” said guitarist Brian May.

The vacuum left by Freddy Mercury (1946∼1991), the lead late singer of the band, will be filled in by Adam Lambert, a 38-year-old American talent contest winner. The composition was the same when the band made their visit to Korea in 2014. “From the beginning, it was an enormous pressure to play on the same stage with the heroes of my childhood and the greatest rock band in history, but now I am trying to enjoy every moment with my music, instead of trying to mimic someone else,” said Lambert, who has been playing with “Queen” since 2014.

The rock band, which was first created in 1970 in London, will sing their monumental songs such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Love of My Life,” and “We are the Champions.” Since John Deacon, the original bass guitarist of Queen, announced his retirement in 1997, bass and keyboards will be taken by other non-regular members.

Lambert said that two albums “A Night at the Opera,” which has “Bohemian Rhapsody” in it, and “The Works,” which has “Radio Ga Ga” in it, had the most significant influence on the design of their Seoul concert.


imi@donga.com