Guitarist Brian May announced that Queen will no longer tour with classic live schedules, ending more than fifty years of continuous road performances following health concerns and a desire to reclaim personal freedom, Novinky reported.
The Decision to Step Away From the Road
Brian May, 79, revealed that he decided to stop touring eighteen months prior to his recent interviews, citing exhaustion from hotel life and the physical toll of life on the road. Headliner CZ noted that May first signaled a permanent break in an interview with The Times, explaining that a family death during a United States tour pushed him to reconsider his priorities. When May asked his tour manager if he could briefly return home before resuming shows, she told him he could not operate that way. May told Novinky that while he still loves playing music and traveling, the compromise demands sacrificing his personal freedom. He also pointed to his wife, grandchildren, and his ongoing work in astrophysics as reasons to step back. The guitarist suffered a mild stroke later in 2024 that temporarily paralyzed his left hand, though he has since fully recovered.
Evaluating the End of The Rhapsody Tour
Queen concluded its most recent touring cycle with singer Adam Lambert on February 14, 2024, playing their final show at the Tokyo Dome during The Rhapsody Tour, according to Headliner CZ. May and drummer Roger Taylor began performing with Lambert in 2011, following a previous touring collaboration with singer Paul Rodgers that started in 2005. The musician noted that being confined to hotel rooms and missing family emergencies back home made him unwilling to continue standard touring itineraries.
Brian May considers hologram shows despite AI concerns
While traditional world tours are over, May does not rule out alternative ways to present Queen’s music to audiences. Novinky reported that the guitarist wants to pursue a revolutionary format similar to the ABBA Voyage hologram show in London. Headliner CZ added that May visited the Sphere venue in Las Vegas last year, an experience that sparked his interest in immersive technology and led him to sketch out a conceptual show for Queen. However, May voiced strong reservations about the artificial intelligence required to run such immersive environments, pointing to the massive environmental toll of data centers as a major hurdle. Despite these technical and ethical concerns, May maintains that a non-traveling stage production that transcends time and space remains a possibility for the band’s future.
Queen and Adam Lambert finish tour before Brian May stroke
When did Queen play their final concert with Adam Lambert?
Queen and Adam Lambert finished The Rhapsody Tour on February 14, 2024, with a performance in Tokyo, Japan, as reported by Headliner CZ.
Who did Brian May tour with after Freddie Mercury’s passing?
Novinky noted that May and drummer Roger Taylor toured with singer Paul Rodgers starting in 2005 and later partnered with Adam Lambert beginning in 2011.
What health scare did Brian May experience after the tour ended?
Brian May suffered a mild stroke later in 2024 that caused temporary paralysis in his left hand, from which he has since fully recovered, according to Novinky.
Related reading