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RHAPSODY IN TWILIGHT SHOWS SONGS STILL SHINE BY GEORGE PALATHINGAL February 16, 2020 — 1.10pm

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Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size ANZ STADIUM, FEBRUARY 15 ★★★½ You could almost hear the “ker-ching” of a lucrative opportunity being taken when this, the Rhapsody Tour, was announced last April. At the time, the flawed but rousing _Bohemian Rhapsody_ biopic had won a handful of Oscars but, more relevantly, had made a ton of money at the box office over several months, the repeat business suggesting that the demand for ’70s/’80s Brit-rock giants Queen was back at

an all-time high.

Rock icons Queen, with Adam Lambert filling in for Freddie Mercury.Credit:Justin Ma But just as that movie paid tribute to their late, extraordinary frontman Freddie Mercury – and shone a little more light than was necessary on guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, the two founding members still involved with Queen – so does this show.

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Their touring singer of eight years (and pop star in his own right) Adam Lambert takes on the thankless task of filling in for the one-of-a-kind Mercury, and does about as entertaining, charismatic and, importantly, grateful a job as can be hoped. But May and Taylor stamp their authority on proceedings. More often than not, it’s very much for the good. Few living musicians can lay claim to as many genuinely iconic guitar riffs and solos as May, from _Hammer to Fall_ and _Fat Bottomed Girls_ to _Don’t Stop Me Now_ and _We Will Rock You_, all present and all

exhilarating.

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Taylor similarly gets many a chance to shine, mostly on the drum kit but also on lead vocals. He and Lambert sing _Doing All Right _together sweetly but his solo _I’m in Love With My Car_, a punchline in the movie, remains an indulgence here. Talking of indulgences, late in the show May goes off on a solo guitar tangent for an unnecessary 10 minutes that feels like 30. Also disappointingly – for people fundamentally so decent as to donate their time and talent to headline Sunday’s Firefight Australia benefit concert – there’s literally no acknowledgment of Queen’s long-retired bass player John Deacon. Even for _Another One Bites the Dust_ and _Under Pressure_, the touring musician playing Deacon’s comparably iconic bass lines (Neil Fairclough) is left in the shadows while the others lap up the limelight. Ultimately though, like the movie, if you take Mercury out of the picture, the stars are the songs,  and it does remain a joy to hear so many of them performed live, perhaps for the last time.

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GEORGE PALATHINGAL

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George Palathingal joined The Sydney Morning Herald in 2001. He writes about most fields of entertainment but has always specialised in music, most notably as a live reviewer. MOST VIEWED IN CULTURE SIR ELTON JOHN ENDS NEW ZEALAND CONCERT EARLY AFTER 'WALKING PNEUMONIA' DIAGNOSIS

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