Appropriate 1st After 50 Concert: QUEEN w/ Adam Lambert

 

One of my favorite things about living in Southern California is the fact that you can still book tickets for an outdoor event in November and feel confident that inclement weather will have no impact. 

And while the temperature dipped this past Saturday night at BMO Stadium, I’ll take the cheeseball approach to say that the heart and spirit were warmed. My girls and I rolled up to take in QUEEN w/ Adam Lambert at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. In the past few years, we’ve been blessed to attend a number of concerts featuring artists who make up the soundtrack of my life - Paul McCartney, Ringo, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Tim McGraw, P!nk and myriad iterations of Greg Dulli projects. At some point, I’ll get back into a calendar and connect the timeline, but alas, I can only go back so far with an important box of old ticket stubs gone missing. But, as Metallica taught us - “the Memory Remains.”

I talk often of the common space of concerts and live events as rare occurrences in our society. All the energy and love is flowing in the same directions and space. From the moment we entered the queue before doors opened, you felt that solidarity. It truly set up as an ALL-AGES show. There were tour shirts going back decades, myriad patches and embroidery projects on jean jackets and flannels, crowns and sequins … and leather. Man, there was an overload of leather and chains as far as the eyes could see. 

The crowd was slow-arriving - Welcome to LA - so I spent the time in our seats watching the NWSL Final with my daughter and staring at the logo emblazoned on the video board. And then we heard the first chords. The show kicked off with a loud roar and “Back to Humans” and “Radio Ga Ga.” The video and audio production quality stood out in a matter of seconds. 

I purposefully did not look at the setlist in advance of the show. I just wanted to roll with the emotion and celebrate what Roger Taylor and Adam Lambert curated with Adam Lambert for the night. I’d seen images of the glammed-up motorcycle for “Bicycle Race” and Lambert’s superhero outfits. And I knew we’d see a few nods to Freddie Mercury (the Call and Response, ending with his “FU” sent the crowd into a frenzy). 

“Hammer To Fall,” a favorite in our house and part of my pre-show vocal regimen for my work at FOX Sports Radio, appeared early in the set. Chills with that opening chord. “I’m In Love With My Car” had the diehards singing along

It was a rapid-fire setlist of hit after hit. I know I’ll always get emotional when I hear “Love of My Life,” and I was proud of myself for keeping it together with a full-throated singalong and smile. 

My younger daughter was giddy with the presence of “39” in the set. Here’s Brian May from earlier this year in Baltimore. 

My older daughter screamed loudly with “I Want It All.”

I got a huge gift with “Who Wants To Live Forever” from the movie HIGHLANDER. I’d run into Clancy Brown a couple weeks earlier at the Bears-Chargers game and they just announced Henry Cavill’s inclusion in a remake of the classic, so we’d talked about the movie a bunch the last couple weeks. Again, you get the wave of emotions and Lambert delivered so beautifully. 

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You can find the rest of the setlist online. It delivered all of the hits and kept the crowd alive and loud. I loved watching the reactions as each song started — you could read fans’ faces about which of the classics impacted them most. 

Lambert was absolutely fantastic, and his love and respect for the fans and his band mates came through all night long. He spoke of it being 10 years since he joined the band on the road. Man, how time flies. 

It was a complete celebration of 50 years of QUEEN, with the debut album having dropped in July of 1973. 

I can only hope to say I’ve aged as well. 

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Thanks to Roger Taylor, Brian May and Adam Lambert for a magical night, filled with emotion and smiles. And memories the kids and I will keep forever. 

We hope to meet again down the road. 

New Work: Reboot

My first real exposure to soccer occurred when I worked at Yahoo! and helped to create and manage the official FIFA World Cup website for the Korea Japan tournament. I don’t imagine my Chicago childhood experience would run quite the same in 2023, but other than friends that played on our school team at St. Ignatius College Prep, my friends and I ran the cycle —- Baseball, Football and Basketball. 

So, I’ll save the lengthy tales of the site build and interactions for sometime down the line. Suffice it to say that I gained an appreciation for the game and began to casually follow. Fast forward to this media career and raising a daughter who loves the game. 

Good, short introduction, right? 

Sunday night I got to experience a home game for Angel City FC against the rival San Diego Wave with my girls. We got to BMO Stadium about an hour before kickoff and got to our seats to watch warmups. The game marked the introduction of USWNT star Julie Ertz to Angel City, and she received a hero’s welcome during pre-game (and many subsequent in-game touches). I gotta say — we were mesmerized by the pre-game work put in by the goalies as they constantly peppered with balls. It seemed the equivalent of a full practice. 

Drums and chants and songs made for an electric atmosphere in the sold out 22,000-seat stadium. Groans with each foul call. Cheers on each rush. And existential crises following the two goal allowed.  

Anyway, it was a tough 2-0 loss to Alex Morgan and the Wave. The offensive attacks and numerous corner kicks failed to dent the scoreboard. 

But, despite the loss, there were loud roars for the squad as they exited the field, and the music and chants continued. Civility and positivity ruled the day. Can’t say I heard an unkind word uttered during the day. Cheers and chants, no smack-talk. It was jarring given the stuff Smith & I talk about so frequently on FOX Sports Radio. 

A great night with the kids and conversations and laughs — in-stadium music plus our usual playlists makes for a cool thread. We met a gentleman standing in line for popcorn (that ain’t no joke!) who’d brought his kids and grandkids to the game. He’d yet to see a moment of action as he’d been put on food duty. But he was loving every minute of it, as were the groups of kids cheering for their favorites or holding up signs. 

Reset and restored … though the direct sunlight came hard for my face after Saturday’s sunburnt beginnings. Follow me on TikTok @harmonrants to check the out and the future content madness. 

Find your wins —- create some - shake it up.