In honor of the recent Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody , former American Idol star Adam Lambert will join British rock band Queen on a Rhapsody Tour through the U.S. in 2019. This will be Lambert’s fifth time touring with the iconic group.
Both Queen and Lambert announced the collaboration on social media on Monday morning. The six-week-long tour will include 23 locations in North America between July and August 2019. The Rhapsody Tour will kick off in Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 10 and run until August 23 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The collaboration will feature original band members Brian May and Roger Taylor, while Lambert will fill in as the lead for the late Mercury, who passed away in 1991 after a long and successful career with Queen. Keyboardist Spike Edney, bassist Neil Fairclough, and percussionist Tyler Warren will also perform with the group.
General ticket sales will start on December 7 via Live Nation at 10 a.m. local time. However, there will also be Queen and Adam Lambert Fan Club presales running from 10 a.m. local time through 10 p.m. local time on December 6.
“We have been designing a brand new visual spectacle that will reframe these iconic songs and we are excited to unveil it!” Lambert said in a press release, which AP News shared.
And…. WE’RE BACK!! Can’t wait to see you all on The Rhapsody Tour with @QueenWillRock ! Tickets go on sale this Friday 12/7 at 10am local time ?? Get more info here: https://t.co/xdNS3ZZSLj pic.twitter.com/oQEeXPwfZY
— ADAM LAMBERT (@adamlambert) December 3, 2018
The set will be designed by Ric Lipson of Stufish Entertainment Architects, while the lighting will be designed by Rob Sinclair. Video content will be produced by Sam Pattinson of Treatment Studio, Rolling Stone reported.
Lambert first joined Queen on stage in 2009 during an American Idol finale. Since then, he has been on several U.S. and world tours with the group. They most recently embarked on a run through North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe in late 2017-early 2018.
A few of the group’s previous tours were extended to more locations due to popular demand. As of now, the Rhapsody Tour will only run through the U.S., but many fans are already asking for legs in Europe and Asia.
Despite his experience with Queen, Lambert revealed that he is still sometimes wary of filling in for the “irreplaceable” Mercury. Before his first show with the band, he feared that fans wouldn’t accept him as a guest with the band.
“It was always my hope that audiences would understand that I’m up there just excited to sing great music that everyone knows. And also to facilitate an opportunity for Brian [May] and Roger [Taylor], to keep being onstage and playing,” Lambert told People .
The singer went on to praise Queen for all their hard work and expressed how honored he is to perform with them.
“Watching them delight in this connection with their fan base is really, really inspiring. This is what they were made to do; this is their legacy. And I’m just happy to be a part of it,” he said.