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When Adam Lambert and Roger Taylor sang 'Under Pressure' and Roger’s son stepped up to play drums
21 January 2021, 12:00 | Updated: 26 January 2021, 17:21
Roger Taylor, Adam Lambert and Brian May were performing at London's Hammersmith Apollo in 2012 when the newly appointed Queen frontman brought the drummer on stage for a stunning duet.
It was 2012 and Adam Lambert was finding his feet as the new frontman of Queen.
The American Idol alum had played just a handful of gigs leading the iconic band when he found himself headlining three sold-out shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.
See more: The top 20 Queen songs of all time
Taking to the stage on July 14 and in a nod of respect to the Queen drummer, Adam Lambert invited Roger Taylor to join him on stage for a special performance of 'Under Pressure'.
As the pair sat on the stage steps, Adam Lambert announced to the crowd that Roger Taylor's then 21-year-old son Rufus – now the drummer for The Darkness – would be joining them, making the moment a true family affair.
See more: Queen and Adam Lambert harmonising in unseen backstage video is incredible
Adam Lambert had joined Queen for the first time in 2011 after the band saw him perform 'Whole Lotta Love' by Led Zeppelin live on American Idol back in 2009.
The supergroup played a special performance in November 2011 at the MTV Europe Awards in Belfast before talks began in December for Adam to officially join Queen as their new frontman.
See more: Spine-tingling moment Brian May plays a staggering guitar solo to an empty stadium
After their first date in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2012 Queen + Adam Lambert embarked on a mini tour of Europe with dates in Moscow and Wrocław, Poland before finishing with three nights at the Apollo in London.
The rest, as they say, is music history.
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Queen and Adam Lambert have since toured the world numerous times including dates in South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and extensive North American concerts.
Their last appearance before the COVID-19 pandemic was at the Fire Fight Australia concert in Sydney in February 2019, in aid of raising money and awareness for the Australian bushfire season.
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The trio played the same set list Queen played at Live Aid in 1985 – the most famous performance in Queen's history, immortalised on screen in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody.
Adam Lambert / Queen Under Pressure Hammersmith Apollo London 14-7-12 (3rd night) Full HD
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Brian May later took to social media to say "I don’t think I’ve felt quite like that since Live Aid."
See more: Queen and Adam Lambert release lockdown version of 'We Are The Champions'
Since the pandemic hit in March 2020, Brian May, Roger Taylor and Adam Lambert performed a series of lockdown gigs from the comfort of their homes and in October, Queen released a new album Live Around The World which shot to number one, giving them their first top spot album in 25 years.
Tracks on the album include recordings from UK’s Isle of Wight Festival, Japan's Summer Sonic and the entirety of their 22-minute Fire Fight Australia benefit show.
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Queen also released a new video for 'Don't Stop Me Now' made entirely of photos and videos sent in by fans.
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Taking to his official Instagram page to tease a clip of the music video, Brian May spoke of the emotion he felt while watching the new video in light of the pandemic.
See more: QUIZ: How well do you know Queen's song lyrics?
"Have to admit – this brings a bit of a lump to my throat," wrote the Queen guitarist.
"Fingers all crossed that in 2021 we will meet again. Stay safe, folks."
Adam Lambert's Bohemian Rhapsody American Idol audition
