Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Queen guitarist Brian May has announced to The Times in the United Kingdom that he has concluded his touring activities, as per Blabbermouth.
I made a decision 18 months ago that I didn’t want to tour again. A close family friend died when we were in the States, so I said to my tour manager, ‘I’ll just nip home for a few days and come back.’ She looked me in the eyes and said, ‘You know you can’t do that.’ I love to play, I love to travel, but the trade-off is sacrificing your freedom, I have a wife, grandchildren and a lot of astrophysics I want to do, so I’m thinking maybe 50 years is enough.
The 79-year-old musician did not exclude the possibility of maintaining Queen’s legacy through alternative approaches.
We do want to do something fairly revolutionary. Not as ABBA did [with digital avatars], but along those lines. … Last year I went to the Sphere [in Las Vegas], my juices started flowing and I sketched out a whole Queen show. I think an immersive experience is still on the cards and it could conquer time and space, but currently you can’t make it without A.I. [artificial intelligence] and I have serious misgivings about that. … Data centers are a massive evil and have to be fought.
Queen is a British rock ensemble established in London in 1970 by Freddie Mercury, who served as lead vocalist and pianist, along with Brian May on guitar and vocals, and Roger Taylor on drums and vocals. Subsequently, John Deacon joined the group as the bassist.
Their initial musical influences encompassed progressive rock, hard rock, and heavy metal, although the band progressively transitioned towards more mainstream and radio-accessible genres by integrating elements of arena rock and pop rock. Prior to the formation of Queen, May and Taylor had performed together in the band Smile.
Mercury, an admirer of Smile, motivated the band to explore more sophisticated stage and recording techniques. He became a member in 1970 and proposed the name “Queen” for the group. Deacon was recruited in February 1971, prior to the release of their debut self-titled album in 1973.
