Brian May has revealed that he’d not only be open to a Queen Sphere residency but he is “having conversations” about the possibility.
The 78 year old guitarist was talking to Rolling Stone about touring when the subject of the hi-tech Las Vegas venue came up.
“ I’m very keen on the Sphere,” he said. “It’s got my mind working. I sat there watching the Eagles, thinking, ‘We should do this. The stuff that we could bring to this would be stupendous.’ So, yeah, I would like to do it. We’re having conversations.”
May didn’t say whether those conversations were simply between him and the other active member of Queen, Roger Taylor (and presumably their semi-permanent Freddie replacement, Adam Lambert) about the idea, or whether these were actual negotiations with the Sphere’s people.
Part of the attraction is that the guitarist is simply tired of life on the road. “ I’ve had 50 years of touring and there’s a part of me that thinks it’s enough,” he said.
“I don’t like the idea that you wake up in your hotel room and you’re trapped. I had a few experiences recently where stuff happened at home with my family and I could not go home.
"It got under my skin and I just thought, ‘I’m not sure if I want this anymore.’ I feel like I’ve given up my freedom too many times. So my feeling at the moment is I don’t want to tour as such. I still want to play shows. I still want to innovate.”
He told the magazine that he and Taylor had no plans for retiring Queen just yet. “ I don’t think we’re done. And I don’t think we’re gonna say, you know, final farewell tour or whatever. 'Cause it never is, is it?”
Queen have been working with Adam Lambert since 2011 but in all that time have yet to release any new music (aside from one hastily re-recorded version of We Are The Champions during Covid).
May dangled the possibility that their huge back catalogue could still be added to: “It's always in the mind," he said. "Not many people know, but Adam and we have been in the studio trying things. Nothing really materialized so far. Some things are meant to be and some things are not.”
