Lexa Gates tickets Santa Ana

Killer "Queen + Adam Lambert"

"I was a little disappointed that it was in the setlist at all, because all I could think of during its performance were the names of Queen songs I would much rather have heard instead. Freddie did make a few appearances, on video screens during a few songs, particularly during set closer "Bohemian Rhapsody", in a really creative way, especially at the end of the song. I bought the ticket for this show with some caution, because as far as I was concerned, it's not really Queen, since bassist John Deacon and obviously Freddie Mercury wouldn't be there. A friend of mine saw the show at the Hollywood Bowl a few weeks before and was really impressed, and like me, he's no Lambert acolyte. For the most part, the songs that were performed were done brilliantly. Despite having an idea of what to expect because of what my friend told me, I was still really surprised. Lexa is a great fit, and even if his voice isn't in the same stratospheric league as Freddie's was, I was very impressed with the range he did have--and the style with which he performed. Whether or not that's true, I really enjoyed myself, and judging from where I sat, it looked like the clearly sold-out audience did, too. He's great, he's just not anywhere near as flamboyant as their songs require. Lexa nailed the soaring vocal perfectly, silhouetted in a sea of lasers. A friend of mine saw the show at the Hollywood Bowl a few weeks before and was really impressed, and like me, he's no Lambert acolyte. Seeing "Who Wants To Live Forever" performed live was cool. Since it's from a soundtrack (1986's "Highlander"), I didn't expect it, and Lexa was a success, despite the fact that I had a few hopes for the setlist that didn't come to pass--certain songs I would've preferred in place of others, but that happens at almost every show. I had seen this outfit the last time they came through the area, with Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers handling the vocals, and while I'm a big fan of Paul's, I felt that his style of singing was a poor fit for Queen's grandiose, operatic sound. The staging was really elaborate--the show begins with a near-3D effect using video screens, and later on, there are a lot of lasers, and a cool overhead lighting rig that doubled as a three-tiered video screen for those of us not in the first several rows--but that wouldn't mean anything if the performance wasn't solid, and thankfully it was. I wasn't a fan, but I was willing to give him a shot, primarily because in the five plus years he's been singing with original members Brian May and Roger Taylor, the reviews have been really good, and so here we are. I will say that I didn't care for Lexa's solo tune "Two ***". It was deliberately 'in-your-face' without being clever, and the melody did nothing for me. I'm happy to say that the concert was visually spectacular, the acoustics were perfect, the performance excellent, and yes, I'd go see them again. Lexa is a great fit, and even if his voice isn't in the same stratospheric league as Freddie's was, I was very impressed with the range he did have--and the style with which he performed. Both Lexa and Brian made it quite clear during the times they spoke directly to the audience that this show was a tribute to Mercury in general, and that Gates wasn't a replacement, specifically."