Queen & Adam Lambert

Earlier this week, it was announced that Queen with Adam Lambert are doing a 19-date North American tour this summer, stopping in Edmonton on June 24th.

This isn’t the first time original Queen guitarist Brian May and original drummer Roger Taylor have teamed up with Adam Lambert. They first performed together in 2009 on American Idol, then performed at the MTV European Music Awards in 2011, then in 2012, they collaborated again for a series of shows around Europe.

Brian May said about the tour:

“This happened organically with Adam. People are going to ask whether it’s Queen without Freddie. I don’t know. We just want to go out there one more time. Adam isn’t an imitator.”

Roger Taylor added that Adam is “the most incredible frontman.” As if the world didn’t already know, Adam Lambert is a diva, and Taylor says that’s been great for them, that they need that theatrically.

To me, this trio seems to know what they’re doing. Still, people are boycotting the tour, saying that it’s “wrong” without original frontman Freddie Mercury. That it’s not Queen without him. People are bashing Adam Lambert, saying that he’s not even close to being deserving of touring with the original members. A guy on Facebook even said: “I’m not going to pay money to go watch a karaoke session.” But, is that really what this tour is going to be? People are acting as if Freddie Mercury was Queen. Yes, he was an idol. He was the face of Queen. But there were other people in the band. And the fact that those legendary rockstars are wanting to tour one more time, even with a different singer, is beyond exciting. And I think Adam Lambert has a great voice. Yeah, he’s annoying. But he can do Freddie Mercury justice. May and Taylor wouldn’t be collaborating with him if he couldn’t. Adam Lambert has said that Freddie Mercury is his idol, his hero, and that it’s been surreal to be honouring his memory. I trust the dude.

I’m not going to pass up hearing “Bohemian Rhapsody” live. I’m going to be able to tell my future rockstar kids that I saw the legendary Queen live. It wasn’t all the original members, but hell, it was closer than I thought I’d ever get. What about you guys? Are you boycotting the tour, or are you going to go rock out to “We Will Rock You” and “Fat Bottomed Girls?”

 

All Images Courtesy of Google Images.

Pizza, Led Zeppelin & Alcoholic Lava Lamps

All the components of a magical time.

Where can you find all of this, you ask? The Rock Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits.

This rock-inspired restaurant/bar is in Northwest Edmonton, on 137th ave by the Cineplex. I first went about a month ago and it was love at first sight.

As soon as you walk in, the atmosphere punches you — a good kind of punch — with the greatest classic rock imaginable. Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Loverboy, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, you name it — they’re playing it.

There are guitar chandeliers hanging on the wall and the tables are made to look like roadie cases. The booth backs are covered in song titles, there are albums and posters and rock memorabilia hanging on the walls everywhere, and even the bathrooms are covered in cool retro posters. The toilets are black and the stalls have flames on them. Not sure why I needed to include that, but I thought it was pretty damn cool.

The items on the menu are named after songs and bands, like the Stairway to Heaven pizza and the Sharp Dressed Man steak. The “rocktails” are awesome too, like the Riders on the Storm or the Purple Haze.

And speaking of alcohol, they have freakin’ buckets of it. Literally. You can choose from seven buckets of alcohol, served with a pale. With a limit of two per person, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.

Not to mention their lava lamps. They light up. No big deal. And their literal jello shooters.

And their food is delicious. Aside from their signature wood fired pizza, they serve fantastic burgers, salads, pasta, sandwiches, and tons of appetizers. Their beer-battered fries are the best I’ve ever had, same goes for their chicken. One of their salad has BBQ sauce in it. My kind of salad. And for those of you who are allergic to gluten, there’s a whole page with gluten-free entrees. Vegetarians can swap out beef or chicken patties for veggie patties, so really, everyone wins. Plus it’s affordable!

If you need more convincing, here’s their website, which supplies you with a soundtrack while you surf through it, so you can jam to Eric Clapton while freaking out about their menu. Take my word for it and go eat, drink, and rock out!

The ROCK WOOD FIRED PIZZA

 

All Images Courtesy of Google Images.