Go, see your heroes
Queen is the band of my life. My earliest music memories are all Queen. It was a devastating shock for 7-year-old me when I heard about Freddie's passing.
As I got older, I tried to buy all of their albums on CD with the little money I had. But it was clear to me that Queen, as a band, didn't exist anymore.
Then they joined forces with Paul Rodgers when I was about 20, and I completely ignored it. To me, it shouldn't exist. I never watched a video or listened to a single live or studio track. When they started touring with Adam Lambert, I felt the exact same way. It didn't exist. How could they dare?
Fast forward to my 30th birthday: some friends got me tickets for the Queen + Adam Lambert show in Vienna, and of course, I went.
As soon as they stepped on stage, I got it. Seeing two of my absolute childhood heroes right in front of me was mind-blowing. I'm so thankful I got to experience something my own stubbornness would have otherwise kept me from. In that moment, it didn't even matter who was singing — though Adam Lambert did a good job I guess — it was all about the music of Queen.
And that's why Brian and Roger were right all along. People deserve to experience Queen's music live, especially those who never had the chance to see them with Freddie. Even more importantly, Brian and Roger still burn for playing their music live. Who was I to judge that?
So before it's too late: go see your heroes.