Queen + Adam Lambert will reign over a North American summer tour starting at the United Center in Chicago on Thursday, June 19th. Brian May, Roger Taylor + Adam Lambert will come together for the first time in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Dallas and more. The 19-date tour wraps Sunday, July 20th in Washington, DC at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, their only outdoor summer concert. The tour is presented by Live Nation.

The group recently spoke with The Toronto Sun about the venture. Following is an excerpt from the article:

Fans can expect a 90-minute to two hour extravaganza of hits and Taylor says the tour production will be “spectacular but we don’t have the set list mapped out yet but I’m hoping it’ll be a moveable feast.”

“It’ll probably be a long show and very loud,” added May.

For his part Lambert – who is also working on his third solo album in Sweden – grew up idolizing original Queen singer Freddie Mercury, who had a flamboyant stage presence and four octave range before tragically dying from complications from AIDS in 1991 at the age of 45.

Needless to say, Lambert feels like has big shoes to fill and considers it an honour to try.

“It’s surreal,” he said. “Having auditioned with 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on American Idol, and this weird full circle gorgeous dream come true. When we did our first (tour) run, like giving a full set, it was definitely was intimidating. The idea that I would be in front of Queen die-hard fans and I was taking on a large chunk of the catalogue and it was a short time to put it together. And we did it and I think it turned out really, really beautifully and then when the Vegas thing happened I feel like it really grounded itself a little bit more.”

Before Lambert, Queen has previously toured with fellow Brit Paul Rodgers, 64, of Bad Company and Free on and off between 2005-2009.

“Paul has one of the greatest rock voices but it’s more blues and soul orientated I would have thought,” said Taylor.

“I would say, with all due respect to Paul, that Adam is more suited to a lot of our material and whereas we had great tours with Paul, I think Adam is more naturally at home with us.”

Added May: “Yeah, I think the styles match more closely in a sense but we had a great time with Paul no doubt about it and it kind of stretched it to a new place and I think a thoroughly good experience. But Adam is really, like us, he has many, many colours, so we can explore some of those strange excursions that Queen likes to.”

Go to this location for the complete story.

Queen + Adam Lambert received glowing reviews for their performance together at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas last September, triggering a conversation between Adam, Roger and Brian to take the show on the road.

The threesome first shared the stage during American Idol in May 2009 for a performance of 'We Are The Champions'. They teamed up again in 2011 at the MTV European Music Awards in Belfast, Ireland for an electrifying eight-minute finale of 'The Show Must Go On', 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are The Champions' and in the summer of 2012, Lambert performed a series of shows with Queen across Europe as well as dates in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. They also performed three sold-out gigs at London’s Hammersmith Apollo.

"Let's ROCK those beautiful arenas JUST ONE MORE TIME!” said Brian May. “I'm completely in awe of the Queen phenomenon,” added Lambert. “The thought of sharing the stage for a full set in North America is so beautifully surreal. I'm honored to be able to pay my respects to Freddie's memory; he's a personal hero of mine, and I am deeply grateful for the chance to sing such powerful music for fans of this legendary band. I know this tour will be a huge milestone for me, and with the support of Brian, Roger and the rest of the band, I feel like magic will be on display.”

Tour dates:

June

19 - Chicago, IL - United Center
21 - Winnipeg, MN - MTS Centre
23 - Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Centre
24 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
26 - Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome
28 - Vancouver, BC - Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena

July

1 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center
3 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
5 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
6 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
9 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
10 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
12 - Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
13 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
14 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
16 - Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
17 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
19 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
20 - Washington, DC - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Check out the complete tour press conference video, streaming below:

Queen + Adam Lambert talk to Artisan News Services about hitting the road in North America: