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Queen fans are marking two major anniversaries this November. Not only is the band itself celebrating its 50th anniversary, but this month it's also 30 years since the death of the band's legendary frontman, Freddie Mercury.
To celebrate the former and commemorate the latter, ABC is airing the latest of its "Singalong" specials to beloved songs like "We Will Rock You," "Somebody to Love" and "We Are The Champions."
The Queen Family Singalong will air on ABC on Thursday, November 4, from 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT. Glee star Darren Criss is hosting a special that (per ABC's synopsis) is inviting: "Friends and family from around the country to gather in their living rooms, crank up the volume and rock out for an hour of killer Queen hits, performed by musical artists the whole family knows and loves."
Who is among those musical artists? Of course, no celebration of Queen would be without Adam Lambert, the American Idol runner-up who has been working with the band since 2009. Other artists performing will include Fall Out Boy, Pentatonix and OneRepublic.
Plus, of course, ABC could not resist a little cross-promotion. Current Dancing with the Stars judge Derek Hough and contestant Jojo Siwa are performing, as is Miss Piggy, who lest we forget is a character owned by Disney, which owns ABC. Also performing are the casts of two of the Mouse House's two Broadway shows, The Lion King and Aladdin.
Disney, incidentally, has distribution rights for the entire Queen catalog, perhaps explaining why ABC decided to pay tribute to the band after doing The Disney Family Singalong, The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II and The Disney Holiday Singalong. What family doesn't love singing along to some corporate synergies?
The Queen Family Singalong Lineup
So far, ABC has announced the following acts:
- Adam Lambert – "The Show Must Go On"
- Alessia Cara – "Killer Queen"
- Derek Hough featuring Alexander Jean – "Another One Bites the Dust"
- Fall Out Boy – "Under Pressure"
- Jimmie Allen featuring Miss Piggy – "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
- JoJo Siwa and Orianthi – "We Will Rock You"
- OneRepublic – "We Are the Champions"
- Pentatonix – "Somebody to Love"
- The Lion King and Aladdin casts (Milo Alosi, Tia Altinay, Lissa DeGuzman, Bonita Hamilton, Mduduzi Madela, Brandon McCall, Michael James Scott and Adrienne Walker) – "Don't Stop Me Now"
The ABC press release promises "and more," so it seems likely that the special will also have some surprise performances from people who may or may not be linked to Disney-owned shows or characters.
Earlier in November, Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor spoke to Newsweek about their five-decade career. "We find ourselves continually amazed that we still have some relevance and people seem to enjoy our music so much," says Taylor, 72. "It's a wonderful feeling. Who would have thought? Nobody expected it to last so long."
May, meanwhile, paid tribute to his former bandmate, saying: "We loved Freddie from the beginning," says May. "He was such an ebullient character and so full of confidence."
