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Brian May says he decided 18 months ago that he did not want to tour again with Queen, after a family friend died while the band was touring in the United States. He and Roger Taylor are still interested in a possible immersive Queen production, but May said concerns about artificial intelligence complicate the idea.
Queen guitarist Brian May says he does not want to tour again, describing a decision he made about 18 months ago after a close family friend died while the band was touring in the United States. The 79-year-old musician told The Times that the demands of touring made it impossible to leave for a few days and return, a change that would reshape Queen’s live future while leaving open the possibility of a different kind of production.
May said the death occurred during a US tour. He recalled asking his tour manager whether he could go home briefly and then rejoin the tour, only to be told he could not. He said the experience led him to decide he did not want to tour again. The account and his comments were reported by Consequence, citing an interview with The Times.
May said he still loves performing and traveling, but weighed those interests against the loss of freedom that comes with life on the road. He also pointed to his wife, grandchildren and his interest in astrophysics as reasons to spend less time touring. “I’m thinking maybe 50 years is enough,” he said.
His remarks are firmer than comments earlier in 2026, when he ruled out Queen shows in the US but had not closed the door on performances elsewhere. Queen + Adam Lambert last performed together at the end of the “Rhapsody Tour,” with a February 2024 show in Tokyo. May’s latest comments indicate he does not plan to resume conventional touring; they do not establish that no future Queen performances of any kind will take place.
The Road Ahead for Queen
May’s position puts the focus on how Queen might remain a live act without committing its members to extended tours. For fans, the distinction matters: his comments signal a decision against life on the road, while his separate remarks leave room for a more stationary production.
Queen’s touring schedule has already been inactive since the final Queen + Adam Lambert show in 2024. May’s explanation offers a personal reason for that pause and suggests that any future live project would need to fit around his priorities, rather than replicate the demands of a long tour.
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From Rhapsody to a New Format
Queen + Adam Lambert’s “Rhapsody Tour” concluded in Tokyo in February 2024. Earlier this year, May ruled out US shows but left open the possibility of playing in other places. His new comments go further by saying he made a broader decision against touring about a year and a half ago.
May also described a possible immersive Queen experience, inspired in part by his visit to Sphere in Las Vegas. He said he had sketched out a production concept and that he and drummer Roger Taylor remained interested in creating something “fairly revolutionary.” He compared the idea in broad terms to ABBA’s digital-avatar show, while saying Queen’s approach would differ.
““I made a decision 18 months ago that I didn’t want to tour again.””
— Brian May, in an interview with The Times, as reported by Consequence
The Immersive Show Has Hurdles
May’s comments do not confirm that Queen has formally ended every kind of live performance. He described his own decision not to tour and separately said an immersive production was still under consideration. No venue, schedule, production plan or launch date was given in the source report.
It is also unclear how the proposed experience would use artificial intelligence, or whether the project could be made in a way that addresses May’s concerns. His description remains an idea under discussion, not an announced Queen production.
A Possible Queen Experience
The next development would be a concrete announcement from May, Taylor or Queen about whether the immersive concept will move forward. Until the band shares details about its format, technology, venue or timing, the project remains a possibility rather than a confirmed replacement for touring.
For now, May’s comments make his personal position clear: he does not want to return to extended tours. Whether Queen will perform again in another format, and what role May would have in such a production, has not been confirmed.
Key Questions
Did Brian May say Queen will never perform live again?
No. May said he decided he did not want to tour again. He also discussed a possible immersive Queen experience, but no production has been confirmed.
Why does May not want to tour?
He said a close family friend died while Queen was touring in the United States, and he was told he could not leave the tour briefly and return. May said the trade-off involved sacrificing freedom and cited time with his family and his interest in astrophysics.
When did Queen + Adam Lambert last perform together?
Their last show was in Tokyo in February 2024, at the end of the “Rhapsody Tour.”
Is Queen planning an immersive show?
May said he and Roger Taylor remain interested and that he had sketched out a concept after visiting Sphere in Las Vegas. He did not announce a venue, date or finished plan.
What is holding up the immersive idea?
May said he has serious misgivings about artificial intelligence and believes the concept currently cannot be made without it. The details of the technology and how it might be used remain unclear.
Source: rss
