“This song is dedicated to those who lost their lives last night in Orlando, Florida, and anyone who has been a victim of senseless violence or hatred,” Lambert says on Isle of Wight stage.
Queen and Adam Lambert honored the memory of the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando at the UK’s Isle of Wight Festival on Sunday, closing their headlining set with a moving and emotional performance of the 1986 song “Who Wants to Live Forever.”
Standing alone at a microphone on a darkened stage surrounded by dramatic blue and purple laser lights, Lambert was somber as he spoke of the fallen. “This song is dedicated to those who lost their lives last night in Orlando, Florida, and anyone who has been a victim of senseless violence or hatred,” he said.
On Monday (June 13), Lambert took to Twitter to denounce the act, calling the murder of 50 people and wounding of 53 a hate crime. The American Idol season 8 runner-up is also urging his followers to donate to a GoFundMe page set up to assist the victims and their families.
“The horrible tragedy in Orlando is BOTH a terrorism AND gun control issue. It is also a horrendous hate crime. It sickens me to see commentary in my own feed of people over how to classify or politicize it,” Lambert wrote. “This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. This is not just an LGBTQ issue. This is a HUMAN issue. 50 lives were lost. Let’s make sure we pay our proper respects first and foremost. Please do what you can to help the families of the victims. We need to mourn and to process.”
– Billboard
