Brian May, the lead guitarist for the legendary British rock band Queen, seems to be ruling out a return to the U.S. concert stage for the foreseeable future.
In an interview with the U.K.’s Daily Mail, May said he and his band mates may avoid performing at U.S. venues if they decide to mount an upcoming tour.
“America is a dangerous place at the moment, so you have to take that into account,” he told the outlet. “It’s very sad because I feel like Queen grew up in America and we love it, but it’s not what it was.”
“Everyone is thinking twice about going there at the moment,” he added.
Since 2012, Queen has been touring regularly with singer and “American Idol” alum Adam Lambert as their lead vocalist. Original frontman Freddie Mercury died in 1991 of complications from AIDS at age 45.
Queen last performed in the U.S. in 2023 as part of their Rhapsody Tour. As for May, he made a surprise appearance during Benson Boone’s set at Coachella last year.
Queen’s lead guitarist Brian May, right, performs with Adam Lambert in 2023.
Corine Solberg via Getty Images
In a 2024 interview with Rolling Stone to mark the 50th anniversary of his band’s classic song “Bohemian Rhapsody,” May hinted at wanting to take some time off the road, but added that a Las Vegas residency was in consideration.
“I still want to play shows. I still want to innovate,” he said at the time. “I’m very keen on the Sphere. It’s got my mind working. I sat there watching the Eagles, thinking, ‘We should do this. The stuff that we could bring to this would be stupendous.’ So, yeah, I would like to do it. We’re having conversations.”
Though May made no explicit mention of the U.S. political climate, Queen previously pushed back against President Donald Trump’s unauthorized use of their 1977 smash, “We Will Rock You,” at rallies.
In his Daily Mail chat, he acknowledged he wasn’t sure when Queen would be back on stage, but also emphasized that he and his bandmates weren’t considering retiring altogether at the moment.
“Never say never about not coming back,” he said.