If you have been holding out hope for another massive Queen + Adam Lambert world tour, you may find this disappointing news. Guitarist Brian May of Queen has decided he no longer wishes to tour. “I made a decision 18 months ago that I didn’t want to tour again,” May told The Times in a new interview.

After roughly 50 years of life on the road, the 79-year-old guitarist says the sacrifices that come with touring finally became too much. That does not necessarily mean Queen is finished playing live. In fact, May sounds very interested in finding a completely different way to do it.

Why Brian May of Queen Is Done Touring

For May, the decision appears to be less about music and more about everything surrounding it. He recalled being on tour in the United States when a close family friend died. May assumed he could simply fly home for a few days and then rejoin the tour. May recalled the moment, saying, “I’ll just nip home for a few days and come back.’ She looked me in the eyes and said, ‘You know you can’t do that.’” That moment stuck with him.

“I love to play, I love to travel, but the trade-off is sacrificing your freedom,” May said. He added that he has a wife, grandchildren, and plenty of astrophysics work competing for his attention. His conclusion? “I’m thinking maybe 50 years is enough.”

May had already been hinting that he was reaching this point. In a 2025 Rolling Stone interview, he described the strange feeling of waking up in a hotel room and realizing that, despite being one of the most successful musicians in the world, he couldn’t simply leave when something important happened at home.

“I feel like I’ve given up my freedom too many times,” May said. Even then, however, he made an important distinction: “I still want to play shows. I still want to innovate.”

Queen’s Last Tour Was Most Likely Their Last

Queen + Adam Lambert’s most recent run was the Rhapsody Tour, which ultimately wrapped at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on February 14, 2024. If May sticks to his decision, that could be the final traditional Queen tour.

Lambert has performed with May and Roger Taylor since 2011, helping Queen return to arenas and stadiums without attempting to imitate Freddie Mercury. Instead, the combination developed into its own version of Queen’s live show and eventually became one of rock’s biggest touring attractions.

But hauling that production from city to city is exactly the kind of commitment May no longer wants.

Could Queen End Up at the Sphere?

Here is where things get interesting. May is still fascinated by the idea of creating an immersive Queen experience, and Las Vegas’ Sphere has clearly captured his imagination. After seeing the Eagles perform there, May said he immediately began thinking about what Queen could do with the venue’s enormous screens and technology. He later revealed that he had actually sketched out ideas for an entire Queen show.

“We do want to do something fairly revolutionary,” May said in his latest interview. He compared the concept loosely to ABBA’s highly successful ABBA Voyage production, although he stressed that Queen would not simply copy that approach.

May also has reservations about how heavily an immersive production might depend on artificial intelligence. He has expressed concerns about AI as well as the enormous amount of energy required by data centers. So Queen may be done getting on buses and airplanes for months at a time. That doesn’t mean Brian May is ready to put his Red Special back in its case for good.

Keep Yourself Alive

After half a century of Queen constantly asking how a rock show could be bigger, louder, and more theatrical, it would actually be pretty fitting if their next chapter wasn’t a tour at all, but rather proof that their spirit is still alive and well. Queen has always been a band built on revolution and evolution. Why should this next chapter be any different?

SIDE NOTE: Queen Budapest: If you’re a Queen fan (and I’m assuming you are), watch this trailer. It’s a must-see.