Brian May has said Queen will not tour again, telling The Times: “I’m thinking maybe 50 years is enough.” Queen + Adam Lambert last played live when their Rhapsody world tour finished at the Tokyo Dome on 14 February 2024. The decision closes one chapter for one of rock’s biggest live acts and raises the question of how the band will keep its music in front of audiences.
May said he made up his mind about 18 months before the interview. A close family friend died while the band were in the United States, and when he asked to fly home for a few days and return, the tour manager told him it was not possible. He said the touring lifestyle costs him his freedom, and that he now wants time with his wife, the actress Anita Dobson, his grandchildren and the astrophysics work he hopes to pursue.
The remarks follow earlier signs of fatigue. In September 2025 he told Rolling Stone he was exhausted after 50 years on the road, having been stuck in hotel rooms during family emergencies, though he still wanted to perform and try new things. In January 2026 he told the Daily Mail he would not cross the Atlantic for concerts because of the current climate in America, saying the country had changed.
An alternative is already taking shape in his mind. May visited the Sphere in Las Vegas last year and sketched out a full Queen show for the venue, though he said such a project would probably require artificial intelligence, which he views with serious reservations, and he criticised data centres as a problem that should be opposed. Meanwhile, the band’s archive is being opened up, beginning with the concert film Queen Budapest, shot on 27 July 1986 when Queen became the first major rock band to play behind the Iron Curtain.
The other members remain busy. Drummer Roger Taylor has just released his solo album Violence Insane in a Beautiful World, and Lambert put out his album Adam in July 2026 before performing Freedom! ’90 at the MTV Video Music Awards in tribute to George Michael. May could yet change his mind, as other rock acts have returned after announcing farewells, but for now Queen’s future looks set to be built on archive releases rather than arenas.
