Ghost are set to perform a tribute to Queen at this year’s Polar Music Prize ceremony on May 27th at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm, Sweden.
Joining Ghost for the performance will be guitarist Fredrik Åkesson of fellow Swedish metal act Opeth. Meanwhile, singer Adam Lambert — who has been touring for 13 years with Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor — will also be performing his own tribute to the rock legends.
In a statement, the members of Queen shared, “We are highly and deeply honored to be given the Polar Music Prize this year. It’s incredible, thank you so much.”
In addition to Queen, the prestigious ceremony will also honor American jazz icon Herbie Hancock and Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan. Other musicians taking the stage at the Grand Hôtel include jazz pianist Robert Glasper, Argentinian pianist Leo Genovese, jazz bassist-singer Esperanza Spalding, plus vocalists Miriam Bryant and Erik Grönwall (formerly of Skid Row).
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The Polar Music Prize, established in 1989, is considered one of the most coveted music awards in the world, honoring innovators from the realms of both contemporary and classical music. The ceremony takes place annually in Stockholm in the presence of the Swedish Royal Family, and each Laureate receives 1 million Swedish Krona (or approximately $93,897 USD).
Ghost’s appearance at the ceremony adds to their banner year. Fresh off the release of a No. 1 album, the band is a fitting choice for the Queen portion of the show, as mastermind Tobias Forge has stated that Freddie Mercury served as a key inspiration for Ghost’s ever-changing “Papa” frontman.
“Papa is half inspired by Freddie Mercury and half from Jacques Clouseau [the inspector in the Pink Panther],” Forge revealed in a Q&A discussion last year.
Conveniently, the ceremony falls right at the end of Ghost’s European tour. After that, Tobias Forge will honor Black Sabbath at their final concert on July 5th in Birmingham, England, before Ghost embark on a run of US arenas this summer, with dates kicking off July 9th in Baltimore (get tickets here).
For more on the Polar Music Prize and this year’s ceremony, visit the official website.
Content shared from consequence.net.