Queen's Brian May Plans Immersive AI-Free Show

Brian May has confirmed he will not tour with Queen again. The 79-year-old guitarist made the decision 18 months ago, seeking more freedom and time with his wife, actress Anita Dobson, his grandchildren, and his passion for astrophysics.

He loves to play and travel but feels the trade-off sacrifices his freedom. A close family friend died while Queen were in the United States, and when May suggested he would "just nip home for a few days and come back," his tour manager told him it was impossible. He now believes 50 years of his career is enough.

Immersive Queen show concept sketched at the Sphere

After visiting the Sphere in Las Vegas last year, May's creative juices started flowing. He sketched out a whole Queen performance designed as an immersive, non-touring experience. He thought the Eagles' show at the venue was amazing and spent considerable time planning what a Queen version could be.

He and drummer Roger Taylor want to create a fairly revolutionary immersive experience, similar in concept to what ABBA did. May thinks such an experience is still possible and could conquer time and space without the demands of a traditional tour.

AI concerns and ethical dilemmas

Despite the concept, May has serious misgivings about the technology required. He believes you cannot make an immersive Queen show without AI, but he is deeply wary of its use. He described data centers as a massive evil. "Data centers are a massive evil and have to be fought," May said, telling politician Andy Burnham to stop them before it is too late.

He acknowledges AI helps write emails and has saved lives, but believes the harm it brings is immense, trashing the future and adding to global stresses. He previously looked at avatar shows seriously but has backed off because they require massive AI use. He questions whether using AI to recreate Queen's own work constitutes stealing from their ouvre, even if it might be technically permissible.

In August, he railed against AI on Instagram after asking Meta AI to show him the cover of Queen's THE GAME album. Sharing the botched result, he questioned if this was the intelligence that would rule the world and suggested maybe we do not need AI. He cancelled a video for his song My Angels Are Calling after discovering AI-generated elements, citing a moral dilemma. He fears AI will strip artists of their work and erode humanity.

Legacy and future direction

May reflects on Queen's 50-year journey, noting the lineup changed dramatically after Freddie Mercury's death in 1991. The band later released Made In Heaven in 1995 using unreleased Mercury recordings. They returned to the stage with Paul Rodgers before Adam Lambert joined in 2011. The band discussed new music and a potential Sphere residency last year.

He believes playing arenas feels like conquering the world, though it is not truly conquering. May is determined that tech billionaires, whom he says do not have musicians' interests at heart, will not dictate the future. His plan is to develop an immersive, AI-light Queen experience that lets him stay close to family while still engaging with fans in a revolutionary way.