Brian May has suggested the door is at least partly closed on Queen returning to the U.S. in the near future. Speaking to the U.K. newspaper Daily Mail, the Queen guitarist said the current situation in the United States is giving the band pause.
“America is a dangerous place at the moment, so you have to take that into account. 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.”
May didn’t spell out exactly what he views as unsafe about the U.S., but the message was clear: the band is factoring it into any touring plans.
As for when he and drummer Roger Taylor might get back on stage—especially with their current live setup alongside Adam Lambert, performing as Queen + Adam Lambert—May said the timeline is open-ended.
‘I don’t know when Queen will be back on stage — it’s an unknown. We’ll take it day by day.”
He also hinted that there may still be new music in the pipeline, even if touring is on pause.
“It was time to take a break and spend time with family, take stock. But never say never about not coming back, the rebuild of Queen Two is coming back, and there are a couple of things you haven’t heard.”
The article also notes May’s public profile outside the band, including political activism and animal welfare work, plus major career milestones like his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2001) and his PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London (2008).
Meanwhile, May’s wife, actress and singer Anita Dobson, recently suggested Queen would step away from large-scale touring due to health concerns and the reality that the band members are “getting old.”
Those comments landed not long after Taylor told Rolling Stone that he, May, and Lambert have no intention of framing anything as a final goodbye: “I don’t think we’re done. And I don’t think we’re going to say a final farewell tour. Because it never is, is it?” When pressed if Queen will be “resting forever,” he replied: “At one point we will be.”
