"50 Years Is Enough": Brian May Ends Global Touring

Queen guitarist Brian May shared that he decided a year and a half ago to stop touring. He now wants to focus on his personal freedom, spend more time with his family, and work on astrophysics instead of facing the challenges of touring around the world.

Brian May © Gage Skidmore

In an interview with The Times, the 79-year-old rock legend talked about how tough arena tours can be. He remembered a moment in America that made his decision clear:

"A close family friend died when we were in the States, so I said to my tour manager, '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,'"

He explained what it takes to keep touring after spending fifty years at the top of the music world:

"I love to play, I love to travel, but the trade-off is sacrificing your freedom. I have a wife (actress Anita Dobson), grandchildren and a lot of astrophysics I want to do, so I'm thinking maybe 50 years is enough."

Life Beyond the Road and Health Recovery

After Freddie Mercury passed away, May and drummer Roger Taylor kept Queen's live shows going. They toured with Paul Rodgers starting in 2005, and later teamed up with Adam Lambert in 2011. Queen and Lambert finished their last tour together in February 2024.

Later that year, May had a "minor stroke" that affected movement in his left arm for a short time, but he has fully recovered.

Las Vegas Sphere Inspiration and AI Reservations

Although they are not planning any more world tours, May and Taylor are still interested in finding new ways to bring Queen’s music to fans using the latest technology.

Discussing potential non-touring formats, Taylor indicated they are considering concepts similar to high-tech residency projects:

"We do want to do something fairly revolutionary. Not as ABBA did, but along those lines,"

May also said that visiting Nevada gave him new ideas for what a modern Queen show could be, but there are still some technical challenges:

"Last year I went to the Sphere (in Las Vegas), my juices started flowing and I sketched out a whole Queen show," May added. "I think an immersive experience is still on the cards and it could conquer time and space, but currently you can't make it without AI and I have serious misgivings about that."

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