Brian May says Queen won’t tour again, and the reason is AI. In a new interview with The Times, the guitarist explained why he has pulled back from plans for a Queen show at the Sphere, citing the data centers and artificial intelligence systems behind the technology.
“I made a decision 18 months ago that I didn’t want to tour again,” May told The Times. He cited a personal loss as the trigger: “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.'”
The trade-off, he said, is giving up freedom. “I love to play, I love to travel, but the trade-off is sacrificing your freedom. I have a wife [the actress Anita Dobson], grandchildren and a lot of astrophysics I want to do, so I’m thinking maybe 50 years is enough.”
The Sphere Sketch That Never Happened
May had a change of heart last year. “Last year I went to the Sphere, my juices started flowing and I sketched out a whole Queen show,” he said. He described the potential for an immersive experience that could “conquer time and space.”
But the project stalled. “Currently you can’t make it without AI and I have serious misgivings about that,” he said. His message to Andy Burnham was blunt: “stop it now before it’s too late. It’s trashing our future.”
Why May Won’t Use AI
May’s objections are not abstract. He pointed directly at the hardware that powers the systems. “Data centers are a massive evil and have to be fought,” he said.
His concerns extend beyond environmental impact. He worries about the cultural effect of AI-generated content. “In some ways, I don’t want to be stealing the work of other people, if you’re stealing your own work, I’m not quite sure where I stand on it because you’d be stealing from the Queen ouvre, which maybe could be okay because its ours,” he said.
“But at the same time, you’re adding to the stresses that AI is putting on the world. So I don’t know. I’m not so keen as I was.”
What May Has Said Before
This is not the first time May has spoken publicly about AI. He gave a similar explanation to Absolute Radio when asked about avatar shows.
“We looked at it very seriously, particularly after I saw the Sphere, and what the Eagles did with the Sphere, which I thought was amazing,” he said. “I spent a lot of time planning out what I thought could be a Queen show. I’ve kind of backed off now because you can’t do it without massive use of AI, with all the consequences of that.”
He also posted on Instagram in August, sharing his frustration with Meta’s AI system. “I asked Meta AI to show me what the cover of THE GAME album looked like. This is what it gave me ! Good job, eh ? So this is the kind of intelligence that will soon be ruling the world ??!” he wrote.
What Queen Has Done Recently
Queen has kept busy since the touring question was settled. Last year, the band discussed new music and a potential Sphere residency. They unearthed the previously unreleased Christmas song “Not For Sale (Polar Bear)” for the holidays.
Roger Taylor has also been active. He released a new solo album called Violence Insane In A Beautiful World.
The Bottom Line on May’s Decision
May’s position is consistent, if contradictory. He wants to play, but he doesn’t want to sacrifice his freedom. He wants to keep working on astrophysics and spend time with his wife and grandchildren.
He also wants to keep Queen alive, even if that means finding new ways to present the music. The Sphere sketch showed that. The AI objection stopped it.
Whether Queen finds a way forward without AI remains to be seen.
- May’s family loss triggered his decision 18 months ago
- The Sphere sketch showed promise, but AI dependence stopped it
- May has repeatedly warned against data centers and AI’s environmental cost
The data center fight is real, and May has made that clear.
Source material: “Brian May Says Queen Won’t Tour Again, Wary Of Avatar Show Because Of AI,” Stereogum.
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