Adam Lambert Says Freddie Mercury Is in His Heart 'Every Time I Take the Stage' as He and Queen Close Out 2023 Tour

Lambert, alongside original Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, played the final two shows of their North American tour over the weekend at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles

Adam Lambert made sure to keep the legacy of late Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury, alive as he and original band members Brian May and Roger Taylor closed out their North American tour.

Over the weekend, Lambert, May and Taylor played the final two shows of their 2023 Rhapsody Tour at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The shows marked the end of Queen's 22-show North American Tour — their first tour in four years — which kicked off in October in Baltimore.

While addressing the crowd during Saturday's show, Lambert, 41, spoke about how fortunate he was to tour with the rock legends over the past 10 years. He also made sure to pay tribute to Mercury, who died at age 45 in 1991.

"L.A., what's up?" Lambert greeted the crowd. "It's so good to be home here after an amazing tour with two rock and roll legends. You know that I've been on the road for 10 years with Queen? Isn’t that nuts?"

"Just know that every time I get up here, I know that I’m f---ing lucky," Lambert continued. "I know how much of an honor this is. And be assured that every time I take the stage, I have one person in my heart: Freddie Mercury!"

As the crowd went wild, Lambert continued on. "You love Freddie too, right? That’s what this is, this is a celebration of Freddie and Queen," he said before breaking into Queen's hit, "Don't Stop Me Now."

Related: Queen's Brian May Says Adam Lambert Teaches Him and Roger Taylor 'How to Stay Young' Ahead of New Tour

Later during the show — which featured 150 minutes of hits that spanned Queen's decades-long career, including classics like "We Will Rock You," "Radio Ga Ga" and "Somebody to Love" — May, 76, honored his late bandmate in his own moment onstage.

Singing their acoustic song "Love of My Life," May sat on a stool and performed for the crowd before a clip of Mercury singing the same song appeared on the screen above the stage. At the end of the performance, May reached out to his left — the same direction where the clip of Mercury was positioned on the screen — making it appear as if the two were on stage together.

Related: Queen's Brian May Reveals He Helped NASA Team That Returned First Asteroid Sample from Space

Though Lambert is assuming the lead singer role that Mercury once had, the American Idol alum and his bandmates have previously made it clear that he's not trying to be the late iconic singer.

"He doesn't try to be Freddie, which is wonderful," May told PEOPLE in March. "He always pays tribute to Freddie, which we love. We all do. Freddie's with us, but Adam interprets, he finds new ways to go and we are very much a team now. We discuss everything, we build, we rebuild and it's fun."

Lambert agreed, calling his partnership with May and Taylor, 74, a "team effort," and acknowledging that Mercury "laid the groundwork" for all that they've accomplished together.

"He's the originator. He can't be replaced, but it gives me so much freedom to just exist in a playful, kind of silly place," he said. "Freddie had a great sense of humor, from what I hear and what I've seen, and he was sort of limitless."

Related: Queen Releases 'Very Passionate' Unheard Song 'Face It Alone' Featuring Freddie Mercury's Vocals

While it's been 10 years since they first started touring together, May said he still finds it unbelievable that he gets to tour with Taylor and perform their Queen hits with the help of Lambert.

"The amazing thing is we didn't look for Adam. I often think, 'My God, how did this happen?' He is kind of a gift from God," he told PEOPLE in March. "Roger and I, after we lost Freddie, said 'OK, this is the end of it.' We knew consciously, 'No, we're not going to this anymore.'"

"He just appeared," May continued of Lambert. "The voice is extraordinary. There is no other voice in the universe like his voice. Plus he has all the other stuff, I mean, look at the guy. He's born to wear diamonds."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

With the North American portion of their tour now complete, Queen and Lambert have a few months off before heading to Japan in 2024 for a five-show run, kicking off Feb. 4.

"It's just a privilege to be able to do this at the top level that we are," May told PEOPLE in March. "How wonderful. How could you possibly ask for more? I think we're very happy doing it. I'm probably going to do it 'til I drop."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.