The iconic rock band Queen has releases planned for 2026, including a reimagined version of their 1974 album, Queen II. However, they might be cutting back on live performances, at least according to the wife of lead guitarist Brian May.
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In an interview with The Mirror, Anita Dobson put it plain and simple. "They will do little bits and bobs, but they won't do those big tours," she said. "We are all getting old."
This follows several health scares from May, who suffered a stroke and a heart attack last year. Last September, May revealed that the stroke caused him to lose control of his left arm, a rather unexpected setback. The 77-year-old shared that, although he was surprised to discover that he's not as healthy as he could be, the scare served as a "wake-up call" for him.
For now, he's doing what he can to stay healthy. "I keep moving," he told People. "I do my biking a lot of times a week. I do a hundred lengths in the pool once a week. To me, that's what's keeping me going. That's what's keeping me alive."
Right now, it seems like a world tour isn't exactly a leading priority.
Queen Teases New Tracks for New 'Queen II' Album
Even though a tour might not be happening in 2026, May assured Queen fans that new music is on the way. Just this week, he unleashed a snippet of the song, "Not For Sale (Polar Bear)", which was originally a part of the band's 1974 album Queen II. May also teased the release of the complete reimagined project, which will come out sometime next year.
In August, May shared an update on the album's progress on Instagram. "Just having fun here," he said. "Switching things in and out so we hear things we never really noticed before. This new stereo mix is quite adventurous — and, rendering the impossible complexity of these tracks, the new clarity is astounding."
Much of the band's inspiration to remake their previous projects stems from the belief that the technology at the time and limited creative control prevented the original songs from sounding their best. Especially since May considers Queen II the "best Queen album ever", it'll be interesting to see what the group ends up doing with the reimagined version.
