Adam Lambert to Sing with Queen at Sonisphere

Adam Lambert, a former American Idol finalist, will sing with Queen at this summer's Sonisphere festival at Knebworth, England.

Lambert, 30, will join the legendary rockers for their headlining set on day two of the travelling rock festival's stop at the historic outdoor venue.

Queen and Lambert have a history together, with the British rockers having accompanied Lambert as he performed the band's hit We Are the Champions on season eight of the hit reality show. They teamed up once more at the MTV Europe Music Awards last year.

In a statement released on Queen's website, Lambert said he was thrilled to get the opportunity to sing with the band.

I'm completely in awe of the Queen phenomenon, he said. The thought of sharing the stage for a full set is so beautifully surreal. I'm honoured to be able to pay my respects to Freddie's memory. He's a personal hero of mine and I am deeply grateful for the chance to sing such powerful music for fans of this legendary band.

I know the evening will be a huge milestone for me, and with the support of Brian, Roger and the rest of the band I know magic will be on display, he continued.

Queen's original frontman Freddie Mercury passed away in 1991 from bronchopneumonia after being diagnosed with AIDS.Mercury's final performance with the band was also at Knebworth, in August of 1986.

Queen guitarist Brian May said that he thought Lambert was a fitting heir to Mercury's throne.

Judging by my incoming mail, this decision will make a lot of people very happy, he commented in the aforementioned statement. It's a worthy challenge for us, and I'm sure Adam would meet with Freddie's approval! And what better place to revisit, and walk those emotional paths than Knebworth? It will be a rush.

Drummer Roger Taylor similarly expressed his enthusiasm at returning to Knebworth.

I remember Knebworth as being the most incredible gig, with the most amazing audience and the sound on stage was utterly perfect, he said. It was a fitting last stand before a live audience for Freddie. It will be a real challenge to complete the circle by returning with Adam.

Queen's 1986 performance, which was also the last time they would grace the Knebworth stage, drew a monster crowd of 120,000 people and came on the back of their historic shows at Wembley Stadium.

Since Mercury's untimely death, Queen have performed with a host of guest vocalists, most notably Paul Rodgers with whom they put out the studio album, The Cosmos Rocks in 2008.

As Well as Queen, this year's British stop of Sonisphere will also be headlined by iconic painted-rockers Kiss, who will be making their only European performance of 2012.

The final night of the weekend festival will be closed out by reunited alternative metallers Faith No More.

It was over 2 years ago when we decided to reform and play those amazing UK shows, said bassist Billy Gould on the Sonisphere website.

The good news is, we've had a couple of years to improve our skills; moving our song to error ratio down 3.5 full percentage points. Watch out UK, we're going to do it right this time!!

Other artists scheduled to perform include Marilyn Manson, Evanescence, Incubus and the Darkness.

Sonisphere, which began in 2009, is to be held in seven countries across Europe this year.