Queen launched Sunday’s Oscars with a medley of hits that replaced the usual opening speech at this year’s hostless 91st Academy Awards.
Singer Adam Lambert, who has been touring with the band, replaced Freddie Mercury, the subject of the Best Picture nominee Bohemian Rhapsody.
They opened the award show with We Will Rock You, followed by We Are the Champions.
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At the end of the performance, a video of Mercury was played on the screen behind them.
Many stars in the audience were smiling and dancing to the opening performance, including Lady Gaga and Mike Myers.
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Many viewers at home took to Twitter to share their opinions on the Queen tribute.
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It was announced last Monday that Lambert and Queen would be performing together at the award show. The academy shared a teaser showing Lambert singing We Will Rock You with the group.
Lambert shared a teaser as well, writing: “We will rock the Oscars.”
“If you’ve ever heard Queen’s music, I think this will be something that will invite you in, in a really great way,” Oscars producer Glenn Weiss told USA Today. “The music is so well known that this, to us, became a really great way to open the show and not be traditional like a normal awards show and depend on things like a monologue.”
Lambert has been touring with Queen since 2011.
Watch a clip of the opening performance at the Oscars in the video above.
—With files from the Associated Press
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