Queen gives electrifying start to Oscars 2019

Los Angeles, Feb 25 (IANS) Rock band Queen with Adam Lambert opened the 91st Academy Awards here with "We will rock you", which was prominently featured in ace "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Since the ceremony was host-less, the band injected some energy into the crowd as they started with "We will rock you" and then naturally segued into "We are the champions".

The stars in attendance loved the musical start as they could be seen swaying their arms. Actor Jordan Peele was seen enjoying the moment while Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez were singing along.

"Welcome to the Oscars," Lambert screamed at the end.

For the first time in 30 years, the award gala is being held without an official host. This comes after comedian Kevin Hart stepped down after being criticised over some past 'homophobic' comments.

Queen now performs under the name Queen + Adam Lambert, with two of the four original members - guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor - fronted by former "American Idol" star Lambert, who has won critical applause in his role as the group's frontman over the past few years.

May was the first to appear on stage with his guitar, working on his iconic beat of "We will rock you". An image of late Freddie Mercury was shown behind them as they wrapped up the performance.

Though there was no host, actresses Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph made some opening jokes before presenting the first award of the night.

The show, they said, would not have a host, would not have a "popular movie category, and Mexico is not paying for the wall.