Adam Lambert got himself a well-deserved gig of a lifetime. He will be the front man for Queen on tour this summer, a development which makes sense after the Grammy-nominated singer performed with the iconic band during the 2009 American Idol finale.

“The intention is to pay tribute to [the band’s late singer Freddie Mercury] and the band by singing some f*cking great songs,” Lambert told Great Britain’s The Daily Star. “It’s to keep the music alive for the fans and give it an energy that Freddie would have been proud of.”

Mercury who passed away from AIDS in 1991 is a legend in the music business and Lambert knows Mercury cannot be replaced.

“That’s impossible,” he said. “The way I’m choosing to view it is that it’s a great honor and one I’m in no way going to shirk.”

The tour will commence in May with a tour stop at Knebworth in England, the site of Queen’s final gig with Mercury in 1986.