Queen + Adam Lambert kicked off the 2019 Academy Awards with a selection of their greatest hits
The veteran rockers were joined by their regular stand-in frontman to open the show on Sunday (24.02.19) with a selection of their greatest hits that quickly had the audience at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre on their feet and singing along to 'We Will Rock You' and 'We are the Champions', as pyrotechnics exploded and a video tribute to late singer Freddie Mercury played behind them
27 February 2019
Elsewhere at the ceremony, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper won widespread praise for an intimate duet of their 'A Star is Born' song 'Shallow', which saw the singer-and-actress play piano as they sang.
The pair received a standing ovation, led by the actor's girlfriend Irina Shayk, for the performance, and the track was later named Best Original Song.
Accepting the honour, Gaga said: "Bradley, there is not a single person in this planet that could have sang with me but you, thank you so much. Thank you for believing in us. Thank you so much."
Jennifer Hudson was another performer, who donned a suit with a train to perform 'I'll Fight' from 'RGB', the documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
As she sang, a projection of images from civil rights and protest events throughout American history was displayed behind her.
Country stars David Rawlings and Gillian Welch took to the stage to sing 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs' song 'When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings' in a minimalist performance that saw them wear matching outfits as they performed in front of a simple starry night backdrop.
Bette Midler stepped in for Emily Blunt to sing 'The Place Where Lost Things Go' from 'Mary Poppins Returns, accompanied by the song's co-writer, Marc Shaiman on piano.
'All the Star' from 'Black Panther' was the only Best Original Song nominee not to be performed at the event, with Kendrick Lamar and SZA previously announcing they would be unavailable for the evening.
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