Whole Lotta Love - From American Idol To QUEEN + Adam Lambert

On May 5, 2009 during the American Idol 8 Rock Week, Adam performed the Led Zeppelin song "Whole Lotta Love". That performance has importance not only because it was the first time a Led Zeppelin cover was approved for the AI stage (see the relevant Global First page for more), but also because it was later revealed that it caused Spike Edney to discuss Adam with Roger and Brian, arguably setting the wheels in motion for the QUEEN + Adam Lambert collaboration. (You can listen to Spike tell the story on a Spotify Podcast at the 10m 37s mark.)

3933 days after Adam's first performance of the song on American Idol, on February 10, 2020, QUEEN + Adam Lambert performed a live cover of the song at the concert in Dunedin, New Zealand as part of the "Bohemian Rhapsody" tour. The song remained on the setlist for the rest of the tour.

It is worth mentioning that Brian teased the audience in Prague's O2 arena on February 17, 2015 with a few bars of "Whole Lotta Love". Adam did not join in, except for laughing, so it appeared to be just an insider musical joke.