Queen's Brian May worried about the impact Australian bush fires had on New Zealand's glaciers

Queen's Brian May is looking forward to seeing more of New Zealand on The Rhapsody Tour. Photo / Supplied.

Queen guitarist Brian May has expressed his shock at the extent of the Australian bush fires ahead of the band's headlining spot at a fundraising concert in Sydney next month.

The long-time environmentalist and animal-rights campaigner is shocked at the extent of the tragedy that has claimed 27 lives and wiped out more than a billion wild animals.

The 72-year-old was also aware parts of New Zealand had been affected by smoke drifting across the Tasman and was concerned about the extent of damage to the glaciers near the Southern Alps.

"I did hear and it's actually blackening the glaciers," May told TimeOut.

"It's frightening. What a terrible tragedy that is. It's appalling. I'm so sorry, it makes me so sad.

"The world is dealing with [environmental disasters] sooner than expected. That's the truth and it's a terrible shock. Unfortunately it's too late to save so many people and especially animals.

"Can that really be true? A billion animals? It's just appalling beyond belief. It's a tragedy beyond measure, isn't it?"

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Can’t stop thinking about the tragic Australian fires. And feel so helpless. I have many family members in Australia, all of whom I’m hoping to see in a month’s time on our planned Australian tour. The young generation are involved in fighting the fires on Kangaroo Island. Respects. Thousands of good people lost their homes. 24 good folks lost their lives. And ... HALF A BILLION WILD ANIMALS burned to death in NSW alone ? Can it be true ? Almost unthinkable. And no end in sight ? What can we do ? We can pray. And we can put pressure on our leaders to prioritise the health of our planet rather than “The Economy”. It’s already too late for these creatures. We can only pray it’s not too late for the rest of our world. To all our Australian friends - we send love - and our prayers. Bri

A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal) on Jan 5, 2020 at 5:08pm PST

Queen and Adam Lambert will bring The Rhapsody Tour Down Under for three New Zealand shows in Wellington, Auckland and Dunedin in early February.

May is looking forward to finally seeing more of the country and performing in the nation's capital and South Island for the first time.

"I'm excited because this is the first New Zealand tour," he said.

"We've always come to Auckland, we've never toured. We're doing Dunedin and Wellington and I'm excited.

"I've never seen these places and at my time of life I like that. It's nice to find places you haven't walked before."

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YES !!! It’s official. We’re donating our stage from our QAL show the previous night in Sydney for this great line-up of talent to raise money for Bushfire Relief. 💥💥💥💥 FIRE FIGHT AUSTRALIA will kick off from 1pm and run till late at ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday 16 February 2020. Tickets go on sale at 12 Noon (AEDT) today at www.ticketek.com.au and are priced at $100, $85 and $70 with an option to make further contributions to bushfire relief during purchase. Ticketek Australia is the only authorised seller of FIRE FIGHT AUSTRALIA tickets. Do not pay more than the prices listed for your tickets. All concert ticket profits and all contributions through Ticketek will go towards key organisations providing vital “Rescue”, “Relief and Recovery” and “Rehabilitation”. • “Rescue” – Rural and regional fire services in affected states • “Relief and Recovery” – Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery • “Rehabilitation” – The RSPCA Bushfire Appeal Fans can also donate to bushfire relief through www.firefightaustralia.com All Media Enquiries: media@firefightaustralia.com All Other Enquiries: info@firefightaustralia.com Bri

A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal) on Jan 12, 2020 at 10:59am PST

The British rockers will then head across the Tasman, where they will perform at Fire Fight Australia, a one-off show to raise money for bush fire relief at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on February 16.

The star-studded line-up also features the likes of Alice Cooper, k.d lang, Olivia Newton-John and John Farnham.

Meanwhile, May is trying to do his bit to help the planet by embracing a plant-based diet as part of the Veganuary Challenge.

He feels solutions to environmental problems lie in individuals accepting responsibility for their actions but realises it takes time to create meaningful change.

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Vegan Breakfast for a Big Day ! You know, I think if I’d realised how easy Veganuary was going to be, I’d have done it earlier. I was under the impression I was going to be “giving things up”, but it seems to be an opportunity to eat more of the things I really love ! This hotel sends up a breakfast fit for a King - to which we (Agent Ashley, to whom always thanks, and I) add our own fresh squeezed juice, home-made toast, and coffee. This followed my touring regime this morning - 35 minutes static biking, stretches, and the luxury of hot and cold plunge pools ! OK ! I’m ready to give it my all - first night in Korea, and first night of the BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY TOUR !!! See ya folks !!! Have a great day wherever you are. 💥💥💥💥 What’s on the plate ? Baked cherry tomatoes, mixed fried mushrooms, hash brown potatoe cakes ( amazing! ) brown and white toast, olive oil, rosemary and thyme. And truly freshly squeezed Je-Ju oranges from the very kind fan who gave me them - thank you !!! Bri

A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal) on Jan 17, 2020 at 8:54pm PST

"Yes, I have been shouting for a long time. I don't tend to shout much anymore, I tend to just keep on speaking.

"But you have to just engage people all the time in conversation and re-evaluating their behaviour.

"I count myself in that because I wasn't a vegan until the first of January this year. And I am for this month and we'll see how things go.

"But it's bothered me for a long time that I wasn't a vegan, being an animal activist."