Wishing you all a happy festive season! And for the cynics, a joyous celebration of rampant consumerism! I hope you all have an enjoyable time no matter what you do. As a little something to say thank you for your continued support, I have present for you all. This edit had been sitting around for a while, half-finished because Terra had beaten me to it with her excellent version. I've managed to claim back some time to finish it after the end of Glam Nation and used some different angles to Terra. With countless videos of the event to watch through, it's the most time-consuming edit, and with 111 clippings, it's also the most complicated to date. I added a few effects to try to capture the mood of the music. Enjoy!
Paradiso is one of the most beautiful venues Glam Nation has graced so far, and I think it adds a sprinkling of magic to the proceedings. A converted church, coloured light glimmers in through the imposing gothic stained-glass windows behind the stage, illuminating the venue in a mysterious glow and bestowing a feeling of awesome gravitas.
The encore starts with Purple Haze and a kiss followed by some crotch grabbing. Sasha comes onto the stage handing Adam a spliff, 'Purple Haze, motherfuckers!', Taylor does the same for Tommy. After taking a few tokes, Adam continues to sing as clear and powerful as ever with soaring high notes. He has a bit more reefer as Monte lets rip for his solo, then blows smoke onto Monte's guitar and attempts a blowback.
It's to be a double encore and Adam requests that it has to be (in a low booming voice) 'Real sexy'. As the band prepares, he does an excellent job of simulating the opening guitar licks of Voodoo Child. Watch out for Tommy grabbing Adam's cheeks just after he changes guitar. It's a slow burner of a start, with sparse instrumentals, funk guitar and the ebb and flow of cymbals. The lag of the bass reminds me of Art 4 Life Crazy. It's quite hypnotic and could be the perfect trippy soundtrack to a den of debauchery. With Isaac breaking into a huge grin, there's some obscene mic action as Adam gives us a sneak peek of his fellatio technique. From the balcony where the glitter confetti fell during the band intros, Adam catches a feather boa. The pace gradually rises and falls in waves, the vibe slightly Eastern and recalling aspects of FS WLL. He ends up atop the steps, turning it into a primal mating call, creeping up to Tommy and giving him a slow, hot kiss. Tommy's bass playing freezes for a few moments as his hands go limp and Adam runs his hand up and down his fret board. The kiss gives an adrenaline shot to the performance and he throws himself with such vigour that he busts out of his waistcoat, buttons flying apart. A huge leap leaves Adam on his knees in backbend before he crawls and slides around the stage, feral but so natural. Tommy attempts to straddle him but it seems at that moment he is somewhere else. He comes to with a shrug of the shoulders and feigning of innocence. Spotting the minor wardrobe malfunction, he swiftly does the buttons back up. The last section is a mindblowingly climactic one, fierce, thrusty and orally fixated with staggering vocals. Sexy indeed. At the end, we can see him ease out of the performer persona to modestly thank the audience and bow.
Looking back to the earlier Glam Nation performances, we were going nuts over a bit of writhing on the stairs but we've come such a long way since then. The backdrop here lends extra power to performance and I wonder if it's the religious association that inspires Adam to want to push it that little bit further. The stairs are the altar upon which Adam sums up what he stands for - love and freedom of expression. For that, I'm a regular worshipper joining the congregation at the Temple of Glam.
Here's a little bonus for you. The acoustic EP cover was released just before this performance and this idea came to me instantly. The parody was begging to be done so I'm a little surprised that no one else beat me to it. If you obsessively watch the video, you might spot this image flashing subliminally within it for a split-second:
If you're missing Glam Nation, then please be sure to check out my Glam Nation compendium.
Note that there may be a deceptive advert parading as a download button. Please make sure you use the real link below the dashboard as illustrated here:
For anyone feeling bereft of Glam Nation now that the tour is over, I've been working on the mother of all Glam Nation withdrawal elixirs. For the quiet days and nights to come, you can indulge in and even try ODing on what I believe to be a compilation of the best sources of all things Glam Nation (top sheet) and other tour events (bottom sheet). Go ahead and click the pic to open up the spreadsheet, you know you want to!
Short link for this page: http://bit.ly/GNlinks
Short link for spreadsheet: http://bit.ly/GNmedia
The sources I've included are: Adam Lambert Obsession - Summaries and highlights. I had to include it for all the work I put in! My YouTube Playlists - Best video per song, many hours of watching, comparing, whittling and updating! Hoopla Magnet - Comprehensive and organised collection of media. Videos, photos, articles and reviews. On The Roof Seeking Proof - Video downloads and photo album links. Kaetsa's Playlists - Playlists contain all videos for each concert. Terra's Wiki - Wiki with set lists, playlists and highlights. IDF Forum - Collection of media. Tweets, photos, videos and reviews.
Thanks to everyone who worked hard to organise and sort through everything that came out of Glam Nation! If there's anything you think I've missed which will add value to this collection or if you'd like to add links, please let me know.
Disclaimer: This blogger accepts no responsibility for the days or even weeks lost as a result of clicking.
Sigh. The last Glam Nation concert. Although I'm feeling rather sentimental and will miss the regular performances, I'm ready to take a break and look forward to new material, new spins on old material and new costumes. There's also the DVD to look forward to, along with the Grammys and hopefully some promo appearances on TV. This concert has Adam as what I think is his most relaxed and playful self. Here are my picks:
Adam's makeup incorporates a teardrop and he has turquoise in his hair. He is extremely glittery. There is a carpet of smoke as the smoke machine seems to go into overdrive for the opening medley. Adam plays it up during Fever so watch out for the very camp 'Yeah yeah yeah' in the build-up to the climax. Sleepwalker once again features stunning vocals. There is extended banter at start of WWFM where he tells us that glam is a state of mind. He is both funny and charming. Make sure you catch his villainous and sadistic little laugh. It's back to acoustic for this rendition and I think it's my favourite yet from his gritty belts and soaring improvisations at the end. Amazing. Soaked is beautiful but marred slightly by the audience's inability to zip it. We realise that it's not going to be an Aftermath duet as Adam helps to remove the stools from the stage singing about stools. He explains that it's a little ditty from 'Waiting For Guffman' as he realises it flies over most people's heads.
Adam goes all-out with his singing for SFW and I think he may have pushed it a little too far at the end of Strut which I find a little shouty. MA is fun and we can see Adam and Tommy headbanging in unison during Monte's solo. You have to laugh at his grabby claw and his super-theatrical voice as he heads towards Monte. Adam gets a baseball hat with 'Warning: I fuck back' thrown onto the stage which cracks him up. During the band intros he goes up to Cam's platform and grinds up against her then makes a joke about the plastic screen around Isaac. Tupperware party! After Tommy's basswanking solo, he tells us that Tommy shoots glitter. The dancers get extended intros as Adam reveals a little more about each. There is a huge roar at the end of IIHY as the fireworks light up the room. Adam finally gets some pyro! Monte plays the opening chords of Voodoo Child to pave the way for Purple Haze as the encore. It's a slower version than what we've heard before and Adam still has the lyrics on pieces of paper just in case. There's a Tommy tongue tickle, and after some crazy vocals and Monte's blistering solo, Adam is spent on the floor. We see him twitching, rejuvenated by the start of a fast-paced electric WLL. It has a long psychedelic instrumental break before it fully rocks out. It looks like he's about to fuck the guitar but he fondles the mic instead and belts out some unbelieveable notes. The tour couldn't have ended on a better high! I'll miss Glam Nation and all the fun we've shared along the way.
For the penultimate stop of Glam Nation, Adam returns home, sporting a massive glittery cockatoo hairdo. I'd been quite excited about this homecoming gig surrounded by all his friends. Here are my picks:
At the start of Fever there's a bit of tit-for-tat sparring with Tommy before the kiss. There's a little extra banter at the start of WWFM as a toy is thrown onto the stage. Adam likens it to the Flintstones' Bambam and with a raised eyebrow, tells us how he already put a bone in Tommy's hair. It's the electric version which has Adam walking around the stage, giving it a different energy. I'm grateful that the LA audience has discovered the advantages of shutting up for Soaked. I'd guessed that Alisan might be joining Adam for Aftermath and she looks tiny next to him. She sings mainly backing harmonies and from what I can tell from the recording, it works most of the time. It's interesting to see how similar their gestures are when they sing, mirroring each others' body language. They both have fun with it and that glory note gives me goosebumps.
Adam returns for SFW wearing a shirt under his jumpsuit. The random moment of the night sees a very leggy blonde drag queen "Raja" (Sutan) bring on Adam's coat and cane for Strut. At the start of IIHY, Adam explains the full-circle moment of having performed at this venue and met Monte exactly 6 years ago to the day. The hug they share is heartwarming. A showering of confetti adds a little magic to the performance. Adam seems to wait for a long time for Tommy to get out of the way so he can ascend the steps for the encore. There is a speech sprinkled with expletives as explains how ACIGC was Monte's suggestion. To the sound of a Citizen Vein "Circle" riff, he explains that this is the second lap of the full circle, the first one being the AI final. He talks about the political significance of the song and about getting knocked back along his journey then beams with pride about the success of his tour and his Grammy nomination. He gives a superb and moving rendition. There is a bonus TCB encore where he dresses Tommy in a boa and gets down. Those floor notes! How can he make those sounds in such a position? They are a marvel beyond belief and there is no better way to finish off a brilliant concert.
Another Jingle Ball, another new outfit and this one is all about those tight sparkly zebra trousers which seem to have caused quite a stir regarding their contents. Like the first time he wore them, it's all business black above the waist, party below! This was only a 20 minute set, agonisingly short from a fan's perspective.
The set commences with Fever. Again, there's no kissing but it's very gyratory (can you look at anything else?) and the vocals are strong. It makes a change not to hear the whole room singing along to WWFM but it's all the better for hearing Adam sing another electric rendition. I love the way he improvises on the runs towards the end. Beautiful. He puts his all into Sleepwalker doing his best to win over new fans. The result is amazing with those ringing big notes. IIHY is the song to finish.
New outfit! Have I told you I've missed seeing him in clothes other than his GN costumes? With big super-spiky hair, this ensemble is distressed and tattered but somehow still glam. This is I believe the first time he's worn that leather jacket and those skin-tight jeans. The post-apocalyptic rockstar biker look gets the thumbs-up from me!
The set starts with huge screams welcoming in Adam with MA. We have a lyric fail at the beginning of Fever as Adam is probably reminding himself that he shouldn't eat up Tommy in front of the many young fans. Without the dancers, I find it lacks the cheekiness and whimsy of what we've been accustomed to on the tour but he sings it just as well. Adam mentions his Grammy nomination at the start of WWFM. Having almost ODed on the acoustic version on the EP recently, I realise how much I've missed hearing the original version and how he lets rip at the end. And he sings it standing! (Sorry I think I'm a little nuts today.) Well done all you Glamberts for showing your support by singing along! Sleepwalker is an intense fiery one and Aftermath is joyous with a super glory note. His movements below the waist are toned down a touch for SFW but not the soaring voice. A bare-bones Strut without the cane and dancers must be a little strange for Adam but he steps up to the challenge, strutting and reminding us what a powerful and charismatic frontman he is. The set finishes with band intros and IIHY where Tommy seems to have forgotten that he probably shouldn't be jacking off his bass. I don't know how much of the crowd is made up of Adam fans but they all seem to love it, all singing and jumping by the end.
Monte had been teasing us with those Enter Sandman riffs during the band intros for a long time so we finally got to see the full version on the special occasion of Tommy's birthday. It hasn't been repeated since. I'm afraid the quality of the source videos aren't great and the strobe lights played havoc with the cameras but I did the best I could. Here's my latest edit:
Adam with a wayward tuft of hair explains that it's one of Tommy's favourite songs and admits to not knowing all the lyrics. We get the cutest giggle just after he says it's going to be karaoke and asks us not to judge him. He performs the verses on his knees while reading the lyrics off pieces of paper stuck to the floor. Getting very frisky with the mic, he probably kills off all the fans in his firing line. Tommy gets a special birthday smooch, long and sloppy which he no doubt enjoys as he leans in, leg rising up to stop himself from getting swept off his feet. The thing that I love most about this performance is we get to hear a different side of Adam's voice that's more in line with his old Citizen Vein material with a much harder and heavier sound. His voice has added grit like a cutting Axl Rose wail and it's effortlessly powerful. In contrast to the Metallica growl, it's also surprisingly mellifluous and bright like a beacon, carrying a seemingly impossible amount of melody.
A Glam Nation virgin up until then, this was the concert that exploded my cherry. Before I start, I'd like to send a huge shout out to Legers and Zyrogoth, whose kindness and generosity made it possible. Thank you.
I managed to rush back after a hectic weekend, but on the morning of the concert, I woke up with a sore throat, loaded nose, congested head and the shivers. I debated whether I should risk making myself feel like death by waiting outside in horrid sub-zero temperatures, the coldest spell in years, but you can guess which voice won that debate in record time. I'd never done much queueing for gigs nor been to any alone, so in making the conscious decision to brave the arctic conditions for six hours, I was shocked by what a rabid fucking cray I'd become. But as soon as I reached the venue with my crystal glove (just in case), small queues of even more rabid fucking crays gave me plenty of reassurance regarding my sanity. Hooray for rabid fucking crays! (I can't believe I just wrote that.)
The majority of fans were female of various ages. Some who I thought must've been northerners wore very little and shivered in the name of glam, others resigned to standing in the most un-glam of black bin liners to try to stay warm. I'm not sure Adam would've approved. There were four different queues in total, where fans exchanged tales of how we fell for Adam, our encounters, concerts, favourite performances and songs, counting the hours down together, even bursting into song. There was a familiarity in the way that we eased into discussions, freely gushing. The affinity between complete strangers with a shared passion was very apparent, the warmth of kindness and chatter taking the edge off the icy weather.
It wasn't all rainbows though, as the cynic in me felt there were ulterior motives too. Little cliques formed, making it easier to keep track of people moving where they shouldn't and tugging on their consciences. I sensed an underlying steely determination and when it boiled down to it, everyone was for themselves. The cold was unbearable and unfortunately it brought out the worst in some. I got further from the front as people had been saving places for others who turned up last-minute, and others who just pushed in. I couldn't summon my inner Bitchy McBastard to complain because getting into an argument would've left a bad feeling hanging over me. Queue-jumpers, you know who you are and you should hang your ugly heads in shame. I'll remind you that for every queue placed jumped, a kitten gets throttled.
I'd taken a gamble to try to get up close as I'd already watched my last concert from the back of the room. When I finally got in, my heart sank because I realised I got shafted by the extra O2 priority queue and the extra Paris VIPs. Even after a six hour wait, I only managed to get into something like the tenth row, sardines squashed against me from all sides and too many heads in front. Faint and you'd still be standing. The result was not worth the endurance test. You had to hope you didn't drop anything as the chance of retrieving it without simulating oral sex with your neighbouring sardine was precisely zero. There was also no point spending time on my appearance as everything turned into a mess after the eye-watering cold. In fact it was so cold I kept most of my layers on. Not that anyone would've been able to see what I was wearing anyway. It's the only time wished I were a yeti with hygiene issues. A brick shithouse build, hairy coat and no one wanting to be within a metre of me would've been ideal.
The warm-up act were very enthusiastic and tried to get the crowd going but they weren't really my cup of tea. In the gap between bands, people shared glitter and glowsticks. The projector guy discovered that when a picture of Adam was shown, the crowd would scream so he started fucking with us by flashing the pictures, amused by the textbook Pavlovian response each time. As the time drew nearer, people started stamping their feet and chanting his name in eager anticipation.
When Adam came on, necks elongated, arms flung into the air and the temperature suddenly rose. I wish that on low stages, Adam would stay close to the front so the angle allows more visibility. I was frustrated by the lack of lighting, and the peacock feathers, arms and cameras obstructed my view. Since I couldn't beat them, I decided to join them with my camera doubling up as a periscope. I couldn't even hear the start of Voodoo through the screaming so missed the first few seconds.
I'd been used to seeing Adam in two dimensions, so seeing him in three was enthralling. His strong other-worldly presence left me awestruck and I felt more than ever that he inhabited a different plane of existence. Everything about him was amplified and much more accentuated. He was bigger, taller, brighter, glitterier, more radiant, more animated and more dramatic than any video can convey. I remember looking on in fascination at his mouth, how big it became and how thick his tongue was as he wailed through RoF. I was a little surprised by how long his hair had grown. It didn't look too healthy and his makeup seemed to be excessive, leaning towards drag but I appreciated its benefit to those at the back of the room who received that heart-stopping moment of eye contact as he scanned the audience. His movements were huge but graceful and sharp. Sometimes it was too much for me and I wanted him to stand still so I could take my time to look at and study his appearance. I wanted to touch him to see if he was real but he was out of my reach in every sense.
Fever started with toreador Adam squaring up to Tommy before going in for the kill. I couldn't hear his voice very clearly during much of the song but it was more than compensated for by those bonus riffs and stratospheric high notes. It turned out that every time he hit one, I gasped and felt a rush rise up and the crowd responded by screaming. I was thrilled that his voice was on top form and as so often happens on the last night of consecutive gigs, he went for it. The surprise ending was magnificent and my fellow sardines, equally amazed, turned to each other as if needing confirmation of what just happened.
I couldn't see much of the dancers during the interlude, I just remember Terrance who I'd describe as beautifully big and round, moving very fluidly. There was an extended intro to Sleepwalker which sounded great. We were all very excited, wondering if it was intentional and whether any surprises awaited. The images of the stone angel and lightning stayed up for a while before Adam came on but without drifting down the steps and without the long sweeping overcoat. I think the coat adds quite a lot to the performance, completing the image of the tortured lone comic-book hero so I missed it. He explained about the sound difficulties and when he spoke there was a strange effect. He sounded really high, lacking in depth and richness. Something wasn't quite right with the sound but it was eventually corrected.
He was very relaxed and uninhibited when it came to the banter at the start of WWFM, potty-mouthed and swearing freely as he spoke about the sound issues and how he considered this to be the last show of the tour. We sang along but it was over so quickly. Sometimes I think it's better that we don't know the lyrics off by heart so we don't sing over Adam. I felt this especially during Soaked, a spine-tingling version where the crowd was mercifully quiet for much of it but unfortunately a whistle opened the floodgates. I appreciated the effort Adam made in using Brit English when he talked about being "pissed drunk". My reflex was he was saying it wrong by following it with "drunk" but later realised he was clarifying it for large number of non-Brits present.
I didn't see Aftermath. He was too far back from the front of the stage and there weren't enough gaps between heads, so to watch it I had to follow the many camera-periscopes. The videos were the first I saw of it. The whole venue was once again united in song and I was surprised at preferring the sweeter tone of his voice here to that of the powerful Soaked. Much of SFW was done away from the front of the stage so I watched the lasers, jumping and fist-pumping with the rest of the room. Adam shouted something in a high voice loaded with impatience which I assumed was aimed at the sound engineer. His voice was a little drowned out during Strut but I loved the stompy bassline so just danced (i.e. shuffled on the spot because that was the only thing possible). The ending was unusual because he missed out all the "Strut for me..." but it was another stellar vocal. As I couldn't see much, I decided to film MA as it's one that's often missing. The crowd went wild when he used Tommy as his plaything. The ear-piercing screams got louder as the night progressed. IIHY was one of the most enjoyable performances as I gave up trying to see, just enjoyed the buzz, jumping about and singing with abandon. There was a massive note just before the dancer intros that we all went crazy for and I was grateful he stood on top of the plinths for some of the time. He really went for it at the end so I was entertaining thoughts of a bonus encore.
I was happy after hearing the opening chords of TCB that we didn't get MW. It was an electrifying performance which involved some titillating tongue-tickling with Tommy. I tried my best to tiptoe that little bit higher to see Floorbert but my frostbitten legs still hadn't completely thawed out. My joy fell by a few notches when it struck me that the concert was finished as the band relinquished their instruments to leave. Damn my fucking sore throat which stopped me making enough noise to help us get a double encore! I thought during the course of the evening that we might as it was the last one, Adam was cheekily unfiltered and the atmosphere was awesome. I was dearly hoping for WLL but perhaps the sound issues had already ruled it out. Time had whizzed by and the end seemed so abrupt. The crowd scarpered to the barricades but by the time I got there it was already about six deep. The reunification of gloves would not be happening this time.
For me, the highlight of the concert was that extraordinary marvel of a voice, so in that respect, it was the best I'd heard in a long time. Fever — usually one for visuals — showcased it to staggering effect. Whenever a superhuman high note was hit, mouths were agape in astonishment. But it wasn't all about the glory notes as I really came to appreciate the stunning soft timbre of the more subtle performances, soothing and caressing. I feel thankful to have experienced Glam Nation as I know that the scramble to see Adam in future will only get more challenging. I wrongly thought there'd be a fair chance of seeing Adam up close if I got there six hours early. It was the closest I'd been but the effort was wasted as I would've had a better view from the back of the room. A week later I'm still ill so unless guaranteed a place in the first couple of rows, I'll never put myself through queueing that long again. But the things we do for Adam never stop surprising us. Feel free to taunt me with that statement the next time Adam returns for a concert.
Aftermath is a particularly pretty one and the quality of the recording is excellent. The shuffle dance at the start of Strut is well worth watching and the set finishes with a MW encore. Here are my picks:
Adam gives a mischievous look out to the audience before hungrily going for Tommy during Fever. At the start of Aftermath, he teases the audience by pretending to strip, telling them he'll do it later in the show because "This is the fucking sensitive part". SFW is an explosion of energy with some of the most impressive vocals yet and the highest "Where did all the pretty boys go?" you're ever likely to hear. He licks his cane at the start of Strut and continues in a very playful manner throughout MA. Don't miss the banter at the start of the band intro as he tells us there are loads of "Cute fucking boys" and enquires about which team they bat for. Maybe that's the reason he's so excitable. He gives a nod to all the straight guys in the audience and the ladies too before introducing the band and pretending to spit and lubricate Tommy's bass. So naughty! The Brooke dance is a cute one as he calls her a snake charmer and does a funny little jig. The encore is TCB finishing with a stripper-move and some floor love.
It's now time to play catch-up after my time away so here's my selection of the best videos from the opening concert in the UK. Adam plays around with the vocal during an impressive Fever and Broken Open still hasn't returned to the set list. It's a tiny venue devoid of any steps which is particularly noticeable during Aftermath. The encore is MW.
This is a bit of a strange concert where Adam doesn't change into his jumpsuit after the acoustic section, nor does he sing MA. The encore is an orally and a crotchularly fixated TCB. Here are my picks:
I'm afraid that this is only going to be a video dump as I'm still plagued with internet problems preventing me from watching them. The encore is MW which makes its return after what seems like a very long time. One thing I notice here is Adam's make-up which is a little too thick, giving him Groucho Marx eyebrows. Here are my picks:
Just so I can try to keep on top of the tour, here are my video picks for Vienna. I haven't watched all the videos yet, but Adam has a moment of lyric fail and forgets them at the start of Fever as he's about to kiss Tommy. The encore is TCB. I wonder how the audience feels about this after the heady heights of recent encores. Maybe we're all still recovering.
I managed to watch a little bit of this on the live stream after staying up until stupid o'clock but crap internet hasn't permitted me to watch it in its entirety yet. I did enjoy what I saw though and it was quite insightful listening to stories from Adam's friends, family and colleagues. Here's the show for now and comments will probably follow at some point in the future:
I'm afraid my internet has prevented me from watching all of this concert so the only performance I've managed to watch is the encore. FUCKING HELL! We had Paris and thought that was incredible, we had Cologne which was unbelievably better and now this. How he manages to keep upping it is beyond comprehension and with each concert, there's a new video edit that's jumped to the top of my 'To do' list. Here are my picks:
Paradiso is one of the most beautiful venues Glam Nation has graced so far, and I think it adds a sprinkling of magic to the proceedings. A converted church, coloured light glimmers in through the imposing gothic stained-glass windows behind the stage, illuminating the venue in a mysterious glow and bestowing a feeling of awesome gravitas.
The encore starts with Purple Haze and a kiss followed by some crotch grabbing. Sasha comes onto the stage handing Adam a spliff 'Purple Haze, motherfuckers!', Taylor does the same for Tommy. After taking a few tokes, Adam continues to sing as clear and powerful as ever with soaring high notes. He has a bit more reefer as Monte lets rip for his solo, then blows smoke onto Monte's guitar and attempts a blowback.
It's to be a double encore and Adam requests that it has to be (in a low booming voice) 'Real sexy'. As the band prepares, he does an excellent job of simulating the opening guitar licks of Voodoo Child. It's a slow burner of a start, with sparse instrumentals, funk guitar and the ebb and flow of cymbals. The lag of the bass reminds me of Art 4 Life Crazy. It's quite hypotic and could be the perfect trippy soundtrack to a den of debauchery. There's some obscene mic action as Adam gives us a sneak peek of his fellatio technique. From the balcony where the glitter confetti fell during the band intros, Adam catches a feather boa. The pace gradually rises and falls in waves, the vibe slightly Eastern and recalling aspects of FS WLL. He ends up atop the steps, turning it into a primal mating call, creeping up to Tommy and giving him a slow, hot kiss. Tommy's bass blaying freezes for a few moments as his hands go limp and Adam runs his hand up and down his fret board. The kiss gives an adrenaline shot to the performance and he throws himself with such vigour that he busts out of his waistcoat, buttons flying apart. A huge leap leaves Adam on his knees in backbend before he crawls and slides around the stage, feral but so natural. Tommy attempts to straddle him but it seems at that moment he is somewhere else. He comes to with a shrug of the shoulders and feigning of innocence. Spotting the minor wardrobe malfunction, he swiftly does the buttons back up. The last section is a mindblowingly climactic one, fierce, thrusty and orally fixated with staggering vocals. Sexy indeed. At the end, we can see him ease out of the performer persona to modestly thank the audience.
Looking back to the earlier Glam Nation performances, we were going nuts over a bit of writhing on the stairs but we've come such a long way since then. The backdrop here lends extra power to performance and I wonder if it's the religious association that makes Adam want to push it that little bit further. The stairs are the altar upon which Adam sums up what he stands for - love and freedom of expression. For that, I'm a regular worshipper joining the congregation at the Temple of Glam.
I've only skimmed through to check for video quality so haven't watched all of them yet. It's sweet that the fans serenade Monte with 'Happy Birthday' at the start of Aftermath. That's one song Adam decides to restart, being unhappy with the sound and wanting to get it perfect. After seeing this encore, it feels like Paris one was just a warm-up. The vocal is brilliant and Adam really lets loose, crawling and wildly writhing on the stage floor. Here are my picks:
Please excuse my lateness, it's been the most annoying time to have internet failure as it means I've been unable to watch all the videos for what has arguably been one of the best concerts yet. And there are a heck of a lot of beautiful videos. Here's my selection:
Adam is on fire in Paris, the Fever glory notes are astonishing and the way he jumps up into them is so effortlessly seamless. There's a bit of lyric fail in Sleepwalker as he sings 'I'm not awake but I'm not afraid'. This concert though, is all about the debut of a new encore, Purple Haze. With the lyrics on the floor, he sings with a powerful rock timbre and plays with the lyric 'Excuse me, while I kiss some guy'. As it's a Jimi Hendrix cover, I wasn't expecting it to showcase the voice with the focus to be on Monte (whose birthday was fast approaching), so it was a pleasant surprise when I first heard it. It seems that Adam loves Paris and decides to give a double encore. Asking the crowd what they want as a second, I'm surprised by the number of French-accented shouts for MW, so maybe the choice of songs on the acoustic EP isn't so ill-considered after all. It's an impromptu decision to do a fully electric WLL starting off quite slowly then cranking up the heat for a blazing performance. He sucks off the mic which is immediately followed by the most cartoonish expression of innocence and proceeds to finish on top of the steps in his back-bending rock star pose.
This performance, which came as a complete surprise this morning, made me realise how long it's been since we last had a professional quality recording and what a beauty it is. As great as some of the concert videos have been, they're no comparison and it makes me even more eager to get my hands on that acoustic EP. Freakin' hell, that voice! It's best appreciated through headphones so put them on, sit back and enjoy.
We get to hear Adam attempt some French before that soothing velvety voice works its magic and seduces us. The voice is so close I can almost feel the breath on my neck and my hair stand on end. The breathiness, the drawn-out notes and the way he works in that vibrato are agonisingly tender. There are a number of change-ups and the guitar is bouncier than the previous NRJ version from Berlin. The studio audience feels it and ends up clapping along, even providing a backing vocal at one point. I think I can see him lift just a little with that energy exchange. Simply beautiful.
Mercifully there don't seem to be major sound issues, no off-key moments and Adam's voice is on top form. He also seems to be in a mischievous mood, repeating the finger-sucking crowd fondle of Fever and humping Tommy during the band intro. Other moments setting the crowd alight are the Tommy-by-the-crotchular-region and the wild writhing and crawling floorgasm during the TCB encore which is not to be missed! Here are my video picks:
I was hanging around on Twitter today when the news arrived of Adam's acoustic EP. I was left bemused by the track listing, which consists of WWFM, MA, Aftermath, Soaked and MW. I expected that MW would be consigned to history and we'd get an acoustic Sleepwalker. Judging by the reactions, I'm not the only one. I hope it's not the jazzed up version of MW (which I've never thought of as befitting the lyrics), and that the production does his voice justice. Among my favourite acoustic versions of the above songs are the NRJ WWFM, MetMichiel MA, Regis and Kelly MW and any tour versions of Soaked and Aftermath.
This news was shortly followed by the release of the EP cover:
It's a Lee Cherry creation and funnily enough, just like the original FYE cover, I initially thought it was a Photoshopped fan art job and tried to place the photos from they came. The jewellery is from the Frontiers shoot, the hand could be from any number of photos... then I realised it was the real cover.
I found it a surprising choice for an acoustic EP and wondered whether he was being packaged up with stars and stripes to re-invent him as a good ole all-American boy. But it's Adam, and one of the things I love most about him is his slightly sneaky subversive streak. The colours might be patriotic but I see in it a nod to punk, especially with the eroded typeface. The black-and-white shirtless photo shows Adam as full of attitude with a proud but slightly disdainful expression. His fingers could easily be facing the other way and it would still be entirely appropriate. With the halo around his head, he flirts with religious imagery. Gay messiah, rock god, rebel against American religious nuts, whatever you wish to interpret from it, the choice of lyrics from Music Again in the background is telling — a reminder of what it is and should always be about. It's a very bold, striking cover and I'm glad he steered away from the ordinary. Love it!
At this concert, I find myself staring at Adam's wayward tuft of hair and it reflects his wild energy. He's on fire and frisky for Fever, where he brings the mic right up to the sloppy kiss and spanks Taylor. There's plenty of crotch grabbing, finger-sucking and fingering the crowd. He gets down on his knees for a brilliant Sleepwalker then sings along to the intro for Soaked. He gets audience to scream out in Aftermath. For Strut, he starts with a bandy-legged dance and I start to realise something is very wrong as he sounds low — way off-key and seems unable to correct it. It must be the worst I've ever heard him sound. In the middle of the performance, he struts off stage while the dancers continue and the crowd sings in Adam's place. He comes back to apologise at the end and explains that he was choking. The conspiracy theorist in me doesn't believe he was choking, only that he wanted to avoid criticising the sound engineering. I have to feel for him as he must've had a horrid time to abandon the performance like that. It doesn't affect the energy and I think Adam puts even more into performing to make up for it. There are a lot of small melodic differences in this set which I think are a result of sound issues. IIHY has him spanking Tommy and leaping into the air and it finishes with a crotch-grabbing TCB encore.
This is an unusual concert that stands out for many different reasons. The most notable of which is the lack of encore. Adam isn't too liberal with his high notes, there's no pause during Soaked and he takes off the long coat straight after Sleepwalker. The Hamburg audience also isn't treated to Broken Open. Apparently it was a bit rushed due to a curfew on the tiny venue. Here's my video selection:
Adam has a slicked back pompadour, a hairdo that hasn't made an appearance for a while. The venue is a very small one with no projected graphics. When he loses the coat during RoF, it's unusual to see that his arms are fully covered up by the shirt sleeves and he comes to front of stage. He completely mauls Tommy during Fever with a hungry open-mouthed smooch. The audience makes a choir of backing singers for WWFM, Broken Open is missing and the ending to Aftermath is a beautifully soft one. The entrance to SFW is a slightly different one as he slinks down steps. Adam gets down onto the floor and Brooke does the splits during their dance. TCB is full of wriggly-legged shuffly dancing and Adam gets very excited with the lewd gestures flowing, ending up in an epic floorgasm.
I'm guessing the venue is nicely heated as Adam's shirt is open very low and the white shirt doesn't return for the final wardrobe change. He has soft hair and a bindi. He roughly grabs Tommy by the neck for a Fever kiss and grabs his nether regions at the climax. Again, Broken Open is missing from the set. For the band intros, Cam does a different solo and I've come to think of Isaac as a whippet with a goofy big-toothed grin. Tommy drops to his knees for the basswanking part and it's a pleasure to watch an enthusiastic crowd jumping with the music. The encore is TCB where Adam spanks Tommy, makes some suggestive and gestures, and is handed some boxer shorts with which he dabs the sweat off his forehead without missing a note. Here are my video picks:
On this tiny stage, Adam gives a stellar vocal performance for Sleepwalker and there's something quite special about the crowd as they sing along 'walker, walker, walker'. We're lucky enough to be given a stunned silence during the a capella section to soak up the voice. The Swedish crowd don't get Broken Open but they do get a backbending TCB encore.
There are still a few pieces missing, but here's what I've selected from Norway. The set sees the return of Broken Open. Make sure you watch the Fever climax as Adam gets rather carried away, shoving his hand somewhere strategic to keep it warm. And we know how cold it is because we see the return of the shirt underneath his waistcoat in the final costume change. There are more lewd acts committed with Tommy's bass during the band intro. The addition of the shirt makes him look a little too smart to get down wild and dirty at the TCB encore.
It's the return of Glam Nation and it's great to have a concert that's in my part of the world. The set includes FYE in the opening medley but there's no Broken Open. The kissing is delayed until the band intro. The Finnish fans can be heard singing along to many of the songs in the acoustic section. We can tell it's cold because Adam puts his stripy Strut coat on a song earlier for SFW. The encore is MW. Here's my playlist:
Here's my latest edit of one of the most memorable, popular and funniest performances we've had so far. It's also the most complicated and time-consuming edit I've done, being a whole 15 minutes long. There are about 70 different pieces stitched together which took hours upon hours of watching each video at every single point to pick out the best frames for you. Enjoy!
The band all return to the stage for a TCB encore wearing ridiculous dreadlocked wigs in honour of Longineu. Adam's ones are particularly glittery and being as style-conscious he is, he wears it a little way back from his hairline to give him that well-groomed look, like he's wearing a hairband. He breezes onto the stage with a feather boa and freshly applied coat of black lipstick and I realise that this is Adam playing dress-up within the limitations of the Glam Nation wardrobe. I love the way he looks, there's something other-worldly about him, reminding me of a beautiful Predator. It's so lively on stage as they're all having fun headbanging away. Adam moves with such vigour that it sends an adrenaline shot to anyone watching. It's hilarious and manic and buzzing and pumping and chaotic and made of win.
Adam throws the wig into the audience but Monte has to tell him he shouldn't have done that. It's really fascinating to see the interaction between them. When Adam protests and justifies what he just did, Uncle Soy Sauce, cool as a cucumber, doesn't need to say anything, just starts playing the guitar. We can see it gradually dawning on Adam that the wig is an essential accessory for a reggae-infused WLL so he has to ask for it back. Every once in a while I'm reminded that Adam doesn't always sound perfect when he sings that comical little sound effect 'Ga-ga-ah!'. We can see such joy as Adam bounces along, trying to get Tommy to do the same. Tommy's wig, by contrast, is a ragged mess just sitting on top of his head and it actually falls off at one point. You can only see Monte's arm signalling to a roadie to put it back on for him here, but for the whole thing, watch geert1302's video.
Adam does some extraordinary wriggling during WLL and I love the way he chuckles to himself when he knows he's being OTT ridiculous. It's so fun to watch. The arrangement has a very cool vibe to it even though I don't think it fits the song lyrics. Reggae to me is about lying on a beach getting stoned with a nice cold cocktail, bobbing about in slow-motion at most, but too lazy for giving or receiving any sort of love. It does however pick up a few gears and the dreads come off, the electric guitar comes out and they prepare to rock. Adam isn't impressed by the huge white briefs that are thrown onto the stage, saying they need to be high cut. Another glimpse of the Adam-Monte relationship is revealed as they share a little joke. We get to appreciate Longineu's dexterous drumming one final time via a hectic but excellent solo and for once, the sound quality is up to doing it some form of justice. The song finishes with magnificent vocals and a flurry of obscene tongue-action.
There are hugs all-around at the end, with Monte calling him 'Adam Motherfucking Lambert'. We see Adam with a naughty expression after he pours water over Longineu, realising that he may have damaged some of the equipment. He can be seen sheepishly discarding the water bottle behind him, feigning childish innocence but fully aware of his mischief. It's unbelievably cute. Longineu, encouraged by Adam, stagedives to top off his Glam Nation tour. I don't think the crowd has quite enough time to prepare as he doesn't end up surfing on a sea of hands but disappears into the crowd. It's one of those performances that I don't want to end. Are you still smiling? Because I am.
I decided it was time for a little seasonal Halloween treat. Remember last year's Party City fund-raising gig? Well when I was cut off from the online world, distraction-free and incommunicado, I got constructive. My perfectionism decided to sort out the videos with those wishy-washy colours and the sound that dribbled out of one ear, so we could enjoy it that little - but very important - bit more. I omitted all the footage that didn't include Adam, adjusted the picture, muted some of the screaming and created a synthetic stereo track. Here are a couple of before and after shots:
Adam sings without a band behind him and the venue doesn't appear to support the performance with the same level of professionalism as he's accustomed to. There are constant sound issues and the engineer is unresponsive to Adam's gestures so he has to interrupt his performance to give verbal instructions. As you can tell, this isn't one of my favourite gigs because I think this is one of the rare occasions on which Adam seems a little uncomfortable. It's like he and the audience - which isn't made of avid fans - aren't quite on the same level and that energy exchange he often mentions is somewhat stunted. He has to work extra hard to engage them and get them going. I feel his frustration that they don't afford him enough respect and he has to tell them to shut up at the start of BtbW.
All videos from this concert are now in this embedded playlist:
Despite all this, the vocals are brilliant throughout and the banter is charming. I love this longer version of RoF and this is the only time we hear him sing both BoW and BtbW outside of AI. It's been a while since we last heard this slow emotional version of MW and he manages to recreate those stratospheric notes of BtbW with aplomb. We get a triple helping of 'Baby', 'Woman' and 'Man' at the a capella ending of a high-energy, gyratory, rocking WLL. I miss this arrangement and would love to hear it before the end of the tour. It's hard to believe he does all of this whilst wearing fangs. Yes, he can still fucking sing amazingly well with big fangs in his mouth!
Get my Halloweeny Glam Nation design in velvety print on a T-shirt:
Adam starts off with big fluffy hair but as this set progresses, the heat and humidity claim it. Tommy perches on Adam's shoulder before the Fever kiss and we have a very intense performance of Sleepwalker. WWFM is happy smiley and bouncy, where Adam keeps looking at the audience and smiling, having to close his eyes near the end to keep a straight face. The we have Soaked. Halle-fucking-lujah! The crowd must've read my last post and STFU /delusional. It's beautiful, and so are the floaty vocals of Broken Open. The set finishes with a head-swinging-on-his-knees TCB encore. Here's my playlist:
Adam has a spiky puffball hairdo at this concert and begins with a medley that includes FYE. Check out the crazy climactic dance during Fever followed by Sleepwalker's explosive vocals. He mentions that there are many stalkers repeat customers during the banter at the start of WWFM. After getting spoiled with all the reverent silences in Asia during Soaked, I wish Americans would shut the fuck up refrain from exercising their right to freedom of speech in the middle of the a cappella section. There's lots of freestyle riffing at end of SFW and MA sees Adam fluffing up Tommy's hair, whose side has recently been shaved. He looks like a boy scout with that scarf around his neck. The band intro has Camilla doing Axel F as her solo and the encore is a fast-paced TCB finished on Adam's knees. Here's my playlist:
OK you asked for it so you get it! Here's my latest edit after what seems to be a very long time. Between catching up, doing T-shirts, blogging and generally being a fan, I've been spending time learning how to use my recent editing tool acquisition. Unfortunately my little laptop can't cope with anything else when I'm using it, hence the long periods of radio silence. This video's better quality than my previous efforts as there's less quality loss, and I think the fact that most of the videos are from the sweaty mosh pit really add to its feel. Enjoy!
This is the wild rock star Adam coming out to play, and instead of causing outrage and offence, I think he's like a mischievous imp indulging in a bit of naughtiness, testing how far he can push it. With hindsight we can see him prowling the stage scanning the audience for pretty people for potential pashing. He eyes them up, flirting, playing and loving how they go crazy. In the first of the tonguedives, we can see Adam lock onto his prey before going in for the kill but he's not quite as savage as his approach would lead us to believe. He's gentler than expected but it's only when the crowd starts to ravage him, clawing at him, trying to rip his clothes off that things get a bit wild. We then see modest Adam pull away and do his buttons back up, not wanting to reveal more freckled flesh than intended. He then continues to pick out another lucky person to lock lips with and elevate to the envy of everyone else in the room. It's shortly followed by a startlingly high and perfect glory note and plenty of thrusting just to make sure we know that he's on heat. For the frantic finish, the wildman gets down on his knees for uninhibited and primal thrusting, writhing like he can't handle it any more and is about to explode. Then he gets up with that butter-wouldn't-melt smile, telling the crowd with a nudge-wink tone that he lurves them. He blows special kisses to those who've already had more than their fair share, thanking them for being game.
Adam's tongue-diving and glory note tongue on a T-shirt I designed:
It's my Adam cover of the Rolling Stones logo. It was during Adam's cover of a Rolling Stones song that we first saw that infamous tongue snake out so I think there's a lovely symmetry to it all.
I've only skimmed through these so far, but can tell you that there is a Fever kiss, a spectacular Sleepwalker vocal, and the piano introduction to Soaked is a little different to usual. It's more in line with the original melody but beautifully soft. Here's my playlist which I'll be updating as more videos turn up:
Every once in a while during Glam Nation, Adam unleashes his mischief-making wildman and this is one of those occasions. We can see this starting to take shape at the end of Aftermath when he tells the crowd "Quit throwing shit up here," as a response to them throwing things up on stage. But it's during IIHY that the brazen rock star hand picks someone out of the audience to engage in a spot of tongue-diving. The lucky fans get to see Adam on fire for the TCB encore which has him lifting Cam's hair and licking the back of her neck, then writhing and squirming in orgasmic agony/ecstasy all over the stage floor.
We're still missing a few bits and pieces from this concert but here's what I've managed to gather together so far. His glittery pompadour seems to be reaching skyscraper proportions. We have a fleeting Fever kiss and MW as the encore.
One of the annoying things about having no internet the last few days is that I missed being part of a TV event with you all. I've dearly missed the AI days of having Adam regularly on my screen along with the excitement and anticipation that went with it and it seems that the last event that we could all watch together was years ago.
Having watched so many of the Glam Nation videos, it seems strange seeing Adam performing IIHY in the 'wrong' clothes. There's a little voice in my head that's saying he looks overdressed as he's not supposed to be wearing that coat for this number. But then I realise it might be because it's a costume meant for a live audience rather than TV cameras so it looks a bit much under the bright studio lights. We have some white leather gloves as an addition to the outfit and an enormous pompadour. Maybe I'm just a touch disappointed that there's no new outfit to inspect and discuss.
When I first watched this video hours after it aired, I still had to hold my breath as I was nervous. It had been a long time since a TV performance. Audio feeds straight from the mic leave nowhere to hide if your voice is tired or imperfect. My nerves weren't helped by the first 'boots' which sounds a fraction off but I needn't have worried at all. I should've had more confidence as Adam expertly breezes though the performance, voice super-smooth throughout the dancing and with that beautiful velvety-rich grainy texture I love so much. His camera interaction is spot-on and he even has a touch of that endearing lyric fail as there's a lack of 'Life would be a party, it'd be ecstasy'. After all those concert recordings which leave much to be desired in terms of quality, I'd almost forgotten how exceptional his voice is and how he controls it to pitch-perfection. This is a wonderfully pleasant surprise that far Xceeds my Xpectations.
I haven't managed to watch all of these videos yet and we've not quite got complete songs but we have a Fever kiss and Adam ending up on the floor during MA. This one is all about the Enter Sandman encore though. Here's my playlist:
Monte has been teasing us with those Enter Sandman riffs for a long time and we finally get to see the full version on the special occasion of Tommy's birthday with it being one of his favourite songs. Adam admits to not knowing all the lyrics and as a result, performs much of it on his knees while reading the lyrics off pieces of paper stuck to the floor, where he also gets a bit frisky. Tommy gets an additional special birthday kiss. The thing that I love most about this performance is we get to hear a different side of Adam's voice that's more in line with his old Citizen Vein material with a much harder and heavier sound. His voice has added grit, a cutting Axl Rose wail and it's effortlessly powerful. In contrast to the Metallica growl, it's also surprisingly mellifluous and bright like a beacon, carrying a seemingly impossible amount of melody.
I've gotten just a little bit behind, having been deprived of internet access the last few days. There were protests against Adam in Malaysia so he decided to tone things downjust a touch out of respect to the local audience. It's still a fantastic show in front of a huge crowd. Instead of kissing Tommy, he blows a kiss to the audience. There are minor adjustments to Adam and the dancers' moves and he slides onto his knees during SFW. He refrains from making lewd use of his cane during Strut and Tommy also refrains from basswanking after an extended solo. Watch out for the hilarious foot-grabbing Brooke dance. The set ends with a double encore of MW and TCB. I'm not sure Isaac's quite on the same wavelength as Adam yet as during TCB Adam seems to be a little distracted with getting Isaac's attention and spends too much of the time with his back to the crowd. As a result, I'm not really feeling this one, it seems to be lacking in the wild energy we usually get. Here's my playlist:
I haven't had time to watch all of these yet, but here's my selection anyway. There's no kissing during Fever, Adam requests some male underwear instead of bras and there's a double encore of MW and TCB. Enjoy!
I watched this concert on a live stream which had a bizarre Barry White effect on Adam's voice, making it sound like a tuba. Nevertheless, he sounded wonderful and the added huskiness was pleasant. This event was on a different scale to any other so far, drawing a massive crowd of 16.5k+ people. Here's my playlist so far:
Adam's hair looks somewhat out of sorts compared to usual and Monte is strangely wearing a wig. FYE is kept in the opening medley. Tommy initiates the kissing with a peck during Fever. The acoustic section is stunning and Adam returns with a SFW where he slides to his knees. Brooke seems to have thrust out her rear a little too much during her dance as it collides with the Glambulge and Adam jokes about it by squeaking in a high-pitched voice. The encore is Mad World.
I like this arrangement of FYE, it moves away from the electro-pop vibe and goes for a more laid-back funk-rock. We get that very powerful FYE belt that I haven't heard in ages which is followed up by a bit of lyric fail as Adam continues singing FYE instead of DTRH. We have a gentle kiss during Fever and no Brooke dance as she had to jet off before the concert finished. The highlight of the night though, has to be the return to the infamous steps for the acoustic WLL encore. It's a super-sultry floaty trip and I wonder whether Adam wants to rock out when he goes over to hit Isaac's cymbals, but it seems he's in his own world. During the performance, Adam picks up a rose, suggestively angling it before throwing it back out to the audience. It's been a while since a fully acoustic version and I love it because of the way Adam uses his voice. There is no better demonstration of how he masters it as a musical instrument.
For the second Tokyo date, Fever has an additional pirouette dance move as Adam's shaking it. He changes a lyric to 'Put your little tongue in mine' for MA. At the end, we have a double encore of MW & TCB, after which Adam can be seen picking out some cute boys from the crowd. Here are my picks:
There's still not much video for this concert but I was fortunate enough to be able to tune into the stream to watch from the front. Adam promised that he'd slay it and he didn't disappoint. His huge glittery hair was dazzling and a super thrusty Fever came with a big long smooch. The ripped 'peach' trousers didn't make an appearance though. The acoustic part of the set with its singalongs and silent mesmerised crowd was a highlight for me, especially Soaked and Broken Open. I prefer this sparser acoustic arrangement without any drums. Adam dropped to his knees for a fiery MA and there was some basswanking going on. The encore was TCB, complete with bra and wild (slightly epileptic!) dancing. Here's my playlist, I'm afraid we're still missing most of the set though:
This second Japan concert will be remembered as the one where one of the concert-goers (@yammyyammy) saw Adam's 'peach' through ripped trousers. Now before you die of excitement, let me explain that 'thigh' and 'peach' in Japanese are homophones, and a simple input error caused this amusing mix-up. Adam's rear wasn't on display. Here's my selection thanks to our dear video ninjas:
This opens again with a medley that includes FYE. Monte's blazing guitar solos during Sleepwalker just seem to get better. Adam tells us he's hot at the start of WWFM and asks the crowd for fan. Again I'm impressed by the Japanese fans and their ability to scream considerately so that we can all appreciate and feel Adam's voice. During the silence at the end of Soaked, you can actually hear him breathing and it can't fail to give you goosebumps. This set includes a heartbreakingly beautiful acoustic Broken Open. Aftermath has the audience clapping to the rhythm of the song and serves an additional instrument of percussion. He can be seen fanning himself again during a blistering SFW before throwing it back into the audience. The dance with Brooke has Adam striking numerous poses in one of his most uninhibited yet, almost like a parody. The encore of the set is TCB where Adam can be seen playing with Tommy's bass and he mischievously goes up to the much-ignored Cam behind her keyboards to sing.
Despite the strict security measures, I'm thrilled our ninjas came through with video. There aren't any background visuals, just Adam and a spotlight. One of the things that strikes me about this concert is that everyone knows all the words to the songs and they're all singing along beautifully. I love to see all the hands in the air and screaming at considerate times, which does wonders for the energy. It has a club vibe to it. Here are my picks:
The set is extended with FYE nestled in between Voodoo and DTRH. There's no intro to Aftermath but it's great to hear the audience clapping along. We can hear a pin drop at the end of Soaked, one of the most beautiful versions so far. It must be hot - Adam doesn't put on his stripy coat for Strut where someone faints. He plays with a towel during much of MA and my heart swells as he shoos the security people out of the way to stop them obstructing the fans' view. We can see one of them attempting to crouch for a while before giving up. The Encore is MW. Adam's eye makeup is super-dramatic and Monte has a shaved head.
It seems very strange seeing a Glam Nation concert in the sunshine as I've been used to seeing Adam appear out of the darkness. The costumes are more suited to the evening but many of the band members have adapted by wearing sunglasses. It is unusual that there are no costume changes. There's a lot of flirting going on during Fever but no kissing. There's very little video so far but I'll post what we have anyway:
This is the highly anticipated first leg of the the international part of the tour as Adam received an enthusiastic reception from Singaporean fans. We were expecting an extended set with additional songs according to Adam but it wasn't to be this time. We do have plenty of new background images though. The concert includes a Tommy kiss despite the conservative laws against homosexuality. Mad World is the encore. Here are my picks so far:
This is the last stop before Glam Nation goes international and although it's been fantastic, I have to say, I think we all need a bit of rest. The amount of media that has come out of the tour has been quite overwhelming and it's been hard work trying to stay on top of it all. Here's my playlist:
For this concert, Adam has blue eyebrows and a glittery blue widow's peak fronting a thick and spiky mohawk. We have a nice little descending guitar lick at the start of Fever where Tommy sucks on Adam's finger. There is another amazing guitar solo during Sleepwalker and the usual staggering vocals. Adam talks about riding the rides in the fair at the start of WWFM, quite a fast-paced one but sung exquisitely. I realise that after so many Soaked performances, I'm still in love with that haunting note. There are some welcome changes during Aftermath where we get a bonus big note as the cherry on top. I realise it must be quite cold as the stripy coat stays on after MA. IIHY has Adam commenting on Tommy's boots and he acquires a feather boa that he later drapes over Tommy's shoulder. The encore is TCB which starts off with Monte doing a heavy 'Enter Sandman' riff.
After what seems like forever, the rest of the world can finally get to experience Glam Nation. I can't wait!
This is the penultimate concert of the US leg of the tour before Glam Nation heads overseas. What was meant to be about 50 concerts has turned into a sell-out 100 plus including overseas, which is an achievement that deserves celebrating. And I'm pleased that the voice is still top-notch with no signs of fatigue. The tour bus drivers, glammed up, join Adam on stage during the dancer intros for a hilarious surprise as it's last stop on the road. Here are my picks for last night:
This is the first concert with new drummer Issac Carpenter and the handover is seamless. Adam has a big shiny Vanilla Ice hairdo with makeup that includes a bindi and he has very few shirt buttons done up. Here's my playlist:
There's a wonderful bridging transition between RoF and Fever where the instrumentals start out sparse and Adam continues with his middle eastern trills. The position he takes is that of a hunter ready to pounce before the speed and the beat pick up to become our familiar Fever hook. Tommy gets a gentle kiss in this one. Sleepwalker is magnificent, Aftermath sees Adam encouraging us to scream out and SFW has a strangely enunciated last line. There's some joking with Cam during the intros and the encore is MW.
This is my first post in ages and the first full concert I've managed to watch in over a month. What an unbelievable concert to return to! I'll be posting playlists for all the other concerts soon but it's unlikely I'll be able to comment on them all. Here are my picks for this concert:
I haven't been able to see how the set has progressed over the past month so some of my observations might seem a little old. This is Longineu's last concert with Adam and he will be missed. RoF includes some different trills and it's a welcome change to get caught out when I think I can memorise every single note. Fever is kiss-free and the high notes are as bright as ever, even after so many concerts. I notice that there is a wind machine and realise it must be really hot as Adam descends the stairs during Sleepwalker without his long sweeping coat. It gives the performance quite a different feel, less brooding without that added visual punch. Monte gives us a blur-fingered virtuoso solo, the intricacy having increased a heck of a lot in one month. There's a bit of cheeky grinding up against Tommy during SFW and the Strut coat only stays on for one song.
We have a different-sounding solo from Cam where the electric effect is off and the result is that we can appreciate it more because we can hear the detail. Longineu gives us a very long solo for his final introduction and there is a touching moment as he runs to the front of the stage to give Adam a hug. There's more naughtiness with Tommy's bass and I think I can see Monte shrinking away from Adam just a little before he's reassured it's all platonic. Adam provides the commentary while his dancers show us their moves.
The band all return to the stage for TCB wearing ridiculous dreadlocked wigs in honour of Longineu. Adam also has a freshly applied coat of black lipstick and feather boa. The result is hilarious as they all play up to it, having fun headbanging away. It's one of the funniest performances yet, with the visuals being so at odds with the music. Adam throws the wig but has to ask for it back as it's an essential accessory for the reggae-infused WLL. Yes, that's right, REGGAE WLL! It has a cool vibe to it even though it doesn't really fit the song lyrics. Reggae to me is about laying on a beach getting stoned with a nice cold cocktail, bouncing in slow-motion at most, but too lazy for giving or receiving any love. Adam isn't impressed by the huge white briefs that are thrown onto the stage and says he likes them high cut. The WLL turns into the heavier rock version, finished off with plenty of obscene tongue-action.
There are hugs all-around at the end, with Monte calling him 'Adam Motherfucking Lambert' and Longineu, encouraged by Adam, stagedives to top off his Glam Nation tour. I'm not sure how well he was caught though, from the videos he doesn't seem to be surfing on a sea of hands, he just kind of disappears for a bit. Anyway, it's great to be back!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! This is the final concert before I'm all up caught up. Never have guests while Adam is on tour! I missed almost 30 concerts and each one had an average of 30+ videos. That's a whole lot of watching if you do the maths. Each playlist takes hours and I did find myself wondering whether it was worth the effort. The concerts have been and gone and interest moves onto the new. But I guess I still wanted to make it as easy as possible to help you to relive your favourite concerts knowing the best videos are at hand.
Look out for Monte's lightning fast fingers in a blistering Sleepwalker solo and Adam's eyebrows dancing to Tommy's bass during the band intros.
Spiritual home of Glam Nation. Adam walks down the stairs with voodoo staff. The band are all wearing feathered masks. Adam gives Tommy nipple twist during the opening number. At the start of Fever, Adam removes Tommy's mask before mauling him, relishing it with a lick of lips. We have a floorwrithing TCB encore.
There are particularly spectacular Sleepwalker vocals. Adam forgets the lyrics to SFW & jokes about it. Make sure you watch Monte's brilliantly funky solo during the band intros on his home turf. TCB is the encore.
SFW is particularly lively. Adam fusses over a fainting fan as he comes on for the encore. It's a double encore of a sultry WLL with a powerful acoustic arrangement, and an electrifying TCB which finishes on Adam's knees.
WWFM is sung in a lower key than usual and Cam is replaced by Zac. The sound from the acoustic set videos is absolutely beautiful and well worth a listen. Here are my picks:
Cam is replaced by Zac at this stop. Again, Adam keeps his coat on at the end of the set. Must be cold. Lots of beautiful video from this concert. Here's my selection:
This is an open air concert in the street with a firework display during Soaked. Adam keeps his jacket on for the last few songs after saying how cold it is.
Adam lewdly assists Tommy in the playing of his instrument during the band intro but reassures Monte that he won't touch his. He uses his mic as probe down Brookes body during the dancer intros then checks out Tommy's butt in the TCB encore.
