Glamajuku Hits Japan

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I'd been very excited about Adam's visit to fashion-forward Japan, where there is no top to OTT and fanaticism is taken to a whole new level. It must have been quite an experience to have received such an enthusiastic welcome from the thousand dedicated fans who lined up to greet him at Narita. There could be little that's more validating than that and I'm so happy Adam is getting the appreciation he deserves overseas.

Sometimes I wonder what type of creative performances we would have seen from Adam if the AI audience were Japanese. We have been provided with a good glimpse though, and it's a joy to see him so at ease with really letting loose in expressing himself.

His first show on this trip for those few lucky fans was in Club Eleven in Roppongi. Decked out as a dazzling spiky glitterbomb with those now infamously flattering leggings (sans codpiece), he really rocked the joint in a couple of choreographed numbers. I love the setting and think that concerts are so much better when moshing rather than sitting. The atmosphere seems electric, with the videos capturing the feel of the small sweaty underground club of the FYE music video. Except I think these videos do it better because it's less staged and much more authentic. I wasn't keen on the dancers on SYTYCD in Australia, but I think the routines here work much better because Adam is an integral part and the dancers complement rather than do battle with him. Here's the set embedded as a playlist (use the arrows to choose the song) :



This is Adam's first live televised performance of FYE (below, second video in playlist) since the AMAs and there have been some notable changes. The vocal is much improved but the start is still a tiny bit shaky. I think this is because the verses are a little low for him so it's difficult to sing sustained notes with the same clarity and power as the chorus. As with the Roppongi rendition, it's been shortened and I notice that he's been sliding up to the high notes rather than jumping which makes it easier to find the right pitch, and pretty much pitch-perfect he is. He shows off some very slick new dance moves and the routine as a whole is made of win.

And the look! Wow! It appears that he really went with his 'More is more' mantra with make-up that truly is a work of art. There appear to be influences from Japanese kabuki theatre with the eye make-up, enhanced by the rhinestones and thick eyebrows. I think he looks like a cute anime sprite. The fiery colours are quite a departure from the cool colours I'm used to. Those along with the fur, spikes and claws complete a leonine look. Rawr!