Thursday 25 November 2010

Glam Nation: Milan


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:

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Glam Nation: Zürich


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:

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Glam Nation: Vienna


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.

E! True Hollywood Story


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:

Glam Nation: Amsterdam


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.

Monday 22 November 2010

Glam Nation: Cologne


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:

Glam Nation: Paris


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.

Thursday 18 November 2010

Unplugged in Paris


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.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Glam Nation: Stuttgart


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:

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Uncle Sam-Bert


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:

Adam Lambert Live Acoustic 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!

Glam Nation: Berlin


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.

Monday 15 November 2010

Glam Nation: Hamburg


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:

Saturday 13 November 2010

Glam Nation: Munich


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.

Thursday 11 November 2010

Glam Nation: Copenhagen


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:

Glam Nation: Stockholm


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.

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Glam Nation: Oslo


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.

Sunday 7 November 2010

Glam Nation: Helsinki


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:

Friday 5 November 2010

Longineu's Dreaded Departure


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.

DOWNLOAD TCB WLL iPod compatible mp4 - 99.0MB
DOWNLOAD TCB WLL iPod compatible mp4 - 99.0MB - alternative (Mediafire) link
DOWNLOAD TCB WLL mp3 - 20.4MB