The stream wasn't a very good one but it was enough to see that Adam looked beautiful and fresh-faced, skin peachy with minimal makeup, bringing back memories of One. The hair and staging was very reminiscent of ToMT but with softer lighting and not quite as dapper or slick. His clothing was much more casual, hearkening back to some of those old Upright performances. It was an excellent introduction that he had, with Ryan paying tribute to what he'd done for the performance aspect of AI and his songwriting skills.
I'd spent the last few days working on my latest video edit of Aftermath, one of my pitch-perfect favourites and a precursor to this, so my ears were quite attuned to the song. After the rapid new chords of Monte's intro, a shaky and tentative start had me worried. I'm afraid to say that the first "Lost" sounded just that and on an acoustic set there's nothing to hide pitch issues behind. The set was quite darkly lit and intimate, accompanied by a hardly recognisable Isaac and a Tommy with a very big bouffant. There were a few other notes that didn't quite hit the mark but everything came together before the mid-point in the song and the power behind the vocals lifted it. The expressions on Adam's face along with his movements and finger-pointing were just fascinating to watch and the camera loved him. I love those gritty raspy belts which are my favourite timbre of his and they were plentiful towards the end. The finish was a sweet and soothing whisper with Adam looking particularly angelic.
Maybe I'll have more comments to add tomorrow but for now it's bedtime.
I noticed the slight vocal issues in the beginning too but I can't help wondering if it's also this new idol stage that amplifies the vocal flaws. The vocals sound thinner for not just him but also the other contestants compared to last week. Nigel said he had made some adjustments to the sound this week, by moving the instrumentals to the background and removing the echoeynes. While it's made the vocals more forefront it also makes any mistakes even more obvious.
ReplyDeleteAdam looked very relaxed and in his element but I think the pressure got to him in the beginning. I cringed at a couple of off key notes in the beginning and was sorry it wasn't a perfect performance, but everything else was absolutely perfect, the variations in timbre, including the wonderful vocal acrobatics on LOVE the surprising soft ending.
ReplyDeleteI've seen every Aftermath performance available and there were never pitch issues before, so I was sad about that. But Adam made up for that and was charming to boot.
Monte had me worried when he tweeted it would be a new version we hadn't heard before. I'd wanted America to get a taste of the GlamNation acoustic version which showcased Adam's voice. Who expected the entire band to be there? What a wonderful a surpri
Adam at the end of Aftermath, I know his heart is full! http://twitpic.com/48c8gi
Terra, I haven't been following AI so am unaware of the changes that have been made. I just watched it on my TV though, which sounded much better. I think Adam was quite nervous for this one as he didn't seem to have the usual ease when talking to Ryan at the end.
ReplyDeleterebop, it's a shame he didn't nail everything but I'm sure very few people noticed or hung onto his every note like we did. There was so much variation in power and volume and pitch and timbre, no wonder it was a challenge to sing. The dorky dougie moment at the end was such fun to watch.
I was never worried about the new version, just very curious. Like you, I thought it would only be Adam and Monte and it took me ages to figure out who was on drums. I'd forgotten that Isaac had hair and could wear clothes! I do really like this version and think it complements his voice very well. I love that expression he has at the end. He could get absolutely anything with that smile!
Hi, Lambo! I liked this performance. I loved no make-up and casual outfit this time. Adam looked so handsome and adorable. And yea his smile… killed me softly :) Maybe that’s why I didn’t notice some pitch problems :) I think it was another beautiful AM rendition. But I do agree you can’t hide anything from hardcore fans :) You know what really made me wonder was Tylors and JLo facial expression. Did they like him?! Maybe they started to worry how they will be able to give critiques to contestants and say to them “you are best I’ve ever seen in this show” after hearing Adam live?! Or maybe Tylor was just envy that he is not young and hot anymore LOL However we had one more chance to see Adam and listen to his wonderful performance. BR, Diana.
ReplyDeleteI know it's in the best spirit, but I think Adam's fans can sometimes be a tad overly critical of him and expect perfection 100% of the time. Who else has fans that do that? :)
ReplyDeleteI watched that performance and noticed a very slight pitch mistake or two in the first bit of the song. I put it down to an unusual case of nerves - something to do with being back at Idol, Steve Tyler being there, launching a song people don't really know - who knows what it was. I can only guess. But it didn't matter. The mistakes were only noticable to someone who's listened to the acoustic version 100s of times and even then, they were hardly awful. They sounded just fine. Clearly he was too self-aware at the beginning - I noticed Tommy looking a bit worried towards him at one point. Then he seemed to go "out of his body" (as he expressed it) and the performance just took off. For the majority of the song he was right on track and it sounded beautiful.
There's also something to be said for Adam NOT sounding absolutely perfect every single time he performs. People tend to like you more if you have the occassional flaw or slip up and his perfection has been the subject of negative comments that I've come across. It feels more real to people - especially with an emotional song like that. It just came across as genuine and like he was really feeling the lyrics. There was certainly nothing "cringe-worthy" in there!
I've read lots of very positive comments from people who weren't his fans but loved that performance. So I wouldn't worry about it too much. :)
As for Tyler and JLo - they were just wierd. Guess they have to continue to pretend they have the "greatest" bunch of contestants EVER and Adam being there makes that a little difficult.
Diana, Hi! Feels like we haven't chatted in ages! I really loved that look of his too and it was a beautiful change after seeing him perform in heavy makeup during Glam Nation. I wouldn't worry too much about the reaction of the judges though, perhaps they just needed a moment to take it all in. He was literally stunning!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I'm a perfectionist, guilty as charged! The thing is, the more I've listened to him, the more sensitive my ears have become and I use his own perfection as a benchmark. I agree that most people won't be hanging on, nervous, with bated breath, to every single note of his like obsessed fans.
I do still feel that the off notes were unpleasant though. However I do appreciate imperfections if they add to the performance. A voice cracking under emotion or that last note in Mad World on Idol can be so beautiful.
I'm not bothered by the judge reactions as it could've just been unfortunate editing.