Adam's third return to AI to perform was something that had been on the cards for quite some time and one that I'd really been looking forward to. When Adam's on the Idol stage, he's determined to give us an audiovisual feast, never failing to impress. Who can forget that swirling vortex of WWFM or the dark intimate set of Aftermath? I was very excited about what Adam would bring to the stage this time.
There have been some symmetries and full-circle moments with Adam on AI and this is another example. Not only does Adam physically resemble Elvis and his mannerisms,he mentored for Elvis week and now he performs on the same show as his daughter. Here's the performance:
NEON!!! Who the fuck would've thought that Adam in his sombre black glitterless phase would go for UV-glowing neon? It's in his earrings, on his nails and appears as accents on the band members' outfits. Trust him to make such a strong visual statement. Time to go clubbing! The colour makes him look very tanned. He completes the look with tight leather trousers, gloves and a grey jacket which I wonder if he's personally customised. He also has an evil Bond-villain little finger claw as jewellery. Behind him is a massive visual of Adam's eye. It must be Adam's eye because of the iris markings circling his pupil and the separate dot below it. Not that I'm obsessive or anything. I think overall, the graphics with flashing lights and smoke, along with the zooming in the editing make the video too busy for my liking.
The opening chorus is shortened probably so that the producers can fit more adverts into the allotted time. A fierce Adam prowls the stage, working it with his fun dancing and shoulder-shimmying and engaging with the band. I'm sure he's dying to thrust his crotch around when he sings this song but knows much better. He sings it flawlessly with a powerful and rich rock vocal despite some wobbly jaw moments. The backing singers sound great if a little loud on the high notes, but they guarantee that the sound is never thin. He ends with an unexpected long run, reminiscent of many performances on that stage. He looks like he's having so much fun on stage which in turn makes him an absolute joy to watch. He leaves me with warm fuzzy feeling of pride.
After the end of the song, we see Adam revert to his non-performer persona, lighting up the room with his cherubic smile and modest demeanour. I'm a little disappointed there isn't a short interview seeing as we can't get enough of him saying words, but I really liked the performance. The lasting impression I have is that he has used the Idol stage to re-brand himself from glam rocker to clubber for this Trespassing era, a transition he has made effortlessly with style while remaining true to himself.
Showing posts with label American Idol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Idol. Show all posts
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Friday, 11 March 2011
Aftermath On Idol
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'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.
Friday, 16 April 2010
The Return of the King
Adam made an excellent mentor on his return to AI for Elvis week. Having a slick pompadour with a spiky modern twist, he was smart and business-like in his suit jacket for mentoring, and casually glamorous in his shirt and waistcoat on the show. He was much more bluntly honest than I was expecting, but every piece of advice ranging from presentation skills to vocal nuance to arrangement was spot-on and was much more useful than any of the nonsense dished out by the judges. It's just the contestants' loss that some frustratingly didn't follow through his advice. We saw contestant after contestant wussing out after Adam told them to push things further, take some risks and just let go. I can only conclude that it's a very difficult thing to do as fear seems to have debilitated everyone to some extent. One thing became clearer to me more than ever though, which is how much balls it takes to fully commit to going for it in every single performance. I would have loved to have seen Adam versions of all of the songs but none of the contestants would have been able to tackle any of his upbeat ones like Satisfaction, BoW, PTFM, BtBW or WLL, and neither do they possess the vocal mastery or emotional conveyance to successfully deliver RoF, MW or ACIGC. Adam Lambert is exceptionally brave but makes it look effortlessly natural with his powerful presence, dynamic range and electrifying energy on stage.
Here's a video I put together of all of Adam's parts during the show. It's not just a plain splice-and-stitch as I decided to take some artistic liberties. I hope you enjoy it.
DOWNLOAD Adam Mentor sessions AI9 v2 iPod compatible mp4 - 70.6MB
The excitement building up to Adam's performance on AI was unbelieveable. After enduring the rest of the show, when it finally got to Adam, I felt a hush sweep right through cyberspace where I was watching the stream. We held our collective breath as an air of nervous anticipation hung over us. I'd done my best to avoid any spoilers, but I had built up my expectation that this was going to be something special because Adam would want to exceed the standard he already set himself on the show. There were a number of options available, each one appealing in its own way. I was expecting to hear WWFM with a twist - perhaps one of the remixes or a surprising arrangement.
Our first view of Adam is as a solitary silhouette in front of a narrow laser spotlight ring. We wait for the spotlight to fill and brighten but it doesn't. We strain to see him, strain to see how he presents himself but he stubbornly remains shrouded in a mysterious smoke. We have to tune up our hearing sense to soak in this experience. The first ghostly elongated notes are a sublime a cappella, reminiscent of FYE at the AMAs, but there is an eerie echo. We are phantoms in an unfamiliar world, not sure where we are or where we're going. The spotlight widens to reveal turbulent clouds circling Adam in a barren alien landscape. The camera moves through the outer boundary limit and we are now sharing that dark inner space and realise we're enclosed inside a swirling vortex with the threat of something beautifully terrible looming ahead, and overhead is a portal we are both awed and frightened by because we know there's no return from it. The dizzying feeling is of floating and struggling to hold onto each other as we drift away aimlessly into an abyss.
In comes a hint of synthesiser, sounding like the slow build-up to a rave track as Adam slips from our grasp and we drift away from him. It feels like all is lost, our connection having been severed but then there's new hope as the voice becomes stronger and richer, the chorus kicks in with extra lights, and the spell that had banished us to that other world has been broken. We get our first close-up and can see Adam's hair and dramatic make-up but he remains elusive as he tries to emerge from the debris of that dark place. He's still lost in the thick fog. It leads us to some interesting camera angles where the stage looks huge and he looks so far away from everything.
It's in the second verse when we finally get to see his shiny beaded silver jacket, which I don't think is very flattering, and notice that his earpieces are glowing. The multitude of laser beams give off the feeling that Adam's in the line of fire as people are taking aim from all sides. That and the smoke make it seem like a noisy, confusing space we're now in and reflects the meaning of the song as he pleads to us. There are some breathtaking shots of Adam in iconic-looking poses singing to a spotlight ahead, but it's hard to make out his dancing. The timbre of his vocals is exquisitely rich and he hits some stunning notes in full belt. There are a few iffy notes here and there like in the final run, but in a performance like this, it doesn't matter because the audience is already spellbound. Even though I can't see him for much of the time, he owns the stage as my eyes are constantly trying to seek him out. I think he likes playing with us because he waits until we're all so desperate to see how he looks before unveiling himself.
Adam has come such a long way and it should be of no surprise that this return to the Idol stage is my favourite WWFM yet. The staging and atmospherics are staggering, the likes of which the Idol stage has probably never seen. The only thing I would change is for the smoke to get sucked away as soon as the chorus kicks in to deliver the visual impact of seeing him standing tall in the light. Impressively packed full of excitement and thrills, this is such an amazing multi-sensory spectacle to behold. I'm transported to another mood, another world. My expectations were shattered as he somehow manages to continually surprise us. Wow. What a show. Adam is king of the stage because you don't just see and hear his performances then question your senses, you are left with a lasting impression because you feel them and want to feel them over and over again.
Here's a video I put together of all of Adam's parts during the show. It's not just a plain splice-and-stitch as I decided to take some artistic liberties. I hope you enjoy it.
DOWNLOAD Adam Mentor sessions AI9 v2 iPod compatible mp4 - 70.6MB
The excitement building up to Adam's performance on AI was unbelieveable. After enduring the rest of the show, when it finally got to Adam, I felt a hush sweep right through cyberspace where I was watching the stream. We held our collective breath as an air of nervous anticipation hung over us. I'd done my best to avoid any spoilers, but I had built up my expectation that this was going to be something special because Adam would want to exceed the standard he already set himself on the show. There were a number of options available, each one appealing in its own way. I was expecting to hear WWFM with a twist - perhaps one of the remixes or a surprising arrangement.
Our first view of Adam is as a solitary silhouette in front of a narrow laser spotlight ring. We wait for the spotlight to fill and brighten but it doesn't. We strain to see him, strain to see how he presents himself but he stubbornly remains shrouded in a mysterious smoke. We have to tune up our hearing sense to soak in this experience. The first ghostly elongated notes are a sublime a cappella, reminiscent of FYE at the AMAs, but there is an eerie echo. We are phantoms in an unfamiliar world, not sure where we are or where we're going. The spotlight widens to reveal turbulent clouds circling Adam in a barren alien landscape. The camera moves through the outer boundary limit and we are now sharing that dark inner space and realise we're enclosed inside a swirling vortex with the threat of something beautifully terrible looming ahead, and overhead is a portal we are both awed and frightened by because we know there's no return from it. The dizzying feeling is of floating and struggling to hold onto each other as we drift away aimlessly into an abyss.
In comes a hint of synthesiser, sounding like the slow build-up to a rave track as Adam slips from our grasp and we drift away from him. It feels like all is lost, our connection having been severed but then there's new hope as the voice becomes stronger and richer, the chorus kicks in with extra lights, and the spell that had banished us to that other world has been broken. We get our first close-up and can see Adam's hair and dramatic make-up but he remains elusive as he tries to emerge from the debris of that dark place. He's still lost in the thick fog. It leads us to some interesting camera angles where the stage looks huge and he looks so far away from everything.
It's in the second verse when we finally get to see his shiny beaded silver jacket, which I don't think is very flattering, and notice that his earpieces are glowing. The multitude of laser beams give off the feeling that Adam's in the line of fire as people are taking aim from all sides. That and the smoke make it seem like a noisy, confusing space we're now in and reflects the meaning of the song as he pleads to us. There are some breathtaking shots of Adam in iconic-looking poses singing to a spotlight ahead, but it's hard to make out his dancing. The timbre of his vocals is exquisitely rich and he hits some stunning notes in full belt. There are a few iffy notes here and there like in the final run, but in a performance like this, it doesn't matter because the audience is already spellbound. Even though I can't see him for much of the time, he owns the stage as my eyes are constantly trying to seek him out. I think he likes playing with us because he waits until we're all so desperate to see how he looks before unveiling himself.
Adam has come such a long way and it should be of no surprise that this return to the Idol stage is my favourite WWFM yet. The staging and atmospherics are staggering, the likes of which the Idol stage has probably never seen. The only thing I would change is for the smoke to get sucked away as soon as the chorus kicks in to deliver the visual impact of seeing him standing tall in the light. Impressively packed full of excitement and thrills, this is such an amazing multi-sensory spectacle to behold. I'm transported to another mood, another world. My expectations were shattered as he somehow manages to continually surprise us. Wow. What a show. Adam is king of the stage because you don't just see and hear his performances then question your senses, you are left with a lasting impression because you feel them and want to feel them over and over again.
Thursday, 8 April 2010
The Student Becomes the Master
Wishful thinking often morphs into rumours through Chinese Whispers and I thought this was the case when it came to Adam being touted as a mentor on AI. He dispelled it during the Heat chat only for it to rear its head again yesterday via a DJ who claimed to have received an official notice. Many dismissed this but it was confirmed later to plenty of excitement and flailing. To mark the occasion, I've put together a video of all the mentor sessions from last season. Slash was the only one to have given Adam any advice and I remember wondering at the time how they would have been able to mentor him as I felt that the student had already overtaken the master.
I've always thought Adam would make an excellent mentor on AI for so many reasons. He is extremely articulate in expressing relevant opinions in a tactful manner. He doesn't mumble or babble self-indulgent shit and instinctively knows on what level to communicate in order to engage his audience. Although he says he doesn't have a filter, I think there is one in place that only allows interesting and useful stuff through. That's why we so often find ourselves hanging onto his every word. As far as I'm concerned, he's peerless when it comes to mastering the Idol game so no one is better to equipped to advise on it.
It's been a year since Adam was introduced to the world on AI, and I've wondered whether it would ever be able to recover. I thought that in the best-case scenario post-Adam, the judges may become more adventurous in their choices, or after having studied him we might have seen people be a little more daring. It's glaringly evident now how exceptional a talent he is by the absence of any excitement or comparable vocal quality from the current contestants. Adam has changed it and there is no going back as the bar requires intergalactic travel to get over. It will never be enough to be able to sing like an angel, to able to belt like a diva, to be a likeable personality, to have stage presence, to be visually compelling, to have a signature trait, to choose good songs, to be able to perform, to be able to interpret and rearrange songs, to be versatile, to be exciting and unpredictable. We need all that and much more to sustain interest because that is what Adam consistently gave us week after week without fail. Anything less is a serious disappointment. We saw how much the camera loved Adam for being such a fascinating subject and this year, despite there being some talent, no one comes even remotely close to generating as much interest or inspiration.
The show is broken and withered without Adam and is the embodiment of 'Meh'. The judges have had little patience, giving out confused and garbled advice after enduring one predictably lacklustre performance after another. I think it may be a consequence of Adam kicking out the rulebook as to what should or shouldn't work. I'll bet they wish there were someone similar this season but no one is able to pull it off. Ratings haven't been good so I'm guessing that the producers are trying to resuscitate the show with an injection of glitter-adrenaline to give it some pizzazz. I think it says a lot about their regard for their prized alumnus. Apart from the obvious draw of having him appear on the show, I would assume they thought he could have a lasting effect on the quality of performances. Last year, Adam expertly navigated his way through the rounds giving us a thrilling and varied collection of surprises. I think he's well qualified to advise on how to play AI to make it fit around the contestants, starting with how to get the most out of the available resources, song choice, vocal styling and arrangement from week-to-week. I also think he'd have plenty of valuable input on the performance aspect in the look, staging, mood, camera engagement and visual presentation which could help them all up their game. I don't expect him to work miracles as none have voices with the staggering range, power, control or dynamism that allows him to sing anything, but I think he'll provide plenty of ideas and inspiration. I look forward to Adam's return but it's a shame I'll have to tolerate all the rubbish to watch the Adam parts. Well, I'm glad I don't have to worry about voting this time round. If only they could dispense with the contestants and give the whole show to Adam so the master is free demonstrate his craft, then I'd be very happy.
DOWNLOAD Adam AI8 mentor interactions iPod compatible mp4 - 30.5MB
I've always thought Adam would make an excellent mentor on AI for so many reasons. He is extremely articulate in expressing relevant opinions in a tactful manner. He doesn't mumble or babble self-indulgent shit and instinctively knows on what level to communicate in order to engage his audience. Although he says he doesn't have a filter, I think there is one in place that only allows interesting and useful stuff through. That's why we so often find ourselves hanging onto his every word. As far as I'm concerned, he's peerless when it comes to mastering the Idol game so no one is better to equipped to advise on it.
It's been a year since Adam was introduced to the world on AI, and I've wondered whether it would ever be able to recover. I thought that in the best-case scenario post-Adam, the judges may become more adventurous in their choices, or after having studied him we might have seen people be a little more daring. It's glaringly evident now how exceptional a talent he is by the absence of any excitement or comparable vocal quality from the current contestants. Adam has changed it and there is no going back as the bar requires intergalactic travel to get over. It will never be enough to be able to sing like an angel, to able to belt like a diva, to be a likeable personality, to have stage presence, to be visually compelling, to have a signature trait, to choose good songs, to be able to perform, to be able to interpret and rearrange songs, to be versatile, to be exciting and unpredictable. We need all that and much more to sustain interest because that is what Adam consistently gave us week after week without fail. Anything less is a serious disappointment. We saw how much the camera loved Adam for being such a fascinating subject and this year, despite there being some talent, no one comes even remotely close to generating as much interest or inspiration.
The show is broken and withered without Adam and is the embodiment of 'Meh'. The judges have had little patience, giving out confused and garbled advice after enduring one predictably lacklustre performance after another. I think it may be a consequence of Adam kicking out the rulebook as to what should or shouldn't work. I'll bet they wish there were someone similar this season but no one is able to pull it off. Ratings haven't been good so I'm guessing that the producers are trying to resuscitate the show with an injection of glitter-adrenaline to give it some pizzazz. I think it says a lot about their regard for their prized alumnus. Apart from the obvious draw of having him appear on the show, I would assume they thought he could have a lasting effect on the quality of performances. Last year, Adam expertly navigated his way through the rounds giving us a thrilling and varied collection of surprises. I think he's well qualified to advise on how to play AI to make it fit around the contestants, starting with how to get the most out of the available resources, song choice, vocal styling and arrangement from week-to-week. I also think he'd have plenty of valuable input on the performance aspect in the look, staging, mood, camera engagement and visual presentation which could help them all up their game. I don't expect him to work miracles as none have voices with the staggering range, power, control or dynamism that allows him to sing anything, but I think he'll provide plenty of ideas and inspiration. I look forward to Adam's return but it's a shame I'll have to tolerate all the rubbish to watch the Adam parts. Well, I'm glad I don't have to worry about voting this time round. If only they could dispense with the contestants and give the whole show to Adam so the master is free demonstrate his craft, then I'd be very happy.
DOWNLOAD Adam AI8 mentor interactions iPod compatible mp4 - 30.5MB
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
For the Bestudded Glittery Anoraks
It's a good day for Adam Lambert & fans as his album - which we've still heard precisely fuck all from - has hit the top of the US Amazon chart. Woohoo!
Since we're all famished, here's a little something for us anoraks to nibble on while we wait. It was shortly after the end of AI and before the start of the tour in that bored gap, much like now, that I wanted to watch all the dress rehearsal clips to see how they compared to those of the live performances. Edit: The dress rehearsal clips were those shown in the recap package at the end of the show. I wanted to obsess over how every performance was unique and I wanted to compare Adam's notes and runs. But after scouring the internet, I realised they were nowhere to be found. Surely I couldn't be the only one who wanted this? The seeds of the idea for this post were planted and would germinate on a rainy day. After days of downloading the full episodes just to get those few seconds, here's the resulting video:
I remember that Satisfaction was a performance in which Adam really outshone the rest of the pack and stood out as a star with his jaw-dropping vocals, his sense of fun and his exhilarating infectious energy. I just felt that he didn't belong on Idol and deserved a bigger stage and audience. The live final note was incredible - its length, the run and the rough guttural rock edge of its tone. I didn't know at the time that they showed footage filmed from the dress rehearsal for the numbers at the end, so on seeing it that first time, there was a slight discord with my previous impression and I was a little underwhelmed because I'd thought I'd remembered it being better. The rehearsal wasn't as elaborate, but what was more noticeable to me was that there was an off note sandwiched in the middle which made the glory note sound just a little flat. His posture seemed a little tentative and comparatively amateurish, but the rehearsal did give us that gem of an expression at the end, going from fierce sexy to sweet smile - the subject of many gifs. The reprise note was much simpler, more sustained and powerful. Instead of riffing, he slid into the glory note for a wail that sounded a lot like Axl Rose.
The live performance of BoW was angrier, more impassioned and included higher notes, but the rehearsal had a slightly different feel to it that was more fun. Adam bounced up the steps, gave us an extra dance move instead of reversing backwards and added a 'Wooh!' at the end. He also missed out the 'Yes you do, yeah yeah!' but in exchange, we got some signature head tipping.
The vocals in the live performance of RoF were impeccable whereas in rehearsal they weren't as smooth but utilised more of his rich and gravelly tone. There wasn't the same level of camera engagement from Adam and it didn't have the infamous shirt-lifting moment, but the camerawork was a lot less dizzying and perhaps would have made the pearl-clutching prudes slightly less queasy.
I'd always thought ToMT was one of the weaker performances from a vocal perspective and is one where I prefer the dress rehearsal to the live. This is because of the tone, which sounded slightly less strained and more on pitch, and I also prefer the extended trill on the last 'tears'. Adam seemed to have more fun during the live version of PTFM but crucially, it missed the pelvic thrusts and snarl of the rehearsal. You have to wonder how often there was a party going on downstairs whenever they filmed above the waist.
It was only after MW that I became aware of the existence of the separate rehearsal clip when I heard a different, pitch-perfect ending and not the one I'd heard just seconds before. In the rehearsal, the penultimate 'Ma-ad' was given two notes and he didn't reach for the third, higher 'Mad world' at the end which gave him the trouble in the live performance.
BTBW showcased some astonishing high notes which seemed to all have been saved for the live performance because the glory note shown in the rehearsal clip was considerably lower. The power and pitch of them still amaze me now. There wasn't a lot of difference between the IICHYs apart from slight differences in timing with the timbre equally beautiful in both.
The big difference between both FGs is the length of the glory note. The live one is much longer albeit a little thin. I prefer the slightly shorter glory note with the longer descending run in the rehearsal but I thought the last note of the run wasn't quite as perfect. Still, who the fuck else can hold a note like that? And let's not forget the close-up shot of his disdainful and slightly sinister sneer at the end of the rehearsal.
I was blown away by WLL first time round, so it's a bit strange watching it now after seeing 52 different versions from the tour and their aggressively sexual manoeuvres. He looks so restrained! There's very little difference between the live and the rehearsal apart from the camera angles where we get a better view of Adam's neck snap & swivel.
Both versions of One are very similar and that glory note never fails to impress me. In rehearsal, he didn't palm the air and went into the glory note from a slightly higher note and didn't go so low at the end of the run. There's a minor difference in the length of the final notes from Cryin' but they're otherwise identical. The MW reprise is much slower in tempo during the rehearsal, which includes a great shot from below with the 'moon' behind Adam. I much prefer the live version of ACIGC where the descent is smoother and I really love the way that the run re-ascends. Apart from the camera angles, there's no noticeable difference between the live and rehearsal versions of NB where even the hand gestures at the same. I guess there's little to play with when you're handed such a piece of uninspiring crap.
Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed obsessing over the live vs rehearsal notes with me. I've had a miserable time, am tired of editing videos and have had writer's block, unsatisfied with anything I've put together so I thought I'd just wrap up the rest of the AI stuff and draw a line under it as we impatiently await a new phase, legs a-shaking, fingers a-tapping, ready to lose our collective shit. I think I need loss of said shit for gain in inspiration!
Since we're all famished, here's a little something for us anoraks to nibble on while we wait. It was shortly after the end of AI and before the start of the tour in that bored gap, much like now, that I wanted to watch all the dress rehearsal clips to see how they compared to those of the live performances. Edit: The dress rehearsal clips were those shown in the recap package at the end of the show. I wanted to obsess over how every performance was unique and I wanted to compare Adam's notes and runs. But after scouring the internet, I realised they were nowhere to be found. Surely I couldn't be the only one who wanted this? The seeds of the idea for this post were planted and would germinate on a rainy day. After days of downloading the full episodes just to get those few seconds, here's the resulting video:
I remember that Satisfaction was a performance in which Adam really outshone the rest of the pack and stood out as a star with his jaw-dropping vocals, his sense of fun and his exhilarating infectious energy. I just felt that he didn't belong on Idol and deserved a bigger stage and audience. The live final note was incredible - its length, the run and the rough guttural rock edge of its tone. I didn't know at the time that they showed footage filmed from the dress rehearsal for the numbers at the end, so on seeing it that first time, there was a slight discord with my previous impression and I was a little underwhelmed because I'd thought I'd remembered it being better. The rehearsal wasn't as elaborate, but what was more noticeable to me was that there was an off note sandwiched in the middle which made the glory note sound just a little flat. His posture seemed a little tentative and comparatively amateurish, but the rehearsal did give us that gem of an expression at the end, going from fierce sexy to sweet smile - the subject of many gifs. The reprise note was much simpler, more sustained and powerful. Instead of riffing, he slid into the glory note for a wail that sounded a lot like Axl Rose.
The live performance of BoW was angrier, more impassioned and included higher notes, but the rehearsal had a slightly different feel to it that was more fun. Adam bounced up the steps, gave us an extra dance move instead of reversing backwards and added a 'Wooh!' at the end. He also missed out the 'Yes you do, yeah yeah!' but in exchange, we got some signature head tipping.
The vocals in the live performance of RoF were impeccable whereas in rehearsal they weren't as smooth but utilised more of his rich and gravelly tone. There wasn't the same level of camera engagement from Adam and it didn't have the infamous shirt-lifting moment, but the camerawork was a lot less dizzying and perhaps would have made the pearl-clutching prudes slightly less queasy.
I'd always thought ToMT was one of the weaker performances from a vocal perspective and is one where I prefer the dress rehearsal to the live. This is because of the tone, which sounded slightly less strained and more on pitch, and I also prefer the extended trill on the last 'tears'. Adam seemed to have more fun during the live version of PTFM but crucially, it missed the pelvic thrusts and snarl of the rehearsal. You have to wonder how often there was a party going on downstairs whenever they filmed above the waist.
It was only after MW that I became aware of the existence of the separate rehearsal clip when I heard a different, pitch-perfect ending and not the one I'd heard just seconds before. In the rehearsal, the penultimate 'Ma-ad' was given two notes and he didn't reach for the third, higher 'Mad world' at the end which gave him the trouble in the live performance.
BTBW showcased some astonishing high notes which seemed to all have been saved for the live performance because the glory note shown in the rehearsal clip was considerably lower. The power and pitch of them still amaze me now. There wasn't a lot of difference between the IICHYs apart from slight differences in timing with the timbre equally beautiful in both.
The big difference between both FGs is the length of the glory note. The live one is much longer albeit a little thin. I prefer the slightly shorter glory note with the longer descending run in the rehearsal but I thought the last note of the run wasn't quite as perfect. Still, who the fuck else can hold a note like that? And let's not forget the close-up shot of his disdainful and slightly sinister sneer at the end of the rehearsal.
I was blown away by WLL first time round, so it's a bit strange watching it now after seeing 52 different versions from the tour and their aggressively sexual manoeuvres. He looks so restrained! There's very little difference between the live and the rehearsal apart from the camera angles where we get a better view of Adam's neck snap & swivel.
Both versions of One are very similar and that glory note never fails to impress me. In rehearsal, he didn't palm the air and went into the glory note from a slightly higher note and didn't go so low at the end of the run. There's a minor difference in the length of the final notes from Cryin' but they're otherwise identical. The MW reprise is much slower in tempo during the rehearsal, which includes a great shot from below with the 'moon' behind Adam. I much prefer the live version of ACIGC where the descent is smoother and I really love the way that the run re-ascends. Apart from the camera angles, there's no noticeable difference between the live and rehearsal versions of NB where even the hand gestures at the same. I guess there's little to play with when you're handed such a piece of uninspiring crap.
Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed obsessing over the live vs rehearsal notes with me. I've had a miserable time, am tired of editing videos and have had writer's block, unsatisfied with anything I've put together so I thought I'd just wrap up the rest of the AI stuff and draw a line under it as we impatiently await a new phase, legs a-shaking, fingers a-tapping, ready to lose our collective shit. I think I need loss of said shit for gain in inspiration!
Monday, 21 September 2009
Disbanded
As it's been a slow day, I thought we could refresh our memories a little. After the end of the tour, I'm guessing we're feeling a bit nostalgic. If watching the final Don't Stop Believing, seeing all the interactions between the Idols and knowing how much they'll miss each other made you go all sentimental, then I have the answer. Sit back, make yourselves comfortable and enjoy!
Semi-final - Closer
Top 13 - Jackson Five Medley
Top 11 - T.R.O.U.B.L.E.
Top 10 - Motown Medley
If you've viewing from the home page, I've added a jump to save it from taking forever to load. Click for all the rest of the group performances from the original top 9 DSB right through to the final results show.
Semi-final - Closer
Top 13 - Jackson Five Medley
Top 11 - T.R.O.U.B.L.E.
Top 10 - Motown Medley
If you've viewing from the home page, I've added a jump to save it from taking forever to load. Click for all the rest of the group performances from the original top 9 DSB right through to the final results show.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Looking Back
Some other thoughts I've had on re-watching the audition are that Adam seems tired and sounds strangely monotonous in the pre-audition interview. Being a fellow night owl myself, I take it that it's his aversion to early mornings. Even back then, he demonstrated his ability to work his magic on the judges and adapted to deal with each in a different way. Kara's blatantly flirting with Adam who flirts back sweetly but doesn't actually kiss her hand. He keeps it friendly with Randy, who creepily seems a little too determined to test out his gaydar theory. He fanboys over Paula, who has a rare moment of clarity when she's blown away by him and says he's the best they'd seen in every city, and Simon who he treats with reverence is just his negative self but admits falling under his spell when he says 'Oh he's had us' around the 4:02 mark.
I've already spent way too long on this and am rather sick of trying out and learning different software, reformatting, resynching and fiddling around with the aspect ratio, audio and colour on each segment, but it was pointed out to me by fellow obsessives (thank you) who put me to shame that there was a snippet missing from the video. So I got back to work, tracked it down and re-compiled it, otherwise what kind of obsessive would that make me? Test your obsession and see if you can spot what it is. The answer is in the comments section of this post. Thanks go out to LaStupenda and Blue*Rose from IDF for providing the original HQ clips.
--------------
It's been over a month since Idol finished and I'd decided to do something I thought wasn't too taxing on the brain so I spent the last couple days toiling over and piecing together all the audition bits and pieces to make a continuous video. How little did I know. It almost cost me my sanity because of all the different incompatible formats, codecs and crappy software that just kept crashing. I never imagined it would be so friggin' complicated as it's the first time I've converted or edited any vids and my pesky perfectionism wanting everything to be frame-perfect kept on shifting the finish line. Perseverance won out in the end though, and this is the fruit of my labour of obsession, which I hope you'll enjoy. It contains the pre- and post- audition interviews, Rock With You, and Bohemian Rhapsody.
I'm very saddened to have learned about the death of Michael Jackson while working on the video. It doesn't feel like a strange coincidence because his sphere of influence is so wide and penetrates deep into popular culture. Adam was a fan who was strongly influenced by him in terms of music, singing, dancing, performing, fashion and re-invention. I think Michael's life ended up a tragedy after he seriously lost his way. He was someone who I thought was never comfortable with the colossal price of fame making him public property. I'm glad that Adam seems grounded enough and well equipped to deal with playing that game. I was really curious to see what Jacko would have done at his upcoming concerts in London. I wondered whether it would have breathed fresh life into his career and felt excited thinking about the possibility of a collaboration of stellar proportions if the comeback were successful. Sadly we'll never know and it'll never happen, but he'll live on through his music. His powerful influence will continue, perpetuated through artists such as Adam. I hope he is now at peace.
I've already spent way too long on this and am rather sick of trying out and learning different software, reformatting, resynching and fiddling around with the aspect ratio, audio and colour on each segment, but it was pointed out to me by fellow obsessives (thank you) who put me to shame that there was a snippet missing from the video. So I got back to work, tracked it down and re-compiled it, otherwise what kind of obsessive would that make me? Test your obsession and see if you can spot what it is. The answer is in the comments section of this post. Thanks go out to LaStupenda and Blue*Rose from IDF for providing the original HQ clips.
--------------
It's been over a month since Idol finished and I'd decided to do something I thought wasn't too taxing on the brain so I spent the last couple days toiling over and piecing together all the audition bits and pieces to make a continuous video. How little did I know. It almost cost me my sanity because of all the different incompatible formats, codecs and crappy software that just kept crashing. I never imagined it would be so friggin' complicated as it's the first time I've converted or edited any vids and my pesky perfectionism wanting everything to be frame-perfect kept on shifting the finish line. Perseverance won out in the end though, and this is the fruit of my labour of obsession, which I hope you'll enjoy. It contains the pre- and post- audition interviews, Rock With You, and Bohemian Rhapsody.
I'm very saddened to have learned about the death of Michael Jackson while working on the video. It doesn't feel like a strange coincidence because his sphere of influence is so wide and penetrates deep into popular culture. Adam was a fan who was strongly influenced by him in terms of music, singing, dancing, performing, fashion and re-invention. I think Michael's life ended up a tragedy after he seriously lost his way. He was someone who I thought was never comfortable with the colossal price of fame making him public property. I'm glad that Adam seems grounded enough and well equipped to deal with playing that game. I was really curious to see what Jacko would have done at his upcoming concerts in London. I wondered whether it would have breathed fresh life into his career and felt excited thinking about the possibility of a collaboration of stellar proportions if the comeback were successful. Sadly we'll never know and it'll never happen, but he'll live on through his music. His powerful influence will continue, perpetuated through artists such as Adam. I hope he is now at peace.
Monday, 1 June 2009
Stuff I Didn't Know / Wasn't Sure About
The last couple of days have been relatively quiet on the Adam front so at least I've been able to catch up on the mountain of media that's been building up since AI finished. The interviews started off pretty samey with Adam graciously repeating how pleased he was for super-talented Kris (yawn), but they've since become increasingly more interesting as I feel that Adam's wicked sense of humour and snark have emerged. I've decided to list everything in categories and provide links to make it all easier to digest and for future reference, which I hope you'll find useful. There's a fair amount of paraphrasing but there'll be more analysis to follow in future posts.
American Idol
- Songs
- Adam's other choice during Michael Jackson week was Thriller. (Idolatry1)
- He enjoyed slipping every inch of his love into WLL and was glad the producers didn't catch and censor it. (Idolatry2)
- He almost did War instead of ToMT because it was subversive and controversial. (Idolatry2)
- He didn't know Smokey Robinson was mentoring until after he chose the song. (Idolatry2)
- He was very happy with the arrangement and outfit for RoF, which he considers one of his best vocal performances and thinks Cash would have liked it. He also thinks it would have been better received later on in the competition. (Idolatry3)
- Contrary to rumours, PTFM wasn't his second choice but the theme wasn't defined until after the song was chosen. (Idolatry3)
- He was grateful for having been given the opportunity to do something in the style of ACIGC in the final. (Idolatry5)
- His least favourite performance was BoW, which he thought was shouty and pitchy. (TVGuide1)
- He rehearsed for 45 minutes each with KISS and Queen before the show. (TVGuide3)
- He would've liked to have done Muse's 'Supermassive Black Hole' or 'Starlight' or Prince's 'How Come You Don't Call Me?' on the show. (TVGuide3)
- The kids of Led Zeppelin are fans, which may have helped with the WLL clearance. (OKMagazine)
- Adam's other choice during Michael Jackson week was Thriller. (Idolatry1)
- Other
- Adam has admitted to not getting along with someone in the Idol house but won't say who because they have to tour together. I think we all know who that person is. (BestWeekEver)
- He always considered AI to be a platform, not a competition. (Idolatry3) (ElvisDuran)
- He wanted to stir things up on Idol. (Idolatry3)
- He was amused by Kara's Adamgasm after WLL. (Idolatry5)
- The food in the Idol house was really fattening. (RopeRadio)
- He believes he might have opened the door to new types of talent. (ABCNews)
- He thinks the AT&T text-gate was blown out of all proportion. (ABCNews) (TodayShow)
- He was most stressed before the finale. (USMagazine)
- His favourite mentor was Slash, with whom he felt he had the most authentic experience. (People) (Mike&Juilet)
- He tried to find a balance between giving the audience what they wanted and what they didn't know they wanted. (ResultsPressConference)
- He feels the judges helped to get him support (OKMagazine)
- His theatre background helped him in being able to move the audience (Broadway)
Fashion
- Gene Simmons wasn't keen on Adam wearing his platforms, afraid he would fall over but Adam was experienced in them and wanted to stand tall. (Idolatry5)
- Adam liked wearing the really cool tie on ACIGC. (Idolatry5)
- He thinks the most exciting part of the tour will be his outfits. (USMagazine)
- He's a fan of Alexander McQueen and his style icon is David Bowie. (Regis&Kelly)
Music
- Adam wants to appeal to an international audience and his aim is to entertain people with his music. (Idolatry4)
- He doesn't think the label will stifle his creativity on his album. (Idolatry4)
- He doesn't play any instruments apart from his vocal cords. (RopeRadio)
- He sees himself as more of a solo performer but collaborating with a band. (TVGuide3)
- He thinks AI allowed him to break out so has given him the freedom to straddle different music genres. (Idolatry4) (ABCNews)
- He's not concerned about switching from being a live performer to a recording artist. (ABCNews)
- He didn't expect to appeal to such a broad audience. (ABCNews)
- Being different helped to define him as an artist. (AP)
Social/Political
- Adam was a bit surprised that people felt he was championing so many social and politcal issues at which he felt honoured but a little intimidated. (Idolatry1)
- He did not want the responsibility of representing a cause/movement. (Idolatry1)
- He found it a bit ridiculous for Billy O'Reilly to have censored his photo that he wasn't embarrassed by. (Idolatry1)
- BoW was chosen for being more of a statement and appropriate for the times and current civil rights issues. (Idolatry1)
- He stated that very very soon everyone will have the answers they are looking for. (ElvisDuran)
- He thinks parents should support their children, encouraging them to be creative and participative. (Broadway)
Personal
- Adam is also a businessman and wants to buy a house. (Idolatry4)
- He has confirmed that he is Jewish. (BestWeekEver)
- He likes the movie Beetlejuice but his favourite is Velvet Goldmine. (BestWeekEver)
- He has concerns about his weight. (BestWeekEver)
- He thinks he's kind of ridiculous and is self-deprecating. (Idolatry5)
- He is very skilled at recognising people and faces. (Fox13NowUtah) (BestWeekEver)
- He is glad to be responsible for causing 'gasms'. (TVGuide2) (ElvisDuran)
- He has no plans to grow a moustache, as it will be the wrong colour. (TVGuide3)
- He likes the top (bunk) and making double entendres. (USMagazine)
- He thinks the term 'Glambert' is hilarious. (OKMagazine)
- His essential items for the tour are his iPod and a book. (People)
- He loves the Twilight books. (People)
- His favourite ice cream is Dreyer's French Silk. (People)
- He is envious of Kris's ability to fall asleep easily. (TVGuide2)
- He likes to stay in bed, listen to music and hang out. (People)
- Since the age of three, he could make character voices and recite books verbatim. (Momlogic)
- His mother is going to be moving to LA. (Momlogic)
- He is fucking funny. (BestWeekEverPreview)
- As Clay Aiken (AccessHollywood) and Gene Simmons (Idolatry5) have learnt, never start a bitchfight against Adam - you won't win. He's way too sharp.
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
The Final Results Show
Well it's been a looooong time coming, apologies, but here's my very overdue review of the final results show. Hope the revisit helps with the withdrawal symptoms.
It was a horrible feeling I had going into this one. It would be the last time I would see Adam perform for a very long time and I would no longer be able to speculate on his song choice, wardrobe and hair. I'd heard rumours about some crazy wardrobe choices and a duet with KISS. I was looking forward to the performances and to him being crowned the winner. I noticed that at the start, they graphics seemed to depict both contestants like it was an election, with Adam's RoF hell pitted against Kris's heavenly blue background, maybe the type of showdown the producers were rumoured to have wanted.
The first wardrobe choice I found was a little bit strange. When Adam and Kris walked down the steps, they were dressed heard to toe in white and it looked like they were either wearing matching pyjamas or Clockwork Orange jumpsuits. On closer inspection, Adam was wearing patent silver boots that I later found out were supposedly flown in especially from Antwerp. There were some technical problems because the mics weren't working.
When it was time for the first act, it made more sense that they were all in white and the only clothing that wasn't, were Adam's boots. Even without them, he looked like a rock star, owning the stage when he was jumping around and with his kneeling close-up when he punched the air. When the others went down to the platform behind the judges, Adam stayed on stage guiding Scott. It felt like Adam got a little bit more camera time than anyone else and being the tallest and in the centre of the stage certainly helped. Besides, the camera just loves him.
Adam's next appearance was a slightly comedic clip where he was pretending to wind a lever to spin the trophy that Kris held. Ryan spoke to Adam's parents and Adam's mother was wearing some black rocker gloves with her outfit, and his father had painted his nails, which I loved. I wondered whether the fact that Adam's parents are divorced and so couldn't really play happy families had any negative impact on the result.
I found the package of Adam's journey quite moving as it painted him out to be a great, groundbreaking artist who shook up the show. We were reminded that Adam faithfully fulfilled the promise he made at the start by using his ideas to twist up old songs and surprise us. It seemed very much like a sentimental winner's package down to the soundtrack of Viva La Vida and the shot of his gloved hand punching the air at the end. I felt a tinge of reflective sadness as I watched it, seeing how he has developed and how I would miss following his journey on a weekly basis.
When Adam graced the stage for his performance of Beth, it was a Moment even before he started singing. The sea of the audience stood up in waves of anticipation and applause in his presence, as if they knew they were about to witness something special. The camera looked up at him from below as he stood majestic and statuesque like a deity serenely surveying his subjects. He was radiant and absolutely beautiful with his movements relaxed. It felt like he was finally completely comfortable, standing proud, confident, truly being himself with heartfelt sincerity. He gave us a knowing look with a couple of blink-and-you'll-miss-them cheeky eyebrow twitches. That look told me he knew me and knew what lay in my deepest and darkest recesses and that he understood. The glint in his eyes also made it as obvious as possible without a formal declaration what he meant by playing all night with him and the boys, come join us if you dare. He seemed to emanate a happiness, an inner peace and it was the first time I'd felt that magical connection. The simple piano accompaniment highlighting the clarity and effortlessness of his gorgeously low, rich and slightly grainy vocals only added to his splendour.
When I was able to notice the clothing, I was amazed by his industrial rhinestone shoulder cages / angel wings worn over a black aligator-skin top that had a matching rhinestone trim. It was teamed up with his fingerless gloves, his biker trousers from Cryin' and his glittery gold Zodiac Show platforms. Glambert! His eyes were surrounded with glistening jewels and he wore sparkly handcuffs where his belt-loop chains would normally be. I thought this was symbolic of his finally being free and unshackled in expressing himself without the pressure or judgement of competition. The shot from behind made his hunched posture portray him as a very lonely but gentle figure. From the front, his platforms gave him extra height, and the camera angles of the bright lights above and behind him and his towering over us with his angel wings, made him seem like a supreme being. Everything about his performance suggested to me that we were witnessing his transcendence. He looked stunning, like a dark sci-fi post-apocalyptic manga angel-prince. The audience gazed in awe at the fruition of his years of toil, the pinnacle of the Adam Lambert Show.
I loved the sound of Adam's voice when he introduced KISS. It was very different from his speaking voice and it had a rock edge to it. The band descended from a platform amid a cascade of fireworks. Compared to the band, who I thought looked a bit dated and on the vulgar side, Adam looked understatedly sophisticated! He stomped and strutted his way around the stage, visibly having a lot of fun. When his voice broke through during Detroit Rock City, it sounded incredible and everything about Adam - his style, his vocals, his sneer, his movements and his stage presence completely outclassed KISS. We were left in no doubt as to who the superstar was. There was a cheesy but amusing split-screen graphic with Adam in the centre. During Rock'n'Roll All Nite, Adam's parents were shown rocking out, which was really heartwarming. Adam managed to sneak some hip-swivels and a crotch grab in underneath the censors before wailing some trademark high but short notes. The performance ended with more fireworks being set off to the smashing of a guitar. Adam seemed to have that post-performance adrenaline beam that had been lacking for some time. He rocked the house. What a fantastically fun and energetic performance that was.
The Ford video was a slightly sad and earnest duet with Kris and Adam, showing extracts from the previous videos. It sounded soft but I don't think their voices went well together. The next part showed David Cook hand out the award of cars to each of them. Adam's reaction of cackling whilst bent double was priceless. It was a little uncomfortable though, to watch the blatantly staged and scripted plug. I hope Adam doesn't have to endorse shitty stuff in tacky adverts in the future.
The next performance to include Adam was Santana's smooth. Adam seemed to lead everyone out, clapping in time to the music before being the only one to shake hands with Santana's extended hand. He was dressed all in black apart from a red tie, accessoriesed with a studded belt - a scorching hot look. He also wore a holster / braces and looked like a detective in a fabulous Glambert universe where the most serious crimes possible to commit, for which he was head of investigations, were crimes against fashion. Yes, I'd happily commit a fashion crime in order to get arrested by Adam before getting styled! Adam's first line of his solo was a little off, but he recovered to add some smut in Like seven inches IN (original: from) the midday sun to the lyrics, giving us his most seductive eyes. You just have to admire his wit and gall, still bending the limits and seeing how much he can get away with. With his loose hips and shoulders, he showed us some great salsa-type dance moves which he made to look naturally effortless. He did some dancing with Allison and it occurred to me then that he must be absolutely loving all the different costume changes.
The next act was Do You Think I'm Sexy. Adam looked very classy in a black suit and led one side onto the stage. He was again in the centre along with Kris and treated the crowd to a few naughty expressions and raised eyebrows. The line-up made up of all the guys reminded me a bit of The Full Monty where you almost expect them to do a striptease. Adam's movements were a controlled and subdued sexy in this performance but his voice shone, especially on the last note where he was the only one who went high. The high note was accompanied by his iconic pose before he introduced Rod Stewart in a velvety smooth voice.
We Are The Champions came as a total surprise, and from the opening chords, my excitement was uncontainable and I was whooping. YES! Adam does Queen! A fitting end, seeing as it was what he started with. During the stream, this is when it froze, to my extreme annoyance. This song clearly wasn't Kris, who seemed to be reading the autocue when he started and was more than happy to hand over to Adam. They both exchanged looks and were happy and relaxed together on the stage behind the judges. Adam's first lines were resplendent, smooth and powerful with a fine clarity, delivered from a self-assured pose. He seemed to resonate with the lyrics, passionately and angrily spitting out I've had my share of sand kicked in my face but I've come through, which brought me all the way back near the beginning to BoW. I loved the way he phrased through, driving it with that extra power and punch. Yes, he's made it all the way to the end, despite all the shit that's been thrown at him and the additional pressure he's had to endure. Now it's time to celebrate. What a beautiful opening.
He was back to a rocker look in a brown leather jacket with exquisite detailing and matching boots over a black T-shirt and dark jeans. I felt that this look was on the subtle side so as to complement rather than dwarf Kris. Adam gave us a twirl of his wrist when the band were revealed before joining Queen on stage. When they sang together, their voices didn't mesh together very well and I felt that Adam held himself back a lot trying not to upstage Kris and steal the show, despite probably bursting to go crazy. I can't imagine any of the other contestants doing the same. Adam's second solo was a little less restrained, his voice had bite, giving me a rushing feeling when he hit a few high notes as Brian May looked on impressed. The following chorus, Kris dropped off a little. We are the champions, my friend had Adam and Kris demonstrating their friendship with a hand grab and shared smiles. They were clearly having a great time and it was infectious. It made us momentarily feel that they were both so happy to be there, not really caring about the end result with both being winners. There was no doubt then who the best singer, biggest talent and superstar was. It felt like the producers had to let Kris in on it out of obligation. The last note was frustrating for me because I wanted Adam to have free rein but instead he watched and matched Kris closely. Even when it came down to acknowledging the band afterwards, Adam's 'Queen, ladies and gentlemen,' compared to Kris's embarrassed and short 'Queen' spoke volumes about their different levels of showmanship. They should have ditched Kris on this one because he was like the gatecrasher at a glamorous party. I just wanted Adam to completely let rip, and so did Queen by the looks of it. But being the ever gracious host, Adam dressed himself down to make the gatecrasher feel welcome and less awkwardly out of place. You have to admire his class for doing this, but what a great shame it was. Perhaps this will be addressed in the future if Adam is allowed to perform with them. Brian looked very happy with Adam at the end, and Adam's family had such a blast by the looks of it. It felt like the crowning performance of the show where everyone came out and anything else afterwards would just be insignificant.
If you do not want to relive the end of the results show, skip the following paragraph.
When Adam and Kris came onto the stage for the final result, they looked happy still buzzing from the last performance and ready for it, wanting to get it over with. Adam had his arm slung around Kris like a very close friend and at that point, they really reminded me of Batman and Robin. Although Kris is likable and talented, he will always seem like Adam's sidekick. Adam seemed like his mentor when he pulled him into camera shot when the results bearer came onto the stage and obscured him from view. Adam's mother looked like she was unable to take any more, slouched in her seat. When Ryan made the announcement, it felt like time froze, I didn't breathe and the bottom of my gut dropped out. There was a little numbness, a feeling of complete anticlimax before disbelief and anger set in. NOOOOO! How the fuck could this happen? Adam is the clear winner! Adam's reaction was so gracious he immediately looked happy for Kris, pulling him close for a big hug, and shaking him into reality. He took a bow and Ryan called him a superstar before he gave the stage up for Kris. Kris said what we were all thinking - that Adam deserves this and was lost for words. Allison was quick to grab Adam but then pushed him by the ass to get back on the stage which was a little strange, but perhaps done to diffuse the awkwardness of Kris's lack of coherent speech. There was more hugging and they shared a joke before he cheered for Kris and left him to sing the coronation song. I noticed that Simon looked pissed off and wasn't on his feet like the other judges. Allison again took hold of Adam, putting her arm around him. I thought I saw a crack in the facade and a wistful expression appear on Adam's face. He may well be good at hiding it, but I do not believe Adam to be impervious to disappointment and hurt because I certainly felt it and I wasn't even involved. Adam stayed on the sidelines away from Kris for the rest of the show, allowing him the spotlight and cheering on his victory like a proud dad. My heart swelled with pride for Adam but ached with disappointment for him too.
A few other thoughts that struck me about the show was that it felt like Adam's plaything, like his tribute concert and finale to the Adam Lambert Show season where everyone else, including the established artists were just his support acts. Everyone was there to see or perform with him, the central piece of the show. For each of his group performances, he was the commanding stage presence, he seemed to be centre stage, get more camera time, the best camera shots and all eyes gravitated towards him. The stage was all his and he was in a totally different league. Even his solo was the last one of the night, barring the feeble coronation song, so he had the pimp spot again. It's glaringly obvious from any episode of AI8 who won the show and the season. It's been a week and I'm seriously suffering from the loss of The Adam Lambert Show from our screens. Still, I feel pleased now that Adam is stepping out from AI, spreading his wings ready to soar onwards and upwards. I'm holding on tight for the ride to wherever he takes me.
It was a horrible feeling I had going into this one. It would be the last time I would see Adam perform for a very long time and I would no longer be able to speculate on his song choice, wardrobe and hair. I'd heard rumours about some crazy wardrobe choices and a duet with KISS. I was looking forward to the performances and to him being crowned the winner. I noticed that at the start, they graphics seemed to depict both contestants like it was an election, with Adam's RoF hell pitted against Kris's heavenly blue background, maybe the type of showdown the producers were rumoured to have wanted.The first wardrobe choice I found was a little bit strange. When Adam and Kris walked down the steps, they were dressed heard to toe in white and it looked like they were either wearing matching pyjamas or Clockwork Orange jumpsuits. On closer inspection, Adam was wearing patent silver boots that I later found out were supposedly flown in especially from Antwerp. There were some technical problems because the mics weren't working.
When it was time for the first act, it made more sense that they were all in white and the only clothing that wasn't, were Adam's boots. Even without them, he looked like a rock star, owning the stage when he was jumping around and with his kneeling close-up when he punched the air. When the others went down to the platform behind the judges, Adam stayed on stage guiding Scott. It felt like Adam got a little bit more camera time than anyone else and being the tallest and in the centre of the stage certainly helped. Besides, the camera just loves him.
Adam's next appearance was a slightly comedic clip where he was pretending to wind a lever to spin the trophy that Kris held. Ryan spoke to Adam's parents and Adam's mother was wearing some black rocker gloves with her outfit, and his father had painted his nails, which I loved. I wondered whether the fact that Adam's parents are divorced and so couldn't really play happy families had any negative impact on the result.
I found the package of Adam's journey quite moving as it painted him out to be a great, groundbreaking artist who shook up the show. We were reminded that Adam faithfully fulfilled the promise he made at the start by using his ideas to twist up old songs and surprise us. It seemed very much like a sentimental winner's package down to the soundtrack of Viva La Vida and the shot of his gloved hand punching the air at the end. I felt a tinge of reflective sadness as I watched it, seeing how he has developed and how I would miss following his journey on a weekly basis.
When Adam graced the stage for his performance of Beth, it was a Moment even before he started singing. The sea of the audience stood up in waves of anticipation and applause in his presence, as if they knew they were about to witness something special. The camera looked up at him from below as he stood majestic and statuesque like a deity serenely surveying his subjects. He was radiant and absolutely beautiful with his movements relaxed. It felt like he was finally completely comfortable, standing proud, confident, truly being himself with heartfelt sincerity. He gave us a knowing look with a couple of blink-and-you'll-miss-them cheeky eyebrow twitches. That look told me he knew me and knew what lay in my deepest and darkest recesses and that he understood. The glint in his eyes also made it as obvious as possible without a formal declaration what he meant by playing all night with him and the boys, come join us if you dare. He seemed to emanate a happiness, an inner peace and it was the first time I'd felt that magical connection. The simple piano accompaniment highlighting the clarity and effortlessness of his gorgeously low, rich and slightly grainy vocals only added to his splendour.When I was able to notice the clothing, I was amazed by his industrial rhinestone shoulder cages / angel wings worn over a black aligator-skin top that had a matching rhinestone trim. It was teamed up with his fingerless gloves, his biker trousers from Cryin' and his glittery gold Zodiac Show platforms. Glambert! His eyes were surrounded with glistening jewels and he wore sparkly handcuffs where his belt-loop chains would normally be. I thought this was symbolic of his finally being free and unshackled in expressing himself without the pressure or judgement of competition. The shot from behind made his hunched posture portray him as a very lonely but gentle figure. From the front, his platforms gave him extra height, and the camera angles of the bright lights above and behind him and his towering over us with his angel wings, made him seem like a supreme being. Everything about his performance suggested to me that we were witnessing his transcendence. He looked stunning, like a dark sci-fi post-apocalyptic manga angel-prince. The audience gazed in awe at the fruition of his years of toil, the pinnacle of the Adam Lambert Show.I loved the sound of Adam's voice when he introduced KISS. It was very different from his speaking voice and it had a rock edge to it. The band descended from a platform amid a cascade of fireworks. Compared to the band, who I thought looked a bit dated and on the vulgar side, Adam looked understatedly sophisticated! He stomped and strutted his way around the stage, visibly having a lot of fun. When his voice broke through during Detroit Rock City, it sounded incredible and everything about Adam - his style, his vocals, his sneer, his movements and his stage presence completely outclassed KISS. We were left in no doubt as to who the superstar was. There was a cheesy but amusing split-screen graphic with Adam in the centre. During Rock'n'Roll All Nite, Adam's parents were shown rocking out, which was really heartwarming. Adam managed to sneak some hip-swivels and a crotch grab in underneath the censors before wailing some trademark high but short notes. The performance ended with more fireworks being set off to the smashing of a guitar. Adam seemed to have that post-performance adrenaline beam that had been lacking for some time. He rocked the house. What a fantastically fun and energetic performance that was.The Ford video was a slightly sad and earnest duet with Kris and Adam, showing extracts from the previous videos. It sounded soft but I don't think their voices went well together. The next part showed David Cook hand out the award of cars to each of them. Adam's reaction of cackling whilst bent double was priceless. It was a little uncomfortable though, to watch the blatantly staged and scripted plug. I hope Adam doesn't have to endorse shitty stuff in tacky adverts in the future.
The next performance to include Adam was Santana's smooth. Adam seemed to lead everyone out, clapping in time to the music before being the only one to shake hands with Santana's extended hand. He was dressed all in black apart from a red tie, accessoriesed with a studded belt - a scorching hot look. He also wore a holster / braces and looked like a detective in a fabulous Glambert universe where the most serious crimes possible to commit, for which he was head of investigations, were crimes against fashion. Yes, I'd happily commit a fashion crime in order to get arrested by Adam before getting styled! Adam's first line of his solo was a little off, but he recovered to add some smut in Like seven inches IN (original: from) the midday sun to the lyrics, giving us his most seductive eyes. You just have to admire his wit and gall, still bending the limits and seeing how much he can get away with. With his loose hips and shoulders, he showed us some great salsa-type dance moves which he made to look naturally effortless. He did some dancing with Allison and it occurred to me then that he must be absolutely loving all the different costume changes.
The next act was Do You Think I'm Sexy. Adam looked very classy in a black suit and led one side onto the stage. He was again in the centre along with Kris and treated the crowd to a few naughty expressions and raised eyebrows. The line-up made up of all the guys reminded me a bit of The Full Monty where you almost expect them to do a striptease. Adam's movements were a controlled and subdued sexy in this performance but his voice shone, especially on the last note where he was the only one who went high. The high note was accompanied by his iconic pose before he introduced Rod Stewart in a velvety smooth voice.
We Are The Champions came as a total surprise, and from the opening chords, my excitement was uncontainable and I was whooping. YES! Adam does Queen! A fitting end, seeing as it was what he started with. During the stream, this is when it froze, to my extreme annoyance. This song clearly wasn't Kris, who seemed to be reading the autocue when he started and was more than happy to hand over to Adam. They both exchanged looks and were happy and relaxed together on the stage behind the judges. Adam's first lines were resplendent, smooth and powerful with a fine clarity, delivered from a self-assured pose. He seemed to resonate with the lyrics, passionately and angrily spitting out I've had my share of sand kicked in my face but I've come through, which brought me all the way back near the beginning to BoW. I loved the way he phrased through, driving it with that extra power and punch. Yes, he's made it all the way to the end, despite all the shit that's been thrown at him and the additional pressure he's had to endure. Now it's time to celebrate. What a beautiful opening.
He was back to a rocker look in a brown leather jacket with exquisite detailing and matching boots over a black T-shirt and dark jeans. I felt that this look was on the subtle side so as to complement rather than dwarf Kris. Adam gave us a twirl of his wrist when the band were revealed before joining Queen on stage. When they sang together, their voices didn't mesh together very well and I felt that Adam held himself back a lot trying not to upstage Kris and steal the show, despite probably bursting to go crazy. I can't imagine any of the other contestants doing the same. Adam's second solo was a little less restrained, his voice had bite, giving me a rushing feeling when he hit a few high notes as Brian May looked on impressed. The following chorus, Kris dropped off a little. We are the champions, my friend had Adam and Kris demonstrating their friendship with a hand grab and shared smiles. They were clearly having a great time and it was infectious. It made us momentarily feel that they were both so happy to be there, not really caring about the end result with both being winners. There was no doubt then who the best singer, biggest talent and superstar was. It felt like the producers had to let Kris in on it out of obligation. The last note was frustrating for me because I wanted Adam to have free rein but instead he watched and matched Kris closely. Even when it came down to acknowledging the band afterwards, Adam's 'Queen, ladies and gentlemen,' compared to Kris's embarrassed and short 'Queen' spoke volumes about their different levels of showmanship. They should have ditched Kris on this one because he was like the gatecrasher at a glamorous party. I just wanted Adam to completely let rip, and so did Queen by the looks of it. But being the ever gracious host, Adam dressed himself down to make the gatecrasher feel welcome and less awkwardly out of place. You have to admire his class for doing this, but what a great shame it was. Perhaps this will be addressed in the future if Adam is allowed to perform with them. Brian looked very happy with Adam at the end, and Adam's family had such a blast by the looks of it. It felt like the crowning performance of the show where everyone came out and anything else afterwards would just be insignificant.If you do not want to relive the end of the results show, skip the following paragraph.
When Adam and Kris came onto the stage for the final result, they looked happy still buzzing from the last performance and ready for it, wanting to get it over with. Adam had his arm slung around Kris like a very close friend and at that point, they really reminded me of Batman and Robin. Although Kris is likable and talented, he will always seem like Adam's sidekick. Adam seemed like his mentor when he pulled him into camera shot when the results bearer came onto the stage and obscured him from view. Adam's mother looked like she was unable to take any more, slouched in her seat. When Ryan made the announcement, it felt like time froze, I didn't breathe and the bottom of my gut dropped out. There was a little numbness, a feeling of complete anticlimax before disbelief and anger set in. NOOOOO! How the fuck could this happen? Adam is the clear winner! Adam's reaction was so gracious he immediately looked happy for Kris, pulling him close for a big hug, and shaking him into reality. He took a bow and Ryan called him a superstar before he gave the stage up for Kris. Kris said what we were all thinking - that Adam deserves this and was lost for words. Allison was quick to grab Adam but then pushed him by the ass to get back on the stage which was a little strange, but perhaps done to diffuse the awkwardness of Kris's lack of coherent speech. There was more hugging and they shared a joke before he cheered for Kris and left him to sing the coronation song. I noticed that Simon looked pissed off and wasn't on his feet like the other judges. Allison again took hold of Adam, putting her arm around him. I thought I saw a crack in the facade and a wistful expression appear on Adam's face. He may well be good at hiding it, but I do not believe Adam to be impervious to disappointment and hurt because I certainly felt it and I wasn't even involved. Adam stayed on the sidelines away from Kris for the rest of the show, allowing him the spotlight and cheering on his victory like a proud dad. My heart swelled with pride for Adam but ached with disappointment for him too.
A few other thoughts that struck me about the show was that it felt like Adam's plaything, like his tribute concert and finale to the Adam Lambert Show season where everyone else, including the established artists were just his support acts. Everyone was there to see or perform with him, the central piece of the show. For each of his group performances, he was the commanding stage presence, he seemed to be centre stage, get more camera time, the best camera shots and all eyes gravitated towards him. The stage was all his and he was in a totally different league. Even his solo was the last one of the night, barring the feeble coronation song, so he had the pimp spot again. It's glaringly obvious from any episode of AI8 who won the show and the season. It's been a week and I'm seriously suffering from the loss of The Adam Lambert Show from our screens. Still, I feel pleased now that Adam is stepping out from AI, spreading his wings ready to soar onwards and upwards. I'm holding on tight for the ride to wherever he takes me.
Saturday, 23 May 2009
Dealing With the Aftermath - Chin up!
I thought I started feeling better yesterday but after seeing so many interviews with Kris and how much screen time he's had, I'm feeling bitterly disappointed to not be seeing Adam instead, who would make for a much more interesting and charismatic interviewee. And it pains me for Adam to have to talk about losing over and over again with each interview (and for Kris too).
Since the result, I've been trying to rationalise it by spending time mulling over what happened with the voting. Apparently the rumours about the 38 million Arkansas votes were false, but the result still wasn't a close one, so did we let Adam down? Although I voted for a full seven hours, I didn't manage to get more than about 200 calls throughout the whole time because Gizmo was so slow and the lines were busy. Were none of Adam's fans able to bulk text? As I've mentioned before, I thought texting would be the key because there would be no danger of not getting through due to busy lines. Someone could have texted my 7 hours' worth of calls in a couple of minutes, so calling was relatively futile. I don't regret it but I'm gutted my efforts made no difference to the outcome, and I'm still finding the result difficult to accept.
Adam seems to be genuinely happy for Kris and handling things very well but I can't help but hurt for him. I keep thinking that perhaps he's not appearing that disappointed because he's good at hiding his feelings. Or that he never really allowed himself to truly believe he could win, especially after his reaction to being in the top two. Which makes me get worked up even more because he should have. Maybe it's better to believe that he just wanted to use the show to get exposure rather than to win. One thing I do find encouraging is the genuine affection and close friendship they have demonstrated towards each other, which is a great example for all of us.
This is much more than a singing competition and Adam represented so many people's dreams. Kris may have been the underdog in the competition but in life he's the popular boy-next-door who ended up with the prom queen. Adam may not have been the underdog in the competition but he was the underdog in life, which makes the loss seem like such a kick in the teeth, a bitter and painful rejection by America for all those he represented. For Adam to have lost to Kris underlines the notion that America is less willing to accept true brilliance than the ability to conform. I wanted Adam to win to have the satisfaction of knowing that his music could transcend or even shift society's attitudes but I was being overly optimistic. I'm glad I don't live in the US. As I see it, he's reawakened in so many people a long-dormant spirit of adventure, creativity, experimentation and an appreciation of music that would previously have been dismissed. I wanted him to know this and be rewarded for it as well as for his dedication to being a great entertainer.
Adam seems to be genuinely happy for Kris and handling things very well but I can't help but hurt for him. I keep thinking that perhaps he's not appearing that disappointed because he's good at hiding his feelings. Or that he never really allowed himself to truly believe he could win, especially after his reaction to being in the top two. Which makes me get worked up even more because he should have. Maybe it's better to believe that he just wanted to use the show to get exposure rather than to win. One thing I do find encouraging is the genuine affection and close friendship they have demonstrated towards each other, which is a great example for all of us.
This is much more than a singing competition and Adam represented so many people's dreams. Kris may have been the underdog in the competition but in life he's the popular boy-next-door who ended up with the prom queen. Adam may not have been the underdog in the competition but he was the underdog in life, which makes the loss seem like such a kick in the teeth, a bitter and painful rejection by America for all those he represented. For Adam to have lost to Kris underlines the notion that America is less willing to accept true brilliance than the ability to conform. I wanted Adam to win to have the satisfaction of knowing that his music could transcend or even shift society's attitudes but I was being overly optimistic. I'm glad I don't live in the US. As I see it, he's reawakened in so many people a long-dormant spirit of adventure, creativity, experimentation and an appreciation of music that would previously have been dismissed. I wanted him to know this and be rewarded for it as well as for his dedication to being a great entertainer.
I don't want to end on a gloomy note because I'm sure that's the last thing we need. I've just managed to see the whole of the results show. I missed a huge chunk of it through the stream (which was awful as I was scared I'd have to wait two days before I watch the result) as I had problems with the internet. I couldn't bring myself to watch the result online but I now feel much better. The results show felt like a tribute concert for Adam where he commanded the stage and shone like a supernova. It was plain to see who the star was, and even the established artists he shared the stage with were made to look like his minions. It seemed like the show kept him as the highlight for the second hour so that people would stay tuned. Even though the Queen performance was done with Kris, it was obvious who they were there for and he seemed to be the winner who was willing to share the limelight. Perhaps that was part of the shock because the show led us to believe that Adam had won. Part of me feels that Kris wouldn't have gotten to the final if it weren't for Adam's friendship. I think of what Adam brought to AI this season - which includes Slash, their first Zeppelin song, KISS, Queen, and credibility - before breaking it. He got in the maximum number of performances (minus the coronation song, which is a plus), he has people queueing up to work with him and he had the mentors gushing all over him. He was so gracious and seemed like Kris's proud dad at the announcement. His iTunes sales are doing very well and Simon is a complete Glamb Skank. People tuned in especially to watch him and even though he didn't win, it was just a stepping stone. AI8 will always be The Adam Lambert Show. There's plenty to feel positive about.
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
The Finale
A big thanks, and well done to all of you who persevered throughout the voting period and voted your fingers off. Now that the final performances are over, I wish I could feel more relaxed, but I don't, and I know that even after the results show's over and the season's finished my life will not quite return to the way it was before. I feel rather embarrassed admitting to 'normal' people that I stayed up all night to vote for the full seven hours, then desperately tried to get the extra software working to vote in the Hawaii window. And I had a back-up plan of automatic clicking for when I nodded off. How ridiculous is it that I spent seven hours on constant redial to vote for a contestant in a show that's in a foreign country? I'd never voted on any TV show before. Ever. But that's the power of Adam Lambert. Crazy or what?
I was filled with determination to make myself feel safe in the knowledge I'd done everything possible to get Adam the win but I was filled with doubt throughout. Would my votes actually count, and if they didn't, would I just be jamming up the phone lines for the legitimate votes? I was keeping track of Dialidol throughout and was filled with anxiety. Still am, although that might have more to do with a lack of sleep. I'm absolutely shattered and scared shitless for tonight!
Anyway, back to business. I managed to watch Adam's confessional before the show and thought he seemed a little tired, lacking his usual perkiness. I wondered whether he was feeling the weight of the pressure and how much the homecoming visit may have freaked him out and whether it would affect his performances.
The show opened with some previously unseen clips of Adam and Kris in the early stages of the competition, which reminded us of how different Adam looked back then. During the week, I'd seen some photos of him shopping for a suit so I wondered what we had in store. He came out in quite a classic Adam look all in black with a black jacket with sequins and black trousers. His hair was done fairly naturally with dramatic eyeliner. I found it very endearing when Kris and Adam were both asked the same question by Ryan and Kris replied first, then Adam repeated exactly what Kris said. It was cute moment that gave us more of an insight into their friendship.
Despite my efforts to stay away from the rumour mill, I knew but wasn't quite willing to accept that Adam's reprise would be Mad World. This got me a little concerned because I believed it to be a pretty impossible task to surpass the original because the surprise element would be missing. Still, a part of me was thinking that Adam would instinctively know what to do to freshen it up. There was an introductory clip that focussed around Adam and his parents talking about his childhood when he was a noisy kid, which cut to some of his high notes on the show. I think it was meant to be snarky to show him as a screamer and I don't think it helped him with winning over new fans.
I felt worried when Mad World was introduced but bloody hell, WOW! What a dramatic entrance that was. From the get-go, it was going to be other-worldly spectacular with the turbulent blanket of ground mist, and the shade of blue lighting from behind that honoured his original take. It was a desolate landscape. Adam cut a striking figure rising from within a platform on the stage dressed in a long trenchcoat with clunky boots in a pose that stood confident. One of the first things that came to mind was that this was reminiscent of iconic noir cinema, a stylised portrayal of a lonely tortured fantasy comic book hero. I was excited. The first few notes were full of clarity but perhaps due to nerves or because of the movement down the stairs, could have done with super-fine tuning. We saw his silhouette shrouded in mist until he got to the bottom of the stairs, where we could see he was dressed all in black with black leather fingerless gloves. He looked more like a goth than ever before. The instrumental arrangement was very similar to his previous one but the tempo was slower with variations in the lyrics and melody. Adam sounded just as haunting but maybe less mournful than last time. He didn't make as much use of his falsetto which made him sound less weak, and he gave us some gorgeous deep and rich notes which I preferred to the previous incarnation. There was a point where I thought he lost time during No one knew me, but it might have been that he was thrown by that bloody backing singer. Look right through me didn't have the same change in volume or impact and was much gentler but it still made my hair stand on end. I wanted more of that me note, which was just sublime. Adam cut a very solitary figure advancing slowly around the stage and I feel that he got deep into the character of being the world-weary outcast, singing with a troubled expression. He did engage with the camera a little more than he had done recently and his final wide-eyed look into the camera was heart-stopping. He nailed that final note.
Adam looked fairly happy after his performance but I think Simon was trying a little to negate the backlash he'd created with his pimping, by giving less positive remarks. Unusually, Adam spoke back at him but was very charming about it. He was so excited about experimenting with the lift and the dry ice and it just makes me respect him even more because his adventurous spirit is not dimmed by the pressure of the competition. And I adored his enthusiasm at expressing how he saw this as a chance to play dress-up.
I absolutely loved the theatrics and thought they were very appropriate to the big stage. I felt that this performance was a very different interpretation which captures a much edgier, darker mood than his original, which felt very exposed and filled with sadness and vulnerability. Perhaps it's my sleep deprived Lambosessed senses getting into overdrive (you tell me), but I feel that Adam has used the two performances to tell the story of how he has progressed, transitioning from being the alienated soft and fragile person filled with sadness to a tougher, more hardened, and confident one who is no longer afraid of being the outsider. If people felt less emotionally connected to this performance then I think it may have been because the character he portrayed was more aloof and the sweeping wide angle shots emphasised this. The message I got is that it's possible to evolve from one to the other to become the awesome dark superhero of the underworld that he created on that stage with his voice, the costuming and the set. I was completely captivated and entertained by this mysterious and exciting world he had created, even down to the moon that was the light in the background. I found it to be a visual and atmospheric masterpiece that was laced full of significance and meaning.
I felt a little concerned after Kris's performance. I didn't know what the other song choices would be beforehand, so when 'A Change Is Gonna Come' was announced, I was completely surprised but felt myself whooping with delight. I knew Adam had already performed this song in 2004 for the Zodiac Show, which might be why they were pulled from YouTube in the last week. I didn't rate that performance highly though as, unusual for Adam, I think it was quite off-key. I mentioned before that I wanted to hear Adam's take on something soulful and bluesy because I was impressed by his riffing in Some Kind of Wonderful and it would show off his range. This choice told me that the producers most likely want Adam to win. I was laughing, envisioning Simon Fuller as one of us, having spent hours obsessing over Adam's YouTube videos and his Zodiac pants! Perhaps it was unfair to give Adam a song he's already known to have performed, but if the rumours are true then Adam got shafted last week when it came to song choice. He was allegedly meant to be doing One Republic's Come Home but had to switch to Cryin' when he found out about Kris's Apologize. And Simon's pick was confirmed later than the others' so he probably had to work on twice as many songs as them and had less time to prepare. Maybe that's why it wasn't such a good night for him and we didn't see much in terms of stage direction.
The grey suit Adam wore appeared to be the one he wore for ToMT but seemed to lack the sheen. The look was made edgier with his white shirt cuffs protruding from underneath his jacket sleeves. His top button was undone with his blue tie slightly loose, which gave quite an understated look of a jazz club singer. His hair and make-up looked unchanged. Adam shared the centre of the stage with the band and along with the red lighting made it seem like a fairly intimate club setting.
The opening notes were very strong and filled me with confidence that this would be great. There was a slight waver on Long time, but he managed to recover completely so that the rest was flawless. He went on to use his rich, velvety, lower register that sounded seductive and superb. The song had time to slowly build to that first high note which was truly phenomenal. He held it for exactly the right amount of time - long enough for us to feel awestruck by it but short enough to avoid the showboating accusations - before coming down then sliding back up again. This for me was Adam's most beautiful and perfectly executed high note so far even though I have no idea what he said during it. In the rest of the climactic part of the song, he held the notes long enough to still keep the melody, avoiding sounding shouty. The last note was low for Adam, but majestic. Here Adam made beautiful use of his range and used his wail appropriately and to good effect without overdoing anything. His movements and expressions started off subtle then rode with the song, from his hand palming the air to the emotion twitching to get out of his leg. The arrangement was fairly straight-up so it was purely those mind-blowing vocals that put Adam's stamp on the song. I think the meaning of the song resonated with him to display such passion. He bled every drop of soul out of that performance and it was just scintillating to watch. He happily thanked the band afterwards before seemingly shaking himself back to reality. I think he'd been completely immersed in the song and looked very emotional when listening to the judges' comments.
I had no idea what Kara's song would be like or who she was expecting to write it for but I was hoping it wouldn't be a soppy ballad. For this performance, Adam looked fairly toned down with sober black jacket and T-shirt but paired up with some tight crazy-ass marble-washed jeans which I wasn't keen on. The camera stayed mainly above the waist though. Adam's voice started the song quite breathy and low and we heard a bit of his chesty rock voice. Then the band came in. Oh shit. Cheesy power-ballad on the way. I wasn't worried about Adam not performing well or doing worse than Kris on this one, but I thought he seemed slightly out of place. The song clearly didn't suit him and I think it might have been meant for Danny or even Lil Rounds. Adam seemed again to be battling with the band and the evil backing singers which really pissed me off because they were out-of-tune again. Not only was the song difficult to sing because the melody jumped all over the place, but the lyrics were unwieldy and super-cheesy. I think Adam tried hard to seriously sing the crap out of it but even he looked a bit awkward moving to the song. That was like dipping the finest piece of wagyu beef into supermarket budget-line ketchup. He looked quite relieved but emotional when he finished and I think he knew the song didn't fit him. It was a sad way to finish such an awesome run on AI. I didn't agree with Randy saying that Adam was pitchy because I think it was the backing singers. I think Kara looked a bit embarassed and I certainly didn't agree with Adam that the song was beautiful. I think Adam still did a great job with what he was given and he's proven that he can sing anything. It's also painfully clear that Adam is much better being the brains behind his song choices.
That was a rubbish way to finish the show and the season on such a crap note, which really didn't do either contestant justice. The coronation song wasn't worthy of either contestant. What a disappointment. If they'd gotten the coronation song out of the way first then the show would've turned out to be much less of an anti-climax. I think the running order is an important factor in the way the performances are received. Adam was at a disadvantage singing an unknown song first because people weren't familiar with the melody. But I guess that goes both ways - if the song is awful, then the person singing second would be at a disadvantage because no one would want to hear it again. I think it was unfortunate that Mad World came first because I see it as more of a finale. I truly believe that had it come last after the awful coronation song, it would've been a showstopper, bringing the house to its knees. I think a performance so mindblowing needs some foreplay in the form of warm-up acts.
I was hoping for a greater variety of tempo in Adam's performances and what I would've liked to have seen but didn't this season was an a capella or a single instrument acoustic arrangement to show off his staggering voice, and crazy Glambert complete with sexy dance routine. It would've been great if Adam had a more uptempo number yesterday where he could've rocked out and got everyone up on their feet. There's still the rest of tonight though to look forward to and I'm hoping he goes all-out because he has nothing to lose. I'm still really nervous about the result because I think it's a close one. Whatever happens, I'm sure there'll be some tears shed. Fingers crossed that they're those of elation.
I was filled with determination to make myself feel safe in the knowledge I'd done everything possible to get Adam the win but I was filled with doubt throughout. Would my votes actually count, and if they didn't, would I just be jamming up the phone lines for the legitimate votes? I was keeping track of Dialidol throughout and was filled with anxiety. Still am, although that might have more to do with a lack of sleep. I'm absolutely shattered and scared shitless for tonight!
Anyway, back to business. I managed to watch Adam's confessional before the show and thought he seemed a little tired, lacking his usual perkiness. I wondered whether he was feeling the weight of the pressure and how much the homecoming visit may have freaked him out and whether it would affect his performances.
The show opened with some previously unseen clips of Adam and Kris in the early stages of the competition, which reminded us of how different Adam looked back then. During the week, I'd seen some photos of him shopping for a suit so I wondered what we had in store. He came out in quite a classic Adam look all in black with a black jacket with sequins and black trousers. His hair was done fairly naturally with dramatic eyeliner. I found it very endearing when Kris and Adam were both asked the same question by Ryan and Kris replied first, then Adam repeated exactly what Kris said. It was cute moment that gave us more of an insight into their friendship.Despite my efforts to stay away from the rumour mill, I knew but wasn't quite willing to accept that Adam's reprise would be Mad World. This got me a little concerned because I believed it to be a pretty impossible task to surpass the original because the surprise element would be missing. Still, a part of me was thinking that Adam would instinctively know what to do to freshen it up. There was an introductory clip that focussed around Adam and his parents talking about his childhood when he was a noisy kid, which cut to some of his high notes on the show. I think it was meant to be snarky to show him as a screamer and I don't think it helped him with winning over new fans.
I felt worried when Mad World was introduced but bloody hell, WOW! What a dramatic entrance that was. From the get-go, it was going to be other-worldly spectacular with the turbulent blanket of ground mist, and the shade of blue lighting from behind that honoured his original take. It was a desolate landscape. Adam cut a striking figure rising from within a platform on the stage dressed in a long trenchcoat with clunky boots in a pose that stood confident. One of the first things that came to mind was that this was reminiscent of iconic noir cinema, a stylised portrayal of a lonely tortured fantasy comic book hero. I was excited. The first few notes were full of clarity but perhaps due to nerves or because of the movement down the stairs, could have done with super-fine tuning. We saw his silhouette shrouded in mist until he got to the bottom of the stairs, where we could see he was dressed all in black with black leather fingerless gloves. He looked more like a goth than ever before. The instrumental arrangement was very similar to his previous one but the tempo was slower with variations in the lyrics and melody. Adam sounded just as haunting but maybe less mournful than last time. He didn't make as much use of his falsetto which made him sound less weak, and he gave us some gorgeous deep and rich notes which I preferred to the previous incarnation. There was a point where I thought he lost time during No one knew me, but it might have been that he was thrown by that bloody backing singer. Look right through me didn't have the same change in volume or impact and was much gentler but it still made my hair stand on end. I wanted more of that me note, which was just sublime. Adam cut a very solitary figure advancing slowly around the stage and I feel that he got deep into the character of being the world-weary outcast, singing with a troubled expression. He did engage with the camera a little more than he had done recently and his final wide-eyed look into the camera was heart-stopping. He nailed that final note.
Adam looked fairly happy after his performance but I think Simon was trying a little to negate the backlash he'd created with his pimping, by giving less positive remarks. Unusually, Adam spoke back at him but was very charming about it. He was so excited about experimenting with the lift and the dry ice and it just makes me respect him even more because his adventurous spirit is not dimmed by the pressure of the competition. And I adored his enthusiasm at expressing how he saw this as a chance to play dress-up.
I absolutely loved the theatrics and thought they were very appropriate to the big stage. I felt that this performance was a very different interpretation which captures a much edgier, darker mood than his original, which felt very exposed and filled with sadness and vulnerability. Perhaps it's my sleep deprived Lambosessed senses getting into overdrive (you tell me), but I feel that Adam has used the two performances to tell the story of how he has progressed, transitioning from being the alienated soft and fragile person filled with sadness to a tougher, more hardened, and confident one who is no longer afraid of being the outsider. If people felt less emotionally connected to this performance then I think it may have been because the character he portrayed was more aloof and the sweeping wide angle shots emphasised this. The message I got is that it's possible to evolve from one to the other to become the awesome dark superhero of the underworld that he created on that stage with his voice, the costuming and the set. I was completely captivated and entertained by this mysterious and exciting world he had created, even down to the moon that was the light in the background. I found it to be a visual and atmospheric masterpiece that was laced full of significance and meaning.
I felt a little concerned after Kris's performance. I didn't know what the other song choices would be beforehand, so when 'A Change Is Gonna Come' was announced, I was completely surprised but felt myself whooping with delight. I knew Adam had already performed this song in 2004 for the Zodiac Show, which might be why they were pulled from YouTube in the last week. I didn't rate that performance highly though as, unusual for Adam, I think it was quite off-key. I mentioned before that I wanted to hear Adam's take on something soulful and bluesy because I was impressed by his riffing in Some Kind of Wonderful and it would show off his range. This choice told me that the producers most likely want Adam to win. I was laughing, envisioning Simon Fuller as one of us, having spent hours obsessing over Adam's YouTube videos and his Zodiac pants! Perhaps it was unfair to give Adam a song he's already known to have performed, but if the rumours are true then Adam got shafted last week when it came to song choice. He was allegedly meant to be doing One Republic's Come Home but had to switch to Cryin' when he found out about Kris's Apologize. And Simon's pick was confirmed later than the others' so he probably had to work on twice as many songs as them and had less time to prepare. Maybe that's why it wasn't such a good night for him and we didn't see much in terms of stage direction.
The grey suit Adam wore appeared to be the one he wore for ToMT but seemed to lack the sheen. The look was made edgier with his white shirt cuffs protruding from underneath his jacket sleeves. His top button was undone with his blue tie slightly loose, which gave quite an understated look of a jazz club singer. His hair and make-up looked unchanged. Adam shared the centre of the stage with the band and along with the red lighting made it seem like a fairly intimate club setting.The opening notes were very strong and filled me with confidence that this would be great. There was a slight waver on Long time, but he managed to recover completely so that the rest was flawless. He went on to use his rich, velvety, lower register that sounded seductive and superb. The song had time to slowly build to that first high note which was truly phenomenal. He held it for exactly the right amount of time - long enough for us to feel awestruck by it but short enough to avoid the showboating accusations - before coming down then sliding back up again. This for me was Adam's most beautiful and perfectly executed high note so far even though I have no idea what he said during it. In the rest of the climactic part of the song, he held the notes long enough to still keep the melody, avoiding sounding shouty. The last note was low for Adam, but majestic. Here Adam made beautiful use of his range and used his wail appropriately and to good effect without overdoing anything. His movements and expressions started off subtle then rode with the song, from his hand palming the air to the emotion twitching to get out of his leg. The arrangement was fairly straight-up so it was purely those mind-blowing vocals that put Adam's stamp on the song. I think the meaning of the song resonated with him to display such passion. He bled every drop of soul out of that performance and it was just scintillating to watch. He happily thanked the band afterwards before seemingly shaking himself back to reality. I think he'd been completely immersed in the song and looked very emotional when listening to the judges' comments.
I had no idea what Kara's song would be like or who she was expecting to write it for but I was hoping it wouldn't be a soppy ballad. For this performance, Adam looked fairly toned down with sober black jacket and T-shirt but paired up with some tight crazy-ass marble-washed jeans which I wasn't keen on. The camera stayed mainly above the waist though. Adam's voice started the song quite breathy and low and we heard a bit of his chesty rock voice. Then the band came in. Oh shit. Cheesy power-ballad on the way. I wasn't worried about Adam not performing well or doing worse than Kris on this one, but I thought he seemed slightly out of place. The song clearly didn't suit him and I think it might have been meant for Danny or even Lil Rounds. Adam seemed again to be battling with the band and the evil backing singers which really pissed me off because they were out-of-tune again. Not only was the song difficult to sing because the melody jumped all over the place, but the lyrics were unwieldy and super-cheesy. I think Adam tried hard to seriously sing the crap out of it but even he looked a bit awkward moving to the song. That was like dipping the finest piece of wagyu beef into supermarket budget-line ketchup. He looked quite relieved but emotional when he finished and I think he knew the song didn't fit him. It was a sad way to finish such an awesome run on AI. I didn't agree with Randy saying that Adam was pitchy because I think it was the backing singers. I think Kara looked a bit embarassed and I certainly didn't agree with Adam that the song was beautiful. I think Adam still did a great job with what he was given and he's proven that he can sing anything. It's also painfully clear that Adam is much better being the brains behind his song choices.That was a rubbish way to finish the show and the season on such a crap note, which really didn't do either contestant justice. The coronation song wasn't worthy of either contestant. What a disappointment. If they'd gotten the coronation song out of the way first then the show would've turned out to be much less of an anti-climax. I think the running order is an important factor in the way the performances are received. Adam was at a disadvantage singing an unknown song first because people weren't familiar with the melody. But I guess that goes both ways - if the song is awful, then the person singing second would be at a disadvantage because no one would want to hear it again. I think it was unfortunate that Mad World came first because I see it as more of a finale. I truly believe that had it come last after the awful coronation song, it would've been a showstopper, bringing the house to its knees. I think a performance so mindblowing needs some foreplay in the form of warm-up acts.
I was hoping for a greater variety of tempo in Adam's performances and what I would've liked to have seen but didn't this season was an a capella or a single instrument acoustic arrangement to show off his staggering voice, and crazy Glambert complete with sexy dance routine. It would've been great if Adam had a more uptempo number yesterday where he could've rocked out and got everyone up on their feet. There's still the rest of tonight though to look forward to and I'm hoping he goes all-out because he has nothing to lose. I'm still really nervous about the result because I think it's a close one. Whatever happens, I'm sure there'll be some tears shed. Fingers crossed that they're those of elation.
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
The Final Preparations
The finale's nearly here and I hope we're not all turning into nervous wrecks! The big question is, as it has always been, is what is Adam going to do? I await with a combination of eager anticipation, excitement and anxiety. There will be three performances each, with rumours being that one of the songs is going to be the contestant's favourite from the season, one Simon Fuller's choice, and the other one the coronation song written by Kara.
What would I like Adam to do? I feel like I'm in a bit of a dilemma. There's no doubt I would consider myself a die-hard fan who would love to see him go all-out crazy OTT Glambert in his most extreme incarnation because I believe that to be closer to what he'd like to do. It would be mind-blowingly entertaining for him to let loose without inhibition, sending a enormous 'Fuck you!' to all his haters, subverting AI and turning TV talent shows on their head. To be so fearlessly audacious and be crowned with the win would be the biggest and sweetest reward possible for Adam, finally overcoming the battle to be accepted as his no-holds-barred, unadulterated and fabulous self. In my perfect scenario, he'd win by a landslide, and the world would undergo a creative revolution where everyone would open their minds, feel completely free to experiment with self-expression and be accepted and celebrated for all their quirks. In the real world however, because I don't have enough faith in America, I'm afraid it would mean Adam losing the competition because there'd be too many scared conservatives running back to the sanctimony of their pulpits to spout vitriol, condemning any perceived threat to the safe mundanity of their lives. Do I really want to see Adam in his full magnificence at the expense of his winning the competition? This is the balancing act that Adam has had to deal with all season and I'm going to have to side with him compromising just a little in order to win as there'll be plenty of time later to propel us out of this world. Although that doesn't prevent me from still holding out for some of this on the results show performances when the voting is over.
The thing about Adam is, because he gave us a teaser at the start of One last week, he also rather contradictorily has me ravenous for the complete opposite kind of slow song of that will really tear our hearts out, rip us to shreds and leave us as quivering bawling wrecks because I know he can do it, he can move the world to tears. The only problem might be that none of us will be able to recover sufficiently enough to vote afterwards. To be able to have both types of performance on the same night would be beyond awesome. Perhaps the reason why we didn't have such completely contrasting performances last week was intentional. Things are usually more intense after a period of deprivation and to make us ache for it could help to achieve the maximum impact in the finale.
For selfish reasons of wanting more new Adam performances to marvel at, I really hope we don't see a reprise but I do understand that three songs is a lot to sort out a few days, not to mention all the enormous pressure and freaking out before the big day. If I had to choose a song for him to reprise, I wouldn't choose Satisfaction because we've heard it twice already but there is potential for improvement in terms of the vocals. I wouldn't want him to reprise classic performances such as RoF, ToMT, WLL or MW because part of their appeal was in capturing the magic of the moment. I fear the surprise factor would be missing so that they wouldn't surpass the original. It's possible he could rearrange them, but any rearrangement of RoF would seem like he was retreating and bowing down to appease his critics. Which leaves BoW, PTFM, BTBW, IICHY, FG, One and Cryin'. Of those, I think IICHY, FG and One have the most potential for a 'moment' that were narrowly missed first time round. Both IICHY and One could help with being lengthened, and FG and One could be improved for the AI audience by sticking closer to the studio versions. I doubt One will be reprised, having been done so recently but Adam has the ability to make it sound completely different should he choose. BoW was done a long time ago so there's scope for improvement and to show how much he's grown since then. I doubt that reprising PTFM, BTBW or Cryin' would help Adam in the competition, considered to be his more 'screechy' tunes. I think it would work well if he chose any of the five songs he sang in the early rounds. Contestant's favourite is a term that's open to interpretation though, and could mean any song from the season. As it's a rumour, I'm still hoping for a new song.
The other songs are the coronation song and Simon Fuller's choice. I have no doubt that if Adam sings head-to-head against Kris with the same song, same arrangement, Adam will wipe the floor with him. Adam's voice is an additional instrument that can completely change a song, but it all comes down to a matter of taste. Some people will prefer Kris's arrangements and vocal imperfections, which although distinctive, on a night of three performances where he's weaker than Adam when it comes to varying it up, he'll sound quite samey. I'm guessing that Kara's song will be quite ballady although it depends on who she had in mind when she wrote it. I'm hoping for a pleasant surprise. Simon Fuller's choice will be quite revealing as to the producers' intentions but I'm hoping overall that the songs chosen will vary in tempo so that Adam can treat us with diverse and dynamic performances. I want to see one high-octane OTT performance with a dance routine where he goes crazy with his signature vocals, one emotionally rousing one and a bonus would be a really edgy left-field one that he'd bring into the mainstream (which, let's face it, won't happen).
Now is the time to leave these thoughts here, clear my expectations and go in with an open mind. I think my ability to do this has been improving as the weeks have gone by and I trust Adam's instincts in knowing what to do. I don't think the quality of performances are actually going to make a huge difference to the outcome of the competition because the casual voters won't be the ones voting frantically for a full four hours. I think it's going to be won based on the dedication of the fanbases and their ability to send group texts, so it's very important to do what we can. I want him to win for the way he has captured our imaginations and inspired us - we owe it to him. I need him to win for that elusive validation he seeks and I'd be so pissed off if he didn't. He is a superstar who is light years ahead of the competition and deserves to be recognised and rewarded for his talent and courage.
Tomorrow's reviews of the three performances may come out a bit later than usual and may be phased because I'll be exhausted after lack of sleep staying up to vote. I urge you to do the same so that we can all finish this journey celebrating together on the highest of highs. Please, GET VOTING!
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Obsession Beyond AI
I'd like to send you a big thank you for dropping in and showing your solidarity. All your comments are appreciated. It's been a thrilling ride so far. We're in the final stretch of the competition and as much as I've been euphoric that Adam's made it to the final and I'm looking forward to seeing what he does next, I'm also dreading having to prepare for the grief of not seeing a weekly Adam performance.
In many ways it's good we're getting to the end of the season because it means I'll get my life back, but in other ways, I'm going to feel bereft. How are creatures of habit going to cope without the weekly fix? The withdrawal symptoms are going to be quite unbearable. I'll have to keep Googling and relying on people posting videos of his TV appearances and tour performances, which I can't believe will be enough for my greedy self because I'll want to see new material. One thing I realised more than ever during Adam's homecoming is that when he emerges from the AI bubble, there'll be times where we'll get completely swamped with info because for every video I saw from that homecoming, there were hundreds more cameras shooting the same thing from a different angle, which left me spending hours sifting through the huge pile just in case there was something I missed, or there was a better version. As there are 50 dates on the tour, as an estimate we'll probably end up with at least 20 videos of Adam for each one over a period of over two months. That's a hell of a lot to digest and I'm not sure if I'll be able to cope with watching the same songs over and over again, even with all his fabulousness and wardrobe changes. There'll also be times when there'll be nothing but a slow agonising trickle which likely means the end of the road for regular updates on this blog. I hate the predicament that my need for all things Adam puts me in, because it will make him prime fodder for lining the pockets of paparazzi scum who'll be invading his personal space.
I've never followed Idol before so I'm uncertain of what we'll see of Adam once the season is over or what the timetable is. Will there be a special on Adam where they show all the unseen footage of Rock With You, What's Up? and the full-length version of Believe? I really hope so. Is the tour going to be the only thing we'll get from him for a long time or will he be allowed to perform independently? Will he be able to have side projects where he can collaborate and experiment in parallel to churning out the AI stuff? I still have little idea about what kind of music he's going to make. How much will he have to hold back his idiosyncrasies and compromise, or are 19 so desperate for his greatness they'll allow him to do the dictating? Will they allow him to resurrect all his social networks and MySpace pages, allowing him to communicate with his fans? Or do they have strict rules about these things even after the competition? I would absolutely love it if he were able to provide us with video updates or a blog and throw us the odd bone here and there. And how long do I have to wait for him to come to the UK? If you have any answers, please let me know!
I'll be eagerly anticipating the release of his songs but for me, the medium of records doesn't capture enough of him for my liking, despite his mind-blowing voice. It's like the agony of knowing he's in front of you all glitteringly made up pretty and glam, shooting out rainbow coloured fireworks, snarling and gyrating and slithering his awesomeness inches away from you, but you're blindfolded. He's such an addictive audiovisual spectacle I'll need to see all the videos too. I can't quite describe in words how much I want him to have his own weekly TV show where he's allowed complete freedom to do what he wants. As well as performing, I could happily just sit and watch his nails dry, he is that fascinating. He could eat ice cream, pull funny faces, dance or give fashion and make-up tips for all I care.
At the moment, the studio version of One embodies not my mood exactly, but the specific tone of my mood. My heart feels heavy and worried and I'm in that state of mind where I'm bracing myself for deprivation. Perhaps I'm just having a bit of a panic and it's raining and miserable today. The top 2 interview where he talks about the challenge of staying true to himself also seems very sombre in comparison to the previous ones.
Something that will get me excited is all the pre-Idol footage that has yet to surface, which is fascinating and compulsive viewing. A recent one released a couple of days ago was another version of Is Anybody Listening? performed at Jewish fund-raising event. I wonder if the timing of the release was decided by Adam and whether it's to garner Jewish support for him in the final because it's not something he's noticeably done. It's a great video in which he looks strikingly handsome, and could win him more fans because it's very different from any AI performance. Look out for the Mutley chuckle at the end! There's also a video of Adam with a jazz band in his younger days. I'm hoping that people will dig up and post more videos when they realise who that blonde boy with the incredible voice has become.
Tuesday's getting closer and I'm getting excited at the prospect of being able to see three performances from Adam. It's the last time I'll be able to drive myself crazy speculating about what he's going to pull out next on the show, but that's the subject of another post to come. Let's make sure he wins so that we get to see more of him and because he unmistakably deserves to be rewarded for all his hard work whilst bravely remaining true to his great self.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)