I didn't mean to leave such a long gap between posts. In fact there are tons of half-finished posts that I haven't got round to finishing and publishing yet.
I feel compelled to jot down a few words right now, even if it's just a pic/tweet spam to capture the instinctive reaction. How fucking good was that, eh? What a way to ring in the new year. I'm pretty sure that won over a whole new legion of fans who are busy Googling and getting sucked into this world we've been inhabiting for the last 5+ years. Yes, remember that? Bwhahahahaha!
Anyway, it was good of the BBC to stream it for everyone.
I don't have enough time for a full detailed review of all the notes and everything, but that first song, those first notes, that first little personalised "inside out" embellishment, those sparkly eyes, that cheeky glint, the playfulness, the drama, the swagger, the presence, the fresh face, the big bouncy curled quiff. Oh yes, it's the same but better than ever.
It's like when it's winter and you've been indoors for ages and it's all dark and gloomy and windy and drizzly outside and you've forgotten what it's like go go outside without a big duvet a hat and scarf that covers up your hearing, limiting what you can see, which is all a bit monochrome anyway. Then all of a sudden the sun comes out dazzling and warm and the birds start chirping and the everything's multifaceted in technicolour and great. In fact it's better than great because it's better than how you remember it from before.
Yes, Adam Fucking Lambert somehow always manages to be even better than how you remember him. And it wasn't even that long ago since we last saw him on Helen Fischer.
Here's my playlist:
There are a lot of highlights from tonight - the energy, the huge notes, the guitar solos, the bagpipe rework of We Will Rock You, even the belated confetti shower that should've happened at the first Queenbert meeting with that very same song - but I'll just sum up my overall impression.
They made it look so easy working not only the in-house audience but every one of us glued to our screens. There was joy radiating out of the performers as it's so obvious they they connect with each other and genuinely love what they are doing. And we feel it.
Magnificent.
Here are my tweets from the time, and if you look at the end - well what a start to 2015 I've had, eh?!
It was Queenbert last time round that broke this blog due to the long sets and overwhelming volume of media, so this seems an appropriate time to fix it. A Queenbert collaboration is about as perfect a fit as it's possible to get and a reunion we'd been wishing the months away for. Here's the full set:
It seems like forever since I last saw Adam perform and what a sight for sore eyes he is. Wow. He looks stunning. Cutting a svelte figure looking refined in unimposing understated black, he's dressed respectfully in keeping with the rest of the band and not attention-seekily, which only shows Adam's sensitivity and class. There's facial hair with very little make-up and it's quite rare to see him without a jacket for such an event. Maybe he's remembered it makes him sweat bucketloads. Casual with shirt slashed to the waist and skintight jeans, there's no denying his irresistible sex appeal. The only bling comes in the form of a bit of jewellery, a belt and those bedazzled Louboutins.
The set kicks off with the "Mama" part of Bohemian Rhapsody and with it he's finally scratched my 5 year (almost) itch. Despite being part of previous Queenbert concerts, this is the first time Adam has performed it since his AI audition. It will draw the inevitable comparisons with Freddie but he holds his own. I think he lacks the cutting clarity of Freddie's tone but it's strong and he adds a different grittier rock texture to it. The theatricality and the emotion still give it that impact though.
Another One Bites The Dust completes the opening medley and the start is a shock. Adam's voice is so low and rich and it's that part of his range that we rarely hear. Even during the higher parts I realise that during the Trespassing era I haven't heard that much of his melodic sweet spot, which is truly sublime. He gets his strut on, showing us all what a powerful and charismatic front man he makes.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love comes with a heavy dose of swagger with some of Adam's diction a nod to Elvis. He's a bit tentative when the music cuts out but his belting is mightily impressive.
Who Wants To Live Forever brings an abrupt change to the mood of the set. Super dramatic from very soft and whispery to strong, powerful and operatic, Adam's voice seems limitless as he glides effortlessly between its many different shades and facets. He gives me goosebumps galore, especially at the climax which I will to keep going. You cannot fail to be moved by this and the emotion behind it. It's spellbinding. I watch and listen in awe, astounded all over again by his mastery of his phenomenal voice. I already feel from this concert that he's reached a new level, above everything else so far and it makes me proud to see him strive to keep improving when there's so little room for it. It could just be the quality of the recordings but it sounds to me that the difference between this and last year's Queenbert is considerable.
Adam leaves the stage for Fun to join Queen for Somebody To Love, sung by their front man Nate Ruess. It's quite cruel for anyone to follow Adam, kind of like the anti-climax of Kris performing after Adam on the AI tour. Nate has a lovely timbre to his voice but he seems to not be very well trained on the mic. I think it's too far and he doesn't keep it steady, affecting how we perceive his tone, power, projection and volume. They have different styles though and I've come to appreciate how slick and well-controlled Adam's is. Comparatively rough around the edges, Nate does a good job and it's enjoyable, but for selfish reasons I can't help but wish it were Adam singing instead. As an aside, it seems Fun's guitarist didn't get the memo regarding what to wear. I think he looks like a guy they dragged in off the street.
Adam is re-introduced back on stage for a Fat Bottomed Girls duet with Nate. When I think of Adam performing, I often think of him playing up to the crowd but I have a new-found appreciation of how physically restrained he is. In direct contrast to Nate's rather hyperactive flaily style, Adam seems effortlessly cool and laid back in comparison. His stage presence still dominates and is second-to-none. The highlight which is hilarious, has to be where he straddles an imaginary object (I'll leave that to your imagination), works his snake hips and demands us to get on our bikes and ride. Yes sir!
A mashup of Dragon Attack with the Bohemian Rhapsody breakdown follows. By force of habit, I almost expect DA to segue into Shady but both songs are frustratingly abbreviated. He hits a rare sharp note in the very short burst of BR. I want to hear more of it though. I really think full versions deserve to be heard and a half hour set is nowhere near enough.
We Will Rock You marks the beginning of the end. A tuft of hair is starting to fall and there's a flat note. I have to say that the crowd is particularly lame. Don't any of them know how to clap in time? Admittedly they didn't all come to see Queen and the venue is massive but when you compare it to any of theLondonshows it must have been a disappointment for the performers. Maybe Adam should have led the clapping There was the potential to create a magical atmosphere for all that was missed.
We Are The Champions is the spectacular conclusion to the set and Adam leaves no doubt as to his suitability for the task in hand. The crowd is better for this one with a few arms swaying in the air but it's still not a patch on London last year. He ends the concert with a blast of his trademark bluesy runs but I just don't want it to end.
I love this concert though the truncated songs and the abrupt switching between them is a serious source of irritation. I would've liked to have heard Don't Stop Me Now, The Show Must Go On and a full Bohemian Rhapsody but the allocated time is too short. I feel that Adam's upped his game, vocally stretching his range. His voice and his presence are so very powerful, exuding charisma and commanding all before him. There is no denying his Rock God credentials as I feel humbled just watching him. Magnificent.
It seems like this sunny daytime radio concert happened such a long time ago. Adam was without Isaac, his usual drummer, but the rest of the band and backing singers were there. The visual presentation - Adam's cool daytime rocker look with mirrored sunglasses and the staging - is very reminiscent of his Moscow concert.
The set commences with a sassy and energetic Trespassing followed by Kickin' In, which I'm still finding a but repetitive. There are a few close-ups of Adam's sunglasses which are great for seeing the reflection of the crowd. The shades come off at the end of Shady to a loud cheer, I guess because we need to see his eyes to make that all-important connection, especially for the next song, a stirring WWFM.
Naked love brings the tempo back up with a singalong, which I thing should be topped off by a grand finish instead of petering out, but I guess I'm starting to sound like a broken record. IIHY follows and I'm guessing Adam has problems finding his pitch as he doesn't actually start singing until quite a way into the song. The set gets a bit emo with Broken English and some impressive vocals, though I think there are parts of the guitar solo that sound a bit off. Chokehold is beautifully dramatic.
There's a little bit of banter before another change in mood, where Adam uses jetlag as an euphemism for feeling the effects of the weed wafting in from the crowd. A fun smiley NCOE gives way to a tribute to Donna Summer with a performance of Hot Stuff. It's a wonderful and unusual treat for us all to hear a new song, a classic with the twist being Adam's fantastic vocals over it. It leads straight into Cuckoo with band intros where Adam gets all potty-mouthed with his mo-fos. It ends on a high with an almighty note plus trademark run.
Apologies for the long delay, I've been suffering from massive computer fail as well as various other failures!
Adam's first gig in the UK was at G-A-Y so it's only apt that he would kick off his Trespassing era with a return. Plus I'm sure this is probably one of his favourite venues for obvious reasons. He must love performing for this audience. Here's my playlist:
Adam's in his trusty starred leopardskin T-shirt with suit jacket and tight bikery leather trousers. Trespassing opens the set where he's brilliant in voice, followed by a stompy, booty-shaking Kickin' In that has less of a rock vibe with the electronic elements coming through, which I think works better. Shady is damn fierce and it's quite interesting to hear a different shade of his voice for the bridge part that's sung by Sam on the album.
Adam does his utmost to get the audience to strip for Naked Love, removing a layer himself. This is where he really works the crowd, getting his potty mouth in on the act. He gets his banter on before Cuckoo and I just have to laugh at him pulling his trousers up as his arse is moving for the crowd. He gets the echo effects that he asks for and more. Never Close Our Eyes concludes the set and it's a joy to see him so relaxed with his swearing while plugging his album.
This is Adam's first UK Trespassing-era gig open to all and is part of a charity extravaganza for Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity. The line-up has lots of big name pop acts with a large proportion originating from TV talent shows.
The venue is the iconic Royal Albert Hall, home to many a famous concert. It's been a long-standing wish of mine to see Adam perform an acoustic concert there so I guess this comes close. He's back to looking dapper in an electric blue suit and tie with lots of sheen. I'm rather partial to that colour on him and he completes the look with some outrageous leopardskin boots. I think he has a bit of a Teddy Boy look about him.
Adam uses session musicians instead of his usual band and though they don't have the same on-stage rapport and energy, I think they do a great job. They even have all the clapping nailed for Trespassing. I can't really hear the backing singers but they alternate between high and low claps. Needless to say, his voice is on top form and he works the stage.
On saying this is his second UK concert, Adam seems to have forgotten about all the FYE era concerts. Oh Adam, how could you forget us! The set is only three songs long so he goes on to do a fine job on Cuckoo and NCOE. He never seems completely happy about the sound though. I would've loved for Shady to have been part of the mix. The next gig is at G-A-Y which I expect to be a completely different affair.
Those studded shorts! And those boots! With that weird hoody thing! Don't you just love that Adam is a never-ending source of amusement? I can't help but admire his attitude and sense of fun when it comes to his presentation. Here's my playlist:
The set starts off as usual with Trespassing and Kickin' In, which has impressive vocals. I've started to find Brian's banter slightly irritating as he sounds like Adam's echo but maybe the purpose is for sound adjustments. I like his dancing and the energy he brings though. Adam does a bit of melodramatic moaning about the heat at the start of Shady, and it looks like he has a specific dance for those shorts. The humming at the start of WWFM is divine, turning out to be another spellbinding performance.
Adam reluctantly removes his hoody, spoiling his look for Chokehold. It's not the most accurate near the start but those vocals are nothing short of spectacular. There's a bit of a Naked Love synths tease at the start of Broken English, again with a nice guitar solo with staggering wails and runs. Naked Love is next for real and it's funny how Adam tries to be all conservative when it comes to nudity but won't think twice about being sex-grabby and thrusty. IIHY is next and unfortunately Adam sounds lost and off-key flat throughout due to various sound issues. He later apologises and takes the piss out of himself over it. NCOE is followed by Cuckoo where his voice is at its bright and gritty best, sprinkled with wonderful runs.
SHORTS!!! Below-the-knee rocker length, but that still comes as quite the shock. There's still daylight and the weather's hot so it's a logical choice. The trashy loud vest with dollar signs however, isn't. Still you have to love that Adam doesn't take himself too seriously, and this is one of those hilarious WTF? outfits that works in setting a fun mood.
The set starts with a funky-as-hell Trespassing, leading into a camp theatrical Kickin' In. Shady is still my favourite for getting down to and Adam performs it cheekily. WWFM is the big dramatic version and has a lovely ending where his voice is a sweet flutter. Chokehold has sublime vocals sung with his stank face for much of the time, with a light ending floating over the instruments.
Adam tries to get crowd singing his riffs, but ends up taking the piss. As if a normal person could hit those notes. I assume this is to get the sound and echo right for Broken English. I've run out of ways to describe Adam's voice but here it's bluesy and just phenomenal. Tommy does a good job with the guitar solo. Next up is Naked Love which has an uplifting energy with Adam's giggle and encouragement of audience participation. I think I'm getting used to the ending now as I'm getting less fussy about the absence of a big finish. The surprise song is IIHY, which hasn't been done for a while. It sounds a bit different during the chorus with the bass less electronic and more funky. There are some nice vocal variations. I'm really getting to enjoy the excitement of NCOE live. It looks like Adam was never quite happy with the sound and the final run of notes is very flat. The set ends with Cuckoo and the band intros, with creative riffs over bridge.
Adam looks fantastic in off-horizontal stripes under a black jacket that still has a black armband. Here's a playlist of my video picks:
The set starts as usual with Trespassing which has a wow moment in that glory note that is so high and sustained. Kickin' In is very camp with OTT expressions, wiggly-ass dancing and great vocals. The sound of the bass on this version of Shady sounds most like the studio version and Adam includes a long bluesy riff at the end. WWFM has a certain grandness to it and is just beautiful, the backing singers are a very welcome addition.
Chokehold sounds a little different to the other versions so far and the bridge is amazing. Brian is getting in on the banter between songs as the band chemistry grows. Broken English includes a crotch stroke that makes the crowd lose their shit. The bridge here is an instrumental-only one without Adam's wailing over it. The high notes are unbelievable. A bouncy Naked Love sees Adam getting people to wave their arms as he gets friendly with the crowd, giving one of them a hug. The singalong is a lot of fun and I really enjoy this performance.
Adam tries to mobilise his troops to get NCOE on the radio and he really nails this one. Sung with freedom, it's a bit faster than usual and he's on such scintillating form with impressive high notes, ending on his favourite riff. There's quite a bit of banter before Cuckoo. He's really on fire for this with his dancing legs fully on, ass wiggling about. It's very discoey with the keys rather loud. For the first time, I really enjoy the band intros because of Adam's freestyle ad-libbing, which briefly goes off on a Chaka Khan tangent. Tommy's solo is also great but it's Adam's vocals that are incredible.
Despite Adam being unsatisfied with the sound throughout, this is by far the best concert so far from this era in terms of energy and vocals. He's back as the ringmaster, commanding and conducting the stage and the audience throughout. I can see that he's made a concerted effort to chat more with the audience, involving them and allowing his personality to shine through. He's also been building more of a rapport with the band, getting them to reveal more of themselves and as they all get to understand each other, the performances have become freer and significantly improved. This evolution is so satisfying to witness.
Adam has new ash blonde highlights up top with those stars and stripe trousers and blue jacket. The crowd is well up for it, egging him on and he's returning the energy. He isn't happy with the sound for much of Trespassing and Kickin' In. Despite myself, I'm singing along to Naked Love, finding that bit by bit I'm being ensnared. Even though WWFM is an old song, it's a highlight for me. The crowd sings along and he includes an absolute beauty of a glory note, jazz hands and all. Unmissable. NCOE has some stellar vocals and some slightly different drumming at end. The set ends with Cuckoo and band intros with Adam really playing up to the crowd. Out of all the radio concerts so far, this one's my favourite for vocals. Here's my playlist:
Adam steps onto the stage donning a luminous yellow vest under a sleeveless leather jacket with very tight stars and stripes trousers.
First up we have Trespassing to set the mood and he sings a surprisingly high "GPS" line. It leads straight into Kickin' In. I like the verses but think the structure of the song needs tweaking to come alive. Perhaps another verse or a shortened repetition section. That section works OK as a club tune but for the live concert, not so much. There's a good finish though.
It sounds like Adam misses his cue on Naked Love coming in a bar late. I enjoy the performance but think he needs to finish it with a bang. I would suggest kicking in with a blast of instruments for one final chorus. Otherwise, it just seems to fall a bit flat. There's some lovely humming at the start of WWFM as a reverent hush sweeps the crowd. It reminds me of soaked in that respect.
Unusually for Adam, he plugs his new album before the start of NCOE. I wasn't particularly keen on the chorus from the single but I get it here. It's that euphoric feeling of bursting to jump around, which I guess reminds me of IIHY. Good strong vocals here.
Adam invites a "crazy bitch" fan onto the stage, who wraps her legs round him. He then gives her a spanking before proceeding with Cuckoo. He includes a massive glory note, some hilarious dance moves and band intros. The vocals are magnificent.
For this concert, Adam's got the daytime rocker look nailed with a sleeveless hoody over a T-shirt adorned with native American patterns. Here's the video along with my comments below:
I think Trespassing is one of the most enjoyable songs performed live and it's absolutely fantastic to see such a huge crowd getting into it and clapping along.
Kickin' In is a rocking version with great funk guitar. I'm not sure the rock vibe works as well as the album version. Adam does some fun shuffly dancing and does lots of ad-libbing with his voice over the repetitive part towards the end.
Shady has a troubled start. Adam is unable to find the right pitch and sings the first verse off-key much lower than intended. I assume it's because he can't hear properly. He finds his way back when the guitar kicks in and does his best to make a good performance out of it. I still like it though, especially when we get to hear the more melodic part of his voice towards the end.
WWFM brings a shift in the mood and it's a beautiful sweeping dramatic ballad with lots of echo. The backing vocals are a little off at points but overall I like the effect they give. I'm growing to really love this arrangement.
At the start of Naked Love we hear Adam complain about the sound. He loses the hoody and makes an effort to be family friendly and not swear. I'm now starting to see the appeal of the song as it's so poppy and right for this kind of sunny summer singalong that gets the crowd going. I still don't like the ending though as it just fizzles out. I think Adam needs to sing a few notes to give it a definitive finish.
Oops Adam, I'm sure you weren't supposed to say "piss" in family-friendly mode. The NCOE synths are overpowering. This isn't an album favourite at the moment but I can start to understand the rushy excitement of being able to experiencing this live, perhaps at a festival. It's an excellent performance where the high notes wow.
The set ends with Cuckoo. The guitar sounds more electronic and less 70's wah-wah than some of the other recent versions. He forgets to censor himself for the f-words and I just love this version with his crazy dancing. It includes a jazzy psychedelic instrumental bridge just before the band intros.
The set was made up of Trespassing, Kickin' in, Shady, WWFM, Cuckoo and NCOE. We finally have acceptable sound so here's my playlist and comments below:
Adam is dressed all in black apart from a leopardskin shirt. I wonder whether the black armband is for Donna Summer. Those trousers are impossibly tight!
Trespassing is fun and cheeky, make sure you catch that pelvic action just before the bridge. The vocals here are fantastic.
The instruments sound really loud and a bit off at times on this version of Kickin' In. Adam's shuffly bandy-legged dancing just before the bounce part is hilarious, he's such a dork. You can really appreciate his showmanship here he commands the stage.
This is the type of performance I missed during all the acoustic radio station gigs. I really like this Shady for Adam's energy and how he involves all the band members making the stage feel more than the sum of its parts. There's a lot of dancing and he just makes me want to get up too. I would like the bass to be louder, shaking my bones and making this feel a bit nasty but judging from the other mic-frying recordings, it's probably loud enough for the crowd.
I'm really loving this arrangement of WWFM, especially the unfamiliar start and that moment of recognition where the crowd all realise which song it is and cheer it on. It feels like a much grander affair than the rock and acoustic versions. I've heard this song a squillion times but find such enjoyment from this beautiful version. The only down side is that it doesn't quite seem to fit sandwiched between upbeat dancey songs in the set.
This Cuckoo is loose and camped up with some funny dance moves and hip action. It includes the band intros over a jazzy instrumental section and Adam sings it invariably well.
Adam's voice sounds strong and those wonderful long notes are a marvel on NCOE. This high-energy song is the perfect way to end the set.
I'd been waiting ages for this, wondering if we would ever get any video but our ninjas came good in the end with snippets of FYE, DTRH, Strut, TCB and IIHY. Adam performed a long set to a receptive audience at this corporate event, but we have nothing yet for Sleepwalker, WWFM, SFW, Fever, Aftermath, MA and MW.
Decked out in an unadorned black leather jacket with plain black T-shirt and intriguing paint-spattered jeans, it's great to hear his voice still in fine form. Listen out for the powerful and intricate trills during DTRH.
It had felt like forever since the Moscow concert and during that time, we'd been tapping our fingers in impatience, screaming for even a scrap, a shred, a nano-speck, of anything new. AND WE GOT IT YESTERDAY!!! There was a party atmosphere last night, something I'd missed, with everyone united in excitement and joy at the prospect of a concert. There was a report of an unidentified song during the soundcheck, squeals of excitement then a few bottom lips as the rumour was shot. I luckily managed to follow most of the concert on the stream, including the most important bit. Did I mention that we got to hear a NEW FUCKING SONG?!! I'll get to that part soon but first things first, my playlist of video picks:
This '80s hoodlum Adam is from the roots of his hair-to-toe in black, wearing a vest, a leather gilet, fingerless leather gloves, loose combats and wedge boots. With a big fluffy tail that adds emphasis to every arse wiggle. Which happens quite a lot. I did wonder at the beginning whether he went all Zodiac on us and decided to put on a corset, leaving the top bare. Either way, a considerable amount of skin on show in Adam terms. This look reminds me of The Warriors, given the Thriller shoulderpad treatment and is definitely a big step away from glam.
The set commences with FYE and there seems to be a bit of a false start where Adam misses his cue, joining in a little late. It's not the most precise in terms of pitch but he puts on a great show, hips on fire. It's followed by DTRH which I find a little odd without the trippy aspect and elaborate costumes. I notice that Monte looks like he might be trying for a ZZ Top in the facial hair stakes.
Strut is given a short introduction "No matter what those fuckers say about you, you just gotta keep struttin'!". A little nervous after the last time it was performed, I'm relieved that this one is lively, sassy and full of attitude. TCB makes an entrance in the set and sounds like a fast one with plenty of hilarious dancing throughout. He playfully sits on the edge of the stage at one point, yanking his legs up and down to the music.
"And then I dusted it up with my tail. (Giggle)" Don't you just love Adam for never taking himself too seriously? In a classic arse-wiggling moment, he mocks himself and his fashion choices as he jokes about his tail and how all the blogs will be writing that he wore a duster, which isn't in fashion. This leads up to Aftermath, the arrangement of which is very similar to the one performed on AI with a plucky staccato intro from Monte. It has a lovely crescendo and a sweet, lingering final note. Sleepwalker is next up and is quite a visual spectacle with the lighting and background stars. I guess it's a little reminiscent of the old Broken Open background visuals but not as soft. Cam is noticeably missing on keys but nonetheless, this is the best Sleepwalker for vocals so far. THE BEST. After Monte's solo, get ready for goosebumps galore. That voice, those runs, INFUCKINGCREDIBLE.
The absence of keys is also quite noticeable during IIHY, which sees Adam doing more freestyling on the mic than ever before. He gets what appears to be a jock strap thrown onto the stage as he prepares for Music Again. There's a minor lyric fail and I think he cheats a little in the beginning by getting the audience sing the falsetto parts. We get some ad lib about about a moth/fairy/twink thing before the band intro. When we get to "Tommy Ratcliffe", he talks about fan fic, "Shame on you! That's dirty! That fan fiction is highly inappropriate! I'm offended!" while making sure we know it's mock outrage. I realise we haven't heard MW in ages and I like that this version is a mellower, slower version.
DRUM ROLL...
NEW SONG!!! As soon as Adam tells us he's got a little treat from the next album, everyone loses their collective shit. Everyone in the crowd heard via the stream, everyone on twitter following the feeds, everyone in the videos, every single fucking person. Adam finds it difficult even to get a word in through the Screamflailberting that he knows is happening all around the world. Through the stream, I thought he said he didn't want to see it on YouTube in that same fanfic-reprimanding manner, but it turns out he said he knows he's going to see it there. He goes to explain that the song is about acceptance with the intriguing description about running from the law.
A gentle guitar introduction leads us to the the opening note that reminds me so much of CLYG. With rapt attention we try to listen to and process as much of it as possible. Some handle it by screaming their lungs out to the vexation of others trying to shush them. When we hear him sing, everything else falls away. This is what he means by bringing the focus back to the voice and I adore it. It's the closest to an a cappella I've heard him do and his breathy, soothing, mellifluous voice is painfully, achingly, agonisingly beautiful. The pretty melody is fairly simple, the range not too challenging, no vocal acrobatics, it's all about the emotions evoked by that voice in a song written for that voice. Even without understanding the lyrics, we can feel it's a haunting lament about an enduring sadness, energy and hope slowly draining away. It's so heartbreaking to listen to, we have no choice but to comfort-gorge on the sweetness imparted by that voice. It's like honey, strawberries, gateau, praline, ice cream, chocolate, profiteroles... so addictive I'd end up a champion gurner with no teeth. It's sung so smoothly with breathtaking trills effortlessly eased into that floating voice, topped off by a heart-stopping crescendo with grit providing the necessary light and shade. Stunning. Now breathe.
Here are the lyrics as far as I can make out:
Oh, nowhere left to go
Are we getting closer, closer?
"No," all they know is "No!"
Nights are getting colder, colder
Hey, tears all fall the same
We all feel the rain
We can't change
Everywhere we go we're looking for the sun
Nowhere to grow old we're always on the run
They say we'll rot in hell, well I don't think we will
They've branded us enough, outlaws of love
Scars make us who we are
Hearts and homes are broken open
Far, we could go so far
With our minds wide open, open
Hey, tears all fall the same
We all feel the rain
We can't change
Everywhere we go we're looking for the sun
Nowhere to grow old we're always on the run
They say we'll rot in hell, well I don't think we will
They've branded us enough, outlaws of love
Aaah...
Everywhere we go we're looking for the sun
Nowhere to grow old we're always on the run
They say we'll rot in hell, well I don't think we will
They've branded us enough, outlaws of love
Outlaws of love
Outlaws of love
Outlaws of love
Outlaws of love
The lyrics are uncomplicated and sincere with a strong clear message, making it seem increasingly likely Adam's starting to settle into a more political role for LGBT rights. We are all human, feel the same range of emotions but some of us are demonised simply because we lie outside society's rules over how we ought to love. I'm quite excited by the video possibilities for this song, which already feels quite cinematic. Ronnie and Clyde outlaws on a road trip. With strange costumes.
OK, let's get to the rest of the concert. It all went a bit blurry after the excitement over the new song so the interlude is well-timed to allow us a bit of recovery time. It's funkier than I remember from before, especially towards the end. I hope it's an indication of things to come on the next album. The following song is SFW and just to make sure everyone's still alive and with us, Adam gets the crowd to sing back to him, each bar getting increasingly higher. He must be taking the piss if he thinks we can reach all those notes. Fever is a mischievous one where Adam starts talking to Tommy's arm tattoo. It's filled with lots of riffing, dancing and suggestive mic action.
Monte teases us with the opening riffs from Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water, leading us to believe it's going to be a new cover. It actually leads us to WLL when the skies open in the Adam Storm. This version is much like the one from Moscow with an eerie, trippy instrumental break. To the thrill of the fans and perhaps to distract them from the downpour, Adam's top comes off, leaving him in just a vest, showing even more skin as Monte ends up shredding on his back on the floor. In a brilliant voice, Adam sings that the rain gods are telling us the show's over but we won't go. The band appears a little slow to kick in after the "Baby" moment, maybe a little stunned. A rock WWFM follows with Adam singing "Need a second to DRY". I think his voice runs away from him a little at times. The encore is Purple Haze, again with customised weather lyrics finding their way in.
WOW. What a concert. He said he was going to give us a little treat. He lied. He gave us a fucking storm with the forecast telling us this is just the start. Well I think we all enjoyed getting completely drenched after such a long drought.
Here's my latest edit for the Moscow concert. As with Whole Lotta Love, I wanted to build on the bleak minimalist feel of the set-up, making a grainy and almost monochromatic video. I think "Whataya Want From Me?" is the song during concerts where the connection between Adam and fans is at its strongest. There's a mutual outpouring of love and gratitude so I wanted to make a feature out of it. Not only is it his most well-known song, but it's one that became real — we were all there when it came to the fore after the AMA fall-out and felt it resonate with the hurt as events unfolded. With this passion in mind and the striking sea of hearts held aloft during this performance, red is a colour that features strongly in this. Enjoy!
After a potty-mouthed start, Adam addresses the crowd with enthusiasm before getting into an electric WWFM. Editing gives me a detailed look at his movements on stage and there are a few that I would like to pick out. First of all here's a gif from the introduction. Just fucking look at that face! Naughty, knows it, pleading innocent. There is no face that better epitomises the phrase "Butter wouldn't melt" and I challenge anyone to say no to that. As he goes into the first chorus, he strikes a bit of a rude boy confrontational pose, later doing a boyband-ballad-obligatory air grab. There are times when I think the sex is going to burst out of him or he's about to go in for the instinctive grab for the crotch but his hand settles just to the side.
I think this song often gets overlooked in terms of concert videos because we've heard it so many times and it doesn't vary by much. That's what sets this one apart. This sublime performance overtakes LA's WWFM as my absolute favourite for vocals due to the improvisation he puts in going into the instrumental break and especially, ESPECIALLY the riff right at the end which I could just listen to over and over. I love the power, the ringing on that high and the flow of the sequence of notes giving it that magnificent knockout finish. Perfection.
Here's my latest video edit for you of Moscow's Whole Lotta Love. The first concert since the Glam Nation era, there is a strong contrasting shift in the visual presentation. There are still residual traces of glam in the glittery trousers but the look is austere. Adorned with plenty of chains in a plain black T-shirt against the backdrop of industrial-looking rigging, Adam is suitably dressed for a rock festival in an airfield and I love it. In this video, I wanted to build on the visuals by giving it a bleak minimalist feel. I sometimes wish Adam would appreciate more the beauty of pale skin instead of piling on the bronzer. In the close-ups, you can see his face is tear-streaked and this is due to vodka spillage from over-enthusiastically knocking it back earlier on in the set.
This 'woman' WLL has a different feel to most of the previous versions, edging towards those from the AI tour but a little less full-on and with a trippy instrumental break. There's plenty of attitude in this, with disdainful snarls and gurning jaw as Adam rocks out with his commanding presence. It's a less sexual performance than those from GN, though you'll still find thrusts, grabs and tongue action in there. I'm guessing he's erring on the side of caution in playing to a rock crowd who aren't all hardcore fans... yet. The break is ghostly and is inhabited by sinister sounds as he punctuates it with feral howls and moans. They sound like primal mating calls, both frightening and irresistibly luring and I can't help but watch his expressions. Vocally he nails it throughout, at one point wailing and sounding so much like a guitar I have to double-check. His voice is so powerful and resonant, with the big notes here among my favourite ever, especially that 'Lo-ooooooooove' which rings with so much clarity and the bit of added vibrato is just perfect. He finishes with a jump and a whoop at the end. That's exactly how I feel after watching him too.
After nearly 6 months of waiting for an Адам Ламберт concert and having initially dismissed this as just a rumour, it finally arrived. We were all ready to live this concert vicariously through the Russian fan tweets, hoping that someone might stream video.
And so the drama started. The set was running a little late then photos and song titles trickled through only to find out that this was just a sound check. What the fuck? I thought it was weird but my overriding feeling was of jealousy that they got so many performances. So we wondered when the actual concert would start. The rumourgot shot down by Adam straight after his "sound check" performance. Biggest collective fucking facepalm ever. Here are my video picks for you to enjoy:
Peering over the sea of red hearts, this look of Adam's tailored for a daytime rock festival gig for a 50k crowd on a huge stage is a lot more casual and less try-hard than the Glam Nation costumes. With a distressed leather jacket and aviators, I couldn't help but think of Top Gun. It's definitely more rock than glam though there is some subtle sparkle from the tight trousers. From the videos, we can see some magical mysterious wispy things floating in the air that I imagine are the exactly the type of objects that would appear in the presence of unicorns. Would someone care to explain to me what they are and shatter this illusion of mine?
MA opens the set and I notice there's a bit of flesh-flashing when he raises his arms. There's a teasy Tommy moment and it would've been ironic if he'd kept his sunglasses on for the song that specifically asks us to look into his eyes. I'm glad they came off. There are no dancers for DTRH but Adam does an incredible job with his slithery tentacle arms. There is some fantastic ad-libbing and notably excellent vocals, possibly due to forgetting that he shouldn't be going into RoF. The jacket comes off for a rock version of WWFM and he is left in just a vest. There are plenty of different and beautiful runs that he adds towards the second half, making this exceptional, and his voice is bright and powerful. There's no kissing for Fever but the crowd does get plenty of strippery moves when Adam moves onto the steps. There's a run that I love at the end of the second verse that had previously been exclusive to my concert in London and yes, I'm feeling a bit possessive over it but love hearing it again. Holy motherfucking shit, those Sleepwalker vocals! Nuff said. TCB is another fine one and the crowd goes wild as Adam goes to ruffle Tommy's hair. The IIHY chorus sounds quite different to the other live versions, very rock and not so electronic and I assume this is due to the absence of Cam on keys. Strut is a strange one and it's been a long time since I last saw it without the props and dancers. There seem to be major sound problems like in Berlin as Adam misses his cue at the start and sounds rather off-key. He doesn't do a lot of singing at the start, leaving much to the backing track but he recovers well to finish. We have a scorching electric 'woman' WLL and it's refreshing to see lots of males in audience. During SFW he misses a few notes but it's still a stomping, fist-pumping affair. Oh how I've missed these concerts, drama and all!
It's been a whole year since I fairly casually woke up to watch some videos of Adam in concert. I didn't follow what happened, just decided to go to YouTube and see. What resulted was a physical reaction to the videos of the performance. My hair stood on end in goosebumps, my spine tingled and my breath got taken away. Right there and then I knew I was witnessing something special because I compulsively hit repeat like an addict needing another hit.
One year on, that concert and that WLL is still peerless. It's still my favourite, a favourite for many, still being watched regularly and we still recall it as stuff of legend. It has stood the test of time, testament to the power and the impact that performance has had on us all.
Here's a playlist of all my edits for that concert:
I haven't gotten round to finishing all of the set yet and many videos have since been removed so if you'd like to help me, I'm looking for lossless rips of original YouTube files (especially those from lekispop) or raw footage.
I find it a little bit surprising that after such a long time, FS hasn't been topped. Why hasn't this happened, and should it have been? Adam is one to keep pushing the bar so why hasn't this one been hurdled yet? One of the things about it is that it was unique. We haven't seen the same set list or the same desert-dwelling witch outfit whipped up by the elements since then, so there haven't been any direct comparisons of which a later concert has compared favourably. Subsequent concerts were hindered somewhat by structure, repetition, choreography. But I feel there's much more to Fantasy Springs being special, there was something momentous about the occasion. It was Adam's first solo concert and not only was everything fresh, exciting and surprising, it felt so alive, magical even. To use one of Adam's favourite subjects, it was like all the planets aligned and everything came together to give us that perfect moment. It was like there was a mysterious desert wind which threaded an energy through each performer, connecting each and every person like a sixth sense and the music just effortlessly flowed. I felt we saw Adam at his very best - open, natural, free-spirited, creative and spontaneous. With a new album and new music in the making, surprise will come more easily. I'm confident the mood and energy will be recaptured and there'll be more Fantasy Springs moments to come.
Well we can't have an anniversary without presents now, can we? In the year since then, I've picked up more sound editing skills and have re-mixed the audio for WLL, targetting most of the audience speech and screams. I used the excellent wav recordings from tinafeapf and swflaboy to create the files. Uncompressed wav format is also included because this legendary WLL deserves to be listened to in the best quality possible. You can listen to a compressed preview below though the downloads are much better in quality. Enjoy!
Another Jingle Ball, another new outfit and this one is all about those tight sparkly zebra trousers which seem to have caused quite a stir regarding their contents. Like the first time he wore them, it's all business black above the waist, party below! This was only a 20 minute set, agonisingly short from a fan's perspective.
The set commences with Fever. Again, there's no kissing but it's very gyratory (can you look at anything else?) and the vocals are strong. It makes a change not to hear the whole room singing along to WWFM but it's all the better for hearing Adam sing another electric rendition. I love the way he improvises on the runs towards the end. Beautiful. He puts his all into Sleepwalker doing his best to win over new fans. The result is amazing with those ringing big notes. IIHY is the song to finish.
