Outlaws of Love rains down in Adam Storm Quebec

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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.

WWFMoscow

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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.

DOWNLOAD Whataya Want From Me? (with intro) mp3 - 9.61MB
DOWNLOAD Whataya Want From Me? (without intro) mp3 - 8.41MB
DOWNLOAD Whataya Want From Me? iPod compatible mp4 - 27.98MB
DOWNLOAD Whataya Want From Me? HD mp4 - 151.78MB

Maxidrom Love

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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.

DOWNLOAD Whole Lotta Love mp3 - 6.74MB
DOWNLOAD Whole Lotta Love iPod compatible mp4 - 39.37MB
DOWNLOAD Whole Lotta Love HD mp4 - 176.17MB

Uncuff Me

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There's a lot of symbolism that can be attached to keys and as a result, here's the last of my Adam tattoo-inspired T-Shirt designs. Where the previous design of the heart lock was meant to represent the emotional side of the Adam Lambert Effect, the handcuffs aren't just something a bit kinky but represent the physical side. How many of us have cast aside our shackles of convention and felt free to try something we'd never dreamed of because of Adam? How many of us have travelled, embraced random strangers, found that extra bit of bravery and enriched our lives with new experiences? How many of us have unleashed our creativity and have gone on to make something, to learn new skills, to share something and in turn, unlock something in others? I think you get the picture. If any of you get an offer from Adam to stick his key in while wearing these designs, I will die happy. Click the pic!

Again, I wanted to retain some consistency in terms of style by using elements from the tattoo. The handcuffs have a harder feel to my previous efforts, in keeping with "Less rhinestones, more leather" for the upcoming era. The print I've chosen uses shiny metallic material.

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Moscow Maxidrama

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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 rumour got 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!

Unlock Me

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Since there hasn't been a lot to write about or performances to review during this quiet time, I've been working on a couple more T-Shirt designs. These two are based on Adam's recent key tattoo and the type of lock that I think it would open, inviting him to place his key in and unlock it (I see your dirty minds at work). I tried to keep it in the same style by using elements from the tattoo. The lock is heart-shaped to complement the curves of the skull and to represent the effect Adam that has had on us. I believe he has unlocked something in us all, not necessarily our hearts but the ability to feel passionate and alive again. Click on the image to see all the T-Shirts using that design:

I created the single colour design so it can be printed using special glitter material. Unfortunately it doesn't display accurately in the shop illustrations but you can see an example of how the material looks here. If you like it, look out for 'Glitter' in the titles. The 3D-look design isn't available in the glitter material but I have used shiny metallic gold or silver. If you don't see the exact colour combo you'd like, please let me know and I'll set it up for you. Hope you enjoy them!

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