Adam Lambert glams it up for Seattle fans |
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Seattle Gay News
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posted Friday, July 23, 2010 - Volume 38 Issue 30 Adam Lambert glams it up for Seattle fansby Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer Adam Lambert July 20 The Showbox SoDo There's just as much happening off the stage at an Adam Lambert concert as there is on. Local fans of this American Idol star marched gleefully into the The Showbox SoDo in a line that coiled around two whole blocks, including a grown woman holding a doll, another grown woman in cat makeup, and dozens of moms in borrowed teenage clothes. I'd never seen so many fashion missteps under one roof, but it proved to be more entertaining than a forgettable opening set by fellow Idol alum Allison Iraheta - to say her cover of Pat Benatar's 'Heartbreaker' was good is being polite. Fifteen minutes past his expected arrival, Lambert's debut hit "For Your Entertainment" blared on the overhead speakers. This was soon followed by an entrance of the famed singer. Dressed in a busy ensemble of feathers, tassels, leather, and glitter, he descended from a small staircase to the foot of the stage and belted out the first number, "Voodoo." Four young, somewhat experienced dancers glided and shimmied on either side of him, matching Lambert's goth-meets-glam image. "Yeah, Seattle! You wanna party?" yelled Lambert, and the crammed venue went berserk. An odd insertion of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" came right before "Fever," which I attribute to Lambert being overly ambitious. But his graceful delivery of "Sleepwalker" was just the opposite, and was one of the evening's highlights. Ditto for "Whataya Want from Me," played acoustically with a terrific guitar intro. Another slow favorite, "Soaked," resonated well with the audience that ranged from high schoolers to Lesbian couples to bubbly grandmothers. "If you look inside yourself for love," advised Lambert to the crowd, "that's the best place to start." And then he dove into a beautiful rendition of "Aftermath." Wearing a black vest with a sparkly "A" on the backside, he rocked hard on "Sure Fire Winners" as he writhed with his backup dancers against a sea of sky blue laser lights. For "Strut," Lambert's dance crew wore glittery goalie masks, while Lambert donned a black and white leather trench coat. A juiced-up version of "Music Again" also made it onto the set list. Lambert closed with a penetrating run-through of "If I Had You," easily the night's best five minutes. A two-song encore included an acoustic rendition of Tears for Fears' "Mad World," an improvement on last year's performance of this same tune at the Tacoma Dome, but a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" was poorly executed, resulting in a sad tribute of a rock classic. You have to credit a guy like Adam Lambert - an openly Gay man who often wears more cosmetics than his female followers - for being able to connect with such a broad landscape of fans so early in his career, and while he still hasn't found his true niche, he's using this time to build his confidence and exposure. With better songwriting and live performances - utilizing more raw energy and less theatrics - he could go very, very far. |
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