The former American Idol contestant, current Queen frontman and Glee guest star has figured out where he belongs - and, more importantly, how to bring his audience with him.
Adam Lambert. Photo: Twitter
Nearly every introduction to Adam Lambert includes a reference to American Idol. He is, after Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson, arguably the most successful artist to emerge from the television franchise, even if - or because? - he didn’t win.
If you haven’t followed his trajectory since then, you’d be forgiven for thinking he peddled middle-of-the-road pop/rock with a fallible voice. He doesn’t.
But the Idol tag is a hard one to shake, particularly when your hardcore fanbase remains wedded to the version of you presented on a reality show. It’s even harder when you’re a pragmatist when it comes to your audience’s role in your artistic survival. Figuring out how to balance who you are with who your fans think you are is a challenge, to say the least.
This, in essence, has been Lambert’s post-Idol conundrum since day one: how to fill in the blanks for people, to give them a path to accept his progression from the artist who performed on the Idol finale with Queen in heavy eyeliner, a leather studded jacket and six-inch platform boots, to a popstar unapologetically influenced by contemporary club culture, sporting facial hair and sick dance moves.
On The Original High tour, it feels like he has finally accomplished that. On Friday night at the Auckland Town Hall he took the audience on a 24-song sprint through all three of his full-length albums. The nearly two-hour set was heavy on the dance music, covering almost the entirety of The Original High plus the most synth- and funk-laden offerings from his previous two records (Trespassing and For Your Entertainment, respectively).
The most obvious change since his last proper solo tour in 2012 can be summed up thusly: his musical director back then was an accomplished metal guitarist; now, his musical director sits behind two keyboards and three laptops.
Lambert didn’t banish his history from the stage, though, with 'Lucy' (originally featuring Queen’s Brian May) and Queen’s 'Another One Bites The Dust' providing some wailing guitars to mix up the night. He also didn’t ignore the fan favourites from his debut For Your Entertainment, including his biggest single 'Whaddaya Want From Me' and 'Mad World' from his time on Idol.
Lambert set this tone in the first 15 minutes of the show with a surprising but telling move. He played 'For Your Entertainment', his first post-Idol single (remembered primarily for his AMA performance, when he kissed his male guitar player on live network television) back-to-back with 'Ghost Town', the lead single from The Original High. Bookending the old and the new was a statement of intent: we were here to cross that bridge with him, to acknowledge his past iterations but not remain shackled to them.
Running the gauntlet from WeHo Gay Club to 70s glam rock didn’t feel forced or inauthentic, however. The musical breadth showcased both his versatility as an artist and the insane diversity of his audience. The septuagenarian couple directly in front of me were bopping along happily to everything from Lambert’s cover of Bowie’s 'Let’s Dance' to the club-banger 'Kickin’ In'... just like the 17-year-olds on the floor, and the 30-something couple with their child in the circle seats. Lambert managed to start a full-on rave in the Town Hall as he entered the last third of his set.
The singular misstep in his programme was the rework of the radio-friendly 'If I Had You' into a reggae-tinged number. I had hoped this was a misguided, if well-intentioned, gesture to New Zealand, but YouTube confirms this is a regular part of his current tour. There’s just something about it - including the faux-patois delivery - that just doesn’t quite land.
Unlike the Beyoncés of the world who sacrifice nearly all their choruses in order to deliver high-energy choreography, Lambert makes scarce use of backing vocals. His vocal strength is undeniable, even as his choreography ramped up towards the end of the show, and something he clearly does not compromise on; even when, four songs in, what sounded like a gunshot cut the house PA for a split second. Lambert was utterly unfazed.
Six more times the PA blew and cut out for a number of seconds (apparently a signal failure, not an overload, despite the substantial production at work on this show), and six more times, Lambert continued as though nothing had happened, in seemingly great spirits. One can only imagine what was running through his head, because he gave literally nothing away. He is committed to The Show as only a former Broadway actor can be.
In a rare voice break about halfway through his set, Lambert told the Town Hall audience: “This show is a journey,” one that was meant to take us from the darkness to the light. While that musical and emotional arc may well have been true, the real journey is the one his fans have made with him. No small feat for the boy who found them by singing covers each week.
Set List:
Evil In The Night
For Your Entertainment
Ghost Town
Runnin’ / Chokehold / Sleepwalker
Underground
Rumors
Lucy
After Hours
Whataya Want From Me
Mad World (Tears for Fears)
There I Said It
Another Lonely Night
The Light / The Original High / Never Close Our Eyes
Let’s Dance (Bowie)
Lay Me Down
Shady
Fever
Trespassing
Another One Bites the Dust (Queen)
Encore: If I Had You (Reggae Version)