“I’m such a dork,” Adam Lambert exclaimed near the start of his Monday night Connor Palace headlining set, as he sipped a concoction meant to soothe his voice. “I’m a theater kid who became a pop thing.” That was certainly obvious during his highly entertaining hour-long show: The former American Idol contestant’s stage moves (goofy hip swivels, pelvic thrusts, booty shakes and precise hand gestures) oozed subtle theatricality and lighthearted glamour, while his vocal performances were a masterful display of both emotional restraint and pointed outbursts.
Backed by a six-piece band—including a guitarist, bassist, drummer, two backup singers and a keyboardist/musical director—Lambert focused heavily on his latest album, this year’s The Original High. Live, the sophistication of these songs stood out—from the soulful Broadway vibe of “The Light” and the disco-kissed “Evil In The Night” to the Weeknd-reminiscent slow-burner “Underground” and the snappy, galloping standout “Another Lonely Night.” Lambert’s shapeshifting performance abilities were also on display: He opened the night by performing newer single, “Ghost Town,” which segued neatly from being an acoustic guitar-based ballad into an insistent dancefloor banger, and later ably performed the flashy hard rock number “Lucy.”
The night also featured choice cuts from Lambert’s back catalog, from the strutting disco-pop jam “Shady” (which found him dabbing himself with a towel and then tossing it into the crowd), a stripped-back version of hit “Whataya Want From Me” and the stutter-step, slam-glam hit “Trespassing.” The latter featured a mid-song segue into Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust,” which allowed Lambert to underscore just exactly why he’s been touring in the Freddie Mercury slot with the legendary rock band.
After this song, the theater lights came up, signaling the end of the set. However, after some rather robust cries of “Adam! Adam!” from the screaming crowd, he and his band returned for a reggae-pop version of “If I Had You.” While technically proficient, the approach to the song was somewhat energy-deficient, and ended the night on a somewhat lethargic note.
The siblings-comprised quartet Echosmith preceded Lambert with a sincere, cool-as-ice dreampop set, highlighted at the end by an extended take on the hit “Cool Kids.”
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2015.
I agree about the lethargic reggae style’ If I Had You’. I love the robust original song.. I hope Adam either goes back to the original exciting version or picks another song for the end of his great concert.
Like them both, but luv the IIHY reggae innovative change of pace..his improvisational genius!
Agree… reggae “If I Had You” is a snooze and seems more appropriate for a band jam session and feels out of place as an encore to Adam’s powerhouse performances. Adam looks like he is having fun doing the ‘green’ version of IIHY, but compared with his encore selection from the GlamNation tour.. it leaves you a bit deflated. The original “If I Had You” was super high energy. It even had my brother ( who is not an Adam fan, and did not know the song) up and dancing out of his seat. Evolving is one thing… but this IIHY kinda devolved in my opinion.
I like the reggae version of IIHY but it should probably be placed somewhere in the middle of his set with a different song as an encore. It is definitely laid back but that’s what reggae is like – it’s not supposed to be high energy and maybe that’s why people have difficulty with it. It’s possible it just doesn’t fit in well with his current set list because the rest is so very high energy. But he loves doing it and it has been praised by other critics so I guess it depends where your heads at. Thanks for this very interesting and well considered review 😀
It’s odd how all comments are centered around encore song IIHY and complaints. Why not appreciate the songs before that were extraordinary in every way. Personally love the reggae version of IIHY and don’t give a hoot where it’s placed in the set. The entire show was fantastic.
The entire show was a treat! I thought IIHY was clever and showed his fun side and his love of making others feel good! I will say someone who doesn’t follow Adam like his Glamberts may not get it? I did ’cause I am devoted fan! His vocals and over all persona is just amazing!