Venue: The Star Theatre @ The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore
Date: 8th March 2013
Promoter: Hype Records
Review by: Maisha G.
Special Thanks: Hype Records team
Photos courtesy of Hype Records
Not only was it the T.G.I.F that I’ve long been waiting for, it was also a world wide celebration of International Women’s Day. And to be heading down to Adam Lambert’s concert was the cherry on top, which marked the end of a truly exhausting week.
Known best as the American Idol Season 8 runner up, Adam Lambert has had his star studded career since his appearance on the talent show, which was watched by many all over the world. He has garnered fans from all ages. My nephew, who is only 6, sings along to his “Whataya Want From Me” music video whenever it’s on TV or the radio. Even though Adam is open about his sexuality, his fans accept him with open arms and embrace his music like they would with any other artiste.
As I was seated on the 9th floor of the auditorium, I realized the venue can definitely accommodate a bigger crowd. The seats were filled to the brim, all the way from the front row to the 11th.
The stage lights went off in a complete darkness until the members of the band greeted the audience as they set foot on the stage, with two voluptuous women and two male dancers of whom I choose to believe were skeleton-less because their dance moves were so fluid-like. They were dancing to the song that got the crowd wild – the song that clinched high rankings on MTV and US Billboard, “If I Had You”.
Clad in his satin purple suit, Adam showed off his sleek moves as he grooved to his sidesteps with gyrating hips while belting out notes, of which he was known and celebrated for – his vocal capabilities. Accompanied with his two power houses, the back up singers took a notch higher on the notes and let out a seemingly effortless cry that ended the song with a bang!
Before he was known on American Idol, he sang songs of artistes that he looks up to, one of whom the song of the 1980s New Wave band’s popular number; Tears For Fears’ “Shout”. The audience seemed pretty lost in translation as majority of them were not familiar with the tune, what more when they were probably wondering which track this was on the album. I, on the other hand, was mouthing the words to the song with full of gusto, not letting out a song as I am pretty sure the audience paid to watch Adam sing and not listen to my pitchless monotonous voice.
The show was brought to a transition as Adam sat on a chair, crooning to the acoustics as the show was stripped down to fit the strobe lights and the rhythm mellowed down. The stripped down version of “Whataya Want From Me” sends a haunting vibe that rang across the auditorium, and sent chills down my spine. A truly remarkable performance that boasts so much on his vocal range. And that was precisely what attracted the band Queen – his vocal abilities – so much so he was asked to join the band to sing songs made well known by the impeccable vocals of Freddie Mercury, singing songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Will Rock You”. While basking in the glory of the worldwide loved band, he sang a song of which he mentioned as an “obscure Queen song” titled “Dragon Attack”, which sent the crowd roaring as the vocal acoustic rang so loud that I was convinced that it might just literally bring the house down.
The basslines, the tapping of the familiar basslines as the keytarcaster held the beat whilst entering a reggae realm. I said to myself “this song is awfully familiar” as I gooved to it, bobbing my head from side to side until Adam let out a loud note and I went, “yeah, Bob Marley”. The song was too good, and Adam did a brilliant cover of “Is This Love” by the man; I believe it was my first love with his simple wisdom – with words that translated into his music. Adam definitely showcased his versatility in his style of music, on top of his vocal capabilities.
The dancers and the backup singers had a costume overhaul as they put on their afro wigs and long dresses, imitating that of The Supremes; they had their own short set to showcase their dance and vocal impeccabilities. The lights dimmed, as we were then greeted with Adam in his signature tassel sleeves and his top hat as he broke out to the song “For Your Entertainment”. Everyone got off their seats as they flailed their hands in the air, following in tandem to the booty shakes and pirouettes of the dances as the each members of the band showed off their musical prowess on the instruments. I have to say, he has a mean machine for a guitarist. The guitar licks were astonishing, and I couldn’t get over his speed in playing the notes. Truly remarkable.
We were presented with an encore that ended off the show with a bang. It left screaming fans dying for more, many felt that the night was too short for the idolised star while I on the other hand was just completely in a shocked state almost the whole time – in a good way – I didn’t expect the turn out or his performance to be as brilliant as it was. The night definitely ended on a high note and made it all worth it in conjunction to T.G.I.F. Thank you Hype Records for keeping up to their name; hyping the crowd.