Ohmigod! He’s looking in our direction! Eeeeeeeek!
Over the entire season, you have been one of the best, most original contestants we’ve ever had on the show. And the whole idea about doing a show like this is that you hope that you can find a worldwide star. I genuinely believe with all my heart that we have found that with you.
— Simon Cowell, AMERICAN IDOL
s Adam Lambert the best vocalist in the world at this moment?
Adam Lambert sprang fully formed onto the international scene with his scintillating AMERICAN IDOL performances in 2009. Why then have I only come to this panegyric six years later? One word: QUEEN.
When I heard Queen was touring with some guy named Adam Lambert (long after Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers had decamped), well, put it this way: If Sean Penn thinks you’re a good enough actor to be cast in a movie he’s directing, then you’re not just “good enough” – you’re great! Likewise, if Brian May thinks you’re good enough to front his musically superlative band, you’re not just “good enough” – It’s a Kind of Magic!
The incarnation “QUEEN + Adam Lambert” having toured for two years now, I thought it time to look into this Lambert fella, and see what all the fuss is about. (YouTube, you font of archival memorabilia!) And this young necromancer’s sheer mastery of his craft overwhelmed me, hurled me backwards with his unbridled virtuosity. And with shock, with sadness, I realized… my own vocal heroes from ages past have been superseded by this newer model. (And what a model!)
Lambert is “in a league of his own” and it’s a wonder the AMERICAN IDOL freeloaders who call themselves judges actually used that phrase to describe him. (Maybe they’ve used it on other people – I wouldn’t know, I don’t watch that glorified karaoke dreck – but they actually got it right with this unique vocalist!)
The Simon Cowell quote leads this article not because I need him to corroborate my opinion, but because I’m shocked that even an unqualified numbnuts like Cowell can recognize the searing talent of Lambert. But why stoop to numbnuts? Hear the high praise from a god among men, Brian May:
That is a voice beyond any expectation. Some people realize, but I don’t think the world at large quite realizes how amazing Adam is as a singer.
— Dr. Brian May, Queen
Some might opine: Of course it behooves May to extol Lambert’s ability – to sell tickets for their shows. But those cynics miss the point: Brian May would not let anyone INTO his band as the frontman – the person most scrutinized due to Freddie Mercury’s enduring legacy – UNLESS that person was of such monumental caliber. (And if you want to focus on the capitalistic angle: If May did let a flounder in, word would get out, ticket sales would flop, chaos and looting in the streets…)
As with anything “new,” we approach with wariness: “Well, Brian May’s probably getting too old, and wants to just play his songs and…” But the truth creeps up our spine unbidden simply by watching Lambert perform on IDOL… Jackson’s Black Or White (Hmm, excellent rendition! Gives us an appreciation of how powerful Jackson’s performance was and – now I’m singing Lambert’s version in my head, instead of Jackson’s), then Aerosmith’s Cryin’ (Oh my! Those highs actually outscale Tyler’s range!), and finally gut-punches us NOT with more power-screaming, but with Robinson’s Tracks Of My Tears (allowing it to simmer with his own passion; subtlety and soulfulness that shocked even Smokey himself). Then, while we’re down and blithering, another sucker punch with Cash’s Ring Of Fire (pulled apart and done so uniquely that Cowell replied from his limbic caveman brainstem that he couldn’t understand it). Those are a few high points in a season filled with jaw-dropping performances that left his “competition” floundering at his heels. (And what high heels!)
Yet he lost. (Democracy at work. Allowing the Great Unwashed to vote – never a good thing.)
Runner up to… to… uh… Don’t look him up! I dare you to tell me from memory who won the 2009 AMERICAN IDOL season. Know him or not, that winner is not without his own worth as a vocalist. Hell, he made the finals and actually slipped through a crack in destiny and won! But he is the epitome of the traditional idea of a modern average rock and roll vocalist: a good controlled voice with a modicum of emotive appeal, and a surfeit of introspection, like a James Taylor or John Mayer.
Adam Lambert, on the other hand, is a SUPERSTAR. In every respect. In the last IDOL performances, he teamed with two of my heroes – KISS and Queen! (By Brian May’s account, the IDOL finale performance is where they met Lambert for the first time. From there, the relationship would flower hesitantly over a few years.) Throughout – from his audition to the final night – somewhere somehow the IDOL judges (Cowell in particular) would “accuse” Lambert of too much “theatricality,” whatever that means. The fact that he rose up as a child singing musical theater strengthened him as a fearless performer. And how much more comfortable did he seem than his co-finalist amongst the uber-theatricality of KISS and Queen? He could rightfully claim “theatricality” only worked in his favor with those world class acts. It’s in the bloody title of your lame show, dorks – you’re not looking for some singer who can sing in tune while wearing jeans and looking at his shoes, you seek an American IDOL – someone who purveys grandiosity, largesse, grand gesture showmanship! Funnily enough, Cowell and Co. would accuse The Other Guy of being too bland and not having enough charisma. Shit or get off the pot, you ignorant wankers!
Cowell tries to keep his feet on the ground being “objective” but he was turned early, and we could peek through the cracks of his douchebag facade to the closet Glambert beneath – because Lambert is a force of nature that will not be denied; Randy Jackson has an abiding love for Lambert: “a combination of Steven Tyler meets Fallout Boy meets Robert Pattinson from TWILIGHT. Dude, you should be a rock star right now.” The pointless vanilla chick cannot believe how he hits high notes and can speak afterwards. And Paula Abdul just wants to fuck him.
Lambo III: The Many Faces of the One Voice
In finding the pitch and pocket to so many diverse songs, Lambert proves it is not just about singing high notes for the wow factor, but knowing when to utilize that limitless power; not just about singing the words or striking the poses, but possessing an innate understanding of putting the song across as emotively as possible. His timbre at all ranges is unmatched by most singers in rock today, and by most singers of the past. And by most singers in rock today at their peak in the past. Yes, I’ve just blasphemed against all your heroes – AND MINE.
People are throwing virtual tomatoes at me even as I run for cover…
…Relax, I’m not dissing your heroes. They’re my heroes too! The heroes that made us cry in inspirational fervor, made us vow to die for our art. I’m saying that someone has joined their ranks in a most decisive and explosive way.
What gives me the right? Well, I’m not some tweenie looking for a new fix and I’m not an unqualified AMERICAN IDOL judge; I’m an old, cynical musician who’s heard it all – the good, the bad, the lip-synched, the auto-tuned – and Adam Lambert vocalizes like an Olympic torch amongst this white noise of putrid mediocrity. We live in a society inured to superlatives, so I simply state my case. Adam Lambert – the whole package: voice, looks, demeanor, CD sales, attitude, work ethic, wardrobe, image, performance – is the best vocalist in the world today. AND he’s got the stage strut, the arrogance, the humility, the self-effacing humor, the intelligence, the charm, the glam, the thrust, the hair, the heels…
Striking eyes, black-laquered fingernails, three-day growth and Elvis pompadour, classy interview subject, consummate performer – and those glam-slammin’ high heels. No matter he is an imposing 6’1″ – add those five-inch, jewel-studded heels and he towers like the inferno he is.
APPLES TO APPLES: At their peak, Lambert is better than most of my idols, living or dead, and most of yours too, if you are truly objective. Of course, you LIKE Bon Scott’s road-rash voice better (so do I), but at an academic level, Adam Lambert can sing higher and clearer, and more powerfully. You may THRIVE on Dio’s hell-rageous timbre (I do), but Lambert brings a diversity to his range (which is wider than Dio’s) and timbral intensity that would make Dio praise Jesus not Satan. You may BLOW EARGASMS over Halford’s power-falsetto (I do), but though Lambert can do Halford (oh, do tell!), Halford cannot come down to Earth and coax a ballad as poignantly as Lambert. And I personally PREFER Queen’s last plus-vocalist, the gritty Paul Rodgers, on many Queen songs to Lambert (as many Queen fans PREFER Queen Extravaganza’s vocalist Mark Martel’s uncanny renditions), but Lambert – again – is THE WHOLE PACKAGE.
You may be enamored with Frank, Elvis, Dino, Sammy, Pavarotti, Jagger, Gillan, Springsteen, or enjoy the unique vocal stylings of Lindsey Buckingham, Tom Petty, Robert Plant, Don Henley, Geddy Lee, Sebastian Bach, Chris Cornell, Josh Groban, Steve Perry… All these men have distinctive voices that perfectly suit the music they purvey, and that’s what makes each of those voices equal and special. I am not arguing the case to replace their voices with Lambert’s on any of their recordings. No. Those songs, those artists, those performances remain thunderous jewels in the musical firmament. However, Lambert – at this moment in time – effortlessly trounces them all.
Then there are those whose time has sadly passed (Paul McCartney, Paul Stanley, Joe Elliott, David Coverdale, Roger Daltrey) whom Adam can now sing circles around. Here’s the rub: Lambert is in his early 30’s; even at those artists’ peaks (their late 20s to early-40s), they could not match Lambert’s power and range. He truly is the new breed of genetically superior X-man. I don’t say any of this lightly. I grew up wanting Paul Stanley’s epitome of the rock and roll voice; the same with Daltrey (so in love am I with that way of singing and phrasing, tonality, raunch, accent, everything). so it is with sorrow and regret that I see my heroes, my lodestars, pummeled by this homo superior. (And what a homo!)
You’ve got a bit of a Saturday job – as the lead singer of Queen.
— Alan Carr, Chatty Man (talk show)
Nice work if you can get it…
Suddenly Queen have a legion of new fans by plussing Adam Lambert. And Adam’s no innocent naif: I’m sure he salivates over the legion of Queen fans coming in the other direction – fans starving for anything Queen or Queen-adjacent, now rollicking their dollars into the Lambert camp on CDs and merch.
And the greatest blasphemy/hardest truth to face: Is Adam Lambert better than Freddie Mercury? The temple comes crashing down, chaos and looting in the streets, the sun shivers, the planets quake… Because that’s the wrong question. The question should be: Is Lambert filling Freddie’s shoes, purveying the Queen catalog respectfully? Freddie is irreplaceable as the force of nature he was; the songwriter, pianist, frontman, vocalist, arranger, original driving member of Queen. But as a live vocalist, Freddie had his shortcomings. (Queen apologists seem to have a tonal deficiency when defending Freddie against anyone else, not just Lambert.) Adam Lambert fulfills Freddie’s vocal duties better than Freddie at his peak. More tomatoes.
And Adam’s gay! Out, proud, loud. Meaning his natural campiness – that he lets run wild with Queen onstage – coupled with his distinctly macho delivery, puts him closer to Freddie than any other singer in the universe. (His risque original song and suggestive video For Your Entertainment puts him 10 more notches closer to Freddie…)
Again, dangerous tomatoes.
But you don’t get to sing Who Wants To Live Forever (with its original melody lines, something which even Freddie – who voiced the original recording – could not do live) and NOT be one of the greatest singers in the world.
Adam Lambert has truly set Queen back In The Lap Of The Gods.
love the singer, not the songs.
By the way, I am not enamored with Adam Lambert’s original material. (Respite from Queen fans, vitriol from the Glamberts.)
Because:
1) I’m not in an age group any more that is impressed by rock star product. It’s not special or relatable to life experience any more. The tweensters and creamsters who hang on his every breath are affected by Lambert’s music at this formative stage of their lives, so it will live with them as classic material. It is catchy and danceable and bawdy. Nothing inherently wrong with it at all. All his solo albums have shot to the top of the charts. I begrudge him nothing. He deserves it all. It’s just not a genre/sound that I enjoy.
2) Lambert’s pop-dance original material is in a milieu where we are so used to hearing perfectly-pitched auto-tuned recorded vocal performances, that we must remind ourselves Lambert can actually replicate these exacting, searing vocal lines live (without lip-synching, without five backing vocalists singing the main melody under him, without auto-tune). On his recordings, Lambert’s voice is lost in the thick “production fog” of danceabiliousness. His acting in the music videos is commendable, the production values are top notch, but the songs sometimes feel like background filler. While he finds his feet as a songwriter, he throws down fluff for his fans to retain the synergy of his meteoric rise.
A final word on what I love about this guy: In June 2015, in an early morning gig for Good Morning America, Lambert performed his originals in Central Park, New York, stripped down to a four piece band and a simple red shirt and leather pants – no giant lightshow, no explosions or smoke machine, no campy costumes, no high heels! He shows us he is secure enough not to be tied to an image, secure enough not to hide behind ANYTHING. And, unlike the recorded versions, he punches out powerful versions of his songs that make them POP. Being interviewed by the GMA hosts: though he’s rocked the world – literally – with Queen, with IDOL, with startling and controversial TV performances, he comports himself with a grace that belies his vast experience and young age. This is not some troll piggybacking off the fame of a boy band and manufactured excitement; no wigga hand movements, no street talk; this is as real as an artist gets. A true original.
I have no doubt this young comet will produce something worth crying for, something worth dying for, in his spectacular future.
END
ADAM LAMBERT
Tribute
by Jon Dunmore © 15 Oct 2015
Word Count: 2,400 Rant: 30 Vid: 19
A review of the 2018 rock-doc QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT: THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Much of my Adam Lambert Tribute is incorporated into this video review. Enjoy, Glamberts!
Visit Dunmore’s Movie Mania on YouTube and SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, COMMENT and SHARE with all your pals! If you love the content, consider supporting the channel by joining my PATREON. Poffy Approves!
Adam Mitchel Lambert
Born: Jan 1982, Indianapolis IN
American Idol Runner-Up: 8th Season, 2009
Solo Albums:
For Your Entertainment (2009)
Trespassing (2012)
The Original High (2015)
Tours with Queen:
Jun 2012 – July 2012
Jun 2014 – Sep 2015
Cryin’ ♦ Aerosmith cover
Black Or White ♦ Michael Jackson cover
Ring Of Fire ♦ Johnny Cash cover
Tracks Of My Tears ♦ Smokey Robinson cover
Whataya Want From Me? ♦ Adam Lambert
◊ from album For Your Entertainment, 2011
◊ Grammy nominated
Who Wants To Live Forever? ♦
Queen + Adam Lambert
44 Comments on “ADAM LAMBERT: The Fury and the Passion (and the High Heels)”
Thank you for getting it.
If any of us Glamberts wrote this we would be called CRAZY!
Regarding Adam’s solo work… I LOVE Adam’s voice. So I like most of the songs on the CDs. But what I really love is Adam’s voice LIVE!I can FEEL his voice. I really wish QUEEN would release a live concert or put together a “best of” from all their tours (so I can see all the costumes again). My favorite CD is GLAM NATION LIVE, again because it’s LIVE and when I hear it my mind and body (complete with goosebumps) recall the live performances.
I hope QAL is able to tour again. Same songs but it never gets old. I’ve seen 7 shows.
You get it!!!!!! I am blown away with the talent this man possesses. Can’t wait to see what his future holds.
Awesome article from someone who truly gets Adam Lambert!! His performance of Who Wants To Live Forever at the iHeart music festival is my absolute favorite!! I love that whole video with Queen, its a must see to get a full appreciation of how well this collaboration works!! One last thing, I’m still chuckling about your comment on Paula Abdul’s reaction to Adam, you didn’t miss a thing about that season!!
Thank you for your appreciation of what comes of a boy struggling to fit in and instead, pours himself into his art. As a child, he asked his voice teacher “How am I making this sound? What is happening? I need to understand.” The result is a perfect triangle of tone, spot on pitch, masterful control of breath, the ability to land on the note without a slide while maintaining diction and a vocal range he refuses to discuss. Lambert is as good as it will ever get.
I’m going to see Adam at his Manchester, UK concert on 16 April. After being told all tickets from the venue had been sold, I was determined that I would be there, and bought a ticket from a Resale Agency. This will be my first big event since my husband died 18 months ago, and perhaps could be a turning point in trying to deal with my grief. At least I am smiling. So excited to have the opportunity to see the brilliant Adam Lambert in person.
I am totally under the spell of Adam Lambert. His voice is wonderful, such an impressive vocal range, plus so much natural charisma. I have tried but been unable to buy a ticket to his sold-out concert in Manchester in the UK. I’m a lady in my seventies who was obsessed with Elvis as a teenager – and now I’m obsessed with Adam. He is the natural successor to Elvis.
Really enjoyed your article. You very effectively put into words how I have been feeling over the last seven years. Enough said. I will share your article with others. Thanks for taking the time to write it.
Finally ! Someone said it all, and so eloquently. He even does opera, chatch his version of Come to Me, from Brigadoon. And was he not amazing signing Girl Crush !
The man can do it all. Its time he gets the acknowledgement !
Thank you for the “spot on” article.
Brilliant! ” Getting” Adam isn’t always as well articulated as you have now accomplished. Like so many others on here, I followed him since Idol and knew a rare bird when I saw it. Feathers, nail polish, glitter all signature in the early days. And now Adam’s fresh, real, and reinvented from his life experiences in his last 6 years. Emerging as a slow burning Phenom. We need him to be front and center for all the creative music enthusiasts like yourself. His tribute to David Bowie was heartfelt and very telling. Bowie was/is special to Adam, and it is markedly apparent in his presence and boldness to be REAL, honest, simplistically pure, and nothing less.
What I haven’t seen expressed yet but is innately true, is that Adam fans are loyal, but also have formed MANY friendships all over the world because of him. I met a group of 16 lovely people on a chatango chat site to watch Adam every week on Idol. Always complaining that the week went way too slow for our need to see and hear him again. We are still a “group.” And have gone to concerts separately and together throughout his 6 year journey. Your article was sent to me from one of those ladies in CA who couldn’t wait to share what we all now say is one of the best if not the best commentary on Adam Freakin’ Lambert. One of the ladies from New Zealand will be attending his TOH tour in Auckland on the 22nd and she is excited to share that experience. And with this article our emails are flying back and forth praising your sardonic humor and insight into this special being. I have retweeted it to several twitter followers and it is getting excellent traction. Well done, Poffy, for bringing out the herd of followers. To steal a phrase from a still popular movie……”May the Force be with you.”
Thank you very much for the permission Jon. I don’t know if you realized it, but I had already posted your article with your same link & byline requests. I should have asked your permission first. I see many of the comments here are from our loyal readers. Our site is adam-lambert.org, the first fansite created to support Adam Lambert. Again, many thanks for the reprint permission & for your fabulous piece on Adam!
This is a great article, so fresh, funny, and real. I believe you’ve NAILED it as to why Adam’s not HUGE. He’s not auto-tuned, he is the real deal – but who cares when you can take a youtube tweenie bopper sensation, sex him up (or her), slap on back tracks & perfect the voice with electronics and pop them out for the public to adore. They don’t care that they’re not real, they’re just the next thing. THANK YOU Cher for bringing to life the devil we now know as auto-tune – NOW anyone can sing, and those that really can – don’t matter. I hope Adam continues to write his music, one day he is going to release something that really hits and sticks!
GREAT article,I coulnt have said it better! Dont dish Simon,I love Simon!!!! ;)….And a Standing Ovation for my oh so favorite guy made me love him even more!!!
Your article on Adam Lambert says it all…except that I still think his debut album ‘For your Entertainment’ was one of his best. Most of the songs were written by top notch performers such as Pink and Muse. I wish more songs from that album had made it on the radio. His voice is exemplified on songs such as Sleepwalker, Soaked and If I had You (which I think is the song that would have been a hit had he performed it on the AMA’s instead of For your Entertainment), that is only my opinion, of course. I’m so glad that Queen recognized his talent and made him their front man. I wish Adam all the best on his many endeavors. He is the total package, as your article says and such a nice guy. I wish him all the best and that he finds that one song that will make others recognize his talents too!
Jon, Thank you for your truthful, heartfelt and funny article. I saw Queen and Adam Lambert last year in London. A few months before the concert I started looking into Adam Lambert and was hooked immediately. His voice, charisma, rhythmic moves, honesty, humor, combined with his serious and hard working attitude towards his profession and the emotion he puts in the songs he’s singing (his looks don’t hurt either), how can anyone not become a fan? I really enjoyed your thoughts on Adam, great read, love your style. Please, if you can, do come to one of his concerts. Whether you like his music or not I’m pretty sure you’ll really enjoy him live, he’s just too good to miss.
Thank you for a beautiful article pointing out what makes Adam so special in this world. I became a Glambert when he sang Ring of Fire on Idol and nearly 7 years later I am passionately devoted still. I am guessing you and I are close in age, so I’ve heard a lot of amazing vocalists live, including Steve Perry and Steven Tyler, but no artist ever captured me the way Adam has. I love his solo performances as well as his performances with Queen. They have been one of my top favorite bands, but I had never seen them live. Pairing up with Adam was a match made in heaven for me and I traveled cross country to see then 6 times in 2014. I am looking forward to seeing his The Original High Tour when it comes to the U.S. He is finally singing one of my favorites of all his original songs, Runnin’, a bonus track on his 2nd album Trespassing. He is giving us more chances to hear the rich lower registers of his voice while still soaring with those brilliant notes into the stratosphere. I can’t imagine I will ever stop wanting to listen to his voice or seeing him perform, it has become an Original High for me and I am addicted.
Jon,
Thank you for the enjoyably well written article and the several facial smiles mixed with out-loud laughter. Paula wants to do what, again?
Anyone who tosses tomatoes or any other type of projectile your way for writing your brilliant Adam Lambert opinion may need to review their pre-school sandbox rules. But alias you’re correct, there are still those who believe their and only their opinions are to set the invisible benchmark for normality which all humanity should honor or society will collapse due to a lack of their superiority validation.
Never was a screaming fan girl for anyone, admittedly I was taken back by the emotional joy that occurred after first hearing Adams vocals on American Idol being delivered into my physical space though a Television speaker. If his vocals though a mechanic devise moved me emotionally to happiness what would his voice do to my soul listening to him sing live though venue speakers controlled by professional sound technicians. The only way I would achieve an answer to that burning question would be to purchase a ticket to an American Idol tour visiting near my home town. Little did I know that one American Idol concert would change my future path… an obsessed fan-girl following the Adam Lambert vocal pied piper from venue to venue being incapable of explaining why I was addicted to Adam’s vocal and stage performance…WHAT? How could this happen? Me the Fortune 50 professional business woman to whom the only vocals worth obsessing over contained profit margins and cost controls lyrics.
To this date, even after 7 years, I remain an Adam Lambert fan girl who still experiences Adam Lambert Live Performance ticket acquisition stress with each announced tour date, or special televised event or those seldom audience attended Adam-Articulate interviews with prepared journalist vs. for ratings or web-clicks shock-attention seekers masquerading as interviewers. Yes I know he is gay, what about his musical talents. Sigh.
And now let those who wishing to toss food and or other projectiles commence in my direction because I agree with your written opinions of Adam Lambert’s placement amongst past, current and future male singers… So there I too said it.
Call me wind because I am abustolely blown away.
Poffy,
How you put the greatness of Adam and your heartfelt appreciation of him into words is a treasure and a Gift from God for all Glamberts.
I recognize God has blessed Adam with explosive talents, magnetic charisma, beauty in every way, with a golden heart and an enlightened soul.
Most of all Adam crowns all these gifts with such humility, why I love him and thank God every time for Adam because he brings joy to my heart.
I absolutely agree that in every angle Adam is The TOTAL Package, born to perform and be the great showman he is. He is simply electrifying!
This article is a MUST read for all Glamberts to be treasured and for those who basically do not know him and do not know what they’re missing.
Thank you from my heart and appreciate much, Poffy.
This is an amazing article on Adam. Thank you for your analysis. He deserves any and all accolades. The Glamberts love him not only for his amazing voice but also because he is kind, humble & promotes love for all humanity. He is a loving & spiritual soul. Loved your article!
This is one of the BEST written opinions I have ever read. Seriously, the writer knows and shows his knowledge of so many things in this article. Hats off to the writer, I enjoyed this and will continue to check in on your future writings…..
Great article and thank you for seeing Adam as the superstar that he is
I think you haven’t given all of his songs a good listen. Impossible to judge from a few songs. There are brilliant songs for all tastes and all genres. I don’t think he needs to “find his feet as a songwriter”. His 2nd and 3rd albums are well-thought and well composed.
Overall great points. Though that much hostility toward the judges and racism (beige chick? really?) was unnecessary. Simon never doubted Adam’s talent. In the beginning he was worried his off-center style was going to scare off some people and wanted to push his talent in the typical box that gets the mainstream votes, but finally he got behind Adam fully. Said before and after finale Adam should have won. Later, admitted the way he used to judge the market for off-center artists was a mistake and he has learned his lesson.
What a fantastic article!! You must be my age, as you rattled off the names of MY childhood heroes as well. Reading that, and accepting it was a little rough, for about 5 seconds. You are spot on in every aspect of this article. Yeah, color me a middle aged Glambert. I love the whole package, as you said. I never in a million years thought that my 25 year old daughter would see Queen in concert. She was raised on them and the rest of the greatness from that era. She and boyfriend were blown away. I love music, I love the ART of music. While we mourn the death of David Bowie, I found your article refreshing and true in every sense regarding the art of music. Adam is the whole package and is currently (and very well previously) unmatched, vocally or performance wise, by ANYONE out there. Thanks, man. 🙂
What a terrific article. I just saw this. I am eager to see Adam Lambert in concert in March and plan to go to several shows like I did with Queen. I think God sings through this guy and I wanna listen. What a talent, and what a humble yet flashy guy. I agree that I love the rock ‘n roll more than pop, but he can sing anything. Thanks for having the guts to say what all us Glamberts know…..this is the best live singer and performer ever.
Wow! I commend you on the deep dive! Poffy, you did your homework. If there is ever a movie, book, or a documentary on Adam, this would be a great outline (to date, so far). It would be great if this is … to be continued. As another mentioned, Adam is now touring his “The Original High”. He included a tribute to David Bowie in his show the day after the tragic loss. Maybe you would notice that Adam even dressed himself in an outfit similar to one David had worn onstage.
Thank you so much for your unbiased views. It is so refreshing to hear such positive comments, rooted in obvious knowledge. We Glamberts are still wondering why he hasn’t reached higher levels on his own. Thank goodness Queen recognized his brilliance & support him as their singer while still encouraging his solo career. I am the author on this site that used your piece. I hope you enjoyed seeing it there & give us your permission for the reprint..
Hi Carol,
I gladly give permission for a reprint of this article – of course, as long as it is credited to this website, including a link to this page, at the very least, a link to the Home Page: http://www.poffysmoviemania.com
You may credit the author as Jon Dunmore OR Poffy The Cucumber.
Thank you for putting into words what this non-musical Glambert has tried to express over the years. I have struggled, as the music scene business changes, trying to understand why it’s been such a struggle to elevate Adam to the star status we all know is his. Along, with the radio in US refusing to play his music in the early years like it deserved, change in how ppl find their music and the way CD’s are basically bought in singles the auto tune may play apart as well.
I confess to no music knowledge beyond what I like but that in 2009 I had my fill of radio crap-o-la and rarely listened to music anymore. It was boring, lyrics stunk and you heard the same songs once an hour 24/7. Then American Idol began in January and my family loved watching the evolution of the singers , and some seasons even found a singer to really root for as the “best”. Adam had me and my daughter from the 1st audition. Like Paula Abdul , we were like , yesss he’s gotta be the one. Thru the season there were no missteps by Adam , he schooled us and everyone else in , how gifted he was in collaborating with the shows musicians, his choices in set design, lighting, clothes and of course songs. I loved how , in all my years watching, he is the only artist to consistently acknowledge the musicians on stage with him or credit when he took someone else’s creative take on a song. Humble and sincere, the other contestants also said they often relied on Adams opinion concerning their performances. So this article has been refreshing as I also had a handful of icons precious to me who all now take a back seat to Adam. I look forward to his continued evolution as this has bee a fun journey so far.
Great article. Adam is a force of nature.
This article is one of the best ever done on AFL! Can’t find fault in any of your points & no tomatoes are going to thrown at your wonderful insights. His new show is spectacular (He learned a lot from Queen) & can’t wait to see what he’ll come up with next. Adam Lambert is unique & spectacular.
As a fan from the first “Mama” on idol, who checks in to see what is happening to him every single day, I so enjoyed your article. Read it out loud to hubby this morning, and we both howled with laughter at your comical turn of phrase. You get him, and you understand why his fans are crazy devoted. The world is now discovering him, and I think he will be bigger than Elvis, and probably live longer than him, since he is brighter. Will check out your music. Thanks for your exposure.
OMG!! What can I say…?? This was the best artical I ever read about Adam! ( and I’ve followed him since idol) congrats!! And hope 2 see U at a show sometime ❤️❤️
Great article!!! I admire how much work, thought, research & analysis you put into it but also you have a wonderfully fun writing style & humour. Great read. Adam is a gem that will continue to become more and more illustrious as he develops. So glad Brian & ROger took him under their wing for a few months – I think it gave him the boost of confidence he needed. He’s always been confident in his performances but I felt he lost his drive a bit when his excellent 2nd album floundered commercially. Must be hard when you put so much heart & soul into an artistic project to see it not being appreciated. Bri & Rog seem to have taught him not to take it all too seriously 😉
Your article is such a breath of fresh air!!!! I love that you ‘get’ Adam. Such praise from a non-Glambert is balm to this Glambert’s heart. I also appreciate your honesty about preferring some of Paul’s take on some Queen songs and your honest opinion about Adam’s current music. It’s a matter of preference and yet you don’t put it down, simply state that it’s not your cup-of-tea. Yours has to be the best article on Adam, as a man and as an artist, I have ever read… and I’ve read loads of them! LOL! And last but not least, thank you for your ever-so-entertaining writing style!
Really love this article, but not the headline regarding “high heels”. I know it’s nitpicky, but to me (and I believe most) high heels implies stilettos, thus evoking a drag queen or homosexual stereotype. He does wear wedges and platform shoes, but so do many performers. Would you use that in a headline describing any of your beloved Kiss members or any of the other icons you’ve mentioned? I think not.
Maybe it was your intention to praise him and then marginalize him due to his homosexuality; I don’t know. It’s almost as if you just couldn’t help yourself (throwing it in parenthetically). It’s a shame that nearly everything written about Adam has to use some cue word or phrase to diminish him. While your article certainly points out that Adam’s talent should be respected, you’ve given him no respect with that headline. Little things like that really do influence peoples’ perspective.
Again, love the article, otherwise.
People gonna perceive what they wanna perceive, SusanM.
You’ve adopted a stance way, way, way over there, opting to be offended by jokes.
I see you’ve adopted the News Channel Method of asking questions which already contain the answer: “Maybe it was your intention to praise him and then marginalize him due to his homosexuality…”
However, I’d like you to check your dictionary on what “marginalizing” means. Is it when I write: “…this young necromancer’s sheer mastery of his craft overwhelmed me, hurled me backwards with his unbridled virtuosity. And with shock, with sadness, I realized my own vocal heroes from ages past have been superseded…” Yeah, uh, marginalizing doesn’t mean putting him in FRONT of all my lifetime heroes.
Further, I am fully willing to take my “beloved Kiss members” to task on their follies, those review headlines just as sumptuously offensive to anyone who would wish to take them seriously: https://www.poffysmoviemania.com/kiss-hot-in-the-shade/
But here’s a suggestion: Don’t take ANYTHING seriously. It’s only rock and roll.
And we like it…
Excellent blog and so well expressed. Your thoughts are what his fans have been thinking for the past 7 years–since discovering him on Idol. Adam’s talent is enormous, his stage presence charismatic, and his heart is as golden as the sunshine he brings to all who encounter him. “One of a kind” and as Brian May sincerely said, “Gift from God”.
i would encourage you strongly to see his upcoming tour, The Original High tour- it is NOTHING like the recordings, you will be blown away, I guarantee it. LOVE LOVE your article and it is SPOT ON!
BUT PLEASE correct the spelling of his middle name, it’s Mitchel <— one L, TYVM 😀 <3 xoxoxo
Good catch! Thank you for the correction. Poffy bequeaths his gratitude.
You got the tickets?
Let’s go!
Hope you are near a city where he will be performing on his “The Original High Tour”. You deserve a front row seat!
What area of the country are you located? Tickets might be a possibility!
Hi lola b,
Contact me at poffy@poffysmoviemania.com if tickets are, in fact, a possibility.
If yous a-sending em, I’m a-blending em (whatever that means, but it rhymes, no?)
Los Angeles, California