Niks’ American Idol Tour Hamilton, ON Recap

i admit i’m not adam’s biggest fan, but i find it interesting that you felt that adam lacked maturity to pull off some of the songs in his set, yet you were impressed by allison, who, despite probably (IMO) being the most legit female rocker the show has seen, is years and experiences removed from a song like “crybaby”. guess i’ll just have to wait until my concert and see. i’m still skeptical about the both of them actually, despite the overwhelming positive reviews this summer.

but yay for matty G.

I loved that were were impressed by allison…glad she changed your mind when you saw her live.

See, I can believe Allison because of how much passion she puts behind her performances.

First time I have ever read that Adam lacked maturity to pull off some of the songs in his set…..I’m not sure what that means.

Anyways glad you enjoyed some of the people.

You certainly have a different opinion from most people here. It’s nice getting recaps from fans of different idols and reading different points of view.

Allison is my favorite so I’m glad she was able to make you appreciate her more than when she was on the show, she’s definitely a heck of a live performer with a killer voice. It does seem a little strange that she lacks believability for you because to me, in my very biased opinion of course, she feels completely genuine and legit as a rocker. However I can see how given her age and style some may find it pretentious instead (those would be the Disney princesses for me ).

I’m glad your favorite delivered, it’s always great when the person we want to see most doesn’t disappoint.

A recap from the Ontario show? It was like 3 weeks ago already, wasn’t’ it?

Thanks for the recap, it must be one of the firsts done by a Scott fan:)
You seem to have had a blast during the show.

I am a bit curious about your definition of alternative tough, Kris whole vibe is maintream to me. Matchbox 20 or The Killers are not really obscure bands.
It’s also the first time I read about Allison being pretentious or Adam lacking maturity.

Thanks for the very thoughtful recap Niks. I always enjoy reading one from somebody with a different perspective and I like the way that you structured this (how you grouped the performers and built up to what impressed you the most). It caused me to reflect and brought up new points. After so many concerts/reviews, that’s quite an achievement. Well done!

I am a bit curious about your definition of alternative tough, Kris whole vibe is maintream to me. Matchbox 20 or The Killers are not really obscure bands.

Alternative, in the context of music, no longer means obscure. It is a format (and could refer to AAA or Alternative Rock). Some Alternative artists like Rob Thomas and The Killers have crossed over onto pop radio, but that doesn’t change their fundamental format (just as Carrie Underwood is still considered a country artist even though she’s had songs cross-over to Pop/HAC/AC).

Tx 4 the recap. Sorry u had 2 run into those bigots. I find that sort of thing very sad. But in time, A Change Is Going To Come. Yr comments about Adam r interesting. I luv that the world is full of peeps with
different opinions. Glad u + daughter had fun.

Oops, comment meant for previous review. Sorry, glad u had fun. ( can’t edit 4some reason. Using iPhone?)

ETA: I see now that this comment is absurdly long. Sorry, I like to discuss music, and I’m stuck here with nothing else to do.

I’m 20 years old, too. A decent number of the recaps have come from teenagers and young adults, so maybe there are more people from that age group here who lurk rather than post.

I might not agree with all of your opinions, but that’s the nature of opinions, and you have every right to yours, so no need to worry about that–and plenty of people like Kris and don’t like Adam or Allison, or like Matt but don’t like the others, so you’re not going against the grain or anything.

That had to be forcefully enhanced with props such as the smoke.

This doesn’t seem accurate. Kris drops the curtain before his set to help give the venue a more intimate feeling. Is that because he couldn’t create that intimacy without the curtain’”does he need the curtain to ‘forcefully enhance’  the intimacy of his set, and without it, he’d be dwarfed? No’”he creates that intimacy through is voice and presence. The curtain just helps with the mood, as all staging is designed to’”that’s why artists use it instead of performing on a bare stage with no lights. Similarly, for people who are emotionally engaged by the Mad World performance, the haunting and eerily lonely effect of the song is created by Adam, by his presence and interpretation and emotional power. The smoke just helps with the mood, as all staging does. All artists, no matter how simple, use visual presentation, but that alone can’t create emotional power’”obviously you didn’t enjoy Mad World even with the fog, and for people who don’t feel Kris, he’s just not interesting even with the curtain. What made Mad World so haunting on the show and in concert, and what makes Adam and Kris such effective performers for so many people (though not all, naturally), is not that one has smoke and the other has a curtain’”it’s their innate gift for emotional connection to the music and to the audience.

Myself, focusing more on the aesthetic of a performance than the strict visual and aural delivery of it

I could be misinterpreting, but you seem to be saying that anyone who likes Adam or Allison does so simply because they have “big voices” and are “flashy” and “entertaining.” That seems wrong to me–like the people who don’t like Kris and assume that those who do just like any cute guy with a guitar. Again, people’s opinions differ, but people who like Adam or Kris or Allison or Matt or any of the others generally have reasons beyond the purely superficial or entertaining for doing so.

Personally, my tastes in music also tend towards the alternative, and my favorite artists are the ones who make me feel the emotion of the music (which doesn’t automatically mean sadness’”it could be joy or lust or longing or whatever), what the melodies and lyrics are conveying, and who make this connection with the music in creative, intriguing ways. When an artist who can do that has a beautiful voice, I love it, but that’s not a requirement, so my favorite artists and bands range from David Bowie to Gillian Welsh to TV on the Radio to Queen to Tom Waits to Bjork. Some of them have great voices, some don’t, but they’re all gifted, musically interesting, and emotionally resonant artists.

And for me, the ones (and I had never considered AI worth watching before’”too much Nickelback-style faux-rock and pop treacle) who fit that bill–gifted, musically creative, and emotionally resonant–are Adam, Allison, and Kris. And, after seeing him in concert, possibly Matt.

What distinguishes Adam and Allison, is that they aren’t just unusually visually and aurally pleasing and charismatic–they’re aesthetically (we may be using that word differently, but who knows) fascinating and emotionally compelling as artists.

Adam and Allison have huge voices, and I think that often leads to a lack of recognition for their ability to inject subtlety and nuance into their songs (not from you specifically, just in general), just as I think that Kris’s lower-key voice often leads to him not being given his due for his strength as a singer (he really can fill the arena with his voice). But in addition their emotional power, what draws me to Adam and Allison is that they combine strength with subtlety. Allison seems forced to fight bandzilla a little too much sometimes, but the nuance she injects into every line of Cry Baby is incredible. And Adam’s ability to use his voice like an instrument in terms of phrasing and strength allows him to weave fascinating variety and different shades and emotional colors into his songs, and that emotional complexity and effortless musical subtlety is part of what makes him so fascinating to many people. Belters are a dime a dozen, but people who can belt with subtlety and creativity, so to speak, like Adam and Allison can, are very rare. And I think that it is Adam’s, Allison’s and Kris’s ability to play with subtlety, to use their exquisite phrasing to color their songs, that has made people love them’“as much as the sheer beauty (and in Adam’s and Allison’s cases, power) of their voices.
But again, that’s a totally subjective thing. The whole reason that I fell in love with Adam and Allison, and still consider them my favorites, is that their passion for and creativity with the music leads to something very emotionally compelling, and the fact that their voices are powerful and extremely distinctive and beautiful in tone is just the ear-candy cherry on top of that aesthetically fascinating sundae. And Kris is the other one I love because while his voice is not as distinctive as Adam’s and Allison’s, it’s lovely, and he has that passion, that creativity, and is therefore emotionally compelling for me. But not everyone is going to feel that subtlety or that passion from Kris or Adam or Allison, and that’s fine.

‘She just always seemed like a pretentious rocker girl type, so that always turned me off no matter how well she performed. Heck, I’m still not totally convinced by her’ ¦unless she improves the believability factor’ 

but the problem is that Adam lacks the maturity

cott. I love Scott, and am not ashamed to admit it’ ¦I thought he was beautiful to watch, playing that piano. Simple, but convincing and captivating.

Hmm. We clearly have very different taste in music (which’”it should go without saying, but sometimes needs to be said because tone can’t come across over the internet’”is totally fine). Although we both love Kris. : )

There’s nothing to be ashamed of, but I honestly don’t get the Scott love’”I mean, there’s mainstream, and then there’s plain old bland. He certainly hit his notes, which was an improvement over the show, but his voice is colorless and while his piano playing is technically proficient, there’s just nothing of musical interest or fascination there’”like on the show, there’s nothing memorable’”he’s like elevator music.

And I don’t know what about Allison and Adam seemed immature and pretentious, and I don’t have trouble understanding why someone wouldn’t be into them musically, but I honestly have difficultly understanding how Allison could seem pretentious or how Adam could seem lacking in maturity. Allison is powerful because she always seemed completely authentic as a rocker, and part of what makes Adam so powerful are the depths of his emotional maturity’”it gives both the ballads and the rock songs the extra weight of conviction and soul that they need.

Actually, I think that part of what distinguishes Adam, Kris, and Allison is that they seem so mature’”true ‘old souls’  so to speak. I think that’s part of what makes them so passionate about the music and able to invest themselves in it completely. But again, YMMV.
Oh dear. I’m looking back at this post and it’s ridiculously long’”sorry, I type fast and I like it when recaps really afford the opportunity to discuss the music.

So, the non-tl;dr version of this is: As much as it’s possible to think before hearing original material, I think that Adam, Allison, and Kris are true artists’”emotionally compelling and connected and creative with their music. They seem like true interpreters of songs rather than just good singers. Adam and Kris, especially, seem to know music inside and out and are intensely creative and versatile with how they present and interpret their songs, as they were on the show’”and they both seem like really intelligent people who actually think a lot about music, and I think that adds to the complexity of what they’re able to bring to their songs. Allison’s amazing now, and I’m sure she’ll be at that level when she’s closer to their age. And I do think that their unusual level of talent and artistry (tm Kara again) is why Adam, Allison, and Kris have been getting the best reviews and why they did so well on the show and are signed. After seeing the tour, I still think that Matt’s not quite at their level as an artist’”somehow, he doesn’t seem to have as strong an artistic identity as Adam, Allison, and Kris do’”but he was genuinely amazing and definitely needs to be signed.

Again, so sorry for the length of this’”I tend to type wordily, especially when it’s about an interesting subject, like music. : ) It’s a good thing you like Kris, or I would have had to go on for another page about all that I love about him. : ) And I’m glad you had a great time and that your favorites were as you hoped they’d be.

WOW, Slightly defensive! Your opinion of their performances is, well, yours and you are entitled to it. Value judgements of maturity from you, a kid, are quite witty and how do you know that someone is Pretentious?
I’m old as dirt and in my opinion she is a very normal Kid and seems at times a little freaked out at where she is in life but ? pretentious?
Seriously, pretentious is a 20 year old with more guts than brains calling someone like Mr. Lambert ,to you, lacking in maturity. OH Lord!!
And if you can’t be snarky in a good way,stick to saying less, nicely, and espressing more of what you actually know about!!
BTW, I think Kris has a wonderful sound and a inward presense that is no less impressive than more overt performances !!!

I was at the Hamilton concert but have completely different opinions.
It was completely an Adam crowd, however all performers received
very generous applause.

The crowd went insane for Adam, an experience I’ll never forget soon.

I do agree with the opinion that Allison is pretentious- in fact I personally
think she is so over-rated. Sorry Allison fans, she grates on my nerves like no other.

Thanks for the recap.

I enjoy reading reviews from those who have different opinion than the majority on this blog.

I am one who really liked Adam and Allison on the show but was a little disappointed when I saw them in concert. Maybe my expectations were too high.

As far as Danny and Maria Maria. Although it was my least favorite of his set which I loved by the way, I would not call in pathetic and acting all latino like. Danny’s wife was Puerto Rican and Danny loves latin music and I am sure he and his wife danced salsa for many years (they were together for 11 years). He has a deep respect for the culture and I suspect he picked the song as a tribute to his wife. I thought he was exceptional on the two Rascal Flatts songs.

Kris also was a surprise for me in concert because I was not a fan on the show. I enjoyed his set second best after Danny. I still say the top four were in a different league but I gotta give props to Matt for Hard to Handle.

Thanks for your recap. A different opinion is like a cool drink of water on this board.

WOW, Slightly defensive! Your opinion of their performances is, well, yours and you are entitled to it. Value judgements of maturity from you, a kid, are quite witty and how do you know that someone is Pretentious?

I can’t speak for the recapper but wasn’t she referring to maturity as a performer? That’s not a value judgement, it’s an opinion of a performer’s style. If she found Allison pretentious that’s also her opinion.

Nik, thanks for being brave & authentic enough to plainly express your opinions here. I would love to understand better what it is you like about Scott.
You said you loved him, but you really didn’t explain why. If I could understand this better, then perhaps you can infect me with some Scott flove, too! I personally think that Scott expresses himself artistically more through his piano playing than through his voice, and that he has good raw vocal tone but needs some more voice lessons for control issues & finessing the tone.
About Allison, consider re-watching her performance of “Someone to Watch Over Me”, as well as her farewell performance of “CryBaby”. Those 2 performances showed off her emotional artistry more so than the rest, in which it felt like she was just relying on her vocals. In fact, STWOM so impressed me that I’d love to hear Allison cut a diana-krall-style album of basso-nova-modified standards – maybe when she’s a little older…
Thanks again!

About Allison, consider re-watching her performance of ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ , as well as her farewell performance of ‘CryBaby’ . Those 2 performances showed off her emotional artistry more so than the rest, in which it felt like she was just relying on her vocals.

I would add I can’t make you love me and her duet with Cyndi Lauper but yes, the two you mention certainly are the two most emotional performances on the show. I think she lays it all out there during Cry baby on tour, it’s pretty amazing to watch her literally sing her heart out.

Thanks for the recap, we don’t get a lot of Scott fans here, so thanks for sharing your take of his set and talent. I enjoy hearing from the fans how they connect with idols that aren’t the typical faves.

As for not liking Adam? They are plenty here that don’t, though there is a lot of Adam love as well, and I welcome all opinions and again, thanks for sharing. I disagree, of course, but hey, if we all agreed, that would be super dull. And besides liking Kris, it doesn’t appear we have too much in common musically, so there you go. I love alternative music, but folk music makes me stabby.

But seems like you had a good time overall and glad you enjoyed your faves! Excellent.

Oh, funny thing is that I submitted this review two weeks ago and it only popped out just now. Wasn’t expecting all this, I must say. Okay, onto the responses.

i admit i’m not adam’s biggest fan, but i find it interesting that you felt that adam lacked maturity to pull off some of the songs in his set, yet you were impressed by allison, who, despite probably (IMO) being the most legit female rocker the show has seen, is years and experiences removed from a song like ‘crybaby’ .

I didn’t believe Allison had that much performance maturity either, hence my comment about her not being convincing enough, but she just happened to really entertain me in a good way. You can’t deny that performing power. As for Adam, I got bothered by him at certain points of his set.

First time I have ever read that Adam lacked maturity to pull off some of the songs in his set’ ¦..I’m not sure what that means.

By maturity, I wasn’t referring to his experience or anything, but more of a connection to the songs and the way he expressed them on stage. By choosing to cover artists as grande as Bowie and Muse, he just failed to capture the quality that their material brings. His delivery seemed fake to me, and overshadowed his technique, unlike the other way for Allison. If that makes sense.

Similarly, for people who are emotionally engaged by the Mad World performance, the haunting and eerily lonely effect of the song is created by Adam, by his presence and interpretation and emotional power. The smoke just helps with the mood, as all staging does.

Props only make sense for me if I am already emotionally moved by the performance. Otherwise, they really are… just props. But again, it’s all subjective. Some people might have viewed Kris’ props as forced too, for all I know.

I could be misinterpreting, but you seem to be saying that anyone who likes Adam or Allison does so simply because they have ‘big voices’  and are ‘flashy’  and ‘entertaining.’ 

I’m not assuming anything. I was just trying to rationally explain why I like the contestants that I like, not why whoever liked whoever. Kris and Scott, per se, aren’t the type you’d call entertaining for most part, unlike Adam and Allison, and I hear people call them boring. But for me, I’m not bored by them because I’m genuinely engaged by how they perform, and I look beyond the entertainment factor or pure technique.

I would love to understand better what it is you like about Scott.

My overall like for Scott goes beyond what I’ve seen on Idol, mostly his original material, so I kind of have established bias here. I find him to be a clever and thoughtful songwriter. I especially like how he thinks about his lyrics, which you can find out about by reading some notes on his site and myspace blogs. And as a performer, he is genuine and human. I have preference for artists who are like that. The only thing he needed to fix was his vocal technique and song selection, which he did on the tour, so I was thankful for that.

Thank you for this very well-written recap. You express yourself quite well.

Kris’s brother recently described Kris’s music as pop/alternative/r&b, which I’m very excited to hear. I grabbed this blurb from wikipedia describing The Killers: “The Killers are an American Grammy-Award nominated and BRIT-Award winning alternative rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2002… Part of the post-punk revival movement, The Killers draw their influences from music styles of the 1980s. The group’s debut album, Hot Fuss (2004) brought the band mainstream success.”

As far as your feelings about Adam or any of the other idols that weren’t your cup of tea, you most definitely have a right to express them. Kool-aid drinking, uber-fans, of course, will not be approve and the fall-out is of epic proportions at times.

I’ve been quitely reading recaps and have been especially pleased to read recaps from young males 16-20ish who are fans of Kris. I believe Kris will do well on a College Tour, like David Cook.

Your review, Nik, as well as the recent recaps, have bolstered my spirits quite a bit. Fans being loud and overly vocal on polls, blogs, what have you, does not equate success.

I can enjoy Queen and Bowie and the likes of Alice Cooper (which was my first album purchase — my dad had fits) and I can also enjoy someone like this, another fav of mine and is he beautiful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwugjyeSKx4

As I’ve said more than once — there’s room for everyone.

I’ve been quitely reading recaps and have been especially pleased to read recaps from young males 16-20ish who are fans of Kris

Ooops. Nik is actually a female, as per their recap, to quote them, “… and I’m a female.”

I realize that Tuthiness. I read she’s female. I have been especially pleased that young males also have posted recaps here. Thank you for trying to show me the error of my ways. But no thanks.

Well, I agree with you that Adam is entertaining, but I find him a lot more entertaining as a whole than you do. My family likes to watch AI, and up until this season, I have enjoyed it with them as mild entertainment. But this year, Adam captured my attention right from the beginning of the season, and as I watched during the season, I only grew to like him more and more. I loved his vocals, loved his courage to take risks, and loved his interviews.

It is always interesting to me when some people feel he is “performing” the emotions of the songs he sings rather than feeling them personally as he sings them. That is just such an opposite reaction from what I get when I hear him and when I watch him perform. Maybe the staging of his songs gives people who don’t feel him a reason to explain their disconnect. Or maybe for them, it causes it. For me, the staging just enhances the emotion and mood of the singing, and the way Adam uses his voice gives shades and nuances to all of the lyrics in a complex and deeply compelling way. The fact that he is “entertaining” as he moves and performs the songs is just another facet of his incredible appeal and talent.

Scott, on the other hand, to me is one of the most bland of all of the performers, though I haven’t been interested enough to check out his pre-idol material as you have. I’m glad you enjoyed him in concert and that he lived up to your expectations. I did check out all of Adam’s pre-idol material, however, and was amazed by the incredible range of things he has done. Some of them are more my style than others, but all of them are interesting and compelling, and the connection he feels to the music is clear there as well, even raw at times, and it comes through passionately for me in the music and never fails to make me feel along with him.

Well, there it is. Music is so subjective, and we all are touched and moved by different things depending on our tastes and our own experiences. And that is a good thing for these musicians building their various fan bases. I’m glad that you enjoyed your concert, and was interested to read how you related to the music even more because your perspective is so different than mine. (Although I also do like Kris and enjoy Matt as well.) After all, I already know what I think. (And now you do, too ) Thanks for the recap. Glad you had a good time!

I really enjoy reading everyone’s opinion, thank you for sharing yours.

Mad World is a beautiful song, but his facial expressions and blank presence didn’t really evoke the haunting and depressing feeling that it originally meant to have.

Adams facial expressions are one of the things I absolutely love about him. Every song he sings he puts so much emotion into it, not just with his voice, but his expressions as well. I love watching him sing. I’ve come to the conclusion that some people just don’t “get him”.

I’m glad there are some people out there who enjoy Scott. He seems to have a lot of ambition, and with fans like you, maybe he can have some sort of a career in the industry. I wish him well.

I realize that Tuthiness. I read she’s female. I have been especially pleased that young males also have posted recaps here. Thank you for trying to show me the error of my ways. But no thanks.

Yikes! I just thought you were saying that given that Nik has a male name, you were assuming she was one as well in those recaps of young males you were talking about. There was a lot of confusion previously about a recap posted by a “David,” that turned out to be a female as well (posted using her husband’s email or something). That’s it, not trying to show you any error of your ways. I wouldn’t presume to do that.

Nik, you did a great job with a different type of format than seen before! I loved your comments about Don’t Stop Believing. This song seems to bridge all generations and was perfect as the last song.

Glad to hear Anoop redeemed himself and did a good job. Thank you for sharing your expereince with us!

I ill say I don’t see anything pretentious or fake about allison being a rocker..if you want fake..look at someone like Miley. Allison is a rocker.

and immature whatever..she is exactly like my 17-18 year old cousins..she is normal, which is so freaking refreshing

I’m absolutely with you on thinking that Adam often shows a disconnect from the words and the meaning of the song, because for me, the real Adam is hiding behind a mask of makeup, costumes, smoke, mirrors, pyrotechnics, etc. “Mad World” was lovely and beautiful to me this first time he performed it, when the lighting made it difficult to even see his face. But the second time, on the finale, with the rolling waves of smoke and mugging and the over-the-top outfit, it became something entirely different, and not nearly as effective in my opinion.

I would say the same thing about Cher and Madonna and Celine Dion and a lot of things in Vegas, that the spectacle can overshadow the heart of the performance underneath. That’s my opinion, and I’m sticking to it, no matter how many irate Adam, Cher, Madonna and Celine fans disagree with me.

It’s funny, because I don’t like “Wicked” and I hated “The Time Traveler’s Wife” (the book) and I have gotten very tired of being told I can’t not like “Wicked” or “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” Well, too bad. I’d give the former about a C- and the latter a D-. I don’t like what doesn’t reach me on some level. But what reaches me is (obviously) dependent on what baggage and life experience I bring with me, what has formed my taste. I love theater and the theatrical, and I generally use “theatrical” as a compliment. But I need the theatrics to be rooted in humanity and heart and something that feels real to me, and no number of other people shouting at me that something is all of those things for them makes it that way for me.

All of that is my attempt to say why Nik’s recap resonated for me. I understand exactly what you’re saying, Nik, even if I don’t always jump in and say so, because head/brick wall isn’t something I’m generally up for, either. But don’t mistake my silence for lack of an opinion, or a willingness to be bullied into thinking what the loudest people want me to think. It just doesn’t work that way.

NiK, I think you did a great job. You expressed yourself well and I also like the way you arranged your comments – it was unique and allowed you to group your thoughts into categories. Kudos! I’m not a big fan of Scott, but from what I know about him, I think he might do well with his songwriting. What you said certainly supports that. I think he has a very good shot at making a living in the business, much like another former AI contestant, Chris Sligh. Incidentally, I am a big Adam fan and will buy his CD (entire album) but will more than likely download singles that I like featuring Kris and Allison. I’m still rooting for Matt, he totally won me over in concert, I’m certain his day will come.

Thanks, Nik, for sharing your detailed thoughts, and especially in your comments for sharing more about why Scott is your favorite. I love that you shared it exactly as you saw it even thought it is very different than many of the loud voices that disagree with you.

To Kirsten: Thanks for suggesting a current definition of “alternative.”

To Reflections on Life:

In fact, STWOM so impressed me that I’d love to hear Allison cut a diana-krall-style album of basso-nova-modified standards ‘“ maybe when she’s a little older’ ¦

Love this suggestion! I totally get your thinking! Definitely when she’s older though.

Sorry to hear you were infested. We have a lot of cockroaches in Florida, too.

idolslc

I love that you shared it exactly as you saw it even thought it is very different than many of the loud voices that disagree with you.

Thank you idolsic! I’m surprised some of the “loud voices” didn’t get edited out, but what I am saying right now probably will be so I might as well go for it: Some Of Us Woke Up on The Wrong Side of the Bed Today? No offense

thnx 4 the recap.hey I’m an Adam fan(no duh) and I really like it

Thank you!!!

I just love to hear from folks with different points of view – and the way you shared yours so clearly provided me with a new perspective. It may not have changed my mind about MY favorites (but I know that wasn’t your intent).

What it did do was open my mind so now as I look at the video clips I see the performances very differently. Thank you so much for that!! – Nanette

Mad World is a beautiful song, but his facial expressions and blank presence didn’t really evoke the haunting and depressing feeling that it originally meant to have. That had to be forcefully enhanced with props such as the smoke.

Really???? Maybe your view was obstructed? Maybe you couldn’t really see his facial/body expressions? After watching many of Adam’s Mad World performances (including his performance in Hamilton) I don’t see how on earth anyone could honestly think that. Maybe you should take a look at Suz526′s video from last night’s concert. It’s very up close and I think it may help u to see what you were so obviously missing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqmxt3SWJLU

thnx 4 the recap.hey I’m an Adam fan(no duh) and I really like it

luvadamlambert, I’m always impressed with your attitude. You’re so accepting and open minded. Very nice.

Nik, it was a very well thought out and well written recap.

Nik: Mad World is a beautiful song, but his facial expressions and blank presence didn’t really evoke the haunting and depressing feeling that it originally meant to have. That had to be forcefully enhanced with props such as the smoke

madefourbabies: Really???? Maybe your view was obstructed? Maybe you couldn’t really see his facial/body expressions? After watching many of Adam’s Mad World performances (including his performance in Hamilton) I don’t see how on earth anyone could honestly think that.

The staging of this number was beautiful, but I had to wonder what happened to the original meaning of the song. It’s such a simple, plain song, and I think it gets completely lost in the most overstaged number of maybe the whole concert. Lights, swirling planets, smoke, Adam on four big screens…I thought: it really is a mad world when this little song is overpresented in this way.

Heh, Niks is not my real name, just a username I go by here.

The staging of this number was beautiful, but I had to wonder what happened to the original meaning of the song. It’s such a simple, plain song, and I think it gets completely lost in the most overstaged number of maybe the whole concert.

That’s exactly what I was trying to say. I didn’t feel his delivery of the song was honest enough, and for such a simple and haunting song, there is no need to overdo it. It just ends up looking shallow.

I ill say I don’t see anything pretentious or fake about allison being a rocker..if you want fake..look at someone like Miley. Allison is a rocker.

I’m sure with years as she matures into a legitimate songwriter, then I’ll believe her, but for now all Allison does is perform as a rocker, as if she only acts like one. I think one needs more experience and substance to deliver the kind of songs that she does, “Crybaby”, “Barracuda”, etc., which she doesn’t possess yet. She’ll get there one day.

Sorry to hear you were infested. We have a lot of cockroaches in Florida, too.

No kidding. I’m quite amused by that misspelling myself.

Really???? Maybe your view was obstructed? Maybe you couldn’t really see his facial/body expressions? After watching many of Adam’s Mad World performances (including his performance in Hamilton) I don’t see how on earth anyone could honestly think that.

There were plenty of wide screens to assist me with close-ups of the contestants, and I sat in 7th row to begin with, where the view was just wonderful. I looked up at that giant screen from time to time during Mad World performance, and found his facial expressions forced and lifeless, as far as song delivery goes.

Thanks for your recap Niks. Appreciate all who write them. I was also at the Hamilton concert and as you must have noticed, Adam was the overwhelming crowd favorite there. I went to 2 concerts with my favorite being Adam , but also with an open mind. I thought Alison and Kris were victims of bandzilla there, but they still did well. I’ve always said all the idols are good in their own way and their different styles of music will always be appreciated by some. That said, I want them all to be successful. It’s a very entertaining show and I would go to 10 more if I could. I enjoy everyone’s opinions here. Keep them coming. That’s what makes this blog site the best. SIGN MATT GIRAUD!!!!!!!

I enjoyed your recap and respect that you have your own opinion. I will ask you to consider this point however and maybe it might shed a new light on this perspective. I personally love it when I can hear strong arguments from both sides and then re-examine my original response. I’m not too proud to say that I have changed my point of view when presented with facts and info that I did not have upon first impression.

I saw that you like Kris and he is one of your favorites. I am an Adam fan, but like Kris also, and seeing him live was awesome. My first response to Adam loosing was to get mad at Kris (emotional) but decided to instead be happy for him and in the process I discovered so many great things about Kris the person and artist that I would have never known had I kept the anger I had at Adam loosing directed at Kris. I realized how great it was that Kris won and now they both will have great careers and I will enjoy hearing both of them for years to come. (logical)

This comment from your post above, however, does not make logical sense to me for a few reasons. First, Adam’s maturity exceeds Kris’s maturity in almost every sense: personally, professionally (and) literally.
Adam, male aged 27, is not only 3 years older than Kris, he has spent the last 9 years of his life on his own, moving away from home, into a HUGE city, struggled to pay his own bills without any help and managed to not get swallowed by quite possibly the hardest market for artists in the country. He has been in love, had his heart broken and is now in a new relationship and could have been in others (but has not been as public as Cheeks and Drake). He admits that he was shy and insecure when graduating high school but through life experiences and finding out who he is as a person is completely comfortable in his own skin. The confidence Adam excretes is not cocky. He is confident because he did not simply conform to a group or label and was in fact an outsider for so long due to this intense desire to figure out what exactly HE wants and what HE thinks. This triumph of self actualization is what (I believe) many of the fans love the most about Adam. He personifies individuality. The road he has taken at such a young age was not the path of least resistance. I personally only know a handful of people who actually KNOW who they are as a person. Most people, given the opportunity at the experiences Adam has been through, would not still be the same person at the end as they were the beginning. I have a lot to learn myself and hope by the time I die I achieve the level of perspective Adam has gained in his 27 years.
Professionally, he has been performing for 17 years (over half his life) doing theatre and singing, traveling the world performing (cruise), and being a part of 2 MAJOR productions (The 10 Commandments and Wicked). Not to mention the countless small venues and gigs he performed just to make ends meat, all while living his dream.

Now to Kris. I am not judging Kris because he is from a small town or marrying his high school sweetheart. I’m not saying this because I have Adam bias either. I think it is awesome that he is happy and seems genuinely content with his life and journey. I am simply saying he did not spend the last 17 years growing musically at the level Adam has. Had Kris really believed that music was his purpose in life, he probably would have moved to a larger city, auditioned for more gigs, or even majored in music in college. In one interview he even stated that he had no idea what he was going to do with his life and auditioned on a whim and would probably have got a corporate job after Idol. I don’t think Kris would have lived in an apartment, with cockroaches, in a large city, completely alone and not asking for help from anyone despite the means to get financial help from his parents. I don’t know if Kris has even dated anyone seriously as an adult besides the woman he married, much less had his heart broken. I love Kris’s innocence and I think that’s what most people love too. He is humble. I think we will enjoy watching Kris grow immensely before our eyes and come into his own in the next few years.

I also think between Adam and Kris, Adam will most likely be closer to who he is today in 10 years than Kris. Why? Because Adam IS further along maturely and thus will not deviate as much. I can’t wait to test this theory 10 years from now lol!

I listen to Adam sing “If I can’t have you” and I believe him based on fact and emotion. I hear Kris sing “Heartless” and while there might be emotion, is there any fact to the words that have directly affected Kris? Maybe… but for some reason I don’t see Katy being a heartless girl and Katy is really the only love he has ever known. There are many other songs Kris sings that give me the same feeling. Allison even admitted that when she sang “someone to watch over me” she had to think about her parents because she wanted some connection to the song and was too young to really feel it otherwise. That makes the song more believable to me when she sings it now, and one day when she has some more experiences under her belt the song will have new meaning and thus her portrayal of the song will have new meaning. I am looking forward to her development also. If Adam and Danny were to sing the same song about the death of a partner I would feel more emotion and maturity in Danny’s voice than Adams, simply because he lived it. Adam (to the best of my knowledge) hasn’t. If Adam and Kris were to sing “kiss a girl”, like Kris did in the finale, well Adam wouldn’t convince me and it would seem a little poser-ish lol!!!

So I hope you can tell that I am not saying any of these statements based on a personal bias, yet facts and logic. It’s hard to change your opinion on someone, but all I hope is that by writing this it gave a new perspective. I love to at least listen to different opinions, as I read yours even though I knew it was different than mine and thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope you can respectfully enjoy mine. What you said about Lil for example (back up singer brought forward) made a light bulb go off in my head and I agree with you 100%. It was something I felt but couldn’t put a finger on (until today) and I’m happy I learned something from you!! I know that one thing we all share here, and that is our love for American Idol!!! Thanks and have a great day =)

I am not judging Kris because he is from a small town or marrying his high school sweetheart. I’m not saying this because I have Adam bias either. I think it is awesome that he is happy and seems genuinely content with his life and journey.

SexyEvey, as has been stated here a lot of times, Kris has visited I don’t know how many countries as a missionary, he has worked with the poor and the sick in these countries, including people dying of AIDS, and has certainly lived in places worse than an LA apartment with a few cockroaches. In one of these places, as his mother recently stated, he was lying close to death, on a dirt floor, with a rare form of hepatitis. After he was sent back home, it took him a year to recover. During that recovery period he discovered he was able to write songs for the first time. He felt his experiece gave him that gift.

I only mention this because your comment seems to suggest Kris is a small town homeboy who has never had many experiences. Maybe he hasn’t devoted the past 17 years to music, but I guess I don’t know what this has to do with anything. Sometimes life experiences are even more important to the formation of an artist than performing experiences. In fact, I’d say they are almost always more important.

As for whether Kris has had his heart broken, I don’t know, but all his performances in that vein are completely believable to me. I’m sure like any other human being Kris has had his share of heartache. I’m always surprised that people assume they know everything about people they don’t know at all.

At any rate, just like an actor does not have to have committed murder in order to play a murderer, singers are sensitive, emotional people and can usually portray the emotional nature of the songs they’re singing.

Had Kris really believed that music was his purpose in life, he probably would have moved to a larger city, auditioned for more gigs, or even majored in music in college.

You see it as a virtue that Adam focused on acting/singing for years, vs. Kris not doing so. While I see this as admirable, I also see it as narrow and somewhat self-centered, complared to Kris’s broader life experiences, which have sometimes focused more on helping his fellow human beings, and not just getting ahead and becoming a star.

As for music, Kris probably wasn’t totally sure he wanted to be a singer his whole life. This doesn’t matter. Once he made up his mind, look where he ended up in a very short time of a few years.

As for musical experience, I assume you know he played viola for years, and came in third in a state-wide viola competition. Later he taught himself to play guitar and piano. I think he has learned and grown in his own way. Everyone is different. There is no one right way.

So I hope you can tell that I am not saying any of these statements based on a personal bias, yet facts and logic.

SexyEvey, we all have biases. It seems your bias toward Adam almost exclusively has resulted in only superficial knowledge of Kris. As ross as pointed out above, Kris has traveled the world in a much different way than Adam and had a life-threatening illness from which it took him a year to recover. Also, much as been made of the fact that he married his high school sweetheart. But did you know that during the 7 year span from the time they first met to when they got married, they had actually broken up a couple of times?

As a Kradison (+ Anoop) fan, my biases are pre-disposed to more than one from this season. I don’t agree with Niks about Adam but I don’t agree with you about Kris either.

ETA… what isisdagmar wrote about Kradison is much the way I also feel about them.

Had Kris really believed that music was his purpose in life, he probably would have moved to a larger city, auditioned for more gigs, or even majored in music in college.”

You see it as a virtue that Adam focused on acting/singing for years, vs. Kris not doing so. While I see this as admirable, I also see it as narrow and somewhat self-centered, complared to Kris’s broader life experiences, which have sometimes focused more on helping his fellow human beings, and not just getting ahead and becoming a star”

I don’t think either of those comments is fair to Kris or Adam at all, ross and SexyEvey.

I don’t think it’s fair to criticize Kris for taking a different musical path than Adam. Kris clearly always had a passion for music, as indicated by his lifelong study of music instruments (just as Adam studied as a vocalist from a very early age) and the CD that he put out. It may have taken him a little longer to realize what he wanted to do with his life, but music was clearly always important to him, and people don’t always know at the age of ten what direction they want their life to take. Kris’s passion for music is as evident as Adam’s, he just took a different path to his passion than Adam did, but that’ just it’”a different path, not an inferior one.

But I also don’t think it’s fair at all to criticize Adam for taking a different musical path than Kris. Kris’s missionary work is amazingly admirable, but is everyone who doesn’t spent a year of their life doing charity work of some kind, but who instead pursues their passion for years, ‘narrow and somewhat self-centered’ ? Just as Kris clearly has always had a passion for music, even if he didn’t pursue it right away, Adam has clearly always been a very generous and caring and empathetic person (and FWIW, he appears to have participated in a large number of arts- and health-related benefits over the years in LA and is using his current fame to help people), even if he didn’t spend a year doing missionary work and instead focused on the music. Are you, ross, self-centered because you (presumably) didn’t spend a year of your life helping people in foreign countries? Should Allison, for example, put her music career on hiatus sometime after her first album to go be a missionary or do charity work for a year because if she keeps focusing on her passion, that will make her a ‘narrower” person? Just as there are many paths to following your passion, there are many ways to be a good person. Doing missionary work is one shining example. Being a deeply, unusually sweet, caring, generous person and friend, as Adam by all accounts is (I remember Kris and the others naming him as the person they all leaned on for comfort and advice, for example), is another.
Also: ross, once Kris did decide that music was what he wanted to do with his life, would you really characterize his pursuit of that goal as just ‘trying to get ahead and become a star’ ? No’”his passion is music, and he wanted to be able to be successful in the area of his passion. I know he’d like to be a star’”he has said that he always dreamed of playing to arenas of 20,000 people, but that doesn’t mean that he was just in it for himself and stardom’”he loves music, and naturally people want to be as successful as possible at whatever they love. And clearly, he went on AI to try to get that platform’”not to ‘get ahead’  in some negative sense. Similarly, Adam’s pursuit of music wasn’t about the simple desire for stardom any more than Kris’s was’”it was about his passion for music, for singing and performing. He knew from a young age that music was what he loved, and what he wanted to spend his life doing, and so that’s what he spent 8 years in LA trying to do, and AI ended up providing that platform. I’m sure both these guys are hoping for long and successful careers, and they’d be happy to be stars and win awards, but clearly what drove them to pursue this was not an empty desire for fame, but their passion for the music and their belief that it’s the only thing in life they really want to do.

Basically: it is admirable that Adam knew his passion for music and pursued it for so long and so wholeheartedly, but that doesn’t mean that someone who didn’t do that, like Kris, is any less passionate about music. And it’s admirable that Kris did missionary work to help people in foreign countries, but that doesn’t mean that someone who didn’t, like Adam, is any less of a good, generous person. And just as it seems unfair to suggest that the fact that Kris didn’t pursue his passion for as long as Adam did means that he is less passionate about music, it seems unfair to suggest that the fact that Adam pursued his passion longer than Kris did means that he is less passionate about music.

There isn’t just one way to be passionate about music, and there isn’t just one way to be a good, unselfish person.

About Mad World
“It’s such a simple, plain song, and I feel its meaning gets lost in the overstaged number…”
“It really is a mad world when this little song is overpresented this way.”

Thanks for posting your perceptions. They really made me think. I love Adam’s performance, and it resonates for me, so your perspective made me question why, and I love comments that encourage me to do that. My son, who originally heard the song in the movie Donnie Darko, felt the same way you do after hearing the performance on AI. He thought Adam’s voice was outstanding, but he liked the less “singer-y” version of the song. (He is nineteen, his words, not mine.)

I enjoy both versions of the song and feel they both ring true and authentic. In the more simple, stark presentation, lack of staging parallels the theme of isolation and loneliness the song expresses. I get that, and I like that portrayal.

However, the feelings and experiences of isolation and loneliness are anything but simple. They are “mad” big and powerful and are internally, intensely dramatic. That makes the more dramatically staged representation equally valid for me and equally powerful.

Adam is a person who puts everything he is out there, and so his performance of the song jives with who he is as an entertainer and as a person. Singing it this way, for him, feels right to me, and rings true. I feel him wanting to take what he has experienced and what resonates as true for him in the song lyrically, and put it out there dramatically, framing the emotions for his audience both in a visually haunting way, with smoke and stage moodiness, and in a vocally haunting way, with the rise and fall of his voice, so that the audience feels the message both visually and internally the way he does. That is his style. He combines visual performance with vocal performance to create feeling, and that makes sense and feels artistically true given that he is a flambuoyant personality.

How the art plays out for listeners is ultimately just a matter of individual taste and style. Some will like one type of entertainer, some another. Both performing styles work for me and ring with integrity; they are just different sides of the same coin.

Lynne, thanks, you also made me think!

That is his style. He combines visual performance with vocal performance to create feeling, and that makes sense and feels artistically true given that he is a flambuoyant personality.

That’s a really good point. Maybe if I were directing the show I’d put him on the bare stage, no fog, nothing on the screens, just him in a spotlight, and let the audience focus on the song and him singing it. I guess I’m sort of a “less is more” rather than “more is more” person. But “more is more” is also valid.

In the concert, I thought the staging of this number was breathtaking but stole focus. I guess there are other ways to look at it, though. I think you showed me a few other ways, so, thanks!

Here’s another version of Mad World. Ben MacKenzie on Australian Idol. Kind of different but also good in its own way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyDciWh3hoo

isisdagmar you make some very good points. (You also have one of my favorite usernames on this whole blog!) I have to say my choice of words was probably bad. I was responding to SexyEvey‘s comparisons of Kris and Adam, and trying to correct some of her notions about Kris.

RemusL‘s post says how I feel perfectly.

I’m aware now that in validating Kris’s experiences, I went too far and invalidated Adam’s. That wasn’t right. I shouldn’t have suggested, in a holier-than-thou way, that Kris’s experiences were better. I have no idea what Adam’s experiences were and shouldn’t make assumptions. So, sorry about that. I just got a bit indignant, I guess.

I do feel Kris has had valid life experiences that have helped him grow as a person and an artist and I felt they were being ignored or discounted. That was really my point. Anyhow, the rest of my post still represents how I feel.

And just as it seems unfair to suggest that the fact that Kris didn’t pursue his passion for as long as Adam did means that he is less passionate about music, it seems unfair to suggest that the fact that Adam pursued his passion longer than Kris did means that he is less passionate about music.

Whoa. SexyEvey may have suggested that about Kris, but I never suggested anything like that about Adam. I’m not sure where that came from. Also, I never said he isn’t a good person. Adam’s a great person.

What I feel is that Adam and Kris were learning their craft and growing in their own ways. When the time was right, everything came together. Life experience and artistic experience. They had goals and they were both ready to meet their goals. If not, they wouldn’t be where they are.

Hi!! I’m a newbie.
I love all recaps and discussions in here. Enlighting!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1QiitmOKY4&feature=quicklist

Ross,

Thanks for sharing the version of Mad World from Ben MacKenzie. I had not seen it before, and I enjoyed hearing yet another interpretation of this powerful song!

Like you, I also love the idea of Adam Lambert singing alone on the stage with a bare spotlight. That is kind of what he did with Tracks of My Tears, and I was blown away by that performance right along with Smokey Robinson. I absolutely loved it!

However, I don’t think that kind of performance will often be Adam’s personal preference, (smiling). He seems to like the rock, dance, electro, funk, fusion mix kind of thing just now (still smiling.) And he definitely loves to “dress up” and create visual backdrops. He seems smart and creative, and that gives him a good chance to have more be more.

Luckily, I enjoy his incredible voice and the gift that it is for me in all the various packages he uses to deliver it. Elaborately dramatic wrapping, simple wrapping, eye popping in your face wrapping, funky wrapping …the man is a gifted artist and entertainer, and I love his fabulous vocals and charismatic performances.

Wow…so Allison is pretentious? I almost fell over when I read that one. Allison is the real deal. She’s totally UN-pretentious! That’s why we love her!

And Adam lacks maturity? One of the criticisms thrown at him (because people like to throw things at him, for various reasons) is that he is too mature an entertainer, and had no business invading a show like American Idol, which is supposed to be reserved for immature underdogs.

Still, there was plenty in the recap that I thought was rational.

Thanks for your recap Niks. Posted 2 weeks after it was submitted? hmmm…

I enjoyed all of them during the AI concert here in Vancouver, though my main reason of going to the show is to watch Scott perform live. I have opened every single AI tour recap here at mjsbigblog but I go straight to what people say about Scott. And I don’t have to ask people to explain why they like their favorites. People have different likes and dislikes, simple. I love Scott and looking forward to his new CD.

Lynne, thanks for your response. You have a wonderful way with words. Adam’s style is really not for me, usually, but I’ve enjoyed some of his performances, and mainly I respect him as a very professional performer. I’m glad he’s made you and so many other people happy.

Somehow I still feel about the same way as Niks, though. It must depend on how you look at singing. It’s that basic, I think. I look at it as telling a story (as the Australian Idol judge said). Mad World, for instance, is about some lonely, depressed kid. In that staging, though, it becomes all about the performer. I feel the performer has to serve the song, not the song serve the performer.

A lot of people like it, obviously. But considering he is so talented and has such a great voice, I wish he would not rely on staging, make-up, costumes, lighting, etc. to put himself across, but would just try to focus on the meaning of what he’s singing first. The rest is not really very important. But that’s just how I think.

And Adam lacks maturity? One of the criticisms thrown at him (because people like to throw things at him, for various reasons) is that he is too mature an entertainer, and had no business invading a show like American Idol, which is supposed to be reserved for immature underdogs.

Interesting, but I’ve never been that intimidated by Adam, to be honest. When I said that he “lacked maturity”, I was making a comparison to other artists that Adam stylistically resembles in order to explain that it’s not his style that I don’t go crazy over, but rather the lack of depth in his delivery. Or at least what it feels like to me.

I don’t really like digging too deep into why I think what about whichever contestants, because I don’t consider musical taste a deep issue. Everybody is entitled to their own tastes and observations. Whether I “get” Adam or not does not stop me from wishing him the best in his career. I’m always open to being surprised by his original material when he releases it. Same with Allison, Danny, Michael, Lil, Megan etc. I hope that clears up my standpoint.

A lot of people like it, obviously. But considering he is so talented and has such a great voice, I wish he would not rely on staging, make-up, costumes, lighting, etc. to put himself across, but would try to just focus on the meaning of what he’s singing first. The rest is not really very important. But that’s just how I think.

Yep. What I want to see from Adam is some more musical depth, especially in the numbers as vulnerable and meaningful as Mad World. I wasn’t able to enjoy that performance that much because it looked all shallow to me. But it seems other people were moved by it, so different strokes for different folks, I guess?

Anoop:

Anyways, he redeemed himself for me with his set that night, because it was just cool to watch. It had a cool feel to it. I especially loved how the energy of the songs build up with each succeeding one, from the smooth and pleasant Always On My Mind to mid-tempo Mad, and finally ending on the energetic My Prerogative. He used the stage really well and his dancing was fun to watch. I must admit that he really got screwed with those backdrops. Clouds and water drops, really?

I had almost the same reaction to Anoop. Cool is the perfect way to describe it. I felt he wasn’t trying too hard. It seemed effortless and smooth. He wasn’t trying to impress. I think that’s his personality, and he was just himself. Some performers seem a little bit needy, but he was the boss up there. And that kind of performance really suited the type of music he chose to do.

But I liked those water drops, for some reason.

Ross,

I love your responses, and I appreciate your intelligent conversation and the respectful way you voice your opinions in this forum. I have not posted before today, but I have lurked here for some time and have enjoyed reading all of the dialogue that goes on here.

Your remark about the performer serving the song and not the song serving the performer was great thinking fodder.

I do feel that when a performer covers a song, he needs to delve into the text of the song and find its story in order to make that song live and breathe and take on authentic life, but he needs to do that in the context of his own voice, poetically and musically.

When he does this, as Simon says, he “makes the song his own.” At that point, the song begins to serve the artist in expressing and connecting the story he found so compelling in the original lyrics with the story of his own experience that he is telling as he sings and covers the song.

His audience might not like the new story as much as they liked the original story, but then again, they just might. And that is the beauty- and the risk – of music.

I don’t think Adam Lambert is relying on the make-up and costumes to sell his interpretation of the song. He knows he can “staight up” sing, and he knows that some people would like that more. He doesn’t rely on theatricality; he chooses it.

Because, in the end, that theatricality represents who he is and how he sees the world as an artist. That is his story and his message and his meaning and his interpretation. That is his mad world. At least for now.

I can certainly understand, though, that his style is not for everybody, and not for everybody all the time.

I understand the frustration, however, quite respectfully, of where you are coming from.

My son, 24, a musician trying to make it in the music industry, has written and produced emotional songs that I would listen to all day, but currently, what he is most interested in producing just now is “electronic/house dj dance type of music with a sexy vibe.” He is talented, and I sometimes wish he would concentrate on the style of music I find meaningful, music that also seems like it would be more accessible to more people.

However, he will do his own thing, in spite of what I think is important.

So the thing with Mad World and a lot of Adam’s stuff that makes it seem shallow or hollow to me, is that he is almost just using the material as a showcase for his performance and his voice.

A lot of people like it, obviously. But considering he is so talented and has such a great voice, I wish he would not rely on staging, make-up, costumes, lighting, etc. to put himself across, but would try to just focus on the meaning of what he’s singing first. The rest is not really very important. But that’s just how I think.

Ross: I don’t think a lot of people like Adam because they like what you’re talking about–I think they like him because they disagree with you (and niks) about him as a singer and a performer. : ) They love him precisely because his astonishing voice and unusual, theatrical performance style combines with his total dedication to the meaning of the lyrics and the music, and the emotional depth of his connection to whatever he’s singing, no matter how serious or purely fun the material, is intensely powerful. It’s Lynne said so well, it’s a different story form what most music conveys, and it’s not a story that everyone will enjoy, but it’s a story that many do. Which I think can be said for a number of artists, actually.

I don’t like empty prettiness, or singers who use music as a “showcase for their voice.” That’s boring, and irritating, and it’s never going to hold my attention. Right now the top 5 most played artists on my ipod (besides Adam) are Radiohead, Gillian Welsh, Bowie, Tom Waits, and TV On the Radio. I’m not sure that any of those artists have technically beautiful voices–maybe Thom Yorke and Gillian Welsh?–but what they do have is musical complexity and emotional depth.

I’m not saying that you should feel that from Adam or that there’s something wrong with you if you don’t. Plenty of people with overall very good taste in music find Kris pleasant and sincere but insipid, and plenty of people with overall very good taste in music find Adam pretty but overly theatrical. No one, no matter how talented or heartfelt, is going to connect with everyone emotionally’”and it’s probably better that way, since different tastes can make for more interesting and varied discussion.

But that’s what people who love Adam love about him: the emotional depth and musical complexity. The voice itself is part of that love, obviously’”just as people who love Kris love how smooth and honeyed his voice is. Adam’s voice is, by itself, pretty astonishing in terms of its beauty and range and power. But that would be just an empty exercise without the depth of that emotional connection to the music that he has.

I had literally never watched an episode of AI before’”it always seemed full of pop sludge and Nickelback-style faux-rock’”but this political website I frequented during the election kept posting clips of Adam’s performances, which I ignored until I saw that one of them was of Mad World. Donnie Darko was one of the main movies of my high school years, and the Jules version was a big part of that, so I watched it’”and to my complete and utter shock, about half-way through, found myself crying. Jules’ version is chilling’”it always struck me as the voice of someone who has moved beyond the pain of isolation to a complete detachment from the world round him, which fit that film perfectly.

But Adam’s version is heartbreaking’”he doesn’t seem detached, but rather like he is trapped in the middle of all that pain and soul-killing loneliness and self-loathing and no matter how desperately he searches, he can’t find any way to escape it. I had never heard the lyrics of the song, the self-annihilating anguish of lines like ‘The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had,’  so clearly, and it was one of those moments where you know you’ve stumbled across someone really special and unique. I’ve had that experience several times’”and I think we all crave the emotional journey that music can take us on when it’s sung by someone who really feels it in his or her soul, so finding someone who feels music that deeply, who can take you on that journey when he or she sings, is a pretty exhilarating sensation.

And that’s the journey Adam takes me, and I think pretty much everyone who loves him, on whenever he sings. In music’”especially in contemporary music’”I’ve rarely come across the kind of emotional depth and passion he invests in whatever he sings, his chameleon-like ability to channel so many different emotions so passionately and to pour them into so many different styles of music so authentically’”and one thing I love about him is that he rarely utilizes just one emotion for a song; he layers them and entwines them in constantly surprising combinations. It’s like he’s transformed by the music from song to song while always remaining totally himself, and I think that’s what some people find off-putting about him and why some people love him so much. It’s definitely not the normal style of music today.

And that kind of passion and emotional depth is addictive’”A Change is Gonna Come might be my favorite performance from the season from him, and the first time I heard it I flashed not to Sam Cooke or Patti LaBelle or anyone else who has sung that song, but to Janis Jopin and the first time I heard her; I remember feeling all that fury and heartbreak in her voice like it was a physical thing, like it was something that could burst out of her and flood the whole room’”and that’s what Adam singing that song felt like for me, like the searing anger and sadness in his voice was going to flood out of him and drown the Nokia theater.

I’m a huge Zep fan and I don’t think anyone can top his version of WLL, but Adam’s is equally amazing to me’”where Plant does sexual yearning, Adam does pure sexual ecstasy and playfulness and confidence, and both are incredible. His Starlight I actually like better than Matthew Bellamy’s; Adam brings this kind of soft longing and trepidation and love to it that gets me every time. And Bowie’”the alien feeling of Adam on those songs, especially Life On Mars, like the music is ringing through him and he’s not really quite of this earth, is enthralling and a little chilling and then ultimately, when he moves into the playfulness and eroticism of Let’s Dance (which is probably most indicative to what his first CD will be like), thrilling and spell-binding; emotional connection of the Bowie variety isn’t just about sadness or love’”people sometimes see to equate those things’”but about feeling whatever the music is saying, whether that’s alienation or lust or joy or playfulness or pure fun or anything else’”in your bones and letting it pour out you. And that’s what I hope his first CD is like.

And Mad World on tour is what it was on the show’”heartbreaking and achingly lonely. Looking at his face while singing that song, he doesn’t actually move his face that much’”it’s all in his eyes. And what’s in his eyes is such deep sadness and even fear that I got chills all over again hearing it live. As often as I’ve heard that song, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it because he feels it so deeply, which means that I feel it again each time. I was caught up enough in the song that I honestly didn’t notice the fog except when it first came in, and then only to think that it reminded me of the moors in Wuthering Heights. But people have different reactions to staging’”a number of people have commented that the staging of Kris’s Heartless, with the HEARTLESS beaming all up and down the side monitors and hearts in the background, is really distracting and way too literal to be of any use in enhancing the song. I did find it a little weird and distracting for the first minute, but then Kris did his Kris thing and I focused on him instead of the background. So, that just goes to reinforce the already very obvious point that different people find different things distracting and different things moving.

I just remembered what Slezak said about Adam’s Mad World (I discovered Slezak and loved him for his Kradison love), and it encapsulates a lot of what I feel about that performance, on the show and on tour:

And the best thing about Adam’s ”Mad World” was the way it hit me emotionally ‘” in a way not even his Motown Week take on ”Tracks of My Tears” managed to do. As Adam delivered the lines ”I went to school and I was very nervous/ No one knew me, no one knew me,” he managed to tap into that wellspring of pain and insecurity that pretty much every person on the planet has felt at one time or another: The kid at school who can’t find anyone to sit with in the cafeteria. The panic-stricken worker in the first week at a new job. The guest who shows up at a party and realizes, ”Oh, crap! I don’t know anyone here but the host.” There’s something really special about a musical performance that can transport you to any number of places or scenarios.

Adam is special, I think, precisely because he is first and foremost about the meaning of the song and the music and how to interpret and present it in a way that conveys that. His honesty and depth as a singer and performer are combined with his really astonishing musicality and creativity as an interpreter of songs: the way he can use his voice like an instrument to bring intensely subtle and creative shades and colors and emotional levels to his songs is pretty much unparalleled among rock/pop singers right now, and his phrasing is exquisite and original. He’s not hiding behind anything, he’s just expressing himself in the way that’s natural to him, and people are drawn to that: the way he does that is theatrical, and I completely understand how strange that is and that it’s not everyone’s taste. But just as I love Freddie Mercury and David Bowie and Michael Jackson, I love that Adam can combine that kind of visual creativity with such total honesty and musical depth and passion. It’s not hiding’”it’s simply a different way of being yourself, and that’s just as valid as Kris’s more unadorned style. Kris is always himself’”Adam is always himself but also always more than himself and different from song to song, and both styles are compelling to me. As I said before, not everyone will feel this way. And just because you like one person in a certain performance style doesn’t mean you’ll like all of them’”there are probably people who love Bowie but don’t like Adam, or who love John Mayer but don’t like Kris. And it’s also totally valid to find Adam’s style of music or Kris’s style of music boring or unmoving across the board. But I think that their creativity and the fact that they are pretty much always completely true to who they are as artists, in their very different styles, is why people responded so well to Adam and Kris on the show.

But for me and for many people, it’s not about less-is-more vs. more-is-more; it’s about what’s authentic and true for that specific artist, and for Adam, the way he expresses himself musically and visually is who he is, and that’s what makes him so powerful and captivating for so many people’”because who he is is very out-of-the-ordinary, but simultaneously totally authentic, and that’s a combination we don’t see too often, especially when combined with an otherworldly voice. Any performance style, theatricality included, only works when there is soul beneath it, and with Adam, there is, and I think that’s what made so many people so unusually excited about him during the season and why he’s getting by far the best reviews on tour’”that kind of creativity combined with emotional depth and passion is unusual, and the journey he can take people on is an unusual one, and while none of that guarantees his success, I hope he gets it because I’ve rarely felt this way about a contemporary artist.

Oh dear. I have written yet another novel. I guess I just really like discussing music, and also I feel that people who don’t like Kris seem to think that those who do are just into any vanilla, MOR cute guy with a guitar, and people who don’t like Adam seem to think that those who do are just into great voices and spectacle. And I don’t think either is true. It’s not that people are “wrong,” per se, to not feel that passion from Kris or to not feel it from Adam–but I wanted to explain why I do. I do genuinely love Kris. I personally feel more moved and captivated by Adam’s emotional depth and creativity than I do by Kris’s, but I do find Kris moving and creative and engaging. I feel similarly about Allison, though I think she’s not as musically developed yet as Adam or Kris. And all of this is only opinion, and people are entitled to whatever opinions they want, but I just wanted to explain in (incredibly overdone) detail why so many people are so excited about and connected to Adam. : )

oops, duplicate

isisdagmar you make some very good points. (You also have one of my favorite usernames on this whole blog!)

Aw, thanks ross, that’s sweet. I made that name up in tenth grade for a character and liked it enough to keep it.

Now, I’m aware that in validating Kris’s experiences, I went too far and invalidated Adam’s. That wasn’t right. I shouldn’t have suggested, in a holier-than-thou way, that Kris’s experiences were better. I have no idea what Adam’s experiences were and shouldn’t make assumptions. So, sorry about that. I just got a bit indignant, I guess.

It’s a natural reaction to get a little indignant and defensive when your favorite is being attacked in a way you perceive to be unfair (and in this case, you were totally right, it was unfair), and I figured that’s what was happening. I’ve had to stop myself from doing something similar a couple of times by reminding myself I don’t really feel that way and that, hey, it’s just the internet.

Whoa. SexyEvey may have suggested that about Kris, but I never suggested anything like that about Adam. You’re putting words in my mouth, there. I don’t think that at all. There also seems to be some suggestion in your post that I was saying Adam is not a good person. I never said that and don’t think that. He seems like a great person.

You said: “You see it as a virtue that Adam focused on acting/singing for years, vs. Kris not doing so. While I see this as admirable, I also see it as narrow and somewhat self-centered, complared to Kris’s broader life experiences, which have sometimes focused more on helping his fellow human beings, and not just getting ahead and becoming a star’ 

I didn’t think you were calling Adam a horrible person, but you certainly seemed to be calling him a “narrow” and “somewhat self-centered” person compared to Kris, which would definitely make him not a great person in my book if that were true. And since you were contrasting Adam and Kris, the comment that Kris was not just about “getting ahead and becoming a star” certainly seemed to indicate that you were saying that Adam was just about that. And someone who’s just about or even mostly about becoming a star clearly isn’t doing it for their passion for the music, so that’s why I thought that you were saying that Adam was less passionate about music than Kris.

But isn’t that the part that you were referring to when you were saying you “went too far” and invalided Adam’s experiences? That’s the only part that I felt was “holier-than-thou.” I know you don’t actually think all that–it just seemed like you were saying those things in your original post out of irritation at what was said about Kris.

And if it’s not already clear, I think that Adam and Kris have both been on equally valid, just different, paths to this point in their lives.

And since you were contrasting Adam and Kris, the comment that Kris was not just about ‘getting ahead and becoming a star’  certainly seemed to indicate that you were saying that Adam was just about that. And someone who’s just about or even mostly about becoming a star clearly isn’t doing it for their passion for the music, so that’s why I thought that you were saying that Adam was less passionate about music than Kris.

No, isisdagmar, I wasn’t saying that. I was saying Kris may have focused on other things besides his career that were nonetheless worthwhile. And Adam may have focused more on his career. If you read into that that I meant Adam isn’t passionate about music, well, I wasn’t even thinking about that! I have NO DOUBT that Adam is passionate about music. NONE. I’m sure they both are. Very!

Thanks for taking the time to share your views and your admiration for Adam. And Kris. I enjoyed reading it.

I have not posted before today, but I have lurked here for some time and have enjoyed reading all of the dialogue that goes on here.

Lynne, how great that you decided to de-lurk today! I hope I haven’t scared you off with my rants. Ha. Thanks for the kind words!

I don’t think Adam Lambert is relying on the make-up and costumes to sell his interpretation of the song. He knows he can ‘staight up’  sing, and he knows that some people would like that more. He doesn’t rely on theatricality; he chooses it.

Because, in the end, that theatricality represents who he is and how he sees the world as an artist. That is his story and his message and his meaning and his interpretation. That is his mad world. At least for now.

I have total respect for Adam as a performer and artist. I just have the feeling he (like anyone else) can grow, and I just think one of the ways he can grow is to get so lost in a song that he forgets where he is, what he’s doing, etc. I don’t really see that yet. I think his background might make that difficult because musical theatre and other types of shows are all about technique and repetition. The opposite of letting go and not caring at all about the presentation. Which is more what pop or rock can be all about.

It truly is just a matter of personal taste. One of my favoritie performances of Adam’s was Black or White. Another was Satisfaction. I tended to like these the best because they were freerer and didn’t rely on staging or costumes or whatever. I guess. I actually don’t know why I liked these better, but they were like fresh air. Some of his other performances seemed more studied. Maybe that is just not my type of thing.

I understand the frustration, however, quite respectfully, of where you are coming from.

Sorry, I guess that confused me.

Isisdagmar – loved your piece on Adam and the way you expressed so articulately much of what I also feel.

Ross,

You haven’t scared me off. On the contrary, I have enjoyed your views and the lively conversation.

The last line from my post that confused you, as I read it back, is kind of out of left field and self-indulgent. Sorry!

To explain, I just meant to say that I have felt the feeling of thinking that a talented musician could choose a direction that would lead to more growth and greater potential.

The musician? My son.

My reaction? I hung around and supported his vision. (He is my son, so that gave me motivation.)

The ultimate result? I am coming to appreciate and love a type of music that never really resonated with me before.

Who knows? I think, after all, I’m the one that is growing. (Not to imply in any way that this relates to you and your position about AL!)

I love this forum.
Thank you for all of these intelligent, insightful, respectful and informative dialogues.
I’ve learned a lot and I will come back for more.
I wish I could write like all of you. All I could do was just wanted to shout out in disbelief when someone confused me.
Great discussion, everyone. TWO THUMBS UP!!!

I’ve got to go. Will be back to lurk more.
Have a great day!!!

I have total respect for Adam as a performer and artist. I just have the feeling he (like anyone else) can grow, and I just think one of the ways he can grow is to get so lost in a song that he forgets where he is, what he’s doing, etc. I don’t really see that yet. I think his background might make that difficult because musical theatre and other types of shows are all about technique and repetition. The opposite of letting go and not caring at all about the presentation. Which is more what pop or rock can be all about.

See, while no artist should ever be past being capable of growth, I think that people who like Adam feel that his ability to get lost in the music was one of the most fascinating things about him on the show and one of the things that made him stand out from the crowd like he did’”again, that combination of theatricality and deep emotional connection is pretty unusual. I suppose that again just shows that all this is a difference of opinion’”people who are fans of Adam feel that he gets lost in the music, and people who are fans of Kris feel that he gets lost in the music, and people who are fans of both see it in both. Side note: I don’t think forgetting where you are is the ultimate gauge of connection, though, since a lot of intensely connected performers are also fairly audience-interactive’”as both Adam and Kris are at various points during their sets and were during various songs on the show’”but it is a great ability to see an artist exercise sometimes, and they both have and do.

One of my favorite things about Adam during the season, actually, was watching the moment where he came back to earth from whatever mental and emotional space he had been in while performing. Did you ever read Jacob from TWOP’s recaps? They’re hard to follow but hilarious, and he talked about that (he loved Adam and Kris the most):

‘when he’s done singing, as usual, he goes from a snarling Kenneth Anger movie death goddess person to just like this nice boy. That little moment where his eyes clear and he smiles, that’s become my favorite part of the show each week, because you remember you’re allowed to breathe’ 

I loved seeing that after performances from TOMT to IICHY to WLL’”that moment when a performance ended and he looked like he had genuinely forgotten where he was for a moment, and then he leaves whatever world he was in and becomes just himself again. And that ability to lose himself in the music so thoroughly was what made him stand out, for me, and for a lot of people, I think.

Kris always seemed totally heartfelt, more so than any other contestant except Adam, but out of all the contestants, the connection between Adam and the music felt deeper, more elemental and all-consuming’”again, that feeling of him being lost in the music. I remember feeling that while watching BoW and especially TOMT early on and he looked like he was going to burst into tears or break apart. But that was part of Kris’s arc of growth over the season, which was fascinating to watch, and his reprise of ANS was incredibly deeply felt. And really, I don’t know think my opinion that Adam’s connection was deeper is factually true. That’s like trying to gauge the relative levels of connection of Freddie Mercury vs. Bob Dylan’”you may connect to Freddie more than Dylan or vice versa, but you’d be hard-pressed to say that one is objectively more deeply connected to the music than the other when both are so connected in such different ways.

And maybe there lies the heart of the matter: I couldn’t disagree more with your description of theater as ‘all about technique and repetition. The opposite of letting go and not caring at all about the presentation.’ 

Theater is only about technique and repetition if it’s really, really bad theater. : ) Theater, musical or regular, is, or should be, about pouring yourself into the song or the scene in a new way each night and completely losing yourself in it like it’s the first time you ever did it. Sure, you have choreography and you need to make sure you exit and enter in the appropriate places’”but that’s no different from a singer needing to sing or play the same song each night. The steps are the same’”the notes are the same’”but what you do with the song each night or each time you play it should be fresh, not premeditated. If it becomes about repeating what you did the night before, then it’s dead, or at least very boring. And it’s the same with singers and musicians’”they may sing or perform the same songs a thousand times, but each time they should strive to make that connection like it’s all new again.

So, for me, theater is not about artificiality or repetition’”it’s about constant exploration and spontaneous discovery and delving deeply into your soul for creativity and emotion and imagination and pouring all of it into the song or the role that you’re living. It’s about the combination of truth and imagination to create something astonishing and revelatory and deeply, affectingly real, yet different during each performance and from role to role.

And I think that’s why I love Adam so much: he does that. Everything he does, he does passionately and with every ounce of his being and with such joy and deep emotional commitment that it’s like the first time he did it. And that kind of total ease with and ability to lose himself in the music is what allows him to be so free and emotionally true on stage while operating within his natural theatrical style’”it can be seen in how different his performances always were from the rehearsal clips shown, in his mentioning that he never remembered what he did during a performance and needed to watch the video clips to see it, in how intensely different his songs are on tour from night to night, etc.

Adam is maybe the only current singer who manages to lose himself in the music in that particular way, in that combination of truth and imagination, and I think that the power of that, and the rareness of it, is why he dominated this season in the way that he did and why he seems to still have that effect (which does not remotely guarantee commercial success, but it’s a nice start).

But all of this is just opinion, as you said. It seems like theatricality really isn’t for you, and for some people, theatricality is pretty much always going to seem artificial, and for others, Kris’s simpler style is pretty much always going to seem vanilla. I genuinely love both styles, and both of these singers. In fact, I have more singers in Kris’s vein than in Adam’s on my ipod. And really, that rareness also means that I can see why Adam really isn’t for everyone. But for whatever mysterious reason, I just personally find Adam a little more powerful and more deeply emotionally connected to the music in a transformative way. I can try to analyze it, but our connection to music and to musical artists is ultimately mysterious. But there’s room for all these opinions, happily. : )

No, isisdagmar, I wasn’t saying that.

Sorry! I guess I misinterpreted you then. Although’”it doesn’t matter, but out of curiosity’”did you then not mean ‘self-centered’  to mean selfish or self-absorbed, like it normally does?

Isisdagmar ‘“ loved your piece on Adam and the way you expressed so articulately much of what I also feel.

Thank you, Lynne! I loved what you wrote too’”it articulated some of what I was trying to say and couldn’t quite find the words for. It’s always fun to read what other people who love Adam write about him’”there’s a complexity to him as an artist that means there’s a lot to think about. : )

isisdagmar

“One of my favorite things about Adam, actually, during the season was watching the moment when he came back to earth from whatever mental and emotional space he had been in while performing.”

Yes! That is it exactly; I felt something powerful and raw and rare in those moments as well – and yes, a mysterious connection that makes me keep going back to watch those performances again and again.

…and thanks, it is fun to read what other people think about Adam!