Perlman PR sent correspondent Kathy Perkins to cover the Florida chapter, and below is our review.....
Adam Lambert brought his SIZZLING HOT Glam Nation Tour to Florida, and turned up the heat on an already sweltering Sunshine State. His first stop was the King Center for the Performing Arts, on the beautiful Melbourne campus of the Brevard Community College in Melbourne, FL on Friday, September 17, 2010. This sold out 2,000-seat performing arts hall was packed with Glamberts young and old, male and female, straight and gay, and all decked out in glitter, feathers, sequins, leather, spikes, studs, and anything else befitting a fan of the one true Glambert himself.
It was a beautiful, warm Florida evening, and on the front patio of the King Center, there was a spread of food and drinks for those who paid for the picnic before the show. A private GlamFest hosted by the FLamberts, the Florida contingency of the Adam Official Glamberts, and the Florida Glambs was going down inside the building. At that party, there were plenty of Adam-inspired items being raffled off, with all proceeds benefiting Adam’s charity of choice,
DonorsChose.org, while the guests enjoyed sipping their Glambertinis. In addition to those parties, 25 very lucky VIPs enjoyed their private Meet & Greet with Adam before the show, all made possible through Adam’s new fan site,
adamlambertfans.com
Every one of the 25 appeared mesmerized as they left the room, holding their signed posters and Adam memorabilia, following their one-on-one time with Adam. Another Meet & Greet was held for the lucky winners of the local radio station’s contest to meet Adam. So much activity before the show even began, set the mood for an exciting night of glitter and glam!
Allison Iraheta opened the show, and began the evening with her always energetic performance, supported by her very talented band. She had the audience on their feet more than once, dancing and clapping, and singing along with
Robot Love. Her energy was infectious, as she belted out her set. Her voice continues to grow along with her stage presence. Janis Joplin and Ann Wilson would be proud of her chops! She is evidently very comfortable on the stage, and owns it. In addition to
Robot Love, her set included
Holiday,
Beat Me Up,
Still Breathing,
No One Else,
Don’t Waste the Pretty,
Heartbreaker, and
Friday I’ll Be Over You.
During the intermission, after Allison’s set, and while eagerly anticipating Adam’s appearance, the crowd was entertained by a very convincing (at first glance) Adam look-alike dressed in a leather jacket, and wearing a sexually-inspired ring on his hand a la Adam, from his May 2009 performance on Good Morning America in NYC. This Adam impersonator got the audience all revved up with his Adam-inspired poses and good looks, and many fans clamored to have their picture taken with him. He even shared a kiss with a male friend, much to the approval of the audience. While it could never rival any Adommy moment, the crowd ate it up nonetheless. Almost everyone in the theater was on their feet dancing and singing along with the music. It was "the party to be," before the main event.
Suddenly the lights dimmed, and everyone in the theater screamed in unison, as Adam’s much-larger-than-life Lee Cherry feathers picture appeared on the screen behind the stage, and a remix of
Whataya Want From Me played on the sound system, all adding to the building excitement at the start of Adam’s set. It was showtime! On the darkened stage, Tommy, Monte, Camilla, and Isaac Carpenter, the new drummer replacing the irreplaceable Longineu Parsons, all took their places. "The voodoo" was about to commence, and the audience was ready to be placed under Adam’s spell for the evening.
The audience was completely mesmerized as Adam appeared at the top of the staircase in his distinctive top hat, with its feathers, fishnet, and distinctive “A,” and wearing his luxurious fur-collared coat with its long fringe on the arms that swings and sways as he conjures up his magic spell. Also of note is his sexy laced-up pants, which almost any living creature can’t help but stare at, and dream about what is being held captive inside (and wanting to unleash that animal!). Beautiful and barefoot, he launched into
Voodoo,
Down the Rabbit Hole, and a sensual
Ring of Fire medley to open the show. The audience was fully under Adam’s spell for the evening!
He threw off the audience a bit by beginning his hot
Fever with an almost funky Middle-Eastern flair, before launching into what many have hoped will be the next release from his
For Your Entertainment CD. Adam satisfied his fans by sharing a kiss with his bassist Tommy, which sent the crowd into a frenzy of cheers for "an Adommy moment" they have been greatly anticipating. The temperature in the room rose noticeably, after that hot exchange!
After a musical and dance segment which showcased his amazing dancers (Brooke, Sasha, Terrance, and Taylor), Adam came out singing the emotional and dramatic rock ballad,
Sleepwalker. He then launched into the acoustic part of his set, while sitting on a stool at the front of the stage, and asked the audience if they were having fun. They responded overwhelmingly in the affirmative! Adam talked about love, and how sometimes “love sucks." He said it also can feel as if someone “ripped your heart out, threw gasoline on it, and threw a match … it burns!” He then explained "Without knowing that kind of heartache, you wouldn’t know true love – the good stuff. Sometimes, in order to hold onto that good stuff, you have to ask the right questions." This was a perfect lead into a very touching rendition of
Whataya Want From Me. There was a wonderful show of love and support for Adam, as a sea of blue glowsticks waved in the air, while he sang “thanks for loving me, ‘cause you’re doing it perfectly.” There was no doubt of his fans’ love for him!
Next was the beautiful and emotionally heart-wrenching Muse ballad,
Soaked, which Adam performed standing in the front of the stage. Thankfully, the audience was mostly respectful of Adam and the mood of the ballad, as this song was delivered with fewer belted “I love you Adam”s than at some of his previous shows. This has been a point of contention between some of the fans, and it was nice to hear Adam sing the song so beautifully, without much interference or interruption.
Adam then took his place, sitting at the top of the staircase, and spoke to the audience about love, which is a dominant theme in his GlamNation Tour. He spoke philosophically about love, and how we sometimes have it, then lose it, and look for it in all the wrong places, but we need to learn that “in order to find that love, you have to love yourself." He then began singing a beautiful unplugged version of
Aftermath, accompanied by Monte on acoustic guitar.
After another musical interlude with a masterful guitar and bass exchange between Monte and Tommy, Adam shed his dramatically long overcoat, and came out in a vest, turning the heat back up as he launched into a sexy
Sure Fire Winners. Attitude is everything! The heat continued to build with his next number,
Strut, when his dancers appeared wearing masks. Adam donned a striped short coat with tails for this number, and with cane in hand, he began his strut!
Go ahead, strut for us and show us what you’re working with!
The fun continued with the energetic
Music Again, as Adam grabbed hands with some fortunate fans in the front row. His sexy dance moves and facial expressions showed just how much fun he was having.
The energy level remained high as he introduced his band, and he broke out into laughter while announcing Camilla’s name. Next was the newest addition to the band, Isaac Carpenter, who replaces Longineu Parsons (and Longineu can be proud of Isaac the Carp’s performance). Tommy’s Badgers gave him their special love as he was introduced, and Monte received the cheers and applause he so well deserves. They then launched into the lively and upbeat
If I Had You, and everyone was on their feet (they actually have been standing for the entire show, since one just can’t sit through an Adam concert). Adam next introduced his dancers, Terrance, Taylor, Sasha (whose dancing made him exclaim "Wham Bam!” after her bit), and Brooke (who got an “Aye yi yi!” reaction from Adam). Everyone was having a blast – it was pure ecstasy, and no one wanted the party to end!
After Adam and the band left the stage, the audience continued to clap, cheer, and call out Adam’s name. Soon enough, the band made a comeback, and Adam made an entrance, much to everyone’s great pleasure. As his encore for the evening, Adam sang his upbeat version of Tears For Fears'
Mad World. All too soon, the party was over, but everyone left feeling happy and satisfied that they have been a citizen of the Glam Nation for the night.
For those who stuck around after the encore, were in for another special treat by the fenced-off area near the buses. First Allison appeared, and signed autographs for her fans. This was a rare treat, since she has only on occasion came out after a show to meet fans and sign autographs. After waiting a while longer, Adam’s fans were rewarded for their patience and loyalty as he came out to sign autographs for his fans. He still had glitter sparkling throughout his hair and on his face, and was even more beautiful and mesmerizing up close to many. He made his way down the line chatting briefly and signing pictures, tickets, shirts, iphones, and anything else his fans asked him to sign. It all came to a too quick end, as Adam was bit on the foot by some fire ants, and had to make a quick retreat to his bus. Within minutes, the buses were on their way out and headed back to the hotel. It was the end of a purely magical evening.
Thank you Adam for another memorable and mesmerizing show!
