Review: Adam Lambert turns up the 'Glam' at Warfield
Review: Adam Lambert turns up the 'Glam' at Warfield
By Jim Harrington
Oakland Tribune
Adam Lambert knows how to dazzle a crowd.
He hits his fans with blinding lights, colorful laser displays, wild theatrics, big dance routines and throbbing disco beats. It's calculated sensory overload and, to be frank, it's a bit disorienting. Yet, for the most part, it works.
The first 20 minutes of the 28-year-old pop vocalist's show on Friday night at San Francisco's Warfield contained so many bells and whistles, so much action and drama, that it left fans breathless.
Lambert, for sure, didn't come across like a relative newcomer onstage. And his "Glam Nation Tour" didn't feel like an artist's debut headlining tour. To the contrary, this was an arena-sized show stuffed into the intimate confines of a theater - and it was easy to imagine that this exact same production could've been staged at HP Pavilion in San Jose or Oracle Arena in Oakland.
In that regard, Lambert - the runner-up on the 2009 season of "American Idol" - managed to live up to the advance hype that led to quick sellouts of his two Warfield shows (the second is on Sunday night).
Where the star fell short, however, was with his song book. At least half of the 16 songs performed sounded like nothing more than dance/pop filler, although that deficiency was masked to some extent by the never-ending onslaught of visuals onstage.
The show began in wild fashion, something approaching a mix of a "Rocky Horror Picture Show" dance number and an Attack of the Clones" battle scene, as Lambert boogied his way through dancers, band members and laser beams while singing the revved-up disco number "Voodoo."
It was an entrance befitting a star, and Lambert would continue to shine brightly as long as he remained in the eye of the hurricane of big-budget theatrical elements. He wouldn't do nearly as well when he slowed things down with a gothic resurrection of the Johnny Cash staple "Ring of Fire," during which he came across like the poor man's Marilyn Manson.
That was just a momentary slip, and he'd regain his footing as he delighted his crowd - which was heavily skewed toward females over the age of 30 - with "Fever." That tune, co-authored by Lady Gaga and Grammy-winning producer Jeff Bhasker, was the night's biggest highlight, a dizzying dance-pop ditty that recalled the best of Erasure's oeuvre.
Other tracks from Lambert's debut CD, last year's "For Your Entertainment," weren't nearly as enjoyable. In particular, "Sleepwalker" was a snoozer and "Whataya Want From Me" (which lists Pink as one of the co-authors) didn't deliver what we really wanted.
Even on those inferior songs, however, Lambert was still able to impress with his voice. This kid can sure sing - and, seemingly, he can sing anything he wants. At the Warfield, he was believable as a techno titan, a Broadway belter and a pop balladeer.
The show, which lasted just over an hour but felt much longer, closed with a two-song encore that should've sounded mighty familiar to "A.I." fans. Lambert revisited two of his greatest "Idol" triumphs as he handled cover versions of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" and Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love."
That neither of those well-known classics ranked among the best offerings of the night is one indication that this guy might have what it takes to forge a lengthy career in the business. Conversely, that those covers were better than at least half of the set says that Lambert still has plenty of work to do before we can really take him seriously.
(source)
By Jim Harrington
Oakland Tribune
Adam Lambert knows how to dazzle a crowd.
He hits his fans with blinding lights, colorful laser displays, wild theatrics, big dance routines and throbbing disco beats. It's calculated sensory overload and, to be frank, it's a bit disorienting. Yet, for the most part, it works.
The first 20 minutes of the 28-year-old pop vocalist's show on Friday night at San Francisco's Warfield contained so many bells and whistles, so much action and drama, that it left fans breathless.
Lambert, for sure, didn't come across like a relative newcomer onstage. And his "Glam Nation Tour" didn't feel like an artist's debut headlining tour. To the contrary, this was an arena-sized show stuffed into the intimate confines of a theater - and it was easy to imagine that this exact same production could've been staged at HP Pavilion in San Jose or Oracle Arena in Oakland.
In that regard, Lambert - the runner-up on the 2009 season of "American Idol" - managed to live up to the advance hype that led to quick sellouts of his two Warfield shows (the second is on Sunday night).
Where the star fell short, however, was with his song book. At least half of the 16 songs performed sounded like nothing more than dance/pop filler, although that deficiency was masked to some extent by the never-ending onslaught of visuals onstage.
The show began in wild fashion, something approaching a mix of a "Rocky Horror Picture Show" dance number and an Attack of the Clones" battle scene, as Lambert boogied his way through dancers, band members and laser beams while singing the revved-up disco number "Voodoo."
It was an entrance befitting a star, and Lambert would continue to shine brightly as long as he remained in the eye of the hurricane of big-budget theatrical elements. He wouldn't do nearly as well when he slowed things down with a gothic resurrection of the Johnny Cash staple "Ring of Fire," during which he came across like the poor man's Marilyn Manson.
That was just a momentary slip, and he'd regain his footing as he delighted his crowd - which was heavily skewed toward females over the age of 30 - with "Fever." That tune, co-authored by Lady Gaga and Grammy-winning producer Jeff Bhasker, was the night's biggest highlight, a dizzying dance-pop ditty that recalled the best of Erasure's oeuvre.
Other tracks from Lambert's debut CD, last year's "For Your Entertainment," weren't nearly as enjoyable. In particular, "Sleepwalker" was a snoozer and "Whataya Want From Me" (which lists Pink as one of the co-authors) didn't deliver what we really wanted.
Even on those inferior songs, however, Lambert was still able to impress with his voice. This kid can sure sing - and, seemingly, he can sing anything he wants. At the Warfield, he was believable as a techno titan, a Broadway belter and a pop balladeer.
The show, which lasted just over an hour but felt much longer, closed with a two-song encore that should've sounded mighty familiar to "A.I." fans. Lambert revisited two of his greatest "Idol" triumphs as he handled cover versions of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" and Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love."
That neither of those well-known classics ranked among the best offerings of the night is one indication that this guy might have what it takes to forge a lengthy career in the business. Conversely, that those covers were better than at least half of the set says that Lambert still has plenty of work to do before we can really take him seriously.
(source)