Boston Herald Review of Adam Lambert - South Shore Music Circus
IDOL WORSHIP FOR GLAM GOD ADAM LAMBERT - By Lauren Carter
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Teenage girls love Adam Lambert. So do grandmothers. And drag queens. And middle-aged women. And 12-year-old boys who came with their entire family.
Friday night’s show at South Shore Music Circus explained why.
The “American Idol” runner-up delivered a maxed-out, consummate performance that suggested he’ll be playing a venue three times as large next time he comes around. And he managed to do what Aretha Franklin could not a few weeks prior: Sell out the venue and create a frenzy in the process.
A Glambert appearance isn’t just a performance, it’s a phenomenon of sorts. Fans of all shapes and sizes - mind-bogglingly so - come to witness not just Lambert’s impressive vocal histrionics, but the glitzy fever that comes along with it. In terms of screams alone, Lambert owned the venue from the moment he appeared at tent’s edge wearing a purple fur coat and feathered top hat.
His 70-minute set, which felt like it could have lasted comfortably for another half hour, was a dazzling mix of punk, disco, funk, synthpop and rock - mixed with feathers, leather and asymmetrical haircuts.
Drawing mostly from Lambert’s debut album, “For Your Entertainment,” the show took some twists and turns, from the disco dark tones of the opener “Voodoo,” which led to “Down the Rabbit Hole” and “Fever,” to the hyper-pop of “If I Had You” and the meditative “Streetwalker.”
Mid-set, Lambert took to a stool for a stripped-down “Whataya Want From Me,” an acoustic “Aftermath,” and a piano-assisted “Soaked,” by far the night’s best display of vocal power.
In between strutting around the stage (during “Strut,” for example) Lambert joined his dancers in choreography, eliciting shrieks every time he popped a hip or shoulder.
Guitar-wielding Orianthi displayed some impressive guitar licks and abrasive pop-rock on “According to Him” and “Shut Up and Kiss Me.” Even more impressive was fellow “American Idol” alum Allison Iraheta, who channeled a Janis Joplin-esque sound to open the show.
Adam Lambert, with Allison Iraheta and Orianthi. At South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset, last night.
lauren-carter@hotmail.com
http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view/20100821idol_worship_for_glam_god_adam_lambert/srvc=home&position=also
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Teenage girls love Adam Lambert. So do grandmothers. And drag queens. And middle-aged women. And 12-year-old boys who came with their entire family.
Friday night’s show at South Shore Music Circus explained why.
The “American Idol” runner-up delivered a maxed-out, consummate performance that suggested he’ll be playing a venue three times as large next time he comes around. And he managed to do what Aretha Franklin could not a few weeks prior: Sell out the venue and create a frenzy in the process.
A Glambert appearance isn’t just a performance, it’s a phenomenon of sorts. Fans of all shapes and sizes - mind-bogglingly so - come to witness not just Lambert’s impressive vocal histrionics, but the glitzy fever that comes along with it. In terms of screams alone, Lambert owned the venue from the moment he appeared at tent’s edge wearing a purple fur coat and feathered top hat.
His 70-minute set, which felt like it could have lasted comfortably for another half hour, was a dazzling mix of punk, disco, funk, synthpop and rock - mixed with feathers, leather and asymmetrical haircuts.
Drawing mostly from Lambert’s debut album, “For Your Entertainment,” the show took some twists and turns, from the disco dark tones of the opener “Voodoo,” which led to “Down the Rabbit Hole” and “Fever,” to the hyper-pop of “If I Had You” and the meditative “Streetwalker.”
Mid-set, Lambert took to a stool for a stripped-down “Whataya Want From Me,” an acoustic “Aftermath,” and a piano-assisted “Soaked,” by far the night’s best display of vocal power.
In between strutting around the stage (during “Strut,” for example) Lambert joined his dancers in choreography, eliciting shrieks every time he popped a hip or shoulder.
Guitar-wielding Orianthi displayed some impressive guitar licks and abrasive pop-rock on “According to Him” and “Shut Up and Kiss Me.” Even more impressive was fellow “American Idol” alum Allison Iraheta, who channeled a Janis Joplin-esque sound to open the show.
Adam Lambert, with Allison Iraheta and Orianthi. At South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset, last night.
lauren-carter@hotmail.com
http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view/20100821idol_worship_for_glam_god_adam_lambert/srvc=home&position=also