The Epic Adam Recap (Coquitlam & Richmond)
Adam Adam. Twice in one weekend. Well, that was fun :D
Fair warning: This recap is a little over 6500 words. What can I say? The ~spirit moved me.
It’s early Sunday afternoon as I write this and I am still basking in the afterglow of one of the best weekends I’ve had in a very long time. This weekend was full of things I don’t usually do and here in the sobriety of Sunday afternoon, I think I need to do them more often. This will probably get long, so grab a cup a tea and settle in. Apologies to the tl;dr crowd.
For me, it really got started Wednesday evening. I had a manicure booked and had thought about getting something sparkly but had a crisis of confidence in the parking lot. I did what any good Bench or Badger would do and tweeted my concern “Is sparkly turquoise too much?” Seconds later, @eloiserummaging tweeted the perfect response -- "in a fandom for a guy who wears studded codpieces?" I went for it and hoped it would set the tone for the weekend.
The next morning I woke up and the grass in my backyard was white. I freaked out. I thought it was snowing and I HATE driving in snow. It turned out to be just hail but I was still very DNW on a day when I had to drive to Vancouver. I kept glancing at my sparkly nails to remind myself if would be worth it. Cheeks is right, sometimes you need to sparkle harder and they were a great reminder of that. I survived the drive in and walked into the airport trying to tamp down my nerves at the idea of meeting three people I had not met before.
painted_birdie tweeted my that their flight was in and before too long she came striding over. She is every bit as lovely as you imagine, friendly and welcoming. I met oriharakaoru and cherry222 and in just minutes I couldn’t remember why I had been nervous. Confession: I left my Macbook at home because of the voice in my head that kept screaming YOU DON’T REALLY KNOW THESE PEOPLE THEY COULD BE KLEPTOs. I had nothing to worry about. Next time, the Macbook comes with :D
We grabbed lunch, made our way to the hotel and then headed off to Holt Renfrew for some fantastic false eyelashes. This is another thing I never do. I will be doing it again. False eyelashes are better than losing 10lbs on the spot. You look instantly more glamorous. We took pics but I’m not sure who has them. After that it was time to head off to the MAC cosmetics store. This would become a recurring theme.
At MAC we bought fantabulous colors and birdie bought some teal glitter. Well stocked we headed back the hotel to get glammed up. peacevehicle met us at the hotel and was quickly folded into our retinue. She is very good times. If you ever want to have a really good conversation in the morning, room with Peace. At this point, I should apologize to the hotel staff. With five of us getting ready in one room there was glitter everywhere. I couldn’t help but smile. I think Adam would have approved.
All prettied up we headed over to the Red Robinson Show Theatre. We grabbed dinner, got in trouble with security for taking photos (not allowed on the casino floor) and walked in under the huge sign announcing Adam Lambert was playing tonight. We saw LP in the lobby but I couldn’t make myself go over. This is another theme that will repeat (but I did get to have a drink with Tommy OMG. More of that later.)
Inside the theatre, there were Glamberts but no ‘Adam’s face on a t-shirt’. I was torn between LOLing at some of the outfits and thinking that there is something beautiful about a guy who inspires people of all ages, shapes and sizes to get their groove in. There is no room for hate at an Adam gathering. I gave them a mental “get it guurl” and went on my way.
For Thursday’s show at the Red Robinson Show Theatre we had seats farther back but dead center. It’s a tiny theatre, only a thousand seats so we had a great view. There was a mosh pit and lots of black and glitter. When the opening act started to play I thought the sound mix was a bit off but they were good and the band leader clearly knew that we were here for Adam and not him. He was very complimentary and we clapped loudly for the band. He asked us to cheer for Adam and it was crazy to think as we stood there yelling, that Adam was backstage, he could actually hear us. There was a very long intermission and at 9 o’clock the lights went down, the air left the room and a certain tall, raven haired ringmaster took the stage. Finally, fianlly it was time.
He was wearing what looked like the Roberto Cavalli finale jacket with the broach, black skinny jeans, a black and grey stripped t-shirt. When I saw the shirt I thought “that’s a Tommy shirt!” but this would not be the show for Lambliff. That came later. He was also wearing the sparkliest boots I have ever seen. They glowed like disco balls. (Speaking of which, there was an 8 foot disco ball up in the ceiling of the theatre. As soon as oriharakaoru saw it she said “Oh Adam’s gonna use that!” and he did.) Tommy was wearing the tallest creepers I have ever seen. Maybe he got jealous of Monte’s boots from Sydney? Also, on stage I didn’t even notice how short his hair is right now. That man is just beautiful.
The roar of the crowd was deafening. It did that rushing wind thing that I remember hearing at the Idols live tour even though this was a much smaller crowd. They opened with FYE, but halfway through Adam stopped. They were having technical issues and he had them reset a few things and start again.
There were boys in the audience Thursday and I was thrilled when Adam tweeted later that night that he had seen them “Had a great time tonight!!! The audience was A+ Saw u gorgeous ladies and to my delight saw all u fierce glammed out boys too!! Finally!” Vancouver, Vancouver represent! First, we threw the first bra and now we’ve been the first to have actualfax pretty, gay boys show up for an Adam show. A+ my city, A+.
Adam is truly magical on stage. He moves like water, casts a spell over the crowd and holds you there, but you don’t mind. I know there’s been wank about him mentoring on Idol but there’s no one better to teach those kids how to put on a show. Adam knows what to do with a stage and how to work a crowd. He was fantastic. There were sound issues throughout the night, but you almost didn’t notice. He was fully ON and we were right there with him.
The green lasers from Fantasy Springs were back. I guess they’ll do until we can get actual fire ☺ In the videos you can see Adam try to work through the tech issues but the sound was so off there was just no saving it so he called cut and started over. Somehow he managed to make even that part look good. I love that he knew what he wanted and was not willing to settle for less. I was impressed with how quickly he was back into the song, singing and dancing away. He apologized for the technical issues, trust me Adam, we didn’t mind.
Tommy had a mic stand which I had not seen before. Later that night peacevehicle was talking to Tommy in a group of people and someone - NOT Peace - asked Tommy why he and Adam didn’t interact more (insert facepalm here) apparently Tommy said that the mic really got in the way. He was every bit as bouncy as I would have expected. That boy must bathe in RedBull before a show.
After FYE he played “If I Had You” a song I like more each time I hear it live. The mosh pit people were pretty damn close to the stage and even from my seats in row M could see Adam look down into the pit and smile. I think he really loved having everyone so close. WWFM was next. I have no idea how he manages to sing that song a little differently every time, but he does. I love that he’s kept the higher twist on “it’s me” - I like it even better than the original recording.
I don’t go to a lot of concerts, but I think that Adam is one of the few, the very few who actually sounds better live than he does recorded. The CD is really, really good but Adam live is a completely different treat, one that I wish every Adam fan had the chance to experience.
Next up was Strut. How, HOW does Adam do the ‘drop it like it’s hot’ move while singing?? Not only does he never drop the mike, he doesn’t drop the note either. Impressive Mr. Lambert. Impressive. During Strut it was like he was tossing little pieces of his own confidence out into the crowd like glitter. I felt powerful and beautiful and confident. If someone had asked me right then to strut across the stage, I probably would have done it.
In another universe Adam would be AMAZING host for that British show “How to Look Good Naked”. He makes you believe that you can strut, with whatever you are working with. He is so confident it’s like sunshine that you turn toward before you even realize you’re doing it. He believes in you so strongly that you cannot help but believe it yourself. I can completely understand how the stories behind Broken Open happened. Adam feels incredibly safe and that safety is an amazing place to step out into whatever you’ve been holding back.
Strut also gave us the one Lambliff moment of the night. Right towards the end of the song Adam walked over to Tommy and grooved in front of him. Tommy returned the favor. Adam’s smile at the end of Strut is pretty awesome. He bobs his head just a little, the actor in him wanting to take a bow but the show wasn’t over yet.
Sure Fire Winners came next. If I’m being honest, Adam had trouble with the lyrics on this one. He lost his words a few times that night but SFW just seemed to take him for a ride. It didn’t matter though, it was still a great performance.
He ditched the jacket for Soaked, moving us into the acoustic portion of the evening. A lot of the crowd sat down at that point. I have to say, Adam has been a busy, busy boy. His arms are looking really good. There’s a lot of definition now that wasn’t there on tour. How the hell he’s found time to hit the gym I have no clue. But bb, it’s paid off big time. There was a LOT of echo on the mic for Soaked, but damn that’s a beautiful song.
Next up came A Loaded Smile - a song he has never performed live before. It was ethereal and haunting and lovely. Monte’s guitar solo was very cool. He sat on a stool for Mad World. I could listen to that song all day. Same with Broken Open which came next. After that was Sleepwalker and Music Again which was a bit of a blur.
He closed the show with Fever and seriously, SERIOUSLY Program Directors in the States can you please take your collective head out of your ass? This song is so obviously the hit single and they won’t play it. The crowd went crazy even if we didn’t get a hair pull. We found out later that big cameras at the back of the theatre were taping the show as part of Adam’s Idol package. I wonder if that was why? Whatever, whatever, Fever is incredible on the CD and incredible live and if the DPs can’t figure that out, sorry for their lives. I predict it will be the second single internationally, will go ker-ja-billion platinum and get released in the US a year from now when they’ve finally clued in that the “he” doesn’t matter and the song is insanely good.
They did Down The Rabbit Hole for the encore. Adam had such a huge grin on his face when he came back out. I loved knowing that I had a small part in putting it there. Yes there were technical issues, but all in all it was a great concert and I had a wonderful time.
We headed over to the River Rock after to meet some friends for a drink and to our great surprise Tommy and Monte walked out into the lobby. While my brain screamed "holy fuck, that's Tommy, standing right over there!!!" my innate Inner Awkward Turtle kicked into overdrive and I literally could not make my legs walk over. I admired him from afar, little did I know that later that night fate would bring Tommy to me.
”peacevehicle” went over to join the crowd talking to them. She said that they were kinda down at first saying that the mix was bad and it made it almost impossible for them to hear each other. She told them that she had a great time and said that they cheered up a bit hearing that. They took pics and I just stood there, on the other side of the lobby feeling awkward. Little did I know that later that night, fate would bring Tommy to me.
We headed into the bar and grabbed a table. We managed to order a round in spite of the Worst Bar Service of All Time (of ALL TIME!!) Tommy and Monte came in to the bar and there was a crowd around them the entire time. But I ended up getting to have a drink with Tommy. Here’s how it happened.
THIS IS THE STORY OF THE TIME I HAD A DRINK WITH TOMMY!
We were sitting at a table at the back of the bar and Tommy was over on the other side of the bar completely surrounded by people. peacevehicle who is a)incredible and b) much braver than I went over to talk to Tommy along with Fiona (who's LJ name I cannot remember.) Fiona was going to ask a question but got a little overwhelmed and came back to our table. Peace didn't notice right away and said to Tommy "My friend wants to ask you something" and then turned around and notice Fi was gone. Apparently Tommy said "Where'd she go" and when Peace pointed to our table Tommy said something like "Let's go ask her."
So, back to me, sitting, chatting away to oriharakaoru and Fiona, sipping a brown cow when I look up and holy shit Tommy is walking right towards me. I think I must have startled or something but Tommy looks up at me and puts his finger to his lips in a shh-ing gesture so I school my face into a mask of nonchalance. (I guess those acting classes did pay off) He sits right down next to Fiona and says "Hey, how come you're too shy to talk to me?" and Fiona turns, registers who it is and screams.
Quite understandable.
Tommy, who just might be the preshest man on the planet completely ENVELOPES her in a hug, introduces himself and asks her what her question is. Fiona at this point is having a little trouble making words so Tommy gives her a minute to collect herself and starts meeting the rest of us.
He reaches out across the table to shake my hand and says "Hi, I'm Tommy" and by the grace of all that is holy I manage to NOT say "HOLY SHIT YOU"RE TOMMY!" right back to him, although I did quickly flash to all the times he tweets and people tweet TOMMY right back. I said my name, remembered to let go of his hand and took a long pull on my drink.
Tommy has very warm hands. They are also rather soft. He kinda shakes hands like a girl tho. But he's forgiven.
After intros we start talking music. He tells us that the first time Adam mentioned playing WLL acoustic the whole band wasn't sure how it would work. Adam had to convince them to try it, which they did and once they heard it, they were convinced. I wanted to ask him if that happened a lot - if Adam often had crazy ideas and managed to convince them to try but the conversation moved. He talked about the history of WLL, how Zepplin doesn't own the song, didn't write it and how their first two albums were all covers and rip off of old blues songs. It may be snobby to say it, but Tommy is surprisingly articulate when talking about music. He's also pretty passionate and sure of his opinions. UNF.
Peace asked him about Voodoo and he said that they were definitely working on it and really want to play it live but it's not ready yet. He said that for Voodoo to work they really need the backing track and it sounds like that hasn't been recorded yet. He said it's good but it needs to be UMPH (at which point he pounded his right fist into his left hand for emphasis. It needs to be really UMPH he said, doing the punching thing again. But it's gonna be awesome. He says when they DO play Voodoo for the first time it's gonna be a pretty big deal.
He asked “Are you guys coming to the show tomorrow? It’ll be better.” He stayed about 10 minutes and then said he needed another drink, shook everyone's hands again and politely excused himself. He was drinking martinis that night - so I guess it's not always beer or whiskey. I couldn't help but think that I know someone else who is rather fond of martinis. I wonder if Adam has been helping Tommy ~broaden his horizons?
So other things, Tommy's hair is even floofier in person. It looks very very pettable. I was good tho and did not touch. He had very cool eyeliner on. He really is both tinier and prettier in person. Tinkerbell all the way. He looks right at you when he talks to you, seemed genuinely interested in talking to us. He leans in when he talks. I don't think he has much need for personal space.
And now, until the end of time, I can always say that once, back in the day, I had a drink with Tommy. The next night I was having another brown cow and with the very first sip my brain said TOMMEH! I thanked it for having such a good memory.
The next day, Friday we all got up and had pretty much the same thought “holy fuck, we get to see Adam AGAIN tonight!!!” What it our lives? I have no idea, but I like it! I started the day having an epic conversation with Peace about marriage and life and dreams and the things we dare to hope for. It was a rare and beautiful treat and definitely a trip highlight for me.
We grabbed crepes - the breakfast of champions! I don’t remember the entire conversation, but at one point my crepe proved Kradam is real. It was epic. There’s a photo somewhere. We headed back to the MAC store for more sparkly things. I headed over the glitter section. The night before Birdie and Peace put teal glitter in their hair - I didn’t even know you could do that. They both have dark hair, so the teal looked incredible. I am blonde and worried the the teal would look like sprinkles so I declined. My mission at the MAC store: find a goldish glitter that would work better in my hair.
The same assistant as the day before came over and was a little incredulous when she saw me finger the glitter. “Yesterday you wanted a subtle shimmery look and today you’re buying glitter?” she asked. I thought about trying to explain the Adam Lambert Effect but decided instead to simply say “it’s been a very interesting weekend”. She recommended one of their white glitters instead and I have to say A+ choice MAC lady. You can wear it on your eyes, as body glitter, in your hair - or if you’re going to an Adam show all three. I have never worn glitter AT ALL before but I have to say, it’s a lot of fun. When we got into the show the girl behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked “How did you make your hair sparkle like that, it’s gorgeous!” and I beamed. If you’re interested, the one I got is Glitter Reflects in Reflects Gold It’s a very pretty glitter - gives you sparkle but it’s fine enough that you don’t see the glitter until the light hits it. Good times.
Once again we glammed up and then took the Skytrain over to the River Rock. This time people had heard about the mosh pit from the night before. When we got there, more than an hour before the doors opened (ie 2 hours before the concert) there was already a huge line up. We had row G seats for this show and decided to skip the pit and get some food instead.
Unlike Thursday, for Friday’s show I was completely calm. I knew what I was in for (well, I thought I did) I already had the warm glow of my Epic Tommy Experience and my Inner Awkward Turtle had finally relaxed (Adam really IS a miracle worker!) There were definitely more Glambert-ish outfits Friday night, but I had already made my peace with that. I get to fangirl Adam my way, I need to let them do the same.
Almost right away you could tell that something was different Friday night and different in a really good way. By the end of the show I actually felt a little bad for anyone who saw Thursday’s show and not Friday’s. Thursday was great but Friday….Friday was something very special. I think it will be a long time before I experience something like that again. The crowed was pumped, dancing along to the music that played while we were waiting.
The hosts came out and told us that there had been a LOT of interest in Adam (no shit, did ANYONE get tickets at face value?). He said that a whole bunch of people had been by to interview Adam included Italian Esquire (omg please, please let them do a photoshoot of Adam in Italian suits. I would die.) It reminded me that the night before, the host had pointed at the mosh pit and said “In all the years I’ve seen acts come here, I’ve never seen that before!” * painted_birdie tells me that the host was referring to the barrier, not the mosh pit itself* I loved that the event organizers were so pleased with the response to Adam, it means good things for his book-ability. (So please, please crazy people stop phoning venues to bitch about not being able to get tickets!!! It doesn’t help. And yes, I know G-A-Y is going to be insane and most of us will miss it, but there’s always been a bench in attendance in the past and I choose to believe that one of us will get in this time too. *steps down off of soapbox*)
With the first bars of the opening act, I remember turning to oriharakaoru and saying “holy shit they fixed the mix! This is going to be awesome!” I had no idea. Just before Adam took the stage they played Voodoo over the loudspeakers and the crowd went wild. Everyone was on their feet dancing and screaming. Every single one. This time we would not sit until the whole thing was over, not once, not even during the slow songs. Just before Adam came on, they played Voodoo. As soon as the first few notes registered people went NUTS.
Adam opened with FYE again and this time it was flawless. It was fun and energetic and I hoped, once again, that it would get a better chance to be a single overseas. That song still has legs and I hope it gets its chance.
As the opening bars of FYE played Adam this very robotic, very fashion-looking dance and I remember thinking “Dayum he must be fun in photoshoots!” he is very aware of his body. I’m glad we don’t have tape of it, because he deserves some privacy, but I bet he is amazing when he’s just out on the dance floor with a few drinks and cute boy. He can seriously move (but you already knew that). He was wearing the Queen shirt from his birthday party (possibly now with extra sparkle), the overcoat from Gridlock and spats. Spats! God, I love him. Tommy was wearing the lace shirt (from Leno?) both nights so Adam, really really needs to take his boy shopping. I know he’s got a crazy schedule but come on, priorities!
After the first song, After the first song they turn on a set of lights that lit up the audience and Adam could see us dancing and cheering and happy. It was as if they lit us and then we lit Adam. He looked out at us dancing, smiling, everyone on their feet and he just BEAMED. I swear his smile was visible from space. He glowed and then he sang. And DAYUM he put on a hell of a show.
Adam said “you're all so sparkly!" and that's exactly how I felt. There is something about Adam that is incredibly freeing. It’s as if he walks around with a giant pair of glitter scissors cutting all the ties that hold us down, hold us back. Insecure about your looks snip, you’re beautiful. Afraid of looking silly and being rejected for it? Snip snip, just dance. He moves so quickly you barely notice he’s doing it but suddenly, inexplicable you’re free, you can fly if you want to. He won’t push, but he’ll lead you up to the edge of the cliff and show you the view.
I can't dance, but when Adam sings my hips find a rhythm. You cannot stand still, his voice calls out to you. It 's as if he has his hands on your hips and gently starts to sway -- he's all encouragement and invitation. I just went with whatever my body wanted to do - dancing, swaying, arms in the air or hands clapping. It all felt right and there in the crowd, under his spell I never felt awkward or self-conscious. I danced for the sheer joy of it, for the music and the way that it made me feel. It was beautiful and it made us beautiful too.
Second on the setlist that night was Strut - who but Adam does back to back shows and makes them completely different? I had someone (who is not an Adam fan, hiss!) ask “Why would you want to see the same show twice?” Oh honey, it’s not gonna be the same show, trust me. And it wasn’t.
Adam seemed more playful Friday night. I wonder how much concentration it took to play the night before when they couldn’t hear other properly? During Strut he mimed an erection during “just let it all hang out” and I had a feeling we were in for something good. Just a minute later, my thoughts were confirmed. I think Adam was really feeling it. He was already straining his pants two songs in. (Who gets the job of making show-proof pants for Adam? Zippers of steel man, zippers of STEEL.)
About a minute and a half into Strut he stalked over to Tommy and put him in what can only be described as a loving headlock. He had his arm completely around Tommy’s neck and held him flush against his body. He rubbed his hand all the way down Tommy’s chest and back up before letting go. If you watch the videos you can see that just like Gridlock Adam lets his fingers linger on Tommy’s shoulder even as he’s walking away, like he hates to give up the feel of him under his hands. Totally understandable :)
Right then, we had our Lambliff and I wished that all of the Badgers were there to see it. As soon as Adam had his hands on Tommy the crowd roared. Talk about “do you know what you got in to?” I continue to be amazed that of all the bass players in the world, Adam managed to find the one who doesn’t mind being toyed with. A+ universe.
After Strut they played Down the Rabbit Hole - another song that just keeps getting better. He said “People I wanna see you get up and dance to this one” and we did. He started clapping with his arms above his head and we all joined in. In the vids you can see him break out into a huge smile. He has us all in the palm of his hands, and he knows it. I imagine that feels pretty great. Also, there was a red flogger/ whip thing that landed on stage. He hit his own hip with it a few times and tossed it back into the crowd.
It looks like the “starts with his bass” is a permanent lyric change. Adam pointed at Tommy for that part, then grabbed his own crotch for and sang “ends in MY crystal ball”. During the “Who are you’s” in DTRH Adam skipped over to each band member in turn and sang to them. Then he sang "Who are you? Ask yourself that, who are you?" and I heard a voice in my head say "I am a girl who puts glitter in her hair". I like the sound of that.
Sleepwalker was next. The into for Sleepwalker put a completely different spin on that song for me. He asked the crowd “Have you ever loved someone so much that when they leave you, you feel dead? That’s what this song is about.” (omg Bradam! I know Adam didn’t write this one, but I have to think that Brad is the reason it resonates with him.) It was gorgeous, as always. On the CD, it’s not one of my favorites but live, oooooh it’s pretty.
After that he it was time for If I Had You. He told us that his rhinestones were popping off all over the stage. He gave IIHY a great intro telling us that it was his single for the summer and that “it’s about no matter how old you are, no matter who you sleep with, no matter what colour your skin in, we can all party together.” This, Adam is why people are always going to try to turn you into a political figure, because you’re so damn eloquent.
I am constantly reminded of just how smart he is, how good the vast majority of his choices are. He is always thinking, always considering outcomes and possibilities. It makes me happy because those brains matched with his talent are what is going to give him career longevity. At the beginning of the show the Host said “I have a feeling that years from now thousands of people will claim that they were at the River Rock for this show tonight. You’re the lucky ones who really were. Enjoy it.” Not hard to do :)
The coat came off for Mad World which was next and oh, oooooh. This was, hands down my favorite Mad World ever. God it was beautiful. About three minutes in he just start riffing this gorgeous, bluesy set of runs and I didn’t even realize that I had started to groove gently to it. Adam, honey, if you ever need to seduce someone, just do that. It works. Trust me. (Why am I not a small, pretty boy? FML.) You could almost hear the audience moan.
Broken Open, Soaked and Loaded Smile rounded out the acoustic portion and I should give them more time but I was still riding the aftershocks of Mad World. I hope they will forgive me because next up was Fever and O. M. G.
So yeah, Fever? It really really really really needs to be a single. Like right now. Or, in Tommy speak, like jesterday. Make it happen people. Find a way to make it work. The Lambliff, the Lambliff! Damn he knows his audience (and I think he missed having Tommy to play with on stage while he was overseas).
Just before the song starts LP (who was shirtless, sorry for not mentioning that earlier LP peeps) fist bumps Adam and Adam puts his fedora back on. Did I mention he was wearing a hat earlier? Also, I think it was at the beginning of this song that Adam waggled his tongue at us. Cocktease. (who the hell cares, it was hot!) At this point Adam had a situation happening in his pants that you could see from row G. He certainly enjoys his work.
The song starts, the crowd goes wild even though somewhere in the back of our heads we know that the show is winding down. “There he goes my baby walks so slow” and Adam points at Tommy. We all know that The Lean happens in Fever, but after we did not get on the night before I did not want to assume. I needn’t have worried. The very best part of The Lean is the way Tommy oh so stealthily creeps over to Adam and just fits himself up against his back. Adam quickly rotates so he’s flush against him, leans over to stretch Tommy out and then runs a hand down Tommy’s arm. Tommy keeps playing the whole time. Impressive Mr. Ratliff. Then Adam reaches up over his shoulder, gets a handful of Tommy hair and just holds on tight. Tommy starts to bend and then Adam uses his hold on Tommy’s hair to turn him around and pull him in close. Ask anyone who was there we all thought that maybe, just maybe Adam was going for another kiss. But instead he pulls him a little forward and then pushes him away, finally releasing him.
I can say that from where I was sitting, I don’t think Tommy would have protested if Adam had kissed him. Tommy is fucking PLIANT when Adam has him by the hair. He could have turned him any which way. Boy is bendy. Once Adam has his hands on Tommy, Tommy just goes limp.
And all this was just 40 seconds into the song. Adam turned his attention back to the crowd getting us all to pump our fists in the air. This ride was far from over. Not long after that Adam picked a black boa up off the stage and wrapped it around his shoulders. In the videos you can see Adam gesture to the boa as he sings “thank you, baby” between two lines of the yeah yeah yeahs. He looks down into the pit as he sings and I can only hope that the boa-giver got eye contact to go with her singing thank you. I hope someone picked her up off the floor afterwards.
He danced around with the boa during the next chorus and for a moment I caught a glimpse of what Adam must be like at Burning Man, dancing free. He caught sight of Tommy just after that and wasted no time wrapping the boa snuggly around Tommy’s neck while singing “my one and own I wanna get you alone”. Tommy looks good in feathers. He also looked totally and completely comfortable. Seriously how is he even real? Tommy kept the boa on for the rest of the song.
The song ended and Adam beamed again. He is clearly LOVING this. He started stomping his feet and declared “Disco is back motherfuckers!” Remember that one interview where Adam says that LP reads him really well how he just looks at him and knows what to do? Well Adam says “Disco! Disco!” and turns to face LP and in the next moment LP is giving him a beat. Monte joins in on guitar then Tommy and Cam and it’s so smooth it takes almost a full minute for me to realize that this isn’t the start of the next song, it’s just a few very talented musicians fucking around on stage. Seriously, seriously talented musicians. They play, Adam dances then he throws his hand in the air and as quickly as it started it’s over, a tease but not an unwelcome one. They end in perfect unison. This band is tight.
After Fever came Music Again and once again it’s a bit of a blur for me. I do remember that the boa fell off during MA and Adam has finally remembered that raison d’etre does not require two Es. I do really like that song but Fever left us all panting to catch our breath, we weren’t quite steady on our feet yet. Adam, naturally, was already ready to go again.
And then it was over. We cheered and cheered and the encore this time was WWFM. When Tommy came back out on stage, the boa was back in place around his neck. When Adam got back the mic he said “Thank you for being such a fantastic audience tonight, we had a blast. We just got off stage and we were like ‘oh my god that was so fun! oh my god that was so fun!’ (he made flaily hands at this point and I flailed too to know that I had a part in making all of them feel that, in giving them as great a night as they had given me.) He ended the song with his head thrown back like a sated lover. Adam, darling, I know exactly how you feel.
Thank you Adam, and the band and Erin, Andrea, Cheryl and Yoshi for one of the best weekends of my life. Maria, Julie, Susannah, Ashleigh, Juliana it was wonderful to meet you, I wish we’d had more time to hang out. If you ever get a chance to do a Bench or Badger meet-up take my advice and GO. We are good times.
The morning after the show as I was walking around the city on my way to Starbucks the sun was shinning the sky was blue and I couldn't stop smiling. A couple of years ago when I still lived close to the ocean I got up really early one day to watch the sun rise over the water. A couple of lines that I wrote in my journal that morning came back to me to that day "And now the world is fully awake. And now, so am I.”
Fair warning: This recap is a little over 6500 words. What can I say? The ~spirit moved me.
It’s early Sunday afternoon as I write this and I am still basking in the afterglow of one of the best weekends I’ve had in a very long time. This weekend was full of things I don’t usually do and here in the sobriety of Sunday afternoon, I think I need to do them more often. This will probably get long, so grab a cup a tea and settle in. Apologies to the tl;dr crowd.
For me, it really got started Wednesday evening. I had a manicure booked and had thought about getting something sparkly but had a crisis of confidence in the parking lot. I did what any good Bench or Badger would do and tweeted my concern “Is sparkly turquoise too much?” Seconds later, @eloiserummaging tweeted the perfect response -- "in a fandom for a guy who wears studded codpieces?" I went for it and hoped it would set the tone for the weekend.
The next morning I woke up and the grass in my backyard was white. I freaked out. I thought it was snowing and I HATE driving in snow. It turned out to be just hail but I was still very DNW on a day when I had to drive to Vancouver. I kept glancing at my sparkly nails to remind myself if would be worth it. Cheeks is right, sometimes you need to sparkle harder and they were a great reminder of that. I survived the drive in and walked into the airport trying to tamp down my nerves at the idea of meeting three people I had not met before.
painted_birdie tweeted my that their flight was in and before too long she came striding over. She is every bit as lovely as you imagine, friendly and welcoming. I met oriharakaoru and cherry222 and in just minutes I couldn’t remember why I had been nervous. Confession: I left my Macbook at home because of the voice in my head that kept screaming YOU DON’T REALLY KNOW THESE PEOPLE THEY COULD BE KLEPTOs. I had nothing to worry about. Next time, the Macbook comes with :D
We grabbed lunch, made our way to the hotel and then headed off to Holt Renfrew for some fantastic false eyelashes. This is another thing I never do. I will be doing it again. False eyelashes are better than losing 10lbs on the spot. You look instantly more glamorous. We took pics but I’m not sure who has them. After that it was time to head off to the MAC cosmetics store. This would become a recurring theme.
At MAC we bought fantabulous colors and birdie bought some teal glitter. Well stocked we headed back the hotel to get glammed up. peacevehicle met us at the hotel and was quickly folded into our retinue. She is very good times. If you ever want to have a really good conversation in the morning, room with Peace. At this point, I should apologize to the hotel staff. With five of us getting ready in one room there was glitter everywhere. I couldn’t help but smile. I think Adam would have approved.
All prettied up we headed over to the Red Robinson Show Theatre. We grabbed dinner, got in trouble with security for taking photos (not allowed on the casino floor) and walked in under the huge sign announcing Adam Lambert was playing tonight. We saw LP in the lobby but I couldn’t make myself go over. This is another theme that will repeat (but I did get to have a drink with Tommy OMG. More of that later.)
Inside the theatre, there were Glamberts but no ‘Adam’s face on a t-shirt’. I was torn between LOLing at some of the outfits and thinking that there is something beautiful about a guy who inspires people of all ages, shapes and sizes to get their groove in. There is no room for hate at an Adam gathering. I gave them a mental “get it guurl” and went on my way.
For Thursday’s show at the Red Robinson Show Theatre we had seats farther back but dead center. It’s a tiny theatre, only a thousand seats so we had a great view. There was a mosh pit and lots of black and glitter. When the opening act started to play I thought the sound mix was a bit off but they were good and the band leader clearly knew that we were here for Adam and not him. He was very complimentary and we clapped loudly for the band. He asked us to cheer for Adam and it was crazy to think as we stood there yelling, that Adam was backstage, he could actually hear us. There was a very long intermission and at 9 o’clock the lights went down, the air left the room and a certain tall, raven haired ringmaster took the stage. Finally, fianlly it was time.
He was wearing what looked like the Roberto Cavalli finale jacket with the broach, black skinny jeans, a black and grey stripped t-shirt. When I saw the shirt I thought “that’s a Tommy shirt!” but this would not be the show for Lambliff. That came later. He was also wearing the sparkliest boots I have ever seen. They glowed like disco balls. (Speaking of which, there was an 8 foot disco ball up in the ceiling of the theatre. As soon as oriharakaoru saw it she said “Oh Adam’s gonna use that!” and he did.) Tommy was wearing the tallest creepers I have ever seen. Maybe he got jealous of Monte’s boots from Sydney? Also, on stage I didn’t even notice how short his hair is right now. That man is just beautiful.
The roar of the crowd was deafening. It did that rushing wind thing that I remember hearing at the Idols live tour even though this was a much smaller crowd. They opened with FYE, but halfway through Adam stopped. They were having technical issues and he had them reset a few things and start again.
There were boys in the audience Thursday and I was thrilled when Adam tweeted later that night that he had seen them “Had a great time tonight!!! The audience was A+ Saw u gorgeous ladies and to my delight saw all u fierce glammed out boys too!! Finally!” Vancouver, Vancouver represent! First, we threw the first bra and now we’ve been the first to have actualfax pretty, gay boys show up for an Adam show. A+ my city, A+.
Adam is truly magical on stage. He moves like water, casts a spell over the crowd and holds you there, but you don’t mind. I know there’s been wank about him mentoring on Idol but there’s no one better to teach those kids how to put on a show. Adam knows what to do with a stage and how to work a crowd. He was fantastic. There were sound issues throughout the night, but you almost didn’t notice. He was fully ON and we were right there with him.
The green lasers from Fantasy Springs were back. I guess they’ll do until we can get actual fire ☺ In the videos you can see Adam try to work through the tech issues but the sound was so off there was just no saving it so he called cut and started over. Somehow he managed to make even that part look good. I love that he knew what he wanted and was not willing to settle for less. I was impressed with how quickly he was back into the song, singing and dancing away. He apologized for the technical issues, trust me Adam, we didn’t mind.
Tommy had a mic stand which I had not seen before. Later that night peacevehicle was talking to Tommy in a group of people and someone - NOT Peace - asked Tommy why he and Adam didn’t interact more (insert facepalm here) apparently Tommy said that the mic really got in the way. He was every bit as bouncy as I would have expected. That boy must bathe in RedBull before a show.
After FYE he played “If I Had You” a song I like more each time I hear it live. The mosh pit people were pretty damn close to the stage and even from my seats in row M could see Adam look down into the pit and smile. I think he really loved having everyone so close. WWFM was next. I have no idea how he manages to sing that song a little differently every time, but he does. I love that he’s kept the higher twist on “it’s me” - I like it even better than the original recording.
I don’t go to a lot of concerts, but I think that Adam is one of the few, the very few who actually sounds better live than he does recorded. The CD is really, really good but Adam live is a completely different treat, one that I wish every Adam fan had the chance to experience.
Next up was Strut. How, HOW does Adam do the ‘drop it like it’s hot’ move while singing?? Not only does he never drop the mike, he doesn’t drop the note either. Impressive Mr. Lambert. Impressive. During Strut it was like he was tossing little pieces of his own confidence out into the crowd like glitter. I felt powerful and beautiful and confident. If someone had asked me right then to strut across the stage, I probably would have done it.
In another universe Adam would be AMAZING host for that British show “How to Look Good Naked”. He makes you believe that you can strut, with whatever you are working with. He is so confident it’s like sunshine that you turn toward before you even realize you’re doing it. He believes in you so strongly that you cannot help but believe it yourself. I can completely understand how the stories behind Broken Open happened. Adam feels incredibly safe and that safety is an amazing place to step out into whatever you’ve been holding back.
Strut also gave us the one Lambliff moment of the night. Right towards the end of the song Adam walked over to Tommy and grooved in front of him. Tommy returned the favor. Adam’s smile at the end of Strut is pretty awesome. He bobs his head just a little, the actor in him wanting to take a bow but the show wasn’t over yet.
Sure Fire Winners came next. If I’m being honest, Adam had trouble with the lyrics on this one. He lost his words a few times that night but SFW just seemed to take him for a ride. It didn’t matter though, it was still a great performance.
He ditched the jacket for Soaked, moving us into the acoustic portion of the evening. A lot of the crowd sat down at that point. I have to say, Adam has been a busy, busy boy. His arms are looking really good. There’s a lot of definition now that wasn’t there on tour. How the hell he’s found time to hit the gym I have no clue. But bb, it’s paid off big time. There was a LOT of echo on the mic for Soaked, but damn that’s a beautiful song.
Next up came A Loaded Smile - a song he has never performed live before. It was ethereal and haunting and lovely. Monte’s guitar solo was very cool. He sat on a stool for Mad World. I could listen to that song all day. Same with Broken Open which came next. After that was Sleepwalker and Music Again which was a bit of a blur.
He closed the show with Fever and seriously, SERIOUSLY Program Directors in the States can you please take your collective head out of your ass? This song is so obviously the hit single and they won’t play it. The crowd went crazy even if we didn’t get a hair pull. We found out later that big cameras at the back of the theatre were taping the show as part of Adam’s Idol package. I wonder if that was why? Whatever, whatever, Fever is incredible on the CD and incredible live and if the DPs can’t figure that out, sorry for their lives. I predict it will be the second single internationally, will go ker-ja-billion platinum and get released in the US a year from now when they’ve finally clued in that the “he” doesn’t matter and the song is insanely good.
They did Down The Rabbit Hole for the encore. Adam had such a huge grin on his face when he came back out. I loved knowing that I had a small part in putting it there. Yes there were technical issues, but all in all it was a great concert and I had a wonderful time.
We headed over to the River Rock after to meet some friends for a drink and to our great surprise Tommy and Monte walked out into the lobby. While my brain screamed "holy fuck, that's Tommy, standing right over there!!!" my innate Inner Awkward Turtle kicked into overdrive and I literally could not make my legs walk over. I admired him from afar, little did I know that later that night fate would bring Tommy to me.
”peacevehicle” went over to join the crowd talking to them. She said that they were kinda down at first saying that the mix was bad and it made it almost impossible for them to hear each other. She told them that she had a great time and said that they cheered up a bit hearing that. They took pics and I just stood there, on the other side of the lobby feeling awkward. Little did I know that later that night, fate would bring Tommy to me.
We headed into the bar and grabbed a table. We managed to order a round in spite of the Worst Bar Service of All Time (of ALL TIME!!) Tommy and Monte came in to the bar and there was a crowd around them the entire time. But I ended up getting to have a drink with Tommy. Here’s how it happened.
THIS IS THE STORY OF THE TIME I HAD A DRINK WITH TOMMY!
We were sitting at a table at the back of the bar and Tommy was over on the other side of the bar completely surrounded by people. peacevehicle who is a)incredible and b) much braver than I went over to talk to Tommy along with Fiona (who's LJ name I cannot remember.) Fiona was going to ask a question but got a little overwhelmed and came back to our table. Peace didn't notice right away and said to Tommy "My friend wants to ask you something" and then turned around and notice Fi was gone. Apparently Tommy said "Where'd she go" and when Peace pointed to our table Tommy said something like "Let's go ask her."
So, back to me, sitting, chatting away to oriharakaoru and Fiona, sipping a brown cow when I look up and holy shit Tommy is walking right towards me. I think I must have startled or something but Tommy looks up at me and puts his finger to his lips in a shh-ing gesture so I school my face into a mask of nonchalance. (I guess those acting classes did pay off) He sits right down next to Fiona and says "Hey, how come you're too shy to talk to me?" and Fiona turns, registers who it is and screams.
Quite understandable.
Tommy, who just might be the preshest man on the planet completely ENVELOPES her in a hug, introduces himself and asks her what her question is. Fiona at this point is having a little trouble making words so Tommy gives her a minute to collect herself and starts meeting the rest of us.
He reaches out across the table to shake my hand and says "Hi, I'm Tommy" and by the grace of all that is holy I manage to NOT say "HOLY SHIT YOU"RE TOMMY!" right back to him, although I did quickly flash to all the times he tweets and people tweet TOMMY right back. I said my name, remembered to let go of his hand and took a long pull on my drink.
Tommy has very warm hands. They are also rather soft. He kinda shakes hands like a girl tho. But he's forgiven.
After intros we start talking music. He tells us that the first time Adam mentioned playing WLL acoustic the whole band wasn't sure how it would work. Adam had to convince them to try it, which they did and once they heard it, they were convinced. I wanted to ask him if that happened a lot - if Adam often had crazy ideas and managed to convince them to try but the conversation moved. He talked about the history of WLL, how Zepplin doesn't own the song, didn't write it and how their first two albums were all covers and rip off of old blues songs. It may be snobby to say it, but Tommy is surprisingly articulate when talking about music. He's also pretty passionate and sure of his opinions. UNF.
Peace asked him about Voodoo and he said that they were definitely working on it and really want to play it live but it's not ready yet. He said that for Voodoo to work they really need the backing track and it sounds like that hasn't been recorded yet. He said it's good but it needs to be UMPH (at which point he pounded his right fist into his left hand for emphasis. It needs to be really UMPH he said, doing the punching thing again. But it's gonna be awesome. He says when they DO play Voodoo for the first time it's gonna be a pretty big deal.
He asked “Are you guys coming to the show tomorrow? It’ll be better.” He stayed about 10 minutes and then said he needed another drink, shook everyone's hands again and politely excused himself. He was drinking martinis that night - so I guess it's not always beer or whiskey. I couldn't help but think that I know someone else who is rather fond of martinis. I wonder if Adam has been helping Tommy ~broaden his horizons?
So other things, Tommy's hair is even floofier in person. It looks very very pettable. I was good tho and did not touch. He had very cool eyeliner on. He really is both tinier and prettier in person. Tinkerbell all the way. He looks right at you when he talks to you, seemed genuinely interested in talking to us. He leans in when he talks. I don't think he has much need for personal space.
And now, until the end of time, I can always say that once, back in the day, I had a drink with Tommy. The next night I was having another brown cow and with the very first sip my brain said TOMMEH! I thanked it for having such a good memory.
The next day, Friday we all got up and had pretty much the same thought “holy fuck, we get to see Adam AGAIN tonight!!!” What it our lives? I have no idea, but I like it! I started the day having an epic conversation with Peace about marriage and life and dreams and the things we dare to hope for. It was a rare and beautiful treat and definitely a trip highlight for me.
We grabbed crepes - the breakfast of champions! I don’t remember the entire conversation, but at one point my crepe proved Kradam is real. It was epic. There’s a photo somewhere. We headed back to the MAC store for more sparkly things. I headed over the glitter section. The night before Birdie and Peace put teal glitter in their hair - I didn’t even know you could do that. They both have dark hair, so the teal looked incredible. I am blonde and worried the the teal would look like sprinkles so I declined. My mission at the MAC store: find a goldish glitter that would work better in my hair.
The same assistant as the day before came over and was a little incredulous when she saw me finger the glitter. “Yesterday you wanted a subtle shimmery look and today you’re buying glitter?” she asked. I thought about trying to explain the Adam Lambert Effect but decided instead to simply say “it’s been a very interesting weekend”. She recommended one of their white glitters instead and I have to say A+ choice MAC lady. You can wear it on your eyes, as body glitter, in your hair - or if you’re going to an Adam show all three. I have never worn glitter AT ALL before but I have to say, it’s a lot of fun. When we got into the show the girl behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked “How did you make your hair sparkle like that, it’s gorgeous!” and I beamed. If you’re interested, the one I got is Glitter Reflects in Reflects Gold It’s a very pretty glitter - gives you sparkle but it’s fine enough that you don’t see the glitter until the light hits it. Good times.
Once again we glammed up and then took the Skytrain over to the River Rock. This time people had heard about the mosh pit from the night before. When we got there, more than an hour before the doors opened (ie 2 hours before the concert) there was already a huge line up. We had row G seats for this show and decided to skip the pit and get some food instead.
Unlike Thursday, for Friday’s show I was completely calm. I knew what I was in for (well, I thought I did) I already had the warm glow of my Epic Tommy Experience and my Inner Awkward Turtle had finally relaxed (Adam really IS a miracle worker!) There were definitely more Glambert-ish outfits Friday night, but I had already made my peace with that. I get to fangirl Adam my way, I need to let them do the same.
Almost right away you could tell that something was different Friday night and different in a really good way. By the end of the show I actually felt a little bad for anyone who saw Thursday’s show and not Friday’s. Thursday was great but Friday….Friday was something very special. I think it will be a long time before I experience something like that again. The crowed was pumped, dancing along to the music that played while we were waiting.
The hosts came out and told us that there had been a LOT of interest in Adam (no shit, did ANYONE get tickets at face value?). He said that a whole bunch of people had been by to interview Adam included Italian Esquire (omg please, please let them do a photoshoot of Adam in Italian suits. I would die.) It reminded me that the night before, the host had pointed at the mosh pit and said “In all the years I’ve seen acts come here, I’ve never seen that before!” * painted_birdie tells me that the host was referring to the barrier, not the mosh pit itself* I loved that the event organizers were so pleased with the response to Adam, it means good things for his book-ability. (So please, please crazy people stop phoning venues to bitch about not being able to get tickets!!! It doesn’t help. And yes, I know G-A-Y is going to be insane and most of us will miss it, but there’s always been a bench in attendance in the past and I choose to believe that one of us will get in this time too. *steps down off of soapbox*)
With the first bars of the opening act, I remember turning to oriharakaoru and saying “holy shit they fixed the mix! This is going to be awesome!” I had no idea. Just before Adam took the stage they played Voodoo over the loudspeakers and the crowd went wild. Everyone was on their feet dancing and screaming. Every single one. This time we would not sit until the whole thing was over, not once, not even during the slow songs. Just before Adam came on, they played Voodoo. As soon as the first few notes registered people went NUTS.
Adam opened with FYE again and this time it was flawless. It was fun and energetic and I hoped, once again, that it would get a better chance to be a single overseas. That song still has legs and I hope it gets its chance.
As the opening bars of FYE played Adam this very robotic, very fashion-looking dance and I remember thinking “Dayum he must be fun in photoshoots!” he is very aware of his body. I’m glad we don’t have tape of it, because he deserves some privacy, but I bet he is amazing when he’s just out on the dance floor with a few drinks and cute boy. He can seriously move (but you already knew that). He was wearing the Queen shirt from his birthday party (possibly now with extra sparkle), the overcoat from Gridlock and spats. Spats! God, I love him. Tommy was wearing the lace shirt (from Leno?) both nights so Adam, really really needs to take his boy shopping. I know he’s got a crazy schedule but come on, priorities!
After the first song, After the first song they turn on a set of lights that lit up the audience and Adam could see us dancing and cheering and happy. It was as if they lit us and then we lit Adam. He looked out at us dancing, smiling, everyone on their feet and he just BEAMED. I swear his smile was visible from space. He glowed and then he sang. And DAYUM he put on a hell of a show.
Adam said “you're all so sparkly!" and that's exactly how I felt. There is something about Adam that is incredibly freeing. It’s as if he walks around with a giant pair of glitter scissors cutting all the ties that hold us down, hold us back. Insecure about your looks snip, you’re beautiful. Afraid of looking silly and being rejected for it? Snip snip, just dance. He moves so quickly you barely notice he’s doing it but suddenly, inexplicable you’re free, you can fly if you want to. He won’t push, but he’ll lead you up to the edge of the cliff and show you the view.
I can't dance, but when Adam sings my hips find a rhythm. You cannot stand still, his voice calls out to you. It 's as if he has his hands on your hips and gently starts to sway -- he's all encouragement and invitation. I just went with whatever my body wanted to do - dancing, swaying, arms in the air or hands clapping. It all felt right and there in the crowd, under his spell I never felt awkward or self-conscious. I danced for the sheer joy of it, for the music and the way that it made me feel. It was beautiful and it made us beautiful too.
Second on the setlist that night was Strut - who but Adam does back to back shows and makes them completely different? I had someone (who is not an Adam fan, hiss!) ask “Why would you want to see the same show twice?” Oh honey, it’s not gonna be the same show, trust me. And it wasn’t.
Adam seemed more playful Friday night. I wonder how much concentration it took to play the night before when they couldn’t hear other properly? During Strut he mimed an erection during “just let it all hang out” and I had a feeling we were in for something good. Just a minute later, my thoughts were confirmed. I think Adam was really feeling it. He was already straining his pants two songs in. (Who gets the job of making show-proof pants for Adam? Zippers of steel man, zippers of STEEL.)
About a minute and a half into Strut he stalked over to Tommy and put him in what can only be described as a loving headlock. He had his arm completely around Tommy’s neck and held him flush against his body. He rubbed his hand all the way down Tommy’s chest and back up before letting go. If you watch the videos you can see that just like Gridlock Adam lets his fingers linger on Tommy’s shoulder even as he’s walking away, like he hates to give up the feel of him under his hands. Totally understandable :)
Right then, we had our Lambliff and I wished that all of the Badgers were there to see it. As soon as Adam had his hands on Tommy the crowd roared. Talk about “do you know what you got in to?” I continue to be amazed that of all the bass players in the world, Adam managed to find the one who doesn’t mind being toyed with. A+ universe.
After Strut they played Down the Rabbit Hole - another song that just keeps getting better. He said “People I wanna see you get up and dance to this one” and we did. He started clapping with his arms above his head and we all joined in. In the vids you can see him break out into a huge smile. He has us all in the palm of his hands, and he knows it. I imagine that feels pretty great. Also, there was a red flogger/ whip thing that landed on stage. He hit his own hip with it a few times and tossed it back into the crowd.
It looks like the “starts with his bass” is a permanent lyric change. Adam pointed at Tommy for that part, then grabbed his own crotch for and sang “ends in MY crystal ball”. During the “Who are you’s” in DTRH Adam skipped over to each band member in turn and sang to them. Then he sang "Who are you? Ask yourself that, who are you?" and I heard a voice in my head say "I am a girl who puts glitter in her hair". I like the sound of that.
Sleepwalker was next. The into for Sleepwalker put a completely different spin on that song for me. He asked the crowd “Have you ever loved someone so much that when they leave you, you feel dead? That’s what this song is about.” (omg Bradam! I know Adam didn’t write this one, but I have to think that Brad is the reason it resonates with him.) It was gorgeous, as always. On the CD, it’s not one of my favorites but live, oooooh it’s pretty.
After that he it was time for If I Had You. He told us that his rhinestones were popping off all over the stage. He gave IIHY a great intro telling us that it was his single for the summer and that “it’s about no matter how old you are, no matter who you sleep with, no matter what colour your skin in, we can all party together.” This, Adam is why people are always going to try to turn you into a political figure, because you’re so damn eloquent.
I am constantly reminded of just how smart he is, how good the vast majority of his choices are. He is always thinking, always considering outcomes and possibilities. It makes me happy because those brains matched with his talent are what is going to give him career longevity. At the beginning of the show the Host said “I have a feeling that years from now thousands of people will claim that they were at the River Rock for this show tonight. You’re the lucky ones who really were. Enjoy it.” Not hard to do :)
The coat came off for Mad World which was next and oh, oooooh. This was, hands down my favorite Mad World ever. God it was beautiful. About three minutes in he just start riffing this gorgeous, bluesy set of runs and I didn’t even realize that I had started to groove gently to it. Adam, honey, if you ever need to seduce someone, just do that. It works. Trust me. (Why am I not a small, pretty boy? FML.) You could almost hear the audience moan.
Broken Open, Soaked and Loaded Smile rounded out the acoustic portion and I should give them more time but I was still riding the aftershocks of Mad World. I hope they will forgive me because next up was Fever and O. M. G.
So yeah, Fever? It really really really really needs to be a single. Like right now. Or, in Tommy speak, like jesterday. Make it happen people. Find a way to make it work. The Lambliff, the Lambliff! Damn he knows his audience (and I think he missed having Tommy to play with on stage while he was overseas).
Just before the song starts LP (who was shirtless, sorry for not mentioning that earlier LP peeps) fist bumps Adam and Adam puts his fedora back on. Did I mention he was wearing a hat earlier? Also, I think it was at the beginning of this song that Adam waggled his tongue at us. Cocktease. (who the hell cares, it was hot!) At this point Adam had a situation happening in his pants that you could see from row G. He certainly enjoys his work.
The song starts, the crowd goes wild even though somewhere in the back of our heads we know that the show is winding down. “There he goes my baby walks so slow” and Adam points at Tommy. We all know that The Lean happens in Fever, but after we did not get on the night before I did not want to assume. I needn’t have worried. The very best part of The Lean is the way Tommy oh so stealthily creeps over to Adam and just fits himself up against his back. Adam quickly rotates so he’s flush against him, leans over to stretch Tommy out and then runs a hand down Tommy’s arm. Tommy keeps playing the whole time. Impressive Mr. Ratliff. Then Adam reaches up over his shoulder, gets a handful of Tommy hair and just holds on tight. Tommy starts to bend and then Adam uses his hold on Tommy’s hair to turn him around and pull him in close. Ask anyone who was there we all thought that maybe, just maybe Adam was going for another kiss. But instead he pulls him a little forward and then pushes him away, finally releasing him.
I can say that from where I was sitting, I don’t think Tommy would have protested if Adam had kissed him. Tommy is fucking PLIANT when Adam has him by the hair. He could have turned him any which way. Boy is bendy. Once Adam has his hands on Tommy, Tommy just goes limp.
And all this was just 40 seconds into the song. Adam turned his attention back to the crowd getting us all to pump our fists in the air. This ride was far from over. Not long after that Adam picked a black boa up off the stage and wrapped it around his shoulders. In the videos you can see Adam gesture to the boa as he sings “thank you, baby” between two lines of the yeah yeah yeahs. He looks down into the pit as he sings and I can only hope that the boa-giver got eye contact to go with her singing thank you. I hope someone picked her up off the floor afterwards.
He danced around with the boa during the next chorus and for a moment I caught a glimpse of what Adam must be like at Burning Man, dancing free. He caught sight of Tommy just after that and wasted no time wrapping the boa snuggly around Tommy’s neck while singing “my one and own I wanna get you alone”. Tommy looks good in feathers. He also looked totally and completely comfortable. Seriously how is he even real? Tommy kept the boa on for the rest of the song.
The song ended and Adam beamed again. He is clearly LOVING this. He started stomping his feet and declared “Disco is back motherfuckers!” Remember that one interview where Adam says that LP reads him really well how he just looks at him and knows what to do? Well Adam says “Disco! Disco!” and turns to face LP and in the next moment LP is giving him a beat. Monte joins in on guitar then Tommy and Cam and it’s so smooth it takes almost a full minute for me to realize that this isn’t the start of the next song, it’s just a few very talented musicians fucking around on stage. Seriously, seriously talented musicians. They play, Adam dances then he throws his hand in the air and as quickly as it started it’s over, a tease but not an unwelcome one. They end in perfect unison. This band is tight.
After Fever came Music Again and once again it’s a bit of a blur for me. I do remember that the boa fell off during MA and Adam has finally remembered that raison d’etre does not require two Es. I do really like that song but Fever left us all panting to catch our breath, we weren’t quite steady on our feet yet. Adam, naturally, was already ready to go again.
And then it was over. We cheered and cheered and the encore this time was WWFM. When Tommy came back out on stage, the boa was back in place around his neck. When Adam got back the mic he said “Thank you for being such a fantastic audience tonight, we had a blast. We just got off stage and we were like ‘oh my god that was so fun! oh my god that was so fun!’ (he made flaily hands at this point and I flailed too to know that I had a part in making all of them feel that, in giving them as great a night as they had given me.) He ended the song with his head thrown back like a sated lover. Adam, darling, I know exactly how you feel.
Thank you Adam, and the band and Erin, Andrea, Cheryl and Yoshi for one of the best weekends of my life. Maria, Julie, Susannah, Ashleigh, Juliana it was wonderful to meet you, I wish we’d had more time to hang out. If you ever get a chance to do a Bench or Badger meet-up take my advice and GO. We are good times.
The morning after the show as I was walking around the city on my way to Starbucks the sun was shinning the sky was blue and I couldn't stop smiling. A couple of years ago when I still lived close to the ocean I got up really early one day to watch the sun rise over the water. A couple of lines that I wrote in my journal that morning came back to me to that day "And now the world is fully awake. And now, so am I.”