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Post by 4Ms on Jul 18, 2012 20:32:07 GMT -5
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Post by 4Ms on Jul 18, 2012 20:48:55 GMT -5
OC Fair-Pacific Amp-Costa Mesa CA | Photo Links |
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Post by 4Ms on Jul 18, 2012 20:53:53 GMT -5
OC Fair-Pacific Amp-Costa Mesa CA | Recaps
What a bittersweet night! One I will treasure for many years!
I took one of my dearest friend who has been ill for the last year and a half, my darling sister from Manila, my brother and my son who flew in from Texas. Except for my son, the rest have never seen Adam live.
My friend had chemotherapy in the afternoon so I was concerned if she was well enough to come. She insisted and would not let her illness get in the way of seeing Adam. She has loved him since Idol but has not followed him closely. My sister knew very little about him. My brother is a huge Queen fan and wanted to check out this kid who sang with Queen. My son loves Adam so I knew he would have a great time.
As soon as Adam appeared, I was shocked to see all of them get up on their feet and having a great time. I was very worried about my friend but she said she couldn't help but dance. She only sat down when he started singing WWFM and told me that she loves that song. My sister took a lot of videos so she can show them to her friends back in Manila.
At the end of the concert, my friend gave me a big hug and thanked me for a wonderful evening. I was so happy I could give her some joy. She told us earlier in the day that today, her oncologist only gave her about a year. But she is a very brave woman and I hope I will have another opportunity to take her to another concert.
My brother also had a great time and was duly impressed. His only criticism was that it was too short and he was left wanting more! This really made me very happy as he is hard to impress!
My son danced his ass off!
Sorry for the long post but I am one very happy girl right now!
his body is insane
Adam looked amazing last night! The woman in front of me kept turning to her husband and saying, "Isn't he beautiful?". The look on her face mirrored my own, LOL. Her husband, smart man, smiled and agreed.
Also overheard two teenage girls on the way in to the concert (passing posters of Adam and Scotty from AI who played the venue maybe the night before) "Oh, Scotty... He is cute, but Adam... Adam is hot; Adam is sexy."
The concert was great last night and the crowd LOVED Adam. Thanks to Tinafea, who let us know when those great last minute circle tickets were released, I had an excellent seat, close up, with a perfect view of Adam.
As Adam tweeted, the live vibe was great. The sound at the venue was really good; Adam sounded phenomenal, performed to a crowd that couldn't get enough of him, and seemed more self-assured and confident than ever.
On to Fantasy Springs!
Woke up this morning after that amazing concert last night and wanted to give another perspective. We were very close up in the pit third row so we could really get the "vibe". Vocals were amazing, Adam looked amazing, audience was awesome with the unfortunate exception of the first row of pit where a family was sitting (and I mean just sitting) the whole time with very sullen kids around 12 years old. Adam had to yell at them to get up at one point which they did but sat right down again. I felt like that was a bit of a metaphor for my next comments.
Adam arrived on stage and it took a little while before lights came up but we could see him very well. Grandducchess said it perfectly. He was composed and reflective and as soon as the lights came on, he turned on the switch.
My sense the whole night was exactly that - he turned on the switch rather than he stepped into the strong current of his own joy and energy integrated and spontaneous from the inside out. This is not a complaint. He is a consummate performer and amazing professional and will give his all every time.
I loved him for that and I loved the level he delivered on but that UNENCUMBERED transcendental effervescent joy was not really there. I don't think it would be picked up from any distance back. It was subtle and on a feeling level. Nothing concrete. I chalk it up to fatigue (his tweet about his tired ass), the inevitable (how could it be otherwise) coming down from his tour experience (and yes, I am onboard totally with Adam being a superstar with his own music) and the reality of what lies ahead.
He needs a good rest, good loving (which I am sure he has!) and our unconditional love in the form of support, positivity, turning out for his concerts and spreading the word.
Great news was the very heterogeneous audience. TONS of men! Lots of them straight totally into it. Lots of kids - both sexes. Lots of families and an army of very happy women of all ages. We had a great experience interacting with many of the younger fans and grandducchess pointed out the precious gift of the cross generational communication that is present in this fandom. Our new young friends were delighted with knowing our "history" with Adam and the extent of our commitment and we were delighted with their passion and insanity.
Looking forward to FS and Winstar. Fascinating journey with our Adam. Love him so much.
Sticking my head in very briefly to address a point I've seen brought up both last night and this morning.
YOUTUBES DO NOT USUALLY PROVIDE ACCURATE SOUND!!!
For Adam shows, they are usually created by pulling sound off a camera not designed for sound capture (or sometimes even a phone), which is then garbled more via the downloading/uploading processes.
Everyone in person said Pop That Lock sounded great. However, while tinafea's YouTube looked great, the sound was muddy, backing track nearly impossible to hear, and Adam's voice was thinned out.
[shrug]
Its what often happens when visual equipment tries to do double duty as audio equipment.
IMO, peeps need to be more understanding/reminded of media transmission issues when critiquing performances off of YouTube vids. What you "hear" may be significantly different than what the audience heard at the show.
You read my mind -- I was about to post the same thing! 
I was at the concert last night, and the sound was actually really good. I realize that the quality of the sound can vary a bit depending on where you are sitting in a venue, but from my vantage point, it was good. The sound mix also worked -- Adam's voice was in the forefront, not drowned out by the band or the back-up singers. So, I have to agree with Hoppers -- at the end of the day, the best way to capture sound at a concert is with professional recording equipment, not with the crappy little audio recorders in a camera or a phone.
A few more concert observations:
- Adam was his usual happy, bouncy self. Really seemed to feed off the energy of the crowd, who loved him. (And yes, there was a lot of bouncing and jumping, with Adam leading the charge. 
- My partner, who loves Adam (but is not a stan), thought the concert, and especially Adam, was great. We last saw Adam during the GNT, and his comment was: "Wow, Adam is even better than the last time we saw him!" We were both gobsmacked. I've got to say that recordings don't capture the full beauty and power of Adam's voice.
- I saw Lee Cherry prowling around the stage, camera in hand, so we should (I hope!) see some great concert photos at some point.
Finally, my partner and I had a great time chatting with the folks sitting around us. However, because we were so busy talking (mainly about Adam), I didn't get their names. : Just wanted to say Adam fans are a lovely bunch, and I hope I get to meet more peeps tomorrow at FS.
Well, I was there last night, and the show sounded GREAT! Background singers are much more background than in some of the videos. After the show, everyone around me was talking about how good every song sounded and how good the sound was and how Adam had nailed them all.
The only problem was that I never wanted the concert to end.
On the way home, MyS*&@^#r and I were talking about how even good YouTube videos never really sound like the live experience. Honestly, guys, the live concert sound experience was great, and I have a reasonably good ear.
I loved Adam and Queen, but I also loved seeing Adam do his own songs again. Adam is so all around talented he just blows me away, and he keeps getting better and better!
I don't know about any "rules" about whats safe to say or not but I'd think that people that are at the shows can say if the girls are ruining the songs in person. Because it seems to me Adam would NOT be having any of that repeatedly in front of thousands of people.
They are professional singers doing vocals in studios for other singers so I don't know how they can personally be that bad live, especially on every song.
It's kind of sad to come on here this morning, after experiencing that wonderful show last night and read many comments.
Really, the sound was perfect AT the venue! I could hear everyone! It may be the best sound mix I've seen at an Adam concert, besides Foxwoods! The Vajays are awesome and do nothing but add to the show. Adam loves them, he loves interacting with them. It is obvious this band loves each other and the audience! Their joy of working together carries over to the audience and the audience was NUTSO for them!!
I'm going to go watch coz2mwiz's videos now and relive the wonderful night I had. BTW, her's seem to have the best sound so far.
Oh, one more thing, lynne and I both commented that Adam was "different." There was a level of confidence I have never seen before. Hard to describe, but this post on one of the videos says it well.
I'm noticing a sophistication in Adam's delivery now that was perhaps mere eagerness before. These three opening numbers showcase not only his talent, but also his personality / showmanship . . . confidence without cockiness. He has always been great, but Adam's upping the bar even for himself.
Yes! His showmanship just gets better and better. After each song, literally, all the people around me were turning to each other with looks like, "Can you believe how good he is?"
Not even kidding, jaws wide open.
This venue has great sound; I noticed that last year as well.
I was lucky enough to be at the concert last night in a great seat (row A - just behind the inner circle seats) and I want to chime in with the other people who attended. He looked and sounded WONDERFUL. I made a point at turning and checking out his view of the crowd and the stadium looked really big and full. Everyone was standing and waving their arms and singing - totally energized.
The vibe I got from Adam - safe. He appeared to me to be confident and safe. Chatted like he was among friends...knew that he was. If he wanted to swish it up a little: he did. If he wanted to strut a little: he did. I loved it when he said something like " we know each other, don't we?" Yeah, he felt safe - that was his stage, his band and his crowd.
The people leaving were so happy. There's nothing like the atmosphere at these things, is there? I loved watching the dad leading his daughter and her friend down the aisle towards the front and the daughter was saying "but our seats are back up there" and her dad had such a grin on his face as he kept leading her down to the better seats he got to surprise her. Priceless!
Right in front of me were a family all dressed up fabulously, right down to their trespassing glow sticks. The son was prob around 15, looked like he could have been a shyer, high school Adam - only he is prob trying to gain some weight rather than lose some. He stood between mom and dad. They all three knew the words to every song and were having so much fun rocking out together. Precious!
The outfits, the joy, the excitement - no wonder we all want to go to show after show. It's so damn energizing. Like you feel after an evening of hard laughing or screaming on a roller coaster. It's cathartic.
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Post by 4Ms on Jul 18, 2012 20:56:35 GMT -5
OC Fair-Pacific Amp-Costa Mesa CA | Recaps
The Orange County Register
Pacific 2012: Adam Lambert returns still soaring
July 20th, 2012, 11:45 am · · posted by GEORGE A. PAUL
soundcheck.ocregister.com/2012/07/20/pacific-2012-adam-lambert-returns-still-soaring/96203/
 Photo: Kelly A. Swift, for the Register.
Extremely popular American Idol contestants have made a major showing during Pacific Amphitheatre‘s concert series this week. First up was 2011 winner Scotty McCreery on Wednesday; Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert followed Thursday.
Over the past few weeks, the latter singer has popped up in entertainment news reports on a regular basis. He had the rare distinction of serving as Queen’s frontman during a half-dozen European dates and got rave reviews in London. The YouTube clips are so good, the band should team up with Lambert again in America sometime soon.
He’s also among the rumored replacements for departing Idol judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez – a far better proposal than Mariah Carey – and he will have a cameo role on the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars in October.
This past spring, the San Diego native’s sophomore album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The infectious songs are more dance-oriented this time around, with contributions from Pharrell Williams, Bruno Mars, Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Sam Sparro and others. Lambert co-wrote all but one of the tracks, which he describes as “more honest and self-aware. It paints a clearer picture of who I am.”
Inside Pacific Amphitheatre, many devoted fans (or “Glamberts”) dressed in black-and-yellow striped attire, just like the artwork that adorns the latest album, Trespassing. Some even waved homemade cardboard signs and cutouts. One middle-aged woman and two teenage girls all wore matching blue hair extensions.
Although the venue curfew might have been a factor, Lambert’s hour-long, 13-song set – the same length of his July 2010 performance here, despite having double the amount of original material to pull from now – still seemed awfully short. I would have axed middling opening Nashville electronic rock group This is She to provide more breathing room.
Clad in a sheer horse-print jacket, Lambert and his six-member band kicked off with the energetic, fierce attitude of the new title track and primarily focused on the most recent material. “Kickin’ In,” which boasted a seething, old-school Prince-style groove, found a sassy Lambert singing about a club-going guy with “a dirty mind” waiting for the effects of alcohol to take hold. Whenever the singer did a flirtatious body move or engaged in trademark vocal acrobatics, the crowd reacted wildly.
Keeping with the already sexual theme, Lambert said “we’ll get a little sleazy now” to introduce the slinky sounds of “Shady.” His female backing-vocal duo really elevated the soulful vibe throughout that and various other songs. Meanwhile, the band’s subtly tweaked arrangements allowed the dance songs to open up more.
A stripped-down segment, beginning with a piano-led “Whataya Want from Me,” was quietly effective. Backed by subtle electric guitar and a single drum, Lambert’s tender delivery on the personal “Outlaws of Love” (revolving around discrimination toward gays and lesbians) was magnificent and a set highlight.
Later, several concert-goers waved glow sticks during the slamming, electronica-tinged “Naked Love,” a jubilant Lambert engaging them in some call-and-response action. “Pop That Lock,” laden with double entendres, made its tour debut; the rousing electro-rock number included fun and quick synchronized dance moves by Lambert and the backing vocalists, who added a snatch of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” at the end.
Having removed his shoes earlier, Lambert looked comfortable, said he already felt as if he knew everybody (“at least on Twitter”) and described how the experience with Queen re-energized him as a performer. That would have been a prime opportunity to indulge a Queen cover. (Coincidentally, tribute band Queen Nation appeared nearby at the Hangar inside the fair.)
Instead, another vibrant Trespassing selection was chosen: the Mars-assisted single “Never Close Our Eyes.” Wrapping up with “Cuckoo,” people yelled for an encore – to no avail. Yet, despite the brevity, Lambert still put on a solid, satisfying show.
Setlist: Adam Lambert at Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, July 19, 2012
Trespassing / Kickin’ In / Shady / Fever / Whataya Want from Me / Outlaws of Love / Chokehold / Broken English / Naked Love / If I Had You / Pop That Lock / Never Close Our Eyes / Cuckoo
OC Weekly
Adam Lambert - Pacific Amphitheater - 7/19/12
By Matt Oliver Fri., Jul. 20 2012 at 5:51 AM
Categories: American Idol
blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2012/07/adam_lambert_pacific_amphithea.php
 Matt Oliver/OC Weekly - Adam Lambert singing a track off of Trespassing
Adam Lambert
Pacific Amphitheater
7/19/12
Glambert fever took over the Pacific Amphitheater last night as Adam Lambert belted out crowd favorites and brand new material in part of the Orange County Fair's summer concert series. In honor of his May sophomore album "Trespassing," fans paraded around with yellow crime tape to welcome the screaming, American Idol alumni.
The night before, A.I.'s 2011 winner Scotty McCreery was gracing the stage for a very different (i.e. wholesome) countrified concert. Lambert, the first openly gay artist to top the Billboard Top 200 album chart at number one with Trespassing, took the stage with some serious disco diva swagger, tossing hits "Whataya Want From Me" and "If I Had You," along with a brand new variety in "Never Close Our Eyes" and "Naked Love". With poof'd gelled hair, limp wrist and a face plastered with makeup, Lambert vogued on the neon lit stage while wearing a stallion imprinted blazer, accompanied by a wailing guitarist with bright pink hair, a female bassist who challenged Lambert in the fashion department with Skrillex-style shaved hair. Of course our favorites in the band were two voluptuous black backup singers named "The Va Jay Jays". I must say it was nice to see girls with shape and meat on their bones singing and dancing in the spotlight.
 Matt Oliver/OC Weekly - Adam Lambert reenergized
After spending some of his summer in London as temporary fashion-forward frontman of rock legends Queen, Lambert brought the crowd to its feet for an entire standing only set on Thursday night. It hasn't been confirmed yet, but the San Diego native is eager to take the lead with Brian May and Rodger Taylor for a future Queen studio album.
As for glam nation, Lambert brought his full vocal capacity on new track "Shady", which sounded like a Funkadelic version of Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time."
The vocal phenom did not forget his personality at the door as he said "Thanks for coming out tonight to my house." He took off his shoes to feel the comfort of a bright yellow tiger print rug placed at center stage, and proceeded to say, "If you are ever nervous, sweaty or anything, just take your damn shoes off." A older lady yelled back provocatively. "Take your jacket off!"
Although he does not have moves like Jagger, he exuded the sex-appeal of Prince and Michael Jackson during "Pop That Lock" which came with a "Smooth Criminal" outro. While observing the crowd, the bright colored shirts, teased hair and ripped fabric felt like a flashback to the early 90's. "Naked Love" filled the missing void, as the crowd waved their hands back and forth to this Mariah Carey-esque bubble gum pop song.Bright blue and silver strobe lights helped bring the electro world of Lambert's brand new lead single "Never Close Our Eyes" to life.
Though he left the stage without an encore, Lambert's final song , "Cuckoo" allowed him to exit just the way he came out, with a ball of energy and glittery, electrified funk that beckoned the crowd to "party 'till they take us away."
Critical Bias: I came into this concert thinking I would hate my life. Watching Lambert allowed me to appreciate an amazing vocal talent and stage performer.
Crowd: Generations of screaming females, from glammed-out grannies to teens wrapped in yellow no trespassing caution tape.
Random Notebook Dump: This video from last night gives you a little taste of what we're talking about. [? video ?]
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Post by 4Ms on Jul 18, 2012 20:58:06 GMT -5
OC Fair-Pacific Amp-Costa Mesa CA | MISC |
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Post by 4Ms on Jul 18, 2012 20:59:23 GMT -5
OC Fair-Pacific Amp-Costa Mesa CA |
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Post by 4Ms on Jul 18, 2012 21:00:46 GMT -5
OC Fair-Pacific Amp-Costa Mesa CA |
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Post by 4Ms on Jul 18, 2012 21:01:35 GMT -5
OC Fair-Pacific Amp-Costa Mesa CA |
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