|
Post by wal on Jan 22, 2016 17:01:28 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by wal on Jan 22, 2016 17:04:15 GMT -5
Eri9NZ eri9 Jan 22 Updated tour Tshirt
|
|
|
Post by wal on Jan 22, 2016 23:38:59 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by wal on Jan 22, 2016 23:40:06 GMT -5
ADAM LAMBERT @adamlambert Thank you Auckland!!!!! Great energy!!
|
|
|
Post by wal on Jan 22, 2016 23:40:49 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by wal on Jan 22, 2016 23:49:42 GMT -5
tearaway.co.nz/in-review-adam-lamberts-the-original-high-auckland-show/In Review: Adam Lambert’s ‘The Original High’ Auckland Show Show: Adam Lambert – The Original High Date: January 22, 2016 Venue: Auckland Town Hall Reviewed by: SAM ILIEV Perfectly executed with an intimate touch, Adam Lambert delivered The Original High to his fans on the opening night of his Australasian Tour last night in the Auckland Town Hall. With lines of fans spilling down Queen St in all directions, the wait for those with general tickets came at the cost of standing in the chilly Auckland breeze. Inside the great hall the opening act was underway, Melanie Martinez, a 20-year-old New York Artist who brought her Cry Baby favourites to the New Zealand Stage. Her fans were out in force screaming at the base of the stage which, mixed with the VIP ticket holders, formed the front of the crowd. Aside from one disturbance from a die-hard fan with a stolen VIP Pass who was quickly removed by security, the crowd was well behaved and respectful of each other. This certainly helped maintain the glowing vibe created through the pulsing lights, smoke and Lambert’s upbeat tunes. The transition between each song was smooth, Lambert slipping into the next piece with ease. There were two intermissions during which Lambert left the stage, the first was what appeared to be a general break, the second bringing on a costume change. During the first break there was just music, however the second intermission had the guitarist going solo which gave the audience something to focus their attention on. In classic Adam Lambert fashion, his wardrobe was flamboyant with the first outfit a monochrome jumpsuit with knee high lace up boots to match. His backup dancers Holly Hyman and Terrance S*&@^#r both wore racy black outfits blending into the shadows but also standing out through their hipster choreographed routine. After the second break Adam came back on with military style pants and a golden jacket with sparkling suspenders. Holly returned in a hot neon coloured play-suit; and Terrance shirtless, covered only by a pair of neon paint splattered overalls. Although these costumes reflected the wardrobe from Lambert’s recent Tokyo Tour, he personalized the night with a few anecdotes on our Pacific nation, closing with the following advice: “There are evils in this world, however it’s up to each of us as individuals to find the light and fill it up with love.”
|
|
|
Post by wal on Jan 23, 2016 0:39:38 GMT -5
13thfloor.co.nz/reviews/concert-reviews/adam-lambert-auckland-town-hall-january-22-2016/Adam Lambert – Auckland Town Hall January 22, 2016 Adam Lambert, talent-show runner-up and ersatz Freddie Mercury, managed a rather difficult task last night, shoehorning an arena show into a theatre-sized setting. The last time Lambert was in town, a year and a half ago as Queen’s latest jobbing frontman, he played the Vector Arena; his management, presumably, decided that he couldn’t quite fill the Vector on his own, but this appears not to have stopped Lambert from putting on an arena-style show in Auckland’s Town Hall. Kicking off a few minutes late (there were, I heard, problems with ticket scanners; the audience were late being admitted to the venue), and after opener Melanie Martinez, a sweary, J-Pop Lorde in a baby-doll nightie sang some questionably infantilised-sexualised lyrics about Mrs Potato Head over spiky, angular rhythms played by two backing musicians in matching bear-ear hats, Lambert clomped out onto the small Town Hall stage in a black-and-white Sailor-Moon-esque costume with knee-high white-leather Doc boots, and began to sing. A pair of costume changes notwithstanding, he sang for an hour and a half, stopping to addresss the Auckland audience only twice during a show that took in Lambert’s earlier, funkier numbers, his more recent and more ponderous material, and a surprising selection of covers (of which more presently). Lambert has, there’s no denying it, a quite superb voice. He was a huge success with Queen because he brought a not inconsiderable vocal talent to bear on some of the finest songs in the rock canon. And right there was one of the biggest weaknesses of last night’s show. When he’s got the songs to sing, Adam Lambert is an outstanding singer. Give him a Queen song, and you’ll find few, if any, equals. But his own material, written by any number of different songwriters-for-hire over three albums, is of considerably less consistent quality. Lambert tried to tell the audience, in the first of two attempts to engage with his fans on a personal basis, that “the Original High tour is a journey, and that’s the angry stuff.” The “angry stuff,” the half-dozen or so songs he opened with, songs like Evil In The Night or Ghost Town, are by-the-numbers modern pop-rock, entirely agreeable tunes made interesting by a remarkable vocal delivery. But the songs themselves are a little unremarkable, and the overall experience is, in the end, Poor Man’s Robbie Williams (he even has a song called For Your Entertainment, for pity’s sake!) — excellent singing, uninspired songwriting, very little charisma. Indeed, Lambert’s lack of charisma, his almost absolute failure even to attempt to engage with his audience — a devoted audience, even given several dozen “A Night At The Opera” t-shirts — was quite odd; he carried on, seemingly oblivious, even as three or four loud bangs, explosions almost, came from the PA system at various moments in the show. The man can perform, but the show felt a little cold, a little clinical, a little too choreographed. The lighting, the dancers, the costume changes — these all work well in an arena setting, where last night’s show really belonged, but in a theatre like the Town Hall, something more personal, more intimate is required, and this Lambert failed to provide. My neighbour came with me — she’s a longtime Lambert fan, and saw him play with Queen in 2014. She enjoyed the show, she assured me, but when I suggested, after the second costume change and Lambert was wearing gold-foil trousers with his braces down by his hips, and a black singlet, that he’d transitioned into a thinking woman’s Justin Bieber, she allowed that, yes, maybe he had. But the closing songs of the set, Fever, and Trespassing, despite the look-how-street-I-am posturing, were among the highlights, Lambert tapping into a little of the funk and the energy that clearly lives within him but which was rarely on display last night. And then there’s the covers. There’s nothing at all wrong with singing a few of your favourite songs from other artists; it’s how Lambert did it that was worth passing comment on. Mad World, the Tears For Fears track that helped him to near-success on American Idol, went unremarked. Fair enough; he’s made the song his own, perhaps, enough that he doesn’t feel the need to mention the fact that it wasn’t written for him. But then, just a few songs later, he played Let’s Dance. His band tore through the song with a passion and energy that warranted the enormous cheer it earned, but Lambert — oddly, I thought, very oddly — made no reference at all to David Bowie. He and his band deserve praise for having the song so tight and sharp — it was added to the setlist after David Bowie died, less than a fortnight ago — but the fact that it was, clearly, added as a tribute to a figure who must, surely, have been a huge formative influence on Adam Lambert without a single acknowledgment of the source of the song seems most peculiar. Similarly, set-closer Another One Bites The Dust, slightly hurried and without the hint of menace and snarl that bubbles under the surface of Queen’s original, came and went, segued into from Trespassing, without a mention of the origins of the song. An odd show, then. His audience loved it; of that that there can be no mistake. I heard a woman tell her friend as I left “Best show — ever!” Perhaps she’s a more dedicated fan that I am; perhaps she needs to see a few more shows. But to judge from the cheers and screams I heard from the floor, especially during the second half of the show, perhaps this was not a show for the uninitiated. He was good; he should have been better. Steve McCabe
|
|
|
Post by wal on Jan 23, 2016 0:54:50 GMT -5
libel.co.nz/blog_posts/8576-adam_lambert_with_photosAdam Lambert with PHOTOS 23 January - CONCERT REVIEW Photos by Leah Victoria By Leah Victoria Artist: Adam Lambert Date / Venue: Friday January 22nd, 2016 - Town Hall, Auckland For those of you who are not so familiar with Adam Lambert - he's a chart topping, multi award winning, multi platinum selling, singer, songwriter and one hell of a performer! All that after finishing as runner up in the 2009 series of American Idol! When I heard he was back in New Zealand for The Original High tour, and playing Auckland Town Hall, I just knew it was going to feel like a private party! Running almost 30 minutes behind schedule due to the mammoth task of cramming everyone into the sold out venue, queues were still forming down the street with only 5 minutes to go til stage time! A warm buzz filled the humid hall as thousands of "Glamberts" excitedly awaited their favourite of all the Idols Eventually the stage lights up as his band appears, and a silhouette of Adam appears as graphics on the backing screen, just a short teaser before the man himself bounces larger than life onto a podium to a loud cheer from his audience. Dressed in a futuristic style, cape like sleeveless jacket and knee high, white Doc Martens, he almost looks like a super hero. He opens with Evil In The Night from the tours namesake album The Original High album and follows up with For Your Entertainment from 2009, just to remind us of where he began. Then without hesitation, he launches straight back into the new stuff with Ghost Town. After an extremely energetic start to the night, a slightly more laid back sound with Rumours which was originally recorded with female vocalist Tove Lo. Mid song, what sounded like a gunshot fired, a blown amp perhaps? This happened another 3 times throughout the night, but we didn't loose sound and Adam wasn't phased at all and continued on like nothing happened! Accompanied by a male and female backing vocals/dancers, the three of them bounced off one another radiating a fiery energy. Adam has created a pretty unique sound with this album; I can clearly hear influences of dance, house and also a bit of funk. As he begins Runaway, his female vocalist/dancer takes to the centre platform and performs some suggestive pole dancer moves and super high kicks, while black and white scenes of a strip club played out behind her. The lead guitarist then takes a turn on the platform while Adam disappears for a short but a well-deserved breather, and we hear an impressive long guitar solo. Adam returns to the stage looking every inch the star in a cerise suit and a catchy beat fills the room. The crowd are clapping in time as the tempo of After Hours builds like a classic club anthem. He hasn't really said much to this point, preferring to jump from one track straight to the next, but now takes a moment to have a wee chat with his fans. He thanks Auckland for coming to see his first show on the "Oceania" leg of the tour, and admits he had never even heard of Oceania - "What's up with that? Where the fuck is it?!!" He tells us that The Original High tour is a journey, and that there are evils in this world, but it's up to us to fill it with love! "Fuck that darkness" he pronounces! He took us back in time with a heartfelt rendition of Mad World from the Donny Darko soundtrack and then back to the happy feeling sounds with There I Said It. A single blue spotlight on a darkened stage set an appropriate scene for Another Lonely Night and I suddenly noticed the lack of cell phones illuminated throughout the crowd. This I have become accustomed to seeing at concerts in this digital age, and it was nice to see the audience engrossed in the performance instead of being busy recording it on their tiny screens! All eyes were on Adam and captured by his theatrical presence. Another short interval begins as coloured disco lights bounce around the Town Hall, and graphics that remind me of 80's video games dance on the big screen. Then as if to say 'Yeah we are 80's babies', he returns with his stage mates all dressed in 80's/90's fashion! The male backing dancer is now in multi coloured overalls and a green baseball cap, and his lady colleague in fluoro hot pants! Adam is now in green cargo pants and adorned in a shiny gold bomber jacket as he gives us The Original High. The lyrics really do have a reminiscent feel to them, reflected well by their choice of outfits, this one is bouncy and anyone who wasn't already on their feet, certainly are now. He surprised us with an absolutely awesome cover of David Bowie's Let's Dance, of which I'm pretty sure the legend himself would have been proud of! This performance was certainly deserving of the roaring applause it received! He also gave a nod to Queen who will be joining him later on in his tour, with Another One Bites The Dust. At the very end he introduces us to his awesome band one by one, and lets them take the spotlight for a solo each as he sits to the side and takes a much-needed rest! I really have no idea where this guy gets his energy from! I was beginning to wonder if all the true artistry will be buried along with greats such as Bowie, but Adam Lambert is living proof that the theatrical side to music will live on in the next generation. I left tonight having had an absolute ball, smiled heaps and enjoyed every second of his performance! I'm totally sold, and if he returns to NZ, I will most definitely go see him again!
|
|
|
Post by wal on Jan 24, 2016 17:00:54 GMT -5
thewireless.co.nz/articles/review-adam-lambert-at-auckland-town-hallReview: Adam Lambert at Auckland Town Hall Monday 25th January 2016 The former American Idol contestant, current Queen frontman and Glee guest star has figured out where he belongs - and, more importantly, how to bring his audience with him. Nearly every introduction to Adam Lambert includes a reference to American Idol. He is, after Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson, arguably the most successful artist to emerge from the television franchise, even if - or because? - he didn’t win. If you haven’t followed his trajectory since then, you’d be forgiven for thinking he peddled middle-of-the-road pop/rock with a fallible voice. He doesn’t. But the Idol tag is a hard one to shake, particularly when your hardcore fanbase remains wedded to the version of you presented on a reality show. It’s even harder when you’re a pragmatist when it comes to your audience’s role in your artistic survival. Figuring out how to balance who you are with who your fans think you are is a challenge, to say the least. This, in essence, has been Lambert’s post-Idol conundrum since day one: how to fill in the blanks for people, to give them a path to accept his progression from the artist who performed on the Idol finale with Queen in heavy eyeliner, a leather studded jacket and six-inch platform boots, to a popstar unapologetically influenced by contemporary club culture, sporting facial hair and sick dance moves. On The Original High tour, it feels like he has finally accomplished that. On Friday night at the Auckland Town Hall he took the audience on a 24-song sprint through all three of his full-length albums. The nearly two-hour set was heavy on the dance music, covering almost the entirety of The Original High plus the most synth- and funk-laden offerings from his previous two records (Trespassing and For Your Entertainment, respectively). The most obvious change since his last proper solo tour in 2012 can be summed up thusly: his musical director back then was an accomplished metal guitarist; now, his musical director sits behind two keyboards and three laptops. Lambert didn’t banish his history from the stage, though, with 'Lucy' (co-written by Queen’s Brian May) and Queen’s 'Another One Bites The Dust' providing some wailing guitars to mix up the night. He also didn’t ignore the fan favourites from his debut For Your Entertainment, including his biggest single 'Whaddaya Want From Me' and 'Mad World' from his time on Idol. Lambert set this tone in the first 15 minutes of the show with a surprising but telling move. He played 'For Your Entertainment', his first post-Idol single (remembered primarily for his AMA performance, when he kissed his male guitar player on live network television) back-to-back with 'Ghost Town', the lead single from The Original High. Bookending the old and the new was a statement of intent: we were here to cross that bridge with him, to acknowledge his past iterations but not remain shackled to them. Running the gauntlet from WeHo Gay Club to 70s glam rock didn’t feel forced or inauthentic, however. The musical breadth showcased both his versatility as an artist and the insane diversity of his audience. The septuagenarian couple directly in front of me were bopping along happily to everything from Lambert’s cover of Bowie’s 'Let’s Dance' to the club-banger 'Kickin’ In'... just like the 17-year-olds on the floor, and the 30-something couple with their child in the circle seats. Lambert managed to start a full-on rave in the Town Hall as he entered the last third of his set. The singular misstep in his programme was the rework of the radio-friendly 'If I Had You' into a reggae-tinged number. I had hoped this was a misguided, if well-intentioned, gesture to New Zealand, but YouTube confirms this is a regular part of his current tour. There’s just something about it - including the faux-patois delivery - that just doesn’t quite land. Unlike the Beyoncés of the world who sacrifice nearly all their choruses in order to deliver high-energy choreography, Lambert makes scarce use of backing vocals. His vocal strength is undeniable, even as his choreography ramped up towards the end of the show, and something he clearly does not compromise on; even when, four songs in, what sounded like a gunshot cut the house PA for a split second. Lambert was utterly unfazed. Six more times the PA blew and cut out for a number of seconds (apparently a signal failure, not an overload, despite the substantial production at work on this show), and six more times, Lambert continued as though nothing had happened, in seemingly great spirits. One can only imagine what was running through his head, because he gave literally nothing away. He is committed to The Show as only a former Broadway actor can be. In a rare voice break about halfway through his set, Lambert told the Town Hall audience: “This show is a journey,” one that was meant to take us from the darkness to the light. While that musical and emotional arc may well have been true, the real journey is the one his fans have made with him. No small feat for the boy who found them by singing covers each week. twitter.com/TheWirelessNZ/status/691374765718671360
|
|
|
Post by wal on Jan 24, 2016 21:55:21 GMT -5
|
|