3.27.14 Queen + Adam Lambert Rolling Stone Mag, Glee News ++

That's one way to 'sum it up'!

As I remember it, Adam was bold enough to leave his family and sail around the world, performing on a cruise ship, when he was nineteen.
I may not have the next part of his timeline quite right, but after he finished that gig, he performed in shows throughout LA and the Southwest (Brigadoon?) and then headed off to Germany with the touring company of "Hair" . . . . hardly the actions of a young man who was afraid to leave the support of his family and friends. Adam has consistently made 'family' of the friends he performs with.

Rather than seeing Hollywood as a 'safe' place, I think it was the place where he could feel free and accepted - Hollywood was a whole new world. He was so talented; his voice so good; he could find roles in theatre - but, not necessarily 'good' theatre (the Tahoe Revue was just an example).
When he did land the ensemble/understudy role in 'Wicked' - something many aspiring vocalists/actors might forever dream of  - he realized it wasn't enough for him. In one interview, I remember Adam recalled he was afraid of what he would accomplish if he set his mind to it. He feared his own excellence. He knew he could be big, and he wasn't sure if he could handle it. Maybe it was the epiphany of Burning Man; maybe it was seeing others succeed; maybe it was his age and his restlessness; maybe it was facing those fears and trusting in his Universe . . . he has, indeed, 'Crawled Through Fire' and it seems he's honed and tempered himself for the challenges ahead.

A couple of years ago I met Adam's Unca Dave. One of the things he told me was this: "We (the family) kept saying to Adam, 'Go to New York! Go to Broadway! You'll be big on Broadway!' Adam would just shake his head and say 'But I wanna be a rock star.' "

"And now, here we are . . ."! While he has come so far since 'Mama'; since 'Brigadoon"; since 'Captain Hook'; since 'My Conviction'; since Burning Man; since the Zodiac Show; since 'Citizen Vein', I will remember, when I see his silhouette as the curtain rises, that his heroic journey has brought him Home; to the stage where he feels most alive and most honest and able to give us every bit of his love. Yes, he sings more than words. He sings emotion.  - And the five years of twists & turns along this path have taught me to  listen with much more than my ears - with an open mind and a heart and soul worthy of thrilling in his adventure.