I seem to remember the people over on the DDD rock vocal forum (something like that) highly rating Adam's heaven on their minds in a best live vocal performance list - someone might have the link.
When I stumbled over that vid during his idol run l was completely blown away - I mean who the hell sings like that... Would love to see Adam as Judas in a remake of movie.The end cracks me up because Adam has the pimp spot (1st half anyway). Adam always has the pimp spot!
Every time I listen to this I am even more puzzled how Adam didn't get "discovered". He knew all the right people, exposure and obviously talent. I remember reading during Idol that this performance had many famous people in attendance.
"Discovered" is pretty meaningless -- many people knew Adam could sing, but this is not a likely artist to get a major label deal.
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There are so many parts to that questions, because Adam was basically working on two different career paths....
1. Musical Theater: From 2002 through his Idol audition in Fall 2008 Adam focused mostly on musical theater, but he was based in LA vs. NY (more opportunities in NY, he did not moderate his personal vocal style (see video of "Heaven on My Mind", he was not considered a strong actor, and he was not known so not a draw (Catch 22). So since he was not "big enough" to star in a musical, it was tough to case in most musicals because the "show stopper" songs go to the stars.
2. Performer: Adam had no consistent style -- he did song electro-dance, he did underground rock band - the Citizen Vein music (independent recording deal), he did some pop songs, he did the gay music review (Zodiac), he did adult pop at Upright Cabaret, he did session work, etc.
What was he going to be discovered as? He was all over the place? The one place he wasn't, was doing contemporary pop, alt. rock, country...the genres of music that labels were looking for in 2006-2008.
> Labels sign artists who they believe they can package/develop, market and sell. And one thing Adam was not was a likely person to be a mainstream pop artist.
> In 2008, when Adam auditioned for Idol, and after he had spent 8 years primarily focused on Musical Theater, Adam was still more focused on getting better roles in Musical Theater.
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Setting all of that aside, Adam was not just gay, he was "gay, gay, gay". A lot of his performance style and work outside of Musical Theater was in gay venues.
In 2008, no US major label had signed an out gay artist to a major contract since Jobraith in 1972 which was a financial disaster.* And until WWFM US mainstream rock radio did not play music by openly gay new artists, and even the artist who were major stars, supported by major labels, and came out had issues with US radio airplay. (The effected Bowie, Elton John and Queen).
* There is a debate about Jobraith, because he was out in 1973 when he was signed by Electra, but he had already released a studio album as a not-out artist in 1969 for Decca. He was not out in 1969 when he was doing folk-rock. There is no chance Jobraith was ever in a closet. His performances make The Zodiac Show look mainstream.
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Adam had to prove that he could sell music, he had to demonstrate he fit into some market (adult pop-rock appears to be his best fit), and he had to smash the pink ceiling.
For better or worse, Adam is the Jackie Robinson for gay musicians in the world's biggest and toughest music markete -- mainstream pop. There are some gay leaders who wanted someone more like Neil Patrick Harris (nice gay in a suit) doing music like Michael Buble. But thankfully, "America" get a chance to pick Adam.
Finally, with all the changes and increase in acceptance for LGBT Americans, the would not have happened without Idol.
