6.2.14 Adam in London! And a bit o silliness!

It's totally cool to love one performance more than another, should not be necessary to have to defend it. I don't think, that anyone is saying there is something wrong with a specific performance, just that there are preferences:

More runs - less runs, more camp - less camp, more lower register - less lower register, and so on.

I also have no problem giving Marc M. props for doing that one song pretty well (and his BR is not too shabby either, so that makes two; but meah on the rest, tbh). Does not take anything away from the brilliance that is Adam singing these songs, to know, that on one isolated song, he actually has a few folks who think he has a little competition, because these folks prefer other styles. Because, let's face it, on most songs he simply does not.

If I list the 21 songs from Hammersmith (or the 17 Adam did) and ask, who can compete today with Adam, I am left empty handed on almost every one, like 16 out of 17.

STL is the song, where a) the competition is the highest because more people are attempting it
b) on a relative scale, given that we are talking about Queen songs, this is one of the easier and less rangy ones
c) its about love or the yearning for love and so anybody can relate to it, interpret it on a personal level

and so it ends up being the one song, where Adam , in the mind of a few, gives up a point. So, that makes the race like 16-1 for that person? When the next person would even give that 17th song to Adam, make it an 17 - 0?
Come on! Really?

I am not normally a George Michael fan, but I agree, that the version posted by Talon earlier is a great one, he hs that audience in the palm of his hand, something Marc M. did not achieve, btw. Adam got the crowds going too, and I think that he will do this song better on this upcoming tour. As somebody already mentioned, he probably can relate to it better this time around, his voice has gained strength on the lower range, which will help, and thirdly, I think that to some degree the pressure is a bit off for Adam, and for this song, that will help a bit, to take it down a notch.

The pressure is less, because this time he knows his place is secure, he is not introducing himself the first time to some doubtful Queen fans, who never heard his name. Anyone who bought this ticket, bought it, because they like the idea of these two forces (Queen and Adam) pairing up. Adam is well known in both US and Asia/AU to the audience that is likely to come to such a concert. It's a different situation.

Adam started some of his performances in London sitting down on the steps, like he wanted to bring this song down, but then it went off into its usual dramatic self, and he went with it. I personally hope, that given the extra prep-time, that Adam suggests to take this song down and make it introvert, rather than dramatic and bombastic and camp. Adam could end up having a real artistic moment with that. It would be wonderful, imo, if he decided to do that, and his sitting down at the beginning tells me, he is kind of feeling that difference in dynamic versus the more introvert message. So maybe he does it differently, this time around.
And when it comes to such ability to create a completely different moment with a song, change it up completely, there is only one person, who can do something like this.

Believe me, I am not going to knock on Marc Martell's doors for that, and tbh, not George Michael's either.
Only Adam has this range of performance styles and depth of interpretation. We will see, whether he uses it here.

I was racing off and wrote poorly and wrong -- I thought the 7/12/14 STL Hammersmith was great, the Brian one -- not really fun. But I was looking for the 7.11.12 Adam version. Here is the Brian one.

youtu.be/LY5OonHi0Ds

The Brian version was touching and really a nice moment (as I wrote my fav of the 3 London STL), the Adam versions were very energetic and powerful live -- the best word I could come up with was electric -- and more fun. That does not get captured on the videos at all. JMHO -- but there was so much energy in the theatre during that performance and I can't find any video that captures it.

**

Of Freddie performances, I think 1981 Montreal is excellent. I also like the earlier performances a lot. I liked the version from the Day at the Races Tour a lot.

Somebody to Love - Live at Earl's Court 1977 - DVD

www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ebSCMglRA

**

I am interested to see what they do with this one for the 2014 tour. It is Freddie's Aretha Franklin-style/gospel song but kind of difficult to hit the right balance in it. Freddie used some gospel structural elements but it has no blue notes -- although it is in Ab Major, 6/8 meter and has many gospel characteristics. It is one of many Freddie songs where he fused musical traditions -- so they sound familiar but are different. This one was very successful.

I think George Michael makes it too much into an R&B song -- and Freddie was very specific about it being a gospel song inspired by Aretha Franklin. I am a fan of gospel music and, so while I like GM as a vocalist, I am not fond of this version of STL.

**

I am very interested to see what Adam does with STL on this tour. (That is assuming he sings it along the way. And he might not.) I would like to hear it be done a bit more like a gospel song -- a bit more like Aretha would have done it. More space and cleaner style -- let the song be. Maybe they could slow it down a bit in the beginning -- and then move up the tempo as the song builds.

Here is a good example of classic gospel song -- in gospel music, less is often more powerful, just like in the blues.

Queen Esther Marrow and the Harlem Gospel Singers - Precious Lord 1993

youtu.be/4rUnNsC5zXk


And because I mentioned how Aretha would have sung it...

Aretha Franklin - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

youtu.be/q9nSU2hAqK4