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Post by seoulmate on Jul 17, 2014 17:45:38 GMT -5
Sigh. No Dr Bri solo here, either.  |
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Post by houselady on Jul 17, 2014 17:49:19 GMT -5
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Post by mmmgoodcracker on Jul 17, 2014 17:54:44 GMT -5
Warning: Long and detailed. Remember scroll is your friend. Lastly if I have misspelled your name or didn’t remember your name, I’m sorry. My bad. If it helps, I remember your face. Connections, connections, connections. Following Adam for me is all about the connections and that exchange of energy during the connections. At the designated time, I arrive at the meeting place and connect with other Atoppers (CrazyforAdam, Rihannsu, Suz12, Don’t shake my tree, Taumbu, Bentley, Dancygeorgia, plus two others.) There was an almost audible click as we locked into a common consciousness and became instant friends. We then started yakking about Adam like we were high school girlfriends discussing the dream guy. We went to dinner and continued discussing Adam some more this time going deeper into why we were such ardent fans. I think the food was good, but I don’t really remember it. Connecting with Atoppers was nourishing my soul and was much more filling. We get to the subway station and are a little lost when I notice a cute girl quietly helping us and signaling which way to go. With her confidence I assumed she was a helpful native. When I suggested we follow her, Rihannsu said, “That’s Butterknife!” This summer, Butterknife has become like Bono, a one name wonder. Just say her name and you know her importance in our fandom. Another connection made! We split up once we get to the arena. I find my seat, then decide I have time to tackle the merch line. For whatever reason, the lady in front of me says that she was a junior in 1979. Me too! Another connection! How can I ignore it? So I, of course, started a conversation. She noticed my QAL London shirt and asked if I had seen them perform before. She asked how it was and should she get excited? She was a Queen fan that had seen Adam on Idol. A guy from the line next to us overhears and starts talking to us explaining that he is a longtime Queen fan. He then said Adam was the only singer out there right now that he would pay to see a performance with Queen. Yes! That was such a flip from what I expected him to say that I think I whooped and high fived him! The rest of the wait flew by as we happily talked. I returned to my seat on a high. Everything was going great. I was even seated next to a long time Glambert! After getting to know her a bit, I asked her if she was going to stand because I am a stander. I have to move and chair dancing is not enough. She scoffed and said she was standing. She didn’t care what anyone behind her thought. They could stand. Whew! I polled the other side of me. They were Glamberts too and they were going to stand. I quickly apologize to the people behind me and let them know that I couldn’t help myself and I had to stand. At no time, did they say anything against it so I thought I was fully ready to truly embrace the QAL experience and move into the flow of the love and joy infinity loop. I was fully immersed in that joy and I was fully expecting to feel magic because although Adam had left the stage, I knew that Brian was really feeling the love and I was whooping it up as loud as I could so he could continue to feel the appreciation of his epicness. Brian is sitting down and asking us if we want to make magic when I hear someone angrily yell, “Sit down!” After being ripped out of the joy infinity loop, I gaped at the guy behind totally disoriented. I couldn't process his request or his anger and I turned around to face Brian again. My turning around because I couldn’t process his anger fueled his rage. The next thing I know he’s mocking my screams of appreciation. “How do you like it when I scream loudly?” Then he screams 3 inches from my ear. I didn’t respond. I was trying to get back into the concert flow, when he yells again this time so close I can feel his breath in my ear. He repeats, “How do you like that?” It was threatening and aggressive. Already on an adrenaline high, I had to rationally disengage my flight or fight instinct. He wanted a confrontation and I chose not to give him one. I said, “It’s fine” and turned back around still standing. Because some of the people on the floor sat down, so I could see, I sat down and eventually he thanked me. I turned around and told him that I would sit if Adam wasn’t on stage and the people in front of me sat down so I could see too. When those conditions were met, I sat, but the overall effect was that it pulled me out of the flow and I was truly never fully immersed and connected again. Sads. Ok, now that the bomb was defused, I focused again on the incredible show. And it was incredible! Even after the confrontation, I can’t think of the concert without a smile of WOW! While watching the rest of the show two things became apparent to me. One – Brian is an iron man. He’s in his upper 60’s, just had knee replacement and he was off stage only during 1 song, and the solos. What 10 minutes? His endurance is amazing. Seoulmate – You should know, you now have Atop competition for Brian. He’s mine. Sorry (not!) The second thing that became apparent to me is that Red Panda was right. Adam is a “joy boy”. His joyful energy pervades the concert lightening up everyone’s spirit. His sense of fun and play has coaxed Brian and Roger into being more playful too. Although I do think Brian and Roger are also exhibiting the dynamic of being like grandparents with a calm, joyful appreciation of the fruits of their creation. When they were creating these masterpieces 30-40 years ago, these songs were their babies. They molded and protected the music. They felt the responsibility of nurturing these songs into life and it took careful, serious planning to release their babies to their world. Like any parent, Queen had a legacy to build. Now though, their babies have endured and they are ready to joyfully accept and absorb the accolades of their accomplishments. Like adults, their body of work stands on its own. They no longer have to protect and nurture. They can just sit back and enjoy the ride. From this fan’s point of view, like grandparents, Brian and Roger openly and lovingly share their comradery, acceptance, pride and music, and it is a wonderful, joyful connection to experience. At the end of the show, the five of us staying at the Doubletree Hotel (Rihannsu, Suz12, Taumbu and CrazyforAdam and me) weren’t ready to let the heady experience of a QAL concert fade away with sleep. So we went to a bar across the street until about 1:30. I don’t know about them, but the connections continued getting stronger, we even branched out in conversations beyond Adam! 4 of the 5 even agreed to meet for breakfast where we tackled the topics of religion and morality. Weighty stuff for 9:30 in the morning. Like an Adam or QAL concert, time flew and we really had to say goodbye. This QAL interlude was over, but the connections I have made and the experiences I have explored are life affirming. The reason I love to meet up with other Atoppers is because at our core we are very much alike in what we truly find important. Like Adam, all the Atoppers I have met exude joy, warmth and acceptance. As Roger wrote,”It’s a kind of magic” here at Atop. Thank you, CrazyforAdam, for organizing our get together and thank all of you for meeting up with me. I am a much richer person by getting to know you better. Thank you. BTW – Can you tell that I am feeling a lot of joy at the moment? Life is awesome!  |
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Post by houselady on Jul 17, 2014 19:10:31 GMT -5
TALC HD - Queen + Adam Lambert - Bohemian Rhapsody - Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, PA
TALCvids
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2014 19:58:09 GMT -5
This QAL interlude was over, but the connections I have made and the experiences I have explored are life affirming. The reason I love to meet up with other Atoppers is because at our core we are very much alike in what we truly find important. Like Adam, all the Atoppers I have met exude joy, warmth and acceptance. As Roger wrote,”It’s a kind of magic” here at Atop. Thank you, CrazyforAdam, for organizing our get together and thank all of you for meeting up with me. I am a much richer person by getting to know you better. Thank you. BTW – Can you tell that I am feeling a lot of joy at the moment? Life is awesome! My feelings exactly! What a great recap! |
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Post by andi4sure on Jul 17, 2014 21:05:26 GMT -5
Wow! Thanks everyone for their wonderful recaps of the night! I was there too and love hearing everyone's experiences. One day I would love to meet up with others from this site. It was a great night.
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kagmel
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Post by kagmel on Jul 17, 2014 21:37:37 GMT -5
Thank you to all the recent recappers. Love them!
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Post by seoulmate on Jul 18, 2014 1:36:45 GMT -5
mmmgoodcracker! Wow! Your recap was FABULOUS! I'm just so terribly sorry you had that one BAD experience with that one aggressive guy , but clearly your spirit just couldn't be broken. And it sounds like the camaraderie with the other Atoppers was a magical highlight for you... so very happy you got to hang out with them! 
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maya
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Post by maya on Jul 18, 2014 8:57:43 GMT -5
Times Square GossipNews From New York City Times Square, The Hamptons, Las Vegas And Hollywood
Friday, July 18, 2014 QUEEN IS THE PERFECT VEHICLE FOR ADAM LAMBERT
 QUEEN ADAM --- From PR-pasha Randy Alexander, who was sitting front-and-center in Philadelphia: “Thrilled I decided at the last minute to pick up tix and take my son Harrison to see the Queen and Adam Lambert concert last night. Never much paid any attention to Lambert before, nor have I ever had any desire to consider even semi-seriously following him. But after seeing him last night fronting Queen, he's got a new fan right here, certainly in this vehicle. To say he was perfect in this role is with the greatest respect to Freddie Mercury. I saw the tour with Paul Rodgers six years ago, and Lambert energizes the band in a way Rodgers never did. Lambert not only has the natural flamboyance, but his original interpretations of the Queen catalogue and how to present these indelible songs vocally and theatrically were spot-on while making them his own. More astounding was how effortlessly he delivered his vocal acrobatics - dare I say even more effortlessly than Freddie himself, as was proven each time the video screen gave us the chance to compare/contrast against vintage Mercury clips. True, there was and will only be one Freddie Mercury, rest his soul. But with Lambert out front, ya gotta hand it to him - this version is a greater tribute than ever imagined. It's Killer Queen.” www.timessquaregossip.com/2014/07/queen-is-perfect-vehicle-for-adam.html?spref=tw&m=1 |
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Post by Craazyforadam on Jul 18, 2014 15:44:59 GMT -5
From Craazyforadam – PHL Wells Fargo Center – 7/16/2014
Right now, as I am writing this, it is 24 hours later, and admittedly, given the wonderful current events, I checked into the ongoing MSG feed first, to join the live events unfolding there, before sitting down and writing about my own experiences in PHL, because I cannot write anything short and sweet for the life of me. But now that the next show is over, it is time to go back, collect my thoughts, and jot down all the different pieces that have been buzzing through my head, over the past 24 hours.
There is of course always a personal experience and all the people that happen to make their way into your own life on a day that is rich and full like this, mixed with the overall unfolding events of the night, and there is way too much to describe. Where do you begin and what parts do you pick out for this report, I will try to cover what meant a lot to me?
I met Rihannsu in the hotel lobby, we had decided to be roommates at the Doubletree Hotel, and as always within this atop family, you meet somebody new, and yet you chat away like good long time friends, which in reality we have become over the years. Thank you Rihannsu for sharing this experience with me, we had wonderful fun together, engaged debates and lots of laughter over 24 hours. I was thinking of you, looking at the pictures of the audience coming in from NYC tonight, knowing you are there, and I am looking forward to seeing you in Baltimore again. I also got to meet 10 most wonderful ladies at dinner, but I think, the thoughts jotting through my mind right now are taking me to the concert right now, so I’ll go there first.
PHL was my first QAL concert, and while I had watched a good amount of individual videos over the last couple of weeks, I stayed away from watching those that showed the complete show, filmed the whole stage, or gave otherwise the impression that they would take away from my overall experience being in the arena in area 104 and seeing the show as a whole. This was my first QAL show from beginning to end and what a delightful and overwhelming experience it was.
Meanwhile, you have probably seen more videos from this show than I have, and have taken in all the special little moments that happen to be unique to this Philadelphia show, like Brian having hired an additional bass player called Spike, and then turning that into a short discussion on the values of live music performances and the lack of backing tracks, and you saw THE HUG, right after Adam fired off a note too soon and you saw them both laughing about it. This is live, and personal and real, and it is wonderful how they all interact with each other. You heard us all sing, probably from multiple angles and corners to boot and formed your impressions about this concert audience that way. Oh yes, and we grew some balls, where I was sitting, lol.
But being there is totally different, and how different it is, you will only find out, when you actually experience it live. During GNT, I happen to see the premiere, and so there were no videos to watch prior to the show, just like for those folks, who went to Chicago this time around (QAL). So, I want to talk about this for a moment, because that aspect of it hit me hard.
When you stand in those stands, wherever your seat may be, your view of the world is kind of different. First: You have your immediate neighbors. In my case, Queen fans for the most part, but not all. In front of me a cute May-September gay couple, who were snuggling up to each other through most of the concert. They breathed a sigh of relieve when they found the opening sequence pleasing to their ears, happily settled in for a ‘great concert night out’ during AOBTD, FBG, and even ITLOTG and SSOR. But they majorly woke up during KQ and STL, loved, loved, loved that, and were seen fist-pumping and cheering for the rest of the night. Out and proud, live on stage + a great concert, that made their day.
To my right, an old core Queen fan, who came to hear the tunes he loved, but with a friend at home, who refused to come along, because without Freddie and John, it was not the real Queen ….yadi, yadi, yadi. Probably a personal mirror and kind of representative of what is happening in the Queen fan base overall. But of course, those that showed up for the concert by the hundred thousands across the US and CA, are those that have opened their hearts and minds to Adam, or are at least curious, and those that just don’t even care about who sings the songs for them, they just want to hear the songs live once again. And they are grateful to Adam in this way. In my section, Adam was accepted from minute one, and that was so lovely to see. Now that friend back home will get an earful of things that he probably does not want to hear, because my neighbor loved the concert. Loved it for the sentimental value, he was there for the songs. He also has a few videos to take home. He will have as much an uphill battle convincing his friend, as some of us are having with our own friends and family, trying to get them to understand that Adam is the real deal and worth it.
On my right, younger generation, but same story. Loved to hear the Queen songs, enjoyed the show. Accepted Adam in the role, probably blissfully unaware of any of the debates going on in the Queen fandom about who should substitute and who should not. Adam made it possible for them to hear the music they wanted to hear, and so great! They accepted Adam from the onset, and stood up immediately, when he walked out. They loved the show. It was as simple as that.
The people behind us were weird. First of all, the row directly behind us only showed up half-way through the show (Brian was just talking about Einstein) and then they did not understand what was going on, because obviously Adam was nowhere to be seen, and everything seemed a bit weirdly Peter, Paul and Mary to them, and they clearly assumed, someone around them would mid-concert make time and explain it all to them, grrrrr. I ignored them mostly, because unfortunately the next row behind that, the ones that wanted everyone to sit down, was even louder and more obnoxious. But thankfully, after what seemed to me an eternity, everyone settled down again, people mostly sat during the mid section, but were up on their feet again, when Adam was out. Word of mouth has gotten around among Queen fans that Adam was fit for the role, and this was a rock concert, and they showed him that respect from the get go. Was nice to see…..
.....to be continued…..
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