7.7.14 Adam News and Info

Posted a long recap in Las Vegas concert thread

respect for others enjoyment of an event should be universal.  emphasis on SHOULD BE

Manu's undershirt ‏@senorita_SM 2h
STILL AVAILABLE! 2 tickets for July 23rd @ IZOD. SEC 212, ROW 12, SEATS 13-14. $100 for both or $50 each (face value $183) @adam_tickets

My take on the "Adam isn't ______ enough on SCC and other hard rock numbers." They are probably right. When I hear Adam sing, regardless of the song, I hear a trained voice. I think he does a remarkable job of adapting that voice, and more specifically, adapting his style of delivery to sound authentic to the style/genre. He doesn't sound like an opera singer trying to sing pop or rock, like, for example, Pavarotti did. Still, I admit the classic training shines or bleeds thru, depending on if you think that is good or bad.

What about it is so distinctive from other rock singers? Perhaps a bit of preciseness or exactness. Adam sings almost every note on a definite pitch, (I remember hearing WWRY by Adam the first time and thinking, 'Damn! There IS a melody there! Who knew!')  unless he is intentionally bending a note in a bluesy manner. An untrained singer doesn't sing with that consistency. The notes vary more in sound, duration or pitch. As they move up or down their register, the notes may vary in strength or power. Some will sound strained. Adam very rarely sounds like he is straining or working very hard to sing anything. With an untrained singer, some notes may sound weak and thin. Can't think of Adam's voice ever sounding that way except at the very bottom of his range sometimes.

The tone is clear and resonant. It is not raw, raspy, dull or piercing. The typical rock singer may have gravel in his tone, may sound like he is battling laryngitis, may have no ring, or may have a high frequency, metallic edge.

Adam articulates his words clearly. Not a characteristic I associate with pop or rock singers. Just the opposite.

Adam pays more attention to lyrics than is usual in pop, I think. He plays more with the phrasing, with pausing, with extending lines, with emphasizing a word, with varying the delivery from delicate to full out than I typically hear in pop or rock. Maybe others also pay attention to the lyrics, but they seem to sing them more linearly, with less variation. Of course, coming from a theater background, Adam was taught that every song tells a story, and he approaches his performances that way. I may agree or disagree with his interpretation, but there is a distinctive one.  It is one reason he so often gets the label "theatrical."

Fans of hard rock have legitimate reasons to not care for Adam's voice on the more grungy, metal, or hard rock numbers. Could Adam create that harder rock sound? Could he sing with more "push" or strain on the glory notes? Yes, probably. Could he do it without endangering his instrument? No. Oh, I guess he could slur his words more. He could sing the phrases in a more linear fashion with less theatrical interpretation. Singing off pitch intentionally is something much harder and would sound contrived. He could probably also go against years of training to add noticeable shifts in his registers and changes to his tone when moving up and down his range. Again, hard to do. And perhaps foolish to ignore technique in order to sound other than he now does.


BTW, I am no Freddie expert, but I listened to SCC. It is faster, yes. But, Freddie has a distinct ring to his voice. He is not singing in a rough, raspy style, so I don't know what about it is more "rock and roll." I sometimes wonder, when long time Freddie/Queen fans talk about Adam not measuring up, how much he is not measuring up to their MEMORY of Freddie performing, and his legend and legacy that has grown over the years, rather than the reality of the live performances which many have never heard except on video.