7.8.14 Adam News and Info

Aww!  Nice maitos!  I haven't seen the roses either.  What song was Adam doing when you gave them to him?

SCC is Headbangers Ball, heavy metal stuff that my son and his friends worshipped in the mid to late 80's (then he went to college and his tastes changed a bit) - it was anarchy, and your parents hated it, and the sound and look has to be exactly what Hetfield personifies. I took my son and his friends(dropped off is more accurate) to Black Sabbath and Judas Priest concerts and they were as happy as pigs in slop. I have a few songs on my iPod from that period because sometimes I am in the mood. Adam will not produce that sound, or that emotion, but I still enjoy his versions.

Caution - please scroll if you believe that Adam can sing anything better than anyone else. And please scroll if you believe that Freddie could sign anything better than anyone else.

Let me start by saying that I marvel at the range of styles and genres that Adam can sing and I think that Q+AL is a musical and vocal wonder. But I also recognize that Adam cannot sing everything better than everyone.

There has been a lot of discussion about Adam's vocals on the opening hard rock tracks. I think this is the weakest part of the entire concert -- the band is not close to the intensity from the 70's on these two songs, and these songs do not play to Adam vocal strengths. I do not think it is about lack of "grit" or roughness in Adam's voice -- I think it is about the fact that the two opening songs do not suit him as much as many other songs in this concert setlist. 

>> I still believe this is the perfect opening for the concert. 

"Now I'm Here" has a couple wonderful moments what Adam sings the high bits -- but the rest of the song is just ordinary good to me. NIH is covered a lot and for me it is best sung by a baritone who can hit the high notes (like Freddie) but who can pound those lower register notes and build on the percussion and lead guitar to create the song you expect from a hard rock/heavy metal song. Same for "Stone Cold Crazy". JMHO these two songs fit Axel Rose better than Adam or Freddie.

The next two songs I know he can slay (ABTD and FBG) but they seem to have made a decision to pull back a bit on these songs -- not just Adam -- even the bass in pulled back.

>> There is also a real shift from a heavy metal song (SCC) to a funk track (ABTD). It is a place where I wish there was some better musical segue. 

For me, the first song Adam really soars on is "In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited" -- which is just stunning. "Seven Seas of Rhye" is also right in his zone. Then he really goes to town on KQ and ATL -- I can't think or anyone who can touch Adam on these two songs -- including Freddie.

IWIA -- this song could have been written for Adam -- music and lyrics. This is one of the songs in this concert that Freddie never performed. But Adam's version is very Adamized vs. the recording. Adam's is more sparkly -- but strikingly different.

>> There are three Brian May songs in this concert that could have been written for Adam that were never/almost never performed by Freddie: IWIA, WWTLF* and TSMGO. Plus, there is the rearragement of "Love Kills" that Brian did fits Adam well. Makes me hope that Brian and Adam write something together someday.

* ETA: Freddie performed WWTLF at Wembley. Ooppps! Concert fatigue -- and I think that Adam's version has actually blotted out all other performances. Sorry!