1.2.16 Adam arrives in Beijing

Hope the image above was not too distracting... Anyway, here is my Singapore Recap!!!

My previous recap of Not the 5 Show taping:
So the thing started at 1:30pm. Yet I reached at 1:45pm, because, well, the damned bus broke down, and the next bus I took was moving like a tortoise. I had no choice but to get off the bus and wait for YET another bus. I was so so so afraid that I would've been late. Thankfully the taping only started at 2. I met up with my fellow glambert friend Star and his family, and a group of girls whom I know from school and from Twitter! We were ushered from the reception area to a waiting area where they queued us up in two's. And then we were brought in.

For an hour, or two (or maybe less -- I don't know, I totally lost track of time in there) there was some audience warmups and filming on the interview with Taufik Batisah (the Malay singer who won Singapore Idol years back and is performing tonight as well). All the staff were really friendly and kept asking for MORE ENERGY!! And that was when we were ushered out of the studio "due to some arrangements being made". We knew what it was. Adam was coming. We stood there waiting and waiting. And then they said, okay you can go in now. As the herd of glamberts were moving into the venue, suddenly, screams erupted from the back of the herd. Turns out, Adam's vehicle had arrived, but he was not getting out yet. Security made sure all of us were back into the studio and that we were all sitting down and ready.

And just as we were wondering about Adam, more screaming erupted from the right side of the audience (I was on the far left). He had entered the venue and immediately went backstage. This girl was screaming desperately "I SAW HIS HAIR! I SAW HIS HAIR!" I stood up and took a look myself and I saw him and his wonderful jacket and his body -- whew. That was just a TEASE.

Before long, filming continued and the host told us to welcome Adam. Everyone cheered even more loudly than ever before!! I stood up and clapped and clapped. All that cheering and clapping went on and on for a few minutes. Gosh did he look amazing. His hair looked like it just got cut at the sides. His jacket was fabulous, his pants showed off how SKINNY his legs were, and those creepers were to die for. He was SO SO TALL. As for the show, you know how it went if you watched it on the Periscope or Toggle link (which for some reason I believe has been taken down).

Favourite moment?

Brass Nation: (plays FYE)
Host: "Do you have any feedback for them?"
Adam: "You guys KICKED BRASS"

Hahahahaha! It was a show filled with laughter, cheering, clapping and getting mesmerised in all his beauty. There were surprises for him (the wonderful denim+leather jacket!) and surprises for us -- Brass Nation played FYE, GT, IIHY and WWFM!!! During WWFM, the entire audience got on their feet clapping and SINGING ALONG!! I looked at Adam just as all that happened and he was smiling SO HAPPILY!!

After it all ended, well, I managed to get my letter to Adam! As for how I got it to him... well, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to share that (yet) -- I'll check with the appropriate parties, and I'll get back to y'all some time soon... Let's just put it this way: Yesterday was the BEST TIME I'VE EVER HAD IN A DAMN LONG TIME. It was so amazing to be among people who loved this man I love, and to be able to be metres away from the man I love. I've always been a fan, and yesterday made me an EVEN BIGGER fan! Tonight, well, I can't wait -- I can't wait to hear his glorious voice, his wonderful performance (he has dancers, it was shown in some IG video) and and I can't wait to see how Singapore shows LOVE to him during and after the performance!! I would love for the entire nation to fall in love with him!!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhzosWeoN68

Recap of meeting Adam
Now first let me address the part in red above -- yes, I got to meet Adam!!! 
I'm not allowed to share how that happened but I simply got lucky! They only allowed about 30 seconds with him. And man... was I nervous. When he appeared, well, I was just starstruck. This was our conversation:

Me: Hi Adam!!
Adam: Hi!
Me: You're so tall!!
Adam: (laughs)
Me: (hugs him) (then realises that the photographer is waiting) (removes one arm and leaves my other arm around his waist)
-- photo taken --
Me: I don't have enough time to say everything I wanna say to you so I wrote it all in this letter (passes letter)
Adam: (receives letter) Aww thank you I'll read it!
Me: Thanks Adam!!
(Security ushers me away)

To put it simply, it all happened way too quickly and my mind could hardly process what was going on. It just... happened. Do you know what I mean? When I was ushered away, I was left with this bag of mixed emotions -- extreme happiness, confusion, shock, surprise, fulfillment. It took me pretty long before I could understand what just happened. I had just met him?! Was that real?! I freaked out with the other glamberts, we were so so so happy!! And then just when I knew it Adam stepped out of the building and walked towards his vehicle. We said bye to him and he said goodbye back. And here was what came out of the 30 seconds or so with him




Recap of Celebrate 2016
So I started queuing at 3:30pm (doors open at 7pm) and I was the 4th in line at Entrance A. There were 3 entrances and Entrance A was the most "hidden" -- so I figured out there would be the least number of people queuing at Entrance A. At about 4:15pm, some local media arrived and interviewed some of the people in line asking them why they came so early, etc. (I declined to be interviewed, lol) I heard from the TV reporter that there were people who queued as early as 7AM and 8AM! Weather was a huge pain in the ass. It would be really hot and sunny and then dark clouds would pass by, and then sun, and then a light drizzle, then the drizzle stops, and then a heavy downpour. (And this weather went on the whole evening.) Thankfully I had an umbrella and the staff working there gave us ponchos.

So anyway, at about 6pm, the rain had pretty much subsided, and Star, Jasmine and Balencia (lurkers on Atop!) came by and joined me in the queue, as well as 4 of my friends who came to accompany me! At 7pm they finally opened the doors but security was very tight!! No liquids and food were allowed at all and everyone was subjected to a thorough bag check. (Star, Jasmine and Balencia were gobbling down muffins that my friend had brought! LOL!) Thankfully we were all fast enough and we got front and center seats. As front as we could get -- since the first few rows of seats had been cordoned off for the TV recording cameras. And just as we got to sit down, the rain returned. First a drizzle, then almost into a downpour, and went away, and came back. Eventually, I had to hide under my poncho to have my dinner (bought food from the stalls in the stadium). So we sat through a few interesting acts -- an Ecuadorian tribal band, a bunch of dancers from a local dance competition, a few singers from a local singing competition. And then at about 10:30pm there was this awkward 15min break where nothing happened. And that was when we saw Rob walk past the stage back and forth. We got excited. I heard that they were discussing about whether or not to bring out the instruments because of the wet floor (from the rain).

And then out came the hosts. They said that the TV broadcast was gonna start happening -- and counted down 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... (TV telecast starts) [Lol, a countdown before a countdown.] So we sat through a couple of local performers (some of them were the same ones as before the broadcast) and then at 11:30pm it was time. There was dry ice fog across the stage to create a mysterious atmosphere and the band came out. That was when I realised, Adam's mic stand was on the "platform above the stairs" (if you watched the TV broadcast you would know what I mean) Everyone cheered!! The interest in Adam's performance was definitely greater than the interest in the other acts. The mysterious foggy made me expect the first song to be Ghost Town -- nope -- it was EITN. As always, his vocal were on point, but I think he stayed on that "platform" a little too long. But when he strut down that small flight of stairs (which really reminded me of his Feeling Good stair strut!) we cheered.

Next, this heavy synth sounded, and the GT whistle resonated across the place as if to build up a creepy atmosphere. And then it cut. Adam's (Ross) beautiful acoustic guitar started playing -- Ghost Town. Crowd cheered. Needless to say, it was the song that got the most crowd reaction. I was not expecting it, but after he sang "walked into the flames, called out your name, but there was no answer, and now I know--", ALL THE PEOPLE around me sang "MY HEART IS A GHOST TOWN". I was so pleased! Terrance and Holly as dancers was a nice addition, I quite like it when Adam dances along with them -- especially that sexy-as-hell dance moves during the second chorus!! (Overall Terrance and Holly still have some coordination to work on, but they were very good at dancing nonetheless! And also since we know there will be more dancers for the rest of #TheOriginalHighTour).

Second biggest reaction was to WWFM. As expected, the people around me sang "WHATAYA WANT FROM ME" out loud each time. Not as loud as GT, but it was still nice. I was really expecting an acoustic WWFM though, but I did fine with the original arrangement! As he wailed his final whataya waaaant from me, crowd cheered again. Next up, ALN. Didn't sound familiar to many people at all (not surprised, it's not doing so well here as a single) And then it was time for the last song. TP/AOBTD. Not many audience members were familiar with the song, and not many people actually bothered to clap|clap|clap clap during the chorus. But you could tell people kind of liked this funky "new" song. I noticed that Adam did none of his usual "provocative" hip thrusting (LOL). When the song transitioned into AOBTD, I actually expected loud cheers. There were cheers, but not very loud. Ohwell. So it ended with one more Trespassing chorus and the hosts came out. AND I WAS SO UPSET. I wanted his set to be longer. I had no idea that he had another 30+ minutes after the countdown. Anyway, he came back on stage and counted down to 2016 with us -- and then BOOM!! Perfectly timed fireworks!! (He disappeared backstage as the fireworks were going on.)

And this is the part where things get really really funny I actually thought it was over. I thought that Adam only had those 22 minutes. And so I decided to leave with my friends during the fireworks to escape the herd of people moving off later. And we were already quite a distance away when I suddenly received a phone call from Star: "COME BACK. THEY JUST SAID ADAM HAS ANOTHER THIRTY MINUTES!!!!"

I freaked out. I thought Adam's second set had already started and I hated myself for leaving so early. And so I ran the fastest that I ever had back towards the venue. I pushed past herds of people leaving (who obviously were also not aware of Adam's second set), said sorry, but pushed them anyway. I didn't care anymore. I fought my way through and as I walked into the seats, the Kickin In instrumental had just started and Terrance & Holly had just appeared. Sadly, my front & center seat had been taken but there were still a few empty seats around it. People were already sitting on the steps that led to those seats but I didn't care, I tried my best to squeeze between them and almost stepped on some of them (oops). By the time I got to my seat, I was panting and Adam had just come out with The Light. I hadn't heard the transition from Kickin In to The Light closely because I was too busy squeezing past angry audience members, but that must mean that the transition was really smooth (I just watched the video of it on YouTube and yes it was very good!). I found it very interesting that The Light was transitioned into TOH, though. Listening to it with my ears, I can tell you that it was an okay transition but I always thought that TOH would be a lone song -- after all, it is arguably the most important song in the tour setlist. Perhaps this was a quickly prepared transition for the Singapore set. And what was awkward was NCOE. Where did that come from? The transition wasn't too good (I heard remnants of the TOH acoustic guitar tune in the first chorus of NCOE -- it didn't fit.) It was a nice addition though, and from the new arrangement I can tell it might be here to stay in the TOH tour setlist.

And next up, Mad World. Wow. All I can say is wow. He took it down a key (or a few? Not sure) from the Idol performance, but the beauty was up one notch. His deepened and more mature voice now really gave the song more depth and authenticity. I love the xylophone addition during the chorus. It was the most beautiful performance in the entire set. I was captivated. I'm sure all of you would appreciate it if it's in the TOH tour setlist (I'm sure it will be).

Then we heard snaps. I thought it was ALN again, turns out it was Underground! I'm not a big fan of the song, but I enjoyed it live. And then right after the second chorus, it ended. And this really familiar electric guitar tune played -- and then I realised what it was -- RUMORS. I turned to Star and Jasmine, they mouthed "Rumors" and I stuck up my index finger, trying to tell them "this is the first time he's performing this!!!" Adam sung Tove Lo's part, but he killed it. The guitar tune is as atmospheric live as it is in the studio version. Adam killed the vocals even on this first time performing it. I thoroughly loved it

And then out came reggae IIHY -- I LOVED IT!! He was having sooo much fun with the song especially when he did his little dance and roughened up his reggae voice during "rolling in Maseratis, all we need in this world is some love". And when it came time to the band intro, HE WAS SO CUTE. The crowd was actively singing during the sing-along and he loved it! And he did so many funny dances!! "Over here on the drums.. Barikabakabakaboo! (hits the cymbal) --drum solo-- That's the future rhythm. The 2016 beat!"

"I'm sweating so much... There's so much sweat in my eyes!" He picks up a towel and the girls in the mosh pit go all crazy! "If I had.." he sang to the towel, "you." The crowd laughed. Bass solo. Then guitar solo, "On the guitar, give it up for Adam. That's a good name." And of course Peter on the organ keys. More funny comments! "It is so wet up here, how do you guys live in this? It's a very clean city and you must be very clean people. Because every day outside is A SHOWER!!" (crowd laughs) And that was when we heard his new song "If I Had Soap" hahahaha! Next, he introduced Terrance and Holly as backup singers/dancers + dance solo. Holly had her some great arm moves, and Terrance had some great leg moves! "Last but not least, give it up for my mic stand -- it's got tricks (drags it up front)" He hears a fan up front scream "I love you" and he tells her passionately "I love you too!" and sings "I love you too -- cause if I had you" and launches it back into upbeat reggae And it ends! Everyone claps and cheers! That was when I knew that I had such a great time -- I just heard Adam live with my own ears!! The hosts came back out and just as they did, Adam walked right past the mosh pit area. The entire herd of Glamberts rushed towards him (I couldn't see if anyone got to him!) My friends and I started to file out of the place. And just when I hit the ground floor, I saw Terrance and Holly just standing there! I got up to them, asked them for a selfie and told them they were awesome!! (I later posted the photo on Twitter and Terrance liked it -- yippee!!)



On the way to the train, I asked my friends, how did you find Adam? One friend who loved the Trespassing album wanted to hear more Trespassing songs. Another friend who's a Queen fan was initially doubtful of him being the new lead singer of Queen, but wanted him to sing more Queen songs after hearing Adam sing AOBTD! Other friends who weren't too familiar with his songs said that his voice was amazing! I was satisfied and happy as hell -- and I couldn't stop singing IIHY to myself all the way back home!

The entire concert was so worth it -- ringing in the new year with Adam was amazing. I didn't even care that 2016 was a new year because my mind and thoughts were fixated on the fact that I heard Adam sing live and he was so freakin good!! If only we got the whole package -- TOH lighting and duration of the tour. Nevertheless, his second set was definitely a sneak peek of the tour and I witnessed it with my own eyes and ears! And dare I say that I'm one of the first few people who've heard Rumors live for the first time! I AM SO SATISFIED!

Now let's talk about the audience. The audience wasn't a very good audience. Many families in the audience and as you might have seen from the TV telecast and the YouTube videos -- only about half of the audience cheered and clapped enthusiastically. The rest just sat there and watched the concert like they were watching TV. And to a certain extent, Singaporean audiences are often like that. The ones that scream and go crazy are the teenage girls. Families? Just sit there, cross their arms and watch. Clap when the song ends, if they feel like doing so. Ohwell -- glad Adam kept his energy level up despite the crappy audience. You could tell, though, that he focused on the mosh pit Glamberts and those in the front & center seats, i.e. the ones who were enthusiastic.

Regarding audience size, the venue has never filled up completely in all previous years. No one really wants the Category 3 tickets, because all you can really see is the screen and not the stage. Attendance in 2013/2014 was 18,000 -- featuring two acts: one popular boy band (The Wanted) and one popular Chinese singer (Wang Leehom). In 2014/2015, 25,000
due to the insanely popular K-Pop boy band (Big Bang) and the mega-huge fanbase of teen girls in Singapore. In 2015/2016, more-than-10,000 attendance can be considered pretty damn good for a singer popular for a couple of old hits and a big voice, as well as a recent sleeper hit. Also to note, there were 300,000 people in the Marina Bay area which I believe is more than previous years. All of them would've heard Adam. As for how filled the stadium was. Middle section (category 2) was almost entirely filled. Right-most seats (cat3) had quite a lot of people. Left-most seats (also cat3) were pretty much empty. I guess they ushered Category 3 people to the right side instead.

Nevertheless, don't let numbers fool you. 10,000 is A LOT of people, AND don't forget that this event was TELEVISED. So the actual audience is actually much bigger than we think (don't think we'll get data for how big the TV audience was). And also don't forget the re-telecast as well. Both "Adam Lambert" and #Celebrate2016 trended on Twitter during both telecasts of the event. (I saw many tweets going "Adam lambert is so hot", "omg adam lambert's voice" and even one that went: "I forgot how amazing Adam Lambert's voice is.") It's safe to say many Singaporeans became interested in Adam and his music!

It was all in his favour! He became a much more popular singer in Singapore overnight, and he kicked the asses of those religious bigots! I had a great time sharing this special occasion with him, and had an even better time listening to his glorious voice, watching him being hot and cute at the same time, and immersing myself in the music I love

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bDp3MqPnfk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=og_8gmRxPoQ

WOW Ghost what a great write up,I felt like I was there with you.. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience , you made it come alive.

Ghost!!!  Well worth waiting for.  SOOO happy you got to meet Adam and give him your letter.  That feels so complete.  And to hear him live for the first time as well!  Wow.

For my part, I am so glad to put a face to the poster whose posts I always look forward to.  Love having you here on this awesome site.