This thread is LOOOONNNNNNGGGG dead, but I've been so busy packing up for the big move back from NYC to Austin that I haven't had a second to post a IHEARTRADIO concert recap until now. But I felt, having been lucky enough to go to this amazing concert, that I owed a recap to posterity, such as it is. So I'm posting it here, as this seems the appropriate thread, and I'll post a link in today's thread. I know you've all seen the vids so I focused more on my own emotional response to the concert. I didn't have time to read ANY of the board flailing, so sorry if this is very redundant. Still, peeps seem to like eye-witness recaps so here's mind. (LOL i don't even have to warn people to scroll through the inevitably excessive lengths that follow, as no one is here to scroll anyway!).
RECAP OF IHEARTRADIO CONCERT, 5/15/12:
Despite starting out the morning in Boston, MA with plenty of other responsibilities, I made it to the concert in time, and as you'll know by now it was fantabulous. I'm even more in love, and I kinda think my husband is a little bit in love too now (he was my plus one) which just makes me all kinds of giddy. ;D ;D
I drove through a massive rain storm down I95 to get there in time (why am I always negotiating deadly tropical storms to see Adam?). During the drive I played Trespassing for my husband on the car stereo for the first time (I'd nobly avoided the deadly over-berting hazard before then) and he loved it, and sang along to the songs as he got to know them, happily mangling the high notes in NCOE ;D ;D. During OOL he muttered wow he's got a really lovely voice. (FYI, he like FYE and enjoyed the Houston GNT concert he attended with me, but I wouldn't call him a stan. However, he likes big, theatrical performances and (other people's) dancing
Objective A: accomplished--hubby primed for concert.
When we got to NYC we had to pull off an almost impossible manouver--find parking in NYC in very little time, throw the dog (who had come with us on our Massachuessetts gambol)--by the way, I'm throwing spelling out the door on this summary, I give up on all 3+ syllable words starting with "m"--through the door of my in-laws apartment, and take the subway all the way downtown to the theater. But we got there in time, as I say, and joined the already quite long line. Objective B: accomplished.
It was very diverse--more women than men, but all ages, and a good representation of gay couples, for what it's worth. Everyone in a good mood, natch. At one point a fan came down the line holding up her I-phone and shouting "#1 on I-tunes!" which raised a goodly cheer, as you can imagine. I got briefly over excited when I saw some fans were winning surprise meet-and-greets, but I didn't get one which was probs for the best given how sweaty I was after dancing my ass off during the concert. (objective C: definitely accomplished:
)
#itsadamsfault
;D
Around 4.40 or so we file into the theater and I'm thrilled to find that I'm just about 25 ft away from Adam's mike, with a great view over a swarm of short women's heads ;D ;D ;D (yay for a mostly female fanbase!). My husband, who is 6'3", was quite abashed by how good his view was, and a little worried that Adam would have too good a view of him, our mad dash from Boston having left him a little sweaty and disheveled. ;D I told him not to worry, and that Adam was probably thrilled to see guys in the audience. I just made him promise to dance, which he duly did.
Every one was on great form. When FYE (the song) came on the speakers before the concert the whole crowd cheered and sang along, and a very nice, very short, jolly glambert girl next to me and I shouted the chorus gleefully at each other "I'm hear for your ENTERTAINMENT!" The only down moment was that the idiots at IHeartRadio (whom I nevertheless love for giving me free Adam concerts) managed to play BFM #singleFAIL >:(. Which didn't go over too well in that crowd, but oh well. Nothing could harsh my happy at that moment.
When Adam came on stage (to HUGE cheers, natch) I had that odd thrill that I've felt previous times seeing him live--that feeling when someone you know from television-fantasy-land turns out to be solid flesh and blood, and looks as familiar to you in person as an old friend, and yet of course like a total, fabulous, rock-star stranger at the same time. He seemed so close to us. Very tall. Very skinny (in a totally good way--and I have a ridiculous thing for lanky men, lol). He radiated charisma and confidence and happiness and professional grace, which is what everyone seems to be saying about this era. Must feel good to have such a good product to sell now. And one you made yourself, no less. He's got everything to smile about. Looking at him made real that old chesnut: "He looks like a million bucks." He really does. And he was right there in front of me. Squee.
I loved the outfit--I won't hear any shirt-hate, it was fab, it looked somehow old-school and young at the same time--the silk fluttered and clung in all the right ways. I maintain, with apologies to Mika, that he's rockin' a sexy Lyle Lovett look at the moment that just *does* things to me. ;D The whole band looked incredibly sexy. My husband commented on it from behind me. What a great-looking band. And then Adam started performing...
I suspect Adam's people called my people sometime in the day leading up to the concert and asked, "so, which songs, and it what order, would MWP most like him to perform," and then they obliged me like the good people they are. Sweet of them, really. IT was such a fabulous set. I won't go into the songs one by one because you've seen the vids, but the energy built perfectly in the room, wonderfully ignited by the opening of Trespassing. From a personal perspective, my favorite thing about the concert was watching Adam's face. I've said this before, I think...there were moments early in the process as album 2 was coming together where all the talk of organic realness and "less camp" and "less glam" and "less glitter," etc, etc, made me worried, not for Adam and his career, but for my own interests as a fan. I love ridiculous Adam. But I needn't have worried, of course. That charming, humorous stage persona is as real a part of Adam as his bright blue eyes. And Adam was happily ridiculous that afternoon at IHeartRadio. He rolled his eyes and smiled and sneered and wiggled his head and was all and all a fabulously entertaining performer. My husband loved that too. Adam's just so fucking funny and charming on stage while still bringing that serious mf talent and honest emotion every time.
LOVED Trespassing, Kickin In, Naked Love, BE, and Cuckoo the most, but loved them all. Loved hearing my husband whoop his approval of Adam's bluesy runs during BE. Crowd ate up NCOE, which was, as I had suspected, wonderfully atmospheric live. My husband tapped my shoulder and I could hear him aiming for the high notes and gleefully missing just as he had in the car. ;D
It was 5pm in a not particularly nice space but it felt like midnight in a deep dark club. I loved that Adam seems so happy during Naked Love that he can barely keep from bursting out laughing. Love the fist pumping crowd during Cuckoo. Shady was sexy as fuck.
I have to laugh, a little, and shake my head at Adam's insistence that "glitter is dead." As peeps have pointed out, reviewer after reviewer has celebrated the return of glitter and glam with this album. It's not about a little face-paint, or a few sequins. It's about that charismatic sparkling persona that comes out even in the recorded music. You can take the boy out of the glitter, but you can't take the glitter out of the boy. And when Adam is on stage he shines like he's made out of solid diamond. Poor kid can't help it. Sorry Adam. ;D
The concert seemed quick because it was so fantastic, but people were totally satisfied. I left feeling so thrilled for what is to come. How wonderful to feel that solidity of quality beneath the wave of promo that is coming now. And then the whole QUEEN thing on top of it all. It is all tremendously excellent.
That night, as we were going to sleep, a pro pro nothing, my husband threw an arm around me and mumbled into my back "man, Adam sure has an amazing stage presence." ;D Glad to see he was thinking of the same thing I was thinking about as we were going to sleep.
I feel so lucky to have gone to see those songs in that small venue. So so lucky.
