Adam Lambert OWNS the Portland Stage! ~ It’s Opening Night!

USA Today Idol Chatter:

By Brian Mansfield

Adam Lambert finished second? You couldn’t tell it from this crowd, which greets the explosive sounds and strobing lights with shrieks. Adam kicks off his set with Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love, and the stage fills with smoke. He’s wearing a blue-and-black metallic-looking studded jacket that comes down to his knees, along with a sleeveless black T-shirt and black pants. The crowd may have been dancing for Allison and Danny — for Adam, they’re screaming. Suddenly we’ve gone from the world of AC pop into a real rock show.

Second song is Muse’s Starlight, and the six disco balls hanging above the stage turns the Rose Garden into a planetarium. It’s Adam’s typically impressive song choice — for the arrangement, imagine Erasure’s Andy Bell fronting the Sisters of Mercy — and he sings it flawlessly, beautifully, slipping in and out of falsetto. (I wonder if this begins to approach what his album will sound like — you wouldn’t hear me complaining if it did.) Matt’s version of Hard to Handle was pretty cool, but this is the first of the new numbers I’d lay down cash money to hear again.

Low-level fog creeps in, as Adam takes a seat on a stool to sing the Tears for Fears/Gary Jules song Mad World. The crowd is still on its feet, and they’ve brought out their cameras — you could practically read in here, the flashes are so steady. Some people are singing along; most of them just look entranced.

The guitarist cranks out the opening chords to Slow Ride start, and the audience knows what’s coming — or, rather, who. Allison Iraheta walks on stage, and the place goes ballistic.

Now, he’s doing the David Bowie medley he promised, which starts with Life on Mars (and the big red planet is behind him on the video screen). As he slides into Fame, the crowd shrieks again, but it’s not for the song: Adam has shed his jacket, revealing the sleeveless T underneath. He’s obviously been working with JaQuel Knight on choreography, too; he’s moving lithely across the stage in a way Idol viewers never saw. The third number, Let’s Dance, assumes a pulsing, throbbing club rhythm under his command, barely resembling the pseudo-horn-band arrangement of Bowie’s original.

He finishes, then descends on the center-stage lift.

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Pictures courtesy of fellow Adam Lambert Idolizers via Twitter from the show!

Shout out a Twitter thanks to:  idoltourbenches and SassyWench3D for these immediate shots!   Not sure who exactly owns them — but these two tweeted them so you can ask over there!! All I know is they tweeted “Use freely but credit to ontd ai.” So there ya go!  … I’m sure I’ll post more tomorrow, too …. so check back again!  ENJOY!!!

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“Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin — Opening Song — WHOAA Mutha!! Ma New Rock Star, Baby!!!

… watch the INTRO of this vid — then go to the next vid for the performance

“Starlight” by Muse

“Slow Ride”  duet

Bowie Medley — OH MY GAWD   AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

“Mad World”

“Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey — Group Closer

Adam signs for fans after the show!

Portland Tour Interview Backstage  #1

Portland Tour Interview Backstage  #2

Portland Tour Interview Backstage  #3

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Here’s more pictures if you’re interested!

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