SusieFierce: I will be back to write more, but I wanted to get a few reflections on my experience of the crowd while they're fresh in my mind. Background: Orange County is notoriously conservative, but this reality adds to the magic that was last night. It was immediately evident that the crowd was extremely family-oriented last night. LOTS of minivan moms and dads with young kids. Little girls in their "coolest" dresses and little boys in concert shirts bounded through the parking lot with excitement. There were well-dressed, attractive parents of every ethnicity. Lots of very young, hip, hot 20-somethings and teens. Professionals in their 30s and 40s. I even notice several presumably straight dudes who were not there with wives or girlfriends. A guy in front of me was wearing a football jersey with "Lambert" across the back. It was incredible.
Here is one crowd shot to give some indication of how huge and how diverse it was. Prior to Ori and during the Adam intermission, everyone was happy and dancing. Glitterized groups (again, from tweens to grandmas), were taking photos. It was an EVENT for so many people. Talking to people around me. I sat between a woman of about 75, who drove up from San Diego by herself and was bursting with excitement (and a little frustration as she was growing very impatient for Adam). She arrived at 5:00 and was driving back at night (again, by herself). She paid $300 for her tickets.
The 30-something African-American woman to my left was also alone and also paid $300 for her ticket. She was a huge music fan an a jazz aficionado and the only person she ever traveled for was MJ. She said very emphatically, "I love Adam Lambert." Yet, she wasn't a "connected" fan like we are. I think that may soon change. She is going to San Diego this weekend, but not to see Adam. I told her she may change her mind and she looked at me strangely. At that point she was thinking, "I'm seeing him tonight, why would I need to see him again this weekend?" She realized pretty quickly what I was talking about. Both of them had an absolute blast, as did everyone around me.
Adam is not just an ethereally talented vocalist. He's not just a compelling, charismatic and dazzling entertainer. He is not just an engaging personality. He is not just a beautiful soul inside a breathtaking body with a gorgeous face (hmm, let's see, have I maxed out my hyperbole quotient? No, not even close ...). He is a unifier. He is an inspiration. He is my religion. Haters be damned. They are missing out on such a period of pure joy, discovery and celebration. Their very profound loss.
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NoAngel writes:
Eight thousand five hundred people. From around the world and right around the corner. Casual fans who liked him on American Idol. Rabid fans who’ve stalked him across America. Women. Men. Gay. Straight. Young. Old. All gathered in one place. Drawn for one reason.
Now that I’ve been to five previous Glam Nation concerts (OMG please don’t judge!) I’m really getting how they each have their own mood. The first Costa Mesa concert may not have been the most risqué, or the most vocally immaculate, or have had the most wild/crazy audience. But at 8500 people, it was the largest solo concert Adam has ever performed. (Lansing’s Common Ground evidently had a higher audience count, but likely some of those were there for the music fest in general, rather than coming specifically for Adam). And it matters, a lot, that Adam can fill a stadium with that many people. Two days in a row.
Highlight of the concert for me: Whole Lotta Love!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the hell do you even call that undulating thing that Adam does with his voice around the 3:00 mark? And I loved watching a really cool scene where Adam is sitting on LP’s drum platform during that part of the song, and both Tommy and Monte stand facing him, playing as he leads them on this meandering vocal journey. And that beautiful smile, gazing out at the audience around 4:00, like, "I'm having such a great time, and wow, you guys are, too!
One of my new favorite things is to chat with the people around me and find out how they know Adam and what they think of him, before and after the concert. (Most of the time, due to the ridiculous ticket-selling process, one ends up next to strangers). And by the way, thank you, Adam, for somehow transforming a rather shy, introverted person into someone who happily talks for hours to people I don’t know.
At Tuesday’s OC concert, the woman next to me was a local resident, originally from Japan, who had loved Adam on AI, and seen him at Fantasy Springs. She loved him for his voice, and it was her first Glam Nation concert. She knew that Adam had gone to Japan and had gotten a lot of fan love, but didn’t know that Adam would be touring there this fall. She stood the whole time, eyes fixed on Adam, occasionally turning to me with a wide grin. Afterwards, she leaned in to tell me, “I’m going home to see him in Japan. I have to see him again.”
On the other side of my Japanese friend was a lesbian couple. They knew and loved Adam from Idol, but had never seen him in concert. One woman had watched a few YouTube Glam Nation vids, but had been disappointed in them, saying that “they make him look so small…” (?) I told them I’d seen Adam in a ~few concerts already (heh), and about The Glamazing Race, and they were amused. They questioned me about the set list, and were thrilled to hear that Adam would sing Ring of Fire. I would definitely categorize them as casual fans. During the show, they danced and flailed with the best of ‘em, embraced and swayed during Aftermath, and OMG’d for Whole Lotta Love. One of them made a call on her cell phone and held it up during parts of several songs. Afterwards, she told me that her mother (who lived in Las Vegas) loved Adam’s slower songs, especially Soaked, and she wanted her mom to hear how amazing he sounded live. Post-concert, they raved about his charisma and stage presence and incredible voice, and questioned me about where he would be playing next. “I’m definitely telling my mom she has to go to see him in Vegas!”
Another great night for Adam. Another night to remember, for me!
*******
**********
NoAngel writes:
Eight thousand five hundred people. From around the world and right around the corner. Casual fans who liked him on American Idol. Rabid fans who’ve stalked him across America. Women. Men. Gay. Straight. Young. Old. All gathered in one place. Drawn for one reason.
Now that I’ve been to five previous Glam Nation concerts (OMG please don’t judge!) I’m really getting how they each have their own mood. The first Costa Mesa concert may not have been the most risqué, or the most vocally immaculate, or have had the most wild/crazy audience. But at 8500 people, it was the largest solo concert Adam has ever performed. (Lansing’s Common Ground evidently had a higher audience count, but likely some of those were there for the music fest in general, rather than coming specifically for Adam). And it matters, a lot, that Adam can fill a stadium with that many people. Two days in a row.
Highlight of the concert for me: Whole Lotta Love!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the hell do you even call that undulating thing that Adam does with his voice around the 3:00 mark? And I loved watching a really cool scene where Adam is sitting on LP’s drum platform during that part of the song, and both Tommy and Monte stand facing him, playing as he leads them on this meandering vocal journey. And that beautiful smile, gazing out at the audience around 4:00, like, "I'm having such a great time, and wow, you guys are, too!
One of my new favorite things is to chat with the people around me and find out how they know Adam and what they think of him, before and after the concert. (Most of the time, due to the ridiculous ticket-selling process, one ends up next to strangers). And by the way, thank you, Adam, for somehow transforming a rather shy, introverted person into someone who happily talks for hours to people I don’t know.
At Tuesday’s OC concert, the woman next to me was a local resident, originally from Japan, who had loved Adam on AI, and seen him at Fantasy Springs. She loved him for his voice, and it was her first Glam Nation concert. She knew that Adam had gone to Japan and had gotten a lot of fan love, but didn’t know that Adam would be touring there this fall. She stood the whole time, eyes fixed on Adam, occasionally turning to me with a wide grin. Afterwards, she leaned in to tell me, “I’m going home to see him in Japan. I have to see him again.”
On the other side of my Japanese friend was a lesbian couple. They knew and loved Adam from Idol, but had never seen him in concert. One woman had watched a few YouTube Glam Nation vids, but had been disappointed in them, saying that “they make him look so small…” (?) I told them I’d seen Adam in a ~few concerts already (heh), and about The Glamazing Race, and they were amused. They questioned me about the set list, and were thrilled to hear that Adam would sing Ring of Fire. I would definitely categorize them as casual fans. During the show, they danced and flailed with the best of ‘em, embraced and swayed during Aftermath, and OMG’d for Whole Lotta Love. One of them made a call on her cell phone and held it up during parts of several songs. Afterwards, she told me that her mother (who lived in Las Vegas) loved Adam’s slower songs, especially Soaked, and she wanted her mom to hear how amazing he sounded live. Post-concert, they raved about his charisma and stage presence and incredible voice, and questioned me about where he would be playing next. “I’m definitely telling my mom she has to go to see him in Vegas!”
Another great night for Adam. Another night to remember, for me!
*******
