Please forgive my lengthy Milwaukee concert review. Feel free to scroll or move this back to yesterday's thread.
Hi All,
Jumping to the end of the thread to post some thoughts on last night's fabulous concert in Milwaukee which literally left me speechless. And this is not an easy feat.
I was so glad to have suggested a pre-concert meetup at Mo's Irish Pub. They were very accommodating during Glamnation, and no less so this time around, moving tables to meet our needs, opening up the upstairs. When I arrived around 5 PM, there were already many fans there and I saw some familiar faces. Adam's music was streaming throughout the venue and spilled out onto the streets. They played his songs exclusively. We even got to hear WTTS! (They also did this during GN when there was a lot less music to choose from.)
I was able to meet up with other Atopers and spend time with Gypsyladee, Missfeatherbottom,Tehkla, Gearhead Gurl, and their guests, some of whom were casual fans/non-fans who were willing to take the plunge. Sorry I missed you Cheriemelissa, I left you some messages but somehow we did not successfully cross paths. There was lots of excitement and chatter at Mo's. You know how it is. You feel like you know these people even though you have never met. It was just so comfy!
We drifted over to the Riverside after the long outside line was gone. (We could see if from the upstairs window). I picked up my swag bag, the contents of which were not impressive, but I was only motivated to buy VIP 2 for the seat, so I didn't care. I got a water bottle, lanyard with Adam tag, cap with logo, tote bag, and a non-laminated poster of a still from the ALN video. There was better swag at the AC concert from what I could tell.
I had a great seat in the 6th row on the center aisle. I had sold my 3rd row seat to Gearhead Gurl's hubby because it was more off to the side and I have that chipmunk hearing issue if I am too close to the bass speakers. I went over to visit Joe to make sure he was settled in for his first Adam concert. We chatted for a few minutes because his wife was at the photo op. Lucky lady to have such an accommodating spouse. Then I visited with Gypsyladee and other Glamberts in the house.
I love the Riverside. It is such a lovely theater. Adam remarked back during Glamnation era how he prefers these old performance spaces with their beauty, character, and history.
Alex Newell sounded pretty good but I am not a huge fan of his music. The venue was still filling up during his set but there were more people there than at AC, and the Milwaukee crowd showed him some love, following his commands to stand, clap, dance, toss our hair, etc.
Ok, now for our Adam. I had gotten texts from DancyGeorgia and Gypsyladee about the setlist and I let out a big whoop of delight. I apologized to the young woman next to me who also appeared to be there solo. She laughed and said she totally gets it, she had seen the setlist too on a fansite. Adam came on about 45 minutes after Alex. The lights dimmed, the crowd roared, the entire lower level was on its feet and stayed standing for the entire concert.
Adam was on fire. Right from the get go, I just had the feeling he was going to BRING IT. And boy, did he. We got playful Adam, joyous Adam, talkative Adam, sexy Adam, dancy Adam. I have never seen him dance so much before. He was sooo loose. He seemed genuinely touched that so many new fans were there getting their "cherries popped"-his words. He was sweetly self deprecating about his own perceived weakness with on stage patter and likened it to some of the antics comedians rely on, like tapping the mike or hitting their heads with it to make up for not being funny. He made his little speech about diverse people of different religions and political views having their hearts come together in their love of music, which was especially poignant on this day. He thanked Milwaukee several times for being such a great audience.
Adam is always so expressive but tonight just seemed on another level. Maybe it was my seat. Being 6 rows back dead center, I was close enough to distinctly see the whole package (meaning every little nuance of Adam, the group, and staging, so get your minds outta the gutter, lol). I was also able to spill into the aisle to have more room to dance and flail and maintain my unobstructed view. He did so many vocal runs, high notes with his head thrown back, some interesting little rhythmic changes where he accented different syllables. WTTS was the 3rd song and believe me, he does not a feature singer to join him. It was luscious.
The crowd was very responsive. At some other Adam concerts I have seen more grabby hands reaching out, more wild arms in the air/waving/fist pumps, but the audience clapped loudly and hooted enthusiastically after every song and stayed on their feet throughout. There were many screams and shouts of love during some songs (and enough long time fans to respond appropriately to "Thanks for loving me" during WWFM), and appreciative whooping at all the "money spots" during songs.
Being on the aisle, I was well aware of people creeping up to the front but it was mostly to take cell phone pictures or to dance and try to get Adam's attention, especially the cute young women, who really decked themselves out for the show. It was by no means rude or a stampede. The venue staff were diligent, a little too diligent, kicking people back to their seats and they were sometimes more of a distraction than the fans. IMO, they could have waited a little longer and just shooed people back periodically. At one point, I asked a large staff guy to please stop obstructing my view as he went back and forth in front of me. He grunted but did move away.
The people around me were all ages. A really cute gay couple decked out in fabulous jackets, a little girl about 8 years old in a ponytail who knew the words to almost all of the songs and sang with a lot of spirit while she was jumping around trying to see over the taller people in front of her. Really, I wanted to encourage her to the front but I was afraid the venue police might scare her. There were a few frail looking seniors that must have been in their 80s. Standing! More females than males but still a respectable amount of men. No one left early as far as I could tell. All around me were happy, engaged faces.
There were a few technical glitches. There was a lighting failure and Lucy was performed with minimal illumination. I was close enough to be able to see Holly but people further back probably couldn't. This seemed to persist for a few songs and Adam came to the very front of the stage so you could see him. He did make a comment later about the lights failing and how his band were troopers to just keep on going. Also, the back screens were dark a few times when they shouldn't have been IIRC. For instance on ANL, I thought they were supposed to show parts of the music video but they were off.
During the encore as well, there was some glitch with AOBTD where Adam couldn't hear the guitar and maybe started on the wrong pitch but they did a little do over. This was all very casual and playful and by this time, it was really a non issue. Just one of those little live show dangers that Brian May talks about that just make the whole event more endearing and memorable. Also, Adam seemed to do a more extensive encore with his band intros and some call and response You know he's really got to be loving the crowd to include all these little extras.
I did not even attempt to take any pictures. I was there alone with a great seat and I just wanted to immerse myself. Funny though, during one of the more joyous songs, "Lay Me Down," I just started to cry from all the love and overwhelmingness (not a real word, I know), of it all. I think I was just more immersed in this concert than the other 18 times I have seen him.
After it was over, as I was walking out and back over the bridge to the parking structure, all I heard were accolades. People who hadn't seen Adam since Idol, people who saw him with Queen and wanted to see what his own show was like, some first timers who came along with fans. Not one negative remark. Not even 1 ambivalent remark. I was glowing and I am still a little high.
Milwaukee was lucky enough to get a special Glamnation performance in 2010. We hit the jackpot again. I hope that Adam remembers that the Riverside in Milwaukee is good to him and that we will be a go-to venue for all his future tours, maybe even the one offs.
****Just had to add a comment to this my dear new friend. I was at the front and next to me was an older lady in a wheelchair. We were concerned that she might not be able to see. Well, when he came to our side of the stage, he stepped to the edge, bent down and sang to her. She was so thrilled and that brought me to a near tears experience. He has a Beautiful Heart and that moment made me love and respect him so much. My Angel of Music and Gentle Soul.