Isaac Carpenter @isaacthecarp
Praying for any reason to be trapped in Sydney for more days. I love it here!!!
And I would love to have them all trapped here forever. Just knowing Adam is in the same city leaves me with a huge, silly grin on my face.
Here are just a few of my thoughts from last night's concert. I'm sorry I didn't post it yesterday when I got home - I know how we want everything quickly ;D. But, I am a very, very light drinker (maybe a G&T or a glass of wine once every few months type) and I had a couple last night before the concert and it hit me straight away, so my mind wasn't working well enough to gather my thoughts.
Quite simply, I want more. I'm still in the blissy-Adam-bubble-of-chill- and-mellow-glow-world-is-in-soft-focus-space. Adam fully satisfies, and yet, it is never enough, is it?
The crowd last night was very diverse. Probably most people were in their early to mid-twenties, the hipster type of twenty-something. I was there with a friend in his mid-twenties. His boyfriend couldn't come at the last minute, so that's how I ended up with a ticket.
Last time I saw Adam, I was front row with the same friend, so we didn't queue to get the front this time - it's such a precious experience to be that close, so I feel I've had my turn. I was dead centre about two-thirds the way back, but could still see Adam really well.
I suspect from the low-key way Adam did Trespassing, and the fact that he chose to sing "Is this love", that he had planned a mellow vibe. As soon as he hit the stage he got a blast of intensity from the crowd that he clearly wasn't expecting, literally took two steps backwards, immediately asked the sound guy to up the ante, bantered about how up for it we were, that he was with a rowdy bunch tonight and that perhaps that was because we had been drinking
. About a third of the way through Trespassing the intensity went up very noticeably. And he kept asking for sound adjustments at the start of most of the songs. (And he definitely asked for "wetter" as well.)
I really love that about him. There's no performing like a robot. The ex-club-kid read the crowd perfectly - there were lots of very fixed and dilated pupils around me in the audience, and they were there to party.
It is about two years since I last saw Adam - he is the same man, but also profoundly changed. Everything about him is intensified, megawatt. I felt I was in the room with an adult now, not the boy/man from GNT. And in some ways, it seems to me that this new 'adulthood' is connected to him stripping back and becoming more “organic”. I just got the impression that he'd crossed one of life's thresholds, where you start really coming into your own, shed skins and discard what no longer works, or what you no longer need, start living at the height of your powers and your individuality. Where he'll end up is anyone's guess - he is such an extraordinary human being already.
A couple of asides:
1) the great hair debate - in the flesh, it is silver/platinum, so intensely silver that it has a light blue hue and it shimmers very beautifully. It looked absolutely fantastic. It makes him appear more gentle because of his skin tone and eyes.
2) For TJR fans - he appeared the most jet-lagged. He had the most make-up on - much, much more than Adam. Very funny and very pretty.
Most of the concerts that have really left a lasting impression on me have all been in small venues. I grew up on the pub/rock scene, seeing bands like AC/DC and IXS when they were just starting out, in places like this venue. It is my favourite way to experience music. Adam obviously didn't have an earpiece in, which always thrills me in a strange way, the crowd was dancing and singing along. I'd guess that they were ad-libbing alot - the band were very focussed on Adam's vocals, following his lead, not taking their eyes off him for long stretches of time, so the music had that wonderful presence and immediacy and spontaneity.
Shady was spectacular. Ashley's bass was even more pronounced than what you're hearing on the vids and it really made the song come to life. She is incredibly beautiful and has a sweetness like Adam.
What can I say about, "Is this love". His vocals were so tender and heartfelt. His voice is more beautiful than I even remember - stronger, richer, more textured. Stunning.
This is the third time I've seen Adam live and each time I have come away with an unconscious gift from him - just human being to human being. There are a couple of things that I need to do in the next few days work-wise that make me nervous. I understand the reasons, but that has never been enough to actually change how I feel. Last night, what struck me about Adam was how deeply relaxed he is. It was so palpable, you could almost touch it. And it was as if he transferred that feeling to me. Something in me just clicked and I woke up this morning at ease with what I have to do. Beautiful shaman indeed.
And so it seems, he was singing about love in all its forms, and we continue this beautiful love-exchange with him in all its forms. And I suspect many of us, including myself, fall in love with him over and over again.
It is an evening I will never forget and that I will treasure.
. About a third of the way through Trespassing the intensity went up very noticeably. And he kept asking for sound adjustments at the start of most of the songs. (And he definitely asked for "wetter" as well.)