Tuesday 23 November 2010

Glam Nation: Amsterdam


I'm afraid my internet has prevented me from watching all of this concert so the only performance I've managed to watch is the encore. FUCKING HELL! We had Paris and thought that was incredible, we had Cologne which was unbelievably better and now this. How he manages to keep upping it is beyond comprehension and with each concert, there's a new video edit that's jumped to the top of my 'To do' list. Here are my picks:



Paradiso is one of the most beautiful venues Glam Nation has graced so far, and I think it adds a sprinkling of magic to the proceedings. A converted church, coloured light glimmers in through the imposing gothic stained-glass windows behind the stage, illuminating the venue in a mysterious glow and bestowing a feeling of awesome gravitas.

The encore starts with Purple Haze and a kiss followed by some crotch grabbing. Sasha comes onto the stage handing Adam a spliff 'Purple Haze, motherfuckers!', Taylor does the same for Tommy. After taking a few tokes, Adam continues to sing as clear and powerful as ever with soaring high notes. He has a bit more reefer as Monte lets rip for his solo, then blows smoke onto Monte's guitar and attempts a blowback.

It's to be a double encore and Adam requests that it has to be (in a low booming voice) 'Real sexy'. As the band prepares, he does an excellent job of simulating the opening guitar licks of Voodoo Child. It's a slow burner of a start, with sparse instrumentals, funk guitar and the ebb and flow of cymbals. The lag of the bass reminds me of Art 4 Life Crazy. It's quite hypotic and could be the perfect trippy soundtrack to a den of debauchery. There's some obscene mic action as Adam gives us a sneak peek of his fellatio technique. From the balcony where the glitter confetti fell during the band intros, Adam catches a feather boa. The pace gradually rises and falls in waves, the vibe slightly Eastern and recalling aspects of FS WLL. He ends up atop the steps, turning it into a primal mating call, creeping up to Tommy and giving him a slow, hot kiss. Tommy's bass blaying freezes for a few moments as his hands go limp and Adam runs his hand up and down his fret board. The kiss gives an adrenaline shot to the performance and he throws himself with such vigour that he busts out of his waistcoat, buttons flying apart. A huge leap leaves Adam on his knees in backbend before he crawls and slides around the stage, feral but so natural. Tommy attempts to straddle him but it seems at that moment he is somewhere else. He comes to with a shrug of the shoulders and feigning of innocence. Spotting the minor wardrobe malfunction, he swiftly does the buttons back up. The last section is a mindblowingly climactic one, fierce, thrusty and orally fixated with staggering vocals. Sexy indeed. At the end, we can see him ease out of the performer persona to modestly thank the audience.

Looking back to the earlier Glam Nation performances, we were going nuts over a bit of writhing on the stairs but we've come such a long way since then. The backdrop here lends extra power to performance and I wonder if it's the religious association that makes Adam want to push it that little bit further. The stairs are the altar upon which Adam sums up what he stands for - love and freedom of expression. For that, I'm a regular worshipper joining the congregation at the Temple of Glam.

4 comments:

  1. OMG! You got it so right. I love it! I can't stop thinking of this ancor. I want to watch it again and agian but I have to prepare mentally for it. LOL
    The sexiest ancor so far. Where is he going to take us? is it at all possible to top this one? All of us Glamberts know that Adam will. I am on such a ride that never end!

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  2. You have a beautiful way with words and described that so perfectly. A truly epic performance. I'm hoping you will find time to play with this performance and the Cologne encore to mix the best vid and audio for them both somehow. But you know..... just a vague hope. No pressure ;)

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  3. I love love love reading your commentary! Just wanted you to know that it is appreciated. And I 2nd the request for a Cologne WLL mix - so many good sources, but those with best angle don't have best sound. For me, that performance TOPS everything he has ever done, both for vocals and the visuals. As stated above by another one of your followers, no pressure ;)

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  4. sheba, it's addictive watching this one isn't it? I love it when he feels sexy as we all reap the rewards!

    Anonymous, I'd definitely do an edit of this one as it's one of my favourites. It's just going to take me a while because I can't really download anything at the moment. I think terra might be editing Cologne at the moment.

    travelibrarian, thank you! It's a shame that there's no decent audio recordings of Amsterdam yet. Cologne WLL is on my list the next one down and I'll do it as long as no one else beats me to it!

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