I was truly surprised looking at the diversity of his fans, from young colourful tweens, to beautifully dressed drag queens and the middle-aged and elderly.
The creative staging was superb with backdrops reflecting rock and New Age spiritual influences, knockout kaleidoscopic lights and mystical smoke effects. His band was awesome and his back-up vocalists were, to everyone’s delight, also totally stellar back-up dancers.
Watching everything unfold, it was great to see such a sophisticated performer ply his craft. The theatrical twist to the show served as a marker of Adam’s musical theatre background.
Melanie Martinez was a sensational opening act. Her quirky style is a worthy match for Adam’s. With a mixture of doll-like femininity and passionate swearing in her lyrics, Melanie mesmerised, accompanied by two band members with teddy-bear beanies and bright patterned tops. Artists like her represent a children’s aesthetic for grown-ups that seems to be taking the world by storm.
Ultimately, I’ll recall Adam’s touching comment after singing his lovely rendition of “Mad World”: “… the show tonight is a little bit of a journey … that last part of the show, that was all my anger, I got it out. You know the world we’re living in today can be scary. There’s a lot of evil in this world. But you know what …? It’s up to each and every one of us to find some love and light within ourselves. ’Cause the only way we’re gonna combat that evil is by spreading that love around … and sometimes the best way to sort all that shit out is to ask the right questions.”
music@ssh.com.au
