Choosing a song was a free-for-all for American Idol 2009 contestants for their performances that aired on this last day of March, April Fool's Eve. The Idol singers could choose any song that is a popular iTunes digital download. They visited the radio station where Ryan Seacrest does one of his radio shows, American Top Forty, a pop radio countdown program of which Casey Kasem— 'The King of the Countdowns'— was a co-founder.
In the recorded snippet shown before his performance tonight, the eight one, Adam Lambert said that last week's song, 'Tracks of My Tears', was 'stripped down'. He added, "It was soft and subtle." This week, he wanted a song whereby 'the groove is really hot', something that could be current. Adam grinned as he said he had picked out a landslide hit by Wild Cherry in 1976, 'Play That Funky Music'.
Adam breezed onto the stage with, as a friend of mine put it, his GQ looks showing— his blue-black hair was combed back in a current version of an Elvis Presley do— and with his usual palpable electricity that weekly gives studio and TV audiences that what-the-heck-is-he-going-to-do-next excitement. Disco-ing down to the funky music in a hip dark suit that had a subtle Edwardian quality made casual with a trio of shirts showing— a lemon round-neck and black & white stripes under a soft blue vee-neck— Adam rocked the audience with his mega-range voice. The artistry of Adam is that he wraps his voice around every syllable of lyrics and exudes the meaning and emotion of the song, whether it's his sweet tender rendition 'Tracks of my Tears' or his raucous 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction.' When Adam ended Wild Cherry's 'Play That Funky Music' on a long, crazy, artful, multi-toned, show-stopping note, the audience went...spontaneously wild.
The smiling American Idol judges began their critque. Paula Abdul began speaking and had to gently shush the wowed crowd, who simmered down, if only a touch. She said, "True genius doesn't meet expectations, true genius shatters expectations." She shouted out above the loud crowd, "Mick Jagger, Steve Tyler— and Adam Lambert!"
In the recorded snippet shown before his performance tonight, the eight one, Adam Lambert said that last week's song, 'Tracks of My Tears', was 'stripped down'. He added, "It was soft and subtle." This week, he wanted a song whereby 'the groove is really hot', something that could be current. Adam grinned as he said he had picked out a landslide hit by Wild Cherry in 1976, 'Play That Funky Music'.
Adam breezed onto the stage with, as a friend of mine put it, his GQ looks showing— his blue-black hair was combed back in a current version of an Elvis Presley do— and with his usual palpable electricity that weekly gives studio and TV audiences that what-the-heck-is-he-going-to-do-next excitement. Disco-ing down to the funky music in a hip dark suit that had a subtle Edwardian quality made casual with a trio of shirts showing— a lemon round-neck and black & white stripes under a soft blue vee-neck— Adam rocked the audience with his mega-range voice. The artistry of Adam is that he wraps his voice around every syllable of lyrics and exudes the meaning and emotion of the song, whether it's his sweet tender rendition 'Tracks of my Tears' or his raucous 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction.' When Adam ended Wild Cherry's 'Play That Funky Music' on a long, crazy, artful, multi-toned, show-stopping note, the audience went...spontaneously wild.
The smiling American Idol judges began their critque. Paula Abdul began speaking and had to gently shush the wowed crowd, who simmered down, if only a touch. She said, "True genius doesn't meet expectations, true genius shatters expectations." She shouted out above the loud crowd, "Mick Jagger, Steve Tyler— and Adam Lambert!"
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