GREAT REVIEW OF ADAM'S CONCERT PERFORMANCE by USA TODAY!

Number Two: Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert finished second? You couldn't tell it from this crowd, which greets the explosive sounds and strobing lights with shrieks. Adam kicks off his set with Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, and the stage fills with smoke. He's wearing a blue-and-black metallic-looking studded jacket that comes down to his knees, along with a sleeveless black T-shirt and black pants. The crowd may have been dancing for Allison and Danny -- for Adam, they're screaming. Suddenly we've gone from the world of AC pop into a real rock show.

Second song is Muse's Starlight, and the six disco balls hanging above the stage turns the Rose Garden into a planetarium. It's Adam's typically impressive song choice -- for the arrangement, imagine Erasure's Andy Bell fronting the Sisters of Mercy -- and he sings it flawlessly, beautifully, slipping in and out of falsetto. (I wonder if this begins to approach what his album will sound like -- you wouldn't hear me complaining if it did.) Matt's version of Hard to Handle was pretty cool, but this is the first of the new numbers I'd lay down cash money to hear again.

Low-level fog creeps in, as Adam takes a seat on a stool to sing the Tears for Fears/Gary Jules song Mad World. The crowd is still on its feet, and they've brought out their cameras -- you could practically read in here, the flashes are so steady. Some people are singing along; most of them just look entranced.

The guitarist cranks out the opening chords to Slow Ride start, and the audience knows what's coming -- or, rather, who. Allison Iraheta walks on stage, and the place goes ballistic.

Now, he's doing the David Bowie medley he promised, which starts with Life on Mars (and the big red planet is behind him on the video screen). As he slides into Fame, the crowd shrieks again, but it's not for the song: Adam has shed his jacket, revealing the sleeveless T underneath. He's obviously been working with JaQuel Knight on choreography, too; he's moving lithely across the stage in a way Idol viewers never saw. The third number, Let's Dance, assumes a pulsing, throbbing club rhythm under his command, barely resembling the pseudo-horn-band arrangement of Bowie's original.

He finishes, then descends on the center-stage lift.

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Your American Idol: Kris Allen

Kris Allen gets a big build-up on the video screens. The stage hands need the time, because they're setting up a smaller, more intimate environment for him on the stage. A kabuki-drop curtain goes down behind him, and one of the lighting rigs descends from the rafters, while Kris comes up on the lift with his acoustic guitar. It takes a moment for everything to settle into place, but the girls in the audience don't mind: They fill the pause with their screams of delight.

When Kris finally sings, it's his version of Kanye West's Heartless. The crowd is into it, though nothing like they were with Adam. Kris' career, it seems, will live and die on his songs and their arrangements. Adam, on the other hand, will be able to rely just as much on the reputation of his live performances.

Next up, it's No Boundaries, but it's not getting anywhere near the level of reaction that Heartless did. In fact, people are starting to sit down. It's just inexcusable that the Idol winner has to include a song that elicits that kind of reaction. It's a set killer. I'd heard the studio version of No Boundaries just enough since the Idol season ended that I'd almost decided it was benign, but Kris has to be royally ticked that he's been shackled to this ball and chain.

Third song is also from the show: Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine, followed by Matchbox 20's Bright Lights. Kris is holding his own, considering how much of a bring-down No Boundaries was, but he's going to need some big hits of his own if he ever hopes to fill halls this size again. Musically, his brand of pop seems like it might be better suited to smaller halls, like theaters in the 2,500 to 5,000-seat range. During Bright Lights, he leaves the piano and grabs an electric guitar. The audience is thankful and begins to stand again -- but maybe just because he's farther back on the stage and it's harder to see him. Regardless, the energy level in the hall starts to rise again.

"Has everybody got their lighters out?" he asks. Well, a few of them do. Most of them have cellphones. Or glo-sticks. They wave them happily anyway for the Beatles' Hey Jude. Kris gets two sets of "na-na-na-nas" on his own, then he gets the audience to sing along -- they're all with him. Several of the Idols return stage to finish, and that brings the remaining few sitters in the crowd. It's a big love fest -- and, more than 40 years after its release, the simple chorus of Hey Jude remains undeniable.

As are the opening piano chords of Journey's Don't Stop Believing, and Matt and Scott are playing them as they rise out of the stage again behind their pianos. It's the cheesiest moment of the night, but it's effective, and the song's strange song structure is oddly suited for an Idol group sing, since the chorus doesn't come in until the very end of the song, giving Adam and Kris, who left the stage after Hey Jude, a perfect spot to return to maximum screamage. The Idols spread out around the edge of the stage for a chorus of Steam's Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye, and they're back into the Journey chorus. Adam gives the band a shout-out. Bubbles descend from the ceiling. The Idols pump their fists with a final "Don't stop!" Cue the theme. That's a wrap.

Adam is a performer.

I OWE A LIFETIME OF SERVITUDE TO THE PERSON WHO WROTE THIS ARTICLE.

every word is so freaking TRUE!!!!!!

adam KILLED every song ( in a good way, of course ) and for that i will seriously love him forever!!!!!!!!1