‎'Idol' runnerup Adam Lambert plays Peoria

PEORIA — Don't let the black makeup scare you.

There's glitter underneath, in the hair and on the clothes of the "Glamberts" - the moniker for fans of the season eight "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert.

False eyelashes, glitter eye shadow, big hair and black spandex were aplenty outside the Peoria Civic Center on Sunday as fans waited outside tour buses to catch a glimpse of the similarly-styled pop star and his band before he performed in front of a sold-out crowd.

For Holly and Sara Belmont of Justice, a southwestern suburb of Chicago, it was the fourth time seeing Lambert in concert. The mother and daughter said they've been fans of him since his "Idol" audition.

"First of all, he's hot," said Sara, 18, who thinks Lambert is reminiscent of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. "And then he opened his mouth and it was like, 'Oh my God.'"

Mom agrees.

"Just the voice," Holly, 52, said pausing to shake her head, "is outrageous."

And it seems fans will do just about anything to be in the presence of that voice.

Kirsten Izatt, 43, of Wheaton once drove more than 1,000 miles between back-to-back Friday and Saturday shows in Michigan to pick up her 13-year-old daughter, Kelley. Kirsten and Kelley Izatt have been to six and three shows, respectively, and paid for Lambert's meet and greet before Sunday's show.

"I grew up on a lot of fun, male entertainers, and that's why I like Lambert," Kirsten Izatt said. "It's great how he's taken his shows to all these small towns."

Going to towns like Peoria and snubbing larger cities like Chicago often means more traveling, but as a member of Glam Nation, fan Samantha Powell said that people are more than happy to give fellow Glamberts a ride.

Fans also are very active on Twitter and live-tweet the concert for other fans to see, said Powell, 24, of Lafayette, Ind.

"It's the devotion to Adam. . . . They see him for the first time and they go to six or seven (more) shows," she said.

Openly-gay Lambert's eyecatching style and, at times, racy acts, like kissing a male keyboardist at the 2009 American Music Awards, often make headlines, but fans keep coming back for more because of his raw talent and positive message. Lambert's song, "If I Had You" off his album "For Your Entertainment" has spent 10 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 list.

"(It's) all about love and being who you are and seeing what's good in other people," said Powell.

This message seems to span all ages. Mary Kay Winebrenner, 67, of Wheaton held a sign that read "Grandmothers 4 Glamberts" outside the Civic Center.

"I knew from the beginning he was going somewhere," said Winebrenner, of Lambert's "Idol" days. "I can listen to him sing the phone book."


http://www.pjstar.com/entertainment/x2003707844/Idol-runnerup-Adam-Lambert-plays-Peoria