Adam Lambert Conquers Nashville

I think Nashvillians were somewhat surprised when it was announced Adam Lambert was bringing his Glam Nation tour to the Mother Church of country music -- The Ryman Auditorium. After all, some felt Adam had butchered Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" during Grand Ole Opry week on Season 8 of American Idol. Simon Cowell didn't care for the version (Simon does not like country music, period). Simon told Adam, "I would never go to Nashville if I were you, Adam, because I think there are a lot of people throwing their television sets out the window at this point."

Fast forward 16 months and Adam Lambert is in Nashville for his first visit ever to Music City and is set to perform for a sold-out audience on the very stage where Johnny Cash had many times performed that song. Not only that, but "Ring of Fire" was a part of Adam's song list for the show.

Tickets for Adam's shows have sold quickly, but my wonderful husband went to the Ryman box office and was able to secure third row seats for the show. I was excited. 107.5 The River, a local Top 40 radio station that plays Adam's music several times daily, was giving away a chance to meet Adam up close and personal with his appearance at their radio station.

I called and called and called and usually got busy signals but got through several times only to be told I was not caller #7. That changed the afternoon before the concert when I was caller #7. I was going to actually get to meet Adam Lambert.

At the radio station, Adam answered questions, signed autographs, and posed for pictures with each of us. He was so personable, addressing each person with a "Hi there. What's your name?" What struck me, however, was how gorgeous he is up close and how when you are next to him, his focus is entirely on you.

Showtime ...........

Adam's show is not a just a concert. It's a magical, musical journey. It's Adam's vision for a show he has always wanted to do for his fans.

Adam makes a grand entrance at the top of stairs bathed in purple lighting, wearing a purple top hat, purple long coat, and lots of glitter opening with "Voodoo." Lasers came out when he sang "Down The Rabbit Hole" and he pranced back and forth along the stage shaking hands with the audience. Then came "Ring of Fire." The audience went crazy. There was no need to worry how the song was going to go over for Adam's fans. It was incredible.

Adam was now back at the top of the stairs, top hat gone, jacket gone, for "Fever" (my favorite song off the album). The dancers joined him and it was great to see some choreography -- Adam can dance, too (is there no end to this man's talent?). He donned a beautiful dark embroidered coat for "Sleepwalker." Song co-writer, Aimee Mayo, was in the audience and it had to be surreal hearing Adam perform her song live.

The acoustic section of the show includes the hit single "Whataya Want From Me," "Soaked" and "Aftermath." I love the song "Soaked" and his voice on the song reverberated through the old wood of the Ryman and was absolutely crystal clear.

After a costume change, Adam was back for "Sure Fire Winners," my least favorite song on the album, but it became new to me after watching him perform it live.

Adam donned another purple coat and grabbed a cane for "Strut," another highly choreographed number with his dancers. "Music Again" was next. By this time, people had moved up and were blocking the aisles and arms were being raised over their heads and it was a little hard to see and enjoy the song. Security moved them back and, by then, the start of "If I Had You" was playing and I knew it was the beginning of the end of the show.

The new single is one of my favorites off the album. The song is a great pick-me-up and you can't help but groove to the beat. Adam introduced his incredible band members, giving them a chance to shine solo, then went into the song. He then introduced his four talented dancers who each got their chance to shine, before having the audience sing along.

After what seemed like an eternity, Adam and the band were back for the encore which consisted of "Mad World" and the HOT acoustic version of "Whole Lotta Love." I don't know if Adam realized when he decided to perform this slowed-down version at Fantasy Springs back in February that the song would take on a life of its own. It has.

It takes a while after the show has ended to fully take in the experience Adam just gave you. I've never witnessed a performance like that -- one in which you are taken on a journey which has been acted out and sung on stage with background visuals which totally transport you to another place in time.

Adam Lambert is a visionary. He knew what he wanted from American Idol. He knew what he wanted for his debut album, and he knew what he wanted for this tour. What he has created for his fans is nothing short of spectacular.

Iridescent jewels

I love this time of the year when the Ruby-throated hummingbirds return to our yard. We've been feeding them since I noticed one was flying around our red thistle feeder and I realized it was a hummingbird and not a butterfly.

This past year, my interest in these beauties increased via webcams on UStream. I was priviledged to watch several hummingbird babies fledge. You cannot imagine how obsessed you become over these creatures. I first found Phoebe's nest after she had lost her first baby, Storm. Sassy was in the nest but not thriving. After 31 days, she was taken to rehab where she died the following day. Surely watching these new lives would not end in tragedy. Several other cams came online and my real first experience was with Buzzie Bea and Zipper and Velcro.

You can't convince me these babies do not have personalities. Watching them thrive and get bigger each day and turn into true individuals. We didn't know whether they were male or female but I pretended Zipper was a male and Velcro was his baby sister.

Hummingbirds are extremely tiny creatures, but these cams propel them into mighty giants. Watching the mother sit on the nest and lay her eggs, then begin to feed the baby/babies up to 40 times a day. Finally, the babies get too big for the nest, the mother can no longer sit on the nest, and the babies have to start sleeping alone, unprotected. Watching these babies go from resembling black ants with orange beaks to getting their beautiful green-colored feathers in just three weeks is such a transformation.

Zipper and Velcro fledged successfully, but not before some interesting interaction between the siblings. Zipper fledged first in the early evening. Normally, hummingbirds do not return to the nest once they fledge. Velcro was happy to have the nest to herself as they would spend hours jockeying for position on the nest as well as pestering the daylights out of each other or nuzzling together.

Next morning, two hummingbird babies were in the nest! Zippy returned! His mission for the day was to get Velcro to fledge. He would leave the nest, come back. He would fly on a lower branch and call to her. Velcro would look down at the ground as if it say, "But, Zippy, if I can't fly, it will be a long way down." Watching Zipper stand on the edge of the nest, flap his wings, fly away from the nest, fly back to the nest as if to say, "Vel, this is how it's done." Finally, Velcro took off only to return an hour later and spend the night in the nest. Mommy's mission the next day was to make sure Velcro took off and did not return, with Buzzie Bea protecting the nest if Vel tried to get back in it.

However, not all hummingbirds exhibit such personalities. Some siblings ignore each other completely. Some fledge together. Most do not. Eggs are laid 48 hours apart. They usually hatch 24 to 36 hours apart, so one baby has a lot of catching up to do. (Watching the egg hatch is nail-biting as it's quite a struggle for them to get out.) The older bird usually fledges first.

Thanks to these wonderful people with the ability to spot a nest the size of half of a walnut and secure a cam to broadcast to the world, I was able also see Pooh and Pixie, Gordon and George, Duke and Binky, Hope and Hoku, Emma, and Opal.

Sadly, there are as many tragic endings as there are successful fledges which is why hummingbirds must produce several clutches each year. Phoebe especially had a couple of rough patches when her eggs turned out to not be viable. Another clutch was destroyed after a crow ate her eggs. Hope and Hoku were frightened out of their nest by a crow. Our cam owner found Hoku on the ground and returned him to the nest to later fledge. Hope was seen later at a feeder. The last nest I was watching produced Opal, who seemed to vanish after just two weeks.

Watching nature up close like this is really amazing and it's something you and I would never get to witness on our own. These mothers and babies have no idea the eyes of the world are on them. We can watch the fierce protecting of the babies by the mother. Phoebe fighting off a lizard near her eggs, Buzzie Bea spreading her wings and protecting her babies as the hot California sun beat down on them.

The best part was feeling the stress completely leave by body as I'm watching these gems. And it's made me have a new appreciation for the male and female hummers at my feeders this year. Is there a little bitty nest somewhere that I need to find and hook up a cam for others to see? I'm still looking.