American Idol has played host to many great vocalists over the years, but is there anyone that can hold a candle to what Adam Lambert did on that stage? A case in point is his livewire version of Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” in the top seven round, which showcased not only his incredible vocal range but also his ability to hold the audience in the palm of his hand at will.
Lambert came out swinging in a suitably rock ‘n’ roll outfit of a leather jacket and black jeans. The energy coming off him onstage was off the charts, and he effortlessly worked the crowd into a frenzy. Rather than taking Steppenwolf frontman John Kay’s gruff blues rock approach, Lambert took it in a more melodic direction, with plenty of vocal gymnastics. The epic high point came at the end, where Lambert reached for the top of his range in a sonic display that rivaled an air raid siren. Below is all of Adam’s performances on American Idol, his “Born To Be Wild” performance is at 11:58.
The rocking performance was a real testament to Lambert’s versatility. After all, in the two preceding rounds, Lambert performed Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” and Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music”. To seamlessly switch from funk and pop to all-out rock is something that few singers could manage so convincingly.
Lambert’s streak of performances on American Idol is really unmatched in the history of the show, with each one being memorable and showing off what a natural entertainer and incredible singer he is. You can see the pop icon sing Tears for Fear’s 1982 hit “Mad World” in the video below.
In the comments of the first video, many viewers questioned why Lambert only ended up as the runner-up on American Idol and celebrated his many classic performances on the show. This was reflected in comments such as “I’ll never know how Adam didn’t win this show. He’s the best talent to ever come through their door and a generational type talent” and “Adam brought uniqueness to the show. He was not just a singer. He was a showman like American Idol has never seen. It was genuine, not staged or forced. He brought his heart and soul every night.”
Lambert of course went on to bigger and better things after American Idol, notably releasing three consecutive US top five albums, including his second album, Trespassing, which went all the way to number one. He also performed several world tours as the frontman for rock legends Queen from 2012 onward, which is the achievement he is perhaps best known for at this point.
Lambert’s very first appearance on American Idol was an audition on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. He reflected on this in an interview with ET Canada, saying, “What I remember is that I went in there singing a Michael Jackson song, and the judges kind of looked at me like they weren’t sure about it. They weren’t really feeling it.”
Lambert wasn’t content to go home empty-handed, so he suggested that he give “Bohemian Rhapsody” a try. “If I hadn’t picked that, I don’t know if the past decade would have looked like how it looked,” he said. “It’s kind of one of those fate things where you have to give fate a little nudge, but something stepped in and took care of me.”
