Following a massively successful tour fronting legendary band Queen, Adam Lambert has returned to our shores with his new album, The Original High.

Supported by New York’s Melanie Martinez, Adam is playing some major Australian cities, before heading back to the USA and then to Europe.

Adam Lambert has some incredibly enthusiastic and loyal fans, and the turnout at Adelaide Entertainment Centre’s Theatre was no exception.

South Australians of all ages were there to see the Billboard chart topping, multi-award winning, platinum selling singer/songwriter on Thursday night.

Known for his powerful vocals and sassy presence, Adam burst onto the stage with ‘Evil in the Night’, wearing a black and white, angular, steampunk-esque outfit.

Every bit the superstar, he and his back up singer/dancers gyrated, harmonised and grooved their way through a range of his best songs accompanied by a four-piece band and an impressive laser and light show with projections.

Recent single ‘Ghost Town’ was a particular highlight, showcasing his impressively vast vocal range, and getting the crowd moving.

‘Rumors’, with the backdrop of some projected digital artwork and well choreographed lighting was another notable moment.

It was several songs before Adam slowed down the pace, addressed the audience for the first time and began a set of ballads, all in a new costume.

Donning a shiny purple suit, reminiscent of Elvis’ fancy get up back in his hey day, Adam sang a sexy, soulful rendition of ‘What Do You Want From Me?’ and a haunting cover of Tears For Fears’ ‘Mad World’.

Announcing it was his birthday, Adam’s Adelaide fans treated him to a roaring chorus of ‘Happy Birthday to You’, and it was at this point, that he appeared to relax a bit more.

In televised appearances, interviews and performances, Adam is charming, cheeky and charismatic, which is why it was a relief to finally have a glimpse of his personality after a long set of back to back songs.

Stepping up the pace again, Adam reappeared after an EDM interlude with a gold, sparkling ensemble with baggy pants and braces, ready to tear up the stage with more dance tunes.

Covering the late, great Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ (a faithful and nicely executed tribute) before launching into ‘Lay Me Down’ (his collaboration with Avicii), the energy continued through ‘Shady’, ‘Fever’ and ‘Trespassing’, before Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ spelled the big finale.

‘If I Had You’ was a fitting encore, which was loads of fun, with even more of Adam’s personality shining through when he introduced the band, challenging them to an impromptu dance off and cracked up laughing when Holly Hyman started twerking.

Adam Lambert’s stage presence is a joy to watch; he is a consummate showman with flawless vocal strength and range.

It was unfortunate, then, that the volume of the synthesizer drowned out the vocals quite often, making it difficult to hear him, and it appeared he was, on occasion, straining to hear himself above the accompanist.

Despite that, Adam Lambert put on a great show; he warmed to the crowd and genuinely appeared to embrace his Aussie fans.

The Original High Tour travels to Sydney over the weekend, before returning to the U.S.A.

Reviewed by Libby Parker