Adam Loses but Rock Wins on ‘American Idol’

As a leather-clad Adam Lambert strutted up to Queen’s Brian May and nailed the high notes of ”˜We Are the Champions’ on the May 20 season finale of American Idol, one thing was clear: With apologies to Chris Daughtry and David Cook, the show has finally produced its first real rock star. “That was the winning moment to me,” says Lambert, who shook up the show with flamboyant performances and a heavy-on-the-eyeliner look. “At that point, it didn’t matter to me who won.”

In the end, voters chose the guitar-strumming heartthrob Kris Allen ”“ another rock singer, though in a middle-of-the-road, Jason Mraz/OneRepublic vein ”“ over Lambert. Allen is quick to praise Lambert’s talent (“He’s gonna be a megastar”) and doesn’t mind the soft-rock label. “It’s nice to hear ”˜rock,’ at least,” he says. “People call Coldplay soft rock, and they’re amazing.”

With the finale also featuring performances by Kiss, Rod Stewart and Carlos Santana, it felt like rock & roll ”“ soft or not ”“ had somehow taken over the show that gave the world Clay Aiken and David Archuleta. “It was initially perceived as being a cookie-cutter kind of pop thing,” says Iain Pirie, head of the US branch of Idol producer 19 Entertainment. “But we’ve been able to support a lot of amazingly different artists.” Adds former contestant Bo Bice, one of the show’s first rockers, “When Kiss is standing on the Idol stage doing a full power-on show, I think critics who say it’s a pop show can pretty much stick a sock in it.”

With nearly 29 million viewers, ratings for the finale were down ”“ though by a lesser margin than many other popular shows ”“ and it still beat the Grammys by 9.8 million viewers. Viewers cast 100 million votes in the final week, a new record for the show.

Backstage, rumours flew that Lambert ”“ whose season highlights included performances of ”˜Born to Be Wild’ and ”˜Whole Lotta Love’ ”“ had been offered a position as Queen’s singer. But according to May, that’s slightly premature. “Amongst all that furore, there wasn’t really a quiet moment to talk,” May tells Rolling Stone. “But [drummer Roger Taylor] and I are definitely hoping to have a meaningful conversation with him at some point. It’s not like we, as Queen, would rush into coalescing with another singer just like that. It isn’t that easy. But I’d certainly like to work with Adam ”“ that is one amazing instrument he has there.”

Lambert is widely assumed to be gay (though he hadn’t publicly commented on his sexuality until later in a Rolling Stone USA interview in June), and many people blamed prejudice for his loss. “You have to remember, AI isn’t just a talent show, it’s a popularity contest,” says Paul Stanley of Kiss, whose band performed ”˜Detroit Rock City’ and ”˜Rock and Roll All Nite’ with Lambert as pyrotechnics blazed from the stage. “And there’s still a good amount of homophobia in America.” Tom Corson, executive vice president of RCA Music Group, which releases the Idol winners’ albums, has another theory: “Kris clearly has strong female appeal.”

Lambert addressed the matter elliptically: “I can see why people would see it as a red-state/blue-state kind of thing”¦ It shouldn’t matter what your religious beliefs are, for instance, or your gender or anything else. But it’s a reality show, and it kind of does matter. And there was a little bit of social pressure projected on me ”“ as the ”˜different one’ and with all the supposed insights into my sexuality and my alternativeness. It kind of got overhyped a little bit.”

In any case, both Lambert and Allen are preparing for the annual Idol tour (which kicks off July 5 in Portland, Oregon) and turning their attention to their recording careers. “I really like the kind of rock that uses a lot of electronic elements,” says Lambert. “Like Muse and the Faint. I also love Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.”

Allen wants to make an album in the vein of his acoustic-guitar-driven Idol performances, which included a strummed take on Kanye West’s ”˜Heartless.’ “I just want to sell albums and make great music,” he says. Lambert’s ambitions are slightly grander. “I want to upset people,” he says. “I want to make people think. I want to keep people interested.”

Additional reporting by Nicole Frehsée