The last time I wrote about Madison, she had just barely started her run on American Idol. Since then, she claimed the title of Second Runner-Up (or third place), and has been touring nationally and locally with her band and her fellow Idol contestants.
Last night (Sunday, 08.18.19) I got to see her perform at one of the local fairs, the Altamont Fair. Drenched in sweat from the heat and humidity, Madison was a complete professional. Even her makeup stayed flawless. She bantered with the audience, and her bubbly personality carried her through even if she may have been boiling alive.
Madison‘s set was an hour and a half long and largely consisted of the fan-favorites from her Idol run, along with a smattering of originals. Madison was wonderful, with nary a foul note nor voice crack to be heard. However, the venue really didn’t suit how big her voice is. The stage, which was a wooden box, more or less, kept her contained. It didn’t allow her to move much, and it created many standing waves, and those became very evident. Her voice was trapped, and the standing waves made it sound so that she wasn’t balanced in volume or reverb with her band.
One of my favorite things I enjoyed from this show was seeing the young children from the audience dance in front of the stage before clustering right in front of her. She interacted with them and the joy on their faces, and hers, was heartwarming.
And in retrospect, Madison got lucky. If she had performed during the later hours in the evening (as I was hoping she would be), yeah, she would have had colored lights illuminating her and had more exciting photos. But her set would have been cut short; she would have been rained out by the nasty thunderstorm that rolled in with frequent, close lightning, walls of rainwater, and high winds that unsettled even the most seasoned of farm animals.
The following day (Monday, 08.20.19) I got a text message from Madison late in the day asking if I was able to photograph her performance at the opening (ceremony?) for the Aurora Games (a women-only international sporting competition in its inaugural year here in Albany). Of course I was happy to.
I ran home from work and gathered my equipment, quickly changing into clothes that would be both acceptable for the hot and humid weather and the job at hand.
Maddy’s performance would be at the stage positioned in the Empire State Plaza exterior concourse. It faces the marble & concrete state museum and the museum’s amphitheater style seating. Unlike the afternoon before, this setup, with its open space and the materials, lends itself very well to Madison‘s voice. It’s big, and the natural reverb allows her belts to really surround you and fill every nook and cranny.
There were only a couple hundred people at this performance, which was disappointing. Like I said, this was the kind of venue that really showcases what the teen is capable of in her young age, and she deserves a good, supportive large audience. However, that could be attributed to anything from a lack of awareness of the event, to the hot weather. Basically, it was the fault of anything but Maddy, because that girl should be drawing way more crowds.
Madison seemed perhaps a little hoarse, and wasn’t casually hitting as many of the G5 notes she makes seem effortless, but I think I only noticed these things because I’ve seen her perform so many times now. But if she was hoarse, it didn’t seem to affect her or the sum of her performance parts. This larger stage allowed her to strut confidently around in her rhinestone-festooned jumpsuit, step down onto the speakers to interact with the young fans just beyond the pit barricade, and put on a more lively, albeit shorter, performance that was ultimately better.
Seriously, I may be biased in her favor, but if you get a chance to hear this young superstar perform, seize that opportunity. You will meet no one more humble than she, and no one more grateful for their support and chances to rise to stardom, whether it’s local, national, or international.
Gear:
Canon 6Dmk2 with EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Canon T6s with EF 70-200 L IS II
To view more photos of Madison from any of her shows, click here!
Check out a playlist of Maddy performing her songs on American Idol: