



You could feel that pressure to conform — to live up to someone else's expectations — Saturday at the Orpheum Theatre, where Lambert played the first of two sold-out concerts to end a U.S. tour in support of his latest record, "The Original High."



Released in June, it's his best album by far, and also his most modern, with songs shepherded by Max Martin and Shellback, the Swedish pop wizards known for their work with Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. In smart, slick tunes like "Ghost Town" and "Another Lonely Night," he's still following rules, of course, adhering firmly to current ideas about tempo and texture.



But for the first time since his early days on "Idol," Lambert seems to be singing from his own perspective — and singing, not coincidentally, without much reliance on the vocal acrobatics that came to define him.



What a bummer, then, that his audience at the Orpheum appeared less interested in this refreshed individual than in the cartoon of yore.