That is the only quibble with last night’s otherwise exhilarating Adam Lambert show at The National.

The “American Idol” also-ran turned in the kind of star-making performance that guarantees his club days are numbered. No doubt by his second or third album, he’ll be competing with his lesser-talented

Top 40 peers to fill arenas, and he already has the toughest part of that assignment – stage presence – aced.

Lambert has crafted an extraordinarily ambitious club run stuffed with lasers, scantily clad dancers, a visually appealing four-piece band and his own magnetic presence and pipes.

Throughout most of the too-brief 80-minute set, he looked like the result of an Alice Cooper and Cher mating (which is to say, fabulous) and sounded like a Broadway powerhouse.

His opening trio of songs unspooled in quick succession – “Voodoo,” “Down the Rabbit Hole” and his version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” as moody and ethereal as it was on his “Idol” performance and complemented onstage by red lighting and fog.

Though Lambert immediately had the stuffed-to-the-rafters sold-out crowd mesmerized with his multi-octave voice, his physical presence— glittery black top hat, snug black leather pants and bare feet, with toenails painted black – proved equally alluring.

By performing most of the songs from his debut album, “For Your Entertainment,” Lambert displayed his affection for disco pop and glam rock, as well as his natural ability to recreate it all live, with nary a note of assistance from backup singers or band members. It’s all Lambert, and it’s all a ton of fun.

He’d be a fool not to release the Lady Gaga-penned “Fever” as his next single, given the song’s club stomping catchiness. But what impresses most about this 28-year-old theater vet is his ability to go from a fiery dance number such as “Fever” or “Strut” to a power ballad such as “Sleepwalker” or a lovely acoustic version of his hit, “Whataya Want From Me,” easily maintaining control of that massive
voice.

A highlight among many came on “Soaked,” a layered pop opera on record that Lambert performed live backed only by a quiet synthesizer. His voice reached the stratosphere on some notes, and then dipped to a pretty whisper before an acapella ending that was simply chill-inducing.

“That was his moment,” a nearby fan commented – and the only argument would be that the show was filled with many such “moments.”

Though many in the devoted crowd were likely bummed over the absence of “Mad World,” his star-making performance on “Idol,” that disappointment had to be mitigated by Lambert’s other encore choice – T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy,” the perfect capper for music’s newest glam rock king.

There might be legions of “classic rock” artists clogging the summer concert trail, but only a handful of them still possess a level of artistry comparable to their heyday.

Count Heart among that select collection.

On Wednesday night, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson – both still looking fabulous at 60 and 56, respectively – bounded through an hour and 20 minute set of ‘70s and ‘80s hits sprinkled with some offerings from “Red Velvet Car,” their 13th studio album coming Aug. 31.

While the mostly middle aged Innsbrook After Hours crowd of about 4,500 roared at the first sounds of “Straight On,” visually enhanced by Nancy’s handful of scissor kicks, the low-key trio of tunes that followed firmly spotlighted the band’s musicianship.

“These Dreams” floated under Nancy’s girlish sounding voice (she’s always been the delicate foil to her sister’s iron-lunged power, but last night sounded particularly wispy), while the acoustic “Dog & Butterfly” was lovely and nostalgic.

Nancy retained lead vocal duties for the new “Hey You,” a sweet, simple ballad (“You are one of a kind/you are some kind of fine”) that fits comfortably in Heart’s oeuvre.

But when a familiar guitar strain echoed from the stage – could it be… “Gimme Shelter”? – the sense that now Heart was ready to rock kicked in.

By weaving the Rolling Stones classic throughout its own “Even It Up,” the band not only appealed to the die-hard classic rock fans that constituted most of the crowd, but allowed Ann her first moment to unleash that mighty voice.

But the spotlight on Ann’s vocal muscle came with her spin on “Alone.” Though the song was re-arranged into a subtler version minus the big drums and fist-pumping moments, Ann managed to find plenty of runs that showcased one of rock’s truest voices.

Though the set contained its share of air guitar moments (seriously, can anyone listen to the opening of “Magic Man” without pretending to strum along?), it felt too brief.

While no Heart fan will ever quibble with the inclusion of a Led Zeppelin cover – because, really, Ann Wilson and Train’s Pat Monahan are two of the only singers who have adequately emulated Robert Plant’s wail – it would have been cool to hear a few more ‘80s radio hits such as “Never,” “Who Will You Run To,” “What About Love” as well.

Actually, a live rendition of “There’s the Girl” would have made one person in the crowd very happy – but there’s no breath-holding for that one.

If you missed Heart’s Innsbrook gig, the band performs Friday at nTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth. Visit http://www.pavilionconcerts.com for ticket info.

The Chester resident was featured on Sunday’s WE show, “Bridezillas” and will again be spotlighted this Sunday (the show airs at 9 p.m.).

The show follows Hambright as she scrambles to put together a New Year’s Eve wedding and this weekend’s episode tracks the fallout from her bachelorette party.

Also on tap for a tantrum: Hambright’s caterer forgets to order a chocolate fountain for the reception.

Those would be some producers from VH1, who will be on site filming the concert for the reality show “Fantasia For Real 2,” the second season of her reality show on the network which is expected to start in late fall.

The season three winner of “American Idol,” Fantasia (who does have a last name, Barrino, but has somehow already achieved solo-moniker status) has released two albums with a third, “Back to Me,” due Aug. 24.

Her current single, “Bittersweet,” is No. 10 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Tickets for tomorrow’s show at Kanawha Plaza are $30 and can be purchased at http://www.fridaysatsunset.com. at all Ticketmaster outlets, at the Landmark Theater box office or at the gate tomorrow. Gates open at 6 p.m. and The Fuzz Band opens.

Concertgoers are also encouraged to bring unopened bottles of water to combat the heat.

The office manager and resident instructor at the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community just won the nationwide “Big Broadway Break” contest, which means he’ll spend six months in New York to pursue his dream of a career on Broadway.

Marks’ chill-inducing winning entry, “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows,” which he submitted via video in May, can be viewed here.

The singer/performer said on the SPARC website, “While I am absolutely thrilled to be heading to New York to start the next chapter of my life and career, I cannot help but be grateful and thankful for my time over the last 10 years with SPARC. My students have enriched my life beyond measure, and I have been so privileged to work with such a talented, committed, and wonderful group of instructors who have also served as my friends and collaborators.”

Along with his paid hotel stay at Staybridge Suites (the sponsor of the contest), Marks’ prize package includes a series of personalized Broadway Classroom workshops from Broadway.com; interviews with Time Out New York and Seth’s Broadway Chatterbox; a session with Broadway casting director Stephanie Klapper and $5,000 for living expenses.

One of Marks’ responsibilities will be to write a blog about his experience. The link will be published on http://www.sparconline.org.

If you don’t already know the story (which is, apparently, in the book), Benatar was attending VCU when she decided to get a job as a bank teller. Her teller friends wanted to go see Liza Minnelli at the Richmond Coliseum, so Benatar tagged along and said as she was looking around the venue, she thought for the first time, “I can do this.” She also gave a shout-out to the Times-Dispatch in reference to an article she read at the time about all of the new venues opening in the Shockoe Slip area, where she eventually got her start performing with Coxon’s Army in the basement of Sam Miller’s.

Always nice to hear she hasn’t abandoned her roots in print or in TV interviews.

1. Those 12 long overdue nods for “Lost,” particularly Matthew Fox’s, which has been deserved for at least the past three seasons. Also great to see Elizabeth Mitchell getting recognition – as a “guest actress” – for her beautifully nuanced performance as Juliet.

2. Practically the entire cast – at least the female element – of “The Good Wife” the best drama on TV, being nominated. There would have been a revolt (probably by more people than just me) if Julianna Margulies had been overlooked for her quietly commanding presence, but Christine Baranski AND Archie Panjabi getting recognized with supporting actress nominations is not only a surprise, but is going to make the Emmy pool with my friends impossible to handicap.

3. The always-excellent Andre Braugher representing for the low-key charmer “Men of a Certain Age.” While Ray Romano’s screwed-up divorcee is relatable and Scott Bakula’s washed-up-actor-playboy schtick teeters between amusing and irritating, it’s Braugher’s character, Owen, the happily married, beaten-down-at-work-by-his-father, who extracts our sympathy and our respect.

4. “Nurse Jackie” and its prickly star, Edie Falco, are both captivating. As much as I loved Showtime for sending the entire second season to the media for early viewing, about halfway through the DVD, I stopped myself from watching more than one episode per night because I didn’t want the show to end. By fleshing out its supporting characters this season – particularly Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best) and Zoey (Merritt Wever) – and acknowledging Jackie’s drug addiction with typically pungent humor, the show demonstrated a new fearlessness.

5. Oh, “30 Rock,” how I love thee. Was this its best season? No. Although Julianne Moore’s hilarious turn as Jack’s (Alec Baldwin) ex-girlfriend from Bah-ston almost compensated for some of the lackluster story lines (trying too desperately to find Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon a husband is getting grating). But still, “30 Rock” is a layered delight that often requires multiple viewings because of the zippy pace of its writing and jokes. Nice to see Jane Krakowski nominated again, although Jane Lynch (“Glee”) is the likely lock in the supporting actress in a comedy category.

As for the priceless Fey, I’ll let her statement about “30 Rock”’s nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series say it all:  “This is great news. We’re grateful and excited. Especially since today is the fifth anniversary of the day NBC forgot to cancel us.”

P.S. Congrats to Richmond native Vince Gilligan, creator, writer and director of “Breaking Bad.” The show won multiple Emmys its first two seasons – including two statues for leading actor in a drama for star Bryan Cranston – and is up for seven Emmys, outstanding drama series and another nod for Cranston, among them.

P.P.S. Another local congrats to former Richmonder, comedian Sara Schaefer, who is part of the producing team nominated for “The Jimmy Fallon Digital Experience.” Schaefer, whose family still lives in town, is the lead blogger for Fallon’s late-night show.

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