New Adam Lambert video was shot in Las Vegas

Last week, Adam Lambert, who's due in Las Vegas in December, shared his new video for "Another Lonely Night," which was actually shot here in town this past August. Taken from the current single from his latest effort, "The Original High," released this past June, the clip was directed by Luke Gilford, who's worked previously with David Lynch and Prada and is currently working on a film that he co-wrote featuring Pamela Anderson, Dree Hemingway and Jane Fonda.

Like countless other videos that have preceded it, Las Vegas serves as a backdrop for the piece, but not like you'd think. Unlike the vast amount of other videos that have been shot here, however, the city is featured far less prominently than the typical scenes you see depicted. Rather than relying on aerial footage or jump shots of all the neon, Gilford intersperses shots of less recognizable landmarks that add texture to the visuals, as opposed to being the focal point.

"That was a big part of what I wanted to achieve," Gilford explains via email. "We've all seen the Strip. I'm interested in the more gritty parts of Las Vegas, the underbelly of the glamour. Both Adam and I wanted to represent the darkness and alienation that can come with entertainment. So for me, it was important to find places that are not corporate or glossy but more independent and original."

Portrayed in a parallel narrative style, the video shows a slice of life of four individuals making a living on the Strip and highlights the loneliness that colors their day-to-day lives when they're off the clock. While the video is delivered as a performance clip, shots of Lambert crooning for the camera actually play into the overall storyline. That's precisely what Gilford had in mind when the pop star -- whom he had met a few years prior at a party through mutual friends -- asked him to direct the video, which features Lambert performing at the Peppermill, which has been fashioned here to resemble a nightclub.

"The legendary producer Max Martin is one of my heroes, and he had worked on the album with Adam, so I was excited to hear what they'd made together," says Gilford. "When I heard 'Another Lonely Night,' I immediately thought of Las Vegas and suggested a storyline where Adam plays a struggling lounge singer in Vegas. I also wanted to follow a couple other characters, like a showgirl and a male dancer, but it was important to me for them to be real and not actors."

In a roundabout way, that's how Gigi Gorgeous ended up in the video. The Canadian YouTube phenom steals some scenes from Lambert as a wedding organizer who helps happy couples tie the knot at the legendary Little White Chapel, the place where Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy once got hitched, and shares screen time with a pair of dancers, a male stripper shedding a fireman's outfit for a lustful crowd at the Olympic Garden topless cabaret, and a showgirl twirling beneath bright lights in full regalia.

"I went to Las Vegas a week before the shoot to location scout and cast the video," Gilford recalls of the shoot, which took place in mid-August over the course of two-days in 115 degree heat. "I'm very particular with locations and casting, so I had to be there and do it myself. Casting was more difficult than I expected though, so I stayed a couple days longer to continue looking for people and places to shoot. I met a drive-thru wedding chapel minister I was really inspired by, so I asked to include in the video, but she wasn't interested. So Adam and I talked about asking one of our friends to play her instead. We both love Gigi, and she was excited to try something new. I'm so happy she did it."

Gilford ties the whole concept together by lingering with his lens on the lonely moments of the character's lives, as dawn turns to day and they each make their way back home in the sobering light of morning. Gilford says he's happy with the way the clip turned out. "Often a video can stray pretty far from the treatment," he concludes. "I was so happy that in this case the final product wasn't too drastically different than what I originally set out to do."

Check out the video and then make plans to catch Lambert with Rob Thomas at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on Saturday, Dec. 5 for Mix 94.1 Mercedes in the Morning's Not So Silent night. Tickets for the holiday show start at $39.50 and go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m.

Read more from Dave Herrera at reviewjournal.com. Contact him at dherrera@reviewjournal.com.