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The 40-year-old singer from Connecticut stepped onto the “America’s Got Talent” stage with only an acoustic guitar, but he carried years of hard lessons and one unstoppable supporter: his mother, Betty.
“I’ve been singing my whole adult life," he said. "Have I let my dream go, as far as, being an artist? Maybe. That’s what this opportunity is about for me.”
It was Betty who nudged him for a decade to try out for "AGT," and she was right to have pushed him all along, judging by the standing ovation he received.
Adams chose the Goo Goo Dolls’ classic “Iris,” pouring decades of emotion from struggling uphill in an industry he didn't know would ever recognize him. Well, we're all paying attention now.
The crowd rose to its feet before the final chord faded. Cowell leaned in: “Okay, Chuck! You weren’t messing around, were you? How did that feel?”
Adams, breathless, answered, “It felt great.”
Judge Howie Mandel praised the veteran performer: “I really like you. I like your vibe. There’s a vibe about you that’s kind of this relaxed… You know who you are more than when you had your record deal.”
Cowell delivered the verdict local fans knew was coming.
“If this is about giving you confidence, this absolutely worked. You have a presence about you. You can reinterpret a song in a way that we’ve never heard before … I like you.”
Everyone did. He received resounding yes votes from all four judges.
Though the vote of confidence he received from his mom after the performance seemed to mean more than any of the others.
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