American Idols Live! 2008 – Hartford, CT

According to one of the cellcasters for tonight’s show at Rickey’s, the Mavid dance was a tribute to SYTYCD doing twirling and pirouettes. I can’t wait to see this! :laugh_tb:

I’m already laughing just thinking about it! Come on video peeps!

Interview earlier from Fox 61. Just scroll down till you see the videos and click on:

2008 Tour-8/8

I can’t wait to see video of tonoght’s Mavid Dance. Those two are hilarious.

A little OT, but Time of My Life was just played for the closing montage of the Olympics Opening ceremony tonight. So exciting!!!

Mavid Dance (shaky camera)

Better short clip of the Mavid Dance

Any chance this can be found online somewhere?
I want to see the Magic Rainbowz olympics montage!

yes, i just posted the link in the headline section

Reminder: Let’s keep the thread on topic. Last night’s show. Thank you!

yes, i just posted the link in the headline section

Thank you. That’s where it belongs. .

Ok, this is my first post at MJ’s. First, I would like to dedicate this recap to the DC thread at TWOP. Apparently, responding genially and innocuously to a comment about David Cook MADE IN THE DAVID ARCHULETA THREAD can get you banned over there. So, I know you guys were waiting on my review as well as to hear which product of Hombre Solutions I ultimately selected (if my screen name doesn’t give away my identity, that last part should).

The Recap (Part I):

First, general comments. For people watchers, particularly those with a background knowledge of American Idol and its sundry fandoms, the Idol show is a fascinating experience. I observed three distinct types of “active” fans (as opposed to those were just there because, well, they were just there, having come with a significant, other, kids, grandkids, etc:

1. Fans of individual or multiple performers
2. Fans of American Idol itself
3. Fans of Reality TV Stars

Not much needs to be said about the first category or second category. The first group, sported their T-shirts and signs for the Davids, Brooke, Jason, and sometimes more than one. The second group proudly wore their Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Chris Sligh (seriously), Bo Bice (etc.) gear.

It’s harder to define identifying characteristics of the third group. But, you just got a sense that these people would have screamed as loudly to meet Ryan and Trista as they did for Carly Smithson. Many of these types carried posterboards filled with autographs of more than just the top ten (I saw Amanda Overmeyer’s sig on one, so unless she’s covering the tour for Vote For The Worst or just following it so she can heckle the top 10, then the autograph seeker obtained it elsewhere).

Other observations– the pre-show music is one long pimp mix for former Idols. I thought I knew all of Daughtry’s songs, but I heard one played last night that I don’t think the band has even written yet. Carrie Underwood got major play, of course too. I even heard a snippet of Blake Lewis. What was interesting was the Idols who were NOT played– those who currently reside in the franchise doghouse (or nowhere at all). No Kelly, Clay, or Fantasia.

All right, so as to prevent this post from getting too long, I will review the show itself in Part II.

Oh no, noctem seizure, not you too! Ah, the TWoP banned camp bus is surely overflowing by now. As someone who loves that thread, and your contribution to it, all I can do is ask you kindly if you’d consider signing up again. We’d miss you far too much.

Sorry, topic – Loved your review part I, waiting patiently for more. It’s always interesting for me to hear about the crowd and it’s diversity, since I won’t get to attend the tour myself.

Oh, and the latest Mavidance ballet was hilarious. Do you guys think it was inspired by SYTYCD? The Mavidances have become the highlight of the tour for me.

deleted

I have yet to add to the blog although I am an avid reader. I agree with the above post but would like to add my take. (BTW: Got some great shots and a video of the dance but haven’t edited anything yet). I have never been to an AI show before, never wanted to but I love Cook. He absolutely did not disappoint. I was not crazy about Archie (I know throw tomatoes at me) previously but he was awesome. What a pure voice and a great presence. MJ, Carley, and Syesha did not disappoint. Jason was much better than I expected and was in good form. Chickieze was also good. Brooke White was hoarse and did not sound good. I didn’t feel like she had much of a stage presence and I like her. Forget the midget. She was flat, off key and wanted to yell out “Yo dawg!” “You are pitchy” As for the newly renamed Civic Center to the XL Center (same old hole it always was)… the sound was awful most of the night. Very distorted in places which is a fault of whoever is running the sound for the show. We had great seats. I was not happy with the grandparents (of which I am one) and their tweens who could not sit still and were in my viewfinder way too often. Too many youngens OOC with parents who could care less. I teach and wanted to yell at them all to get in their seats! All in all an enjoyable show. If anyone read the NY Times review the reporter was on the money about the show.

Awww, I was waiting for the mancrush review over there! LOL! Well, at least it’s here now. I was banned once too for making what I thought to be a joke. Sigh. Glad you’ll be posting here.

Viva la MAVID!

Please, let’s not discuss the TWOP mods here. It’s off topic. Don’t use my blog to take shots at the folks who run other boards.

Also if you’re here because you’ve been banned from TWOP, make sure to read my guidelines. They are very similar to TWOP.

http://mjsbigblog.com/?page_id=1172

Thank you.

The Recap Part II: The Show

First, a preliminary comment. I know we all pay lipservice to the idea that “it’s not a competition anymore.” But, the very competitive nature of Idol itself as well as the structure of the show as ten basically ten consecutive mini-concerts makes it impossible to avoid looking at the singers comparatively. Plus, even though we say “the competition is over”, you know we are all privately thinking “but my guy/ girl is still the best….”

Chikieze:

All I have to say is Chikieze Eze FTMFW! While he records whatever album he plans on making, get this man a job as a VJ on MTV stat! Or at worst he could takeover for the abominable pre-show warm-up guy next year. Because this man is an MC entertainer extraordinaire!

On his first song, he showed off his kicked-off-too-early vocal ability; on the second, an Usher song, he showed us he could move like nobody’s business. Chikieze please teach Michael Johns to dance. Immediately. He’s no Usher as he showed us during “Caught Up”, but he could be Usher’s like fourth opening act or something. As far as being able to move on stage, he mops that stage with the other guys and most of the girls too.

And the third song– let me tell you, he took us to CHURCH. I’m not as down with “Big Jesus Christ” as I once was, Miley, but during that song I was ready to TESTIFY.

(Ranking for the night: SEVENTH)

Ramiele:

For whatever reason, Rami decided to try to sing “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, as if she was Michael himself. Either that or her and Danny Noriega were sucking on helium balloons backstage before the show. In any event, this number was like a first round audition that was begging to be excoriated by Simon Cowell. But, it occurred to me that Rami would have been the perfect ‘ female pop singer in the ’80s– back the days when it didn’t matter if the girl could, you know, sing. As long as she could sound squeaky on the radio, she was golden.

Halfway through Rami’s second song, Taylor Dayne’s “Love Will Lead you Back”, the helium must have worn off and for about niney seconds you got to hear that voice that for a nanaosecond during the season had her classified as a strong contender. You heard a bit of that voice too on the third song, but the band kind of drowned her out. In general, I’m thinking that what Rami needs is not singing lessons, but a singing ADVISOR. Because she needs guidance on HOW to sing her songs, not necessarily how to sing better. Regardless, she does have a promising future ahead of her as Jasmine Trias’ personal assistant.

(Ranking for the night: TENTH)

Michael:

Just as on the show, song choice is crucial on the tour, urchins (when I used to be a high school teacher, I often addressed my classes as “urchins”. I would think that they were confused and thought I was referring to them as sea creatures instead of kids, but I’m not sure they understood either meaning of the word.) Anyway, Michael comes out singing “We Will Rock You” and sounds as cheesy as any Queen cover band hired to perform at a gay wedding. Wait, what state am I in? I mean “commitment ceremony”.

MJ then segues into “We Are The Champions”, and suddenly he sounds amazing. “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All right” shows his star potential, but on “Dream On” he again tries to do the high part like he did the fateful week as IGB.

Mike, nobody except Steven Tyler can do that part. NOBODY. I realize you and Sugarfoot probably wouldn’t even be doing Aerosmith songs if not for the infernal (and extremely intrusive to concert-goers) Guitar Hero sponsorship, but you got the much better song. Yours wasn’t written by Diane Warren!! And Remember, how on your sing-out you DIDN’T do the high part and it was one of the best sing-outs EVER? Yeah, you should have done it like that. Consult Ramiele’s vocal advisor.

Last thoughts for MJ. Mate, you are the fourth best singer from this season, but my ranking for the show is not going to reflect that, for reason of the criticisms stated. Oh and you may be a worse dancer than Archuleta. Seriously. The kid has improved. I will acknowledge that you were first singer of the night to bring the whole crowd to life, however.

(Ranking for the night: SIXTH)

(Part III to follow)….

Better short clip of the Mavid Dance

BWAH! They’re concentrating so hard, lol. They just crack me up. They weren’t doing this in Chicago, so I cannot WAIT to see what they do in Tampa!!

Carpe/noctem – thanks for coming here for the show review- I love your analytical thinking and razor sharp snark. (I was angela tarantula, sigh)

Very clever idea to give them your own rankings, but I would be interested in having you also tell us what you ranked these folks at in terms of the entire show (assuming they were in fact different from how you ranked them for this single concert).

Welcome, carpe/noctem! Glad to have found you. I’m looking forward to the rest of your review. Also, how did the Hombre Solutions products hold up? Did any other mancrushers represent?

Billie Jean

Dream On

Part III

Kristy Lee:

Ok, this one is hard for me. KLC was the first contestant I latched on to when the girlfriend made me start watching this year. I wanted her to get that horse back, damn it.

KLC, Ramiele, and Archie all suffer from the same difficulty. When they “project”/ “belt” with their voice they sound very good (Archie, in fact, sounds immaculate). But, when they are not projecting, they do not sound nearly as good. Whether you want to call it trouble with their low voice or their soft voice or whatever, they just do not sound as good. And digressing to Archie for a second, you can hear what I’m talking about on the verses of his single.

Back to KLC, her two country songs were better than her “vote for me or the terrorists win” song, but in general, like Rami, her sometimes thin voice can not be heard above the band part of the time and she came off a bit karaoke except when she, as said, projected.

HOWEVER…….. Kristy WILL have a future in the biz. Because on stage, she can flat out work her ass and hips. The girlfriend said to me “You can’t take your eyes off her, can you?” I refused to answer on the grounds that I would like to have sex again some time soon. Actually, I rather weakly stammered, “I was picturing you in that outfit, honey!” Um, yeah, I don’t think she bought it either….

So, to sum up: adequate singing plus sex plus country music equals a decent career and a probable series of celebrity cage fighting matches with Kellie Pickler….

(Rank for the night: NINTH)

Carly:

One more time: song choice. Or in Pig Latin: ongsay oicechay. Carly, you have the most powerful voice of the group, but you don’t have… well, whatever it is, that Amy Lee has. So, though, Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life” was one of the tracks I was most looking to hearing covered when it was the set list was spoiled, it wasn’t the right song for you. I thought that it would be, but ’twasn’t.

On the other hand, you absolutely annihilated on Heart’s “Crazy on You”. In fact, if you’re next CD doesn’t sell more than 400 copies, AI should hire you to be in charge of pre-clearing what future female contestants get to cover the stylings of Ann Wilson and which do not. Because not many can do it, but you can.

Carly you were also outstanding on “I Drove All Night”, but you shouldn’t announce to the crowd that you’re going to do a song by Celine Dion and expect to get applause. Except maybe in Canada. And I’m not even sure you’d get it there. Possibly because you’re Irish and all, you think that all of New England and above is all part of the Great White North. But, really, we’re at an entirely lower latitude. And if you wanted to appeal to the fans of Titanic, you should have joined in on Mavid’s “I’m the King of the World” bit from the PDSTM in… one of those cities that’s south of Canada. I’m not sure what part you would have played in the sketch, though.

Final thoughts: Carly, you were the third best singer of the season, but you can’t move at ALL on stage, but you can stand there and sing the hell out the place, so form a band, where you can get behind a microphone and do just that. Or catch up with Jefferson Space Shuttle, or whatever the hell they’re called these days and take over the lead for them. Because you… could totally handle Grace Slick.

(Rank for the night: FIFTH)

Brooke:

Miss White apparently has no concerns about athlete’s foot, or perhaps she’s angling for an endorsement with Tinactin. In any case, as most know how the show runs by now, Brooke rises dramatically from beneath the stage on the piano playing “Let It Be”. Except what was funny was that from where we were sitting, you could partially peer into the spot where the stage opens up, and so we got with this extended top-down view of a mop of golden hair. Lucky for Brooke, she doesn’t have Sugarfoot’s hairline in this case, I guess.

It’s always intriguing how two people can hear completely diffferent things. I thought Brooke was the best overall performer of the first half of the show. The girlfriend thought she was worse than Ramiele. I’m REALLY not getting laid anytime soon, it seems. So to the poster above who also thought Brooke was bad, since I’m not going to be getting any, maybe my girlfriend will sleep with you.

Anyway (in my opinion), “Let It Be” was moving, the orchestrated snapping on the Feist song was corny, but the performance was still great. And so was her take on Coldplay’s “Yellow”. But having golden stars on the big screen that look like the type that are attached to second graders’ homework assignments whose mothers then put them up on the refrigerators? Seriously?

During her set, Brooke revealed that she and Michael were at the Neil Diamond concert the night before. I guess that explains why Mike wasn’t at the Mets game. But, does that mean Cook is MJ’s sloppy seconds that he gives to Carly?

There was actually a woman sitting near us who had a Neil Diamond world tour T-shirt on. So, I’m guessing she’s either a Neil fan and Idol fan or she’s way too much of a groupie for the XL Center.

Oh and finally, Brooke says that during Diamond’s show she went to the concession stand and the vendor asked if she was Hannah Montana. It’s good to know the writer of the “Bocephus” joke from the Teen Choice Awards is finding steady employment.

(Rank for the night: FOURTH)

(To Be Continued…)

noctem seizure – your reviews are too funny I am anxiously awaiting more – where will my favs appear in your rankings?? Biting fingernails.

Nocterm – I cant wait for the rest of your recap – very entertaining and interesting, I have missed this type lately. Even those you dont like so well you are mean about it and I like that the most (just give some good tips?) Even if my Jason is your 8th placer cuz what you have left is 1,2,3 & 8th – right? Oh – hurry up

What was interesting was the Idols who were NOT playedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ those who currently reside in the franchise doghouse (or nowhere at all). No Kelly, Clay, or Fantasia.

I’m not 100% sure about Fantasia, but I know that Kelly and Clay no longer employ 19 as management – whereas Daughtry, Carrie, and Blake do. Not that this is the only and complete reason that those 3 get “screen time” at the tour, but I’m sure it plays a part.

Last night’s show was amazing, for lack of a better word. I was 5 rows from the stage, right in the middle, so you better believe I could see every drop of sweat on David Cook’s face : ) My only complaint is that the show went by wicked fast…3 hours went by in an instant.

I got some excellent pictures that I’ll share as soon as I get them on my computer.

I meant you are NOT mean about it Nocturm – noctum – I dont like the mean ones

I am so enjoying this recap, snark and all.

Yes it is snarky, I like that kind – thats the word I was looking for it wasnt out and out mean spirited but HELLO, speaking of Hello where is Davids and the rest, you mean you have more to do today than spend time on MJ”S to finish. Ok, off to gather up my loins and go swimming,. I will catch you later

TWoP is the Internet equivalent of a two-hole outhouse. Wear your ban as a badge of honor.

Part IV:

Jason:

Jason, Jason, Jason. You were such a breath on the show. Why no “Hallelujah”? I realize the song has like 15 verses and I’m sure your version will take Mexican cinema by storm (are you recording all 15 verses, by the way?), but still your on-show rendition was the second best performance of the season. I watched Bon Jovi Unplugged and JBJ himself sang that song and couldn’t hold a candle to you on this particular track (I’ll give the overall nod to Mr. Jovi, though– no offense).

As for the songs you did sing– I loved SOTR on the show (and bonus points to you for singing the best song of the night featuring the word “rainbow”). But, in this atmosphere, it came off, uh, kitschy. The ukelele was cute (can guys say “cute”?), but it was a little hard to hear your voice, and while, I think that song would sound amazing in a club or a coffee house, it just wasn’t right for this type of venue.

“Crazy” on the other hand was excellent and, frankly, better than Archie’s version. Lastly, “Daydream” was, if nothing else, pretty cool, and you do have this Dylan quality to your voice that came out in that song.

I do think Jason is going to make music that I will want to hear, and I believe he’s going to have a huge cult following on college campuses (at least until they realize he really DOESN’T smoke weed). Anyway, I love Jason, and I think he deserved to finish about sixth on the show, so perhaps the ranking I assign him here balances out his outplacing MJ and Carly during the season.

(Rank for the night: EIGHTH)

Syesha:

All right, I don’t know if it was being back in her birth home of Connecticut that brought something out in her, but Syesha was an absolute REVELATION. Not so much at first, with “Umbrella”. Wrong song if you’re not Rhianna, and left the initial impression that her set was going to, well, suck. But, at the very end, when the backup singers assumed the chorus singing, and she took over with the soaring background vocal runs, it was a taste of things to come.

All I can say about Syesha’s songs from Alicia Keys and Dreamgirls is you had to be there. They were jaw-dropping. She was the only singer of the night to give me chills (to be fair Cook’s set-list isn’t really meant to be chill-inducing). The girlfriend was in tears (unfortunately, I didn’t even get the “emotional comfort” lay, however)….

I heard an unsubstantiated rumor that Syesha received a note backstage that read as follows:

Dear Syesha,

Thank you for not trying out in 2007.

Sincerely,

Jordin S.

Seriously, though, I have NO doubt that SHE would be Jordin right now if she auditioned last year. Except she would be bigger. Much bigger. Because, to be shallow and superficial and– you know– a guy, she has a far more “marketable look” than J. Sparks does.

Anyway, Syesha seriously annoyed me on the show, and if her recording career does collapse, I would strongly advise her to avoid analogizing it to the Irish Potato Famine. But, for last night, she blew me away.

(Rank for the night: SECOND)

David Archuleta:

Ok, first David, expect that you or your father or your one of your representatives will be hearing from the local Connecticut chapter of PETA some time today. Because dogs all over the midstate area went seriously deaf last night. In fact, the screaming from the training-bra contingent was the scourge of canines across the state.

The comparison between the Davids’ audience response is exactly as it has been described throughout the tour. Higher-pitched and louder in short bursts for Little David and more sustained loudness for Big David.

His songs? I loved “Angels” on the show– I thought it was Archie’s third best of the year behind the original “Imagine” and “Stand By Me”. But, honestly, I was underwhelmed last night. Once again, it goes back to the soft/ low voice. Absolutely gorgeous and pristene singing when he projects, but relatively weak vocals when he isn’t. Anyway, it was his weakest of the night.

“Apologize” got better– more voice projecting–, but it wasn’t until “Stand By Me” that he brought the house down. I don’t care how many rejected-songs of current R/B singers and former boy band members he records, he should ALWAYS perform this song in concert. Every time I’ve heard it, he absolutely KILLS! It is the PERFECT song for him because it remains in the tenor register throughout which is where he utterly shines. In fact, he should never sing in a lower register until his voice matures.

“When You Say You Love Me” was almost as good as SBM. As the song progresses, his voice just keeps soaring and soaring to a higher and higher plane. Whether or not Jive turns him into a successful male Jordin, I see him eventually singing songs like this on one of those annoying PBS shows– where every fifteen minutes they interrupt the program to ask you to donate money so they can remain on TV to air more irritatingly chopped-up fundraiser and telethon performances the following year.

Final word(s) on Archie. Kid’s stage presence is much improved… during his songs. In between songs, the tots who got abducted from their parents and forced to play simulated Guitar Hero during intermission were less awkward in front of the crowd than DA was.

And finally this: Syesha, astonishingly, outperformed him last night. But, in Archie’s defense, Syesha isn’t simultaneously trying to record an album while touring. David is.

(Rank for the night: THIRD)

(If anybody’s still reading what at this point appears to be turning into a vanity-post, then stay tuned for the conclusion.)

Short clip of DC playing guitar hero HERE.

If anybodyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s still reading what at this point appears to be turning into a vanity-post, then stay tuned for the conclusion.

Oh, I’m tuned in alright. This is one entertaining, snarky, interesting recap.
Really enjoying it so far. Considering you haven’t yet reviewd the one part I usually care about, that’s a miracle in my book.

Dude! Don’t keep me hanging!

Can – not – wait – for – the – concluson!!!!

Loving your recap Can’t wait for the next installment.

Here’s my contribution to the Mavid dance saga. I was 13 rows up stage right. Unfortunately, their backs were to us a good deal of the show regardless. This was another area the show was lacking. But, for what it is, I enjoyed it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc-pnNjMZMk

Noctem (Carpe) FTW! Glad to see you, as I have been waiting patiently!

In response:
Part I- I found it odd that some people came wearing Daughtry/ Carrie Underwood/ etc apparel. Seems almost rude, but I guess if you are just a fan of the show in general it makes sense.

Part II- Loved the Chikeze recap, that is good stuff and I am now looking very forward to the first act!

Part III- Sorry you wont be getting laid any time soon. Bummer.

Part IV- Interesting about Syesha, I am oddly now, also looking forward to her set. That was a sweet thing for JS to do too.

Part V- Ugh! Come on already! =)

Part V:

David Cook:

As many, many others have said, it’s like a whole different show when his set begins. By this, I don’t even necessarily mean to imply that he’s a necessarily “better” singer than all of the others. I don’t even know how to compare him to the others. I can say, in purely vocal terms, I have heard him sound better than he did last night. But, was his singing “better” last night than Syesha, Archie, Carly, MJ, Chikieze?

I don’t know. The only thing I can say is that he has something. In sports (as well as other arenas), it is often referred to as “it”. This is what separates Cook from the other Idols. He has that “it” quality.

I’m still finding it hard to process what I saw in seeing his set live last night. I honestly had to go back and watch the vids when we got home and say “ok, that’s what he sounded like.” Honestly, when I watched– and listened– to the clips I did hear a few parts where I thought “that could have sounded better”. But, I’m not sure it mattered to anyone who was there.

Or maybe it did. I still haven’t seen the local reviews, so I wouldn’t be totally shocked if they were unflattering. Like I said, on a sonic level he has been better before.

And I’m trying to pinpoint why when I see him, I say he has the “it”. Is it the stage-stalking command he displays when he’s up there? Is it the naturality with the audience? Is it residual impressedness with his musical rearrangements from the season?

I’m not impressed with him on one of the levels that some of his female fans are. Heterosexual male here (and still wanting to get a piece if you’re reading this, honey (although that probably wasn’t the most romantic proposition, was it?))

And it’s not completely about music-style preference. Yeah, Cook’s sound is the closest to my preference of anyone else this year– but I’m much more of a Cure, Depeche Mode, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Femmes (etc.) type than a post-grunge guy.

If there’s one signature image that comes to my mind that I associate with Cook’s “it”, it’s the scrunched-up-face-with-head-turned-slightly-to-the-side glory note-face. The blogger “Bitten” calls it, I think, the “money-note-sex-face”, but, as I said, it doesn’t affect me on that level. And Masterclass Lady would probably even say that’s not sound, technical form. But, when I see the glory note face, I see… something.

I’m not predicting superstardom for Cook, necessarily. In a couple years his CD may be consigned to the discarded buzz-cut bin at Target while Archuleta as a solo-artist single-handedly revives the boyband era. But, I just know for some reason this giant-headed singer on a silly reality show that my girlfriend made me watch has affected me in a way that only a select few of my favorite athletes have. Like them, he has “it”.

Topic– he sang some songs last night. “Hello” actually started out muffled. I don’t know if that was an intentional vocal affectation or poor sound mixing, but I actually worried at first that he too was going to be underwhelming. It eventually had some nice parts, but I’ve heard him do it better.

“Magic Rainbows” was sung well, but a bit embarrassing because he held out the mic– he really tries to get out of singing the “magic rainbow” lyric now– but the first time, hardly anyone sang back to him. Dave, just because you had that moving experience of audience-singing in one of those other cities that’s south of Canada doesn’t mean you should repeat it every time. Or you’ll be setting yourself up to “taste” more “moments” like this one.

Two songs which to which the videos do not translate how well he sings them are Guitar Hero Sponsorship Track #2 and “My Hero”. Finally, all I can say about Billie Jean live is you have to experience it. At the risk of sounding once more existential/ poetic/ philosophical/ fanboyish, it’s one of those times where after it’s over you’re still wondering exactly you just witnessed (and the immediate transition into PDSTM doesn’t give you any time to absorb it.) I give Billie Jean a grade of 99% (the 100% is reserved for the approximately two week stretch where he sang the first line of the second chorus (“Billie Jean is not my lover”) as high as he did on the glory not at the end of the last line of the second verse (“She called me to her room.”). I’m sure it’s hella taxing on his voice and that’s why he stopped but you lucky bastards who got to hear him sing it that way in person know exactly the change I’m talking about.

In conclusion, Cook has so much raw power, some of it untapped, I think, that he’s still trying to learn how to harness it, target it. He didn’t hit a bullseye last night, but he came close enough.

(Rank for the night: FIRST)

Concluding thoughts, as has been oft-repeated, the show flies by in a blink. For every single singer except Rameiele, I can say that I wanted them to stay out on stage a lot longer.

I really have tried to wait for the final installment to respond, but I’m so glad you have decided to post your review here! Very, very fun read! I just know the best is yet to come!!!!!! I truly now understand the term snark/snarky, what have ya’, and though I’ve seen it here so many times (actual snark that is, not just the term) I have never so thoroughly enjoyed it in such a large dose. (Or should I say in such large doses!)

Watching for the conclusion, which I’m guessing will be coming about any time since they’ve all been about 2 hrs. apart.

Carpe, re-register at twop. Some of us, ahem, are on our 5th or so screen name. :O

Your review was great! We were in the 5th row center and the sound was actually quite good. I think any sound problems were a result of the arena itself. From our vantage point, Cook’s voice was in fine form. I actually wasn’t impressed with Syesha – though maybe that is because all I could concentrate on were her giant breasticles (and I’m a hetero female).

I also cringed at the TOML thing – and also felt it was to avoid the magic rainbow line. The crowd sang very loudly when he had us sing a line from IDWTMAT though.

I have some pictures here:
http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f51/msgrizzle/David Cook/

I got some excellent pictures that I’ll share as soon as I get them on my computer.

Thank you! I look forward to that.

Thanks carpe. I’ve been looking forward to your review and knew we could count on you for some razor-sharp snark and measured mancrusher analysis!

noctem seizure, that has got to be one of the best recaps, if not THE best, I have read. It held my interest, despite the 2 hour breaks, all the way through. I hope you post here quite often as you give a slightly different take on the show. BRAVO!!

Thanks for you deliciously snarky recap. Back in the day (way back) when I was going to rock concerts, I never expected them to be that well sung. Saw the Stones twice and Mick Jagger wasn’t very good at all either time. The same can be said for Grateful Dead, Neil Young, ummm the list goes on. They all have/had that it factor though, and David Cook has it for sure.

Ha Ha. Well I guess if I would have waited a touch longer I could have commented after you were done! You showed up a little early this time.

Thanks again for your recap! Yes, totally agree DC has the “it” factor going on and I’m so glad males can see it as well as females!!

Noctem Seizure, Terrific recap. Love to hear your perspectives on the show. It is incredibly refreshing to hear a guy’s point of view here and encourage you to continue posting here. I actually think that a good portion of David’s fans post-AI will be guys, so while they might be in the minority on message boards such as this, their voices are much needed, and greatly appreciated.

I think what gives David Cook the “it” factor, is that he’s not just singing and trying to have some stage presence. The man has taken advantage of his background in theatre, in endless club gigs, heck even in debate tournaments, to learn the art of fully selling a performance. It’s what elevates any performance beyond the specific technique into art. David knows how to do this and it leaves you mesmerized. And this phenomena is not exclusive to females. Like any big rock star, there is a charge that runs between the power of the electric guitar, the singer and the audience, that’s like lightning. It’s an intense connection that leave you almost breathless, wanting more. David’s tapped into this and I cannot wait to hear what he has in store for us with this record. His solo tour next year is going to be awesome. But for now, this AI tour will have to suffice as a taste of what’s to come.

Nocte/carpe:

the approximately two week stretch where he sang the first line of the second chorus (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Billie Jean is not my loverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ) as high as he did on the glory not at the end of the last line of the second verse

Oh, thank you for calling that out. I got total goosebumps each of the few times he did it – it was almost like ‘keening’, a piercing wail that was…well, it was thrilling. I keep waiting to hear that again in each venue’s vids, and he hasn’t been doing it. Not sure if it’s just too taxing, or if he simply likes to keep changing it around.

Anyway, I join the chorus of praise. If you aren’t a professional writer, you should be. Mancrusher numero uno, we hail you!

Thank you !!! That was absolutely the best recap here. Not just the feeling a singer invokes but attempts to analyze the “why” of it. You managed to immerse yourself in the show enough to enjoy it and be objective enough to critique it from techical and performance point of view. Any more thoughts that come to your mind will be greatly appreciated.

Carpe,

Thanks so much for a great re-cap and all that snark!

It is interesting how the performances vary from venue to venue. The very songs you found outstanding at your show were some of the ones I found most disappointing in Atlantic City and vice versa. (Sorry no recap for that, MJ. Was in the middle of getting a new PC set up last weekend, and by the time it was done on Tuesday, it just seemed too late to post. May break down and buy a ticket for the Philly show next week. If I do, I promise to recap.)

Carpe, I think you’re right about Cook’s “it” factor. Even my DH, whose favorites throughout the season were generally Michael and Carly, would always comment when DC would start singing, “Man, that guy is just something else.” And he is. It’s a combination of the voice and his ability to use it in so many ways so well, the stage presence, and the sheer love of performing and giving the crowd what they came for.

Carpe, thanks for the recap. You did not disappoint. May you get laid and soon.

Even though Noctem Seizure has provided us with an excellent, snarky, hilarious recap, I’d like to add my thoughts on the night. (Sorry if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a bit longà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦I have a lot of things to say!)

–Chikezie was full of enough energy to get everyone excited for the show ahead. I loved his Usher song, and I couldn’t help but think it was unfortunate he was the unofficial opening act when there were other contestants that showcased far less talent than he did.

–Speaking of less talented contestants, Ramiele was definitely one of them. Her voice sounded strained and just plain weird during à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“If I Never See Your Face Again. She is absolutely adorable though, and I now want my hair to look like hers, but the rhinestone hooker look she had going on did nothing to flatter her.

–I was never a huge Michael Johns fan during his run on the show, but I loved his sense of humor (not to mention that the man is incredibly attractive.) While his stage presence was a bit affected and awkward sometimes, his set was very high-energy and his vocals sounded strong. Michaelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Australian accent gets me every time and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m happy to report he is even better looking in person.

–Kristy Lee is much skinnier than she seemed on TV, and is very pretty. However, I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t find much to enjoy about her set; the two country songs she sang were unrecognizable to this long-time country fan, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“God Bless the USAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  was just trite and cheesy. KL really needs to work on her performing skills; everything she did came off as amateur talent show at the county fair. She also suffered from the same Bedazzler attack that Ramiele was a victim of.

–I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t figure out why, but Carly looked different than she did when she was frequenting my TV screen. Maybe she lost some weight? Regardless, she was gorgeous and she really went for it with her vocals. Major points to her for saying Hartford is a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“beautiful cityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦we are New Englandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rising star and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m glad Carly recognized that : )

–Brookeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s bare feet were the first thing I noticed when she rose out of the stage. She looks incredibly young in person, and she looks absolutely radiant when she smiles. Let it be known that she looks nothing like Hannah Montana.

–Jasonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dreadlocks look gross from a close perspective. As talented as he is, he looked so lost on that big stage when he was sitting on a stool playing the ukulele. Any time he tried to talk to the audience it sounded something like, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Mumble mumble mumble, ha ha ha, mumble mumble, ha ha.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

–Holy boobs, Batman! Syeshaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dress created the most ridiculous cleavage Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve ever seen. I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t remember if they appeared that big on the show, but if she walked near my seats and crouched down to hit a glory note, I was afraid we might see more than we wanted to. I never liked her on the show, but her performance was incredible and her voice sounded so powerful in the horrible acoustics of the Civic Center.

–I confess, I went to the bathroom and concession stand during some of David Archuletaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s set. What I did see was strong vocals and considerably less awkward dancing/stage presence, a lot of shy laughing/talking and the sound of thousands of pre-teens screaming simultaneously. I hope Archie couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see me yawning during his set, and if he did, sorry, but I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t find myself getting excited by his selection of mostly slow songs. Maybe ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s his shorter hair, but I actually thought Archie was cuter on TV.

–I can honestly say that I would have forgone the last nine performers to see more of David Cook. His vocals may not have been the strongest or most spot-on of the night, but wow, that man knows how to work a stage. Every woman in the audience suddenly turned into rabid DC fans as soon as he took the stage. My own mother is now bragging to everyone she talks to that David Cook was à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“inches away from her.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Personally, I like him without eyeliner, but really, I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t going to be picky when he was close enough to touch. (I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t, in case you were wondering. I had to control myself.)
One section started a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  chant and pretty soon the entire Civic Center joined in, which led to David shaking his head and saying, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A year ago, I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get five people to do that.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  I read a review in the NY Times that called David smug and glum, but all I saw was a guy who went from being a nobody to a somebody incredibly fast and is doing his best to adjust accordingly.

Overall, I thought the show was lots of fun, packed from beginning to end with ten talented people. Despite what career David Cook (or any of the Idols for that matter) have ahead of them, they should treasure the fact that they provided countless people with an entertaining show.

Sorry that was so long! Pictures are on the way soon, I promise!

Collection of Hartford YT videos

Collection of Albany YT videos

Thanks Alison ! Another great recap !

Noctem – I really loved your recap even with Jason finishing 8th – I still loved it, I have been liking me some MJ more and more over the past few weeks so I will let him SHARE 4th with Jason but he cant have it, ok? That really was the best recap in quite a while.

Bravo, Carpe(aka noctem)! I was eagerly anticipating your recap at TWOP. Your recap was fab and I expected no less. I’m bummed to hear you went to banned camp. Happens to the best of us. I hope you consider re-registering under a new name. If not your voice will be sorely missed.

Inquiring minds wanna know. Did you go with Tommy Used to Work on The Docks or Sharp-Dressed Men?

Great recap, noctem, and sorry to lose you from TWOP.

(the 100% is reserved for the approximately two week stretch where he sang the first line of the second chorus (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Billie Jean is not my loverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ) as high as he did on the glory not at the end of the last line of the second verse (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ She called me to her room.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ).

Can I ask anyone here who has it for a link to a good youtube of this version of Billie Jean? I stopped watching vids for a while before my own shows to try and cut down on the spoiler effect, and I think I missed it. It was amazing enough when I saw it in Atlantic City and Nassau, I’m having a hard time believing in a better one. *g*

Carte/Noctem, I expected a great recap from your various posts on TWoP and that’s what we got. I also enjoyed Alison’s recap. So, thank you both.

astolat: This is the best version of Billie Jean with the special bit that I could find quickly – it’s from the Pittsburgh show- it’s at 3:05.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTakVlgMcMs

(sorry about the ugly linkage)

I’m anxious to hear what the future Mrs Seizure thought about Cook’s “It Factor.” Did he have the same visceral impact on her Archie-lovin’ self?

I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t figure out why, but Carly looked different than she did when she was frequenting my TV screen.

Carly got her teef did!

Probably what you noticed but couldn’t put your finger on was that she got porcelain veneers. It was the first thing I noticed when I saw her outside by the buses in Chicago.

Alison, excellent review! One show, two great reviews. Keep ‘em coming!

Sarah, now that I look at my pictures (which are on the way, I promise) Carly’s teeth do look considerably bigger. Yikes. Talk about an unnecessary improvement to an otherwise beautiful woman. Thanks for pointing that out!

Noctem, dude, thanks for letting us know the outcome of your AI adventure. I enjoy your comments where-ever, ahem, you may be able to get ‘em out there.

fallforever, thanks for that link to Billie Jean. That also happens to be the ‘panties’ version of Billie Jean and, from that angle, you really get to see his shock and embarrassment when he finally realizes that he picked up some panties. Hilarious.

ohhh i went to this one!
i met them all!
three times!
i was there when michael got his laptop toooo.
like.
two inches away.
teehe.
i’m still on cloud 9.
idols are amazing, though kristy and syesha really could’ve tried harder to be nice to their fan….s. thats a different story though LOL
michael is a doll, as is brooke! archie tried so hard to be so personal to his fans. i also told jason his fly was unzipped and he got so embaressed hahaha

Thanks for the recaps Carpe and Alison.

Carpe, so that’s why the MC4DC recap I was anxiously waiting for took a while to show up. Anyway, great recap… exactly as we all thought it would be. Thanks.

From a proud owner of 2 TWoP bans.