There were no especially revelatory moments or unexpected breakouts during Sunday’s American Idols Live! tour stop at Toyota Center.

Jason Castro is still a bemused goof. Brooke White is all sunshine and smiles. Michael Johns and Carly Smithson were eliminated much too early. David Archuleta is, well, gosh …

The group finale number à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  Rihanna’s Don’t Stop the Music à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  was cheesy fun. And David Cook is still the much-deserved champ.

But there were small surprises during the fun, frisky three-hour show, which has been nicely streamlined since the first few clunky outings. Each singer, counted down 10-1, got a mini-set of tunes to show his stuff.

Chikezie and impossibly cute Ramiele Malubay à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  remember them? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  were engaging and unhampered by the nerves that marred their TV performances. Third-place finisher Syesha Mercado managed a bubbly sexuality, even as she struggled with notes. And Kristy Lee Cook is just bland enough to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  mark my words à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  become a country superstar. Plus, God Bless the USA still works like a calculated charm.

Teams Cook and Archuleta were well-repped via homemade signs and T-shirts. But there was also a lot of Lone Star love for Castro à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  and a pair of girls wielding an “I miss Jordin” sign.

Cook’s closing set was further proof that he has the raw talent to become a post-Idol rock star. His gravelly voice was layered with emotion during searing takes on Lionel Richie’s Hello, Aerosmith’s I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing and a fantastic Billie Jean.

“This is very poetic,” the Houston-born Cook said as he looked around the arena of cheering fans.

“I left here in 1983, and this is my first trip back. It’s a nice way to come back.”

His heartfelt Time of My Life is the best coronation song since Fantasia’s season-three I Believe. Both work because the singer gets past the hokey lyrics and makes them relatable and real.

Cook dedicated the Foo Fighters’ My Hero to his brother Adam, and it was a punchy, powerful moment.

Archuleta charmed the young girls, but he’s taken to replacing a real musical identity with vocal showboating. He stretched out notes throughout his tunes, most notably during Josh Groban’s interminable When You Say You Love Me and Robbie Williams’ Angels. His take on the latter veered too far from the lovely original, which soars on a simple vocal arrangement.

Archuleta’s Stand By Me/Beautiful Girls mashup was cute, and he does have a lovely voice. But he was awkward between songs, breaking up almost every spoken sentence with a high-pitched “woooh!”

Mercado earned big applause after tackling demanding tunes from Alicia Keys (If I Ain’t Got You) and Beyoncà © (Listen). But she fell far short of the originals. She looked great, though, and fared better with Rihanna’s slinky Umbrella.

Castro’s sharp set was a reminder of what made his so charming during the first few weeks of Idol competition. He plucked his ukulele during Somewhere Over the Rainbow and energized the crowd with a terrific take on Gnarls Barkley’s oft-covered Crazy.

“When you haven’t been here in a few months, you don’t get a lot of sleep when you have a lot of friends in Texas,” Castro, a former Texas A&M University student, said behind a sly smile.

White, thankfully, didn’t flub any words during her trio of tunes. Her biggest mistake was an ill-fitting take on Feist’s 1234. But she made up for it with a lovely Let It Be and a luminous version of Coldplay’s Yellow.

Smithson’s zippy song choices (Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life, Heart’s Crazy on You, the Cyndi Lauper-popularized I Drove All Night) were good matches for her rock-belter vibe. She tempers her slight edge with a sweetness that works well onstage. With a bit more confidence, she could still make the great record that has eluded her for so long.

Johns’ soaring, soulful voice should have given him at least a Top 3 finish. (Sorry, Syesha.) There was a clear surge in energy when he took the stage for a smart set that included We Are the Champions, Dolly Parton’s It’s All Wrong but It’s All Right and Dream On.

Like David Cook (and, to a lesser extent, Kristy Lee Cook), Johns possesses a keen sense of self that, with the right songs, could translate into real-world success.

Elle, I just can’t begrudge anyone getting their idol on, lol, but I just think that it’s above and beyond, and I would never expect it either. To me that’s a bonus. Not an entitlement.

here is a vid from the fans view, of them singing Crush to Archie, in the above vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8p7NSU3hZk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emU1rD9ju28&eurl

My friend attended an after party recently in another city and was astonished at how dead on his feet Archie looked in between smiling and laughing with the fans. Sort of like in moments when he didn’t have to be ‘on’ he seemed beyond exhausted. But she’s protective like me! :rolleyes_tb:

I am loving all of the chikezie love lately. I hope he reads here, it would have to be uplifting. He’s incredible and I am so looking forward to a future in music for him.

Tsk, tsk, fuss, fuss, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve got chicken soup, should I fedex it to Dallas? Lupe left one stop too soon, so mother hens unite!!

:clap_tb:

I guess some fans are selfish, and we have hear taht Archie doesn ´t like to let anybody down, so I guess is up to Jeff, his hadler or other adults in the tour, Cook… Brooke and Carly to step in and put him to rest for a while… but I doubt that will be happening any sooner…

Today Archie will be in Radio Disney, so I guess he can ´t get a sick day today…

I guess I’m in mommy mode today – Tsk, tsk, fuss, fuss, I’ve got chicken soup, should I fedex it to Dallas? Lupe left one stop too soon, so mother hens unite!!

Angels

Hello

SBM

I was curious if Kristy got a better reception since the west has more country fans. Anyone?

“Just to confirm, because I know everyone probably heard and is concerned about himà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’David was not feeling well at the concert last night in Houston, but you couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really tell during his songs. We found out yesterday when we were at the buses because one of the handlers told people that David wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be giving hugs because he was feeling sick to his stomach. But through all of it, David had his usual smile on his face and was as kind and gracious with the crowd as he always is.

I could tell David was not feeling well during his set. His songs sounded wonderful as usual (although not the best Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve heard him). Between songs he seemed really exhausted and he was sweating pretty badly throughout the whole thing. The amazing thing is that I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think most people even picked up on it because he sang in his usual incredible way.

At the afterparty, David was pleasant and charming and funny, but he confirmed to us that he was indeed not feeling well. Again, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think most people would have noticed because he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t give any overt indication or hint of being under the weather. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just hoping that the poor kid gets some much needed rest soon.”
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Also from Becky:

“I’m chatting with Richard right now…David has a cold, that’s it. Richard was with him last night and he’s fine…”
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They just need some rest… I dont think any of them get alot of rest, especially both Davids, running all over to work on their albums and other stuff.