American Idols Live! Chicago IL

yay for wifi in the house! Intermission. My seats are great. Will talk to you guys soon. The crowd is incredible. Pretty sure the concert sold out.

Well shit…now I find this thread…been posting sarah’s observations in the Chicago Chicago thread….

part 3…
1 This is totally Cook Country. The crowd LOVES him.

Aww, I love it that Cook County is Cook Country.

Ha, I just posted at the Chicago Chicago one too, lol. Didnt realize there was another one open. My friend that is there said that all the girls she’s seen/met thus far at the buses are all there for Cook.

Jason Castro leaving the “buses” in Chicago/Rosemont

We’re back to the hotel, and I’m exhausted lol. But it was a fun day, and I’ll try to recap for all you nice peeps in a little bit. :)

The concert was fabulous, even though I’m still not sold on the whole mini-sets and no duets thing. Missed those like crazy. The show had to be sold out – the house was packed to the gills. It was LOUD too; I knew when the crowd was really loud for Ramiele, that it was going to be INSANE for the Davids and Jason… and it was. Craziness. Screaming I can handle, but squealing makes me want to punch people. Heh.

Anyway, I got some decent pics on chachi’s camera (which will hopefully still be decent when she blows them up and zooms in on them), but MJ got some crazy ass good ones, because her seat RAWKED.

Anyway… I’ll think up some stuff and go back to my texts to bax to try to formulate some kind of recap for y’all. :) Be back soon!!

Just got back home! Since I’m nowhere near tired, I am working on a recap to post for y’all. Let me just say that all of the mjers are AMAZING. Such wonderful, nice people that are going to be even nicer when they don’t mention how totally boring I am in real life. The whole day was really fun, even though every where we went was really loud and I could barely hear anyone, lol. But hearing aids aren’t COOL, mom.

Anywho, be back soon!

YAY….Sarah’s made it back alive. Loved your text messages tonight. I didn’t post all of them….LOL…you know which ones I left out!!!

Glad you peeps had a great time and can’t wait to see MJ’s and Chachi’s pics.

ETA….Hey Chachi…glad you made it home safely. You boring…NEVER!!! ;)

Chachi is LYING. She is not one bit boring.

And yes bax, thank you. LOL. It was fun texting you and getting your responses too, lol. :)

Umm, yeah. Chachi rocks. I’m gonna try to write a recap, too.

Purps, I’m sorry I failed you re: Jason. I’m a bad fangirl. I was within 5 feet of him, though, and his skin is perfect. Does that help?

Purps, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry I failed you re: Jason. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m a bad fangirl. I was within 5 feet of him, though, and his skin is perfect. Does that help?

Not really, pj, as it just heightens my insecurity about my bad skin. LOL! But it’s ok…I’ll just give him my loveee personally when (’cause you know with my luck I will ;D) I see him. Heh.

I can’t wait for your full recaps and pics and vids, peeps! Glad you all seemed to have a good time. :)

I posted on the Chicago Chicago thread too, I had it in my faves and never checked to see if there was a new one. So here’s my post again. :)

Oh, and how did it never dawn on me that the show was in COOK COUNTY??? I love it! I guess it’s cuz I live in Will Co.

Anywho, awesome awesome awesome concert! I was also at the season 5 show, but really only liked Elliott & Chris D then, so this one was soooooooo much better.

David Cook was of course awesome–he was the reason I was there, and the man definitely did not disappoint, but honestly, I loved MJ, Carly, Brooke & Jason too–5 out of 10 ain’t bad at all for an idol show. MJ & Carly were especially fantastic, and everyone else was good too, just not my cup of tea.

Oh, and my ears are bleeding from the Archie fan who sat next to me–oh to be young again and be able to screech that high….

I just got back from the show. I’d promise not to eat, sleep or use the bathroom until I write my recap & upload my pics but I’m hungry, tired & I really have to pee. So I guess you’ll have to wait.

OK, sorry about any typos. I fail at proofreading.

So, as Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sure youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve all read, the show opens with a giant pop tart. The pop tart is introduced by Corey as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Strawberry Blueberry,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know if anyone has mentioned this, but Strawberry Blueberry is literally the personification of an acid trip. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s got these scary eyes and is half red and half à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“magic sprinkles.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  The saddest part about this whole opening exchange is the fact that the crowd is acting like the pop tart is fucking rock star. You have to think that this is probably the best ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to get for the guy in the pop tart costume.

The crowd was probably made up of 90% lemmings, which finally makes me understand how people vote for who the judges tell them to. I have always hated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“crowd participation,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  because I always feel like a giant ass, no matter how much everyone else is doing it too. Please make me stop clapping in unison, it gives me hives. The crowd literally sat down for every slow song and stood up for every fast song like theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d signed their right to be individuals at the door. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m more surprised than actually wanting to complain about it, though.

Chikeze opens up and he sounds great. He really warms the crowd up. To me, his best song is I Believe to My Soul. I couldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve done without his last song, just because it was kind of boring, but he sounded great. Let me take this opportunity to say that the Idols LOVE sparkles. Like…so much so that you have to wonder if they were all told at the beginning of the show that sparkles were a really good way to stand out or something. Unless everyone wears them, then youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve got to go with actually being good, which is much more difficult than rolling around in glitter. Anyway, Chikeze has on a velvet blazer and a sparkly t-shirt, and he looks good.

I was prepared to dislike Ramiele because I saw so many negative reviews of her, but she sounded pretty good! Her voice was strong. She especially sounded good on the Jackson 5 song and her second song, which I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t remember the name of. Of course, I could look it up, but that takes effort. Rami is dressed in something Robin Hood mightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve worn if he were a drag queen. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s got sparkles! Lots of them!

Michael Johns is so pretty in real life that it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t much matter what he sounded like. Seriously. He is that fucking pretty. He didn’t do it for me on the show, but in person…whoa. To be honest, the crowd was pretty crazy for him, but I was not really impressed with his Queen song or Dream On. They seemed just as generic to me in real life as on the show. I am pretty hard to please, though, and the crowd loved him, so that is your cue to ignore me completely. His best song by far was IAWBIAR.

KLC was the weakest of the night. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m pretty sure she sounded like what an ass would sound like if it could sing. Yeah, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m mean. Her voice was not engaging and I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t understand anything she sang. I also hate that God Bless the USA song, because of the whole implication that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re obligated to love this song or you fail at being American and should just move to China with the rest of the communists,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  so I was already biased against the one song I could understand the words to. I was SHOCKED that she was wearing a sparkly tank top. Seriously, does the girl OWN anything with sleeves? What did sleeves ever do to her? Did a sleeve go rogue and slaughter her family or something?

I WANT to like Carly, I really do. Mostly because I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want Sarah to kill me. Her set was not very good for me, though. The Evanesence song was ALL wrong for her. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t blame her really, but popifying that song is not the best idea, and thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s really what she attempted to do. Amy Lee is a hard act to follow. The band totally drowned her out for her first two songs, which as well all know is a feat, because that girl is loud. I thought her best song was IDAN, but that song sucks, so her set was just okay for me. She is GORGEOUS in real life, though. As Sarah mentioned in her texts to Bax, she had her teeth done and sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s even prettier. Sparkle Watch: Sparkly tunic shirt with a plunging neckline. At first I wanted to make fun of it, but I actually liked it. I even liked the weird glove things that are just begging for mockery, so Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m proud of her. She finally managed to make her ridiculous outfits look palatable, while still being totally ridiculous.

Brooke was AMAZING. She was my second favorite tonight, which I was not expecting. Her voice carried through the arena, and it was clear and gorgeous. I especially loved Let it Be and Yellow. She did this all without the aid of sparkles, which is obviously unheard of. Someone needs to have a plaque made.

When the first acters came out to do the U2 song, let me just say that MJ is the only one that has any business singing Bono and leave it at that.

There are some Chicago video snippets here…

http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=stephannie09

Part 2:

INTERMISSION: They banished the smokers to the South exit, which was on the exact opposite side of the arena from where I was. So thanks for that, jackasses. I noticed there were quite a few ladies that brought their husbands and girls that brought their boyfriends, which was cute. Poor schmucks. Part of me has to wonder if the girls are their beards, though, just like so many women bring their kids to the AI show as beards. Also, when I reentered the arena, I passed several people with those TWENTY-FIVE dollar (Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not even going to get started on how much of a rip off that is) tour programs and every single one of them had them open to David Cook. Chicago has excellent taste, if I may say so myself. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m pretending that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“treating the pop tart like rockstarà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  thing didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t happen right now, okay? It makes me feel better about the state of humanity.

Jason was out next, of course, and the crowd loved him. I loved him. I was very distracted, however, by the fact that at my vantage point, some of his dreads looked like feathers and I was waiting for Stands With a Fist to come out and translate something. Which would have been awesome, because the fangirls were screaming and I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hear a word he said in between his songs. Anywho, all of his songs were really good. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve heard the whole à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“he canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t carry an arena,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s better in small venues,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  thing and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m calling BS. I mean, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d be awesome in a smaller arena, but he was awesome at this one, too.

Syesha. It took me a minute to realize that we couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hear her. Which probably tells you a lot. She was apparently singing Umbrella, but we actually only got to hear about thirty seconds of it. As the hybrid SarahBax posted, she had grabbed Chikezeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mic instead of her own. Her second song was okay, but I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t remember what it was. It was ballady. The third one was really good (Beyonceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Listen) even though Beyonce makes me want to murder puppies. Sparkle Watch: Syesha was basically just one giant sparkle. It made me wonder if all of that bitching on her blog about her dress was about it not being sparkly enough, so she just ended up smelting her dress with gold.

Archie has a great voice. He also is a huge goober. He kept having giggle fits in between his songs and I kind of felt like I was watching Elmoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s World. Angels was good, Apologize was pretty good, Stand By Me was beautiful and my favorite from him, and I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really care for the Josh Groban song. The thing that I remember most from his set was thinking about how they made this poor child wear that suit that does not fit his set nor his personality at all and should à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“accidentallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  be left behind as soon as possible. The kid is seventeen, not Tony Bennett. Let him wear clothes that donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t suck, please. At this point Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m wondering if the wardrobe people are all on acid and are totally entranced by anything shiny.

I will try not to make David Cook‘s recap be too incoherent. We’ll see how that works out. He came out and I tried to scream in a non-fangirly way, but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure how successful that was. I tried to employ the “woo!” as opposed to the flat out scream. Hello was amazing, Magic Rainbows and the Aerosmith song were pretty good. He sang them wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦but those are some seriously shitty songs. My Hero was awesome. Billie Jean was flat out AMAZING. I was entranced, partly due to the James Bond smoke graphics that they had on the big screen. My favorite of the night. Letà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s try not to be TOO shocked about that. Really, the reason I love him is only partly to do with the fact that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the only person in the universe that tries to pull off more jewelry at one time than I do. Alsoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦I have accepted the guyliner because I now realize ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just like another accessory for him, and I find his overuse of accessories highly endearing, despite the fugly pocket scarf that needs to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“accidentallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  be set on fire.

He went low key with the sparkles and opted to include them only on his guitar strap, and his sparkle encrusted sideways belt buckle. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m glad his Sgt Pepper vest accidentally got left behind or set on fire, because those are the only two things that happen to unwanted clothing, obviously. Either that, or there is a homeless guy somewhere ready to lead a marching band, which is nice. David Cook: Employing the Homeless through bad fashion.

The last song was lame, but I kind of loved it anyway. I was hoping to end the recap with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Than I went back to his bus,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  but alas, David Cook was too far away to see me flash my boobs, so I decided against it.

LOL. chachi, you’re hilarious. LOVED the recap…and the fact that you like to burn everything, heh! ;)

I was hoping to end the recap with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Than I went back to his bus,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  but alas, David Cook was too far away to see me flash my boobs, so I decided against it.

LMFAO over here. chachi, you rock!! And so does your recap.

Well, I feel like I don’t even need to do a recap now lol. Chachi pretty much covered it, and her recap is much funnier than mine will be (and no I won’t KILL you if you hate Carly, heh.).

I’ll still write something though. Because I’m like that. ;)

awww you are all too kind! Really, any funniness is a result of having absolutely no filter on my brain to stop me from saying stupid shit. Luckily, sometimes the stupid shit is funny!

Chachi pretty much covered it, and her recap is much funnier than mine will be

WRONG. I want to hear how awesome Carly is! That’s pretty funny, right? ;)

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll still write something though. Because Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m like that. ;)

YAY!

Chachi, you are so funny, love your recap. Please burn or somehow misplace Archie’s wardrobe, it’s horrid, but as a fan I guess I shouldn’t bitch too much, lol. The boy can sing but what the hell are they trying to make him look like. I wonder if he will ever change throughout this tour? I am glad that Rami is doing better and sounding better. I really like her in the beginning of the idol season. She got spunk if she would just be more confident. That is so funny about Sye, lol, the diva didn’t get her sound…Ok I won’t be mean.

Okay, here’s the recap. :)

Bus stalking was fun, even if I got no pics with Idols, no autographs, and no hugs because there were so. many. freaking. people. there. Just watching the madness was fun, but I was disappointed that DC did not come out. BUT, that may be better, as I could not be held responsible for my actions if he had. I have a strong feeling that my gut reaction would have been to race up to the fence yelling “out of my way, bitches! That’s DAVID COOK, and I am GOING to talk to him!” *whistles* Anyway….

Chikezie really starts the show off with an energetic set. He sounds really great on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I Believe to My Soulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and while he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t so much have Usherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s moves, he sounds good on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Caught Upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  too. To my ears, he sounded a little like John Legend on his last song. Good stuff; I thought he was very good overall. I enjoyed him a lot, and I leaned over to pj during the middle of his set and said that I was glad he got some love from the crowd tonight because he was one of the ones I felt was really underrated on the show.

Like Chachi, I was expecting to not like Ramiele, but she was pretty good!! Her stage presence has improved exponentially from when she was on the show, and she sounded really good through about 2 and  ½ songs. She kinda started to lose it on the last song a bit, but even then, it wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bad. I was pretty impressed with her. And as I texted Bax, her clothing, while still hella sparkly, seems to have gotten better.

Michael Johns is HAWT. Not just à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“hot,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  people. HAWT. Know what I mean? Standing outside by the buses, 15 feet away from him, watching him make his down the line of fans was nice. Verrrrrry nice. Oh, talk about his set, you say? Well, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still a bit disappointed that he only did songs he covered on the show and no new songs. But, canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t please everyone, I guess, and the Queen medley and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Dream Onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , in their very essence being à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“arena songsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and crowd pleasers, went over well with the crowd. But for me, his best song was IAWBIAR, by a mile. I really like him when he sticks to his blues/soul stuff. Oh and he does still do the weird bouncy thing that cheese loves so dearly. Heh. ;)

Kristy Lee was the weakest of the night for me, since I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know 2 of her songs and donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t particularly love the other one. So, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have much to comment on, except to agree with chachi that she was way sparkly, and also to say that she too does her same weird stage stance thing from the show. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll check out her album when it comes out, but I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t love her on this tour.

I do like Carly, I must admit. I won’t kill those who don’t lol. Anyway, I was really back and forth, up and down with her throughout the season, but I’ve ended up a fan. And Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m really disappointed that she doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Come Togetherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in her tour setlist, but I guess Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll survive. I liked à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Bring Me to Lifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , loved à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Crazy on Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , and vocally, she KILLED it on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I Drove All Nightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  even though I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like the song. Anyway, like her, liked the set.

I started the top 24 with Brooke as one of my à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“most faves,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and although a certain person with the initials of DC quickly stole my heart away, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always remained a Brooke fan and defender. I was really looking forward to her set tonight, and she did not disappoint. Although something seemed weird to me with the sound mix of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Let It Beà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , I still thought it was a great performance, and I love the whole coming-up-on-the-lift-at-the-piano thing. The quirky à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“1-2-3-4à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  fits her so well, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Yellowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  was just fabulous. Overall, I probably liked her mini-set the best. The songs fit her, and she sang them quite well too.

As I said in my text to Bax, Jason is just pure JOY on that stage. I just had a huge smile watching him because you canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t help but smile when you watch him. Loved his set, too, and the song choices are great. Listening to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Daydreamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  again takes me back to hearing him sing for the very first time on AI, and what a pleasant surprise he was. Oh, and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m one of those peeps who doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a crime that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not doing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hallelujahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  on this tour. It wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t fit an arena, IMO. Anyway, loved Jason. He rocked.

Yeah, major mic malfunction with Syesha. We didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hear most of her first song. Which is probably okay, since it was freaking à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Umbrellaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  (really, Syesha?), but she was good natured about it, and the crowd played nice, too. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“If I Ainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Got Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  was good, and she sure sings the hell out of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Listenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ . I still donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really emotionally connect with her performances. But she lays it all out there with that last song, and obviously people do get something from her after that song because she got a standing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Oà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , at least from most of the people sitting in front of us on the floor (about 30 rows of people).

The teens really squeal for David Archuleta. I do not like squealing so much, as noted upthread. Heh. Anyway, Archie was good. I enjoyed both à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Angelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Stand By Meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  when he did them on the show, so I was pleased that they were the songs he chose to include in his tour repertoire. Ahhh, but the squealing during the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Beautiful Girlsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  part of SBM… didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t so much love that though. Heh. Anyway. Enjoyed both of those songs. I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t overly enthused with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Apologizeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , probably because I like the original and that little band who recorded it so much. And the Josh Groban song was not my favorite, even though Archie sang it well. So, I liked half of Archieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s set. Which is a big step for me.

Ahhh, David Cook. The man I came to see. Okay, I really have to be totally honest here. I love David Cook. I really do. But, his set is pretty disjointed to me. I mean, he starts off by KILLING it with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Helloà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ . Total love. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m butter in his hands, voting only for him, doing whatever he tells me to do, just like I was the *first* time he sang it, way back in February/March/whenever it was. But then he goes into Magic Rainbows and ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all a bit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“WTFà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  for me. Now, I understand that he has to do MR on tour. I just wish we got acoustic MR, maybe. I like it better when ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s acoustic. Anyway, whatever. Then Diane Warren rears her head in the middle of his set, and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m even more à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“WTFà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ . But, I have to admit that he sounds damn good singing this song. Yet, without the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“halo of violinsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  trickery to make me like the arrangement, it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t quite have the same effect that it did on tv. So, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m torn. Sucky song, he sings it well. Argh. But, then he ramps the show into high gear with a rockinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“My Heroà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and I feel reconnected to this set. I like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“My Heroà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  a lot, and notice a lot of close-ups on the big screen to the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ACà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s emblazoned onto his guitar. Sweet. So, then the shortest amount of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fakeout, this is the end!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  time ever goes by, and heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s back on stage electrifying the place with a ridiculously amazing performance of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Billie Jeanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , and I *almost* forget about the two songs I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like so much in this set. So, like I said, disjointed. But heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s still my favorite, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s still amazing, and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still looking forward to seeing him again in Tampa next month, disjointed setlist and all.

Oh, and I now have a goal in Tampa, since I did not get to meet him in Chicago, to ask the date of a single release, what the name of said single is, and if he will sing a few bars for me. All for the emotional and psychological well being of those wonderful Cook fans at mjsbigblog. ;) Of course, that is provided that this info hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t already been announced by that time. And I’ll try not to shove people out of the way, if this opportunity materializes.

So, while I am still not loving the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“no duets and all businessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  demeanor of this tour, it was a good show and the performers really left it all on stage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ ALL of them.

Thanks for recaps/reviews. I enjoyed reading them. Glad you all had a good time. I have quite a wait before the tour to come here.

No one yet has reviewed the group numbers. I’ve seen a few clips from past shows and it seems that they are all embracing the cheese and having a good time with that last number. There were many chances for pointy and other poses. LOL.

Sarah and Chachi Thank You ! Loooved your recaps. :)
I can’t wait for your recap from Tampa Sarah !! And Chachi any chance you can snuck in back stage and start a hideous clothing bonfire ? Heh

Thanks to Chachi , Sarah and Mj – can’t wait to hear more!

I am enroute to the Detroit concert – with hubby, kids and 1 dog in tow. We left Florida yesterday morning, made it to Cinncinati late last night and will be in Michigan sometime in the afternoon. We are very excited for many reasons but I know the concert will be the highlight of our trip.

I have my “I was thinking Jason Castro yeah!” bracelets but still haven’t decided what to wear. I didn’t get a Dreahhead shirt (which I am regreting)
but will probably make a shirt with my kids.
son: Chik-Cast-Cookie
daughter: Brason
hubby- Chik-Cast-Cookie but KLC will be there in most of his photos I believe!
I am a Dreadhead all the way but will say that I’m excited to hear all of them and am happy to hear that Ramiele has improved. If the weakest has improved, then all their game must have been upped.
Woohooo!

Sarah and Chachi, those were awesome recaps! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us.
Thanks to MJ I got to experience Chicago Billie Jean 2nd hand, and I don’t think I could’ve taken it in person. I would’ve been one of those pathetic girls who squee and faint at the sight of their chosen heartthrob. And I’m far too old for that.

Waiting for more videos and reviews from Chicago, because I’m insatiable like that.

Thank you for the recaps and the way you presented them. So happy to hear the crowd loves Jason! I will see him at the Joe Louis Arena – Detroit on Thursday. I can’t wait; just hope the girlies don’t squeal too much.

These recaps were great! Chachi, there is no way in the world you could possibly be boring if you can write recaps like that! I would not have enjoyed Chickezie’s set if he sang I Believe to My Soul cause that song belongs to another… lol. I really wish I could somehow get to this show – especially after reading these recaps but I won’t be flying after reading MJ’s plane adventure. Glad you guys had fun! I was really hoping PJ could smack Jason’s fanny and Chachi could flash DC. It’s good that Sarah couldn’t get to DC… she would break Chris R’s heart.

I won’t recap but I’ll just say a few things:

1) Chikezie – Great way to open the show.
2) Rami – Much much better than I expected (I had watched no videos). I had always loved her voice and I still do.
3) Michael – Beautiful man, IAWBIAR was amazing. The other two rather karaoke for my taste.
4) Kristy – Probably got the least applause and probably rightly so.
5) Carly – Loved everything she did. She’s beautiful and
6) Brooke – Loved Let it Be, loved yellow. Had to go get a drink during her middle song
7) Jason – Just gorgeous! Voice seemed different to me somehow than on the show. He was great though, and he pointed and smiled right at me during the finale (I was last seat in 5th row and was out in the aisle because the man next to me was huge and took part of my seat too) :biggrin_wp:
8) Syesha – It didn’t bother me much that we couldn’t hear her at first.
9) Archie – As expected, beautiful beautiful voice. Seems to have developed much more state presence than I would have expected.
10) Cookie – Africkingmazing!!! He was everything I expected and so very much more!

The crowd was great. Very loud for everybody. I had to cover my ears for the screams for Jason and Archie but it seemed just as loud for DC and maybe even Michael (just a thankfully lower pitched pandemonium. I’m a 3rd generation Californian who’s lived twice in Chicago and twice in So Cal. By far, this is the place for appreciating great music!

Wow, you guys, what great recaps! Thanks so much.

Awesome recaps guys, thank you! Did no one go bus stalking after the show?

Michael blogs about the tour and recording on his myspace.

Subject: Thank you

Body: Hey everyone! Well we are 12 shows in. I am having the best time meeting you all. I had no idea i was going to enjoy the signing and photo’s so much. All the gifts and cards are so sweet too. I am working my butt of too on the record front. I will have something out this year for sure so be patient.

I am sorry i don’t write more i promise i will get better.
Love you guys and your support is amazing!!!!

MJ

http://www.myspace.com/michaeljohnsmusic

I am so happy that Ramiele has been improving. Hopefully, that continues.

Thank you for the awesome recaps, guys.( That’s some funny sh*t right there, chachi. LOL)

I’m also glad to finally read some positive reviews for Ramiele. :)

gabam! gingerly! somebody! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE record Chikesie!!! I’m begging…pleading…sobbing…groveling…bowing.

Everyone else has been recorded multiple times. I have yet to see one full video of one Chikesie song. Did I miss it? I don’t think so…

Please (sob), please (snot), please (weep) record Chikesie — at least one entire song.

I’ll give you some candy… :jittery_tb:

Great recaps!!!

The last song was lame, but I kind of loved it anyway. I was hoping to end the recap with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Than I went back to his bus,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  but alas, David Cook was too far away to see me flash my boobs, so I decided against it.

I swear I have Sprite zero all over by keyboard and a little on the screen!!! I’m still cracking up!

I agree about I Believe to my Soul–I would have liked it if Elliott had not made it freakin impossible for anyone to ever sound better covering it. My daughter said while Chikezie was singing it “Mom, that’s Elliott’s song!”

Yes, I brought my 2 kids and my mom as my beards, they all started out the season liking others–Mom was a Brooke fan, 8 yr old son liked Archie & 5 yr old daughter was a Rami fan, but I succeeded with the DC brainwashing and they all fell nicely into the fold. Although I’m thinking David Cook’s awesomeness helped a little bit. :)

But I was so proud of them during DC’s set–they were all standing and yelling, my son with his hands up the whole time with the “rock on” fingers going, and they were all singing. It was a blast. They helped to not make me look like such a screaming mimi fangirl. Although I am with Chachi–there is no way at 35 yrs and a past that included 10 yrs of smoking, that I could ever reach the screaming decibel of the Archie fans. But I do have a mad “WOOOOO”, if I do say so myself.

And as far as DC’s set–Hello, My Hero & Billie Jean were my faves, and I know Billie Jean is my son’s fave, but he also loves Magic Rainbows, as does my 56 yr old mom. (Daughter’s fave is Little Sparrow, so she was jipped.) And my mom’s fave DC show song is Don’t want to miss a thing (I think it’s cuz of the Armageddon connection). But I am someone who loves DC’s own music–that’s the kind of stuff that I listen to in real life, but not so much my mom. So he’s gotta sing stuff that will make all the cougars happy, not just the rock-lovin’ ones, kwim? :)

I loved Carly on the Evanescence song–honestly, the entire season, I would tell anyone who listened that she needed to sing some Amy Lee–she has the pipes and the look to pull off some etheral goth rock. Stay away from the cheese, Carly. I think on the show, so many “middle America” schmucks were scared off by her tats and eyeliner, that some idiot told her to sing schmaltz to appease those people–that didn’t work out too well for her, did it? I loved her on that song and the Heart one–stick to belting chick rock Carly, it suits you. :)

And Jason was adorable–like someone else said, you can’t help but smile when you watch Jason. I just LOVE his facial expressions. And while I would have loved to hear Hallelujah, Daydream was nice too.

And no one mentioned Michael Johns forgetting his words in the beginning of Dream On–it was comical. Did anyone hear what it was he said when he messed up? I missed it. And how bout how loud the crowd got when he went falsetto at the end of that song? Sweet. :)

I so wanted to use Kristy Lee’s set as a beer run, but we were right smack in the middle of a row, so I couldn’t bring myself to step over all those peeps to get out. Oh well.

The last song was lame, but I kind of loved it anyway. I was hoping to end the recap with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Than I went back to his bus,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  but alas, David Cook was too far away to see me flash my boobs, so I decided against it.

My husband called when we were on the way home and the first thing he said was “Did David Cook sign your boobs?”

Awesome recaps. And lala’s husband sounds like a wonderfully humorous man.

Awesome recaps. And lalaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s husband sounds like a wonderfully humorous man.

Nah, he’s just jealous and uses humor as a defense mechanism. ;)

Thanks for the great recaps. I’d be interested to know what you all thought about the group numbers, too. I’m with you on wishing Michael had thrown in a song he didn’t do on the show but I think the big arena songs were too tempting and the crowds seem to love them.

The group songs were ok, nothing great, except of course DC singing “now we’re chest to chest & face to face.” I saw the season 5 show and this one was a ton better as far as caliber of talent, but I really missed the fun of the duets–that was the only thing this show was lacking.

ETA: When they were singing the last group song (Please Don’t Stop the Music) and they came out on the catwalk thingy on the right side of the stage (that’s where we were) MJ & DC looked at each other with this look like “OMG, yes, we are singing a Rhianna song.”

I was at the show last night so Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll add my 2 cents. I upgraded my seat at the venue and got 3rd row, a few seats from the side of the stage. Kewl. And 2 of the seats next to me were never filled. What a shame.

Standouts to me were Jason YEAH!, Michael – OMFG and David A – much to my surprise. I also enjoyed Cook, Carly and Brooke. Chicago was very LOUD. Everyone got a very nice reception. I noted some really milked their stage time to the fullest (KLC, Syesha, DC) while others just did their thing and left.

Chickezie was a nice start à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ I enjoyed him better live. I agree with you lala – Elliottà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s IBTMS set the bar and made it impossible for me to love anyone elseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s version.

Rami did ok. Better than I expected

Michael was in my top 3 going in. He really blew me away last night. Second best of the night for me. WOW. I thought AI rocker Michael was just ok, a bit cheesy. But live rocker Michael was outstanding. Very solid and he left me wanting a LOT more. I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t take my eyes off him. And soulful Michael is irresistible. IAWBIAR was so so SEXY. I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t wait till he tours. I agree with those that said Michael is TONS hotter in person. Women were talking about it in the bathroom during intermission!

At one point he picked something off the stage, held it up and yelled à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“looks like someone left this on stage!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  A Chicago Cubs scarf. It was the only time he got some boosà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦from White Sox fans, lol. (For those that donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know–many think both Chicago teams will win their divisions and battle it out in the World Series). I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know if the city can handle that. haha.

Kristy: What struck me was how Gorgeous she is. And strong! Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s got an arm on her. She whipped those T-shirts to the crowd. She made DCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s guitar pick flips look wussy. Her set was just ok for me. God Bless.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦come-onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Blech.

Carly was a lot smaller than I expected and very pretty. AI Carly did not wow me. Concert Carly was a lot of fun. She was drowned out in parts by the band but overall was great.

Brooke: I missed most of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Let It Beà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ because security was checking tickets in the row ahead of me and shuffling people out that didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t belong. Grrrr. Brooke is ivory soap sweet and adorable. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t love her enough to follow her career but I enjoyed her set very much.

EEEEE! JASON YEAH!. He is even more beautiful live. Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s no other way to describe him. He has a radiant and quietly joyful aura about him. Like how I imagine a heavenly being would be like on earth, hahaha! I KNOW!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦that sounds weird & over-the-top. But that is what I get from him. And I am not religious at all.

Live Jason is AWEsome. He was my personal favorite last night. I just LOVE him and his quirky inflections, beautiful tone and crazy expressions. He was one of the few I could hear very clearly à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ no loud band or instruments. You canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hide imperfections. I just wish he would take more time to enjoy the adulation. He started his intro to Crazy while the crowd was still screaming for OTR! Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sure some couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even hear what he said. Crazy was my favorite à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ he totally kicks butt on this. After Daydream, he said his goodbye and whooooosh he was gone. Way too soon.

I got a kick out of him in the group sing. He sang his line but after that he looked like he was just mouthing the words and not even in sync! lol. He was having fun, smiling, waving and giving peace signs to those up front. He kills me.

Syesha: The technical difficulty was good timing cuz I hate the Umbrella song with a passion. The rest of her set was just airight. She sang very well but I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get into her. Too much of a diva wanna-be that never will be. Chicago REALLY loved her though, especially her last song. I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think she came close to Beyonce though. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not a big Beyonce fan but she really moved me singing it in Dreamgirls.

David A: Going in, I thought David was very talented but didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do much for me. I expected a pleasant but boring performance. But Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve got to hand to him. He was my biggest surprise last night. He had my attention throughout his set. His voice is clear and beautiful. I was impressed with the way he worked the crowd without milking it. He was not awkward at all while performing. He got a LOT of screams. I mean a LOT. After his last song, the crowd would not let him go. He kept saying, wow. wow. Chicago. wow. lol. His intro of David Cook was very cute.

Cook: Very dramatic and frenzied buildup to DC. Haha. I rooted for DC to win. But he was the hardest for me to review. I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t put my finger on it. The crowd sure LOVED him. Maybe I expected more from the reviews Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve read. The band was too loud in parts and I wish he varied his songs. His set seemed to go on forever. I knowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦..heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the winner. But man, he milked it too much IMO. I got a little bored. I do love Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s voice and expect to like he puts out but probably would not go see him in concert.

Thanks everyone for your detailed and thoughtful recaps!!! Chicago sounds like it was a great time!

some of his dreads looked like feathers and I was waiting for Stands With a Fist to come out and translate something.

Chachi, that might seriously be the funniest thing I have ever read. Now, if you’ll kindly send me your address so I can bill you for the clean-up on the coffee i spewed everywhere when I read it, that would be cool. I liked you before but, girl, your recap just rocked my world.

Now the real truth on the Chicago show:

One word for each performer:

Chikeze:

Now the truth and special thanks to the 6 dingy girls in section 203, row Bish seats 20 for standing the entire show in front of my 8 year old daughter when no one was standing in front of them. Taking pictures of the video screen is just plain stupid.

Chikeze: entertaining and in to it
Ramiele: horrendous.
Michael Johns: Very good but forgot the 2nd line to Dream On. Are you kidding me?!
Carly: Tremendous stage presence and probably thge only femail with any shot of a prolonged career.
Brooke: Dingbat but a nice voice. Boring in concert.

Cook:

Hey all, KrazeeK and I were at Chicago last night too! We might post a joint recap soon if ya’d like (she’s at a baseball game out of town today, though, so we’ll see if/when that happens).

it was great to meet some of the MJ-ers!

Everyones recaps are so nice to read – thank you thank you from someone who is enjoying the tour thru all of you!. Chachi – you my dear are so so funny and I really enjoyed reading it and laughing to it, I bet a million too that you are no where near boring to me around.

Thanks for all the recaps – they are awesome. And thanks for that hilarious video of Jason at the buses, struggling to carry all his gifts. Too cute.

Collection of YT videos of Rosemont Concert

Hey all, KrazeeK and I were at Chicago last night too! We might post a joint recap soon if yaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d like (sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s at a baseball game out of town today, though, so weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll see if/when that happens).

it was great to meet some of the MJ-ers!

We sure can make a joint recap, complete with a detailed description of how I wrecked my car on the way out of the parking lot. Yes, it really did happen. I took on a guard rail and the guard rail won. Maybe if those jackasses would have stayed in line instead of trying to cut me off I wouldn’t have had to slam on the brakes, get all stressed out, and then try to make a turn that was WAY too sharp for me to make. Yeah.

And CC, I know I showed you my $25 rip off program. Don’t judge. :)

And CC, I know I showed you my $25 rip off program. Donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t judge. :)

LOL! My kids wanted a program and my mom was going to buy one for them, and I told her not to waste her money. She said “how much can they cost, $10?” and I laughed and said “um, they were maybe $10 in 1980.” I can’t wait to tell her they were $25.

I told the kids to let me know which idols they wanted in the program and I would print them pics at home. :)

Hey so I think I sat a row behind you…i was in Section 1 and that ticket mishap was right in front of me too. How funny! I wonder if we would reconzie one another haha!

barefooygirl I have a question for you