A few comments about the Sacramento show…
*It was great fun having the idols be the backup singer…lots of face time for many of them, especially the girls.
*The last time I went the format was very prescribed–first voteoff sang first up to the winner who was last. A few group numbers along the way. This was very mixed up, with most of the idols appearing at pretty regular intervals in one role or another. Except for Scotty…we didn’t see him until the end. I really liked this format.
*Naima gets the most improved award. She was very polished in everything she did not the stage. Moved well. Looked great. “On the Floor” was definitely a highlight for me.
*I think Lauren also showed quite a bit of improvement. She took more risks in her arrangements. She seemed to be off–probably in pain–the first half but did very well in the second. I thought that James also showed a lot of improvment–or maybe its just that when they get to sing full length songs the they have more time to show off their vocals
*Pia got the no improvement at all award. She doesn’t move and everything she sings sounds the same to me. Boring. I don’t even like her look, and I know many do.
*I loved every moment Cassey was on stage. Santana’s song was a fabulous choice for him. He was clearly having a great time playing with the audience, the band and the other idols. I wonder if they still encourage him to dress like a 70-year-old at a retirement home, or if that is his choice. He can’t help being adorable, though.
*Haley’s “House of the Rising Son” was amazing. She definitely has the full package–gorgeous, lots of variation in her singing, moves very well, very expressive in movement and voice…loved her.
*Seemed to me that crowd favorites were Scotty, James, Cassey, Haley. I would guess that if the audience had one vote each, that would have been the idol order at the Sacramento performance.
*Scotty seems like a nice kid with a good voice but I don’t find his “sexy” moves convincing. However, the very charming teenage girls who sat beside me were moved to tears by his performance.
*I got pretty darn good tickets on Saturday mid morning from Ticketmaster for the show on Monday. $82 each after all the fees. They were on the side, and quite close to the stage. I would happily sit there again.