Calliope’s Los Angeles American Idol Tour Re-Cap

By On 07/17/2009 · 44 Comments · In Uncategorized

Thanks peeps, for sending these. I’ve got more coming…

***

Background: I’m a twentysomething, urban dweller who has never gone to an AI tour show (I do got a lot of live shows though) and I shall state it from the start: I only went to this show to see Adam. My mother wanted to go see Adam as well, so it was a great excuse for me to get that chance.

Another random tidbit: I have seen the Top 10 perform before during the Motown week dress rehearsal, so while quite different, I have an experience with them in person and had a vague idea of what to expect since I know what goes on TV
doesn’t necessarily feel the same in person.

Also, disclaimer: I mention the visuals that accompanied the Idols a lot in my review. I wasn’t expecting that, but a lot of it really grabbed my attention since some of it was so random. I may have gotten a bit snarky at times as well.

Anyway, I got there quite early because I don’t live far from The Staples Center and my mom is such an early bird (or maybe she felt I already had enough champagne cocktails and she wanted to drag me away), so we had quite a long wait till Michael. I went and got a beer, while my mom bought an overpriced program and Adam photo. She offered to get me something Adam-related as well (I don’t even think I could pull off that $35 shirt with his face on it in an ironic way), but I said no and informed her she can get me another overpriced beer later.

We go get our seats which were rather good (thanks, undercooked!). Much better than when I go to see the Clippers. Much, much better than when I go see the Lakers. So as we wait we are inundated with Carrie Underwood videos, one Daughtry video, and eventually one David Cook video. I guess they only promote former Idols that Fuller manages? Because honestly… that got old. Quickly. I don’t think I need to hear any of those songs again. As we wait, there is a lot of random filler (and the realization that SYTYCD is on once I see all the adverts for it and I don’t know who got kicked of), lots of random flashes of the current Top 10, and lots of screams for Adam.

10. Michael: He comes on. I kind of like the weird, machine-like intro. It’s cheesy, but compared to some of the other intro pieces… I will take it. Did the Idols design these themselves? Anyway, he sounds good, but doesn’t really have a great presence and is mainly performing to people taking their seats. The band sounded good on “Closer” and I danced. By myself.

9. Megan: What a weird intro piece and why does she look like a Barbie? She looked rather generic instead of the slightly bohemian look she had, so even her image was lost, which is a shame. Megan was my original favorite for her odd, quirky voice and style. She didn’t live up to her audition (for me, for you), but I still think here is something to her voice if she just had some musical instincts about what she was doing. First song, fine, but her cover of Winehouse was AWFUL. Really, really painful to listen to. I went to go get another overpriced beer because I really couldn’t take it, which is saying a lot since I actually voted for her during Group 2 semi-finals. A lot of people waiting in line with me had a similar reaction to Megan’s singing that was filtered into the lobby. Finally, she did a CAW CAW and it was over. I really like singers whose voices can bother people, such as Bianca Casady, Joanna Newson, Scout Nibblett, and the retro-chanteuse thing could be a good fit for Megan, like Duffy and Amy Winehouse, but she needs a lot of work till she gets there. She needs to work on her ~artistry~ for her to pull off her voice.

8. Scott: I missed his intro piece and most of his set, but I loathe Keane, so it’s not my thing, plus Scott was probably my least favorite on the show. I wanted to see him, but I thought since two people were in front of me at the concession stand, I would be helped quickly, but the first person seemed to be ordering the whole snack bar. Four cokes, three hot dogs, two nachos, a popcorn and a candy later, the person right in front of me gets their popcorn and I get my beer and go back to catch Scott’s last song. Pleasant, but not really my thing. My mom said I didn’t miss much.

7. Lil: From the dress rehearsal way back when I noticed that Lil has a much better stage presence in person than you get from the TV show, and that still held true. I actually really enjoyed Lil live. She’s fun, she’s much better when she is in her own element, which may have been the problem on the show. The Single Ladies number, while enjoyable, didn’t need the karaoke lyrics in the ackground. And to go all Paula, Lil looked really beautiful.

6. Anoop: Whoa, by far the worst intro piece. Laughably… odd? The clouds appear and so does Anoop’s head! There is actual Anoop, and the cloud’s stay as well! It was really distracting for me. Actually, a lot of Anoop’s visuals were very mid-90s Mac Screensaver-style. I don’t know what that was about. I do think Anoop has a beautiful voice, but he really doesn’t do much for me. Odd, because he is also really good looking (I can be shallow). Maybe it’s because he does a style I am not too taken by. His speech about how he got there was rather sweet and kind of like a mini-essay), and I do hope he gets the chance to perform in LA again as a singer, even if he isn’t my thing. He finished his set with My Prerogative, which made me feel like I was about 8 again. I should have whipped out the Roger Rabbit, but I was confined to my small space. After that, he leaves the stage with a low, booming “Anoooop” which could sound like booing.

5. Matt: I really liked his intro piece and, I am shocked to say, I really liked Matt! I really think his nerves got to him on the show because he was really good live. He has good presence, mad piano skills, and was quite energized. Except for “Georgia on My Mind” I dislike both songs Matt did, yet I was actually into them and really into his set. Probably my second favorite of the night. Maybe the alcohol had just kicked in and I am way off, but I hope I am not. Or maybe my expectations for him were that low. His setlist was a bit disjointed though.

Medley: Fine, was not that into it. Didn’t remember much as I was waiting for it to end, so I could go to the restroom without interrupting people.

4. Allison: She’s good and has some potential, but I think I must have had too high expectations for her since I felt she was good, but not great. I can see her doing really well after Idol since her set kind of gave her a young Pink vibe.

3. Danny: I think Danny got quite a good reception. Really loud, lots of people standing and into it. He does work the stage, but in a way that doesn’t do much for me. My mom said he had a “holy roller” thing going on and, honestly, it did feel like I was being preached at sometimes. Danny is most definitely not my thing musically, so when it comes to that I cannot be that objective as I dislike the Michael McDonald style singing. I even worked somewhere that had Michael McDonald on their playlist and I pitched a fit until they turned it off (I can be a brat, yes). So when it comes to music, Danny is not my thing, but he is clearly had people at The Staples Center. I vaguely remember some graphics with trees being associated with Danny. Was I imagining things? That was just weird. He dedicates “What Hurts the Most” to Laura Saltman for interviewing them all the time. What an odd dedication, but even with that — she still won’t love you like she loves Adam because her love for Adam is insane.

2. Adam: Speaking of insane love for Adam, Los Angeles had that, and so did I. What an entrance! His intro was my favorite and probably helped create the crazy atmosphere Adam walks into when he starts. Or maybe not since some people in the audience would just scream if they saw his eyes in the “Mixed Up” Ford video. I do have to agree that he does have pretty eyes though. Anyway, I stood up and danced during his set, but a lot of people did. Stood, not danced (until he demanded it, then they did). I would say most of the arena was standing during a good portion of his set (many kept sitting down and standing up, and the place is huge, so I cannot see everything, even if I did do a look around. The floor seats were pretty much completely on their feet for him). During “Whole Lotta Love” it got really dark on Adam and you could see the light moving away from the lower half when he gets down with the mic stand. I guess if he doesn’t tone it down, the lights will just go down? His voice is just insane at the end of this song as well! I cannot wait for a solo tour with original music, but I’d prefer it to be ballroom-style venues so you can actually dance and move around. My one nitpick about the set is I actually think “Slow Ride” does very little for it, even though I enjoyed it on the show and can understand including it as it is a crowd-pleaser. I think Adam’s accompanying visuals were the most complimentary to his set (it enhanced his show and went with it, not distracted like some). Adam’s set felt short (it seriously flew right by), but what are you going to do? The highlights for me were “Starlight” and the Bowie Medley. He sounded gorgeous on “Mad World” as well, but I think he was competing with a really crappy sound system and lots and lots of screaming (which did subside a bit during “Mad World”). His voice did a great job of cutting through that.

1. Kris: Kris comes on and starts with “Heartless” and I really enjoyed his version on the show. However, I already have a nitpick — the random heart that appears every time Kris sings “heartless” was very distracting to me. What was that about? A lot of people did sit down during Kris’ set (including the floor seats since I saw those clearly from where I was), and there people leaving, but it wasn’t some mass exodus or anything and from my point of view, after “Heartless” there more people leaving than I thought would, as I was looking around. It’s not necessarily an affront to Kris, but I do think it is rude to leave mid-song, mainly because there are people still there that want to see Kris and you are distracting them, but LA audiences have never been known for their manners. Anyway, I enjoyed Kris live (probably my third favorite after Adam and Matt). It was quite “soft rock” though. I really don’t like that Matchbox 20 song (well, I dislike them, really), but I think Kris did it well. I think the song he chose by The Killers suited him very well. I think the lowpoint of his set is actually “Hey Jude” since I found it to just be kind of boring. I was the only one in my area singing along and swaying, but I kept singing the wrong words (either he is doing a shortened version or it has been awhile since I heard it), so I gave up. The Idols joined him. It went to “Don’t Stop Believing” (minus Megan) which brought home the cheese, and it was over.

Overall, I enjoyed it, especially for what it was. I was pleasantly surprised by Matt (he’s amazing on the piano), really liked Kris, enjoyed Lil and was a bit disappointed with Allison (even though I liked her). However, as I went for Adam, I will probably likely only go see Adam live again. I did what was suggested and was able to leave my concert-going, show-loving, music snobbery aside and take the show in for what it is, so I did enjoy it.

 
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  • papercut

    Thank you for the recap and review. :) I’m glad Adam, Kris and Allison all did well last night. :)

  • lizardino

    Calliope — Thanks for your wonderful recap of the show! I also thought Anoop’s floating head graphics were odd — I remember laughing out loud at that point. Megan also had lots of pink graphics in the background (with the universal boy and girl signs, like for restrooms) floating on the screen, which I thought were a little strange, too.

    I think you captured the feeling of the audience well, and I hope you’ll be motivated to see another Idol’s concert and recap it for us as well! BTW, all your “I like Adam” disclaimers were cute — so NOBODY should get mad at your favoritism. However, I think you wrote a pretty balanced review anyway.

  • CanadianFan

    Thanks for the great recap. I went to my first idol concert in Vancouver (to see Adam). LOVED Adam, but next time I will wait for the solo concert. Unlike everyone else who writes reviews, I found the live performances more karoke, rather than less. Maybe the problem was that Vancouver was only the third concert, so people without much experience were still warming up. However, I’m glad you could embrace the whole experience. It is interesting that Matt is winning a lot of people over.

  • spring2009

    Thanks Calliope!

    WTF is with the lighting of Adam all of the sudden?? If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!!

    We better get full on lightening in Hamilton, if we don’t I will seriously throw a fit….I am paying to see the whole show, so show it to me!

  • TWI

    Thanks for your re-cap Calliope. :-)
    It was good to read a little about the visuals – something I hadn’t thought about, or read about ’til now.

  • Adamdebomb

    Fun reading-thank you!

  • Q3

    Thank you for a fun review. I am also going to my first AI concerts just because of Adam but I am planning to enjoy the entire show.

    My only concern is that if the are dimming the lights on WLL in LA, what will happen when they come to the south. Will they have him do the song in total darkness in Little Rock? Many all the Adam fans need to just bring some really big hallogen flashlights to provide extra lighting!

  • mahrikka

    Great recap, Calliope! I really enjoyed the parts about your experience with your early-bird mom. My daughter and I went to the Sacramento concert together, and her comments about her experience with me were really funny. :) I’m envious of anyone at Staples last night. Epic Adam!

  • butte009

    Enjoyed you recap! Thanks!

  • girlygirl

    Thanks Calliope. Nice recap with good balance even with all your “I only went for Adam”disclaimers. The video graphics are really strange and distracting at times. I have no idea why they have decided to make Megan look like a cross between Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde and some human barbie girl. I hope she likes the color pink, poor girl! Anoop’s head in the clouds one is odd, as is Danny’s sunset one. Very cheezy.

  • Calliope

    My only concern is that if the are dimming the lights on WLL in LA, what will happen when they come to the south. Will they have him do the song in total darkness in Little Rock? Many all the Adam fans need to just bring some really big hallogen flashlights to provide extra lighting!

    Honestly, I don’t know — if he can’t let his freak flag show in LA, I dunno where it will. I mean, I don’t know even know if I would completely get what he was doing if wasn’t for youtube clips since it was really dark with loads of smoke.

    I do suggest the hallogen lights. ;)

    And thanks for the comments! I see I made typos galore, but ehhh… it happens. ;)

  • Squirrely

    Thank you Calliope, I enjoyed this. Hearing everyone’s different take is fun.

  • Truthiness

    Great recap. Love the detail and the snark. And I would go the route you did, champagne cocktails before, overpriced beer during.

    And great that people are better in concert than on the show. That certainly makes it much easier to handle, because for me (for you) that means there would have only been three out of the ten who wouldn’t have sucked.

  • CindyM

    Thanks Calliope, great recap. I loved the snark, and now I bet I notice the backgrounds more than I would have when I go see my show on Monday. I enjoyed the snark!

  • https://twitter.com/pmhowden undercooked

    Calliope, I’m glad you liked the seats! They moved me because of the sound system. They moved us to the floor in the very back… UGH. I saw I missed your call, but I couldn’t get reception to call out. It looks like you and I saw the concert in the same way. It was fun but hard to see.

  • Squirrely

    Is it possible that the lightening crew just screwed up? I mean this was the only time that happened, right?

  • abbysee

    Calliope, I really enjoyed your recap! It seems to me that the standouts, besides the obvious Krallison, and Danny is Matt and Lil, who’da thunk it? Especially Lil, I mean many of us were ready to storm the idol castle with torches to oust her, now she actually has talent! Hell I liked her, but Matt I was ready to vote him off the island, wait, wrong show, and now I see what others saw. He is pretty damn good. I think almost all of them are gonna cut at least one cd. Go season 8.

  • Mtlfan

    Thanks Caliope, great recap. I appreciated the background bits.
    What did you think of the Killer song? I watched on youtube and it seemed great. I think Kris is getting also more confortable with his solo guitar. Which Kris song was best liked by the crowd?
    Matt is great and I hope he gets a record deal too.
    Anoop with the clouds background .. it made me think of his funny sweet last twit bubble

  • ravengirl

    Calliope, great snarky commentary. Loved how you detailed the background and intro images. Makes me excited to see them. I’ve only seen Adam’s on the YouTubes and love that one.
    And how dare they try to dim the glow of Adam’s pelvic moves. I would think, though, that he would generate enough sexual energy to light himself up from within. Would that this was true. Ahhhhh. :jittery_tb:

  • webster

    Honestly, I don’t know ‘” if he can’t let his freak flag show in LA, I dunno where it will.

    Maybe too close to the Idol mothership and the Disney sponsors. Doesn’t matter. It’s enough of an advert for future solo shows.

    I like the production comments. Has there been any interview of the producer, or interviews with the idols in which they discuss the design process of their sets? I’d love to know what their involvement was, why they (or whoever) chose what they chose. Adam’s seems fairly straightforward, building on the “other worlds” them of several songs, but I’d still like to hear his thinking along with the others.

  • Eileen99

    I also found the video background in Tacoma really distracting – didn’t much care for the karaoke words behind Lil, Anoop’s head floating in the clouds, Danny’s rising sun, or the obnoxious red neon hearts behind Kris.

    Good point on Megan – one of her (few) strengths on the show was her quirkiness but they managed to completely suck the life out of that trait, and made her Elle Woods on stage. All that was missing was carrying Bruiser around the stage in her purse.

  • Calliope

    What did you think of the Killer song? I watched on youtube and it seemed great. I think Kris is getting also more confortable with his solo guitar. Which Kris song was best liked by the crowd?

    I didn’t get the sense that Kris at ill ease at all. I was on the opposite side of the arena (so I had a center view, but not a close one), but from what I got he was doing well and seemed to work his solo guitar (although, he wasn’t facing me when he did). I think the crowd liked “Heartless” best and I quite enjoyed the song by The Killers (I didn’t sing along when Kris engaged the audience with the “soul/soldier” line since I just find it cheesy, and even The Killers couldn’t get me to do that when I saw them at a festival) and thought he improved on the Matchbox 20 song (which I normally do not like, but I did like his). I think Ain’t No Sunshine went over second best with the audience though.

    I like the production comments. Has there been any interview of the producer, or interviews with the idols in which they discuss the design process of their sets? I’d love to know what their involvement was, why they (or whoever) chose what they chose. Adam’s seems fairly straightforward, building on the ‘other worlds’  them of several songs, but I’d still like to hear his thinking along with the others.

    I don’t know, but I am curious as well. The only thing I gather is that Adam is probably in control of what goes on with his background from interviews with him (and comments from Simon). I am sure the others have an input, but I am kind of wondering what some of them were thinking.

    I also found the video background in Tacoma really distracting – didn’t much care for the karaoke words behind Lil, Anoop’s head floating in the clouds, Danny’s rising sun, or the obnoxious red neon hearts behind Kris.

    Yeah, I’d say for some of them (like Allison) I think it’s best that I don’t remember the backgrounds because that means it wasn’t distracting. Those hearts really didn’t do anything for Kris.

    Good point on Megan – one of her (few) strengths on the show was her quirkiness but they managed to completely suck the life out of that trait, and made her Elle Woods on stage. All that was missing was carrying Bruiser around the stage in her purse.

    Exactly. It was quite annoying, especially since I am kind of Megan fan. I think she does have potential there, but it’s just not working right now.

  • http://www.f3-properties.com Animated

    Talking about WLL, and the concern of the young one’s reaction – just recently my niece was watching the video of Oakland concert, the one where the mic portion was really clear and that the lighting was really sensually highlighted. If you look at it again, there was light like coming from the floor directed at Adam.

    Our 10 year old sat on my niece’s lap and looked at the video with her. We kind of looked at each other and wondering if we should call her away from the video. My niece looked at me with raised eyebrows, silently mouthing if she should turn it off as the little girl was right there. But we decided to let it be .

    And we were going to talk about it to our 10 year old, when she turned and said in a very serious voice – I think we should tell Adam to be very careful. He might trip over the microphone stand.

    With that we laughed and that was forgotten.

    So maybe its a matter of perception and the innocent will not know any better until we explain to them that it is supposed to have another connotation.

  • ateal69

    animated-what a cute story! I agree with your comment about perception and the innocent.

  • maracaibo

    Yay.. I am glad you liked Matt so much.
    Number two after Adam? That’s huge for Matty
    I am concerned about the lack of buzz about a record deal for him though.

    I sure hope that by September something comes about for him. I think he is so talented.

  • AC

    The band sounded good on ‘Closer’  and I danced. By myself.

    Haha.. I love that line.

    And the lighting for Adam always seems really dark that it’s hard to get good pictures! hehe

  • carolinacharms

    That’s funny. Where I come from, the words “musical” and “snobbery” only go together when applied to folks who listen to NPR and attend the symphony and opera, lol! Interesting to see Danny so well-received out there.

  • Calliope

    That’s huge for Matty. I am concerned about the lack of buzz about a record deal for him though.

    That’s a shame since I thought he was very good. He was quite well received at the show as well. I remember rumors during the show that Matt had some industry buzz from non-Matt fans. It would be nice if something happens for him.

    And the lighting for Adam always seems really dark that it’s hard to get good pictures! hehe

    I think he will eventually be performing WLL in pitch black darkness.

    That’s funny. Where I come from, the words ‘musical’  and ‘snobbery’  only go together when applied to folks who listen to NPR and attend the symphony and opera, lol! Interesting to see Danny so well-received out there.

    Well, it’s a different kind of snobbery, possibly NPRish, but I live in hipsterville, so my normal thing isn’t an American Idol show, but not necessarily the opera either.

    I would say Danny probably had the most enthusiasm after Adam, but for those who weren’t enthused… he went over like a lead balloon.

  • SparklesATL

    The lighting of Adam is like Elvis 2.0. Back in the day, if Elvis was on tv, like the Ed Sullivan show, he was only shown from the waist up because his twisting and twitching pelvis was considered to be too sexual. Elvis the pelvis. Rather tame by today’s standards.

  • Mary102

    Great recap! I’m trying to keep up with them all, but it is really hard! However, I love to hear everyone’s unique experience and impression.

    Glad you talked about the visuals = most of the youtube vids seemed to cut them out (or maybe I’m just watching too much Adam and no one else!) But I rewatched Megan’s recently, and thought the graphics were pretty ridiculuous: I think I likened it to a cross between hello kitty and super mario bros.

    Interesting to keep hearing about the mad Danny love = I find it fascinating that so many people on the blogs and online have some, er, dislike for Danny, while outside of the web-verse, I only seem to meet huge Danny fans. Maybe it’s a demographic thing, who knows.

    After that, he leaves the stage with a low, booming ‘Anoooop’  which could sound like booing.

    I always get a kick out of reading this – it seemed like a good hook for him, but this is an unfortunate consequence.

    As for the songs and sets, it seems that certain ones keep getting the same ciriticism. In particular, the Amy Winehouse song from Megan. Seriously, did they have to vet their decisions to the tour organizers? Couldn’t someone tell that some of the songs were not really the best pick? And it also sounds like Megan’s pink dress is not suiting her well at all. Again, she has to put some of her idol style back on.

  • http://www.f3-properties.com Animated

    Calliope – Your recap is perceptive and sprinkled with such wry humor. Thoroughly entertaining. Thanks !

    You are probably right – one of these dates- Adam will eventually be performing in pitch darkness- if the crowd gets ingenious and comes up with their own spot light , that will be one for the rock history books – where there’s a will there’s a way- what extent several thousands of mesmerized men and women will go to, just to get their Adam joy. I am so amused thinking of this.

  • http://twitter.com/cara_lee pj

    Awesome recap, Calliope! I have been reading these sporadically, because it’s sooo much. My two faves are Adam and Allison, so I’m a bit disappointed you were let down by her set. But it’s all good!

    I always get a kick out of reading this – it seemed like a good hook for him, but this is an unfortunate consequence.

    As for the Anoop booing thing, I’m pretty sure anyone who’s watched any kind of sports in the last 20 years knows that if a name rhymes with “boo” it will be used as a rallying call and not as an actual “boo.” :-)

  • Mary102

    My only concern is that if the are dimming the lights on WLL in LA, what will happen when they come to the south. Will they have him do the song in total darkness in Little Rock? Many all the Adam fans need to just bring some really big hallogen flashlights to provide extra lighting!

    Great idea! I’m coming prepared to my show! I agree it sucks if they are “censoring” it now. And really, as the story above shows, this stuff goes over the heads of most young kids. And if they’re old enough to catch on, it’s probably a moot point anyways.

  • Calliope

    Awesome recap, Calliope! I have been reading these sporadically, because it’s sooo much. My two faves are Adam and Allison, so I’m a bit disappointed you were let down by her set. But it’s all good!

    There are a lot, and yeah, I am disappointed as well because Allison is my second favorite and I LOVED her “Papa is a Rolling Stone” when she performed it for Motown Week, so that’s what made me think my expectations of her were too high. She was still good, but I wasn’t as into her set as I thought it would be. I am not sure what it exactly was.

  • wiccagirl2009

    Thank you so very much Calliope! Nice to know that you enjoyed the concert and Adam!! :-)

  • Jhoy2theworld

    Thanks for the recap. I can’t wait to see Adam tomorrow night in San Diego!!!

  • agathe.hb

    Calliope, I reaaaaaally enjoyed your recap :)
    as for the contestants that are doing surprisingly well – maybe the judges were not so wrong after all??? remember they really liked Matt in the beginning, until the nerves got better of him? and Lil? maybe they are not so stupid afterall? JMO

  • bebe

    Thanks for the recap. Yeah, the lighting on WLL was disappointing, especially since it was so well lit during the first two shows. Trying to tone down our boy? Shame on them. One reviewer commented that Gokey’s lighting was very bright compared to Adam’s and he speculated that AI was going for the angel-demon effect. Maybe. Danny’s been imitating Adam for as long as I can remember. Could he be offering himself up as the godly Wisconsin-rock alternative to Adam? Sounds absurd, but he’s an odd guy, so who knows?

    I’m sorry you missed Scott. I would like to have known what you thought. Wasn’t crazy about him before, but I warmed up to him during his set. He seems like a bright guy with an appealing personality and good sense of humor. I agree with you about “Slow Ride”. It doesn’t seem to work as well on the larger stage, even though Adam and Allison were great. Plus I really missed the striped pants. Anyway, great job reviewing the show. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

  • ShariG

    Thanks for the interesting recap, Calliope. I will probably not go to see any of them in concert after the tour other than Kris and possibly Allison. Kris is just my style and I love Allison’s voice, too, when she can emotionally connect to the song. I found your impressions of the visuals interesting. It makes me mad that any concert goer would be so rude as to leave while someone is performing. Makes me doubly mad that this happened in LA while Kris was performing. I saw some of that last year when David Cook was doing his set, too, until he and Michael Johns had the surprising Mavid thing going during the final group number and no one wanted to miss the shenanigans. Then fewer left. I think to an extent it was people leaving to get a good spot along the barricades for autographs, but in some cases it was people leaving like another recapper to get out of dodge before the traffic jams. Still it is really rude, in my opinion. I hope it wasn’t very many people.

    I think you have a good point Agathe. The judges certainly pushed Lil and Matt right along with Adam in the beginning of season 8. You could almost see it when they gave up on Lil. I think nerves got the better of Matt on the show and Lil just seemed to try too hard to change each week to fit their critiques from the previous week that I was left not knowing who the heck she was as a performer. But now, without the judging, other than by concert goers (probably the most important judges) they seem to be coming into their own. I think that is what I most liked about Kris, Adam, and Allison during the show. They already had a style and could make each week their own more than the others rather than adjusting who they were for the genre. It was understandable for Adam with all of his previous professional experience and the continual over the top praise from the judges. Why would he change anything up? But it was mindblowingly impressive with Kris and Allison that they were so secure in themselves to be able to do this even when the judges critiques were not overwhelmingly positive. I have all kinds of respect for them for that and it sounds like that is continuing during the concert tour.

  • https://twitter.com/draddee Sunn

    Thank you Calliope for a great recap. Loved your observations concerning the intros and background. I can’t wait to see Adam live, I hope he makes it to London soon, or else I might just be forced to make a trip stateside.

    Thanks again.

  • Calliope

    My daughter and I went to the Sacramento concert together, and her comments about her experience with me were really funny. :)

    Were you both fans of the same Idol? Honestly, while my mother listens to modern music, we have never agreed as I am quite the indie/underground child, while she loves R&B and pop. However, this is the woman who raised me on Bowie and Prince and took me to Madonna as a small child, so while people love to mock Adam for his fans not being in the the twenties to mid-thirties target demos, I do think he has them (as much as Idol can get–I’m an example and I have never been into post-Idol music except for some Jordin singles), and he has a mother-daughter bonding experience with some fans. Honestly, since I became a teen, that has not happened, so it was nice for my mother and I to agree on something musically in who knows how long.

    Love the detail and the snark. And I would go the route you did, champagne cocktails before, overpriced beer during.

    Thank you! And that’s the only way to go. It makes the concert go faster! ;)

    Thank you Calliope for a great recap. Loved your observations concerning the intros and background. I can’t wait to see Adam live, I hope he makes it to London soon, or else I might just be forced to make a trip stateside.

    My SIL is coming to LA to visit me the first solo date Adam gets. However, as I am quite London-based when it’s not LA, I am willing to visit my marital London family when an Adam concert happens as well!

  • https://twitter.com/draddee Sunn

    My SIL is coming to LA to visit me the first solo date Adam gets. However, as I am quite London-based when it’s not LA, I am willing to visit my marital London family when an Adam concert happens as well!

    I might just have to invite myself to that concert as well. :D

  • mahrikka

    My daughter and I went to the Sacramento concert together, and her comments about her experience with me were really funny. :)

    Were you both fans of the same Idol? Honestly, while my mother listens to modern music, we have never agreed as I am quite the indie/underground child, while she loves R&B and pop. However, this is the woman who raised me on Bowie and Prince and took me to Madonna as a small child, so while people love to mock Adam for his fans not being in the the twenties to mid-thirties target demos, I do think he has them (as much as Idol can get’“I’m an example and I have never been into post-Idol music except for some Jordin singles), and he has a mother-daughter bonding experience with some fans. Honestly, since I became a teen, that has not happened, so it was nice for my mother and I to agree on something musically in who knows how long.

    Sorry, Calliope. I just came back to check this again today. My daughter and I do have similar tastes in music, but we haven’t talked music in a long while. This opened the door. She just made a great CD for me for my birthday which I’m loving. I would say her taste leans toward indie/underground as well. I should qualify this a bit, though. I really like most of what she likes, but I have music she probably doesn’t appreciate quite as much. I have quite an eclectic collection including Tuvan throat singers. :) She has not watched AI since Season 1, but I gifted her a few times with itunes performances of Adam and of course, talked Adam many times. She ended up loving Adam and sends me links to articles. I don’t have the heart to tell her I’ve already read them. :) She was also happy to hear Allison got a contract.

    ETA…she’s also very snarky which is what made me smile the most about your review.

  • poster

    I’m from Michigan and was hoping to like Matt on the show, but I have to admit I was hot and cold with his performances on TV. I’m so very glad for him that he’s doing so well at the concerts – he just seems like a natural entertainer from what I’ve seen on You Tube. I’d love to see him and Kid Rock do something together – think they’d be great.
    I have to admit Adam is the real deal. What I most like about him is when he interviews he seems very grateful and humble, yet also very confident…I like him even more for that.