Gary J’s American Idol Tour 2009 Manchester NH Recap

By On 09/16/2009 · 56 Comments · In AI Season 9, American Idol

News bulletins from the Manchester American Idol concert:

· More items were tossed on stage at the final concert in Manchester than all the previous concerts combined, beginning with a few during Allison’s set and so many during Adam’s that I lost count.
· About 4 or 5 minutes after DSB was over and they were starting to take the set down, Adam came up front on the stage and held court with his most loyal fans, chatting with them, and taking the chain and pendant around his neck off’ ¦.he then tossed it to the girl fans in the three or four rows up front nearest the stage. One of them caught it. Since most people were leaving the arena at this time, was this meeting prearranged?

· During his set, Adam said, ‘Thank you, Manchester, for helping to make my dream come true.’ 
· Kris, still recovering from illness, kept a glass of honey (or whiskey, or whatever it was) on top of his piano, and needed to take a big slug of it between the second and third songs in his set. Although he looked paler than usual and was a little raspy once when he talked, Kris nevertheless put on one of his best performances ever, and received some of the best applause he’s ever received.
· No one left the concert early to take up positions at the barricades, although there were easily 500 to 1,000 concertgoers out there after the concert.
· The concert was a near sellout, with about 95% of the seats sold; the Verizon Wireless Arena had around 9,000 seats for the AI concert
· Danny Gokey received a tremendous, enthusiastic reception in Manchester, nearly as great as Kris’s and Adam’s. He also seemed to imitate Adam with a mic stand move.
· Matt Giraud gave an impressive performance combining virtuoso piano playing and great vocals, and proved he is a professional ready for the big time. He also received enthusiastic applause.
· Allison Iraheta turned in a flawless performance with purposeful stage moves, lots of energy, and spontaneous humor. She received enormous applause. She also showed lots of cleavage.
· Adam appeared in Elvis hair and extra glitter, and someone threw him a hat that had ‘LAMBERT’  written on the hatband, and he put it on and wore it briefly before throwing it back into the audience.
· Adam said ‘Woman’  during WLL
· There weren’t many concertgoers wearing Idol-specific clothing. A teenage girl wore a T-shirt which read, ‘Suzanne © Kris’ . A gal in her 20′s wore a T-shirt which read, ‘Adam Lambert Rocks My World.’  And a boy and a girl, apparently twins about 8 or 9 years old, carried a banner in support of Adam; they were accompanied by their mother. There were also stick puppets of Adam and Danny in the audience.
· The audience was composed mainly of families with children ages 5-12. There were plenty of girl tweens and teens. Also mothers and college-age daughters. Some couples without children. And lots of Cougars. The ratio of females to males estimated at 60% to 40%. And there were plenty of people over 60.
· Ideal weather for the concert, sunny and 75 degrees during the day, about 70 at concert time and 60 degrees when the concert let out.
· The acoustics in the Verizon Arena were decent, there was little or no helium voice during Starlight and Mad World, and the band did not overpower the vocals
· Not everyone in the audience was from New Hampshire; there were numerous people from nearby Massachusetts, and some from Texas, Florida, and California. People came from as far away as England, Japan and South Africa. For some, this was their 7th American Idol concert this summer. There were lots of repeaters as well as first timers.
· All the Idols mentioned that this was the last concert, and thanked everyone for their support on the tour, and during the TV program.
· Price cuts on some items; programs were only $10 (instead of $25), but did not sell out at the concert.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Ranking the Idols in Manchester
Here’s how I would rank the Season 8 Idols, based on their performance at the Manchester concert:
1. Adam
2. Allison
3. Kris
4. Matt
5. Danny
6. Anoop
7. Lil
8. Michael
9. Scott
10. Megan
———————————————————————————————————
Adam fans get together the day before
Actually, for me and a dozen other Adam fans, the festivities began the day before the concert, with dinner at a downtown Manchester restaurant that had been organized by an Adam fan from California. There were Adam fans from California, Texas and Florida, several from Massachusetts, and one who came all the way from South Africa. Several were from the Concord, NH area, and I’m from Florida too, but temporarily in New Hampshire for the summer.

. It was like an unofficial meeting of Adam Addicts Anonymous. I was the only guy present, and I distributed some Adam stick puppets I had made to the ladies, who seemed to like them. The dinner lasted for nearly three hours, and just about all the topics you would expect were covered.

One of the gals had skipped the early part of AI8, and only tuned in by accident, and caught Adam singing ‘Mad world’ , just like me. She said it only took her a few seconds to realize that here was our next superstar. I came to the same conclusion too, except it took me 15 seconds longer (I’m kind of slow).
There were anecdotes about Adam in the workplace, about walking in to someone’s office and spotting a picture of ‘him’  on someone’s desk, and realizing that here was another kindred spirit.. A woman who works at a large medical center said that fellow employees she barely knew, including people from foreign nations on different continents, were just as intense Adam fans as she was. She said her 30-year-old son was OK with her Adam obsession, but her 24-year-old son, not so much. He even said to her, ‘Mom, you’d rather be Adam’s mother than my mother,’  she said, which she found troubling.

For some of those at the dinner Monday night, Manchester was not their first AI Season 8 summer tour concert. I knew that at least one had attended the Providence concert on Sunday night. What I did not know was that several had attended a total of 7 concerts each.

There was some discussion of how ‘he’  had taken over their lives; some felt that this obsession had left them maybe neglecting matters they otherwise would have attended to; one had a routine: check the computer at 8am to get the latest developments. There was general consensus, I think, that Adam’s performances of ‘Whole lotta love’  was a crucial part of their Adamfandom. And I think that because Manchester was going to be the very last concert, a sense of some kind of dreaded finality was beginning to set in.

‘What are we going to do until the album comes out?’  one said. I suggested they watch videos of Allison’s performances on Telemundo’s Quinceaà ± era contest on the Internet; several said they would. (Just go to Google or Yahoo, and type in ‘Allison Iraheta Telemundo video’  and you should get a link direct to the videos. Her performance, in Spanish, of ‘Volverte a amar’  is well worth seeing, and her 6-minute version of Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total eclipse of the heart’  (in English) is absolutely compelling’ ¦one of the most emotional performances I’ve ever seen. One of the men judges was so choked up afterwards he couldn’t speak, and instead wrote the numeral ten on a piece of paper, and held it over his head. She was so good on Quinceaà ± era, and she was two years younger. Several Allison fans have wondered why she didn’t sing ‘like that’  on American Idol. Also worth viewing is the video of her winning Quinceaà ± era (this might be listed as ‘ganadora’  or ‘Allison gana’ ¦’ ); it’s in Spanish, but it’s touching to watch, especially the part where she starts to cry, thanks the judges, and tells her mother she loves her.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
And now the Gary J Special Awards for Season 8:
Best song revision:
Kris, for ‘Heartless’ 
Best lyric inflection:
Anoop, for ‘True Colors’ 
Most moving song:
Allison, for ‘I can’t make you love me’ 
Best urban myth:
Slash isn’t a singer, so why is he a mentor?
(Slash was lead singer on Guns ‘N Roses’ ‘Civil war’ )
Best prediction:
Slash, for warning that if Danny lost the end of Aerosmith’s
‘Dream on’ , the whole performance would be ruined
Most misleading statistic:
Only 23 million viewers watched the finale (but 40
million watched the last ten minutes of it)
Best all-around musician:
Kris
Most obvious superstar:
Adam
The One to Watch:
Allison, as always
Best concert myth:
that Adam has a ‘helium voice’  or a ‘feminine’  voice
(the problem is concertgoers’ ears overreacting to the cheering after WLL)
Most improved (from zero to hero):
Anoop
Biggest improvement on tour:
Matt
Best job with a clunker:
Adam, for ‘Play that funky music’ 
Worst song choice:
Anoop, for ‘Beat it’ 
Had the judges totally in his pocket:
Danny
Boldest song makeover:
Adam, for ‘Ring of fire’ 
Biggest heartthrob for Kara:
Matt
Most accurate guess:
that Adam might be gay
Best bluegrass duet:
Michael and Megan, with Steve Martin on banjo
Most likely to have an unexpected career:
Lil
Biggest hypocrite:
Ryan, for hassling Adam about his makeup/ maybe being gay
Most polarizing:
Danny
Best pianist
: Matt
Best friends after the season:
Adam and Kris
Most likely country star:
Michael
Most corny jokes on tour:
Scott
Best microphone stand handling:
Adam
Most heartfelt mentor
: Smokey Robinson
Most haunting performance:
Adam, for ‘Mad World’ 
Silkiest voice:
Anoop
Most unsung AI7 Idols:
Brooke White and Michael Johns, for persuading Allison to audition for AI8
Most underrated:
Kris
Most hyped:
Danny
Most technical knowledge:
Scott
Most attacked by the judges after first hyping:
Lil
Biggest connoisseur of Southern barbecue:
Anoop
Received most false accusations of ‘diva’ :
Adam
Best ambassador for the tour:
Michael
Best looking:
Megan
Called ‘smoking hot’  most often by girls:
Adam
Called ‘adorable’  most often by girls:
Kris
Called ‘sweet guy’  most often by girls:
Danny

 
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  • LisaE

    Haha. I loved your recap at the end. A very nice way to end the season.

    Question: When the Idols stayed out at the end throwing things to fans, etc., how many people in the audience stayed? Were there just a few rows of fans upfront catching things? I couldn’t tell and I was just curious.

    Thanks again!

  • lob

    Ooo – very nice. It must have been special to be there for the last concert – sounds like you enjoyed it. I loved your Idol Awards :)

  • https://twitter.com/pmhowden undercooked

    Gary, I would have to say this is my favorite recap, probably because it’s not a recap, but more of a news article. Loved it! It kept my attention, which after reading, oh, it seems like a hundred recaps, that is quite something. What a great way to wind up the season with an overview. I also liked that it wasn’t all fanboyie (spelling?). And good for you for being the only guy at the dinner.

    I said the same thing in the headlines thread yesterday. I do think AI is also a social network, that in a way, is bigger than the contestants we root for. I’m so happy you all had a lovely dinner and shared some laughs. That image makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

    I hope you do something similar after the singles/albums drop.

  • LoveContinuum

    Gary, loved your recap. Very original and refreshing.

    One thing: I don’t fall into the age group of “cougar”… but I think the term is revolting. I think everyone should realize that WE’RE ALL GOING TO GET OLD. I imagine you won’t enjoy being called a “dirty old man” or any one of those insensitive labels. Women don’t like being called “cougars”. It’s a derogatory term, and I wish fewer people would use it.

    Otherwise, I thought your recap was great. Thank you.

  • HoppersSkippersMiners

    Running into a deadline at work, so can’t go into detail about the total awesomeness of your recap. Will just say: WHOO-HOO! and THANKS!

  • https://twitter.com/pmhowden undercooked

    Ack, there’s no edit button!!

    Please excuse the punctuation and tense problems in my earlier post. I never get it right on the first draft!

    ETA- it looks like the edit function is back!!

  • HoppersSkippersMiners

    No edit?? Ok then:

    ETA: Sorry LoveContinuum, don’t really mind the cougar ref! :grin:

  • BeckyMD

    Gary, I really enjoy your recap. Love your idol awards.

  • auntieaimee

    I would argue that the helium effect is probably a sound mixing issue. Many people have heard it and I doubt they are all imagining things.

  • smokeyvera

    Gary J, fantastic recap – I liked your format and your overall observations for the season. I pretty well agree with you 100 percent on your evaluation.
    I know how long these recaps take to put together ( unless you’re a very fast typist) and appreciate that this was posted so quickly and you seem to savor and enjoy the moments. It was interesting that for many concerts there have been people who have flown in from all over the world. Let’s hope Adam does become this worldwide superstar.

    Just out of curiosity – how old are you? You don’t have to answer, but if your comfortable with it, please do tell us. We’ve had a lot of recaps from all differing ages and genders.

  • mr

    Gary J.- are you Gary Jules???????
    :-)

  • CindyM

    Thanks GaryJ, loved your recap!!

  • lola

    “He even said to her, ‘Mom, you’d rather be Adam’s mother than my mother,’  she said, which she found troubling.”

    - Guilty as charged. My daughter would once in a while tease me that I have more time for Adam than listen to her stories.

    “one had a routine: check the computer at 8am to get the latest developments.”

    -So it’s true, I’m not the only one. I’m glad that I’m still sane.

  • https://twitter.com/pmhowden undercooked

    Kris, still recovering from illness, kept a glass of honey (or whiskey, or whatever it was) on top of his piano, and needed to take a big slug of it between the second and third songs in his set

    I am wondering if Kris takes longer to recover from illness due to how sick he got a few years ago when he was overseas. Sometimes a serious illness like he had can take its toll on the immune system.

  • rockvixen

    Nice recap.

    I would add this to your awards:

    Biggest ego on the planet with the exception of Kanye West:

    Scott MacIntyre

  • http://kristentheyellowlab.blogspot.com/ Zsus

    Excellent, Gary J! I think I might have one small correction to your awards, though. I believe – but can’t find the info to prove it – that it was Carly and Michael Johns who encouraged Allison to audition. They were performing together at an event shortly after the season ended, and Allison also sang. MJ and Brooke have only just begun performing together.

  • tfmal

    Great recap. I think you are right about Adam and Kris, they will be friends forever. I think Allison will be a big part of that too. Kradison.

  • Valentin432

    Excellent, Gary J! I think I might have one small correction to your awards, though. I believe ‘“ but can’t find the info to prove it ‘“ that it was Carly and Michael Johns who encouraged Allison to audition

    I am almost sure that I read it was Brooke with MJ.

    Most misleading statistic:
    Only 23 million viewers watched the finale (but 40
    million watched the last ten minutes of it)

    So 40 million people turned on to see Carrie perform;)

  • Q3

    GaryJ loved your recap — and Awards! Thanks!

  • snuffles

    undercooked
    September 16, 2009 at 1:59 pm

    Kris, still recovering from illness, kept a glass of honey (or whiskey, or whatever it was) on top of his piano, and needed to take a big slug of it between the second and third songs in his set

    I am wondering if Kris takes longer to recover from illness due to how sick he got a few years ago when he was overseas. Sometimes a serious illness like he had can take its toll on the immune system.

    I wondered the same thing. Same with Scott and his kidney transplant.

  • https://twitter.com/draddee Sunn

    Thank you Gary J for a truly lovely recap. A fine way to cap a glorious summer.

    I agree with you on nearly everything you said. If I may I’ll add a few of my own:

    Most Emo Idol: Michael Sarver.
    Most over rated judge and songwriter: Kara Dioguardi
    Most spell binding Idol: Adam Lambert
    Most understated Idol: A tie between Anoop and Kris
    Most Exciting Idol: Adam
    Most enigmatic Idol: Kris
    Most in need of a professional PR assistant: Danny
    Most cerebral: Anoop
    Most logical: Adam
    Most spiritual: Kris
    Most conventional: Danny
    Most loving: Allison
    Most independent: Megan
    Most motherly: Lil
    Most likely to ditch twitter: Anoop
    Most likely to end up as a band member: Matt
    Least likely to become a solo recording artist: Lil Tie with Megan
    Most likely to have an acting career: Megan
    Most lived by me: Adam Lambert.

    Good luck to them all, and god bless.

  • AnninSD

    Sheer Excellence!
    One of the top 5 recaps of the tour season.

  • ross

    I would argue that the helium effect is probably a sound mixing issue.

    Probably, because I don’t buy that it’s a reaction of the human ear to WLL. That should be “best urban myth.”

    I am wondering if Kris takes longer to recover from illness due to how sick he got a few years ago when he was overseas. Sometimes a serious illness like he had can take its toll on the immune system.

    That’s possible. But aside from that, he really had no time off, so he was probably more exhausted. Getting together with songwriters to write, plus recording, plus traveling, plus five songs in the concert every night, singing and playing three instruments, etc.

  • wiredforsound

    Thanks for the recap Gary.

    How is Kris underrated when he won?? Also, Kris traditionally got really positive comments from the judges so perhaps an award for

    biggest idol show myth: the judges hated kris.

    They hated LiL… not Kris.

  • ross

    How is Kris underrated when he won?? Also, Kris traditionally got really positive comments from the judges so perhaps an award for

    biggest idol show myth: the judges hated kris.

    They hated LiL’ ¦ not Kris.

    I don’t think the judges hated Lil or Kris. All the recapper said, anyway, was that Kris was underrated. Doesn’t that just mean he turned out to be better than people originally thought? Or that he did better than expected?

  • wand3rful

    LOL, loved the awards. fun season indeed.

    How is Kris underrated when he won?? Also, Kris traditionally got really positive comments from the judges so perhaps an award for

    biggest idol show myth: the judges hated kris.

    they gave kris lukewarm, nice comments…versus the over the top, OMG feedback given to danny. yet by most accounts (critical, online bloggers) kris was the best or second best of the night for a majority of the weeks, while danny was so-so. hence, the over and under -rated part. there was no hate from the judges , they just didnt want him to ruin their pre-determined top 2 finish they had boasted about all over the media since February LOL there should be an award for the biggest dumbass given collectively to the judges for assuming they could control the public ;)

  • ross

    there should be an award for the biggest dumbass given collectively to the judges for assuming they could control the public

    lol. Agree 100%.

  • wiredforsound

    About 4 or 5 minutes after DSB was over and they were starting to take the set down, Adam came up front on the stage and held court with his most loyal fans, chatting with them, and taking the chain and pendant around his neck off’ ¦.he then tossed it to the girl fans in the three or four rows up front nearest the stage. One of them caught it. Since most people were leaving the arena at this time, was this meeting prearranged?

    I just watched MJs video and I’m confused. At no time did I see Adam “hold court” at the end of the stage and talk to fans.

    they gave kris lukewarm, nice comments’ ¦

    by they you mean Simon I assume? Because Kara, Randy and Paula all gave Kris quite effusive praise most weeks. I’ve watched the videos enough times to be pretty clear that the “kris received a lukewarm response” is a myth built around the “underdog” label.

    He wasn’t favored but he certainly was praised A LOT. If the comparison is to Danny then I see the chargin. Danny IMO received a heinous amount of praise that he did not deserve on the show.

    you get no argument from me about their stupidity for thinking that Adam and Danny would make F2 and continuing to push that idea. Personally I thought it should’ve come down to Allison/Kris/Adam in F3 and however it played out for F2 would’ve been okay by me.

  • Bowie1

    Thanks, Gary J.

    What a ‘refreshing’ way to do a recap. I really enjoyed it! And what a great way to spend some time with other Adam fans. Wish I could have been at the concert. It looked epic!!

  • suebrody

    Loved the recap. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Thanks so much. EXCEPT..I bristle at the term cougar. I am 46, and so anyone over 35 is considered a cougar I guess. But this implies that I lust over younger guys, and this is completely untrue. I think younger guys (see: older ones, Clooney, George) are cute/hot and charismatic for sure. But you don’t have any “dirty old men” references, so it’s insulting to me.

    THAT SAID, I think this was probably my favorite review, too, b/c it was so informed (I thought you were mj at first ;-) ). I loved yours too, Sunn. I was someone who watched from the beginning, and noticed Adam from the beginning (b/c I loved that he sang Queen–I saw some Cook in him, in the way that Simon wasn’t impressed but the other judges were, and Kara, you don’t count). Starting with Satisfaction, I was HOOKED, and just got more excited week by week. JP’s blog was my home, and then I came here after the season ended. I was a huge Matt fan, too, and grew to love Kris as the season went on (I was a vote splitter between Adam, Matt, and Kris till Top 4, and then I just voted for Adam). I don’t think the judges hated Kris, I think that he was underappreciated (not underrated), in part due to his understated nature. And in another year, I think he would have received even more attention, but Adam really was the one they paid most attention to, tho Kris clearly had a huge fanbase (I mean, he won, right? ;) ).

    And as far as Kris, getting sick, I think it hit him harder than the others, and that Adam was, perhaps, more equipped to handle it b/c he had been touring (tho differently, I realize) for so many years, and Kris never had. I hope Kris gets a couple of days to rest b/f the Ford Shareholders Meeting and mix gathering (that I will not get passes to, SOB). I really believe that Adam will do larger venues (tho who knows?) and Kris will go more the Cook route (venues that are more like 2-5,000 concertgoers–the one I am seeing in RI seats @1000, I think, but no more than 2,000).

    I liked the Idols overall better last year, BUT it was so great to participate in this community and see the Idols grow on Tour. My guess is that Kris, Adam, Allison, Danny, Matt (hopefully), and Sarver (probably) will have successful or semi-successful recording careers, and that the others will move onto other musically-involved careers.

    Sunn, I have to ask: How the heck is Sarver EMO? Were you kidding? B/c he might even know who My Chemical Romance and My Morning Jacket are. ;)

    mix 104.1 contest calling frenzy is just moments away…gah.

  • adamaloha

    Gary– love the recap because it doesn’t read like one at all. The “news junkie” in me thanks you profusely!

  • http://www.windsongcreations.artfire.com Anastasia72071

    wand3rful
    there should be an award for the biggest dumbass given collectively to the judges for assuming they could control the public

    LOL – I would phrase that more along the lines of “…assuming the viewing public are a bunch of total morons who need to be told how & what to think”, but good call! ;)

    GaryJ, I really loved your Special Awards!! My fave is Slash’s prediction re: Dream On, which at the time (and still!) I thought was absolutely hilariously ironic. :D

  • Finn

    Great recap Gary. Especially the awards. Yeah, Slash did try to warn Danny, didn’t he? LOL

    How about some twitter awards:

    Best on the spot reporting: Papa Michael.
    Most quirky: Kris and his plums.
    Most use of the letter Z: Allisonzzzz.
    Most use of exclamation points: Adam!!!
    Best bubbletweet King: Matt G (featuring the idol cast family performers at their best.)
    Most laid back: Anoop.
    Most random, infrequent, surprise appearances: Lil and Megan.
    Best twitter eater: Scott.
    Best accidental butt cheek tweeter: Danny ‘Billoullou’.
    Best guest star: Wolfgang.
    Best twat: every single one of them!

    Keep those twats coming guys even though the tour is over!!

  • jammasta

    Loved your recap. I also love the awards you give, and I most agree that Lil may have an unexpected career. She’s got it, she just needs to do some work on it.

    And when did Brooke and Michael persuade Allison to audition? I never heard that, but I saw pictures of her with them.

  • GaryJ

    Thank you all for your thoughtful comments.
    I apologize if any were offended by use of the term cougar. It was meant to be endearing, not condescending. Poor judgment on my part, sorry.
    I’ve been watching American Idol since the first season, but this year, I finally got fed up with the show’s blandness. I was also turned off by the new gimmicks designed to compensate for the fluff, and boost eroding ratings. The only reason I tuned in this year, after missing most of the early part, was because of Adam.
    Musically, I live in the past (I’m 64, probably the oldest recapper). I think the greatest decade ever for music was the 1980s. I’ve always known that music has a special power. I also like Stan Kenton, the last of the big bands, and I like his piano as well as his band’s instrumentals. If I listen to FM radio, I try to listen to a station that plays hits from the 1980s (to filter out as much rap and hip-hop as I can, but also because I love the pop and rock music of the 1980s). As for contemporary singers, I like Colbie Caillat, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga (how’s that for a lineup?). BUT I can’t wait for Adam’s, Allison’s, and Kris’s CDs to drop this fall! In the meanwhile, there is always YouTube, I guess.
    I do have some experience with enthusiastic concertgoers. In the spring of 1972 I was a driver for a bus company in Boston, and was assigned to the David Cassidy concert at the Music Hall on Tremont Street downtown. The Cassidy tour had chartered the bus, because they wanted to put the band instruments in the underfloor baggage compartments for safekeeping overnight between shows (the bus would be kept inside the bus garage at night). They also wanted to use the bus as a decoy, and to provide cover for the sedan which would whisk David Cassidy away when the show got over. Elaborate precautions had to be taken, and security was very tight. I never carried a single passenger on that charter, but a dozen teenage girls stormed the bus looking for David before the show, before he arrived.
    I think that Kris was underrated because he, in my opinion, was never given the clear track and green light to the finals that Danny was. Same thing with Allison; they were both sidetracked. But fortunately, the American people were the ones who got to decide who our next American Idol would be, not the judges or show producers.
    Just a disclaimer: I’m a WASP guy who lives in the South, so Kris is one of my boys, and I have a built-in bias in his favor that I can’t do much about. Sorry. I’m so happy he won, I could cry. And despite the fact I’m an Adam fan and a big Allison fan. I like them all, really.
    I’m so glad I attended the Manchester concert, even if I was up in the nosebleeds just under the Canadian flag!

  • miss_marisa

    Wow you sure sound like an interesting person!!! I love in your awards how you talked about the “hot” one the “adorable” one, and the “nice” one lol. That reminded me of how my friends and I used to describe the Jonas Brothers :)

  • luvadamlambert

    Okay I love this.thnx fir the consiseness.have a lot of catching up to do…

  • FifthHouseSun

    Wondrous. Loved it. Many thanks.

  • Susan M.

    Gary, amazing how after all these recaps, you can turn in a completely original one. Awesome job. I enjoyed it immensely but didn’t have time to comment initially, but I’m glad I kept coming back to enjoy the discussion. Wow, I was thinking you were in your 20s from your tone.

    Loved the awards and dead-on analysis of the season. Also that’s a fascinating story about David Cassidy (my first crush when I was 4 or 5). Glad you ended up jumping into the season and though I still think Adam should have one, I think Kris was meant to win. In the grand scheme of things, it looks like it’s all working out for the best.

  • weareallinnocent

    Gary, I’ve not been around much in recent weeks. I don’t even know why I decided to click on the link and read your review, but I’m SO GLAD I did! I liked it so much that I signed in just to tell you. :-)

    What an interesting and entertaining way to present your thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed your recap. Thanks so much for such a fitting end to such an (unlikely, for me) entertaining season!

  • http://www.last.fm/user/RemusL/ RemusL

    Great summation of what has turned out to be a superb season (despite the known problems and oft-discussed controversies)!

    Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm with everyone. :D

  • koukitaa

    WoW what a wonderful recap
    thank you Gary

  • Grammie Kari

    Got to add, best ending to a recap:
    And now the Gary J Special Awards for Season 8:

    Most heartfelt mentor
    : Smokey Robinson

    Yes, Smokey is right up there with the five best mentors the show has had.

    I’ll add Most Likely to have a career outside of singing:
    Megan – modeling

    I would rank Season 8 right in the middle of the road. The best of the season can be summed up in two words: Adam Lanbert.

    The problem with Season 8 wasn’t the contestants. They were really good. It is everything else that went wrong with the way the show ran. Way too many flaws and major errors. Seasons 4, 5, & 7 were so much better, IMO.

    Gary, you did a terrific job with your recap. Glad you had so much fun!

  • rockdamama

    Wonderful recap. I have to admit I had a (thankfully short) huge crush on David Cassidy (I’m 50) so I loved the references from back in the day. MJ usurped David, Elvis was always there (I’m also from the south). I’ve had a dry spell for quite a few years but my interest in music/entertainment has been rekindled by Adam. I’m loving it.

  • Alana

    Thanks a lot for your recap, and have to say I agree with most of your synopsis and awards. Very concise commentary. A fun read!

  • cher

    Such an original recap, Gary J. Thought you were a concert reviewer at first. So jealous that I couldn’t make the final show. Thanks so much for the fast posting and that it was so different. Good job.

  • beehiway

    Rockdamamma I understand the dry spell situation (more like a drought). Adam has breathed new life into my idea of entertainment and I’m loving it as well.

  • http://www.wholisticbirthways.net austinmidwife

    Thanks Gary for you re-cap and then further explanation of your background. I was a huge David Cassidy fan when I was six and he held my heart till Jesus Christ Superstar took it when I was ten. I added Hair in when I was 12, Led Zep at 14 and rock n roll took me away…

    I loved that you got to spend three hours with other Adam fans. I can identify with the woman with routine in the morning. Mine always involves a cup of tea with cream and sugar. And my kids just shake their heads at me every time they climb in the car and Adam is blaring from the speakers.

    Sunn, I really loved your “extra awards”.

    And Gary, that award you gave to Slash for his Danny prediction? Right on!!

  • ShariG

    Oh for a final concert recap from a Kris fan. Thanks for your recap. Fun read. Glad you had a good time.

  • http://www.f3properties.com Animated

    David Cassidy and the Partride family- yeah I think this is the guy that my Aunts were so crazy about . All the stories they told about how they had volumes and volumes of scrapbook.
    I never got into the pretty boy route. My family always thought my taste in music and music idols veers towards the sacrilegious. But today, we are all unanimously crazy over the same Adam Lambert. I am not saying that Adam is veering towards the dark side, but just that we have finally found a common ground . There is hope, huh.

    Well Gary J. you have a very interesting recap. For me Adam and Allison are the ones whose music careers I will be most interested in . And as for Adam – I am too crazy over this guy, I probably need an exorcist to get a semblance of normalcy back to my life. Started with Satisfaction and that intelligent look in his eye as he measured the comments of the judges. That look and the vocal range …. whew.

    Thank you very much for this fresh approach. I enjoyed the recap and the rankings and the awards . A great way to get your opinion across .

    Thanks !

  • didilynn

    Gary – THANK YOU! I was the one from California at the end of the table (came with the South African). I love my “Adam on a stick” – I’ll treasure it always, along with my memories of my EPIC trip to Manchester for the Tour Finale.

    Adam did recognize 2 ladies that really went all out with their Adam outfits (they had sent him a picture) and tried to throw them some stuff including his gloves, but mostly he missed and stuff went to whoever caught it. Many of the idols were throwing stuff at the end. I’m not sure how many people were left since I was in the front row (and that was the best concert experience of my life, aside from actually meeting Adam after the show) but I think there were a lot of people there hoping to catch whatever the Idols were throwing (which included jackets, bras, underwear, boas, jewelry).

    I just got home to CA and haven’t gone to sleep in about 2 days I’m still on a high from the whole experience.

    I loved your review – and agree with almost everything you said – thanks again!

  • mahrikka

    I’m a little late but thanks for that recap. It’s a perfect wrap up of a great season. I happen to agree with almost all of it. Thank you again!

  • sidewalkstory

    Called ‘sweet guy’  most often by girls:
    Danny

    I’ve heard this said from people who met Sarver. Sweet is far from the adjective I’d use for Danny.

    Thanks for the recap. Sounds like you had a wonderful time.

  • LittleAngie

    There were two girls on my flt to Chicago who came to the Manchester concert from Australia. They had been in LA and wanted to see the concert so they flew to NH. They were Kris fans

  • GaryJ

    Thanks to Sunn for the extra awards (they were right on the money) and Finn for the Twitter awards too! Those were right on, also — I had forgotten about “Wolfie” from earlier in the tour!

    A special thank you to weareallinnocent for the kind words, and glad to have you aboard here at mjs too!

    The best part of this season, besides our Idols, was getting to read all your comments and hear what you thought and felt about AI8; it was great to have mj’s blog for this to happen.

    I think we all went through this together, and there were mostly highs and maybe a few low spots…now that the final concert in Manchester is over — I’m still winding down from the high of being there in person — we have the CDs of our favorites to look forward to, and some of us have made lasting friendships as as result of AI8, mj’s blog, and getting to meet other fans of our Idols!

    What a wonderful season AI8 was. It was so special, it can never be repeated. And we all had a front row seat for it, either literally at the summer tour concert, or through the videos, through your comments here, and of course, sitting in front of our TV screen. And to think I almost missed it until I accidentally tuned in to “Mad World” and got hooked! But, better late than never!

    Best wishes to you all.

  • agathe.hb

    Gary, four words for you YOU ROCK !!!!!
    thanks for the recap :) I reeeeeeaaaaally enjoyed it, and your ranking? whaaat? so funny and witty :)
    thanks again