Kathy’s Los Angeles American Idol Tour Re-Cap

By On 07/17/2009 · 45 Comments · In Uncategorized

LA audiences are notoriously late to everything so poor Michael Sarver started while many people were still getting into their seats. He’s a big boy, and better than I expected. I felt really bad that his reception was luke warm not because of his performance which was really good, but rather people were trying to get situated.

Megan came out next looking stunning in a dark pink halter dress with 4inch heals. Very Glam. She sang the Corrine Bailey Ray song really well. At the end of the song she somehow hit her mouth with the mike and almost dropped it, and was laughing at the end. It was really cute.   The the second number…not so good. Now I know why the pink dress. It matched the pink background lighting with the floating paisley flowers. She looked like she was in “Legally Blonde” the musical. All that was missing was the little dog. I’m not sure the producers wanted that effect.

Scott was next, and sang “A Thousand Miles” and can’t remeber the second song. He however sound even better live.

Then the first of the big intro was for Lil’ Rounds. She was impressive! Now I know why the judges were so disappointed with her in the competition. If she sang like she did tonight, she wouldn’t have been eliminated so early. The Single Ladies number was great and her little homage to Beyonce dance was cute.

Now for the first sexy beast. Anoop. Boy he’s one good looking boy. Better looking in person, and so sexy. The boy has moves too! He had those hips going during “My Prerogative”, Anoop actually brought his number card from his first audition and said “A few months ago I was standing in line to audition, number 71008 (not sure if this is the exact number) and now I’m here singing with bubbles and flames behind me. All thanks to you!” He seemed sincere, and genuinely amazed. Anoop got the crowd really going.

Then here comes Matt. “Hard to Handle” got the crowd rocking. His whole set was a high energy, fun, funny and just one good time. Why weren’t you like that on the show???

Group number time. Megan and Lil’ opened with “You’re Just too Good to be True.” I’m just going to say interesting. Megan was not in good voice so maybe she was ill. Scott and Matt had their dueling piano duet which was good. Then “Beggin’” started. The Boys killed it. Lil’ killed it with the rap and so did Sexy Beast 1, Anoop.

Intermission time. Lot of people who look famous with their kids. I’m bad at recognizing people so someone else will have to tell us who they were.

Allison is up next. What can I say. She’s unbelievable. Came out playing the guitar singing”Rock Star”, then “Cry Baby” closing with “Barracuda.” You can tell when someone is giving their all, and she did..Unbelievable. By the way They did match the stage lighting to her hair color.

Danny Gokey, surprisingly got a really good reception.”PYT” was great, “Maria Maria” was even better. My one criticism though is that of all the idols, why did he have a “dance interlude” He of the 10 is not the one, I would have given a dance solo to. Were the producers trying to be funny? The girls sitting next to me were Gokey fans, and they even said “why?” He however ended very strong with and inspirational song preceeded by a motivational speech. For a minute there I thought I was in church. After he was done, the whole Staples got on their feet and started screaming and clapping.

Guess who…Adam. He had the most elaborate intro, and maybe because LA is his home now, but the place went nuts. The intro to “Whole Lot Of Love.” started, and there he was. He was looking mighty fierce, in his awesome jacket. There was no question what the song’s meaning was, especially when he stradled the mike stand, stroking it while singing,”I’m going to give you every inch of my love.” I thought the Mom’s were going to die, but they were so into it, they forgot about their 10 year old daughters watching this erotic display of talent. Good got it got steamy. Then he did “Starlight” with an amazing light show. He did come in second right? “Mad World” got a lot of screams and it was beautiful. My favorite of his set was the Bowie medley.”Life on Mars” is perfect for him. I wish he sang that on the show. He then took his jacket off, showing some impressive biceps, then slinked, struted and prowled the stage singing “Fame”. I thought Anoop had good hip action, but Adam had it all going on. Body rolls, hips, the works. After “Fame” he looked at a part of the audience–maybe at his friends–and said” Come on you bitches, get up and dance.” Then launched into “Lets Dance.” Thank you Adam for changing American Idol in more ways than one. Oh yes, he is the Sexy Beast!!

I was worried that after that amazing showcase Kris would be lost in the drug of Adam. But no, he was different but great. I think we forget, or maybe was manipulated by the judges to think that Kris did not have a strong voice. Even though he Adam and Allison were my top three, I too thought that he had the weaker voice. But yeah, Kris’ voice is strong and clear. “Heartless” was amazing, and also the Killers’ song. He then brought it down with “Ain’t no Sunshine” which he rocked. You could tell at the end of the song he was really into it. His last song was “Hey Jude”, and I think he was really excited because he flubbed the first verse–covered it well so I don’t think many people noticed. The rest of the gang joined in at the end. Next it was the last group number.

This show was fabulous. Better than I expected. These kids are all talented in their own way. Unlike past years there were no real klunkers. Anoop and Matt were very pleasant surprises. Allison is way beyond her 17 years. Adam was unbelievable. He is a must see. Kris was just awesome. All the Idols were so genuinely appreciative of the audience, and of their fans.

 
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Reddit Facebook Twitter Delicious Mixx StumbleUpon Digg
  • wand3rful

    thanks for the hard work kathy…..great recap! yeah, i have to say, i was surprised how well all the idols sounded (better than on tv) and how much love there was in the air for every contestant. there is a reason adam and kris finished 1, 2…their sets have a certain quality that you cannot fake. however, the rest of the guys just rocked it out…the Beggin number was fantastic, impressive finish for those guys.

    and count me as another person who didnt realize how STRONG and clear kris’ voice really is….and i say this as a kris fan ! :)

    i went w. my sister and she was not disappointed….we even enjoyed Megan! (although, like you said kathy, second song doesnt work w. her voice. i would suggest she replaces it with another tune, maybe the song she did during country week? that seemed to make her shine)

  • Squirrely

    Kathy that was awesome! Thank you so much for posting it.

    Thank you Adam for changing American Idol in more ways than one. Oh yes, he is the Sexy Beast!!

    mmmhmmm, he certainly is!

  • dipeza

    GREAT RE-CAP. you had something good to say about everyone. We all already know Kris, Adam and Allison bring on a show but I’m so happy with all the reviews Anoop has been getting. He’s been PLEASANTLY surprising everyone which is awesome. I guess bad song choices (it was actually the box the judges/AI kept him in) cost him not show his true talent. I’ve ALWAYS seen the talent and have been waiting for the day where people will finally start to see he is a star and is born to do this =)

    can’t wait to see everyone next week in dallas! Dallas peeps represent!!

  • Q3

    Thanks for the great review!

    Thank you Adam for changing American Idol in more ways than one. Oh yes, he is the Sexy Beast!!

    :devil_tb:

  • https://twitter.com/draddee Sunn

    Thank you Kathy, I really enjoyed that.

    Yay! for recaps. I love them so.

    He however ended very strong with and inspirational song preceeded by a motivational speech

    LOL! Danny is sounding more like the Tony Robbins of idol with every recap.

  • LisaE

    Thanks Kathy! I totally love your “Legally Blonde” analogy with regards to Megan. If she changed her second song, threw on jeans, a tank top and some high boots, and messed up her hair, she could potentially be awesome. The whole staging completely detracts from who she could be as an artist. Her voice and personality is quirky and cool. Nothing about her staging is quirky or cool.

    My least favorite song of the entire set was actually the first group number. The gang had kept it fairly cool and modern up to that point and surprisingly un-karaoke. But that was the only number that seemed dated and karaoke to me. To stay with the musical analogies, it felt straight out of “Jersey Boys.” Meh.

  • lola

    Did somebody mention that something was thrown on the stage while Adam was doing Fame? It was a black thing. I don’t think it was a bra that’s why he just walked by it.

  • TwigLA

    Very nice report, Kathy. You covered everyone beautifully.

  • Vada

    Thanks Kathy, very nice review!

  • ravengirl

    I thought the Mom’s were going to die, but they were so into it, they forgot about their 10 year old daughters watching this erotic display of talent. Good got it got steamy.

    Oh yes, we moms are going to die, but in a good, satisfying, sensually sated way. Ahhhhhh. :snake_ee:

    Re: Megan. How does that tattoo sleeve of her work into this cutesy blonde pink scenario? Just seems odd to me.

    Thanks, Kathy!

  • girlygirl

    Hi, Kathy, excellent recap. Where I was sitting, people were still arriving well into Lil’s set. I’ve long thought that the people running L.A. events, whether it’s a Lakers or Dodgers game, a concert or some big awards show, should tell everyone that the event starts 1 hour before it actually does — maybe that way people would get there on time.

    (The one thing I really really hate about living in L.A. is the traffic. It took me 75 minutes to get from my place in Hermosa Beach to Staples Center)

    I was a little surprised the crowd wasn’t into Lil’s set more — at least not the part of the crowd I could see clearly from my seast. Did the people around you get up and dance?

    And what did you think of the sound mix? I’m surprised I don’t have a headache today. There was a bit of bandzilla going on at times. Not to say the band isn’t good, because they are really really good. But sometimes they overpowered the vocals.

    Oh and some of the video backdrops were a little cheezy, especially the Anoop in the clouds (which he joked about) and the sunset one for Danny when he was doing his most “inspirational” number.

    Overall, it was a really fun concert. If I could afford the plane trip/hotel, I would even think of going to see it again later in the tour. So if anyone’s thinking of going but hasn’t bought a ticket yet, go ahead and get one!

  • nad

    Now for the first sexy beast. Anoop. Boy he’s one good looking boy. Better looking in person, and so sexy. The boy has moves too! He had those hips going during ‘My Prerogative’ , Anoop actually brought his number card from his first audition and said ‘A few months ago I was standing in line to audition, number 71008 (not sure if this is the exact number) and now I’m here singing with bubbles and flames behind me. All thanks to you!’  He seemed sincere, and genuinely amazed. Anoop got the crowd really going.

    THIS!!! I’m glad anoop is gettin some love. And thanks for reviewing ALL the contestants and being fair. I’m hoping to goto the Newark concert even though I’m from Chicago…so this excites me…

    Can someone pls sign Anoop and Matt?!!

  • girlygirl

    I read that one of Allison’s friends supposedly threw boxers up on stage at her as a joke. But I didn’t see anything from where I was sitting. Did anyone else who was there see this?

    If they are going to toss things (which I think is silly but harmless), I still wish someone would throw something at Kris, just to get his reaction. He makes some of the funniest faces sometimes, and I think we’d see one of those again if someone threw a bra at him.

  • Vada

    :gulp_ee:
    I hope fans don’t throw anything at Kris. The lift is open during some of his songs to bring up the piano. If he takes one step back, it could be ugly.

  • PattyH

    Did somebody mention that something was thrown on the stage while Adam was doing Fame? It was a black thing. I don’t think it was a bra that’s why he just walked by it.

    Yes, panties. Definityely not boxers. Adam did not touch them! LOL!

  • wand3rful

    (The one thing I really really hate about living in L.A. is the traffic. It took me 75 minutes to get from my place in Hermosa Beach to Staples Center)

    got you beat, it took me an hour and 40 min from my office in Santa Monica :(

    and yeah, bandzilla was on RAGE mode during the closing group number…you couldn’t even hear adam’s glory note.

  • Cheetara86

    I read that one of Allison’s friends supposedly threw boxers up on stage at her as a joke. But I didn’t see anything from where I was sitting. Did anyone else who was there see this?

    There is actually video of slow ride where you see the boxers flung on stage..have to find it

    Love your review of Allison…

    I always wondered, if/when the idols get their solo tours-which ones would you go too?

  • nad

    I always wondered, if/when the idols get their solo tours-which ones would you go too?

    Adam and Anoop for sure….and prob Allison and Matt…

  • jack5791

    Thanks for the review! Glad you had a good time :)

  • SAQUA

    WHAT HAPPENED TO MEGAN JOY AT THE END? HOW COME SHE DIDN’T COME OUT??! :sad_tb:

  • colette

    Good post!

    And I really like like this video somebody posted of “Heartless” on youtube — one thing that’s great is how Kris is learning how to create his own drama and intensity onstage, in his own fashion. You really see it here — and musically his rendition of the song just gets better & better:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwF8_H36EWg

  • LisaE

    and yeah, bandzilla was on RAGE mode during the closing group number’ ¦you couldn’t even hear adam’s glory note.

    This was tragic. I stuck around for the glory note and couldn’t remotely hear it! Argh!

  • clickchick

    Re: Megan – I saw the Tacoma show and the first thing I thought of was “Oh god, they turned Megan into Barbie.” which was so contrary to her indie girl look on the show. However, I was actually more impressed with her vocals live than on TV… at least on the first song. The Winehouse number was not impressive. There was some grey-haired middle aged dude near the stage who was on his feet throughout her whole set toasting her with an empty beer glass. I suppose a sexy blonde in a short hot pink dress will do that to people.

  • AC

    ooh.. like your review! :thumbup_tb:

  • jammasta

    Great recap, even though it’s obvious you are a huge Adam fan you gave Kris tons of respect, too.

    Just so you know, it’s actually “Whole Lotta Love” and “So What” (as opposed to Rock Star) :P .

    I agree about mostly everyone though Adam’s not my type so my love for him was a bit less than yours. And that’s kinda sad about Sarver, I actually also thought he was a lot better live.

  • papercut

    Amazing recap and review. Thank you!

  • Yss

    Small venues and coffe shops only I don’t think so, Kris’s voice is strong and clear and his set is amazing for big arenas, I’m glad that the reviews (fans & journalists) are giving him props for that…

    Thanks for the review Kathy.

  • xdahlia

    Yes! Anoop is a sexy beast!

  • Mtlfan

    I hope fans don’t throw anything at Kris. The lift is open during some of his songs to bring up the piano. If he takes one step back, it could be ugly.

    yeah, i don’t like to see that. The trap is like 2 feet behind him. Well I guess he’s all used to it now but I was fearing that he might forget with the excitment level

  • Mtlfan

    Thanks for your excellent recap!!!

  • OMGAdam

    The show was fan-ta-bu-lous! and all the Idols definitely delivered!
    But what’s with all the video sensory crap in the backround?? Geez, it was so distracting from their wonderful performances. And the words in the backround of Lil’s??? Poor Lil….she outdid them though. Do the producers think they can’t handle a big stage…if so, they’re so wrong.

  • Kath77

    Great recap. Thanks!

  • TwigLA

    If I threw anything, it would be flowers. Or maybe a frisbee. And probably at Kris and Allison.

    Scoobyld has great videos of the concert on youtube. Well, video portion maybe not the best due to autofocus problems. But the sound is great. I WANT ‘Bright Lights’ from this performance.

  • TWI

    Thanks, Kathy – an excellent re-cap. It seems they’re all standing up well to any stress involved in the constant travelling & little sleep. A good sign!

  • Pam

    Kathy your recap is too cute and made of WIN! Thanks for taking the time to share your awesome experience. :)

  • Truthiness

    That was great. Thanks for all the great details and commentary and thanks for taking the time to do one of these.

  • butte009

    Thanks for sharing! :clap_tb:

  • alison8701

    Loved it! Perhaps because I am a bit partial to Anoop, but yes, he is one fine specimen.

    Thanks for the review. Fan reviews are always so much better. I mean, sure, a lot of times people review with their apparent biases, but that’s natural. But a lot of newspaper reviews leave out idols completely. I’m primarily an Anoop fan with love for some others, and complete indifference toward well, the majority, but it irks me when some reviewers like, don’t even mention Scott or whoever. Hellooo. I know that a few key people are considered the main attraction, but it is NOT the Adam Lambert Tour Feat. Some Other People. It is the American IDOLS Live tour. They are all there. seriously. Even if you say something bad, the reviewers should at least acknowledge their presence. What’s worse, a bad review or no review?

  • http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=23138188 catielyn

    We were there about 30 minutes early. The stage was totally different from last year, as far as having stairs and different heights. It was just a simple stage. No levels.

    Michael Sarver just sort of appeared. There really wasn’t any way to let people know the show was starting. No fanfare or hoopla. They showed his image on the screen and the next thing you know, he’s on stage. He looked great and has a nice voice. He dedicated the first song to his wife. It was so hard to see him because some woman came in and started looking for her seat. She and her 2 daughters were lost and kept trying to say that we were in their seats. We told them over and over that they were our seats. The usher assisted and told us that they had duplicate tickets printed. We later found out the had the row behind us. In the meantime, we missed the entire MS set.

    Megan appeared in a Legally Blonde costume, with the addition of a complete tattoo sleeve, which took away from the style and glam, IMO. She sang horrible and people were rolling their eyes and looking at one another in disbelief. it was really, really bad. I mean, honestly. As she ends the song, she bumps the mic into her teeth. The lights go out and she screams out “CAW CAW”. Yes, CA CA sums up her set.

    Scott steps on stage and says hello to the fans. He sings ‘A Thousand Miles’  and he sounds really great live. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed him live. He can really sing, and he was great.

    Lil’ Rounds is next and she’s sporting a Beyonce hairstyle, long hair with bangs. She sounded very current and strong. I was dreading her at first, but she really did a great job. She did Beyonce’s Single Ladies and did Beyonce’s moves. She may do well with a label afterall.

    Anoop did always on my mind and was kinda meh…. he then did My Perogative. It was okay.

    Matt started ‘Hard to Handle’  and was great. he also did Georgia on my Mind and sported his fedora for the “fans”. He sounded great. He also did You found Me. He sounded really great.

    Group number time. Megan and Lil’ opened with ‘You’re Just too Good to be True.’  I was embarassed for Megan. It sounded like a goat singing. It just didn’t make sense. Scott and Matt had a piano play off and it was really cool.

    Allison was awesome. She can really sing and she has so much stage presence and confidence, not for a teenager, but just in general. she really seemed natural on stage. Did ‘ Rock Star’ , and made you believe it then ‘Cry Baby’  and finally ‘Barracuda.’  She was probably the best of the night.

    Danny Gokey, came out with ‘ PYT’  I wasn’t liking it. He tried to get the crowd going with “this is for Michael Jackson” but itwas just okay. ‘Maria Maria’  was okay, but it sounded like he was screaming his lyrics. Out of all the idols, he’s the only one who seemed to be literally yelling the lyrics. He did 2 Rascal Flatt’s songs. I love Rascal Flatt’s. He did the best on these 2 songs.

    Adam was next. He was good, but I didn’t know the songs he was singing, so it was hard to really enjoy it. He did his Mad World, which I knew from Idol and that was good. He did ‘Starlight’  then ‘ Life on Mars’  He closed with ‘Fame’  and removed his jacket. He’s a handsome guy and he was fun to watch, but I’m not into his music. I know others are, so I’m not knocking it, just saying it’s not for me.

    Kris opened with Heartless. There were two motel type signages on either side of the stage, reading “Heartless”. I didn’t like it on the show, but live it was pretty good. Ain’t no Sunshine was also very good. He ended with ‘Hey Jude’ .

    And then it ended. As abruptly as it started. It was strange. Probably one of the least satisfying concerts I’ve been to. Paled in comparison to Seasons 5, 6, & 7. There were hardly anyone wearing AI shirts or colors or holding posters. There were a few rainbow flags and homemade posters, but for the most part, I felt like it was dull.

    There were quite a few empty seats, and lots of people left after Adam. In L.A. though, because of the traffic and things, that’s not uncommon for people to leave 10-15 minutes early to try to avoid the gridlock.

    I was disappointed in this concert. I have to say the best of the night, in my opinon were Matt & Scott’s piano set, and Adam & Allison’s duet. Allison was my favorite performer of the night, with Adam probably second.

    Megan didn’t come out at the final curtain call or should I say curtain CAW?

  • ShariG

    So Catielyn, isn’t Corey there this year to get the party started and to alert people that the concert is starting? Thanks for your recap.

    Thanks, Kathy, for your recap, too. I also love Heartless and Ain’t No Sunshine, but am really excited to hear Kris sing Bright Lights and the No Boundaries replacement song. Can’t wait to hear the guitar solo which sounds fantastic on the you tube videos. Glad you enjoyed his performance.

  • ShariG

    Cheetara86, when the idols get their own tours I will definitely go to see Kris and probably Allison. Adam is not my style and the others don’t interest me that much. I like Matt and Anoop, but would probably only shell out big bucks for a concert to see Kris and Allison.

  • Grammie Kari

    THIS!!! I’m glad anoop is gettin some love. And thanks for reviewing ALL the contestants and being fair.

    I am too! Almost everyone says Anoop doing a great job.

    It seems Adam is in a diffrent tier above the others. He is a great talent.

    Wonder if AI is regreting gutting Alexis out of a top spot?

    Thanks, Kathy!

  • ProDancer

    Thanks everyone for their feedback. This is Kathy. I sent this in when I got home so I was a bit tired. It was a great concert. See it if you can. Even my date who never watches the show was impressed. Yes the band was really loud, especially with Adam’s set. Funny someone said I was a Anoop fan. I was here no there with him, but he impressed me…alot. The one thing I forgot to mention was the staging. Come on Producers you could have got bigger video screens. I was on the floor in the middle so my vision was distorted only by my lack of height, but the videos on the side were a third at a usual concert. I feel for the people high up. As for the comment people leaving after Adam…Yes I saw that….That’s an LA crowd for you. Really unfortunate. However the two little girls next to me left during the group number to go wait by the busses. Now that’s cute and excusable!!

  • http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=23138188 catielyn

    ShariG, no, Corey was not there this time.

  • nanjowood

    I was there, way up in the highest balcony (one row from the ceiling). People have described it pretty well, so I will just try to focus on the balcony perspective or things not mentioned much.

    The screen(or screens?) were completely inadequate. I saw only one and it was very low, useful to people on the floor or in the first level, facing the stage. It was at a really bad angle for those of us on the sides or in the two balcony levels. Bad job, Staples.

    The band was way too loud, especially after intermission, and it overpowered Allison and Danny. CryBaby was clear and great and Allison’s appearance and stage presence have improved so much since May. But I was glad I had heard Baracuda on Tonight the night before, because I couldn’t hear her voice over the band at Staples. Same thing on several of Danny’s songs. Adam barely managed to overcome the band and crowd’s screams on Whole Lotta Love. Thank goodness Starlight and Mad World weren’t the type of song the band overdid. I too was afraid for Kris having to follow Adam, but we all knew it would be a mellower vibe and he got just as much love, but of a calmer type.

    During the first half, Scott was surprisingly good and Matt really does have star quality. Anoop sounded great on Always on My Mind, but the dark loop of suspenders hanging below Anoop’s butt looked ridiculously hilarious from the side view. I didn’t get into Lil’s performance but that may be because I didn’t know the songs she sung. But the dueling pianos were wonderful and Matt was exciting.

    At times I felt angry at Ticketmaster for our horrible “best available at any price” seats that cost $161 for 2. But I know Adam will never play a small venue again. After waiting 13 months for David Cook to finally do a show in California, I decided bad seats were better than none. And they were.