Little Angie’s American Idol Tour 2009 Manchester, NH Recap

By On 09/17/2009 · 66 Comments · In AI Season 9, American Idol

Karen who sat next to little angie, modeling Michael Sarver’s jacket after she caught it!

LittleAngie’s Big American Idol Adventure or a Manchester Concert Recap

Because this is a recap of the very last concert, I am not going to worry about how long it is. My decision to go the Manchester concert was very last minute; MJ e-mailed me that I could have her extra ticket and I went. Reading this, I hope you feel as though you were there because you really were. Especially during two moments of the concert that I will get to later. By the way, I have not read any recaps or looked at any videos yet because I don’t want my impressions to be influenced by them. This was my third concert. I went to concerts in Milwaukee, Chicago/Rosemont and Manchester. My eighty-four year old mother who only knows about the Chicago concert–and that’s because she went with me– actually told me I was crazy to fly off to Manchester. No comment. The venue wasn’t as comfortable as either Milwaukee or Rosemont, but the view was great thanks to the two elementary school girls sitting in the row in front of us.

The concert was in one word: wonderful. The Idols seemed to feel this performance was special and the audience responded. I saw affection for the Idols at the other two concerts, but the outpouring of love for all of them in Manchester was touching. Some of you might feel that your favorite has not gotten the respect they deserved during the concert tour, but let me tell you, last night they did. I think that is the way it is with our favorites, they are the only ones we notice. The stage can be filled with people, but that one person (performer, child, beloved) is the one we follow with our eyes. If we think they are slighted, it hurts us. Be assured there was no slighting last night. I looked out into the arena and it was filled with twirling glow sticks, camera and cell phone light. This sweet woman, I think she belonged to a fan club–she brought the most beautiful bouquet of tie-die roses to give someone, handed out blue glow necklaces. Our section was a sea of florescent blue. It was obvious how happy the audience was to be there.

The SYTYCD dancers paraded through the arena. I don’t know whether they were sent out by the producers to get people excited about their upcoming show or whether they were going to their seats for the concert. All I do know is that I couldn’t find them at intermission and that they are extremely good looking.

The concert:

Michael Sarver always seems good to me. I think that’s because I don’t expect much from him and because he seems to understand that he will always be a second favorite, attracting fans by saying the right things and by being nice to them instead of by his singing. He mentioned that his wife was there.

Megan, Scott and Lil (along with Michael) are all minor talents. I am sure there are hundreds, if not thousands of people at last season’s auditions who sing as well, if not better than any of them. The four of them did their best last night. Again liked Megan’s first song and Scott’s second one. They both had an adorable moment. Megan ditched the Barbie dress for one that she seemed far more comfortable in and during her second number, a very masculine, handsome, tattooed crew member walked out in her pink dress. She ignored him and kept singing; it was a great sight gag. And when Scott was doing his stand-up, Aaron Spears came over wearing a giant Mickey Mouse hand and gave Scott a high five. Lil, on the other hand just did her routine. I kept hoping, even as the last bars of Single Ladies died away, that Megan and Michael and maybe even Scott or Allison and Danny would come out and dance behind her, but it never happened.

Anoop and Matt. Alison, Anoop gave it his all. He sang beautifully, but I don’t see much future for him unless he finds a band that needs a smooth-voiced front man. Adam might be bringing back Queen/Bowie style glam rock, but there is interest in that. Anoop, unfortunately, is bringing back Perry Como (Alison, ask your mother who he is) and nobody wants to hear that again. Matt continues to impress me as the most under-rated of the Idols. It always struck me how on the show he seemed to be confused by his bad critiques. As though he thought that he was at least as good as others who got better judges’ response. I remember Adam saying that Matt was incredibly talented (I think that’s a quote) and the others said that when they were hanging around the house, Matt would play piano and they would sing. So I wondered whether there was more to Matt than we saw on the show. I think the tour proved that to be true. In fact, while some reviews have said that the order of the top four performers should have been switched around, I never read a review that said that someone other than Matt should have been the headliner of the first half. I do think, however, that Anoop is the star of the group number.

I thought Allison was great. She really was a rock star last night. I liked Cry Baby the best and had no problems with So What this time. Maybe it was because I knew what to expect. There are seventeen year olds and there are seventeen year olds–she is one wild child. I hope it doesn’t become a problem for her. She came out with a weird black wig which she put on someone’s head. And during Slow Ride she wore this thing that I can only describe as having a decorated cup (like a sports cup) in the front and a black, boa-ish tail in the back. When she took it off, it came off in one piece. I think that Slow Ride is the most entertaining number of the entire concert (followed by the two group numbers). It was very sweet when Adam kissed her hand. An aside, (I think it was when the curtain fell during Kris’ performance) Tim Stewart had huge red kiss marks on his face. I think someone must read the blogs.

Danny Gokey reminds me of a kid who used to be on my son’s soccer team. The parents thought the kid was the best soccer player ever, but he had only played in inferior leagues under inferior coaches so that even though he had a lot of talent, he never achieved the skills needed to become great. When he moved to my son’s team, the parents were horrified that their son no longer scored four goals a game. Well, duh, you can’t score if you’re so busy looking at your feet you can’t see the field. Danny is like that. He has a great voice. Since it is deep and gravelly, it kind of indicates that AI doesn’t only want high notes. But Danny can’t tell a story with a song. When the song gets to its climax, he just gets louder. For me his biggest flaw during AI was that in the time between his receipt of the golden ticket and his trip to Hollywood, he never bothered to learn contemporary music. If you were going on Jeopardy, you’d study up, wouldn’t you? He seemed proud during the interview with Michael Slezak that he knew nothing about the music he was supposed to sing. On the other hand, it was obvious how well prepared Adam (every time) and Kris (most times) were. But the crowd loves Danny. He has a lot of fans. At every concert I attended, there were mad cheers for him. Of course, two of those concerts were Milwaukee and Chicago (Milwaukee south). He really is a personable guy (see finale). I liked all but his last song. His speech was too long this time, but it was the last concert.

Now I am going to put Adam where he belongs: first place, and go on to Kris. Kris was great. He really connected with the audience and with the music. I still feel Kris would be more comfortable in a band because he seems happier when there are others on the stage with him or when the audience is singing along. And we really sang along in Manchester. It was wonderful to see how much the others like Kris. He was so moved when Michael, Anoop and Matt came out with the boas. I didn’t hear it when he said that he’d miss those guys, but I heard it when he talked about you. He was thanking the crowd and he mentioned the people who had come to way too many shows. In that moment, you were all there. He wasn’t just talking to those fans in the audience who had been to so many shows that he could recognize them in the crowd he was talking to you who were watching/listening to the concert via the Adamcast or reading MJ’s blog throughout the night. He was thanking you for all your love and support.

I think Adam should have won AI because the season belonged to him. Like his music or hate it, he was the reason so many of us watched week after week, the reason so many of us went to way too many concerts and spent way too much time on the internet. If AI wins an Emmy next week, that will be Adam’s first major award. Last night, I think the other Idols tried their best to sing beautifully while inside the boxes AI had placed them while Adam cast off AI. With his Zodiac Club hair and a little glitter around the eyes and everything on the list tossed in–woman, groans, microbation, swivel hips, backdoor man, WLL felt like a parody. It felt like a Zodiac Club version of the song. Now don’t misunderstand me. I have seen this number live three times. It seemed strangely subdued in Milwaukee. I have come to the conclusion that Milwaukee was an odd concert. It was sexy and butch in Chicago. I think the Manchester version was Adam saying this is the last concert, this is me and this is how I want to sing this song. Starlight, on the other hand, has always been a little OTT. Love it anyway. Mad World was especially good last night in spite of the screaming by the darling tweens (no sarcasm intended) sitting next to me. Loved SR even though Allison cracked Adam up a couple of time and he was very busy responding to the flood of objects tossed on the stage. Bowie was great as usual. I do wonder however whether his voice is back to well.

The finale was wonderful. I felt bad for the people who had never seen DSB before because the Idols couldn’t even finish it with all the silliness, especially the silly string. At first I thought Adam’s make-up was like the one he wore for the duet with KISS, but then I saw Suzy’s (I think) picture and it stuck me he was made-up more like Pagliacci, the sad clown. It almost seemed either that he had been crying or that he did his make-up to give the impression of tears. It doesn’t surprise me that the Idols didn’t want to get off the stage. When my daughter was in plays and ice shows, no one wanted the finale of the last performance to end and destroy the magic that had created a community out of disparate people. I remember standing at the side of the ice rink, especially when she was little, watching her skate around the edges while the stars of the show did their jumps and spins in costume for the last time. That was what last night’s finale was for me and I felt blessed to experience it. Once the Idols walked off the stage Season 8 would be over. That was the second time you were there. I had seen your hugs, your passes around the rink the night before when I read your sorrow about what would happen to this community and the shared love for Season 8 once MJ moved on to Season 9.

On a lighter note, during DSB, all the objects that had been kept from previous shows fell from the rafters. The Idols picked them up and tossed them into the audience much to our amusement. Danny and Michael tossed their coats. Danny even tossed the pair of glasses he was wearing. The lovely woman with the noisy tweens caught Danny’s jacket(she loved Adam, the girls Danny and Kris. Another daughter and some friends were in the front row because they had camped out all night to be first in line to buy tickets. These are fans who never visit websites. There’s a big world out there that loves the Idols without ever visiting an AI website. Can you imagine?). MJ has a couple of pictures of her in it. Kris who was wearing Adam’s jacket pretended to toss it into the audience. Adam looked appalled. It was during this throwing frenzy that Adam took off his gloves and threw them into the audience. Then he stopped for a moment and decided to take off his jewelry. I think there were a lot of fan groups in the front center rows and Adam threw things to them. He mouthed that one of the necklaces was heavy just before he threw it and he apologized to someone for tossing her beautiful bouquet of roses into the crowd. He throws pretty well, by the way.

I have had a lot of fun lurking on this site. It was part of my morning routine to the detriment of the things I should have been doing. I have enjoyed reading all the threads, all the comments. I have liked the gentle teasing and the displays of concern. It was so much fun going to the concert with MJ last night. I hope to meet you all on this site again, but in all honesty, I don’t think I’ll care about any contestant the way I did Adam. However if any of you in the Midwest are going to his solo concert, will you let me know?

 
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  • luvadamlambert

    Gr8.thnx 4 the recap:)

  • Is786idol

    “I think Adam should have won AI because the season belonged to him.”
    Oh, man. Wow. Couldn’t you just leave this part out?..It’s been over 4 months since the finale. Well, anyway, thanks for the recap…

    Edit: Don’t get me wrong..I love Adam too…but come on. Thanks luv…you are awesome!!!! =D

  • Cate

    Ooooh, really loved your recap of love. Thanks so much.

  • MatureAdamFan

    Little Angie, what a touching, warm recap of the last show. It described so well both the idols’ feelings of the show ending and that of their fans. We know that something beautiful has ended, but we also know that there are some very wonderful things in store for so many of the idols and for “WE, THEIR FANS!”

    I am from the Midwest, and gladly offer that we go to see Adam ANYWHERE near we can go!!!!!! Thank you very much for helping us relive the last tour concert.

  • luvadamlambert

    Ita is786idol..:/

  • http://mjsbigblog.com/voronas-ontario-american-idol-tour-recap.htm vorona

    Did you coin the term, “microbation?” If so, brilliant. Made me choke on my Tostito. :)

    Of course! I never realized why there was so much detritus on stage for the finale! They saved it! Thanks for the explanation.

    Love your circling the rink metaphor. I think I’m still kind of out there on my skates, alas, but it’s better than circling the drain.

    I also appreciate your honesty with your opinions. Hope you don’t get bopped by too many people who want to circle the rink one last time holding their baseball bats and sacks of doorknobs. ;)

    Great recap! Thanks!

  • https://twitter.com/draddee Sunn

    Lovely recap, thank you.
    I’m not sure I agree with you on WLL being in the Zodiac show vein, maybe I’ll have to watch the vid again.
    And his voice wasn’t back, in fact I think it was even more strained than the night before.

    You’re recap did bring tears to my eyes though, so cheers for that. Hope to see you around the site Little Angie, drop by and delurk sometime.

    Thanks again.

  • Heart

    How FUN that you caught something valuable (instead of a boa or panties or one of those huge ass bras!)!!

    I hope the fans that caught Adam’s gloves and jewelry were Adam fans!! I don’t venture into the AdamBombs or AOO or TALC, so were any of them catch them?

  • PRMari

    An aside, (I think it was when the curtain fell during Kris’ performance) Tim Stewart had huge red kiss marks on his face. I think someone must read the blogs.

    He had that kiss on his face already when he was performing Barracuda with Allison, it’s visible in mjs video, it’s on his right cheek, very red.

  • SexyEvey

    Amazing recap. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us all!! It’s a wonderful community here at MJ’s.

  • alison8701

    Alison, Anoop gave it his all. He sang beautifully, but I don’t see much future for him unless he finds a band that needs a smooth-voiced front man. Adam might be bringing back Queen/Bowie style glam rock, but there is interest in that. Anoop, unfortunately, is bringing back Perry Como (Alison, ask your mother who he is) and nobody wants to hear that again.

    Well, thanks for thinking of me, at least.

  • Mtlfan

    same comment as Is786idol
    I enjoyed the details you gave. thx

  • steph6449

    Good catch with Michael’s jacket! Very interesting recap, with some details I hadn’t heard before. I wonder how a male crew member could even fit into Megan’s pink dress. She seems very petite and it was pretty tight, to say the least. (Did he wear those high-heeled pink shoes too? Can’t imagine.) Glad Megan got to kick back that evening with something more comfortable for her.

    I think Danny is likely to do well as he develops the sound he wants for the upcoming country album. He is starting out from a different kind of background, but to me has learned a tremendous amount over the period of the show, and particularly in the Tour phase. I saw one of the PA shows recently, where there was no hometown aspect for any of the performers; would agree with your observation, the audience really embraced Danny and loved his performances. Danny was easily second-best received behind Adam that evening (who no doubt, had the loudest fans with the most ear-piercing screams, lol).

    I for sure hadn’t thought about a Perry Como analogy, but did not find Anoop impressive in person either; disappointing since I had heard good things. He had quite a few fans who were very vocal with their ‘noop’ calls, though. Hope he like all of them can find his chance to continue developing his music career (in a non-Perry Como direction).

  • anthrogeek

    Not just the usual recap, but a great endcap to the season, especially your shout-outs to US, who experienced the whole tour vicariously whether the Idols realized it or not, so thanks for that!

    As for all the bras and crap that ended up on the stage, I had assumed it was the stockpile from throughout the tour, but I don’t think it was obvious in the videos how it all came to be conveniently lying there on the stage at the end, so it was interesting that you say it was tossed down from the rafters.

    I’d still like to know more about if/why Adam targeted specific individuals to make off with his goods, so to speak, and whether the intended targets were the ones who actually caught them. All I know is if they were caught by TRUE fans, they will never apear on eBay, so I would be disappointed if I ever saw them there! (Not that I ever look there, but why should I, when there are a host of “research artists” on this site who do it for me!) ;-)

  • http://susanreep.com grambert

    I think you recapped this concert just right – excellent evaluation of the idols and their strengths or lack thereof. I enjoyed it. I’ve been reading most of the evaluations and it stands out that Lil, even though people liked her performances, didn’t make an impression. Sounds like she didn’t make much of an impression on the other idols either. I really hope Michael has a career. Your analysis was spot-on, and I will buy tickets for his concerts even if I don’t want to – because he’s sure made the effort. He communicates, mediates, and cares. Danny – started as my favorite but ended way down there b/c of the lack of growth you mentioned. He is too one-dimensional. And Adam – will we ever see the likes of him again? I don’t think so. He’s the reason I’ve read all of these blogs and actually really cared. He seems to be perfect inside and out. No more words needed for Adam. He’s indescribable.

    So I wonder who’s going to emerge and if I will even pay much attention this next season? Adam has raised the bar and I don’t see how anyone can surpass it.

  • PattyH

    Loved your recap because I could tell it was an emotional night for you, as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  • marysue

    Thanks, Little Angie, for a recap that was such fun to read! I think you are exactly right about Kris — while he doesn’t NEED other people on stage – he’s great on his own – I think he has a lot more fun when he has people to interact with, as he did with the people on stage at GMA. He looked like he was having such a good time!
    I too have been lurking here all summer, reading and laughing with people who made me feel a little less foolish for loving Adam and Kris – and all the other S8 idols…nobody in my real life (even my husband!) knows about my AI obsession, so it’s great to have somewhere to go to share it. Thanks to all of you for being there!
    And a special thanks to MJ for all her work – and for giving me this place to go! I’m so glad I found you!

  • adamaloha

    This was lovely. Thank you so much.

  • adamaloha

    This was lovely. Thank you so much.

  • milwlovesadam

    Great recap, I have been a daily lurker, OK, sometimes more than once a day reader, of this wonderful site. I was at the Milwaukee show too. I agree, my idol ADAM was somewhat subdued in Milwaukee. I wonder if he was just trying to not steal Danny’s thunder in his hometown, or if seeing all of Danny’s elderly relatives in the front row caused him to be less OTT? When I looked at vids from the show the day after Milwaukee, St Louis, Adam was WILD, like he had pent up sexiness to release! Whatever, the show and Adam were still fantastic. Waited at the barricades, got signature and spoke to Adam. I would have loved to have been at the last show too! Videos are so much fun. It does seem that the Adambombs were in the front row, many vids on You Tube from them. I highly doubt they would sell Adam’s stuff, unless to raise money for charity. Thanks for the recap, and welcome to the post idol void of no daily Adam videos and news.

  • RowZee824

    Thanks for the great recap. Would have loved to have been at the final show. I still can’t really comment on hearing or seeing Kris live, since I attended the Bridgeport concert and it’s the only one any of the idols missed on the entire tour. If it had been Adam, I would have probably cried. I have been a daily lurker here and was relieved to know I wasn’t the only one investing so much time on the fierce one. Like marysue, I don’t think anyone in my family, including husband, really knows of my obsession so I would agree it’s nice to share it with those that understand.

  • jammasta

    Er, to be flat out honest, I absolutely didn’t like that you switched Adam and Kris because you think Adam should’ve gotten first. I didn’t think that was fair at all.

    Other than that, I actually really liked this recap, and congratulations on the Sarver jacket! I actually like the way it looks on you lol. I really do. You look like one of those cool motorcycle moms.

    Even though I’m a die hard Kris fan, I think you could’ve gushed a little more on Adam. It kinda seemed like “I’m gonna put Adam where he belongs, in first place. He was more of the same Adam, nothing new, nothing different, move along.” :P Love that you loved the concert too.

    Thanks for the recap!

  • ptslittlecomment

    Wow. What a fitting summary of the last show and the season. Thanks so much. You did make me feel a part of it.

  • ptslittlecomment

    Wow. What a fitting summary of the last show and the season. Thanks so much. You did make me feel a part of it.

  • JosieX

    I don’t get the soccer boy analogy with Danny…if we accept the premise that the little boy moving from a less talented little league team to a more talented one is analogous to Danny getting called up from the minors and signed to a major league team with 19/RCA, then isn’t it generally considered sportsmanlike to let the kid at least step out onto the playing field and take a whack at the ball before concluding that he’s a washout? He hasn’t even started recording yet. And he seems to be doing ok to me thus far, he came in third, right behind Adam, has been well received on tour, and of course got signed to a major label. I don’t think it was Paula’s gushing that got all that done, kwim?

    I agree with you that Adam is wonderful and that Matt has great talent, I hope that those VIP visitors that he was so excited about come through for him. I don’t agree with your statement comparing Adam to Anoop, with the Glam Rock revival/market for that, and Perry Como revival/no market for that. First, I don’t think Adam’s mission is to bring back Glam Rock, I think there are elements of Glam Rock that he will employ, but essentially I think he wants to create his own thing, with a fusion of many different elements that are interesting to him. That’s part of what makes him so exciting, I know we’re all so curious to see what he is going to do.

    And I don’t agree at all that Anoop wants to bring back Perry Como – I think that Anoop has clearly stated that he wants to operate within the R&B genre. It’s current and there’s a market for it, it’s just not clear yet if Anoop can make a place for himself within it. Maybe it would be more fair to say that Anoop’s strengths would be in an area of R&B that’s not as popular now…I think it was the 80′s/early 90′s where so many guys with gorgeous voices sang all those romantic songs that could just make you melt. Luther Vandross, James Ingram, Peabo Bryson, Jeffrey Osborne. I love those guys. Maybe Anoop could bring THAT back!

    I really enjoyed reading the details from the concert, it was especially interesting to learn that all the stuff on the stage was what they had been collecting from the audience. And I couldn’t agree more that it would have been AWESOME for some of the kids to come out and dance with Lil on Single Ladies!

  • Bowie1

    Little Angie, I really enjoyed your recap. It really made me wish I could have made it to the concert. I’ve never watched much of Idol until I happened on Adam—- I was hooked for the season. And then I decided to go on the web to see what I could find out about Adam after the show was over and I luckily found MJ’s . I was a lurker for a long time but started posting some. It’s become a real miniture community here and I thought you giving a ‘shout out’ to us here was really nice.

    Watching videos here… DSB put a big SMILE on my face and I thought the group “bow” was such a fitting way to close the concert. (Dim, fade, lights out!) You were so lucky to be a part of it!

  • ianaleah

    “I think Adam should have won because the season belonged to him”- exactly, I agree with you, although I love Kris a lot and appreciate his talent. The season belonged to Adam.

  • FifthHouseSun

    Wonderful recap. Insightful, interesting. Beautifully done.

  • LambertJerseyGirl

    I have lurked on this site for many months and have read recaps of each and every concert. I grew up on Elvis (yes, I’m ‘mature’ and know who Perry Como is — great analogy!) but am now wildly passionate for Adam. Of all the recaps written, I believe yours is the very best because it is cool-headed and correctly analytical. The entire season was ADAM, millions watched the show solely to see ADAM. Don’t you think Fox knew this? They went to the bank because of ADAM, who quickly became their goldmine. ADAM was responsible for the sellouts in city after city. AI winner should be best vocalist? Adam, hands down. Stellar, in his own league. He doesn’t just sing each song, he ACTS it, instantly stepping into character. I have re-watched every episode many time (husband thinks I am nuts). Adam is gifted, super talented, and always gracious and well spoken. Almost too good to be true. His character and talent come from within… stuff that can’t be learned, and it overflows. He’s worked hard and paid his dues for enough years to achieve this fame and he deserves it all. Am very excited for his future, and hope that attending his solo concerts are in MY future. Ring me if you and Adam are in the NY/NJ area. And to all, sorry for rambling.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    Karen, who caught Michael Sarver’s jacket, and Little Angie, who wrote the recap, are two different people.

    They were sitting next to each other. I was sitting next to Little Angie. After the concert was over, Angie suggested I take Karen’s photo…

  • rowenaaine

    Just lovely. I got a little teary in parts, which I think is a little lame but maybe it’s the glass of merlot I had with dinner. *sigh* what a great experience – thank you for sharing it. :)

  • ohreli

    “I think Adam should have won AI because the season belonged to him. Like his music or hate it, he was the reason so many of us watched week after week…”

    Well, just to remind you that not everyone watched because of Adam. I watched because of Kris. Really. BECAUSE of him. I tagged him in the top 36 to go all the way, and there is no one else I would have rooted for and voted for with any passion.

    Loved your recap, and I have nothing bad to say Adam, but remember that we that voted for Kris are also actually real people!

  • Cauri24

    “ADAM was responsible for the sellouts in city after city. AI winner should be best vocalist? Adam, hands down.”

    We will each have our opinions of who made the season special for each of us. But even Adam will tell you that Kris is the Winner of American Idol and he is happy for him. If Adam made the season special for the Adam fans great, but no need to take away from Kris.

    Also according to the postings on attendance at concerts, I believe there was only 1 official sellout and I would give Kris credit for that one. I think we all remember Arkansas.

  • http://www.f3properties.com Animated

    Little Angie what a heartwarming recap. A fitting end to the season for me.
    I am with you.

    If AI wins an Emmy next week, that will be Adam’s first major award.

    This came to my mind when I was reading the bulletin here about American Idol’s Emmy Nomination. He made the season relevant and provocative like any art – like him or dislike him.

    I think the other Idols tried their best to sing beautifully while inside the boxes AI had placed them while Adam cast off AI.

    When Adam came out with his High Top Glam hair, swept up to openly present the full regalia of bejeweled eyes , exuding masculine beauty , androgynous , prowling , I said to myself – he is now declaring the Adam that we will be seeing from hereon. Fearless. It was poignant yet exciting.

    Thank you very much ,Little Angie !

  • jill16

    I absolutely loved your recap! After Adam sang, I pretty much felt the concert was over, I had seen who I came to see. So I have no problem with your putting Adam last, after Kris.

    You are so fortunate to have gone to three concerts. I regret only going to one. When Adam is on, there is so much to take in, my senses were overloaded, and now it seems as though is was just a blur.

    I really hope Adams’ necklaces went to people who are huge fans of his- I would have LOVED one. It has crossed my mind too, that one might show up on Ebay.

    The tie dyed flowers were given to Adam from @renee_snyder (her twitter account) she has a twitpic of them, and the bouquet of red roses that Adam threw back, I think were given to him by a friend of Renee’s as seen on another of her twitpics.

    It will be interesting to see what the next season of AI will bring. I know I’ll watch, but won’t vote. I was too emotionally invested this year. Besides, they broke the mold when they made Adam.

  • Dallas

    Thank you Little Angie. Great recap. So sad though…..to relive the last night again.

  • dante

    Loved loved your recap!!

    I loved Adam, Kris and Allison on the show – after seeing the concert in Kansas City, I added Danny, Michael and Anoop to my list of idols I will be following.

    I don’t think it matters that Adam came in second – this season belonged to Adam- like him or hate him – people were always talking about him. I agree he caused many people to come to the concerts.

    But…….it seems like the top 4 got lots of love at every stop.

    I know I was holding my breath at my concert – I knew there would be Kris and Danny love, but I wasn’t sure about Adam. It seemed like a pretty reserved crowd and I hadn’t seen any shirts or signs – but when Danny finished singing…….the cheering began and people finally got to their feet and the energy EXPLODED and lasted through Adam’s entire set. I was so happy I wasn’t alone in my love for this very talented special person. I remember the worry if parts of the country would accept Adam.

    I can’t wait for Adam’s tour and hopefully some of us can meet up.

  • Lynne

    I really enjoyed your recap and your observations. Like you, I think Adam is incredibly talented, and I doubt I will ever like anyone again on AI as much.

    But who knows? I thought that after my first child was born, that no other could be quite so amazing and so wonderful, and though I have a very special relationship with that first child, lo and behold I found that I had just as much love to give to the second and third. (smile)

    Following the idol tour was a new experience for me, and this site, and Adam’s performances, were very entertaining. Thanks to all of you for brightening up this (mostly) lurker’s summer.

    Now that season 8 is over, (and Adam has very officially tweeted that it is over) the way I feel reminds me a bit of the way I felt when my kids went off to college and moved out of the house.

    I knew they were finally on their own, and that they would grow and follow their own paths, and that all of that was right and healthy; I hoped I would like the directions they chose, but I knew the choice was entirely their own to make. I knew I would love them regardless of what they chose to become, but I did hope their choices wouldn’t be too far away from what I personally wanted from them, ha. I must say, that wasn’t always the case, but I adapted, and learned to love and accept their new directions, okay, and even admit some of them were better than I could have imagined.

    Today, I love and admire my grown children, and would never want them to be put back in the childhood boxes I played a part in fashioning, but a little part of me will always be so fond and nostalgic about the years of their childhood, and about the way I knew them then, about that knowledge that I had clearly constructed around an image of my own dreams and hopes for their futures.

    Adam is leaving the bubble and moving on. I’m (mainly) glad for him. In the end, he will become the kind of artist that is true to his own vision. That is one of the things I admire about him.

    Like my own children, I feel pretty certain that Adam will sometimes surprise me, sometimes shock me, sometimes annoy me, and sometimes amaze me, but I will always remember his beginnings, and the adventure and wonder of discovering his exceptional talent and charismatic personality through this magical summer, and that is why I will always have a soft spot in my heart for all things Adam Lambert!

    And yes! I will definitely buy his album and will certainly be there for his solo concert.

  • ross

    I think Adam should have won AI because the season belonged to him. Like his music or hate it, he was the reason so many of us watched week after week, the reason so many of us went to way too many concerts and spent way too much time on the internet. If AI wins an Emmy next week, that will be Adam’s first major award.

    Sorry, I’m not buying it. Thanks for trying to sell it to me one more time, though.

  • AuntTine

    Little Angie – you rock going to 3 Idol Concerts! I totally would have gone to another one if I had thought of it. Ha. I live in Iowa so if that’s near you – I am ready to go to an Adam concert – just let me know where to meet you.

    Totally agree an Emmy Award would be a direct bow to Adam. He was/is mesmerizing.

    It was so much fun to read about your experience last night and to read the posts of others like me who check in here at least once and usually two times a day to see what’s going on. I love this blog – so entertaining and, might I add, civil. We are going to have so much fun seeing what AL does next as moves on to the next phase of his career.

  • LittleAngie

    Thank you for your comments.
    When I wrote the recap, I really thought that the woman in the picture (not me) caught Danny’s jacket. I saw Danny throw his jacket. I heard the girls screaming his name. I saw them all catch the jacket. I read a study that said that we humans make lousy witnesses. We see something and our brains fill in the blanks. I guess that’s what happened to me. I wonder whether she still thinks she has Danny’s jacket?

    Heart–I don’t know who caught Adam’s stuff. I know he was looking at people and that he threw in their direction, but I was watching him. From what I read in another thread, it seems his aim was pretty bad.

    Renee Snyder was very sweet. We really were a section of florescent blue thanks to her. When I took a glow necklace, I didn’t even know who it was for. It was just nice to have. And the flowers were beautiful. I’ve never seen any like them.

    JosieX–You make a lot of good points, especially about Anoop. I didn’t mean that I thought those were the directions Adam and Anoop were headed. I only meant that those were the styles they reminded me of. Also as far as Danny is concerned, the kid I was talking about was a starting forward even with the better team, but he lacked both the training and the self-awareness to know he lacked the training that could have made him a great soccer player. I feel that is the case with Danny. He has the voice, he just was never taught how to bring out the best in it.

    Ross and everyone who doesn’t like it that I thought Adam should have been first–hey it was my recrap of the last concert and I said what I thought. Remember what I said about favorites: as much as I liked other Idols, especially Kris, Adam was my favorite. You have your favorite and just as I’d never tell you to love my child more than you love your own, I’d never tell you to love my Idol best.

  • ross

    Ross and everyone who doesn’t like it that I thought Adam should have been first’“hey it was my recrap of the last concert and I said what I thought. Remember what I said about favorites: as much as I liked other Idols, especially Kris, Adam was my favorite. You have your favorite and just as I’d never tell you to love my child more than you love your own, I’d never tell you to love my Idol best.

    I have no problem if you think Adam should have been first. It was all the other claims, like if AI wins an Emmy it will be Adam’s award. Or that the season belonged to him.

  • skylight1219

    Nice recap, however, I disagree that AI 8 was all about Adam. He didn’t win, and I fear the Claymate syndrome has set in for his fans.

  • canuck

    I didn’t get the Danny soccer analogy or maybe I should say that I have a different take on his lack of musical experience.

    I say that he has done incredible for himself considering this lack of experience and his recent personal struggles. And ….having to withstand malicious personal criticism at the same time.

  • aek

    I say that he (Danny) has done incredible for himself considering this lack of experience and his recent personal struggles. And ‘ ¦.having to withstand malicious personal criticism at the same time.

    I have to agree with this sentiment. I also disagree with the sentiment that Danny can’t tell a story with a song. I’m not exactly sure what it meant here, but for me, the emotion and power that Danny puts into a song are contagious. When he is singing a song that he connects with, I think the emotion he puts into it is unmatched by anyone else this season. (And I say this as someone who wanted Adam to win.) To me, that’s Danny’s ticket. He has a very unique and powerful voice and he delivers songs that he cares about with an abundance of emotion. I think that is why he got such responses from the audiences. It was clear that he was not only a crowd favorite, but also pulled in solid reveiws and often times even managed to convert people who went to the show disliking him. That’s saying something.

    I love Adam, but Danny and Adam come from different worlds. Adam has been in the entertainment industry for years. Like canuck, I have been very impressed with the growth that Danny has made this year, coming from his world, especially under all of the adverse circumstances that he has had to deal with.

    With all that said, everyone will obviously have varying opinions on the idols and their relative talent. I just wanted to put mine out there. I do appreciate you taking the time to write the reveiw, and I’m glad you were able to enjoy this last show. What a great way to close the season!

  • http://www.wholisticbirthways.net austinmidwife

    Little Angie, I loved your re-cap. And I agree with it. I loved reading the impressions from someone who was there. My neighbor and I had video and cell cast, so that was totally cool, but the well done vids and a written re-cap really helps put it all together. I could also tell in DSB that the Idols were totally unable to finish the song, especially Adam. I don’t think he liked being covered in silly string. He kept laughing and trying to pull it off.

    I do feel like Adam brought in viewers who never watch AI. Over and over and over, from people on this blog, people on other sites, comments made after certain articles, I read people’s shock and surprise at themselves that they were actually watching this cheesy show and really loving it. Loving Adam, even though it was just because they happened to turn on the TV when they were ironing, or sick in bed, or just killing time and caught Adam singing and they just felt compelled to watch.

    I think we saw between 50-100 people de-lurk on this site alone on the last concert night and over the last two days, almost all of them Adam fans. It’s just crazy really! What is it about him that is so compelling? I guess we’ll find out when his album drops if he remains compelling, or if it was just his voice on all those wonderful songs that strike those familiar chords in us that has been so compelling.

    I believe it is him, his voice, his intensity that takes us to that place of passion within ourselves that makes us so happy, so willing to sacrifice time to comment on a blog, hunt the internet for information, miss sleep for the first concert video of the night, stay up late to opine on a cool blog with a bunch of fun people.

    So thanks again for your impressions. I enjoyed them and wish I too, could have seen the show more than once.

  • Cheetara86

    Tim Stewart had huge red kiss marks on his face. I think someone must read the blogs.

    haha..what?

  • Lulu2

    Thank you for the excellent and fittingly bittersweet recap of the final show.

  • Grammie Kari

    Alison, Anoop gave it his all. He sang beautifully, but I don’t see much future for him unless he finds a band that needs a smooth-voiced front man. Adam might be bringing back Queen/Bowie style glam rock, but there is interest in that. Anoop, unfortunately, is bringing back Perry Como (Alison, ask your mother who he is) and nobody wants to hear that again.

    Well, thanks for thinking of me, at least.

    Alison, at least you were remembered! :grin: I hope Anoop proves many that they were wrong about his singing future. Again, I will say that Anoop is going to have some acting opportunities. When his CD is released, I will buy it!

    Little Angie, your ending of the recap is most memorable and lovely. Thank you for sharing your experience and for the extras you added to this recap.

  • richie10

    Nice recap, however, I disagree that AI 8 was all about Adam. He didn’t win, and I fear the Claymate syndrome has set in for his fhans.

    Just because he didn’t win doesn’t mean it wasn’t about him. The two are completely separate situations. I don’t know anything about claymates since this is my first season to follow AI, but Adam is the only reason I watched all season and followed the concerts. No one in 8 years of AI|has gotten me to do that and I’m certainly not the only one. Maybe it’s an Adam syndrome!!!

  • alison8701

    Alison, at least you were remembered! :grin: I hope Anoop proves many that they were wrong about his singing future. Again, I will say that Anoop is going to have some acting opportunities. When his CD is released, I will buy it!

    true, at least I was. I just didn’t feel like reiterating why Anoop could actually do alright in R&B, or how hard of a worker he is… but, eh, no point. Anoop’ll just have to prove them wrong, I reckon.

  • http://susanreep.com grambert

    Marysue said “I too have been lurking here all summer, reading and laughing with people who made me feel a little less foolish for loving Adam and Kris ‘“ and all the other S8 idols’ ¦nobody in my real life (even my husband!) knows about my AI obsession, so it’s great to have somewhere to go to share it. ”

    I got a kick out of this and then the many confessions that followed of lurking on this site without anyone in your real lives knowing it. I, too, lurked – and let me tell you, this 62-year-old grandma of nine has never even looked at a fan site before – ever! But I searched out everything Adam I could find and then finding MJs was the gold at the end of the rainbow. My daughters know I am a little obsessed with Adam but no one has any idea that I “watched” every concert this season!

    So it’s nice to have this community. Thanks MJ and everyone. And Adam fans, he’s going to be fabulous to watch because he is a REAL person. He’s let us all inside, showed that he has a generous heart with his charity, and how could we not continue to love a person like that – especially with a voice that takes us to places previously unknown. His looks don’t hurt, either.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    I do feel like Adam brought in viewers who never watch AI. Over and over and over, from people on this blog, people on other sites, comments made after certain articles, I read people’s shock and surprise at themselves that they were actually watching this cheesy show and really loving it.

    Hm…that actually happens every year. If I felt like it, I could dig out posts from each season from people watching the show for the first time because cookie-archie-blake-daughtry-taylor caught their attention…

  • Truthiness

    Also according to the postings on attendance at concerts, I believe there was only 1 official sellout and I would give Kris credit for that one. I think we all remember Arkansas.

    I think there was more than one offical sellout of the tour, but I could be wrong. And there were shows, like the Atlantic City show that were like 10 away from being sellouts. So yeah. I don’t have any points beyond that, nor do I care, just thought I’d point out that I think reading about more than one offical sellout.

    To the recap, thanks for sharing it, interesting thoughts. I agree on most of it, disagree about other parts of it, but hey! that’s part of what makes life interesting. Glad you got to experience the final show and that you had other shows in my former home state of Wisonsin, to compare it to. Last show sounded epic, so I’m really enjoying reading about it from others that were there.

  • JoCeeisme

    LA – I disagree with your placing of Adam in your review, Kris belongs at number one, he won, that is his place and always will be – for me anyway. I think it was a bit disrespectful of Kris the way you did it but hey you are an Adam fan!! And totally agree with what MJ said, same thing is said every year about certain contestants, nothing unique there.

  • Cheetara86

    Angie, I also noticed that red kiss mark on Tim’s face..wonder who put that there?

    thanks so much for the review, though Kris deserves to be #1 cause he did win..but hey..you have your right to an opinion. :)

  • cher

    Little Angie, that was such a great recap!!! When Adam comes to Miami/Ft.Lauderdale, you’re welcome to come with me. As for him not winning AI, so what? I was so upset then, but now I feel happy that he didn’t win. We wouldn’t have had his Rolling Stone cover nor his movie soundtrack. Adam told my friend that he’s free to do whatever he wants to after the tour ended and he finished his album. My friend also said he was so humble and can’t understand why so many people are OTT about him, but he was extremely honored. AWW… Because of him, so many of my friends and family members were glued to AI every week with me. All of us were not AI watchers before. So thankful that my Adam obsession is shared by so many. Because of him, I went to 2 concerts and did enjoy all the idols. Because of him, I got to appreciate Michael for his enthusiasm, Megan for her quirkiness and utter beauty, Scott for his boldness and musical ability, Anoop for his smoothness and intelligence, Lil for her liveliness and family values, Matt for his stellar showmanship and mad piano skills, Allison for her amazing voice and maturity, Danny for his engaging performances and Kris for his genuine likeability and musical prowess. Thank you everyone on this site and to MJ. It has been a great season and an even better summer because of you all.

  • spring2009

    I do feel like Adam brought in viewers who never watch AI. Over and over and over, from people on this blog, people on other sites, comments made after certain articles, I read people’s shock and surprise at themselves that they were actually watching this cheesy show and really loving it.

    Hm’ ¦that actually happens every year. If I felt like it, I could dig out posts from each season from people watching the show for the first time because cookie-archie-blake-daughtry-taylor caught their attention’ ¦

    I am absolutely sure that this is the case. Not having been around previous seasons MJ, I wonder if others have had the same press surrounding them?

  • Susan M.

    Little Angie, thanks so much for your recap!! I really thought your analogies and analysis about sports and performance as related to your own kids was dead-on insightful. How cool to witness that last night after this long journey, especially after seeing previous concerts so you have a base for comparison.

    Lynne,

    Like my own children, I feel pretty certain that Adam will sometimes surprise me, sometimes shock me, sometimes annoy me, and sometimes amaze me, but I will always remember his beginnings, and the adventure and wonder of discovering his exceptional talent and charismatic personality through this magical summer, and that is why I will always have a soft spot in my heart for all things Adam Lambert!

    Out of al the last concert posts, this totally choked me up the most. I don’t have kids, but my oldest nephew turns 18 next week and I can’t even believe it. That baby ‘“ the first baby I really ever knew ‘“  is now a man (well, technically), but he’s still an amazing kid.

    I can’t wait to see where they all go. I was musing on a post last night that I’m more invested in these idols than I was in performers I actually knew personally. Because that was more of an acquaintance basis and this seems so much more intimate. We really do get deeper in this bubble than most of us do in everyday life. Strange.

    So glad you had a great time and hope we’ll be sharing more of this journey together.

  • tfmal

    Liked your review, big Adam fan. But I liked the others as well. I really enjoyed all of the performances. The focus for me from the videos of the show that I’ve seen, is the love that they share. Kris singing ‘Aint no sunshine with Matt, Anoop and Michael coming out was hilarious. Then the finale, what a hoot. I wish I could have been there to share it with them. I thought it was hilarious when Kris pretended to throw Adam’s coat out and the audience’s reaction. I don’t think Adam was apalled, I think he was scared, then relieved. He laughed after. I wish them all great success. AI season 8, the best!

  • FanOfAdam

    Like you, Angie, I will continue to watch AI, but no one will be able to top Adam’s talent. I have not felt this involved with someone since my High School first love!

  • idolslc

    Thanks for this recap!

  • ShariG

    Sick, sick, sick to death of the “Adam should have won” crowd. Kris won. You are welcome to your opinion. You voiced it. You are MJs friend. Cool. My opinion, for what it is worth, is that Kris has more general appeal than Adam and that is why he won. He is less controversial in performance and presentation. I personally love Kris’s voice. I love his style. I love his low key presentation focusing on the music itself rather than himself. I love everything about him and I would love to have seen him in this last concert. Glad you had the chance to go and glad you enjoyed the show. It is too bad you feel it necessary to take advantage of that opportunity to take one this last shot at Kris. And, yes, it felt like a pot shot to me, a die hard Kris fan. I watched for all of them in the beginning. I stayed watching for Kris because he was the one I supported, spent hours voting for, and really wanted to win the competition. Many people watched because Adam was something different, I agree with that. But many people also watched for the other artists. The season didn’t belong to Adam. It belonged to Kris, Adam, Danny, Allison, Matt and even the others for many people out there. Glad Manchester in general showed the love to all 10.

  • JoCeeisme

    ShariG – you are THE woman!!!

  • justjude

    I felt your re-cap!!!!You used delightful examples to evoke what it feels like to come to the end of something we all felt so invested in. In the end we have to take off the skates and go home but we will remember the thrill, the adrenalin and that sense of community by being able to express in a mostly safe and understanding forum. thank you so much too for the Perry Como reference. I remember loving his voice( so smooth and beautiful but “heavens,” he was hard to watch…..very boring to watch..just did not emote much. I, too, think Anoop has this rich smooth voice that I would prefer listening to than to watching him live.He is very nice to look at but he does not connect with that many people. For me, he has a stiffness of expression and does not look relaxed. Perhaps he would do better as a recording Artist?
    Your take on the idols seemed accurate for the most part. Yet, I believe some of even the minor talents will find a niche even if it is less direct
    ie: hosting, theater, backup and???? Heck! I wish them all the absolute best.
    As for the order, technically, I don’t care who won Idol for I know who won me over!!!! In the end it all comes down to who you will spend your dollars on…….So in 3 or 4 years, we will know who the winner really is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL

  • Grammie Kari

    Maybe it would be more fair to say that Anoop’s strengths would be in an area of R&B that’s not as popular now’ ¦I think it was the 80′s/early 90′s where so many guys with gorgeous voices sang all those romantic songs that could just make you melt. Luther Vandross, James Ingram, Peabo Bryson, Jeffrey Osborne. I love those guys. Maybe Anoop could bring THAT back!
    JosieX

    I hope you are right, Josie. What’s wrong with a little romance? :smile:

    JustJude, I vaguely remember Perry Como. He was a top singer with many hits and then came Elvis. Beautiful voice, but I just couldn’t picture him shaking his booty. Anoop knows what to do with what he has. Big difference, I believe.