Minneapolis, MN AI Live! Show – Wordnerdarchie’s Re-cap

Great recap. I would love your biased opinion.

I would love your unbiased opinion. After three concerts I can give you mine and it is not the order that it was in pre concert, although David Cook has been on the top of all of my lists since All Right Now Top 20 week.

David Cook
David Archuleta
Jason Castro
Syesha Mercado
Chikezie
Michael Johns
Brooke White
Carly Smithson
Kristy Lee Cook
Ramiele Malobay

This order has been pretty consistent throughout the concert tour, although from time to time Michael Johns goes above Chikezie and I should qualify it by saying I really and sincerely liked all ten and hope all ten have successful careers in the entertainment business. I would love to hear yours.

This is great. It is like 2 and hopefully 3 reviews in one. Please add your thoghts too !

Still coughing in Minneapolis..? Bleh. He needs rest. He was clearing his throat quite frequently in KC.. I hope its just a lingering cough and nothing else. Sometimes I worry about that, cant be too good on the throat.

Ok, I’ll try to be unbiased. Give me a little time to collect my thoughts. Be back with my list. I might even throw in my husband’s choices too. :jittery_tb:

I know that everyone has their own opinions, but I really disagree with you guys about Carly. I have seen the show twice and I don’t think she’s off key or pitchy at all. I love her powerful voice and she blew us away at both concerts. I think she has the strongest voice of all the females and she’s part of my top 3 Idols (which does include David Cook and Michael). I know everyone has different points of view, so I just wanted to put in my two cents worth, so please don’t take this the wrong way.

Oops, trying fix errors.

Here’s my list of my top favorite down to my least, based on performances on Sunday night in Minneapolis, MN, home of “row, row, row your boat” and “Jason smackdown”. I’ll list mine and come back later to record my husband’s choices. He had more definite likes & dislikes than I did.

1. David Cook – great vocals, super interpretation, and unbounded charisma and joy during performing.
2. Chikezie – fantastic upper register, personable, gets the crowd going.
3. Jason Castro – “Crazy” was just….Craaaaazy good, even with his nasal congestion.
4. David Archuleta – I normally have him higher, but his cough (cold) is still affecting him, and I know he can do better. “Angels” was superb.
5. Michael Johns – Got to love the cheesy factor, strong vocals.
6. Carly Would like to put her higher, but don’t know who to move down. Thought she had a couple of bad notes.
7. Kristy Lee – Was better than what I was expecting. Extra points for how she looked.
8. Brooke – Sweet, sunny Brooke, the voice bug has hit her too. Normally would have her much higher, but the killer cold did in her high notes this night – or was it just overuse? Either way, she’ll move up again once she recovers.
9. Syesha – I like some of her vocals, but I think she’s still trying to oversing too much. Just let it flow, Syesha. Also, I can’t get past the outfit. :mad_tb: Still, she’s a talented singer.
10. Ramiele- I love Ramiele, but she doesn’t compare to the other 9 in stage presentation. I think her song selection doesn’t help, either.

Well, there they are. Am now polling the hubbey. I hope he doesn’t put all the “hot” babes at the top. :thumbdown_tb:

amy123 I totally love Carly, too. I’ve been watching videos of her and they’ve been fantastic, and I’ve always had her quite highly rated. It’s just that last night in Minneapolis our whole family thought there might have been an ear monitor problem, or that she had the same cold that Jason & Archie had, since there were several notes that seemed off on her first song. My son (from Philadelphia) has always had perfect pitch, so if he says she was off a little, then she was. That’s the only reason she has dropped down to 6th for this concert only. Hope you accept that explanation.

amy123 I totally love Carly, too. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve been watching videos of her and theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve been fantastic, and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always had her quite highly rated. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just that last night in Minneapolis our whole family thought there might have been an ear monitor problem, or that she had the same cold that Jason & Archie had, since there were several notes that seemed off on her first song. My son (from Philadelphia) has always had perfect pitch, so if he says she was off a little, then she was. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the only reason she has dropped down to 6th for this concert only. Hope you accept that explanation.

Thanks for the explanation. I guess people just have different perceptions because there was a review last night from MNSue and she liked Carly the best of the whole show (same one you attended). She also said that Carly got a standing ovation at the end of her set. Oh well, I guess everyone has their own opinions and mine will never change-I think Carly’s voice is perfect and beyond amazing.

OK, now for Mr. Wordnerdarchie’s Minneapolis concert choices. This could be scary! From highest to lowest they are as follows:

1. David Cook – Because I’ve pounded it into him that Cook’s simply the best, and he knows who makes his meals? :lol_tb:
2. Kristy Lee – He likes country and thinks she did great, and she’s not bad to look at.
3. David Archuleta – Likes his voice
4. Carly – Great voice and can really saaaaaaaang.
5. Brooke – always a sucker for a sensitive blond. (By the way, I’m a brunette)
6. Chickezie – thought he was fun, and voice was fantastic
7. Castro – good voice, but the songs bored him.
8. Michael Johns – doesn’t want his aerosmith messed with by anyone other than Cook. Did I say that I’ve pounded it into him that Cook’s simply the best, and he knows who makes his meals? :lol_tb:
9. Syesha – Just didn’t like her, no reason given. (Wow, he doesn’t like the hot chick! There’s hope for him/me yet.
10. Rami – Opinion was – heh

Well that’s it, you all have the whole wordnerdarchie family opinion on the performers from Minneapolis last night. Probably means nothing to most of you, but we had a blast doing it. Nothing better than bonding over American Idol.

Oh, one more thing, even though we’re rating from 1-10, it doesn’t mean that 9 or 10 were bad. I can honestly say for me personally, no one was below a good. I liked them all, as did Mr. wordnerdarchie, and hunky musically inclined 27 year old son. Daughter-in-law was the only one that had serious issues with #9-10, so it’s all good.

I feel much better after seeing yours and your husband’s rankings since you both placed Carly much higher on your list. And it sounds like everyone has their own perceptions, which is very interesting to see. It seems like you guys all had a lot of fun with your AI bonding experience. Don’t we just love this top 10? I know that I do-that’s why I’m going to see my third show this weekend and I can’t wait.

What a cute recap! Thanks. I really enjoyed it. Your family sounds like fun. I rate all of you “1.”

Thanks to the wordnerdarchie family for their recaps! It was interesting to see even within the same family how the various performers moved up and/or down the rankings (and as a Cook fan I’m glad you’ve properly pounded your preference into the family psyche, lol).

Just an insight: Carly, Syesha, and DC all pulled out their left ear monitor. I’m not sure of the others. Amazon/Big Foot lady made it difficult for me to use my binoculars. Make of it what you will.

Sue I think that depends if they normally pull out their ear monitors. I do know Archie pulls his out for the last two songs he does.

MN Sue
Just an insight: Carly, Syesha, and DC all pulled out their left ear monitor. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure of the others. Amazon/Big Foot lady made it difficult for me to use my binoculars. Make of it what you will.

MN Sue- I commented to you in the other Minneapolis thread, but I wasn’t sure if you saw it. Are you planning to write a review of each of the contestants’ performances like some of others have done? I would love to hear your perspective on everyone during the show. Just wondering. Thanks.

Good call MN Sue, I noticed some of them were pulling on their ear monitors, but I was too busy trying to avoid security to actually file it into my brain in a place were I could retrieve it. But seriously, that could have something to do with both Carly & Syesha being a bit tentative on some of their notes. Hmmmm, I’ll have to ponder that a while.

NowAlnoob, I’ve definitely done some pounding on Mr. Wordnerdarchie with the use of Analog Heart, however the youngin’s came to their opinions on Cook totally on their own. Of course Cook’s set contained music that my son really likes (he’s a Foo Fighter Fan, and always appreciated 80′s music, since he had to put up with our choices when he was a young lad.) But I’ll gladly claim the honors and say my powers of persuasion are divine.

Nope, amy123. I said all that I care to share. Frankly, I feel like I’m kinda being stalked here. I’m glad you’re passionate about Carly. I like her too. Let’s just leave it there.

wordnerdarchie, i loved your reviews! I loved the different perspectives!

I understand the hubby thing. DC’s my favorite. After the concert we talked about which ones we would see in concert on their own: DC, Jason, MJ and Brooke. He maintains that DC would be first on the list, but I’m still not sure if that’s simply because I’m such a huge fan! LOL!

He’s musically inclined himself and sings/plays in a band. He IS very impressed with DC artistically.

Loved the differing opinions! I think it is a shame that Archie is sick because this is a time for him to try and pick up new fans and this isn’t helping.

i went to the minneapolis show too and even though archie was sick, i still think he sounded terrific. true he was coughing, but his actual singing voice didn’t sound affected….or at least i didn’t notice it at all.

MN Sue
Nope, amy123. I said all that I care to share. Frankly, I feel like Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m kinda being stalked here. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m glad youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re passionate about Carly. I like her too. Letà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just leave it there.

MNSue-Sorry, I did not mean to be such a pest (or make you feel like you’re being stalked). I was just perplexed at the fact that your impression of Carly was so much different (in a good way) than everyone else’s. I guess everyone just sees things in a different way depending upon thier musical tastes. I’ll leave it there.

MNSue-Sorry, I did not mean to be such a pest (or make you feel like youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re being stalked). I was just perplexed at the fact that your impression of Carly was so much different (in a good way) than everyone elseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s. I guess everyone just sees things in a different way depending upon thier musical tastes. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll leave it there.

PLEASE STOP IT Amy.

Accept that not everyone likes Carly and LET IT GO. I’ll be deleting your posts if you keep hounding people who disagree with you. If you don’t stop, I’ll ban you.

If you can’t handle criticism of Carly, this blog isn’t for you. I suggest you find a Carly fan group.

i went to the minneapolis show too and even though archie was sick, i still think he sounded terrific. true he was coughing, but his actual singing voice didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sound affectedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.or at least i didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t notice it at all.

Thanks! I hope none of the others get this bug badly either. They all have worked so hard and I don’t want any missed oppurtunities for any of them.

I love seeing recaps that include reviews from several different people. Always interesting to see the different perspectives that a group of related people will have.

It’s impressive that several of them have been sick or injured at various times, but they all seem to be giving their all in the shows nonetheless.

PLEASE STOP IT Amy.
Accept that not everyone likes Carly and LET IT GO. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be deleting your posts if you keep hounding people who disagree with you. If you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t stop, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll ban you.
If you canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t handle criticism of Carly, this blog isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t for you. I suggest you find a Carly fan group.

MJ-I apologize-I didn’t mean to get everyone upset. I can handle the criticism and I am not the only one who defends their favorites when someone criticizes them. I really did not mean to offend anyone. I like this blog and I do have other Carly fangroups that I belong to. I don’t want to be banned from your site-I really do like it and I apologize if I upset you or anyone else here.

Ok, I’ve finally noticed that the video I tried to upload last night is actually up and has been viewed. Yeah, it’s my first one. Since I was “busted” by security and made to erase my hardrive, I was surprised that all the files weren’t gone. Guess it pays to be inept where technology is concerned. Well, here’s where you can find TOML with the great shout-out to Brooke’s fans at the end.

The first few seconds are blurry but then the quality is good after that, other than for heads a arms in a few places. Enjoy.

You did a great job on that, wordnerdarchie, thanks for posting it up. That was cute when he apologized to Brooke’s fans, I assume he must have promised them he’d wear it.

Well, here’s my last miracle clip that survived the Security Executioner. (I did lose Hello, and couldn’t video anything else after this point. I was on the Security Watch List.

Crowd Filming

Hi All,

I’m a total geek for these kids – especially Cook, who I vibrate with in his musical sensibility as a musician myself.

I was wondering why there weren’t many videos of full sets on any of the upload sites, particularly YouTube. I like seeing how David Cook changes things up musically, I think that’s how he challenges himself to keep it interesting. Unfortunately, there weren’t many vids. Was security in MN on TPTB syndrome?

I’ve been watching the vids because I chose not to attend the concert, and it’s been a pleasure to see how these artists have grown as performers in such a short time. If anyone has anymore vids or knows what was up with security, please post or explain.

Thankyou!

PS – MJ, I think you’ve done a great job at creating a sounding board for fans of this cheesy show. Props!

He is so adorable! I loved those videos. Thank you!

blove, as I said in my recap, I was stopped filming during DWTMAT by security and told to hand over my tape or DVD from my camera. However, my camera had a hard drive, so he had me erase it. Since I didn’t know what I was doing, it didn’t all disappear, which is why TOML and banter is posted here. Also, they “wanded” people and checked all bags at the entrance for video cameras. So it was more difficult to get in with a video camera. The person who checked me didn’t check inside my make-up bag. (I was prepared for the inspection and figured that was the safest place for my video-cam). I don’t know about everyone else, but I was in row three with security right in front of me, so that’s why I was spotted. I’m surprised it took until Cook’s 3rd number before they noticed me, but I was being discreet about it.

wordnerdarchie, hmmmmmm :ponder_tb:

Minneapolis has a big music scene and is known for Prince, so they might have tighter security at their venues. Also, I’m willing to bet AI is going to release a concert vid compilation to sell to fans – if I were in their camp, I would tell them to do it.

Well, hopefully for the remainder of the tour other fans will be as smart as you and put it in a strategic location…

Glad you got something though…I love these kids.

I was at the Minneapolis show too. I thought it was great, though I still prefer the format of last year’s tour with all the duets, trios, combos, etc.

The Mavid row-boat-Jason-smackdown was very funny–and very fitting…Land of 10,000 lakes and all that.

I wanted to mention another funny thing: At the end of David Cook’s set, he jumped off the front of the stage and stepped up on the fence in front of the front row. Some woman in a green shirt ran up and gave him this huge, full-blown, arms-completely-wrapped-around-him hug…but since he was above her, she ended up hugging his thighs. I would think that would be a little unnerving for Cook!

Also, my daughters (ten and fourteen) waved at the Idols the whole concert, and the only ones to wave back were Jason and David Cook. I thought the girls were going to explode, they were so excited. I should add, though, that the ten-year-old said that while Syesha didn’t exactly wave, “she acknowledged my presence. She sort of nodded at me.” Oh, that Syesha!

Lucky, lucky woman in a green shirt and very brave. Cook must be driving the security guys crazy with the jumping into the audience. He’s done that a couple of times now.

the only ones to wave back were Jason and David Cook

Awww, my two favorite guys. They’re both such sweethearts!

janerazor,

At the end of David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s set, he jumped off the front of the stage and stepped up on the fence in front of the front row. Some woman in a green shirt ran up and gave him this huge, full-blown, arms-completely-wrapped-around-him hugà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦but since he was above her, she ended up hugging his thighs. I would think that would be a little unnerving for Cook!

That would be unnerving for anyone. Of course, fans who are way over the top obsessed loose all sense of themselves and the freedom of their objects of adoration.

I would have liked to see this though. There have been a few moments like these when David Cook let’s go and he’s just into it. That’s when I dig a show, when the artist is unbounded. It will be great to see him doing original material in concert – I’m sure a far greater personal vibe and delivery of his music will come through since it will be his own lyrics – his voice.

Thanks for sharing.

I was wondering why there werenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t many videos of full sets on any of the upload sites, particularly YouTube

blove, I can’t speak for other venues, but at the Bossier City show, security was checking every camera that passed through and if your camera had recording capabilities you had to return it to your car and then go through inspection again. They were even rummaging through purses. we had a camcorder(returned to car) two cameras (returned to car also) and one cell phone with camera and video capabilities(got to keep that, thank goodness). The pics and video did not turn out very good though.
wordnerdarchie, I love all the differing viewpoints of the Idols. Sounds like you have a great family!

Barbariba, Well kudos to those who made it through so fans can do a replay of some of those great performances and banter moments.

Wordnerdarchie, your recap and the different perspectives was very refreshing, loved it.

Jason and Archie a tie for second? I love your son. They’re tied first place for me but, I’m biased and I didn’t attend the show. Your own ranking sits very well with me too.

Thanks for sharing!

I missed the finale of PDSTM & Mavid, because, my sister was driving and wanted to beat the crowd to the parking ramp. Boo to my sister – someone’s vid will have to do.

There were 7 of us. Here’s the rundown in performance order.

Chikezie – 2 of us liked him, one couldn’t understand him, one didn’t care for him, the rest thought he was OK

Ramiele – no thumbs up at all

MJ – 3 of us liked him, 2 said he was pretty good, 2 said OK

KLC – 1 liked her, 4 said OK, 2 of us didn’t care for her, but think she’s pretty

Carly – mostly OK’s, but, disappointed she wasn’t better

Brooke – 2 liked her, 2 didn’t , rest OK

Jason – I love Jason, my sister doesn’t, the rest thought he was pretty good

Syesha – OK’s all around, 3 said she is too fake, not personable

Archie – 5 loved him, 2 said pretty good

Cookie – everyone liked his personality, 2 liked him a lot, 5 thought he was good, but, thought “Hero” was too hard rock for their taste

Everyone, except me, was at their first idol concert. They were all glad they had the experience, but, probably wouldn’t do it again. I’ll go when I have a real favorite to see. I went for Ruben in Season 2, Taylor in Season 5, and this year for Jason.

Thanks for everyone review and ranking… is goes to show that for different taste they were created different colors…