Shadow-Rider’s Sacramento American Idol Tour Re-cap

Shadow-Rider made a day of it, arriving at the venue to meet the idols before the concert.   Read her detailed re-cap below. One word: “Kratt!”   PS: I’m still updating the videos in the Sacramento thread HERE.

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MY VERY FIRST AMERICAN IDOLS LIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE!

First let me say sorry if it seems a bit long. Second I hadn’t been on the computer the day of the concert nor did I have access to twitter so I had no idea about anything going on other than what I thought, saw, felt or heard.

I’ve never been to an AI concert before. I never really had a reason. Yes I watch the show but I just didn’t feel that it was worth the money to see one or two performers and sit through a bunch of boring ones but this year was different for two reasons. The obvious reason of course is Adam. He blew me away on the show and I just had to see him live. the other reason was that I actually enjoyed seven of the top ten so I decided to give it a try.

I decided to go for the whole idol experience and arrive early in hopes of meeting some idols before hand. I was running late so by the time we got there a small crowd had gathered along the barricade and there was no way I would be getting close to anyone. The security announces that they are doing press so they won’t all be coming out. It was HOT so I decided to find some shade and hope to at least see some of the idols. Suddenly there were screams so I headed back over where I see that Michael had arrived. He was soooo polite and chatting it up with the crowd. I tried to get a photo but too many heads so I started walking to the other side where I noticed people were hanging out past the barricades where it was wide open. I saw an opening and I took it. There were a couple of ladies in front of me who were very nice and agreed to share their space with me so there I waited. He finally made his way over and I got my first photo op as well as autograph. Of course I had my RS mag with me but chose to have him sign something else. Did I mention how sweet he is? I can’t even count how many times he said thank you guys so much for coming out.

Michael finished up and again we played the waiting game. It seemed to get hotter and I was worried that once others came out I would be looking like a red lobster. Suddenly the crowd erupted in screams. It was Matt. He of course started at the other end so I waited patiently. He was about a quarter of the way down when the crowd really went crazy. Its Kris. YAY!!! He started at my end. YAY Again!!! Of course it gets a little crazy with Kris and people are almost swarming him. Matt reaches me and Kris is very near. I’m a little worried about missing out on Kris but I can’t pass up the opportunity with Matt. I love Matt. I get his autograph and mumble something about my daughter loving him and we follow him on twitter. He smiles that adorable smile and says “Oh yeah” and then I finally get my photo taken with him. Very sweet guy. Kris arrives at me just as I finish with Matt. Then I get to witness one of a couple of adorable moments between the two of them. They look at each other and yell “KRATT!!” and then laugh and hug. Hubby takes my picture with Kris and at that very moment a thought pops in my head. OMG! I have my arm around the American Idol and he has his arm around me. I think my thoughts show through in the photo. I have this kinda dorky smile on my face. I ask Kris if he could sign one paper for my daughter then 2 RS mags. He answers Sure with a cute smile. He signs the front: I heart Adam then his name. He has to leave and so he quickly gives a couple more autographs and splits. So who will be next? A short time later the security says thats it and says they have to put up a barricade and we have to move. Oh well. Atleast I got three. I take horrible pictures so I’m hoping my pictures come out ok.

Now time for the loooooooong wait. We pass the time by meeting fellow fans. My question to each one is who’s your favorite? The majority reply Adam. They then of course ask me. I say Adam but I also like Kris, Allison and Matt. I can’t leave them out. A couple of people look at me a little weird. What? I can’t have more than one favorite? While we are waiting in line a guy comes by selling programs and glow sticks. How much are the programs? 25 bucks. HOLY COW! As soon as I get over the shock I hand him $25.00. Its pretty cool and would be great if I got them all to autograph their personal page. A girl can dream. Uh Oh! I think I just turned into a genuine fantard. Wait. the doors are opening. WhooHoo.

Did I say WhooHoo. I mean BooHoo. I’ve lost all my patience. I think the clocks have stopped. Is this show ever going to start. My seats are not front row but they are pretty good. On the side and fairly close to the stage. I have seat 1 so I’m on the aisle. Trying to get the camera to work. I want to get some great pictures but the lighting is horrible. The lights dim and a large roar fills the room. Time for the show.

First up Michael. I will admit here and now. He was not a member of my 7 out of 10 idols I enjoyed. But after his set I have to say he sounds alot better live than on the show. OK so now I enjoy 8 out of 10. He’s working the crowd pretty well but my section is asleep I think. Actually I think I’m in the senior citizen section. And the aisle is Grand Central Station. The same people are walking up and down. This better not happen during the second half. Enough complaining and back to concentrating on the show. Michael is getting quite a bit of love from the crowd. Wow. He’s done already? That was quick.

Next up, Megan. She’s very pretty and I’m sure she is a sweet girl but…….I’m sorry. Its like kaoroke on a very big stage. First song over, second song over. And a caw caw at the end. I have to be honest. I’m still at 8 out of 10.

Scott rises from below sitting at the piano. Can’t remember the name of this song but it sounds good. Lights go dim and when they come up again he is standing next to the piano. He talks about the ‘high five heard round the world’ and about the one he likes the least on idol, then he does a bad british accent. Hmm I wonder who he is talking about? Back to the music. Next song sounds really good. I like this song. Hubby whispers to me it makes him think of White Chicks. Now I’m laughing. He gets some nice applause and slowly lowers into the floor. Funny thing about my seats. I can see inside that hole a bit. Its kinda funny watching them just before they come up. They are bent over trying to stay hidden. Then at times the thing is open while others are perforning. I was waiting for one of them to forget and fall through.

Now time for Lil. She is among those I’m not that into. First song don’t care for. Yeah I’m remembering why I never really cared for her. Next song I’m kinda liking. She sounds pretty good. The people down in front are getting into it. She’s talking about working on some new dance moves. Now she strips off her…..is it a jacket or a dress. I don’t know but the crowd is up on their feet (except for my section-I think the seniors are asleep) and she starts dancing. The words Single Ladies are flashing on the big screen behind her. Are those the words to the song? I guess we are doing kaoroke. No wait. She sounds really good. This aint kaoroke. Dang. That girl is dancin. She’s all over the stage. She is definitely workin it. Go Lil, go Lil. I take it back. If this is the type of music she will be doing in her career then yeah I like her. Hubby says best of the night so far.

The lights dim and suddenly Anoop’s picture flashes on the screen and the crowd gets excited. HAHA! I see him bending down inside that hole in the floor. Here he comes. The crowd quiets down but I think because of the subdued song. First song, very nice. Next song, not so much. Just not my thing. Now he’s got the crowd going with his last song and he’s doing some dancing. Very cute. I have to say he is looking quite adorable up there. Anoop was very entertaining. I think he could have a career ahead of him. Just as he finishes theres a loud boooo. Wait. They’re not booing. They are yelling Anoooooooop.

The room goes black and it gets real quiet. Suddenly Matt’s face flashes on the screen. The room erupts and I think it woke the old folks up. A few people are standing in my section but down below they are really getting into it. Matt looks really good up there. He sounds great too. Now he’s sitting at the piano and really sounding great. He sounds way better live. His last song is pretty good. Don’t really care for that song but I like Matt. He finishes and the crowd is definitely showing him lots of love. I wish he could have done another song.

Group number now. Megan is much better in a group. You know I’m really starting to like Lil. I’m starting to see what the judges were seeing in her in the beginning. I see Scott bending over in that hole. YAY! The dueling pianos. I’m really loving this. I love the piano. They are both really good. Its a shame this was cut from the finale because I think they would have looked amazing doing this on the large piano. Now the other three come out and all are looking great and sounding great. Definitely one of the most talented AI groups that I have seen. I’m so glad I came.

Intermission time. Oh shoot. My dang phone isn’t working so I lose my chance of winning the after party meet and greet after the show. Oh well. Not the end of the world. Time to stretch my legs and pick up something for the kids.

For the first half:

Best single performance: Lil Rounds with Single Ladies

Best set: A tie between Matt and Anoop – they were both very entertaining so its hard to pick which one

Good thing I was sitting in my seat because they give no warning whatsoever. Allison’s picture appears on the big screen and the music starts. Great, its Grand Central Station again. But its ok. Everyone’s on their feet. This song suits her. The reason why is because that girl is looking like a ‘rock star’. I know people have been making comments about her guitar playing but I think it looks good even if it was just a prop. She wants to look the rock star part and she is definitely achieving that. She ditches the guitar and belts out Cry Baby. People are sitting down, well atleast in my section. This girl is owning that stage. Somebody throws something white on stage. She looks over at it and walks away. Once she finishes she walks over to it again and slowly picks it up. She makes a comment about the Vancouver bra incident and everyone laughs. She sets it aside and talks about the three guys after her. She asks if anyone knows a guy by the name of Danny Gokey. The crowd screams. She asks what about Adam and I’m pretty sure she said Lambert but everyone was screaming so loudly you couldn’t hear her. Then she asks what about that guy who won Kris and again the crowd goes wild before she finishes his name. Then she goes on to let everyone know that she’s not done yet so they have to wait. People are laughing. She has one more song. I’m so loving this girl. I feel like I’m watching a star in the making. Her voice is very powerful. Way better live. She finishes and everyone is screaming. The crowd is definitely loving her and so am I.

The room goes dark and Danny’s photo appears on the screen and everyone starts screaming. Danny appears and my section has now awakened and the old ladies are excited. He’s doing his thing. I didn’t like his performance of this song on the show but its better live. Not my favorite but he’s good. He’s got people on their feet dancing. Wait did the old lady next to me just give out a scream? She sure did. His next song is surprisingly good. He’s doing some dance moves. Well trying anyway. People are back in their seats for Rascal Flats. I thought he did well with this song but to me it sounds like he’s straining a bit. His last song was really good. He did a great job and was very entertaining. He looks different in person though. Not sure why. I had heard from others that he gives this long sermon and starts preaching during his set. For me it wasn’t preachy at all and only lasted a minute or two. He talked about his wife and why he chose to audition even though his wife had just died. He told people not to be defined by tragedy which was met with loud cheers. He finishes up his set and people start screaming and clapping which get louder and louder and then foot stomping. It stays dark for a few seconds then BOOM!

The room is going crazy. Adam’s picture flashes and the crowd goes wild. The music starts and the crowd goes even wilder. He appears and everyone jumps to their feet. The old ladies are wide awake and having fun now. The old lady next to me pulls out some binoculars. Guess she wants to see him up close and personal. He is sounding amazing. No surprise there. He seems different though. Not that wild and crazy performer I’m used to. But I’m loving it anyway. Here comes the part. Is it going to be woman or baby? Woman or baby? Its…….BABY! Next song sounds amazing. I’m not too familiar with this song but I’m loving his performance. Some people are sitting and others are still standing. He finishes and the crowd goes crazy. Mad World was amazing. Loved it. I was afraid because I have heard him sing it so much I wouldn’t be happy with it but I was. It seemed different. Maybe because it was live. It was like hearing it for the first time. Very beautiful. It was also somewhat quiet with the exception of the high note of course which was nice because you could hear the song. He then introduced his ‘little sister’ Allison and the crowd is on their feet again. The live performance is 100x better than the show and I was loving the show performance. They are so great together. I hope they do more duets on their albums. She exits and time for his last song. I just realized the show is almost over. The time sure went by quickly. Ooooooh sexy sexy sexy. And all his sexy moves are done on my side of the stage. Bad part is we couldn’t get any good photos. They just didn’t come out well. Hubby did however record parts of his set so atleast I have some video of Adam. He finishes and the crowd goes crazy again. He drops down that hole and stands there with his hand in the air as he slowly drops down. Looking good Adam. He then gives out a deep voiced Yep before completely gone. The crowd is still going crazy.

A photo of Kris flashes on the screen and people are on their feet. He steps out and walks to the front of the stage and people are still screaming but not as loudly. He starts acapella and people go nuts. Wow! I thought he was great on the show but he is so much better live. Another song I thought I would be sick of hearing but nope. Loved it. Great performance. His next song is um don’t know. Never heard it before. He’s playing electric guitar and sounding amazing. People are singing along. I Got Soul But I’m Not A Soldier. Nice. Next song pretty good. During the Matchbox 20 song the hole opens up right behind Kris. One step back and he falls through. I can see a piano. He finishes and the crowd goes crazy once again. Up comes the piano and time for Ain’t No Sunshine. I’m so loving this. The room is very quiet and not because they don’t like him. People are just listening to the song which is nice. I suddenly realize I had met him earlier in the day and a smile comes across my face. Oh no! What has become of me. Time for Hey Jude. Wait a minute. Did I miss something? I don’t remember hearing No Boundaries. Wait. Thats a good thing. He sang that soldier song instead. Cool. With No Boundaries left out the set was pure Kris magic. He tells everyone to pull out their lighter or phone. Hey Jude is good. I’m not loving it but liking it. The other idols minus Matt and Scott come out and the crowd goes nuts.

Time for the finale number. Matt and Scott rise from the floor. Michael and Megan start it off and 2 by 2 they appear. Matt and Scott leave the pianos and it goes back down. The floor opens again and I see someone bent over with studs all over their back. I know whats coming. Kris and Adam. The crowd goes wild of course. It ends and the crowd explodes. Its over. Nooooo I don’t want it to be over. Keep playing. Keep playing.

The people start rushing up the stairs and trying to rush out the door. Geez. We hang back a bit and once the crowd thins out we make are way around to the main doors which lead over to the buses. There is a crowd forming already. Much bigger than earlier for sure but not too bad. Maybe a few hundred people. Its about 10:30 and people are getting anxious. I find a spot pretty close to the barricade so I can atleast get a fairly close shot of Adam if he shows up or any of the others for that matter. Tick tock tick tock. Its now 11:00 and they are still inside. A security guard says the idols have to leave by 11:30 so he doesn’t think they will be coming out to the crowd. About a few minutes later a guy comes out and a few people scream and call him over. Hey, I know who he is. Its Aaron Spears. A few people ask for his autograph and snap a few photos. A girl in front of me asks him to sign her Adam picture. He tells her he can’t, its Adam not him. The crowd laughs. He then signs it. They tell him he’s gotta go and waves to the crowd. He then decides to introduce everyone else. This is the bass player…..screams. This lady does make-up……screams. He does hair….screams. Everyone starts laughing.

Suddenly there are screams and the idols are slowly coming out. Now the crowd is huge. First of course is Michael. Not sure who came out next or in what order because they somewhat came out all at once. I may mix up what happened in what order but who cares. Kris passed by with his wife Katy and carrying some flowers. Awww they are so cute together. He drops the flowers and Matt picks them up. He hands them to Kris like he’s giving him flowers. Kris smiles and takes them then gets down on his knee and offers them to Matt. Adorable moment #2 between them. The three girls walk out together and jump on the bus. A few minutes later they are back out and signing autographs. Anoop is here as well. Loud screams erupt and I see why. Adam walks by. He waves to the crowd and smiles. He hollers out I love you guys and jumps on the bus. Well so much for any photos of Adam. People are chanting Adam….Adam….Adam. We find a pretty good spot down near the buses where we are able to get autographs. Lil passes by and falls into a pothole or something and pretty much bypasses us. Anoop is next and he literally passes over our paper. It was in front of him but he didn’t sign it. Oh well. No big deal. Megan goes by and we get hers. Allison comes by and we get hers but then I decide I want her to sign my RS mag too and she actually came back to sign it for me. She is such a sweetheart. Danny is way down at the other end so I know there is no chance of seeing him. Scott comes out with his brother and they start at one end and run down the line and slap hands with people. Matt goes by quickly but thats ok. I already got him. They all start boarding the buses. The girls bus backs out first and leaves. The boys bus starts to back up and Michael appears at the window in the back. Everyone starts screaming and he waves and blows kisses. The bus then pulls back up. Ooops. They were leaving without Danny. He was still signing autographs. He runs over to the door which opens and he proceeds to get on the bus and someone pushes him back and shuts the door. They start to back up again. Everyone starts laughing. Guess they are leaving Danny here with us. I don’t think the crowd minds. He walks back to the crowd and starts signing more autographs. People start cheering. Michael is again waving at the crowd who are waving back and cheering. The bus pulls back in again and this time they grab Danny. The bus begins to back up and Michael is still waving. That guy is definitely soaking up every bit of this experience. You have to love that. As the bus pulls away the crowd disappears almost in an instant.

The hour ride home the radio was off. We spent the entire time talking about the show. I have to say it was much more than I expected. They definitely delivered. They gave me more than my moneys worth. For anyone still undecided about going I say GO. I’m so glad I did. For those who are going I hope you have as great a time as I did.

I noticed there were quite a few people upset with Adam and felt snubbed. I will admit I was disappointed that he didn’t come out but I knew there was something wrong. I could see he wasn’t his full rock out self during his set. I see that he had mentioned having a headache and that would explain things. I for one believe him and forgive him although I don’t feel like an apology is really needed. He and the other 9 idols gave me a great show and

great memories and thats all I ever wanted. I for one am thankful that even though he wasn’t feeling well he still got on that stage and performed for all of us when he could have bowed out of the entire night. If I had a choice between watching him perform live on stage or getting his autograph and a close up photo of him I would choose the performance every time. Also I think replacing No Boundaries was a great move and I’m so glad for Kris.

Overall I say for me:

Best single performance of the night: Adam and Allison duet

Best set of the night: Allison with Adam right behind her even with him under the weather.

Best surprise performance of the night: Lil with Single Ladies

Most memorable moment for me: Meeting Michael, Matt & Kris and Kris signing my RS cover. While I may not have gotten Adam to sign it I do have Kradam love all over it and I will cherish it.

My only regret: Not having front row seats!