American Idols Live 2010 – Andy11’s Anaheim, CA Recap

Andy took his 13 year old daughter to the Idol show in Anaheim last night. Read his recap below:

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First a little background. I’m a 47 year old guy who has been watching Idol regularly since the 4th season. I went to the Carrie/Bo Idol concert, which I liked (Bo is one of my favorites) and the Jordin/Blake concert, which didn’t leave much an impression, except I remember Sanjaya was in it.  I have thought all along that this year’s Idols were unfairly maligned, though there definitely were some unfortunate early exits especially Lilly Scott.  Being a middle aged classic rock type guy, I’m a big fan of Crystal but looked forward to several of the other sets too.

I went to the show at Honda Center in Anaheim with my 13 year old daughter who I am very proud to say has bands such as the Beatles, the Stones, and the Who filling up her ipod.  We were in the 9th row on the right side, but actually it was more like the third row since the first few rows are next to the stage.  My daughter struck up a conversation with a very cute little blonde girl next to her who was decked out in Idol gear and had her hair tied back in tight braids that she then tied together in a pony tail that simulated Crystal’s dreads—very cool. Guess who she turned out to be? None other than Sanjaya’s Crying Girl! She had a two-sided sign for the two people she was most interested in seeing—Crystal and Siobhan. I’d say Crying Girl’s taste in music has improved dramatically with age!

The concert started with Didi. She looked amazing/ethereal. Her voice also sounded pretty good to me—from the reviews it sounds like she was hoarse earlier in the tour. She pulled off a nicely sustained high note in the first song and did a solid job with Terrified.

Andrew sang Straight-Up and the other song with fun enthusiasm. A good portion of the crowd got into it and started dancing along, which was nice for him.

Katie came out with a very loud mic and had this tough girl persona thing going that was a little strange. When she ordered people to stand up for Fighter she sounded like a drill sergeant. I really wish one of her songs could have been mellower and more melodic so that she could do more with her voice—but unfortunately both songs were just loud. She has a huge voice, though, no question. Hopefully when she can do a full set she can show her range better.

Tim was the first real surprise for me. He had a very nice, smooth stage presence and was the only person the whole night that acknowledged the people in the farther reaches of the arena. His voice had a good tone and was in tune. He could have a future in “easy listening” type music.

Siobhan was the first true high point of the night. I had just been to Ozzfest a couple days before the Idols concert so was primed for some metal. She came out looking like the maid from Rocky Horror Picture Show. She was wearing a tutu with strange boots and crazy hair—awesome! Her set was like some kind of avant garde emo/goth performance art piece. My daughter and I went nuts during Paint It Black and especially during Stockholm Syndrome—Siobhan’s head banging was awesome. My only complaint is that the middle song (Spiderwebs) just didn’t have the same trippy vibe as Paint in Black and Stockholm Syndrome so detracted from the overall impact of the drama.

Aaron was extremely at ease and sounded great doing country. Nashville will be calling. The crowd responded very well to him. The juxtaposition of his county vibe to Siobhan’s set, though, was jarring. I could have used a few seconds to adjust.

Big Mike came on after intermission looking massive and dapper. He was pretty over-the-top (e.g. going down on one knee swaying his arm back and forth during the first song), but he sounded good. I kind of enjoyed seeing him overall, if for nothing else the unabashed cheese factor. Big Mike headed for Vegas?

Casey was outstanding. He just walked calmly out and ripped the electric guitar during his stellar opener. Great rocker stage presence of the cool, laid back variety.  He was having a great time and so was the audience.  He played multiple guitars and used a slide at one point. Great rousing take on It’s All Over Now to end the set. He has definite rock star potential. The duet with Big Mike was fun in an Idol way.

Crystal came out looking radiant and exuberant to be there. Her fantastic What’s Up? got the crowd fully involved and when she asked people to sway their arms most started doing it–she said that’s the first time she had asked for that and the big response made her feel weepy. During the song a guy in a tie dyed shirt came up to the stage in front of us holding a little blonde boy. Crystal then walked over towards them as she was putting on her harmonica for Come to My Window and a guy behind me started yelling what I was thinking “IT’S LITTLE TONY! IT’S LITTLE TONY!” Crystal gave Tony a big smile and started playing You are My Sunshine on harmonica for him! The high point of her set was Up to the Mountain—huge soaring notes interspersed with quiet, soulful moments that show what an incredible talent she is. She also changed the lyric to “Buddy I love you so” as she smiled in her son’s direction—what a sweet Mamasox. She closed her set out with a rocking, rave-up Piece of My Heart. I am so looking forward to hearing her sing her own music next time. My only constructive criticism—she should ditch the microphone headset and go back to her lamp mic stand. She is way too authentic of a rocker chick to use that kind of pop star device.

Though I was a Crystal fan on the show from the beginning, I liked Lee ever since he took full responsibility for the bagpiper on Hey Jude (Lee and Crystal’s Take Me Out to the Ball Game clip is also one of my favorite things to come out of last season—check it out on You Tube if you haven’t seen it). Lee’s high energy Treat Her Like a Lady was one of the high points of the night for me and I also liked Rocket Man with the Pink Floyd riff in the middle. He seemed to be happy and relaxed on stage without any of that deer in the headlights thing he had on the show. He and the others are all making good use of this tour to hone their skills.

In sum, I had a really great time and so did my daughter—definitely my favorite of the three Idol concerts I have seen.  People should go if they get chance and try to sit up front.

About mj santilli 34830 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!