Hypnotic Whisper illustrates her recap with video snippets and photos! Sweet! Read on:
***
I’m 21 years old, and this is the third American Idol tour that I’ve attended (second concert review). I’m going to be honest, this season didn’t dazzle me in the beginning. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the sparkly alien last year or the word nerd from the year before that. This season was lacking fire. However, once I saw Crystal and Lee perform “Falling Slowly” I saw promise.
A couple days before the show I decided to do something on a whim. I purchased a gift for Mr. Lee DeWyze. I got him dogtags with lyrics from “Simple Man” engraved on it. (My favorite performance of his) Did I succeed in meeting the simple man and giving him my gift? You’ll have to read on to see what happens.
Picture of the tags:
http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab180/hypnoticwhisper/leedogtag.jpg
This year I took MJ’s advice on waiting till the day of the show to purchase my tickets, and I actually got amazing seats! (thanks MJ!) The concert this year was at the same venue from last year, and I knew security was going to be tight. Last year Matt Giraud was the only Idol to come outside before the show, only because he’s a Michigan boy. I had a feeling non of the idols this year would be out greeting fans in the sun, and I was right.
I arrived there an hour before the show started, and there was more people there than I expected. Some people would disagree with me, since portions of the upper bowl were curtained off, but with Michigan’s current economy I was surprised with the turn out.
On the screens they played a rotation of music videos such as; “Friday I’ll Be Over You” “If I Had You” “Live Like We’re Dying” and “Life After You.” I was pleasantly surprised the majority of the music videos were contestants from season 8.
Also, the stage was REALLY SMALL. I couldn’t really imagine all ten Idols at the same time moving freely around that stage. I also noticed there was no risers, everyone entered through the stairs.
The show started, and Didi got a mediocre response from the crowd. I didn’t recognize her first song, but she was bopping around with her guitar. She has a very bubbly personality, and was trying to get everyone on their feet. “Terrified” was pleasant. I wasn’t blown away, but it was chill and relaxing.
Video of “Terrified” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRRtl-LgsU0
Next was Andrew, he got a much bigger response than Didi. The crowd loved “Straight Up” and sang along. He seemed more in his element on this stage rather than on Idol. He was at ease, and he could play with the crowd. I wasn’t as big of a fan with “Sunday Morning” his vocals were good, but I’m just not a fan of the song.
Video of “Straight Up” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kDHOt0zKxI&feature=channel
Katie came out with “Here we go again.” Once the song started, it seemed vaguely familiar but It took me a while to figure out it was Demi Lovato. She would always say shes a pop and r&b singer, but this song is far from that. During her banter between the second song she was talking about how the fans made her strong, made her wanting to be a fighter. I knew where this was going, and I was scared. The opening chords of the Christina Aguilera song started and I cringed before she even began to sing.
I forgot how great her voice is. She always chose the wrong songs on Idol, but the girl does have pipes. She’s not Christina, but she pulled it off well. During the bridge of the song, she was making a clapping motion and I could see someone clapping backstage. After staring for a few seconds I noticed it was Tim. I saw him standing there clapping along and he noticed I was looking at him and he waved.
Video of “Here We Go Again” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPmsWGla5cY&feature=channel
Tim walked up the stairs, and he received the loudest screams thus far. I was surprised that he chose to sing “Better Days.” I actually think that was not one of his good performances on the show. But the crowd ate it up anyway. The girls screamed, tried to touch him. He asked the crowd to sing along to the second song “Viva La Vida” I think this song was better than the first, but he has a hard time with his falsetto and reaching those high notes.
Video of “Viva La Vida”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAZoDYGlohY&feature=channel
Siobhan came out with “Paint It Black” in a very Adam Lambert fashion. She was very still but dramatic. Standing still near the band with wind blowing in her hair. Her pink sparkly tutu was very visible. The crowd really loved her but once her third song came, It didn’t feel like an American Idol concert anymore. The song was very dark, and a guitarist emerged from the shadows. Joining her on stage, head banging and playing in a heavy metal fashion. Siobhan was also head banging, I think she would of done a stage dive if she could. She wailed out her signature scream a few times and the crowd screamed back.
Video of last song : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ExxxSBj7_M&feature=channel
Aaron was the one that has made the biggest improvement in my opinion. He would chose the wrong songs on the show, and didn’t know how to move and always carried an “David Archuleta” persona with him. Well that persona went out the window. He was wearing really tight jeans and was dancing around the stage. He looked like a seasoned country singer. The way he was moving sometimes did not give me an Archie impression. I’m not a big country music fan, but I found myself tapping my foot to the beat of the music. The crowd was really loving him, and he had a lot of energy. I was impressed with him.
Video (I’m not sure of the song name) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp7G8JUoZ14&feature=channel
The first group song was Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” I was also pleasantly surprised with this song choice. Their voices actually blended well. Tim, Didi, and Andrew played their guitars while the others joined them on their stools. It was nice to see Aaron come full circle, since this is the song he auditioned with.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj5crzxBmfI&feature=channel
Mike strutted on stage in his three piece suit looking very sharp. He got a big reaction from the crowd. “Woman’s Work” didn’t move me to tears, but I enjoyed it. “Ready for Love” was chill, and “My Love” seemed a little off. I like when Mike sings with a full tone in his lower register. This song choice didn’t make a lot of sense since he’s mostly singing in his falsetto. I also found the dancing a little off.
Video of “My Love” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q9vzXxMZEI&feature=channel
Casey started his set with some serious guitar licks. He really is a great guitarist, but I don’t know how I would rate him as a overall performer. During the season, I found him to be really stiff. His whole body would be stiff, including his jaw. He needs to learn to let lose and make emotional connections. He stood at his mic the entire time, and didn’t move more than a few feet away from it.
Video of “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gHjijqjwq8&feature=channel
Crystal come out in a surprising way. I was slightly confused on how there was no mic stand. She came out in her casual black dress with a guitar in hand, with a head set. She had the crowd going with “What’s Up” and for “Up To The Mountain” she put her guitar away and walked freely around the stage with no mic in hand. I felt like she was telling story. As if she was just talking to us, no props, just Crystal. (I also noticed her parents were there. They were sitting in my section)
Video of “Up To The Mountain” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdEfi_MuVH4&feature=channel
Lee came out, and I was expecting him to just stand at the mic stand. During the season, he had problem with movement. I was also surprised with him. He also came out with a guitar and head set. He looked like a pro, running around the stage like a rockstar. He had confidence. Something the judges always questioned him on. He was very comfortable and was very open about showing his love for the fans. His version of “Beautiful Day” was different than the version he had been performing on various talk shows. I really wished he would of done this version on the finale. Before “Use Somebody” he started to get emotional and his voice started to shake. He told us that we were a part of his family now, and how this concert reminded him of his homecoming.
I think he has a bright future ahead of him.
Video of “Beautiful Day” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8LWQXszeQ8&feature=channel
Video of “Hallelujah: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enjTvKdC8Bo&feature=channel
Video of “Rocket Man” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKz3PAMXhRU&feature=channel
Video of “Use Somebody” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LHiutkLnWM&feature=channel
Video of “Treat Her Like A Lady” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZoNuILVSoo&feature=channel
Right after Lee’s set I went out to the buses to see if I could give Lee my gift in person. After an hour went by Siobhan was the first one to come out. She really took her time with everyone. Once she got to me, it took her probably a whole minute to sign her name. She wanted to be very precise and didn’t want to scribble. I believe she draw some stars and fruit on my ticket as well. It was refreshing to see someone not rushing by people.
Andrew was next and he was joking around with people, and soon Big Mike came out and started at the opposite end. Didi came outside only to say a short good-bye and thank you, and then she headed for the bus. The majority of the people waiting there wanted to see Lee, and they were getting anxious. A little while later, Lee popped up and started to sign things. At first the security guard told fans Lee couldn’t take pictures, but he snuck them in anyway. Once Lee reached me, Andrew was behind him and he randomly slapped Lee’s butt. The funny part is that Lee was not fazed by it. He came up to me and I took out the box and said “I have a gift for you.” After I said that his expression on his face was priceless. He was shocked and he kept saying “You got me a gift?” “This is for me?” “Really?” I believe he said “Thank You” at least 4 or 5 times. I think that was the first time he has received a gift in person. He took the box and began to open it but then all these girls came out of no where and crowded behind me and started to grab at him. He said “Is it okay if I open this in the bus?” and then he handed it to someone else to hold on to it. I asked him for a picture, and as soon as we were about to pose, security told him he can’t take pictures and forced him along. My friend and I decided to go to the end of the line and see if we could take a picture then. Before he got to us people kept asking for pictures and security kept telling them no. Lee reached us again, and security was repeating the same thing over again but Lee didn’t listen to him this time.
You can see the security man in the background glaring into my camera….
Picture:
http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab180/hypnoticwhisper/MeandLee.jpg
