For the most part, Chicksineggz enjoyed the Idols more live than she did on her TV. Read her recap below:
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Hey guys! So I go by the username of chicksineggz on mj’s blog but most people just call me chicks. Here’s a little background on me: I’m 17, and I’ve casually watched Idol ever since it began, but I didn’t become crazy obsessed with it until Blake Lewis. Then I was even more obsessed with David Cook, and the year after that I became obsessed, but not as much, with Kris Allen. I LOVED seasons 6, 7, and 8, and I thought season 9 was incredibly boring. But, because of conflicts in years past, this happens to be the first Idol concert I’ve ever been to. I actually wasn’t even planning on seeing the tour, but when I saw the $20 (+ $10 fee) tickets, I figured “Why not?” I decided to go with my mom and my sister because all of my friends think Idol is the lamest thing ever.
I got to the Wachovia center at around 7:00pm and just like I expected, the upper seats had been closed off and we got better seats! I was seated in section 107, row 118.. ish, which weren’t amazing seats, but they were good enough, and I was glad I wasn’t sitting way up there. Programs were $25 and T-shirts were the insane price of $35; they weren’t going to get more of my money.
On to the Idols.
I think there was one point during the season that I thought Didi could go really far. It was her Hey Jude audition and her Hollywood performance of Terrified that made me realize her potential. Of course, she faltered later because she was just confused. She sang songs that were too.. heavy. And when it’s too heavy, her tone changes, and she loses her magic. So, I was happy when I heard her live. I didn’t recognize Didi’s first song, so I wasn’t really sure about it. I loved Terrified, though I wish the chorus would have been just a tad bit faster, like how she sang it during Hollywood week. I mean, the words are “You said it again, my heart’s in motion.” I still thought she sounded great, though. I loved her tone.
I absolutely hated Andrew Garcia on the show. I don’t know why; it was mix of his Danny Gokey-ness, his neck tattoo, his terrible song arrangements, the fact that it seemed like he never read the lyrics to any song he sang, and more. But I also remember his audition with Sunday Morning and his Hollywood performance of Straight Up. That was when he was my favorite. And on tour, he’s reminding us all why we liked him in the first place. He’s cool. That’s probably the best word I can use to describe him. Sunday Morning was perfect for him because it’s a song that already fits him. He just added his own little touches and it worked really well. And everyone loved Straight Up.
I had mixed feelings about Katie on the show. I didn’t think she was as bad as people said she was, but I didn’t really like her anyways. She was a lot of fun at the concert though. She was all fierce and sassy and strutting her stuff. She told the audience to stand up… and very few people actually stood up. I wanted to stand, but I didn’t want to block the little kids behind me so I sat in my seat and moved and sang along. I really enjoyed it.
I love Tim Urban. In this dull season 9, Tim was the one entertaining part for me. I know he’s one of the weaker singers, but I love his tone when he sings in his lower register. He could have sang terribly, and I still would have loved it. But I actually thought he sounded pretty good! He received LOTS of screams. (including my own!)
Siobhan was another that I had mixed feelings about during the show. I loved her Living for the City during Hollywood week and her House of the Rising Sun during the semis. But I thought she listened to the judges way too closely and she stopped just simply trusting herself. Still, no one can deny that she has some serious pipes. I hated Paint it Black when she sang it on the show, but I really liked it live. The final scream didn’t seem all off pitch. I didn’t actually know the other two songs. I loved her energy though. Paint it Black was definitely my favorite of the three.
Aaron Kelly, what can I say about him? I didn’t like him on the show because I didn’t think he was that great of a singer and because he had terrible posture. It made him look really awkward when he sang. But wow, it was so different seeing him at the concert. I think he was being pretty sassy too. He was confident and he sounded really good, like a true country singer. His banter was pretty good too. I have to admit that at times I just burst out laughing. Maybe it’s because he’s still really young and he’s just dancing all over the place. It was just hilarious.
Overall, I really really enjoyed the first half of the show. I was impressed by all six of them. The Climb was really good too.
Okay, I know Big Mike is a really good singer. But he just bores me. I was one of those people who wished that he hadn’t been saved even though I knew he completely deserved it. The first two songs were slow and I just wasn’t feeling it. But I really liked the Justin Timberlake song, and I finally stood up because I saw some others around me standing. The rapping was fun.
I was also not a Casey fan on the show. I didn’t think he was very attractive at all, and I thought the whole, taking his shirt off thing when he auditioned was stupid. Oh, not to mention I thought he sounded like a goat and moved like a robot. I was one of the few people who didn’t like his version of Jealous Guy at all. But I will admit this. He didn’t sound like a goat at all during the concert. He actually has a really nice tone to his voice. And his guitar playing is amazing. I can totally see why people like him, even though he’s not my cup of tea.
I can’t forget Casey and Mike’s duet. I LOVED Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman. I thought it was great on the show (better than Lee and Crystal’s duet) and it was just as good seeing it live. I was swaying and mouthing the words and making my sister sway with me.
Crystal was amazing. She was amazing on the show, (I still think she should have won, and in fact, one girl yelled it out loud during the concert) and she was amazing during the concert. Definitely the best singer of the group, even with a cold or whatever sickness she had. Even though I found her songs to be more low-key, she kept me entertained and I loved her whole set. Oh, and she seemed really shocked at how big the concert venue was.
If I had to pick one disappointment, it had to be Lee. I actually really like Lee. Sure, at first I hated him because he reminded me of Danny Gokey, he wouldn’t pull his pants up, he never sang on pitch, and Simon praised him to no end, but I started liking him. He won me over with Treat Her Like a Lady, and his hilarious version of Hey Jude. And I loved Simple Man. I liked listening to him more than Crystal, even though I thought Crystal deserved the title more. So, hearing him live, I just didn’t think it was that great. He sounded off. Almost a bit nasally or thin. It sounded like he was nervous in the beginning even though I didn’t think any of these guys were nervous. But, I wasn’t going to let that spoil anything. I stood up and I forced my sister to get up with me even though she felt really embarrassed. (No one else around me was standing, so I made sure to stand in front of empty seats that weren’t blocking anyone) I still really enjoyed listening to Lee, and I loved the songs he picked.
My mom liked Aaron and Casey the most. She thought Lee was so boring and not that good of a singer. My sister liked Katie the most, but she thought Casey was boring. They both thought Mike was boring.
Overall, the concert was a lot of cheesy fun, even though most of the crowd was seriously lacking some enthusiasm. I actually think I liked the first half better than the second half, but it was all good. If you’re thinking about seeing it, you should definitely see it. And embrace the cheesy-ness.
