Read Elliott’s (from @leedewyzenet) recap of the Cincinnati Idols Live show. Not only did he get to see the Idols, but he saw Allison Iraheta rocking out to Lee’s set! Don’t miss the photo links at the end.
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When it got time to head down to Riverbend, we went there and found the barricades… after parking a mile away from the venue (oops). There was a long wait and it was relatively humid, so it was a bit of a drag. We made friends with some of the people who had been to some other Idol shows, so they said they’d get photos of us with the Idols when they came out. Tim and Casey ended up being the only ones who came out, but both of them were really nice.
It was also during this time that a bunch of butterflies were flying around as I saw Siobhan walk out of the tour bus. I looked back a few moments later and she had disappeared, as well as the butterflies. It entertained us all. I also saw Katie on her phone and Crystal smoking during this time, too.
We were told the Idols were doing press and then rehearsing so we decided to get something to eat. There was only one restaurant on the street, so we headed there. While Andrew went to the bathroom, these two girls from the barricades sat at the table next to ours so we quickly starting chatting about our mutual Lee love. They were also sitting a few rows behind us, so we said we’d meet up with them at the barricades.
When we were finished eating, we headed back to the venue (where we parked a bit closer this time) and then headed in. All the security thought it was funny we bought shoes for Lee, but it ended up being a good thing (~foreshadowing).
We found our friends from the barricades in the row behind us, and then the two girls from the diner a few rows back. He also kept coming to the gates because his cousin, aunt and uncle were there so I got a bunch of creeper pics.
Didi Benami was first and she was good. The crowd was more excited for Terrified than her first song, but she was very well received.
Andrew Garcia was someone I liked on the show, and he was a lot better on tour than he was on the show. He got the crowd to stand up and dance along, which was good. We all sang along to Straight Up.
Katie Stevens was someone I didn’t like much on the show, but damn did she ever impress. Her first song was already leagues better than the show, and Fighter was just epic. Everyone around us was like WHY WASN’T SHE LIKE THIS ON THE SHOW!? She seemed like a hybrid of Jordin and Allison, and she definitely got an approval from the crowd after she went off stage.
Tim Urban got a lot of cheers, as was to be expected. Better Days sounded better live than it did on tour, though I did like his show performance. I was a bit worried for Viva la Vida given that it was a pretty rangy song, but he brought down the arrangement and made it work.
Siobhan Magnus wins for having the most unusual performance set. We were all complaining she stood still during Paint It Black, but her glory note in Paint It Black got the crowd silent. It was literally longer than thirty seconds and she got a standing ovation for it. During Spiderwebs, Andrew and I decided to headbang and she saw us from the other side of the stage and laughed. Stockholm Syndrome was really good – probably my favorite of her three songs.
Then came Aaron Kelly, who was surprisingly hot. His set was really good and I still don’t see why 19E didn’t sign him and try to market him as a male Taylor Swift. He got a pretty loud applause from the crowd.
I hate myself for knowing every word to The Climb (purely Joe McElderry’s fault), but the six of them sounded really good singing it. Also, Tim’s pants were baggy so it was nice seeing the waistband of his boxers, heh.
We just stayed in our seats during intermission, assuming the bathrooms and concessions lines would be pretty lengthy. When intermission ended, Michael came on. I wasn’t a fan of his, so I said I’d get the water. Riverbend’s a pretty small arena, so you could still hear him from the restrooms and concessions stand.
As I’m leaving, however, Lee comes out from the gate to see Mike on stage. I pass him just as he’s coming out and went Hey, good luck tonight. He goes, Thanks, where are you sitting? I told him front row and he said he’d see us there and then went back in when people started screaming at him.
Michael’s set was pretty meh, as I expected. I wasn’t a fan of any of his songs, and he sounded nasally non-stop. Needless to say, I do not understand why the judges thought it was a good idea saving him.
Casey James came on and though we both liked him, we weren’t flailing like we were with some of the other contestants. However, this dude can really shred a guitar and I have to admit that he’s the only one who could pull off switching guitars mid-song without it seeming douchey. I definitely see now why he got signed. His duet with Mike was more enjoyable than it was on the show, and they both sounded well on it. I give the edge to Casey, though.
Crystal got a loud applause which was nice. Her set was very good and the entire crowd was singing along with every song. She waved at us a few times in between songs, and then gave a young boy her guitar pick because he looked like her son and had a shirt that said “MamaSox” on it.
When she left, the stage went dark and a good chunk of the crowd starting chanting Lee’s name. Finally, Lee came out and the crowd (us included) went nuts. His set was everything I wanted and more, and he acknowledged a few fans when we waved. He and Crystal did sound a bit different, though, but I think that might be because of the acoustics at Riverbend.
Adam Lambert was performing a show across the river, so Allison was backstage for the second half. She was rocking out during Lee’s set and when we noticed her, we waved. She waved back with a smile and went back to watching Lee. Since Allison and Lee were my favorites from their respective seasons, it made me happy.
My phone died as the show ended, so we went to my car to charge it a bit. The girl that we had met at the diner DM’d me on twitter to tell me the Idols were coming out soon, so we quickly headed back. Katie came out first and she was really sweet. Tim came out for a few seconds, but soon went back in as did Casey.
Then Lee came out and everyone was trying to talk to him as quick as they could. He got to us and we handed him the Converse, which he really enjoyed – enough to the point to take two photos with us and then our friends and have an actual conversation with us.
As he left, we realized our photos didn’t take because our flashes were off, so we found the fence and hollered his name. He saw it was us and when we said our photos didn’t take, he jumped off the golf cart and ran over to take another photo with us.
I had read that Tim, Aaron and Lee got the most applause at most shows, but at mine, I’d say it went (from most to least): Lee (the crowd was chanting his name after Crystal’s set), Crystal, Casey, Aaron, Tim, Mike, Siobhan, Didi, Andrew, Katie. Katie got a lot more applause following her set, and Siobhan got a standing ovation for her 30+ second glory note in PIB.
I’d say Katie has improved the most since the show. Had she sung on the show like she did Monday night, she definitely would’ve been a real contender. Overall, I enjoyed nine of the ten sets.
I have photos of Lee at http://www.lee-dewyze.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=279 and the rest of the Top 10 at http://www.lee-dewyze.net/gallery/index.php?cat=40.
