Stavros attended the Idols Live concert in Wilkes-Barre last night and was kind enough to write up this recap. Enjoy!
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As my best friend and our parents took the hour and a half ride up to Wilkes-Barre, we weren’t completely sure what to expect during the concert. We all had our favorites (Pia, James, Scotty), but overall we agreed that everyone this season was pretty great. Once we got there we split up and went to our respective seats. All of the “commercials” they were showing were Idol-related, and eventually the countdown started. Every Idol from Naima to Scotty was shown, with the Top 4 getting deafening applause. Pia garnered a good amount, too.
Born This Way – Pia, Haley, Thia, Naima, Lauren So now that the crowd is hyped up, the band starts playing the familiar Gaga anthem. Who is going to be the first to show? Naima, of course. I was a little worried about Naima because I knew that she had some vocal and pitch problems, but she came out confident and sounded decent. She could have a whole Rihanna-type vibe going for her. The other girls follow suit, and I’ve got to admit, they all sound good together. Lauren and Thia were dressed in ruffly messes of white dresses, which was kind of distracting. Haley looks sleek in a mini skirt and hair pulled back into a ponytail. Wow! They’ve got some crazy harmonies going here. Kudos to the five of them for holding their own.
Empire State of Mind – Pia Toscano Lauren comes out to make a quick introduction for the concert. Aww Lauren, her voice is almost gone! She had bronchitis while she was on Good Morning America about a week ago. Poor girl. But the spotlight focuses on Pia with some cool skyscraper lighting effects behind her. She sounds INCREDIBLE. Pia’s voice just finds a way to circle the whole entire arena. She was my favorite on the show, and now she’s definitely showing a more versatile and energetic style. What can I say, she’s ultra talented. I’m sure this will be a big hit when she hits New York tomorrow. Good call by giving her the opening solo.
California King Bed – Pia and Stefano Pia hasn’t even left the stage yet and she’s starting her third song. She has her solo at the beginning, and again that big voice of hers covers the whole arena. She’s really amazing, like goosebumps amazing. And then we hear a tenor voice behind her, and the whole crowd squints to try to tell if it’s Stefano or James (who sort of look alike in the shadowy lights). But it’s Stefano of course, and all of the ladies start to scream. Let me just stop here to stay Stefano has improved SO much. SO much. I didn’t really get into him during the show, but he’s keeping up with Pia and their dynamo voices mesh well together. The crowd loved this one.
Maggie May – Paul McDonald Let me be honest, I didn’t like Paul on the show. And I wasn’t jumping down for him now either. His usually raspy voice almost sounded like a mouse behind the microphone. He kept calling out the crowd to stand up, but still about half of them remained sitting. Nothing special here.
Who Says – Thia Megia Thia was really underrated on the show. She needed time and didn’t perform as youthful as she could have (see: Alaina, Lauren). Here’s a solid and youthful song for her though, and this is the direction for her. She might have sang it better than Ms. Gomez herself. Thia just needs a little bit more time to develop her voice and herself as a person. Pretty girl, though.
Tightrope – Pia, Thia, Naima, Haley This was just cool. Crazy yellow arrow lights flashed all around the stage. Ooh! They’re doing the leg dance from the video—first Haley and Pia, then Naima and Thia. Again, some crazy harmonies from these girls. Haley’s voice especially fits the bluesy tune well. She and Pia upstage Thia and Naima a bit, but this was a really great performance.
Grenade – Stefano Langone Like I said before, Stefano has really improved a tone. He’s got a red spotlight on him and he’s playing on the piano. I don’t remember this much control in his voice a few months ago. He knows when to emphasize the tenderness in his voice. The ladies go crazy over him. He’s going for those big glory notes like he did in his other performances, and he’s hitting them much better now. I’m impressed.
DJ Got Us Falling in Love – Stefano with the Girls Another solid vocal from Stefano. This Bruno Mars/Ne-Yo/Usher vibe should be the direction he takes. The girls are behind him doing some sexy moves. Naima sticks out especially. They’re doing a nice job of backing Stefano. He’s super energetic, running from one side of the stage to the next. The crowd’s up on its feet. Oy. No flashing this time, Stefano’s entire shirt comes off and the girls in the front scream. He throws it to them and continues the song. The audience loved it.
Animal – Stefano, James, Jacob, Casey, and Paul After watching this one, I think the girls’ version of “Born this Way” trumps the guys’ “Animal.” Paul kicks it off, and the guys follow after him. A Stefano with a shirt emerges soon after. They’re doing a decent job with the harmonies as well. The Stefano-Casey-James bromance is definitely showing, and Jacob and Paul look a little awkward on stage with them.
On the Floor – Naima Adedapo Hi JLo! A video of Jennifer Lopez introduces Naima, and the crowd cheers about the Most Beautiful woman. Naima’s improved a lot as well. Her voice doesn’t go as flat as it used to. She’s dancing all over the place and hasn’t stopped moving, and her voice stays consistent. Nice job, Naima. And then comes the crazy African dance that she incorporates. Not going to lie, I recorded it on my phone while the audience went crazy. I was pleasantly surprised.
This Time – Pia Toscano! Pia’s back with her new single “This Time!” (By the way, Pia’s winning the YouTube race. She’s over 2, 500, 000 views. Scotty’s at 1, 600, 000, and Lauren at 500, 000. Good for her.) It’s a catchy tune, and I already have it basically memorized. She sounds great again, and the music video plays behind her. The people around me are impressed. She’s going to be fine with her career, I like this performance a lot.
IP “Firework” by Haley, Pia, and Thia. They didn’t perform it. Sads.
Smooth – Casey Abrams Casey’s turn! He gets a ton of cheering when he comes out. He’s got the bass! He starts out super cool and quiet. Casey just gets music. He can ease up on the growl, though… Ha!! He sits down and extends his leg, and a fan grabs his foot! You set yourself up, brother.
Moanin’ – Haley and Casey YES. I was DYING to see this live. And I was not disappointed. Casey excelled at improv and scatting parts. Haley stole the performance, though. Her voice is angelic. She also just gets music. She does things with her voice that I didn’t think were possible. Their onstage chemistry is remarkable as well, which is why this was a huge audience hit. I loved it.
Harder to Breath – Casey Abrams I love love love Maroon 5. So Casey had to do them justice. And he did! (Mary Murphy moment. Heh). This is my favorite performance by Casey yet because it’s so melodious and musically challenging, which he could handle. The crowd goes crazy over his growl, but I’m still not a fan.
Forget You – Group Number The Top 11 (minus Scotty) are all dressed in fiery red outfits. They each get a turn at a solo, and James, Casey, Haley, and Pia all wow the crowd. It was a lot of fun and they were all just dancing around having a grand ol’ time, especially Naima. A little too much, Naima… An exciting way to end the first half for sure.
And cue intermission. I listened to the girl behind me explain to her mother that Forget You is a clean version of an explicit song, and so on. Intermission ends quickly, thank God. I’m having a great time at the concert, and so is the entire crowd. Everyone has improved and they all sound seasoned.
Flat on the Floor – Lauren Alaina Yay! Everyone’s favorite runner-up is back on stage, recovering throat and all. She pulled off all of the songs in her set and you couldn’t even tell she was fighting illness. WHO IS THIS GIRL!? This girl on stage is jumping around and shaking her body. Super high energy. This is a much more relaxed and excited Lauren Alaina! Her confidence has soared, and she takes vocal risks that she would never take on the show. She’s grown a lot as well.
Like My Mother Does – Lauren Alaina Second single of the night! Lauren takes a moment to explain that her mother means a lot to her. Her voice is soft and tender. She sounds really incredible. The music video plays behind her, just like Pia’s performance. Ooops. Except the screen right next to the music video shows the Lauren performing, and she’s not nearly as tan as in the video. Oh well. The crowd goes crazy over Lauren. She’s matured a whole lot. Reminds me a lot of Carrie Underwood during this and “Flat on the Floor.”
If I Die Young – Lauren with Thia, Stefano, and Haley Lauren continues to show that she has grown as a vocalist. She doesn’t back away from the key change this time, and even if it’s not perfect, she attacks it anyway. Thia, Haley, and Stefano do a nice job of backing her up. It’s a really pretty vocal, and the audience liked it a lot.
Sweet Child o’ Mine – James Durbin James makes a grand entrance behind the audience! A whole string of body guards accompany him, you know, to make sure nobody hurdles their body at him as he struts down the aisle. My problem with James was that people loved him, the judges adored him, but his voice was never fully supported or in tune. Tonight live he sounded considerably better. Wow, he’s hitting notes like a double high C. The audience is going crazy. It’s like a slightly toned down Adam Lambert performance. The crowd absolutely loves James. He’s improving big time.
Uprising – James Durbin Ooooh, fancy smoke between James. “Uprising” is another huge hit. Everyone is on their feet! He can stretch his voice to places that nobody should be able to. He’s a real musician and entertainer. He goes sharp in parts, but again he’s fairly under control. He’s going to be just fine after the tour, I think. He could headline his own tour.
Never Too Much – Jacob Lusk Really? On such an exciting, youthful setlist Jacob gets Luther? They’ve got like disco lights on him. It’s sort of a letdown after the incredibly flashy and crowd-pleasing James. I just can’t get into it; it’s so opposite what everyone else has presented. His voice isn’t failing him, though.
You’re All I Need to Get By – Jacob Lusk with Pia, Naima, and Stefano Another “different” song coming from Jacob. He keeps asking the audience to get up, but they don’t move as readily as they did with James or Stefano, or even Paul. During this whole performance I just felt that Jacob belonged in a different decade. I love the whole Motown/Marvin Gaye feel, but this just didn’t fit. I never liked Jacob.
House of the Rising Sun – Haley Reinhart Besides Pia, this is what I was waiting for! A Haley solo, and I’m so beyond excited that it’s “House of the Rising Sun”. She starts off a capella (chills!) The audience is going wild for her! Her voice is so angelic, she can take it so high and stay perfectly in tune. When she gets into it she’s equally as beautiful. My mother remarked on how great she looked. At one point the band almost dropped out and Haley was singing on a hum, and the whole stadium got immediately silent. It’s crazy how she can command an audience like that.
Bennie and the Jets – Haley Reinart Another favorite from the show! This performance won me over. Haley takes a seat on the stairs and performs with her usual sexy vibe. This one brings the house down. The audience really loves Haley. She’s such a musician—I’m a huge fan.
Your Man – Scotty McCreery And then there was one. We see a montage with every Idol finale results from Kelly to Scotty (the audience gets loudest of Carrie’s crowning, besides Scotty’s). AH. The audience is going wild for him! His voice goes soooo low. He’s got crazy control, and he doesn’t need to go crazy like any of the other guys. At one point he sings something about being turned on and the girls go wild. I like Scotty a lot. Baby lock them doors!
Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not – Scotty McCreery Again, the audience ladies go wild over this one. I like this performance a lot as well, Scotty’s doesn’t need extremely high energy and gaudiness to win over a crowd. He’s got his guitar, and he’s just like a normal kid. Nice performance.
I Love You This Big – Scotty McCreery The music video played behind Scotty like Pia and Lauren. He sounds just like he does in the video, which I had watched earlier today. Another nice vocal and plenty of screaming fans.
When You Say Nothing At All – Scotty and Lauren Lauren joins Scotty! Aw, at one point they hold hands and walk down the stairs. They’ve got great chemistry. Lauren actually upstages Scotty vocally, and I go back to remembering why I had wanted her to win last May. They’re both great. While the lights dimmed afterwards, I saw them link arms and walk towards the back of the stage.
Gone – Scotty with Pia, Haley, Thia, and Lauren The ladies minus Naima are back to sing with Scotty. The girls are four little powerhouses behind Scotty! They echo his “Gones” with even stronger ones. You should know by now that anything with Scotty makes an audience wild, and adding Pia, Haley, and Lauren to the mix only amplified the crowd’s reaction.
Group Medley! Lauren and James come out first, and their voices complement each other very well for their uptempo beat. The rest come out after, followed by Lauren and James. It’s a show stopped for sure. Finally Scotty makes his grand appearance. They’ve all just got a great chemistry on stage. Lauren is letting Paul and James spin her while Naima is tangoing with Casey. It’s just so much fun and everyone’s on their feet. Scotty, Pia, Haley, Lauren, and James all get the loudest applause during their final bows.
And that’s that! Everyone really held their own. Stefano, Lauren, Naima, and Jacob improved leaps and bounds. Haley and Casey wowed the crowd with their voices. Pia commanded the entire stadium. Stefano stripped. Until next year, folks!
