Let me start by stating that this is obviously colored by my own opinion and taste and may not reflect the views of others that attended.
I was lucky enough to win a lottery at work for suite seats and went with my 14 year old daughter. We are both Adam fans but like several others as well. The FedEx Forum was packed. Only some noose bleed seats left. I’ve never seen a concert in a suite and it does drop the energy level. Not many people in the boxes get up at all because the view is so good without standing. Here are my impressions:
Michael- He came out to a warm but not overwhelming response. Both of his songs were nice and he sounded good. Walked the stage and interacted with the crowd.
Megan- Her graphics are very Hello Kitty but my daughter liked them. The first song was good and suited her. The second is a train wreck and she should really change it. It killed the vibe she had going with the first song.
Scott- Nice entrance with the Piano. He plays really well but he seemed to mumble when singing. Sometimes I had no idea what he was saying. His jokes were cute. Overall a solid job.
Lil- She got the biggest cheers of the night so far but less than I thought she would. Her songs were well sung. She has a good voice. I think what is holding her back is putting her own spin on them. She needs to develop a style of her own. Right now she is too Whitney/Beyonce.
Anoop- The graphic of his head floating in the clouds was so freaking funny that everyone in the box cracked up laughing and almost missed half the first song before we could stop. I don’t think that is the reaction they want/need. He has a nice voice. A bit geeky presence but he got into that last song and really Bobby Brown’d it out.
Matt- Got the biggest reception so far. Lots of love for him and he was really good. Best stage presence of the first 6. Wonderful piano playing. My daughter even stopped texting long enough to notice.
Group number was OK. Fun but nothing special about it. Intermission. The first half was fun but not like a real rock concert. Low energy from the audience and too many different styles to get a real jam going. There were a few times that people stood up but not that often or long.
Allisan- Good intro and she really worked the stage. He voice sounded a bit strained but I think it may just always sound that way. I can see her going far if they give her some strong non-Miley songs to sing. Very fun and the first time that most of the audience got up to dance. I could see almost the entire place from where I was.
Danny- Not my favorite so I ran out to the bathroom when his intro started. Got back middle of the first song. He got a better cheer than Allisan and the lower sections were dancing some on PYT. The second song was OK. Then he did two Rascal Flats songs. My daughter thought he did a good job with them and should do country. At least it would sell. I don’t see much market for Latin music as he does it. He did look nice and seemed very invested in his speech and songs.
ADAM- The place went wild when his intro started. Everyone was on their feet (except the box people) and screaming. WLL was tame from YouTube versions I’ve seen. He said ‘Woman’ and still worked the mic stand. The Forum was nuts by the time he finished. There is a long pause for the cheering/screaming to die down then Starlight. I love this song so it was my favorite. I think it shows off his mad range to perfection. He moved all over the stage for our performance of this. Mad World had people sitting to enjoy it and swaying their hands. It was truly magical. He makes you want to cry. He thanked everyone for voting for him and said he loved the South. Then it was back on the feet for Slow Ride then into the Bowie medley. He dances so well and with such sensuality that everyone got into it. We were extolled to ‘Get up and Dance everybody’ . No Bitches in Memphis. The crowed continued to cheer even after the lights went out. It was crazy loud it got.
Kris- There was a HUGE cheer for Kris’s opening. He got lots of love from Memphis but Adam was hard to follow. Most everyone not on the floor sat down for the songs but there was loud clapping and cheering between songs. Kris seems nice but needs to work on crowd interaction a bit more. They want to respond but there is not much chance between songs. He finished by asking everyone to sing along to Hey Jude. I had to laugh to myself because about half the audience was too young to even know the song. My daughter asked if they were going to put the words up since she had never heard of it. That’s the problem when your audience is under 20. Those of us that did know it sang along.
The group final was fun and a nice way to end a wonderful evening. I had heard there was to be a rush to the airport to fly out and not really any signing afterward so we didn’t go. It’s not a great part of town and we wanted to get home. Overall, I would go see Adam again in a heartbeat and perhaps Kris if he can distinguish himself from the million other singer/songwriter types out now. His voice was good now he just needs to fine a unique sound.
