Make sure to check out the photos and videos at the end!
This was my 3rd Idol Tour experience, after Seasons 4 and 7, and I have to say that this was by far my favorite show of the three. Perhaps because after deciding to go 3 hours before the concert, we scored 10th row seats on eBay for 9 dollars more than upper deck tickets on Ticketmaster. So off I went with my dad, the last person I ever expected to really want to go. He loves Adam, so I guess that’s what did it.
Since most of you know what generally goes on in the shows, I’ll point out my personal highlights (and lowlights):
The crowd was nuts! The Idol fans are all kinds of crazy, and I love it. The excitement definitely built with each contestant, until a volcano of screams erupted at the sight of Adam’s face. And that’s an understatement.
MICHAEL:
– I never really gave him a chance on the show (still bitter about Ricky Braddy getting the shaft), but he sounds really good live. Really got the lively crowd moving.
MEGAN:
– She was a favorite of mine, so I know I’m a little biased, but I thought she sounded and looked so great. I mostly felt sad inside for her though, after reading/seeing tour interviews and knowing how she didn’t want to be wearing that outfit or singing those songs. But seriously, she sounds good. I don’t know why she let herself go a little crazy on the show, because I think she’s been a bit under appreciated for her unique talent.
SCOTT:
– Though his piano playing sounded great, I found myself mostly being drawn to the band during his songs. And by the time “A Thousand Miles” was done, I couldn’t wait for him to stop singing. Seems like such a nice guy though. When he got into his high five jokes, the guy behind me yelled, “WHY DON’T YOU DITCH THE SINGING FOR STAND-UP?” I personally would say to stick to the piano. Almost everyone was sitting down and seeming almost non-interested by the end of his set.
LIL:
– She had a new crazy wig and sounded okay, just not anything like the big diva voices in past seasons. I’ll give her credit for getting people up and dancing though.
ANOOP:
– Holy ballad, this guy can sing. What is it about the sound system that makes these people sound so good? I think I’m starting to understand how the judges can sometimes seem like they are hearing something completely different than the viewers. My dad likes Anoop’s purple shoes. I can hear “ANOOOOOOOOP” ringing through the stadium the entire time he’s on stage. People behind me thought he was being booed. He totally looks like someone I would pass on campus at school and never suspect he would turn into this R&B master on stage.
MATT:
– Where did this come from?? I always thought Matt was pleasant on the show, but I never really got it when he made it to wildcard…or when he got into the top 13….or when he was saved by judges. (Seriously, who wants to be the guy that was voted off the show 3 times?) But WOW. He burst onto the stage with “Hard to Handle, ” and it was awesome. Completely different, yet still just as awesome with Georgia, and then completely redeeming himself with “You Found Me” after the infamous “swaybot”-pit performance on the show. The audience is getting into the show much more with Matt than they have so far. I now get the saving, as well as the #signmattgiraud topic on Twitter.
GROUP NUMBERS:
– These contestants are ON tonight.
– I’m actually glad the piano duet wasn’t on the finale like it was supposed to, because it made it more special in the tour.
– I’ve heard lots of criticism of the Meg/Lil duet, but it sounds pretty good tonight.
– Even though watching Scott do choreography still makes me cringe inside, I have to give him props for having such guts.
(intermission–and quick note. My friend won the Idol Experience in Disney and made it to the 2nd round (producers round) at the real auditions. It’s not as special as they make it seem in the video, according to him.)
ALLISON:
– Forget Miley and all these other teen “rockstars”. Allison is the real deal, and she is on fire tonight. I still get so excited at the fact that contestants like Allison and Kris were barely shown at all in the audition and Hollywood episodes, but now have arenas full of people going crazy for them. All I could say during her set, repeatedly, is “SHE’S SEVENTEEN?!” She ripped through each of her songs, and got better with each one.
DANNY:
– I’ll admit that I was never on the Danny train this season. I even resented people for being on the Danny train at times, especially the judges. He is a big ball of cheese, and there’s no getting around that. But I found myself really enjoying his voice tonight. It was incredible. (But not incredible: the awkward 30 second salsa dancing at the end of “Maria Maria”.) And just when I thought, “THANK YOU, Danny, for getting through the set without making a heart with your two hands, ” he snuck one in just as the lights were fading. And there he goes, back down on my list. People really loved him though, although not at the level I anticipated.
ADAM:
– Okay. If I ever go deaf at an early age, it will be because of Adam Lambert. Never in my life and never in the hundreds of concerts that I’ve been to have I heard a noise as deafening as the crowd in both anticipation and reaction to Adam. It was a bit shocking. There were two older ladies in front of me dressed in all black, with black eye make-up and black fingernails, that turned into two 14 year olds outside of TRL trying to see the Backstreet Boys. I saw another girl, maybe about 5 or 6, dressed like a Bratz Doll with black eyeliner, going batcrap crazy. It was all a little strange. My biggest complaint with Adam is that I never felt like I was watching a real person, or a real artist, when he performed. It just seemed like a character. But tonight, I didn’t even care. I loved it.
– During “Slow Ride, ” someone threw what looked like a sparkly black feather boa on stage at Allison. She twirled it around and threw it back into the crowd while she and Adam cracked up (see my video).
– I also can now see why audiences and judges about peed themselves every time Adam was on stage. I never fully got it from the other side of the TV, but now I can understand. Adam is confusingly charismatic, whose personality changes drastically from song to song. The first song was this intense moment of extremely loud noise, flashes, thrashes, screams, and wails–and immediately brought down to a mid-tempo happy Starlight, into a haunting stillness during “Mad World.” And the audience went everywhere Adam led. That is a sign of a talented entertainer.
KRIS:
– While definitely not as insane as Adam’s moment, Kris came out to another rabid crowd reaction. The quiet, selfless acoustic stud that I rooted for all the way through the season filled up the arena like he’s done it his whole life. I almost felt like a proud friend, watching him go effortlessly through his set. Is that weird? That’s just the personality Kris puts out–like he’s your buddy. And that’s his appeal.
– The Killers song was such a good replacement to No Boundaries. That drab tune, although it did grow on me, would’ve killed the momentum and flow of the set.
– All of his songs seemed like they were written just for him, which is what makes Kris stand out. “Hey Jude” is a perfect closer, especially with my dad shouting every word.
ENDING:
– More dueling pianos! Adam and Kris coming out of the floor! wardrobe changes! disco balls! BUBBLES! This closer was so much better than last year’s Rihanna song. I still can’t believe they did that.
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Best performance of the night: I gotta give it to Slow Ride. Adam and Allison are a perfect pair.
Worst performance of the night: Single Ladies. Lil showed us the Beyonce that she is not.
Most disturbing moment: two eight-year-old girls in front of me losing it when Adam starts to gyrate. So many things uncomfortable about that.
Best surprise: Matt Giraud. Sign Matt Giraud!
Biggest cringe: Scott and choreography don’t mix. Did they really make him do that? Again?
Best LOLz moment: Danny’s mic stand had no holder on top for the mic. He awkwardly handed it down to a crew member and then danced around stage until he got the mic stand back…and then he awkwardly danced with the mic stand the rest of the song. (What?)
2nd LOLz moment: Seeing a little boy after the show, holding an “I <3 DANNY” sign and dancing and singing “Don’t Stop Believing” in the street.
Most satisfying moment: Seeing my favorite contestant be the winner for the first time since season 1!
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Can’t wait for next year!
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28831741@N07/sets/72157622046259835/
Videos (part 1): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WlqAij8trw
Videos (part 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYhgqfZUX44
