Evan Jane’s American Idol Tour 2009 Hartford, CT Recap

The recaps seem to keep rolling in so I thought I’d share some of my thoughts with everyone. It’s not a detailed critique, more of an overview of performances, atmosphere and audience. At the Hartford concert, I was doing a lot of wooing and seat-dancing and clapping. Everyone around me, young and old, who were seated in the levels above the floor, sat for most of the concert. There was a smattering of people with floor seats that did, in fact, sit during the slower songs, Georgia, Mad World, Ain’t No Sunshine, et al. I’m sure those people weren’t pleased, not being able to see around or over the majority standing. The entire place did stand during the nah, nah, nahs of Hey Jude and remained standing for DSB. That was fun!

There was one girl in my section who was alone. On her lap was a program and a Kris picture. I smiled at her. She looked at me warily. There also was a family two rows up from me with homemade Danny signs along with boxes and boxes of concession stand food. When they left, before Allison came on, the woman lost her hold on one of the posters she’d been gripping which went sliding past me down the stairs. An older woman below stopped it and picked it up, passing it to the person behind her until it got to me and I handed it to the woman. She smiled at me, a bit sheepishly, and said thank you. Of course, I had a huge grin on my face because the whole “fangirl” stuff makes me laugh, good-naturedly, of course. (That is until the behavior becomes borderline psychotic.)

The concert was really a very pleasant time. No one was obnoxious about any of the Idols.

Michael is charming, a talker, and has the good fortune of opening the concert and the misfortune. The audience at that point is ready to go, ready to get the party started. First song is great, banter is great and then “Closer” — not so great. The audience is quieter, but still eager, still willing to give these kids their love.

Megan is out next, very beautiful, although it’s weird hair night. I believe she calls it the Afro, not really the best look for her. The first song works really well. It fits her vocal style. She reminds me of a torch singer, very sultry voice. I’m sure the older men in the audience are reminded of movie stars from their past. She has this Marlena Dietrich-esque quality about her. Very cool. Wow! So much better than the show and then it wasn’t. The second song just didn’t work at all. Megan gets a little “pissy” when she asks people to clap along and only a few comply. I cough out a laugh when she says, “aw come on!” One thing about Megan, she’s fearless, speaks her mind.

Scott is next. Surprisingly, my niece gets excited. I look at her. “Really?” I ask. She shrugs and says, “I liked him a little on the show.” I listen and decide that he’s not so bad. His voice is pretty strong and clear, actually. He’s very self-assured, very well-spoken. But there’s something there … something that turns me off personality-wise. Musically, for me, I rank him just above Muzak.

Lil is on now. Alicia Keyes and Beyonce songs get me singing and bouncing in my seat. My daughter keeps poking me, especially when I sing in her ear. My daughter and niece sit like statues throughout the entire set. So reserved. I’m probably not helping matters. It makes me laugh. I drift a bit during a song or two. “Did Lil sing four songs?” I ask my daughter. I think she mumbled back to me, “no, three.” Daughter is ignoring me now. I say to her, “it seemed longer than three.” I must have lost some time there. I really want to enjoy this concert. I’m trying not to daydream, not to want to be somewhere else. Not to be thinking it’s too warm in this place and why isn’t the “air” on … watching the audience and that one woman who is standing and swaying, her arms over her head, reaching for the rafters. I’m back by the end of the song, “wooing” loudly. My daughter nudges me with her very sharp, pointy elbow. The problem with Lil is — she just ain’t got “IT”. She sings well, but it’s not good enough. Maybe in time…

Anoop is next. Lovely voice, attractive guy. I appreciate Anoop for his quiet, classy demeanor, his intelligence. He wants to be a singer. I keep thinking humanity needs intelligent kids like Anoop for so much more — finding the cure for cancer, perhaps. But then I remember — he’s a Folklorist. Nix that. The crowd in unison calls out, “NOOOP!” Makes me laugh to hear it. My daughter wiggles beside me, pokes me and says she needs to go to the bathroom. I ask her if she can hold it until the group song. She nods her head “yes”. A few seconds later, she’s poking me. “I have to go.” So we head to the bathroom during Anoop’s set. There’s a few people there as well, but the lines are nowhere close to insufferable as they had been before the start of the concert. Both women’s bathrooms had lines snaking around the building. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but it still sucked.

Made it back for Matt’s set, not happy having missed Anoop. Matt is a performer/pianist. I think with Matt, he has this battle going on within, one minute exuding confidence, the next unsure. He’s totally on when he gets into playing the piano. He is naturally gifted, not able to read a lick of music, but having the ability to play piano by ear. I find that amazing. His vocals are a distant second, though. I sang along to the Fray song because I’m familiar with it and I like it. (I have to admit, I nearly forgot Matt’s recap. I guess that says it all in a nutshell.)

Group song. Lil and Megan are very bad. I’m not sure if Lil can harmonize. I go back and forth about who I think is off. After that, the whole group performance is a loss, finding it hard to get back into it. I give it my all to reengage. Then it’s intermission.

Intermittent squealing by some at the Ford commercials. Adam, louder, Kris fans aren’t ready, taken by surprise when his face appears. Most are probably in line doing the bathroom dance, not having the good sense to go during the group performance. The camera loves Kris — the Energy one, especially. My sister asks me something about a Mustang or Fusion. Weren’t all the commercials for the Fusion? I was too busy watching the kids and their antics to notice the cars. My sister is so competitive. She’s disappointed when she doesn’t win. “Please, like you really wanted to meet them.” She shrugs and says, “well, no…”

And then — Allison. She’s too far back, close to the band. I thought she would be closer to the audience, similar to Kris’s performances. I can’t see her, a white light behind her is blinding me. I can only hear her. She sounds good. Then something weird happens. She sounds breathless, the backup singers seem to be filling in the gaps when Allison pauses. Her voice sounds hoarse. What the heck? I look across at my sister, but it’s too loud to voice my concerns to her. Crybaby is much better, she’s getting it together. She sets us up for a fan war. Danny? Adam? Kris? I’m tense waiting for the inevitable, but I’m pleasantly surprised. They love them all. And Kris — they love him, they really, really love him. I’m having a Sally Field moment. Barracuda is exciting. Allison has quite a future ahead of her, if her voice holds out. It’s a bit worrisome to me, but I’m not a doctor nor a professional singer. Just going off my gut.

Danny is next. I’ve little love for Danny, his music or the TV persona. I’ve read the many testaments of what a great guy he is, how caring. I’ve no doubt he is, but I always felt Danny talked way too much. I didn’t find it endearing or charming. It was always I this and I that. The topper for me was the clapping for himself in Top 5 week. It came off as arrogant for me. His singing is a throwback, more lounge singer than Joe Cocker. His voice is good, but like Lil, it’s just not enough. I do love Maria, Maria. Great song and he is doing okay with it. The countdown to “Coat Off” and the dancing is a WTF moment. “What was that?” I ask my daughter. She shrugs. No Gokey love there, either. Rascal Flats sets me adrift. I come back to people cheering. It ebbs a moment or two, the audience collecting themselves for Adam.

And then begins the roar of the crowd — Adam appears and sings WLL. The band sounds good, my son, hearing WLL on youtube doesn’t think that highly of them. Not Jimmy Page. Yeah, but the song is still good. Nah, not Jimmy Page. You can’t help, but get into it, though, Jimmy Page or not, Robert Plant or not. The song is rockin’, upbeat, gets the crowd going. Adam hits his notes, does his moves. When it’s done, I look over at my sister and she states, “he’s no Robert Plant.” I shrug, acquiesce to her opinion, she having witnessed the power of Robert Plant in concert. My limited knowledge, merely from my many vinyls. “You’ve got to admit he can sing, though, right?” She agrees, qualifying it with, “he’s a showman, a performer.” Good or bad, my sister leaves it at that.

Boa moment is priceless. Adam can dance. He’s a triple threat — Singer, dancer and actor. Sam Harris’ younger brother or perhaps, “twin sons of different mothers” — there’s no denying the guy should have a bright future. In Adam speak, “if the Universe sends it his way and all is in alignment.” Yes, I bought the $25 program. The crowd quiets down for Starlight. Many, I think are unfamiliar with Muse. The applause is at a respectable level. Mad World brings on an onslaught of cheers. People know this one, makes them happy. Slow Ride brings the set back up to a rowdy, party level. It’s fun. I’m singing again. The Bowie Medley is okay to me. I’m not liking the tempo of Let’s Dance. I love Bowie, but more the Ziggy Stardust, Suffargette City Bowie. It’s all good, though. (On a sidenote: Adam’s voice sounds higher than I expected. Helium/Alvin quality to it. Is it my ears?)

I feel at this moment as I write this recap, the way I felt at the American Idol concert: love Kris, love his music, but I’m getting tired, having sat through all those other performances. It’s still hot, I’ve been sitting far too long. (I realize afterward that many might have been feeling this way, too. Especially after hearing one woman at the end of the show, say rather snippily to her daughter, “It was THREE HOURS!!!” I looked at her, first surprised, but then empathetic. “Tell me about it.”)

Back to the concert: Kris’s set. The crowd seems to be less drained than I am and screams loudly for Kris. Young kids stand on their feet, yelling for Kris. It’s the family of matching orange shirts I saw while waiting in the bathroom line before the concert. Must be Kris’s groupies. I smile. Yell for me, will ya? I do my part, wooing up a storm. My daughter actually lets one loose. I look at her and laugh. Heatless, has a chipmunk quality to it. My ears? Well, they are ringing a little. Who knows? Love Heartless, but I would have preferred it with a faster tempo, less jazzy. Still good, though. ATTID, am I missing a T or D here, the next song, I love. Love the Killers – think of Cameron Diaz rockin’ out to Mr. Brightside in the movie The Holiday. Think of my late Mom, who saw it with me, and smiled at me when I declared my love for Jude Law. My one and only openly fangirl moment of my life. I swear. My daughter and I sing loudly, I got soul, but I’m not a soldier. Not sure how many people know the Killers. I know the old folks don’t. Doesn’t make it any less awesome. Ain’t No Sunshine is very, very good and Bright Lights rocks, the electric guitar solo makes me very happy.

Now it’s time for Hey Jude. It reminds me of the movie Across the Universe’s version. I love his voice on this and the Judee, Judee parts are amazing, as well as, that scream. Takes me by surprise and I sit there grinning like an idiot. Grabbing my niece’s idle glowstick, I sway back and forth with it, though not high enough to impede the view of those behind me. Then as though there is “group think” everyone rises up at the same time. I choose not to question it and continue on with my loud nah, nah, nah, naah, hey Judes. Kris gets a shirt and wears it during DSB. I love that. (The girl who threw it reported on Rickey’s blog that it was a UCONN shirt.) All still standing for DSB, I’m swaying and singing, “just a small time girl …” Surprisingly, I find myself wishing there were more group performances like this. It’s a lot of fun. The kids on stage seem to be enjoying themselves as well.

The song is over too quickly and the crowd roars. Everyone is happy. (With the exception of the one I mentioned above.) All in all a great show, well worth the money. A great concert, a great memory for my daughter and myself — priceless.

About mj santilli 35105 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!