Sarah and her daughter saw the Idol show last night in Philadelphia. Read her re-cap below…
I had purchased tickets back in May in time for my daughter’s birthday. So after anticipating the show for a little over two months, it was hard to believe that the big night was finally here! Almost immediately after we got onto 95 South (from just across the river in New Jersey), what comes on the radio but Time of My Life? Good timing! We got to the Wachovia Center around 4:45. Various commitments prevented an earlier arrival to try to meet any Idols (especially DC and Jason), plus I didn’t really see putting a 9-year-old through that. A woman and her daughter, huge MJ fans, sat down at our table as we grabbed a bite outside the arena and said only Jason, DA, DC, Brooke, and KLC had come out, and that they were all nice, with DA staying out the longest and Brooke being the sweetest. The mom showed me the pictures in her camera that she had taken of the five who came out.
More Recap after the JUMP…
Anyway, showtime. Wonderful Chikezie did not disappoint, and reminded us of how much we had missed him over the past months. His honeyed voice is complemented by his animated, engaging stage presence, and of course his warmth as a human being. We look forward to whatever he is working on! The audience enthusiasm that Chikezie had whipped up settled a bit as he seemed nearly to disappear in thin air and Ramiele appeared on stage. We all know she’s adorable and beautiful, but her singing is inconsistent. Then — poof — she and her sparkly ensemble were gone! In fact, throughout the show, it seemed the Idols would disappear as soon as they had arrived. The show is a very tightly run machine, that leaves us wanting more of all of them.
Michael promptly returned the crowd to its frenzied self, as many sang along with his well-loved, well-delivered numbers. It was nice to see his face on the big screen right above the stage. I would have liked more of that with all of them, actually, even though we had pretty decent seats. Kristy Lee, who also looked gorgeous–a vision in white–experienced some of what Ramiele did, that is, a generally simmered down enthusiasm throughout her set. Even when she wanted us to get up and “bring the roof down, ” it didn’t happen. But it was heartwarming when she pointed to the section she had sat in a year ago during auditions. You’ve come a long way, Kristy Lee! Then, just like Michael, Carly turned that enthusiasm right back up. Wow! Amazing! Crazy cheering! Going “crazy on her”! What a rock star moment. She looked awesome, her voice was full and rich, and she appeared completely in command. (As her last notes of Crazy on You faded away it was funny to see a tray of cotton candy hoisted high by a sales guy making his way through the aisle. Last time I heard Crazy on You in concert it was by Heart, it was 1978 (my first concert, age 15!), and it was not cotton candy floating through the air…)
So, Brooke up next. Fabulous! Strong and beautiful, confident and commanding. Her closing rendition of Coldplay’s Yellow was simply magical. She rocked it. Wow. Getting chills remembering it. She was in her element and she was a delight as a result throughout her set. After the Guitar Hero intermission, raucous cheers greeted sweet Jason, my daughter’s favorite. Somewhere Over the Rainbow was transcendent. Sitting on his stool, strumming his ukulele, Jason gave us everything we love about his mellow self. He’s a special guy, and his voice is, too. So charming. So peaceful. “Number 3”, sparkly Syesha came out next and brought down the house with her final selection, Listen. It was spectacular, and she really cranked up her star power for it. She was in fine voice all around, and the audience showed its appreciation.
David Archuleta came out, no surprise, to eardrum-piercing screams. Vocally, he was flawless. His banter is a work in progress, and utterly charming because of it. He finished many of his sentences with, “Ha!” So endearing. What a sweetheart. Though we hadn’t been huge fans during the season, my daughter and I always respected his abilities. Last night he completely won us over, and my daughter joined in the earsplitting screams for him.
David Cook, my favorite, was OMG amazing. Those earsplitting screams for DA converted to a sustained thunder of adulation for DC. As many have said before, he showed just why he is indeed the American Idol. I found myself wishing that I hadn’t obsessively watched videos of his performances leading up to this night so that I would have had more of a surprise factor. But, no matter, he was unbelievable, in excellent voice, demonstrating his incredible breath control, and was very charming with the audience and looking great, of course. I loved it when he said that his little videotaping of the audience is “good for my self-esteem.” So funny.
As I said earlier, the short sets left us wanting more of the Idols. The three hour-show felt much shorter! I observed also that the number of boys and men in the audience was higher than I had expected. From cute little boys with their families to young men/teenagers to older men with their wives, all seemed to enjoy the show from start to finish. So did we.
And, as we pulled out of our parking space, what comes on the radio, but “Time of My Life.” A perfect bookend to the start of our journey.