I didnt think I could be more excited to be attending the second show of the AI Tour (thanks Spense!!!!) until I found out at the last minute that we would be attending the after party!!! So, I headed into the concert venue excited and expectant. I had heard the spoilers and had some idea of what was in store for us.
More from PJ’s recap after the jump!
I knew, for example, that the …janitor sweeping the stage before the show was actually Blake. The people behind us joked, …Is that Bo Bice? since the janitor sported long, brown hair underneath a cap. Sarah and I wondered if the guys might take turns …playing janitor, but we decided it was Blake based on his stature and, as Sarah pointed out, his butt (sorry Blake! We know youre not an object!) Blake stripped off his janitor jumpsuit and the show started out with a fun, energetic group medley to …Let Get it Started by the Black Eyed Peas.
Unlike last year, the show mixes up the performances and group numbers randomly, with Blake …closing the first half and Jordin closing the second half of the show. I dont think I can even begin to remember the exact order, so I am going to just give my general impressions.
Blake – After the demise of my initial fave, Brandon Rogers (who I wish had made the tour), I was all about Blake. His mini-set began with his incredibly sexy Blake-ized version of The Zombies …Time of the Season followed by a short tutorial on his loop pedals and how they work. Except they didnt. So, he proceeded to play his guitar and sing Maroon 5 …She Will Be Loved straight. He sounded great, but I was a bit disappointed after how lovely it sounded with the loops on the Mike and Juliet Show. My guess is that most of the audience probably didnt notice. I hope he works it out, because that is something I MUST experience live. Blake finished his set with his signature performance of …You Give Love a Bad Name. Great beatboxing. Great energy. Great performance. The crowd loved it. At the after party, Blake was such a good sport to pose with our Team Plaid sign as long as we …didnt sell it. I didnt get the impression that Blake reads Team Plaid, but he mentioned that Kristi had told him something about it. He only read ricky.org and MJ. He also told us that he just finished recording 6 songs for his album in 8 days. I didnt think to ask him about a label. Duh. He also posed for pics with us and knew where to stand for the best lighting. Blake, call me. :).
Chris Sligh ‘ I love Chris Sligh voice and he didnt disappoint with his solo performance of Mute Math …Typical. He sounded great and I loved seeing him rocking the guitar. I thought both he and Gina sounded fabulous on their duet of …Thnks Fr Th Mmrs. He seemed most comfortable with his guitar and played it on several numbers throughout the evening. One of my favorite moments was the comedy routine with him, Sanjaya and Phil while the stage hands prepared the set for a new number. Let just say it was a hair joke at Phil expense. I wont spoil it for you. At the after party, I learned first hand what an incredibly nice guy Chris Sligh is. Nice, seriously funny and generous. Oh, and refreshingly honest ¦ no wonder he keeps getting himself in trouble. ;-) He reads MJ blog and even did a pointy pose for Erinn. Very cool guy. PJ = Sligh Fan Forevah!
Chris Rich – Ive always thought Chris seemed like a nice guy and thought his friendship with Blake was adorable. However, I didnt really care for his run on the show and I never voted for him. Not even once. I now officially change my tune. When he came out in a suit and sang with Melinda and Lakisha on …Heard it Through The Grapevine he not only looked hot, he sounded great with them. Yes, Chris Rich sounded great with the show two powerhouse vocalists. And his duet with Blake? Fabulous! Definitely a highlight of the show for me. Their friendship translated into a lot of chemistry on stage. So much hotness on stage at one time was almost too much to bear. /fangirl off. I will admit he returned to …nasally is a form of singing in his duet with Jordin, but Im not mad at him. I hear he a madly talented songwriter, so I cant wait for his post-Idol stuff. Oh, and backstage he couldnt have been sweeter. He made the goofiest face when I took his pic with Sarah. Too bad I cut her out of the picture. It was dark. Or maybe I was too focused on his hotness? Did I mention that he was hot? Chris, call me. Just dont tell Spense ‹cuz shell beat me up.
Gina – I did vote for Gina a few times. I thought the show edited her a bit unfavorably to seem a little witchy in the beginning. I didnt watch the auditions last year, but this is someone who seemed to really want it! Well, Im so happy she made the tour because she kicked it with Sligh on …Thnks Fr Th Mmrs, sassed it up with the girls on …Lady Marmalade … and blew me away with Pink …Who Knew, a song she wanted to sing on the show but couldnt get cleared. Go Gina! Go Gina! And the after party? Once again, incredibly nice and funny. About her mom wearing a red shirt with …Gina Mom written across the front, she joked, …Not at all obvious! She sat at a table with Sanjaya and seemed a bit protective of him. She also did something incredibly nice for Sarah. I like Gina Glocksen. :)
Sanjaya- The boy has some serious Michael Jackson moves (and I mean that in a good way!) Dude can moonwalk. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance of …The Way You Make Me Feel and I appreciated how he interacted with the fans at the side of the stage. Oh, and when he ripped off the bottom of Melinda skirt off during …Proud Mary, I KNEW this show was going to be fun. Okay, the move was a bit awkward, but itll run more smoothly as the tour progresses. I think Sanjaya has a ton of potential to grow into a very entertaining performer. After all, HES only 17. Off stage, guess what??? I sound like a broken record, but he an extremely sweet kid. He looked adorable in his hat and that smile speaks for itself.
Lakisha Jones.- I think Lakisha peaked on the show too early, but I have to say she delivered on …I Will Always Love You. Typically, this is not my favorite type of song as Im not a fan of belters and glory notes. BUT, she gave me chills with this performance and received the only standing ovation of the evening. She had the audience in the palm of her hand. She also shined on …Lady Marmalade. I regret that I didnt get a chance to talk to her backstage. From what I understand from others, she was very gracious.
Melinda Dolittle ‘ I thoroughly enjoyed Melinda medley with Lakisha at the beginning of the show, and I loved that she showed a playful side with Sanjaya (see skirt tear mention above). Her delivery of …Natural Woman was spot on. Im upset they cut her …Killing Me Softly duet with Blake. I hope I get to see it at a future concert. BTW, I can see why Simon was so upset. If I could change the results of AI post-show, I would give the crown to Melinda. She was fabulous and completely sweet in person. No, it not an act. She gracious and humble for realz. She also itty bitty. I had no idea she was so tiny in real life. She brightens the room with her smile.
Phil Stacey ‘ Phil killed with …Blaze of Glory! He also delivered one of the most poignant moments of the show when he rose from the pit on the riser, surrounded by the girls, dressed in his Navy uniform to the tune of …The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. He then launched into a flawless version of …America The Beautiful. The boy can sang! And guess what? He couldnt have been nicer. He seemed really close to Chris Sligh and he mentioned to us that most of them entered the competition at the request of others with little expectations. He said that he thought he should have gone home instead of Haley, and when he didnt, the pressure had lifted. He said he hadnt seen his wife in two and a half weeks, but would be seeing her later that night in Jacksonville. Phil = genuinely good guy. Side note: he wasnt as tall as I thought he would be.
Haley- she sounded good on …When God Fearing Women Get the Blues and her part on …Life is a Highway. And the TV does not lie ¦ she has nice legs. I didnt really get a chance to talk to Haley after the show. But she even prettier in real life.
Jordin- Well, I confess to using Jordin set to take a bathroom break. I dont think Im qualified to review her set for that reason. She finished the show with an encore of …This is My Now, a song I despise with the heat of a thousand suns. In fact, the entire encore disappointed. All the Idols returned to do snippets of their solo performances. How lame is that? I would have preferred a group number, complete with a pointy pose. After all, this is American Idol! BTW, I didnt meet Jordin, either.
The show was a TON of fun and I cant wait to see it again. I wonder if they plan on changing it up each night?. The set design was much nicer than the tinfoil stage of last season tour and the costumes were superior as well. I encourage everyone to check out the tour if you can!!!
