Thanks peeps, for sending these. I’ve got more coming…
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Background: I’m a twentysomething, urban dweller who has never gone to an AI tour show (I do got a lot of live shows though) and I shall state it from the start: I only went to this show to see Adam. My mother wanted to go see Adam as well, so it was a great excuse for me to get that chance.
Another random tidbit: I have seen the Top 10 perform before during the Motown week dress rehearsal, so while quite different, I have an experience with them in person and had a vague idea of what to expect since I know what goes on TV
doesn’t necessarily feel the same in person.
Also, disclaimer: I mention the visuals that accompanied the Idols a lot in my review. I wasn’t expecting that, but a lot of it really grabbed my attention since some of it was so random. I may have gotten a bit snarky at times as well.
Anyway, I got there quite early because I don’t live far from The Staples Center and my mom is such an early bird (or maybe she felt I already had enough champagne cocktails and she wanted to drag me away), so we had quite a long wait till Michael. I went and got a beer, while my mom bought an overpriced program and Adam photo. She offered to get me something Adam-related as well (I don’t even think I could pull off that $35 shirt with his face on it in an ironic way), but I said no and informed her she can get me another overpriced beer later.
We go get our seats which were rather good (thanks, undercooked!). Much better than when I go to see the Clippers. Much, much better than when I go see the Lakers. So as we wait we are inundated with Carrie Underwood videos, one Daughtry video, and eventually one David Cook video. I guess they only promote former Idols that Fuller manages? Because honestly… that got old. Quickly. I don’t think I need to hear any of those songs again. As we wait, there is a lot of random filler (and the realization that SYTYCD is on once I see all the adverts for it and I don’t know who got kicked of), lots of random flashes of the current Top 10, and lots of screams for Adam.
10. Michael: He comes on. I kind of like the weird, machine-like intro. It’s cheesy, but compared to some of the other intro pieces… I will take it. Did the Idols design these themselves? Anyway, he sounds good, but doesn’t really have a great presence and is mainly performing to people taking their seats. The band sounded good on “Closer” and I danced. By myself.
9. Megan: What a weird intro piece and why does she look like a Barbie? She looked rather generic instead of the slightly bohemian look she had, so even her image was lost, which is a shame. Megan was my original favorite for her odd, quirky voice and style. She didn’t live up to her audition (for me, for you), but I still think here is something to her voice if she just had some musical instincts about what she was doing. First song, fine, but her cover of Winehouse was AWFUL. Really, really painful to listen to. I went to go get another overpriced beer because I really couldn’t take it, which is saying a lot since I actually voted for her during Group 2 semi-finals. A lot of people waiting in line with me had a similar reaction to Megan’s singing that was filtered into the lobby. Finally, she did a CAW CAW and it was over. I really like singers whose voices can bother people, such as Bianca Casady, Joanna Newson, Scout Nibblett, and the retro-chanteuse thing could be a good fit for Megan, like Duffy and Amy Winehouse, but she needs a lot of work till she gets there. She needs to work on her ~artistry~ for her to pull off her voice.
8. Scott: I missed his intro piece and most of his set, but I loathe Keane, so it’s not my thing, plus Scott was probably my least favorite on the show. I wanted to see him, but I thought since two people were in front of me at the concession stand, I would be helped quickly, but the first person seemed to be ordering the whole snack bar. Four cokes, three hot dogs, two nachos, a popcorn and a candy later, the person right in front of me gets their popcorn and I get my beer and go back to catch Scott’s last song. Pleasant, but not really my thing. My mom said I didn’t miss much.
7. Lil: From the dress rehearsal way back when I noticed that Lil has a much better stage presence in person than you get from the TV show, and that still held true. I actually really enjoyed Lil live. She’s fun, she’s much better when she is in her own element, which may have been the problem on the show. The Single Ladies number, while enjoyable, didn’t need the karaoke lyrics in the ackground. And to go all Paula, Lil looked really beautiful.
6. Anoop: Whoa, by far the worst intro piece. Laughably… odd? The clouds appear and so does Anoop’s head! There is actual Anoop, and the cloud’s stay as well! It was really distracting for me. Actually, a lot of Anoop’s visuals were very mid-90s Mac Screensaver-style. I don’t know what that was about. I do think Anoop has a beautiful voice, but he really doesn’t do much for me. Odd, because he is also really good looking (I can be shallow). Maybe it’s because he does a style I am not too taken by. His speech about how he got there was rather sweet and kind of like a mini-essay), and I do hope he gets the chance to perform in LA again as a singer, even if he isn’t my thing. He finished his set with My Prerogative, which made me feel like I was about 8 again. I should have whipped out the Roger Rabbit, but I was confined to my small space. After that, he leaves the stage with a low, booming “Anoooop” which could sound like booing.
5. Matt: I really liked his intro piece and, I am shocked to say, I really liked Matt! I really think his nerves got to him on the show because he was really good live. He has good presence, mad piano skills, and was quite energized. Except for “Georgia on My Mind” I dislike both songs Matt did, yet I was actually into them and really into his set. Probably my second favorite of the night. Maybe the alcohol had just kicked in and I am way off, but I hope I am not. Or maybe my expectations for him were that low. His setlist was a bit disjointed though.
Medley: Fine, was not that into it. Didn’t remember much as I was waiting for it to end, so I could go to the restroom without interrupting people.
4. Allison: She’s good and has some potential, but I think I must have had too high expectations for her since I felt she was good, but not great. I can see her doing really well after Idol since her set kind of gave her a young Pink vibe.
3. Danny: I think Danny got quite a good reception. Really loud, lots of people standing and into it. He does work the stage, but in a way that doesn’t do much for me. My mom said he had a “holy roller” thing going on and, honestly, it did feel like I was being preached at sometimes. Danny is most definitely not my thing musically, so when it comes to that I cannot be that objective as I dislike the Michael McDonald style singing. I even worked somewhere that had Michael McDonald on their playlist and I pitched a fit until they turned it off (I can be a brat, yes). So when it comes to music, Danny is not my thing, but he is clearly had people at The Staples Center. I vaguely remember some graphics with trees being associated with Danny. Was I imagining things? That was just weird. He dedicates “What Hurts the Most” to Laura Saltman for interviewing them all the time. What an odd dedication, but even with that — she still won’t love you like she loves Adam because her love for Adam is insane.
2. Adam: Speaking of insane love for Adam, Los Angeles had that, and so did I. What an entrance! His intro was my favorite and probably helped create the crazy atmosphere Adam walks into when he starts. Or maybe not since some people in the audience would just scream if they saw his eyes in the “Mixed Up” Ford video. I do have to agree that he does have pretty eyes though. Anyway, I stood up and danced during his set, but a lot of people did. Stood, not danced (until he demanded it, then they did). I would say most of the arena was standing during a good portion of his set (many kept sitting down and standing up, and the place is huge, so I cannot see everything, even if I did do a look around. The floor seats were pretty much completely on their feet for him). During “Whole Lotta Love” it got really dark on Adam and you could see the light moving away from the lower half when he gets down with the mic stand. I guess if he doesn’t tone it down, the lights will just go down? His voice is just insane at the end of this song as well! I cannot wait for a solo tour with original music, but I’d prefer it to be ballroom-style venues so you can actually dance and move around. My one nitpick about the set is I actually think “Slow Ride” does very little for it, even though I enjoyed it on the show and can understand including it as it is a crowd-pleaser. I think Adam’s accompanying visuals were the most complimentary to his set (it enhanced his show and went with it, not distracted like some). Adam’s set felt short (it seriously flew right by), but what are you going to do? The highlights for me were “Starlight” and the Bowie Medley. He sounded gorgeous on “Mad World” as well, but I think he was competing with a really crappy sound system and lots and lots of screaming (which did subside a bit during “Mad World”). His voice did a great job of cutting through that.
1. Kris: Kris comes on and starts with “Heartless” and I really enjoyed his version on the show. However, I already have a nitpick — the random heart that appears every time Kris sings “heartless” was very distracting to me. What was that about? A lot of people did sit down during Kris’ set (including the floor seats since I saw those clearly from where I was), and there people leaving, but it wasn’t some mass exodus or anything and from my point of view, after “Heartless” there more people leaving than I thought would, as I was looking around. It’s not necessarily an affront to Kris, but I do think it is rude to leave mid-song, mainly because there are people still there that want to see Kris and you are distracting them, but LA audiences have never been known for their manners. Anyway, I enjoyed Kris live (probably my third favorite after Adam and Matt). It was quite “soft rock” though. I really don’t like that Matchbox 20 song (well, I dislike them, really), but I think Kris did it well. I think the song he chose by The Killers suited him very well. I think the lowpoint of his set is actually “Hey Jude” since I found it to just be kind of boring. I was the only one in my area singing along and swaying, but I kept singing the wrong words (either he is doing a shortened version or it has been awhile since I heard it), so I gave up. The Idols joined him. It went to “Don’t Stop Believing” (minus Megan) which brought home the cheese, and it was over.
Overall, I enjoyed it, especially for what it was. I was pleasantly surprised by Matt (he’s amazing on the piano), really liked Kris, enjoyed Lil and was a bit disappointed with Allison (even though I liked her). However, as I went for Adam, I will probably likely only go see Adam live again. I did what was suggested and was able to leave my concert-going, show-loving, music snobbery aside and take the show in for what it is, so I did enjoy it.
