Verizon Wireless Arena was nearly full last night as the Idols took the stage for the next-to-the-last time. There was lots of heartfelt thanks to the audience for giving them the opportunity to tour, and in response the audience was wildly enthusiastic. I think these last two show are going to be memorable for the Idols. Manchester, NH has always loved the Idols.
Many family sightings in the audience last night: Blake Lewis’ parents sat behind me. Gina Glocksen’s mom and fiance were nearby. Phil Stacey’s wife could be seen sitting inside the steel barrier in front of the stage.  During “I Need You” (his duet with Gina), Phil sang the song to his wife when he made his way to her side of the stage. Melinda Doolittle’s mom was there. I believe Chris Sligh’swife, Sarah was there, as was Sanjaya Malakar’s sister, Shyamali Malakar.
And get this–Tony Orlando was in the house! Yes, Tony Orlando, from Tony Orlando and Dawn.  No I’m not kidding. He was there with a young girl who was probably a daughter or granddaughter. People were asking for his autograph during intermission. Too funny.
I took video and pictures–as always, and I’ll have them up soon. I’ll be attending the final show tonight, and it should be fun. The Idols usually play many pranks on stage during the final show. I’ll no doubt have lots of great pictures and video, so stay tuned…
It sounds like the show was wonderful!! I can’t wait to see your videos. :)
Copied from last night’s thread. :)
Okay, a mini-recap for y’all:
Blake’s parents were sitting on the row right behind us, and Gina’s mom and fiance were sitting two rows ahead of us. They were all MOBBED at intermission with fans wanting to talk to them.
The concert as a whole was great. The crowd was WILD and yes, the arena was pretty much full. There were very few empty seats, and not many people left at intermission. Chris Rich told us we were the loudest crowd so far. I can see that. My head was pounding when I left. So anyway, the performers were way energetic and lots of fun. I stood for most of the show. MJ is the queen of pics and vids, so I didn’t even attempt that. I know there’s some great stuff to come. :)
General observations: Sligh’s stage presence has really improved from the beginning of the tour. Blake’s dancing is also improving (I liked it to begin with, but I *am* just a fangirl ;)). I am still disturbed by Sanjaya’s pelvic thrusts. Jordin has gotten a lot better with interacting with the fans at the edge of the stage (touching their hands, etc). Haley is still embracing the choreography with gusto. And Chris Rich is still as adorable as ever. /fangirl ;)
MJ and I agreed that we think Gina and Sligh’s “Thnks fr th Mmrs†was the best we’ve heard it. Jordin and Melinda continue to sound great together. Blake sounded great, especially on “She Will Be Lovedâ€. He wore a new outfit during his set, and now has the Vanilla Ice stripes shaved onto the left side of his head from a recent haircut. Hilarious! Chris Rich sounded really good on all his songs. Phil sang to his wife (who was sitting between the guardrail and stage) during “It’s Your Loveâ€.
I laughed and laughed and laughed at the pointy poses, just for you hez. And MJ and I were amazed when Melinda told us that Jordin was only 17. I really thought she was like, at least 18!
Lakisha did not come out for the encore, and we heard she also wasn’t at the afterparty. She did sing her solo and in all of the other numbers. I hope she’s okay.
Lastly, I really am bitter that on the show, the producers focused more on the guest performers and did not show us the personalities of these contestants. They are a lot of fun, and there’s really a lot to like there - in all of them.
I’m so glad you guys had fun! That picture of Blake and Jordin is adorable!
*wishes she had gone to Manchester*
hello hello !! Word on the street is that the producers of the next AI are gonna do just that… focus more on the contestants (altho.. any focus on Barry (and Rod) is a good focus!!!!)
Sweet Finn. Jordin is 17? I think I knew that but had forgotten. How thoughtful of Melinda to remind me…yet again.
American Idol Cheese Flavoured Pop Tarts and…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2tZREt17Cc
Makes perfect sense to me.
Blake is cute in that picture… and I see Jordin has the fastest growing hair… Britney would be very green …
Thanks for the recaps.
I wonder if any shows sold out for the Season 6 tour. None had at the half way mark. The very last show will probably sell out. I guess.
Best wishes to all of the Season 6 Idols. Hopefully they will all have successful careers ahead of them.
Hez - LMAO! We just watched that this morning to have a laugh.
I will continue to chuckle at the pointy poses for you tonight. :)
There were very few empty seats at last night’s show. I would not be surprised if it sold out. Tonight, we’ll see. I’ll report on it too. :)
Thanks for the great recaps! I’m sad to have missed them but hope to see Blake when he’s touring.
LMAO, Hez. Your link led me to this classic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Fp_pqqjKpk&mode=related&search=
I know who the young girl was with Tony Orlando. LOL
She is a regular on another forum and is, indeed, his daughter.
She is a huge Idol fan and get’s backstage, because as she explains,
her dad knows TPTB. Very nice kid!
Mr. Lewis said it was sold out on Team Plaid. Not sure if he has inside info or was speculating based on perceived attendance. Oh, and how cool is it that he posts there sometimes. I hope you and MJ get a chance to say hi to him tonight. :)
I hope they get to say hi to him too! :)
Jordin posted a really sweet blog on her myspace about the end of tour.
eta just heard from Sarah! They met Blake’s dad already and she also says they have OMG!seats.
OMG! That’s so cool they met Blake’s dad. Can’t wait to hear the reports from this show.
Sarah called me and said that Blake added his original song “She Loves The Way” into his set tonight. Is that an Idol tour first..?
OMG… now I’m really kicking myself. Star, he probably didn’t ask!
I’m sure he didn’t. LOL. Sneaky.
MJ or whoever else is/was at the Manchester show - let me know if in the finale Chris Sligh has a white tee shirt on with black writing on it (under his white jacket). Random, I know. But in MJ’s pic on the main page he’s facing away from the camera so I can’t see. :)
Good luck to the S6 crew. Idol didn’t give them their due but it still provided a tremendous opportunity for unknown talents. How did Sarah like Blake’s song?
The shirt Chris Sligh has under the white suit is a Boston Red Sox shirt :)
She was just excited that he did it. ;) “She Loves The Way” isn’t new. A video of Blake performing it has been on YouTube since last November.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2cj8XXzRC8
I almost got kicked out of the show tonight. What I do to bring you kids video! Heh.
LOL…What a fitting end of the AI 6 Tour….MJ getting banned from the show. :)
Thanks BigNLiddle
Blake’s dad seemed so adorable on TV.. I would have been excited to meet him! So glad you guys had a chance. MJ, we LOVE you!! Thanks for all the pics and videos.