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LB2’s Nassau Concert Recap

I’ve been meaning to write this sooner, but it’s my week off before classes start so the thought of opening Word or writing more than 5 words in an email was very daunting. But alas, here it is.

Now before I get into the actual concert, I need to explain a few things. First, I went with my sister to the concert and she was dreading every moment of it. She watched Idol out of obligation to a family that likes to bet on the show – she lost because she bet on Chris Richardson winning. She only chose him because she liked his bobble-headed moves to Geek in the Pink. Needless to say, she had some interesting comments to make during the show. I put in her edited version because some of her comments were really harsh and mean (really mean). The second thing is this is my first recap so apologies for its length (it’s long), content, etc.

Ok so here we go…

Jordin – Let’s just get this over with first. Jordin was really good. Her voice was fantastic, despite some unfortunate shrieking. I loved her on “You Were Meant for Me” even though it sounded just like Jewel’s version. I also liked her duet with Chris. Both songs were a welcome step back from the very, very loud music. “I Who Have Nothing” and “Broken Wing” are her signature songs. That “money in the back pocket” stuff Paula always says but no one understands – well, I think I know what she means. I guess a night of all Idols will make anyone understand Paula. Anyway, ballads are Jordin’s money in her back pocket. Bon Jovi is not. She needs to stay away from “Living on a Prayer” – the damage to my ears this caused was almost unforgivable. I’m not even about to discuss “This is My Now”

LB2 sis commentary: “Who’s Jordin? Can we leave?”

Sanjaya – I spent the majority of Sanjaya’s set trying to take pictures of him. My dad loved Sanjaya, mainly because we’re Indian. He really wanted a picture so I tried. Alas, my camera could not hold the genius of Sanjaya in skinny red jeans. Sanjaya was okay – nothing terrible and he could have quite a voice if he trained. But it seems that Sanjaya has given into his “rock star” image so he spends more time in performing than singing. He’s good at that, for what it’s worth. He even outperformed (notice I didn’t say outsing) Melinda in their duet. I almost left with a good impression but then he destroyed “Hey Jude” with his awful NaNaNas. Someone needs to put a muzzle on him during that song. Blake jumps around a lot during this and I kept was praying he would “accidentally” hit Sanjaya with his guitar.

LB2 sis commentary: She just shook her head the whole time and looked horrified.

Haley – Haley is so inconsequential. I cannot remember her in anything at all.

LB2 sis commentary: “I guess she’s pretty…and can dance?”

Chris Sligh – Ugh, I hate this guy. I’m sorry but I just do. I went to the bathroom during his song. So did a lot of people as there was a damn line. I blame Chris Sligh. Ok, ok – in all honesty, he sounded good but picking a song I didn’t know did him no favors. The reason why I could sit through Sanjaya is because I can sing along. Not so with Sligh. He was good on “Hey Jude.” “Thanks for the Mmrs” was my least favorite performance all night. He was way off tempo. He just didn’t entertain and some 10 year old boy noticeably groaned in my section every time Sligh was mentioned (which got a good laugh out of me and my sister).

LB2 sis commentary: She fell asleep during Chris’s solo. I’m not kidding. The woman just came off a shift at the hospital. I leave her for a minute and found her hunched over the side of her chair, her head hanging in the aisle. She hated “Thanks for the Mmrs” as much as I did.

Gina – I was disappointed (which implies expectations unfortunately). Gina sounded more shrieky than Jordin on “Thanks” and her collaboration with Lakisha and Haley. I can’t really remember her duet with Phil, which I guess says something. I will say, however, that I did like her solo. The Pink vibe works for her very well.

LB2 sis commentary: The solo got a clap out of her.

Lakisha – Lakisha was amazing. Everything she was in, she just demanded attention; my eyes had to follow her. Her voice was the only one to fully fill the coliseum. Any duet, collaboration, etc. she was in, she would own it. I couldn’t even hear Melinda in their duet. She was the only one that made the Moulin Rouge song work even though she looked tragic. “I Will Always Love You” didn’t get an ovation in NY but it did get a lot of appreciation. Unfortunately for us, we were sitting in front of a couple of Jersey girls who thought it would be a good idea to sing along. I almost got up to smack them.

LB2 sis commentary: “Whoa – why didn’t she sing like that on the show?”

Phil – Yay! I love this guy, despite the cheesy spiel he does with Sanjaya and Chris Sligh. My sister and I were cracking up at the backdrop they put up during his solo – with cacti and the desert. It was totally ridiculous. It didn’t matter though because he sounded great on “Blaze of Glory.” I can’t remember him in his duet with Gina.

LB2 sis commentary: “He’s the best male singer but that’s not saying much.” She also thought the backdrop matched his cheesiness.

Chris Rich – What a cutie this guy is with his bobble head. Chris is all over the show. It was like he won. He would show up every ten minutes in something. Maybe everyone just wanted to work with him? Maybe it’s a mass conspiracy by Clive to indoctrinate Chris into our minds. His solo was good but inconsequential. His duet with Jordin was great. His appearance in the Melinda/Lakisha thing was appreciated. The Cake thing – loved it. We kept watching to see if he would do the bobblehead. He did!

LB2 sis commentary: “He looks cuter now that his hair is growing out.” (Aside: Cake time was the only time I thought my sister didn’t look dead and mortified; the bobble head was the 2nd highlight of her night)

Melinda – What a major disappointment. Melinda let everyone overshadow her when she was in a duet. When she finally sang alone, she would defer to background singers if the opportunity presented itself. It was the antithesis of Lakisha. Both had relatively little time on the stage but Lakisha made the most of it and Melinda did not.

LB2 sis commentary: “Maybe turned her mike off or low…why does everyone think she’s the best singer ever?”

Blake –.I try not to be a defensive Blake fan but it’s not always easy. Let me just say then that I like Blake. I went to the show mainly for him. I watched the season mainly for him. No, I don’t think he’s the most original thing in the world. No, he isn’t the savior of music. No, I don’t think he will be the most successful Idol ever. But just like a Phil fan appreciates Phil, I appreciate Blake. I like that he sings songs I enjoy, I like his sense of style, I like his showmanship, and I like his thoughtfulness when it comes to sound.

Having said that, on the tour, Blake is inconsistent, plain and simple. I hated, HATED “Time of the Season.” Not even his electric boogaloo moves could make up for how poor his voice sounded. His voice gave out at times and was definitely strained. I was pretty pissed about spending so much money to get this bad return. However, he redeemed himself on “She Will Be Loved.” Getting the audience involved with the cell phones was shrewd. Part of the song was messy (when he creates a bassline for With or Without You, it was too loud). I’ve seen live looping before and usually it’s a creature of small venues so I don’t know if this was the best idea. But it mostly sounded good. “You Give Love a Bad Name” was the most energetic piece of the show. His vocal scratching on this was sick. Great job. The Cake thing was also fun. The thing about Blake and Chris is they always look like they’re having fun and it makes it easier to enjoy them. They’re not always on point but building energy, moving around – these things keep one’s attention.

LB2 sis commentary: “Good thing Ivan and Travis (SYTYCD) are going to teach him how to dance” (Aside: YGLABN was the first highlight of her night and she enjoyed the looping idea - she had never heard of it).

My sister and I left very quickly after Jordin reprised This Is My Now post-encore. Just wanted to mention the encore was cute – Blake got a Blake! hat from a fan and they all tossed it to each other as one left the stage and another came on. The only people who didn’t wear it were Jordin (logistical reasons) and Kiki (which cracked me up because you know she was like “I’m not messing up my hair with that hat”).

Best of the Night: No one. Worst of the Night: Jersey girls behind me.

Anyway, so that’s my recap. It took a day for the mortification to leave my sister’s face. She’s almost fully recovered now.