My husband and I had a fantastic time at the Columbus show. I wonder a little however if NoBrokenDreams were at the same show lol We either totally agreed or were way off. Just proves perception is subject to your own personal tastes.

 

Let me start by saying that we got to meet Ace and Chris before the show. Of course my stop would be the one and only show Bucky didn't come out to greet fans lol I have a confession to make. Ace completely won me over. I think I have a little crush. And I thought his hair was absolutely gorgeous.  He was very sweet and chatty. When the buses pulled in, I swear I don't think they had been there 5 minutes before he was off and sprinting away from the security, up the hill towards the fans behind the fence. We were over at the top of some steps behind a little barricade and that is where a security guy walked him up. He was just super sweet. A little cheeseball but it was likable. I think on TV that cheesiness came off as contrived, but in person he seemed sincere and really loves to meet fans. He is having a ball.

 

20 minutes later Chris came up. When I opened a my book to get something for him to sign, my Bucky pic was there and he kinda laughed and said well...jokingly. I said "don't worry I won't make you sign Bucky lol" He laughed and said "Has Bucky been up yet? I said no and he said Bucky was tired and was sleeping on the bus. He then said "Y'all ought to start yelling Bucky and wake him up. In fact I think you guys should do that" and laughed. I took a pic with him and he was very nice and approachable I thought.  He chatted with others about kids going back to school soon etc.

 

I too noticed a lot of empty seats but there were a lot of people that came in at the last second and they quickly filled up. I only saw one souvenir stand as well. I thought the venue was very nice but agreed it was better suited for a big rock show than some of the AI performers.

 

Mandisa: She was lovely. Very pretty smile. Strong voice. No doubt she can sing. Also glad to see Ruben has been thrown aside as she now dedicates IIWYW to the bass player. Duet with Ace was fantastic. They seem very affectionate with each other.

 

Ace: Columbus is a Highroller town. He got mad crowd response. Ace's voice was way better than on the show for me. I think he was victim to bad song choices on the show.  He did all the cheesy moves he always does and almost got knocked out by a flying monkey but I enjoyed him a lot. I think I ended up with as many Ace photos as I did Bucky.

 

Lisa: My husband was very impressed with her. She could work on her stage presence a little, but it will come with time. I thought she was adorable and had a lovely voice. Waterfalls with Paris was good, and I think she is getting better with the choreography for it.

 

Paris: My surprise of the night. I wasn't a fan on the show. I figured I would be dying to get her off stage and get to my Bucky but I was blown away. She is a fantastic entertainer. Just wonderful. She was charming and she can dance. I really really enjoyed her. The last song, Crazy in love, I think suffered a little vocally due to her running around and bouncing etc. but she was great.

 

Bucky: Oh my sweet Bucky. Love that man. I went all fangirly at this point and grinned like a fool the whole time. His running his hands through his hair should not have the effect on me it does. My husband was amused at my meltdown. The crowd seemed to love him. I didn't notice the crowd exodus but then again I was close to the front and was not looking anywhere but at him, so I am sure there was some towards the back. I did however think he was good on Superstition, but being a fan, I think he really held back on Drift away and had a few pitch problems in the beginning. But he worked it out in the end. Sorry, got possessed by randy j there for a sec. I do think he was "babying" his voice a bit, singing softer than normal. I think he may be a bit hoarse and tired. Loved his duet with Kellie, although...I love you Bucky but the dancing is still a little awkward. But I don't care--he's wonderful!!

 

Kellie: Again, she was singing soft and really being careful with her voice. She seemed scared she was going to hurt it. She was delightful, and is very sweet.  Like Ace, she seems more sincere in person than she was portrayed on the show. I enjoyed her.

 

Chris: Columbus is a Chris Daughtry town. He couldn't adjust his mic stand without screams threatening to take the roof off. He is a star. One funny thing. As I was reading my program waiting for the show to start, I had noticed in Chris's interview he said he hadn't had an embarrassing moment on the show or tour yet. He spoke too soon. When he first came out and started to walk to the left he slid and lost his balance, but caught himself and never missed a beat. He is so cool though--he could fall on his face and it would have looked rockstar. LOVED him.

 

Elliott: Elliott can dance, I don't care what Simon says. The skip is adorable. I noticed the band quieting down as well. He was well loved as well and hearing him do MMFL live is just wonderful. I still think he is the best male vocalist AI has ever had.

Patience: The moment I had been waiting for. These AI 5 boys are magic together. I don't think there will ever be better chemistry on this show than they have. They all sounded great vocally and the sight of Bucky with a guitar made me swoon.

 

Kat: I agree that Columbus seemed fond of her but not nearly as much as some of the others. Could have been my section. I did notice some Kat fans on the other side. She was stunning. Really beautiful. Vocals were what you would expect. I had a hard time figuring out if her "Oh you guys are so sweet" lines were sincere or not. I'm still on a concert high so I am going to think they were.

 

Taylor: He is everything I hoped for and more. I have never been so entertained. Columbus loved him, but I think Chris did edge him out just a bit. I will never forget getting to see him play harmonica live. He was the one performer that got everyone up to dance and participate. The 5 year olds, the 60 year olds, the men, teen boys and girls...everyone. That' s a performer.

 

Group numbers were full on AI cheese and I loved it! Give me the pointy poses!! The guys were having a blast and I had to laugh as they were all dancing around doing their bows etc. as Bucky started doing a little dance "kind of a Paris like dance" and Chris just lost it. Fun moment with Bucky bending down and Ace running and jumping off the ramp over him. I almost had a heart attack.

 

My applause meter opinions from my area:

 

1. Chris, 2. Taylor/Elliott 3. Ace 4. Mandisa/Kat 5. Bucky/Kellie/ Lisa/Paris