NoBrokenDreams Columbus OH Recap

I went to the Columbus, OH concert 8/11 and had an absolute blast. I was VERY worried around the start of show time, because many, many seats were still unfilled. My reaction was one of disbelief, because I know most shows have nearly sold out. The show started almost 25 minutes late, however, and by that time, we were at capacity. My seats were off to the side, with a good view of the stage, much of the audience and the Jumbotron.

My audience area was pretty mixed, with fans for Chris, Elliott, Katharine, and Taylor co-existing in a strange mini-universe of Idol fandom. We had one of the most powerful screamers in the building sitting directly behind us; if you ever need to break glass, call her! She had this way of hitting just the right key to cause your eardrums to burst.

The acoustics at Columbus’s Schottenstein Center are not the greatest. It’s almost too large of a venue; great for a stadium tour (Chris), but not necessarily for other types of music. The band was wayyyyyyyyy too loud. They played over nearly every performer. I don’t know if that’s the idea, to help compensate for vocal imperfections, but when you can’t make out what song is being sung, then you have a problem.

WE could find only ONE souvenir stand, which caused a huge bottleneck. The AI shirt and the Taylor shirt were selling like hotcakes. The gal in front of me put down almost $300 for various souvenirs. She loved all of the Idols it seemed, but wanted to know why there was no shirt just for Ace. She held up the line far too long. Lord love a duck, she didn’t realize only Taylor and Katharine got their own shirts. Read, look and listen, lady.

Now the performances:

MANDISA: Why she didn’t last longer is beyond me. She is a POWERFUL singer and provided a great start to the concert. I’M EVERY WOMAN was wonderful, but her second song fell a little flat. There was a GOOD reaction to her motivational talk. Columbus is a religious town, so no surprise. The duet with ACE was simply wonderful. Whoever matched them up has a great ear.

ACE: The young girls in the audience (and the horny women) all went mad when Ace appeared. He looked to be having a bad hair day; serious curls going on. He was very sweet, thanking the audience for all their love. He did the usual chest-thumping and strip during FATHER FIGURE, but his second solo was so loud, you couldn’t really hear him. Of course, the aforementioned screamer behind me may have had something to do with that for my section. I left very impressed with him, and he should be able to tap into the teen market easily.

I was embarrassed a little when, during one of his performances, a group of women behind my section screamed, “We want Elliott!”. Sure, I smiled, but I thought it was rude at the same time.

LISA: The crowd gave Lisa a lot of love! I personally thought she was very, very good. She wasn’t always on cue with the music; although how could you be, since it was so damn loud, her eardrums had to be hurting. She has an innocence in her eyes, which is very endearing. Very pleasant, and that provided a stark contrast with…

PARIS: ugh. BIG, BIG disappointment. She came out dressed like Michael Jackson; although she can’t dance like him, so why bother? Off vocally, couldn’t hold the crowd, and the weakest of the night. I didn’t like anything she did: WATERFALLS was weak; MIDNIGHT TRAIN was only ok –certainly worthy of a better performance; and the Beyonce number was DREADFUL. Either sing or dance, Paris; but not both. And a 17-year old girl should NOT be dancing like that, unless she‘s planning for a career in strip clubs. Noticed she was the only performer to use a headset microphone. If she has failed to get a recording contract, I can see why. Sorry, but a BIG D.

BUCKY: Bucky arrived right on time to cure us of our Paris catastrophe. He wasn’t very strong, and it appeared he may have had some vocal straining, since he insisted on singing a little soft. The crowd loved him, but there WAS a mad exodus for the restrooms and beer re-fills. The crowd gave their usual sing-along with DRIFT AWAY, and enjoyed the duet with Kellie. The screamer behind me again belted a good one when Kellie came out. It was at that time I wished I had bought some earplugs.

KELLIE: Another one that impressed me. Didn’t care for her much on the show, but she seemed more “real” here. There were NO corny jokes, but a sweet speech thanking people for their support :“for all of us. All 10 of us really, really love you all.” Her performances were pretty good, and she was a crowd favorite. Country music is HUGE in Columbus, so no surprise.

CHRIS: The ULTIMATE crowd favorite of the night, and the ULTIMATE performer. The crowd was just off the wall for him. The band again overdid it, but his type of music requires the power effect. He seems to be growing a heavy stubble right now, and was very much in great singing voice. He smiled, showed personality, and was gracious with the crowd. The screamer in my section again provided us with our own entertainment by exclaiming “I love you Chris” every minute like clockwork. Her friend finally told her to quiet down, thankfully. He left me the most impressed. Let me also say: the man is going to be HUGE. Guaranteed.

ELLIOTT: So the moment I waited for finally came. Yes, my heart started racing on the first strings of “Savin’ Me”. Would I last? Would I faint? Would I lose balance and accidentally fall backward and suffocate the screaming lady behind me? Who knew? As soon as he appeared, all the Elliott fans went wild. I screamed and got on my feet. There was a definite non-Elliott fan in front of me, judging by her subdued reaction, and I had to keep apologizing for mistaking her head for a punching bag as I swung and swayed (LOL). The duet was well-received, but not as good as videos I’ve seen. However, they have a great harmony and the crowd loved it.

The band played LOWER for Elliott than for anyone else. That was very noticeable.
I’m not sure if his deafness had anything to do with this (so he can better hear the music, and stay in rhythm). There’s also no need to compensate for any real vocal imperfections.

Elliott was very “ON” vocally. His NEVER TOO MUCH was perfect. He hit the power notes just right. He shuffled from side to side, and played to each part of the crowd. MOODY’S MOOD is just not right for a stadium venue. I loved it, but the song is just too long. He should have used the shortened version. There were a couple rough spots, but Elliott seems to be experimenting with this song each time he sings it. Still, he got a great ovation for it, and his “Snaps my control” sent shivers down my spine. TROUBLE got the place rocking again, and the band back up to deaf-inducing form.

Elliott MOVED. He danced, he swayed, he shuffled; he talked to the audience and interacted. His “where are my ladies?” request got a great reaction. Any rumor that he has no stage presence is pure bunk. His personality just shines through. I have to admit that, because of my screaming and jumping up and down, Elliott seems like a blur. I love him, and I want MORE.

The PATIENCE group sing was the highlight of the night, vocally. Just perfection. All 4 guys got a ton of love for their individual parts.

KATHARINE: Columbus LOVES Kat! Great cheers, and good-natured love. Only two songs, with BLACK HORSE and OVER THE RAINBOW both pretty good. OTR is again, like MMFL, not a song that will find its future in stadiums. There were a ton of teenage girls in the audience and they just adored her. I’m still pretty much indifferent, but I think her detractors had better wake up to the fact that she is quite popular. Yes, I now look for a #1 album.

TAYLOR: Taylor is a powerful entertainer, and the crowd adored him. He has some pretty funky dance moves! His TiTTS got the crowd hopping! He was able to jump from one song to the other without much effort, and his musical talent is evident. Ah, the harmonica playing is perfecto! However, he was having an “off “ night vocally. He was out of breath during much of his set, and looked tired. The stress of the tour, while trying to write and record, must be draining. Of course, who can’t but LOVE him? He does what he does and the crowd responds. Even if it was a Chris town, the guy is very much a crowd-pleaser. I wish I had seen him on a better night. And, yes, everyone in my area seemed disappointed, even if we were screaming our heads off.

The group numbers were the cheese they were promised to be. There was NO “bump” between Kat and Taylor. In fact, he avoided her! He called out the names of the various cities, with the mention of Columbus getting a roar, of course. Elliott was having a blast, dancing and –yes- skipping! The E-fans were just loving’ that! Chris’s solos during the groups got a huge response. By the time the concert was finished, I was mentally and physically drained from all the standing/sitting rotation and the loud, overkill band. Even the screamer behind me had finally given up by Taylor’s set.

My favorite moment of the evening was provided not by the concert or any performer, but by a young pre-teen girl we talked to while waiting for the buses to take us back to our cars. She loved all the Idols, but wanted more Elliott. I didn’t know he had fans at such a young age! I wanted to hug her, but figured her parents would freak…LOL. Her father admitted to sleeping during much of the concert, however. What parents won’t do for their children! Alas, there is hope for the future that good vocals will be appreciated, and perhaps a new musical renaissance is on the way.

For the curious, Columbus provided LOVE for everyone, but the APPLAUSE-O-METER went this way:

1) CHRIS (the crowd favorite); 2) Taylor; 3)Elliott/Katharine/Ace/Kellie (pretty equal);
4)Mandisa; with L