Kumachan's Milwaukee WI Recap

Since we all know the set list by heart, I thought I’d share my over all impressions of each idols performance vs. a song-by-song review.  But first, can I just say, front row was worth all the money spent and more!  It’s just a whole other experience!

Mandisa – The girl has pipes!  I knew that from the show, but she came out wailing and really blew me away.  She’s dropped the Ruben shtick and dedicated the song to all the good men out there instead.

Ace – Now, I never had a problem with Ace on the show.  I thought he fit the boy band mold just fine.  But when he started in on Harder To Breath, I found a completely new respect for the guy.  He really understood what the crowd wanted from him and he gave it full heartedly.  Plus, the boy really can sing.  He mentioned his parents had made it to the show.  He said it was the first one they had been able to attend.  It was a very nice little moment.  Oh and yes, he threw out a couple of beanies.  Milwaukeeans loved them some Ace.  Basically, he was cheese in a can, and the tweenagers were eating it up without the crackers.

Lisa – I liked having the opportunity to hear her again.  She was voted off early enough in the show, that I had kind of forgotten what a lovely voice she has.  She has excellent control over her voice, but the stage seemed to swallow her up a bit.

Paris – Her voice was much deeper then I expected.  I especially noticed it when she was singing the duet with Lisa.  I think Paris is at her best when she is singing the old jazz standards and she didn’t disappoint on Midnight Train.  Excellent!  She’s all over the stage, and girl has some dance moves!

*My only real criticism on Paris and Lisa is that they are still very young, but tend to choose material that has an older theme to the lyrics.  It creates a disconnect for me.  And while I envy Paris’ ability to shake what her mama gave her, there is something ookie about watching an underager chair dance.  Ewwwww!

It was at this point in the concert that I realized my camera battery wasn’t going to make it through the concert.  It was already half drained and I hadn’t even taken that many photos.  Needless to say I was pretty pissed.  But I had a back up plan.  I brought a couple of disposable cameras with me and used those so I could save what was left of my battery power for Taylor.  Hence the limited quantity, and craptacular quality of the photos for Bucky, Kellie, Chris, Elliott, and Katharine.

As they say, on with the show.

Bucky – Ok, Bucky is a big sweetheart who seems to be having the time of his life with this tour.  He was on vocal rest, so I wasn’t surprised that his voice was a little rough.  But man if he doesn’t put his heart into it.  I think of all the Idols, Bucky was having the most fun out there.

Kellie – Kellie seems to be back to her full set at this point.  She sounded good, very pleasant country singing voice.  She kept the banter to a minimum, but thanked the audience for voting and said that our votes made their dreams come true.  Say it with me, awe!

Chris – The flames of pimpage were in full affect, and I’ve got the photo to prove it.  But you know what, he really is that damn good.  I admit that I was moved to head banging and I haven’t done that since Poison was still topping the charts.  Chris is excellent live, and I am now excited to check out his album this fall.

Elliott – I love me some Elliott.  The guy is just an amazing jazz vocalist.  And he sounded really really good, especially on the duet with Chris.  He definitely has a stage presence, and was doing a great job interacting with the audience.  I think Elliott at a smaller venue would be a real treat to watch.  I couldn’t help but get a good vibe from him.

Katharine – McFizzle would work.  Look, I’ve got nothing against the girl.  I just wasn’t impressed.  She’s beautiful, absolutely stunning, and has a very nice voice.  For me though, there is nothing distinguishing about her.  She just reminds me of any other good female singer.   Most college choirs have a Kat or two in them.   She and Lisa were the only performers of the night that I saw blocks of people up front sitting down for.  So that leads me to believe that I wasn’t the only one underwhelmed.  The good news is, SWOTR gave me time to prep my camera and it’s crippled battery before Taylor came on.

Taylor – Heh heh.  I needed a cigarette after his performance and I don’t even smoke.  The man is a whirling dervish, he simply doesn’t stop moving.  But he absolutely commands the stage.   He was the only idol to acknowledge the band.  He even asked the audience to clap for his guitar tech.  And you know what?  The audience did.  I thought the crowd had finally reached the loudest it could go when he finished LFTC, but let me tell you, when he came out for the encore wearing that Brett Farve jersey, we really let loose.   Yes, I worship at the Church of Lambeau, as does the rest of this state, and missed the first pre-season game to be at the show last night.  Taylor, I hope you know how significant it is that I Tivo’d my Pack for you.  Packers aside, the thing that has captivated me about Taylor since audition day is his musicianship.  He really gets “it,” and “it” seems to flow into everything he does.  Guitar, harmonica, singing, dancing.  It doesn’t matter, Taylor perfo!
 rms with unrestrained passion.  It’s a sight to behold.  Just don’t try to get a picture of it, cause the bastard’s moving so fast all you’ll get is a blur.

As a side note, I wanted to take time to mention how impressed I was with both Chris and Ace and how they handled their fans.  Elliott and Taylor both came out by the buses when I was around and took time to sign autographs and take photos.  Both very charming and accommodating.  I heard Bucky had done the same earlier in the day.  However, Ace and Chris took it to another level.  Chris came back twice in the 2 hours I was standing there and each time made sure that anyone and everyone got what they wanted.  Even remembered one girl and called out to her.

At the after concert M&G, Ace sat down on the floor with a little girl and went through her pictures with her.  He was still sitting there, talking to her and her friends when I finally left the M&G.  He is warm and sincere and leaves you feeling like he was genuinely glad to meet you.