I was fortunate enough to arrive at the arena early, walk all around the building and find what I'd hoped for--a small group of fans clustered by a back gate and out there with them were Bucky and Ace signing autographs. Behind the guarded gate Elliott was talking to some fans. Further behind the gate Chris was riding shirtless on a scooter. A little later Elliott was playing football with a shirtless Taylor, who we could only see brief glimpses of. Two ladies kept shouting for him to come over. I did think they were impolite. I heard one other lady remark that because she had voted the Idols should come over. Again, that seemed rude. I was mindful of just me's comments about some fans' behavior at the Viper Room the other night. Mostly though we were all polite.

 

Ace: genuinely nice. Movie star smile. Fresh and clean. Broad shoulders. I can completely see how Ace is involved in charity work with hospitalized kids. He has a very compassionate vibe. Made sure everyone was taken care of with pictures, autographs. Made everyone feel like they mattered.

 

Bucky: down to earth, friendly and sweet.

 

Elliott: not a tall guy but tough. Like he's been through a lot in life. For some reason reminds me of Sammy Davis. His eyes sparkle, its cool. I had a gift for Taylor and Elliott (it was for all the guys really but I just wrote Taylor and Elliott on the envelope) and gave it to him and felt really shy. Its a video for the bus I said and couldn't say another word. I was glad I had a gift for him because I'd just asked for his autograph and was able to give something in return.

 

Chris: he did come over, he put a t shirt on first. He walked out from behind the gate. Chris was pleasant and posed for several pictures with his fans. He also posed very pleasantly with a lady in a Soul Patrol shirt. He signed a little girl's hand and called her sweetheart. He was in every way accommodating. Chris is very attractive.

 

Taylor: he came over last. He also put a t shirt on before doing so. OK, I have read several reports about Taylor and how handsome he is in person. Oh he's so amazing oh I was thudding, all the scary board type comments. But the Taylor I saw was not incredibly handsome. He was a regular guy, a sweaty non-gelled (sorry Ana!) messy-haired guy who had just finished throwing a football around with a buddy. Physically he is solid. Substantial. Taylor was low-key and somewhat detached. He signed autographs. He stayed behind the gate. Because he was subdued we were all subdued too. At one point he posed for a picture with a fan, she in front of the gate, he looking out between the bars and he made a funny silly face and there was the charisma. He was making us all smile. He must decide when to turn it on and when to turn it off. Which is cool. A fan gave him a gift bag and as he was walking away he peeked inside like a little boy, it was endearing.

 

The concert:

 

Mandisa: very sincere, a bit preachy, gospel voice. She's got a difficult job, to open the show while late-comers are still arriving and squeezing through the aisles with their overflowing plates of nachos. I was sitting near the front and it almost felt like an obligation to do what she and some other performers asked for ( "lets hear you scream! I can't hear you!") because we wanted to support them and crowd response really impacts a show. I must say I was proud of San Jose, overall it showed a lot of love for these Idols.

 

Ace: the crowd did scream for his chest pumping and jacket removal. Many many people enjoyed him. I personally would like to see him with a more dignified set (yes, I am aware that its all cheesy fun. I shouldn't be looking for dignity. I am just trying to be tactful). Ace is not a natural head-banger. It didn't suit him. I think he is still finding his way as a performer. He is experimenting. Ace has so much natural charm, he does not need gimmicks like the chest thing. He's a good guy. I wish him success.

 

Lisa: wow, a surprise! She finished Signed,Sealed,Delivered to sustained applause. She looked surprised too. And very happy. Her Your Song was very very good. The crowd definitely gave Lisa love. She deserved it.

 

Paris: I liked Paris very much on AI but not so much at the concert. I think she was having some voice problems, she was somewhat hoarse. People have commented that Paris' act is too mature for her years but I thought Paris was lacking in maturity. I'm not really sure what was missing. I do know she is super-talented. I was trying to imagine myself at eighteen being able to stand in front of ten thousand people and entertain them. No way.

 

Bucky: well, the crowd loved them some Bucky!  He asked everyone to sing part of Drift Away and most did and just like Lisa he looked visibly surprised and pleased. A sweet sweet guy. Very enjoyable especially his transparent joy that he was so well-liked.

 

Kellie: she did engage the crowd with Walking After Midnight. During the line "searching for you" she pointed right at a young boy in my section (it was obviously his very first concert) and gave him a memory I'm sure he'll treasure. "She's talking to you!" said a lady behind him and his mom turned around and mouthed "thank you'. He looked so proud. Kellie kind of lost the crowd on her last song. She exited to not much applause, San Jose was a little lacking in Kellie love.

 

Chris: the crowd did explode when he took the stage. Chris, why do you have the mic stand so high? The people next to me were discussing it. Chris had flames and a strong voice which was slightly hoarse. I often read that Chris "owned" the stage. I personally did not feel he owned the stage but many others did. He got a huge amount of love. You have to really like rock music to enjoy Chris (duh). Because at least one song seemed to have no melody. As I watched Chris I recalled what Simon told him on the top eight guys night. Something like Chris, you are great but don't get too insular. This is American Idol and at the end of the day you still have to entertain. I think Simon was right and that was one strong reason why Chris left the show early. Chris is a rocker, that's insular and that's where his heart is. Chris will have a tremendous career.

 

Elliott: overall Elliott was terrific. He was also a bit hoarse. During MMFL he got extremely hoarse at one point. I looked at the screen to see a close-up of his face and he looked like oh man just let me get through this. You could see him willing himself to do so. He did. And on Trouble Elliott absolutely owned ( have to use that expression even though I'm starting to dislike it- only way to describe his Trouble). Elliott's gonna do just fine in his career, all Elliott fans should stop any worries re record deals and such.

 

Katharine: Katharine is quite beautiful. She was having difficulty with her voice. Maybe it was the acoustics where I was sitting. On her first two songs she sounded like she was on helium. Kat fans don't get upset. Last year I saw Carrie at the AI concert. I was seated in the exact same area. And Carrie also sounded like she was on helium. Very high pitched. So it could be the acoustics for a certain type of voice. Carrie has done very well in her career and I wish the same for Kat. There were shouts of I love you Kat!  However I did not feel a high likability factor coming from her. Maybe its got to do with her self-esteem issues, you've got to like yourself first etc. etc...

 

Taylor: I read a couple of reviews in the San Jose concert thread about Taylor and I honestly don't know what show the reviewers were attending. I am a Taylor fan and have read so many negatives lately that I was perfectly prepared for a weary artist who would not live up to my hopes. I figured ok, I'll enjoy it for what it is and will save my expectations for his solo tour. But Taylor was extraordinary. He had me feeling the music so deeply that I was up and dancing. I never dance in public. I don't even dance in front of my own family. I am too embarrassed, I'm a terrible dancer. But that all flew out the window when Taylor took the stage. I felt he gave everything in him to the audience who gave him all we had right back. I shouldn't mention the applause o' meter but as objectively as I can (and I was determined to be objective) the crowd adored Taylor. I sincerely believe that some of these negative reviews are coming from people who still believe the competition is in effect. In fact I had to fight those same feelings when I was writing about Chris. I do know that I will never again accept a negative review of Taylor unless I have seen the show with my own eyes. And whatever negatives I have said here about someones favorite I will tell you the same. Go see for yourself, you might see a terrific performance that I totally missed. Peace everybody!