Priya's Providence RI Recap

I drove 4 hours to see this show, as I couldn't obtain tickets to the Long Island show back in July. I was a little late getting into the city, as I didn't know my way around, and by the time I finally found my seat (after not one, but five different arena employees telling me different places to go), I had missed most of Mandisa's set. As I was walking around in circles, I did manage to hear her dedicate "If I Were Your Woman" to Jason, the lighting guy. I was seated just as Ace came on stage for their duet of "I'm Your Angel." The reception for Ace was fairly loud, but I had nothing to compare it to since I'd missed Mandisa's entrance on to the stage.

I'd like to mention that the reason I spent $100+ (ticket plus parking and gas) on this show was primarily for Ace. I'm 21, and tonight, my inner 13 year old fangirl was really let loose. I posted in my blog about how I'd borrowed some cheap Mardi Gras beads from my cousin (after bribing her with some dolls, of course), just because the beads were in the shape of an Ace of Spades. Sadly, it was pointless to wear them because I was still pretty far from the stage, which is why only a few of the pictures I managed to grab are only halfway decent (coincidentally, they're the ones I got of Ace. None of the Elliott pictures worked.)

After lusting after him for weeks on television, seeing him up close and personal was a little too hot to handle. Luckily, the woman next to me was one of the many nice Rhode Islanders I encountered (I'm not used to that, being from New York), and we chatted throughout the show. She didn't mind my crazy fangirl qualities, which is a nice change.

During his duet with Mandisa, I was actually impressed. I'm not a big fan of the song, but their voices worked surprisingly well together. Plus, he looked ridiculously good in that jacket.

I'd read many recaps of past tours, and I was hoping for the black tanktop that MJ raved so much about, but sadly, we only got a T-shirt during "Father Figure."

I have to admit that even as an Ace fan, the little "thumpa thumpa" he did with his chest was too cheesy for me. But it was great to see him perform the song I've had on repeat for many months live. It's the perfect song for him.

After "Father Figure", Ace thanked everyone who came to visit him by the buses earlier, and I began to regret the fact that I couldn't for the life of me get out of bed early enough.

It became harder for me to breathe during "Harder to Breathe." Sorry, I had to. But when he put on the beanie, I kind of lost it. I guess I am really 13 years old at heart. It's a shame that when he performed "We Will Rock You" on the show, it wasn't well received. I for one enjoyed it, and I think the style of music really suits him.

And he was just a ball of energy! The jump he did off of the stage was just icing on the cake for me. I really can't get enough of him.

And then, it was over. No more Ace. I really felt gypped. But I still had Elliott, Taylor, and the group medleys to look forward to.

Lisa just popped on stage randomly, and while the crowd reception for Ace hadn't been quite as loud as I had hoped and expected, hers was noticeably softer. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" was just alright for me, but when Lisa sat down at her keyboard for "My Song/Someone Saved My Life Tonight", she seemed to be in her element. While she was on the show, I was never crazy about her, she was just there for me, but after seeing her genuine appreciation for the audience's reaction, I began to like her. She's actually quite adorable.

My favorite duet of the night was probably "Waterfalls", with Paris. I thought it was sweet how she introduced her as her "best friend." I wonder how true that is, though. For "Midnight Train to Georgia", I was surprised to see everyone actually listen to her command to get on their feet. Again, when Paris was on the show, I was never crazy about her. I don't think I grew to like her in one night either, but I absolutely have a lot of respect for her. That girl has some energy. She just wouldn't stop moving, even when she was chair dancing during "Crazy In Love" (during which I turned to the lady next to me and jokingly said, "this is a family show!" Hey. She laughed.) I was constantly amazed at how she was able to dance in those sky high heels .I can barely walk in them, let alone run back and forth on a stage.

Next up was Bucky. The crowd reception was surprisingly loud for him, dare I say louder than for Ace? Though, it's quite possible that I'm mistaken, because I lost track of how many times I had my fingers in my ears for fear of going deaf.

Again, Bucky was one of the Idols that I was just okay with on the show. "Superstition" didn't do all that much for me, and the same for "Drift Away." It was his duet with Kellie Pickler that had me amused and horrified at the same time. Grease is my all-time favorite movie, and I know the songs like I know the back of my hand. Their version of"You're The One That I Want" was way too hokey and country for me. To me, parts of the song are supposed to exude sex appeal (yes, I know it's a PG movie), and their version was too cutesy. Neither of them have the voices to carry it off, and it just felt awkward.

At this point in the show, I began to feel a bit guilty for all the nasty things I said about some of the performers while the show was on air. Even if I didn't like their performances or personalities, I don't know them. They're all hard workers, all things said and done. That's probably why I won't be writing recaps about the show anymore, as fun as they were to write.

Kellie started with "I'm The Only One", and it was just okay. It was at this point that the lady next to me turned and said "she's gained weight!" I didn't really notice it, except in her face. The hair extensions didn't do much for her either.

Of course, she told the audience that they were the loudest crowd yet. Somehow, I highly doubt that, considering I know that she's said that to every crowd thus far. Along with a mini-striptease, "Walking After Midnight" was a medley with "Something To Talk About." Great. Not much to say about either one.

The intermission was far too long for me, but I enjoyed chatting with the lady about how obsessed I am with the show, and how much I'm in love with Ace. That's always a favorite topic of mine. The clip package after said intermission was cute, and it made me feel all nostalgic. I was a little too happy that it ended with a shot of Ace. What can I say? I love the guy.

The audience really went WILD when Daughtry hit the stage. I'm not a Chris fan, in the least bit, and I was probably the only person sitting down for his entire set, despite the fact that he played 3 of my favorite songs. When he approached the side of the stage closest to my side of the floor, three pre-teens from behind me went rushing up, and came back with smiles, after triumphantly touching their God's hand. Aw.

"Savin' Me" with Elliott was nice, and the crowd reception for "Never Too Much" was pretty decent, considering that Daughtry was clearly the crowd favorite thus far. Elliott looked really haggard, and was chewing gum during his set. I know this tour must be taking its toll on everyone, but it was the most evident with Elliott. The guy still has an amazing voice, no question about that. "Moody's Mood For Love" was nice, but I would have preferred to hear "Somebody To Love" instead, as it was one of my favorite performances from the entire season, let alone Elliott's best. "Trouble" was also a lot of fun, but too short. Like I did for Ace, I stood up for Elliott's entire set.

The performance I had been looking forward to the most was "Patience", and the boys certainly delivered. The best part was Ace's solo. I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it. God, he's so gorgeous. And talented. I am a complete and total fangirl.

McPhee was up next. As I am with Daughtry, I am NOT in the least bit a Katharine fan. I'm not going to get into it. I will be positive and say that I liked her haircut, and she's lost quite a bit of weight. I found it interesting that out of all the girls, she was the only one wearing an evening-gown type dress. "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and "Think" were nothing amazing for me, and considering I must have been one of the few people who didn't enjoy "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on the show, her tour version didn't do anything for me either. She complained of a cold, and apologized for whatever came out of her mouth. I could make a nasty remark here, but I'm choosing not to.

When Taylor made his entrance with "Jailhouse Rock", he went all around the floor and up the aisle. I had an aisle seat so I was thisclose to him! He's good looking in person. I wish I could have gotten a handslap, or something, but security was yelling "BACK UP! GET AWAY." I really felt like I was back in New York.

He seemed tired like Elliott, but that didn't take away from his performances. The amount of energy he had was insane, especially when he was playing his instruments during "Hollywood Nights" and "Livin'For the City." "Do I Make You Proud" was dedicated to the troops, which was nice, but it was a weird way to "end" the show, which is how I knew that there'd be an encore (even if I did already know that from reading the recaps posted here). "Taking It To The Streets" was great, of course. I mean, there's not much that I can say about Taylor that hasn't already been said. He's a born entertainer and he absolutely deserves everything he's achieved thus far, and will achieve in the future.

The group medleys were enjoyable. I may have thrown my hands up once or twice, perhaps making the o/ sign on occasion... Oh yeah, I got really crazy. Ace jumped off the steps on the stage, and my hands went in the air again. Have I mentioned that I love him?

I wanted to wait for Ace at the tour bus, but past experiences have shown me that it's better for me not to meet objects of my desire and lusting. In this case, I do want the hug that I'm owed for voting him on the show, however, I'd like to hold on to my fantasy of Ace being the perfect male human specimen/future husband. Yes, I'm really an adult. Plus, I have no doubt that he'll become a star in his own right, embark on a solo tour, and give me said hug. I'm just waiting for that day. Hopefully, it won't be too long.

All in all, the show was decent. I can't say that it was worth the amount of money and time I spent getting there, but they put on a good show.

After reading all the posts about the LiMBO shows here, I was really bummed that they hadn't shadowed this tour stop. There seemed to be plenty of cool bars in the Providence area, and I'm finally old enough to enjoy them legally! Ah well. I'll live vicariously through you guys.