Sunday, August 17, 2008

Idols Live

So even though I promised that there would be blogging after Idol, I was not true to my word.

My summer was completely blog-free. But all that's about to change now that summer is officially over (my kids go back to school this week). And to get me going.... I was re-energized tonight....when I saw the Idols in concert! It was good to see my old friends; some of them, that is, others I could have done without seeing tonight. Unfortunately Simon wasn't there, but had he been, I'm pretty sure we would have had the same take on things. 

We had great seats. The Idols were only a stones throw away from us. I felt like one of the judges. So without further ado...

Chikezie opened the show. And to be honest with you, I have no idea what he sang. I think I recognized the songs while he was singing them - but I've forgotten them now. Because Chikezie is forgettable. And he always had a problem with song choice. And I've always had a problem with him. 

Next came Ramiele. She looked adorable, but that little girl totally lacks stage presence. She had some choreographed dance moves to Jackson Five's "I Want You Back" but they were painful to watch and I just wanted her off the stage because I knew who was next....

Michael Johns. The guy rocks. I thought I only had eyes for Michael Phelps this summer, but I was mistaken. After seeing Michael (Johns, not Phelps) tonight I still can't get my head around why America voted him off so early in the season?? He sang "We Will Rock you" and then Dolly Parton's "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right." And he was totally all right. Happy to report he was not sporting one of his signature ascots, but he did wear a scarf around his neck. I think he's been hitting the gym hard this summer as he looked especially buff. In fact, many of the Idols looked like they dropped a few pounds and toned up while on the tour. The crowd loved Michael and he finished out by saying "This is the song that got me voted off Idol..." and then sang "Dream On". 

I think Kristy Lee Cook in all her country glory was next. She looked fantastic; but then again, she didn't have a pound to lose nor a muscle to tone. She gave a shout out to the troops and sang that cheesy "God Bless the USA" song. I don't remember her two other songs because as easy as she is on the eye....she is very forgettable. 

Carly Smithson is down about 30 pounds. Swear. She no longer needs to pour her sausage-like body into a pair of Spanx. In fact, she had on a hot little outfit and looked great. If this music thing doesn't take off, I think Weight Watchers would hire her as their spokesperson. She sang Heart's "Crazy on You". And after belting out two more songs, she introduced Brooke. 

Brooke came up through the stage playing the piano and singing "Let it Be". I thought she was one of the best performers tonight. Sure, she comes across as a bit nervous, but she's got a great voice and I loved her song choices. After "Let it Be" she traded in her piano for a guitar and sang Feist's "1 2 3 4" and then went back to the piano for Coldplay's "Yellow." She can't work the crowd, but she entertains them with her vocals. 

Then right before intermission, the six of them sang U2's "Pride" while plugging Idol Gives Back. Michael John's stole the show, but it was easy to do as the others don't have much star quality. Michael is quite the ham and the crowd was eating it up. (no pun intended).

After intermission, it was Jason's turn. The teeny boppers in the crowed LOVED him. I'm pretty sure that he was sober during this performance. At least during this first performance, things took a turn for the worse later during the group sing when he walked on stage and either forgot the lyrics or thought "Please Don't Stop the Music" was hysterically funny, because he couldn't stop laughing. Hmm. He's lucky he's so darn cute. He sang "Somewhere over the Rainbow" with is ukulele and then switched to guitar to sing Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and then Lovin' Spoonful's "Daydream". Adorable. The kid is simply adorable. 

Syesha opened with Rhianna's "Umbrella". She did not make it her own. And then she tried to do her best Beyonce impersonation with "Listen" from Dreamgirls. Yeah, not so much, Syesha. She did a lot of shouting. Screaming, really. She looked great, as usual. That girl has legs and she knows how to use them. Ouch. I am curious to see what she winds up doing after the tour.

As you might expect, David Archuleta was a big hit. He started with "Angels" and then did a few of his grunts and groans and "aw shucks" before he ventured into "Stand By Me" complete with Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls" added at the end. I hope his father was happy with his rendition. The crowd sure was. He wore a Liberace-esque jacket and had his eyes shut tight during all four songs. I was so happy not to have to hear "Imagine". 

And then it was finally David Cook's turn to dazzle the crowd. David has also been pumping iron this summer and looked mighty fine. Gone are the days of David's bad comb-over; his hair looks fab and his stylist has taken him to new heights. His voice was awesome and he rocked the house starting with "Hello" then "Time of My Life" then "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". In between songs he was gracious and funny and entertaining. He dedicated "My Hero" to his brother Adam and then came back on stage to sing "Billie Jean". He really is a rocker. America totally got it right - he can sing and he can perform. 

And then all the Idols came out for a final "Please Don't Stop the Music" finale. Good times. And high times for Jason Castro. 

It's good to be back...

2 comments:

Peter W. Flur said...

I think you described the night perfectly - except that we were underwhelmed by Brooke.

Carly, Michael, and the two Davids were definitely the stars of the night. Did anyone else actually perform?

Anonymous said...

I have to welcome back Reid it and Weep, don't know what I did without you keeping me up on pop culture, so I can have a conversation with my grandchildren. THANK YOU