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American Idol Tour Recap
By J Rodgers | Image property of Fox
American Idol
Although I’ve been an avid AI fan since Kelly and Justin squared off in Season 1, this was my first Idol concert. There would never be a more talented Top 10, in my opinion, so the time was now.
The Staples Center filled to the rafters. The crowd was quite diverse. In front of me sat a family with two darling little girls ages 8 and 10. A couple rows below were ‘grandmothers’ screaming and dancing.
American Idol Tour
The warm-up guy, Cory, did some shtick with a Pop-Tart. (They are the underwriting tour sponsor.) Then a guy shot t-shirts into the crowd. Ultimately, the concert started 15-20 minutes late.
The format was a “mini-concert” from each of our idols going from 10 to 1. So first up Chikezie –
What a way to open the show. Chikezie’s set consisted of Donny Hathaway’s “I Believe to my Soul”, Usher’s “Caught Up” and John Legend’s “So High”. Los Angeles is his home town and his parents were in the audience. There was an extra little a cappella number for them. He was incredible! Chikezie had great energy and put out a soulful performance.
Next out was Ramielle Malubay. What a tiny little thing she is. She performed The Jackson 5’s “I Want you Back”, Taylor Dayne’s “Love will Lead you Back” and Maroon 5’s “If I Never see you Face Again”. This was a nice performance overall. She did not seem nearly as nervous as on the show.
Oh my – Michael Johns – the women went wild. His set was chosen wisely, not a weak song in the bunch. He started with Queen’s “We Will Rock You/We are the Champions”, followed by Dolly Parton’s “It’s all Wrong but It’s all Right” and Aerosmith’s “Dream On”. Wow.
Kristy Lee Cook was up next. I’m sorry, but I don’t get it - so much strutting and hair tossing. She sang Carolyn Dawn Johnson’s “Squeezin’ the Love Outta You”. Her best effort was Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” and lastly “Cowgirls”.
Carly Smithson took control of the stage. She gave us Everescence’s “Bring me to Life”, Heart’s amazing “Crazy on You” and Celine Dion’s “Drove all Night”. Powerful, powerful, powerful.
The sweet Brooke White followed. She began on piano with The Beatles “Let it Be” – so pure. Next she gave us Fiest’s “1234” and concluded with Coldplay’s “Yellow” where she was drowned out by the band and back- up singers. She received a very warm response.
The final performance before intermission was dedicated to the continued success of Idol Gives Back. Chikezie, Ramielle, Michael, Kristy Lee, Carly and Brooke performed a group number of U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love)”. It was nicely done- especially Michael and Carly – what a duo they would make.
During intermission Cory was back with a Guitar Hero competition. I know they are an Idol sponsor, but what a waste of time. There were more Pop Tart t-shirt’s tossed.
The pleasant surprise of the night was the performance of Jason Castro – very enjoyable. He reprised “Somewhere over the Rainbow” from the show. He pulled out one of his audition songs, Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” – probably one of the best things he has done. And Jason closed with The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream”. Fun.
Syesha Mercado was next looking very sexy in a silver halter dress. Her set was a great R&B package of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” and Beyonce’s “Listen”. She is a born performer with a lovely voice. It will be interesting to see where her career leads.
The arena was abuzz with the anticipation of David Archuletta. His performance of Robbie Williams’ “Angels” had the crowd on their feet. The screaming was reminiscent of The Beatles. Next David sang OneRepublic’s “Apologize”. He has really matured as a performer in the short time since the finale. An upbeat version of Ben E King’s “Stand by Me” followed. He closed with Josh Groban’s “When you Say You Love Me”. David should have a great future in the industry.
Now, more hysteria ensued. It was time for our American Idol. David Cook began with Lionel Richie’s “Hello”. The obligatory “Time of my Life” followed. Cook’s Cougars squealed along with the teens. Aerosmith’s “Don’t want to Miss a Thing” was the next offering. It was nice to hear the full songs instead of the 90 second Idol version. David dedicated Foo Fighter’s “My Hero” to his older brother Adam. (He has been fighting a long battle with brain cancer.) DC really rocked this one out and exited the stage. After a long ovation he returned for his encore performance of Michael Jackson/Chris Cornell’s “Billie Jean”. The place went crazy. He has amazing stage presence and can work the audience. He just seems so comfortable – and has a smoldering sexiness. I, like Paula, wanted more. I was not ready for it to end.
But alas, the concert concluded with a performance by the Top 10 of Rihanna’s “Please Don’t Stop the Music”. What a fun evening. If you are an Idol fanatic it’s a must. Or if you just love a good time, check out the Idol Tour when it comes to your city. You don’t want to miss a thing.
J Rodgers
Sources: Image property of Fox
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