American Idol Concert Recap

Well, I'm back! OMIGOSH, it was so much fun! It was FANTASTIC!! I've lost my voice! Yep, I had a GREAT time! 17 rows back, too! Row 17 -- right in the middle!! When I showed the lady my ticket and asked if she could tell me where to go, she led me to my seat. And she kept walking closer and closer and closer. I kept suppressing my impish grin that kept creeping to the corners of my mouth the closer I would get to the stage. I was trying to act all calm and confident like "Oh yes, right here, row 17, but of course. Thank you very much." It's like when you're at a really rich, fancy place and you're bubbling with excitement inside at being at such a posh location, but yet you act totally calm and as if it's the norm--"Oh yes, Holmes, right at the door is fine. Thank you. Yes, Charisse, a port wine with the caviar would be splendid!"

It was a wonderful concert. I was absolutely giddy. I was drunk with giddiness. I kept shrieking the obvious to Denise and Robynne. I don’t know how many times during the concert I hit them on the arms and squealed, “They’re RIGHT THERE!” while pointing to the stage! I mean, you watch them on TV week after week and then they’re RIGHT THERE!!

Okay, but you want to hear about the show and not my gushing, right? You know, I found a review of the show in the Patriot News. I could post it and simply say, "I think pretty much the opposite of most everything this guy says." But this is more fun. He was such a wet blanket! Bleh. Must be rough to be PAID to attend American Idol concerts and write about them. How have I not gotten that job??

If you're really interested to see what they look and sound like in concert, check out youtube.com. Look up "American Idol Concert" and enjoy!

Mandisa started it out REALLY well. She blasted out on stage and got the audience all geared up (as if we needed much help—they showed pictures of the idols on the big screens before the concert and everyone cheered like mad). Boy, she can work the stage. And I think she's very pretty and she sounds better than ever. She sang "I'm Every Woman" and then she sang "If I Were Your Woman" (I think) and then she encouraged all the young people in the audience to dream big and reminded everyone that someone up there (pointing to the sky) has big plans for each and every one of us. Then, (swoon), Ace joined her on stage and they sang a lovely duet of "I'm Your Angel." I wasn’t a huge Ace fan during the season, but I did like him and he won me over even more during the concert. Ace sang and looked unbelievable! I mean, he really sounded great! Better than on the show. He sounded pretty darn fantastic. His smile lit up the entire stage and he took time with as many fans as he possibly could whenever he sang or was between songs. Very sweet. He kept waving, smiling, and pointing at the audience. He was so personable and so genuine. Oh, and he’s apparently been working out, too. But that's beside the point, isn't it? His voice! Yes, his voice. He did a great job! (Rachelle, I didn’t see his brother anywhere!).

Ace sang "Father Figure." My, it was sultry. He kept taking off clothing every time he said "warm and naked." (Don’t worry—all in all, it was a family show). After the second time (and after having disrobed 2 items of clothing), Denise said, "I hope he doesn't say 'warm and naked' again!" ROTFL! He did a great job and then he sang Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe" which was a lot of fun. He was ALL over the stage and kept leaping in the air from side to side. It looked like he was jumping INTO the audience. He was great fun. I really enjoyed his stage presence. I think it’s safe to say he was Robynne’s favorite. :) (Though she might've enjoyed him all the more if she didn't have the ONE obnoxious fan who decided to stand THE ENTIRE TIME including during speeches and slow songs—she might've been a little slow. She seemed to think her beer was a candle.)

Lisa Tucker, who I didn't really care for on the show, I have GOT to say was phe-nomenal! She sang beautifully, wasn't snotty at all, looked great, and sang (I LOVE THIS SONG) "Your Song" (Elton John--the Moulin Rouge version) while playing the keyboards very well herself! It was great! She also sang "Someone Saved My Life Tonight." (She must be a big Elton John fan). She did a really great job. I liked her a lot. Then she brought out "her best friend" Paris and they sang together a bit (oh, what was the duet—Waterfalls). Paris had an odd entrance and was my least favorite of the whole evening, but I still enjoyed her. Paris did more dancing than singing (man, can she shake)! She did okay, but it's a shame she doesn't sing more of the jazzy old stuff. She sang "Midnight Train to Georgia" though and that was great as always.

Bucky sang and did quite well. Still mumbles a bit—Denise and I got a good chuckle laughing about Mark's really great impersonations of Bucky (me re suma nishus)--, but still very good. Oh, he played guitar, too. Very smiley. He sang "Superstition" (they all sang their songs from the AI5 album). Then he sang "Drift Away." Then he sang a duet with Kellie Pickler ("You’re The One That I Want Oooh Oooh Oooh") a la Grease. It was cute, if a bit cheesy and off.

I like Kellie Pickler, but more for her personality than her singing. I think she's probably the weakest of the bunch, but she's still very likeable. She was very good and sweet and funny in her interactions with the audience. She asked for lights so she could see everyone, which was sweet. And she mentioned how fun it was to (you are reading this with a southern drawl, right?) get a 5 lb. bar of Hershey's chocolate in her dressing room. She did okay. I'm not a big fan of her singing--but I'm not big into country music either and she is twangy! She does look less nervous on stage. She sang "Walking After Midnight," "People Are Talkin'," and maybe something else. I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just bitter. She mentioned her single on the radio; she has a record deal. How in the WORLD does she already have one and Elliott not yet have one?? Mark says it's the country aspect. Sigh.

They all did shout outs for Hershey, PA! LOL! That was fun!

--And then it was intermission-- (This is where Robynne and I got a workout bolting for the car to get our camera and my poster (yes, I made one) because when we parked, they said you couldn't have either of them, but then there were a million cameras there anyway, so we went and got them and snuck them in my windbreaker and walked back in all casual like. That was fun, too, in a rebellious sort of way. I was SO excited to hoist my banner high in the air for MY BOY ELLIOTT! Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself.

And then Chris ROCKED THE HOUSE. I couldn't even hear the first SEVERAL notes of his song because people went absolutely WILD with cheers. It was UNreal!! Taylor didn't get that much volume. He was good as always. He played guitar, too. I like him, but he does strike me as a bit full of himself and even reminded the audience to see HIM on his own tour next year. (Roll Eyes). He sang some songs ("Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Renegade"). He might've sung something else by himself. I'm not sure. But THEN . . . Yes, you guessed it! Are you on the edge of your seats? I WAS! Quite literally. On the edge of my seat. With my FEET. I couldn’t stand still!! I knew he was coming out next!

And then—I'm building suspense here, can you tell?—And then, OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH (I told you I would melt into a squealing fan) AND THEN (and here's where I yelled so much and could hardly stand still. Yes, I did jump up and down screaming and my voice is quite strained), ELLIOTT (MY BOY ELLIOTT!!) joined Chris on Nickelback's "Savin' Me" and it was PHENOMENAL! PHENOMENAL! They sound GREAT together!! (Swoon, swoon, swoon). I leapt to my feet (on the chair briefly) with my sign up in the air—BOTH hands! I didn’t go so far as to scream "I LOVE YOU ELLIOTT" but I did cheer wildly! I couldn’t care less how I looked or came across. I fully enjoyed the moments of cheering for my favorite Idol and letting him know that "I POWER DIALED 4 U!" (Yes, much to my academic dismay, there wasn't sufficient space on the poster for "FOR YOU" and I resorted to –ugh—textspeak. I’m so ashamed. :P) And then Elliott sang (I LOVE THIS SONG, TOO) "Moody's Mood for Love." There I go, there I go, there I go. Pretty Baby, you are the soul who snaps my control! Ohhhhhhhhh, it was wonderful! Elliott is soooooooo good!! Mmmmmmmm. Love it! He also sang "Trouble" and "Never Too Much" and did a GREAT job!! I was a dancing and singing fool right along with him! He did look tired and I wonder how he does it all with his diabetes, but he did a wonderful job nonetheless and I hope he saw my sign! :P

All the boys (except Taylor) sang Guns-n-Roses "Patience" which all 3 of us girls agree was the best part of the entire evening. WOWWWWWWWWWWW! They harmonized on some notes together that gave us CHILLS!

Katharine was there (it's their 2nd show in Hershey and she missed the first one because of her laryngitis) and she looked FABULOUS!! WOW! She had on a stunning black dress and was absolutely classy. She sounded terrific! She started out by yelling "2! 3! 4!" in the dark, the lights came on and she sang "Black Horse and A Cherry Tree" (which I really like by her) and "Think" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (she struggled a bit with the high notes—seems her laryngitis might've been acting up a bit, poor girl, but all in all you could hardly tell though she more often than not chose lower notes when she could) and other stuff, too. She was GREAT! I have a great deal of respect for her for going public about her battle with bulimia. I go a little crazy when people are SO private with their struggles that others aren’t able to benefit from knowing that hey, we're not all perfect--wow. So, go, Katharine!

Taylor came out down the stairs and through the audience, which was a big hit. He was CRAZY and a lot of fun. He puts himself into his performances, body and soul. He played guitar, harmonica, and tambourine! He was awesome! He came out singing, "Jailhouse Rock" while making his way to the stage among screaming fans of ALL ages (we overheard a rumor later that one of the security guards broke his arm escorting him in, Eek!). He also sang "Do I Make You Proud" (of course) and "Takin' It To The Streets" and "Livin' For the City." He did a good job! It's so fun to watch him perform. Then he left the stage. And you'd THINK the show was over, right? WRONG! Ha! Fooled you!

ALL the idols sang together for several encores. And it was great! They sang Queen—We are the Champions. Yes, my hand was swaying side to side with everyone else's. Proudly. Cause we are the Champions . . . dum-dum-dum! . . . of the world!! And then they all sang "Living in America!" while dancing around the stage and yelling out various cities. Of course the crowd went wild with HERSHEY!! They held hands and bowed repeatedly and we all cheered to let them know that WE LOVE OUR IDOLS!

Well, I'm not sure if I'm forgetting anything. I LOVE this show. It was so fun to see them up close like that. It was so fun to enjoy it and get into it and I am both sore and hoarse and loving it! SUCH a treat! I've had a wonderful evening.