Here we are, sitting outside the E-Center, waiting for Kubo to come with our tickets. We killed time doing some people-watching. If there was one thing I noticed, it was that the place was CRAWLING with cougars, as well as old ladies with shirts that said "I heart Adam Lambert." Sometimes it was a combination of the two. But whatever the case, this concert attracted some GEMS. What can I say, Utahns love their Idol! Anyway, we got into the E-Center and settled into our fan-freaking-TASTIC front row seats, courtesy of Brooke. Literally, floor-level, 20 feet from the stage. Amazing.Anyway, we'll get on with what you really want to hear about...the Idols. First was Michael Sarver:
Complete with bedazzled white fringed jacket!! There was even a sparkly cross over his heart. I wish I could've gotten a better shot of it. You'll have to forgive my crappy pictures, we were really close, but my camera's kinda ghetto. Anyway, Michael was a non-event. Just, whatev. He sang "I'm in Love with a Girl" and some other song I can't remember...it was fairly good kareoke. Moving on...The Artist Formerly Known As Corkrey:
Despite being Utah's own, the audience wasn't THAT enthused to see her. Maybe because she's not that good? Just a hunch. But man, she looked good! I can't deny she rocked that little pink dress with her awkward dance moves. She did "Put Your Records On" and another song I've never heard. I looked it up - "Tears Dry on their Own," by Amy Winehouse. There you have it. She was pretty dang awful...worse than Sarver, I'd say. But it's ok cuz she's PRETTY!~!~!~!Scott MacIntyre:
This was a pleasant surprise. He was MUCH better than the first two. He sang "Bend and Break" by Keane and "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. And in case you were wondering how they avoided the whole he's-blind-and-how-the-crap-did-they-get-him-out-on-stage...he was perched on his piano bench, and they raised him up from below.Lil Rounds:
I didn't get an individual photo of her, so this is from the end of the first half, with Megan Joy. Just imagine her in a tacky, bespangled black trench coat with wannabe-Beyonce gloves. The singing itself? Pretty gosh-awful. For someone who claimed she was a stronger singer than Bette Middler (scroll about half-way down to "Lil - 1"), it was a bit disappointing. She did "Be Without You/Just Fine" by Mary J. Blige, "No One," by Alicia Keys, and "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. The first two were pitchy, overdone, and lacked control (classic Lil Rounds) BUT...I do have to hand it to her, "Single Ladies" was pretty fun, though the choreography was disappointing. She claimed she worked with Beyonce's choreographer, but she wasn't even CLOSE. She didn't even do the down-low fist pumps! Come on! Do we need to get Justin Timberlake to show her how it's done? Or that one Jonas Brother? Either of them could've done it better!ANOOP!
I didn't get an individual picture of him, either...so here's another group number picture. (See him? He's the one on the very left!) I personally like it because it features his fabulous black and blue-rimmed glasses. Nerd-chic. Anyway, Noop-Dawg sang "Always on my Mind," some Ne-Yo song, and "My Perogative." He did a good job, and he looked pretty adorable up there. I liked watching his awkward/stank dance moves in person.Matt Giraud:
So good he got two pictures!!! This guy brought down the HOUSE with "Hard to Handle." Fantastic! He also sang "Georgia on my Mind" and "You Found Me" (The Fray). I've never been a big Matt fan but I have to say, he was great. Plus his piano playing was way better than Scott's...
[Scott = pwned!]---INTERMISSION---
[Note our pure freak-outedness as we anticipate Allison, Glambert, and Kris Allen]Allison Iraheta:
Well she was just freaking amazing. She came out with a wind machine AND a sweet electric guitar singing Pink...it just doesn't get much better than that. This girl is a STAR! There was a marked difference between the performance-level of the first half and that of the second. She sang "So What," "Cry Baby," and "Barracuda." Favorite Moment: her "eff-you" raspberry at the end of "So What." Amazing! I loved every minute of it, and I was so excited to hear "Cry Baby" live. What a great moment.
Danny Gokey:
Danny Gokey:
[not pictured]
Sorry, folks. My camera battery started dying and I wanted to save what little juice I had for the big show. Here's the rundown...he sang "P.Y.T." (awkward MJ tribute complete with "clumsy" dancing...I don't think he meditated on it enough), "Maria Maria" (a subtle tribute to his wife. Somewhere in the middle he straddled the mic stand and put it into a compromising position...Joe told me later that if Adam had literally pooped and peed on the mic stand, it would've been more sexy than what Danny Gokey did to it. Just sayin'.) Then he sang "What Hurts the Most," and last but not least, after a rambling sermon that left me wanting to yell "PRAISE THE LORD!" he sang "My Wish," by Rascall Flatts. It made me feel like I accidentaly walked in on a Christian rock concert. Sorry, Danny. Your live performance didn't convert me. After 10 minutes of straight yell-singing, I just couldn't see the light. The final hoarse, off-key wail at the end of "My Wish" was the cherry on top of a gritty, overbaked cake.
ADAM LAMBERT:
[This is the part where I started pooping my pants.]
GLAMBERT. What is there to say, really? It was amazing. I seriously FREAKED OUT that I got to see this hot gay man in real life. He sang "Whole Lotta Love," "Starlight" (which I was SO excited to hear because I've thought since Day 1 that he sounded just like the lead singer from Muse), "Mad World," "Slow Ride" (with ALLISON!! He introduced her on stage as his "little sister," and dang it was awesome. That was one of the best moments on Idol, and I was so excited to see it LIVE! They completely rocked), and a David Bowie medley (so fitting). It was so many levels of awesome, I can't even describe it. He definitely got the pimped-out lighting, stage effects, etc. Near the end he ripped off his bedazzled coat with tails to expose a tux vest with no shirt underneath. Joe noted that his armpits were phenomenally smooth. Kubo said he sounds like a lady. Whatever he is, it's sexy. That was perhaps one of the greatest moments of my life. Top ten at LEAST.
Kris freaking Allen:
WOO!!! This guy was just dang adorable and he sounded FANTASTIC live! He started off with "Heartless," which was spot-on. Then "Ain't No Sunshine" on the piano which was, again, amazing. Then there was "Bright Lights" and "Hey Jude," which I was very glad he sang because The Beatles is totally up his alley. I remember his version of "Come Together," and "Hey Jude" was no disappointment. I must say, Kris got a little hosed on the stage effects compared to Glambert. All he got was this ghetto fabric drape (pictured above), while Glambert got fog, a streaming beam of light shining down on him, and background lights that suddenly appeared behind him like an angel. It was quite the show. Anyway, Kris still did a very VERY good job and it was a nice little "screw you" to Simon who said Kris's style of voice could never fill a big concert hall.
Grand Finale:
Sorry, folks. My camera battery started dying and I wanted to save what little juice I had for the big show. Here's the rundown...he sang "P.Y.T." (awkward MJ tribute complete with "clumsy" dancing...I don't think he meditated on it enough), "Maria Maria" (a subtle tribute to his wife. Somewhere in the middle he straddled the mic stand and put it into a compromising position...Joe told me later that if Adam had literally pooped and peed on the mic stand, it would've been more sexy than what Danny Gokey did to it. Just sayin'.) Then he sang "What Hurts the Most," and last but not least, after a rambling sermon that left me wanting to yell "PRAISE THE LORD!" he sang "My Wish," by Rascall Flatts. It made me feel like I accidentaly walked in on a Christian rock concert. Sorry, Danny. Your live performance didn't convert me. After 10 minutes of straight yell-singing, I just couldn't see the light. The final hoarse, off-key wail at the end of "My Wish" was the cherry on top of a gritty, overbaked cake.
ADAM LAMBERT:
[This is the part where I started pooping my pants.]
GLAMBERT. What is there to say, really? It was amazing. I seriously FREAKED OUT that I got to see this hot gay man in real life. He sang "Whole Lotta Love," "Starlight" (which I was SO excited to hear because I've thought since Day 1 that he sounded just like the lead singer from Muse), "Mad World," "Slow Ride" (with ALLISON!! He introduced her on stage as his "little sister," and dang it was awesome. That was one of the best moments on Idol, and I was so excited to see it LIVE! They completely rocked), and a David Bowie medley (so fitting). It was so many levels of awesome, I can't even describe it. He definitely got the pimped-out lighting, stage effects, etc. Near the end he ripped off his bedazzled coat with tails to expose a tux vest with no shirt underneath. Joe noted that his armpits were phenomenally smooth. Kubo said he sounds like a lady. Whatever he is, it's sexy. That was perhaps one of the greatest moments of my life. Top ten at LEAST.
Kris freaking Allen:
WOO!!! This guy was just dang adorable and he sounded FANTASTIC live! He started off with "Heartless," which was spot-on. Then "Ain't No Sunshine" on the piano which was, again, amazing. Then there was "Bright Lights" and "Hey Jude," which I was very glad he sang because The Beatles is totally up his alley. I remember his version of "Come Together," and "Hey Jude" was no disappointment. I must say, Kris got a little hosed on the stage effects compared to Glambert. All he got was this ghetto fabric drape (pictured above), while Glambert got fog, a streaming beam of light shining down on him, and background lights that suddenly appeared behind him like an angel. It was quite the show. Anyway, Kris still did a very VERY good job and it was a nice little "screw you" to Simon who said Kris's style of voice could never fill a big concert hall.
Grand Finale:
Well dang, I accidentally got some of Danny in there. Woops. Anyway, the whole group joined in in the middle of "Hey Jude," and then sang "Don't Stop Believin'" with Scott and Matt raising from below the stage, dueling piano-style. It was great!
Favorite quotes from the night:
"He sounds like a lady."
--Kubo, talking about Adam Lambert
"That Adam Lambert is just DARling!"
--a cute 60-year-old lady who you'd never guess would say that about Adam Lambert
"I want Danny Gokey to have my babies!"
--some girl
Favorite quotes from the night:
"He sounds like a lady."
--Kubo, talking about Adam Lambert
"That Adam Lambert is just DARling!"
--a cute 60-year-old lady who you'd never guess would say that about Adam Lambert
"I want Danny Gokey to have my babies!"
--some girl
Wow, that was long. If you read this whole thing, you deserve a medal. Or a trophy of Adam Lambert's armpits.
