'Silvia' date='Sep 17th 2009, 12:37 AM'
The Post-StandardAdam Lambert performs at the War Memorial in Syracuse Monday night. The gang from American Idol 8 was at the War Memorial in Syracuse Monday night for the second-to-last show of their two-plus month tour and it was clear from the jump that this year, there were some significant changes in the production. Gone was the tin foil set of yesteryear, replaced by a rather plain Jane stage with a center riser from which several of the performers rose playing pianos.
This year, it appeared that a good portion of the production cost went to lighting. The set included a huge digital panel, which punctuated the show from time to time with blasts of light and also provided background graphics that were supposed to somehow match the ambiance of each of the performances.
The concert format was fairly straightforward. The contestants performed in the order in which they were eliminated on the show, starting with Michael Sarver and ending with Kris Allen. Because of this reverse-elimination lineup, this year's show really felt like two separate concerts, the first half being a mix of slightly stale pop and R&B and the second some pretty impressive rock 'n roll. This fact alone made it pretty evident that, for the most part, the voters got it right.
Michael Sarver got things started with two songs, Gavin DeGraw's "I Just Want a Girl" and Ne-Yo's "Closer." He was enthusiastic, urging the crowd to "make some noise," but after having had him tell me only a few hours before the show that he was going to record a country album, these song choices didn't really fit the singer he wants to be.
Still, two months on the road have really seasoned Michael and he was confident and strutted his stuff like a pro. In my notes I wrote, "I wonder if I would have enjoyed his set as much if I hadn't met him earlier in the day!" We'll never know, now, will we?
Megan Joy was next with Corrine Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" and Amy Winehouse's "Tears Dry on Their Own." She was dressed in a very short hot pink cocktail dress with pink stilettos, and her hair, which used to be one of her best features, has been cut short, dyed blonde, and straightened to within an inch of its life. Megan has improved vocally, however, but I found myself hoping she would "Caw" or something.
By the end of Megan's set, I was laughing almost hysterically. I know she doesn't take herself all that seriously and I wonder if her set is almost a parody of what TPTB expected her to be on the show? Interesting idea.
Scott MacIntyre was the first to rise up on the "piano platform" in the center of the stage. He did justice to both Keane's "Bend and Break" and Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles." Scott is a competent piano player, and like Michael, the months on the road have really tightened up his performing skills. I enjoyed Scott's set a lot. He doesn't have best voice, but his love of music transcends that. I smiled the whole time he was onstage.
The next three performers were allowed three songs each. Lil Rounds opened with "Be Without You/Just Fine" (Mary J. Blige), which was a good choice for her vocal range. She then took on Alicia Keys' "No One" and closed with Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It). Lil did a halfway decent job with "No One," but it didn't help that I had watched Beyonce absolutely kill "Single Ladies" Sunday night on the VMAs. Lil's no Beyonce, but she held her own and got in a little booty shaking of her own.
Anoop Desai opened with my favorite of his performances on the show, Willie Nelson's "Always on My Mind," followed by Ne-Yo's "Mad," and closed with Bobby Brown's "My Perogative." Anoop's vocals are clean but I'm still not quite sure I'm buying him as an R&B artist. The women sitting behind me said he looked just like their employer's (a doctor) son. They weren't buying him as a sexy R&B singer either.
My pick for Most Improved, Matt Giraud, was last up in the first half of the show. He opened with a rip-roaring version of "Hard Too Handle," tearing up the piano and the stage. He is much looser than he ever was on the TV show and seemed to be having the most fun of any of the first half performers.
Matt segued into "Georgia," which was a bit too stark a contrast to the previous song. Sorry, Matt, but it was a little boring. He saved himself with The Fray's "You Found Me." The audience sang along and all was well in Idol-land!
The first half closed with a rather odd collection of duets and group numbers. Megan and Lil's duet of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" didn't mesh at all, but Scott and Matt did a bit of dueling pianos on Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It." I understand this was supposed to have been part of the finale, but was cut due to time constraints. Too bad, because it was quite good.
Michael came out singing "Suspicious Minds," and was joined by Matt, Scott, Lil, Anoop, and Megan to close the first half with "Beggin." I was amused watching Michael doing the "doo-wop" hand motions during this one, again, thinking of his comments about America not having a chance to see the "real" Michael Sarver. Too bad he couldn't have chosen songs that would be a bit more in line with what he really wants to sing.
After a 20-minute intermission that stretched to at least 30, Allison came roaring out on the stage with an electric guitar on Pink's "So What." I found it interesting to watch this somewhat shy girl transform into a rock siren! Allison followed that up with Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby." Wow. She prowled the stage and tore this one up! Allison closed with Heart's "Barracuda," which she ripped to shreds!
Danny Gokey followed Allison, opening with Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T.(Pretty Young Thing)" followed by Santana's "Maria, Maria." In both songs he did quite a bit of dancing, not particularly well, but with great fervor! He followed this with two Rascal Flatts' songs, "What Hurts the Most" and "My Wish" broken with an inspirational talk about not letting tragedy stop us from our dreams.
When Danny finished, the audience in Syracuse began to roar and stomp, knowing Adam Lambert was next. Kudos to the lighting crew for ramping things up with explosions of light to bring Adam to the stage. He opened with Led Zepplin's "Whole Lot of Love" in which he gyrated, twisted, and pranced the audience into a frenzy. He followed that with Muse's "Starlight," a rather obscure song that highlighted his head voice. Adam is an amazing performer and draws on his theatrical background to create a rock 'n roll character that is very convincing.
But it was his version of "Mad World" that impressed me the most. Sitting on a stool with a spotlight, he sold this song to the audience once again, bringing that same element of mystery and surprise he brought to the performance on Idol.
Allison joined Adam for a reprieve of their "Slow Ride" duet. It was outstanding! They've really perfected this one, complete with some back-to-back grinds that had the women in the audience positively swooning. During this one, Adam toyed with the audience, tossing back items that had been thrown up on the stage (a black bra, some kind of little whip, and a yellow feather boa).
Adam closed with a David Bowie medley, including "Life on Mars." "Fame," and "Let's Dance." He certainly did not hold back on the dance moves, and showed he is, well, quite flexible! His voice seemed a bit strained on this one, most likely due to his having been sick over the weekend. Still, he was outstanding and left the audience was chanting his name as a curtain dropped in anticipation of Kris Allen's performance.
After Adam's theatrics, Kris Allen's set seemed a tad anti-climatic. Still, his repertoire was solid, and included a much richer version of "Heartless," The Killers' "All These Things I've Done," which replaced "No Boundaries," a solid rendition of "Ain't No Sunshine," and Matchbox 20's "Bright Lights" on which he kicked some serious butt on guitar.
Kris closed his set with "Hey Jude," getting the audience involved, and then bringing the rest of the Idols back out on the stage. Without even faking an ending, the group launched into Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" intermingled with a chorus of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye."
The Idols will close their tour Tuesday in Manchester, N.H. On Wednesday, the scatter to the winds, their Idol journey over. Adam, Kris, Danny, and Allison have signed record deals and will be getting their albums ready for release. Michael seems to have a deal in the works and I've heard Matt's been approached to play keyboards for a well-known band.
Scott has produced an album of his own that he will be releasing later this fall and Anoop is going to continue to pursue a record deal. Megan is said to be considering modeling. There's no word as to what Lil has planned.
To all of this year's group, thanks and best wishes for your future success. It's been a fun ride!
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