Idol Concert in Salt Lake City
Bellow is my review of the American Idol concert I recently attended in Salt Lake City. Also, I have a bunch of photos I took at the concert uploaded to flickr
I just got back from a trip to Salt Lake City for the Idol concert where I saw Utahans welcome home their favorite son, David Archuleta. Having gone to Utah's "Stadium Of Fire" 4th Of July show in '06 to see Taylor Hicks in his first post-Idol appearance, I can vouch for the fact that Utah is a great place to see a big event as the locals are the nicest, most polite, appreciative people you can imagine. The folks in Utah are apple-pie America at it's finest.
Before the show began, there was a hint of things to come. When the big TV screens showed David Archuleta doing the Tom Cruise thing in the Guitar Heros commercial, the crowd screamed.
Once the show started, with the distinct smell of blueberry and strawberry Pop-tarts in the air, Chikeze came out to kick things off. He did a fine job with his songs, but once again I question his song choices as I would have loved to have seen his finest moment, "She's A Woman" repeated at the concert.
Ramiele was next, she is just as small in person as she appears on TV, despite her 3 inch heels. She has a nice voice but lacks the presence to command the stage as well as the others. Still, she kept the crowd going and everyone seemed to love her.
Michael Johns was met with a loud roar from the crowd, he really upped the volume and excitement with his rock and roll act. He commanded the stage. If Though it was a hot night, MJ was wearing a sport coat and long knit scarf, he looked great but later when he reappeared during a group number, he shed the sport coat but still had the scarf wrapped around his neck. I was really impressed with how relaxed MJ was and how he used the whole stage while performing. There is so much more to him than we saw on TV. I also saw him cut loose with a spastic, Taylor Hicks type impromptu dance move during a group number. He was off to one side of the stage when it happened and it was hilarious.
Kristy Lee looked fantastic. She knows how to sing, act, strike a pose and look like a million bucks. I continue to be impressed by her fearlessness. She's totally comfortable on stage and looks like a seasoned performer.
Carly was better than I expected. I wasn't a Carly fan during the competition but she is more impressive live than she was on TV. Her voice was loud and strong, no hint of the "shoutyness" that bugged me when she was on TV.
Brooke rose up on a platform from below stage level, playing the piano. Lots of camera flashes went off when she first appeared. After "Let It Be" at the piano, she donned a guitar and sang "One Two Three Four" the Feist song made familiar from the IPod commercials. The song suited her style very well. She thanked Utah for their voting support, a reference to her being Mormon. She then went back to the piano and sang "Yellow" from her pre-Idol album.
After Brooke left the stage, there was an intermission. Then Jason came out with his ukelele singing "Over The Rainbow", which was very well received. Another song he sang was "Daydream", he said he had never heard of the song prior to being on Idol but since it has become a song that describes him.
Syesha looked and sounded great and the anticipation grew while she was on stage, at the end of her third song she said, "the next performer....." she didn't need to name him, everyone knew DA was next. Though the crowd enthusiasm was high throughout the concert, what came next was enthusiasm at it's highest level.
David Archuleta came up from below the stage on a ascending platform, sitting at the piano, same as Brooke did. The crowd screaming and cheering was unbelievable. He did not acknowledge the crowd until he had finished two songs at the piano, then he walked out to the foremost part of the stage and just stood there with the white spotlights on him. I have never heard such noise from a crowd, it was such cheering, applause, screaming like I've never heard. DA smiled, looked embarrassed, thanked the crowd, wiped tears away, walked around a bit, and the noise never let up. He spoke and mostly told the crowd how appreciative he was but it was hard to hear everything he was saying as the cheering was so loud. Once he just said the word, "Utah!" and everyone went nuts. I cannot overstate the appreciation the entire place had for little David Archuleta. It was something I'll never forget.
When David Cook came out, he was met with a very loud roar. The roar had really never let up all night, it just got louder as the concert progressed. DC is a rock star. He put on a great live performance. At one point after finishing a song, a stagehand gave him his little video camera, and DC explained to the crowd that he videos the crowd and each and every concert. So he asked for the house lights to come on, and for everyone to cheer. He started videoing at one side of the stage and panned across the crowd all the way across to the other side, with everyone going crazy with their hands in the air. A pretty good memento for the self=2 0described "ordinary goof who got lucky."
All in all, each and every Idol thanked the crowd for their votes and this life changing opportunity. A lot of what each one had to say was hard to understand due to them not speaking clearly enough to rise above the cheers, but we got the gist of what they were saying. It was a fun night, well worth seeing.
Here's my general summary:
Biggest stage presence: DC, MJ
Better than I expected: Carly
Played instruments: Brooke, Jason, DA, DC
All around performer: Kristy Lee
Rocked us: MJ, DC
Biggest applause: DA
Most photographed: Brooke
Better looking in person: Carly
I'd most like to hang out with: MJ
Most improved: all of them
I just got back from a trip to Salt Lake City for the Idol concert where I saw Utahans welcome home their favorite son, David Archuleta. Having gone to Utah's "Stadium Of Fire" 4th Of July show in '06 to see Taylor Hicks in his first post-Idol appearance, I can vouch for the fact that Utah is a great place to see a big event as the locals are the nicest, most polite, appreciative people you can imagine. The folks in Utah are apple-pie America at it's finest.
Before the show began, there was a hint of things to come. When the big TV screens showed David Archuleta doing the Tom Cruise thing in the Guitar Heros commercial, the crowd screamed.
Once the show started, with the distinct smell of blueberry and strawberry Pop-tarts in the air, Chikeze came out to kick things off. He did a fine job with his songs, but once again I question his song choices as I would have loved to have seen his finest moment, "She's A Woman" repeated at the concert.
Ramiele was next, she is just as small in person as she appears on TV, despite her 3 inch heels. She has a nice voice but lacks the presence to command the stage as well as the others. Still, she kept the crowd going and everyone seemed to love her.
Michael Johns was met with a loud roar from the crowd, he really upped the volume and excitement with his rock and roll act. He commanded the stage. If Though it was a hot night, MJ was wearing a sport coat and long knit scarf, he looked great but later when he reappeared during a group number, he shed the sport coat but still had the scarf wrapped around his neck. I was really impressed with how relaxed MJ was and how he used the whole stage while performing. There is so much more to him than we saw on TV. I also saw him cut loose with a spastic, Taylor Hicks type impromptu dance move during a group number. He was off to one side of the stage when it happened and it was hilarious.
Kristy Lee looked fantastic. She knows how to sing, act, strike a pose and look like a million bucks. I continue to be impressed by her fearlessness. She's totally comfortable on stage and looks like a seasoned performer.
Carly was better than I expected. I wasn't a Carly fan during the competition but she is more impressive live than she was on TV. Her voice was loud and strong, no hint of the "shoutyness" that bugged me when she was on TV.
Brooke rose up on a platform from below stage level, playing the piano. Lots of camera flashes went off when she first appeared. After "Let It Be" at the piano, she donned a guitar and sang "One Two Three Four" the Feist song made familiar from the IPod commercials. The song suited her style very well. She thanked Utah for their voting support, a reference to her being Mormon. She then went back to the piano and sang "Yellow" from her pre-Idol album.
After Brooke left the stage, there was an intermission. Then Jason came out with his ukelele singing "Over The Rainbow", which was very well received. Another song he sang was "Daydream", he said he had never heard of the song prior to being on Idol but since it has become a song that describes him.
Syesha looked and sounded great and the anticipation grew while she was on stage, at the end of her third song she said, "the next performer....." she didn't need to name him, everyone knew DA was next. Though the crowd enthusiasm was high throughout the concert, what came next was enthusiasm at it's highest level.
David Archuleta came up from below the stage on a ascending platform, sitting at the piano, same as Brooke did. The crowd screaming and cheering was unbelievable. He did not acknowledge the crowd until he had finished two songs at the piano, then he walked out to the foremost part of the stage and just stood there with the white spotlights on him. I have never heard such noise from a crowd, it was such cheering, applause, screaming like I've never heard. DA smiled, looked embarrassed, thanked the crowd, wiped tears away, walked around a bit, and the noise never let up. He spoke and mostly told the crowd how appreciative he was but it was hard to hear everything he was saying as the cheering was so loud. Once he just said the word, "Utah!" and everyone went nuts. I cannot overstate the appreciation the entire place had for little David Archuleta. It was something I'll never forget.
When David Cook came out, he was met with a very loud roar. The roar had really never let up all night, it just got louder as the concert progressed. DC is a rock star. He put on a great live performance. At one point after finishing a song, a stagehand gave him his little video camera, and DC explained to the crowd that he videos the crowd and each and every concert. So he asked for the house lights to come on, and for everyone to cheer. He started videoing at one side of the stage and panned across the crowd all the way across to the other side, with everyone going crazy with their hands in the air. A pretty good memento for the self=2 0described "ordinary goof who got lucky."
All in all, each and every Idol thanked the crowd for their votes and this life changing opportunity. A lot of what each one had to say was hard to understand due to them not speaking clearly enough to rise above the cheers, but we got the gist of what they were saying. It was a fun night, well worth seeing.
Here's my general summary:
Biggest stage presence: DC, MJ
Better than I expected: Carly
Played instruments: Brooke, Jason, DA, DC
All around performer: Kristy Lee
Rocked us: MJ, DC
Biggest applause: DA
Most photographed: Brooke
Better looking in person: Carly
I'd most like to hang out with: MJ
Most improved: all of them