GUEST REVIEW: Guy on the “Idol” kickoff
Was Amanda Overmyer-Daly really at the kickoff of the American Idols Live tour in Arizona Tuesday? Did Ramiele Malubay really get picked up by a smallish condor and flown to a nearby nest? Did Brooke White really set Vegas oddsmakers back years by keeping her shoes on?
Increasingly loyal blogger Guy, in his epic quest to see a concert in every state, dropped into AZ this week to check in on his beloved no-talent Kristy Lee Cook & Co. His musical report is detailed and saucy and rife with nudity. There’s also a gratuitous Marissa reference which is always good for ratings. If you’d like to read Guy’s full report, click below.
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Welcome to the American Idol Steam Bath and Show, courtesy of the 110 degree heat that baked the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., on Tuesday. The sold-out show, which kicked off the seventh tour of American Idol Top 10 finalists, was surprisingly glitch-free, marred by none of the restarts (Brooke White) or forgotten lyrics (Jason Castro) that undermined performances during the contest.
The format: the Top 10, in descending order, each sing three songs, with the exception of the evening’s final two performers: David Archuletta and David Cook (who each sing four, with Cook taking the first encore). Two medleys are also included –- a cover of U2’s Pride (in the Name of Love) featuring the Bottom 6 performers, while show-closer Don’t Stop the Music (Rihanna) is sung by all 10.
The good: Michael Johns, Carly Smithson and Brooke White. Johns displayed an arena-ready voice and impressive stage presence in reprising both his medley of Queen’s We will Rock You and We are the Champions and Aerosmith’s Dream On, the song that led to his exit from the contest. Smithson’s powerful set included a surprise cover, Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life, along with Heart’s Crazy on You. Both made convincing cases that America may have selected the wrong Top 2.
Arizona native and local favorite White earned a warm reception for performing songs familiar to a majority of the audience (the Beatles’ Let it Be, a fun cover of Feist’s 1234 and a Coldplay’s Yellow, which was also featured on her 2005 CD Songs from the Attic. And yes, she eventually removed her shoes.
The bad: It’s all about the song selection, dawg. Ill-chosen covers (Kristy Lee Cook’s version of Carolyn Dawn Johnson’s Squeezin’ the Love Outta You) brought the show to a grinding halt in places. Pitch problems, coupled with a thin, reedy voice, ensured that Ramiele Malubay’s rendition of Maroon 5/Rihanna’s If I Never See Your Face Again was drowned out by the seven-member band.
The unbearable: The onslaught of commercials airing prior to showtime; David & David’s re-enactment of Tom Cruise’s underwear scene in Risky Business for Guitar Hero was funny…the first time. Even more egregious? The use of an emcee shill for the sponsors: "Let’s give State Farm some love"?
But the pre-game had nothing on an interminable intermission (is singing three songs that taxing?) that featured, among other monstrosities, a Guitar Hero competition between members of the touring band.
The favorites: Top 4 Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado, David Archuletta and David Cook delivered solid, occasionally shriek-inducing performances, the highlights of which were Castro’s ukelele-based reprisal of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Mercado’s cover of Rihanna’s Umbrella, Archuletta’s earnest rendition of Ben E. King’s Stand by Me, complete with controversy-causing lyrics from Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girls, and Cook’s electrified take on Lionel Richie’s Hello.
Spotted in the crowd: A Skoal-dipping Amanda Overmyer, wearing a wife-beater T-shirt emblazoned with the face of current Times pop music critic, and future fiance, Sean Daly. Long-time Pop Lifer Marissa, hanging out backstage with a "Marry me, Roo" tank top.