The Final Idol Adventure

Last night ended a fun chapter of my life - watching and being a part of Chris Sligh's American Idol adventure.

The Idol Tour came to Greenville, SC - our home town. Chris had an emergency root canal in the morning but was able to sing. Jay and Adam, two great friends of mine and fellow Half Past Forever bandmates, plus their wives, shared in the experience. Here's a link to a pic of us all back when it all started on January 30th.

The show and entourage is quite an event. Tour producer Simon Sidi describes it as "a big circus crossing the country" and that's pretty much accurate - dancing contests, red carpet photo simulations and giant walking Pop Tarts in the venue lobby add to the craziness.

The show kicked off with "Let's Get It Started" (Black Eyed Peas) sung by several contestants. By the way, keep an eye on the janitor sweeping the stage right before the show starts!

The rest of the show is a mix of solos, duets and group numbers - mostly current and recent top 40 stuff. Some quick observations:

Blake is a star. I could have watched him all night. One of his highlights was Maroon Five's "She Will Be Loved." Blake looped his beatboxing with a recording device, then played guitar and sang over the rhythm. Very cool.

Phil Stacey is a fantastic singer and entertainer. If you go to the show, you will be floored. I don't remember him like this on the show. After hearing him sing and interact with the audience, I wondered why he didn't win.

I never cared for LaKisha, but her rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Loved You" was breathtaking. Her powerful voice filled and commanded the room. It was the one song of the evening that gave me chills.

Melinda didn't sing enough. Her solo, "Natural Woman" came towards the end of the 2nd half, and I remembered just what a perfect vocalist she is. Great performer, too.

I was also never a fan of Chris Richardson, but I liked his version of Maroon Five's "This Love" better than Adam Levine's. Another good and energetic performer who can work the crowd.

Haley: I never thought much of her as a vocalist but last night she earned my respect. She sounded great and showed spunk and pizazz as a performer. Yes, her legs are, thankfully, well displayed.

I didn't expect much from the show but actually had a fun time. Looking past the cheesiness and blatant commercial tie-ins (everywhere you look is something sponsored by somebody) you'll find a few memorable performances and a chance to see some stars of tomorrow early in their careers.