Canadian Idol Fans Watching American Idol

R

ross 1

Senate Member
Dec 21, 2008
5,858
2
38
Guys, are you there? Yeah, I did go to the buses, about an hour ago, and waited...and waited...the security guys weren't great, very secretive. They could have just said that that the idols weren't coming out, right? Anyhow, I met a few people while I was waiting.

A lot to report. Probably can't do it all now. Before the concert I stumbled on a nest of people with passes to the pre-show meet and greet. A woman had a stack of passes on a clipboard. I tried to find a way to get one of those passes. I saw a woman on a cell phone with a pass around her neck and another one in her hand. I heard her say, "Well, how far are you? Do you think you can make it?' And I was like: Yes! I'm getting that pass! But eventually the friend showed up, really late, for the M & G. I hung around, hoping. Everyone going to the M & G was dressed nicely. I mean, casual, but they all looked...well, priveleged and...weathy. I met some Kris fans there. Also passless, like me. Two really nice girls in green tops. They had tickets to the Portland, Maine, show but had just come into Boston tonight to try to see Kris.

The only "idol sighting" of the night was by these three girls and the mom of one of them. I had met them before the concert, and saw them later. They were great kids, 18, very nice and funny. They had been waiting with me near the buses (which turned out not to tbe the Idols' buses, probably the crew's), but they went searching for idols around the other side of the building. And what happened was, as the guys' bus was pulling away, Matt and Michael rolled down the window and talked to them, then they brought Kris over to the window and he blew them a kiss. One girl was a Kris fan, the other two were Adam fans. They were all hyperventilating. Ha. They tought Kris was seriously cute.

Okay, I'll tell you about the concert in a minute...getting some food.

Speaking of food, I paid 4.50 for a box of fries, and 4.00 for water.
 
M

missaddicted

House Member
Jan 16, 2009
3,177
0
36
I'm here! So you didn't have any luck at all at the buses? Too bad.

How do people "win" M & G passes? They have contacts? I've always wondered...

I might read your review of the concert tomorrow morning, I really have to go to bed!
 
R

ross 1

Senate Member
Dec 21, 2008
5,858
2
38
I guess you could win passes by texting something having to do with the Ford Fusion. On the screens there's an ad, and they tell you how to do this, and then everyone gets out their cell phones and tries to figure it out, but then the concert starts immediately. The lights go down, they come up, and Sarver is singing, etc. So you can't really do anything. Then later during the intermission they show the ad again , and now it's time to send the text message that you were supposed to have entered earlier. But if you didn't enter the numbers earlier, you're out of luck, because they don't repeat the info. So I can't believe anyone wins these passes! Anyhow, they're not making it easy.

Otherwise it looks like most of the passes (there are also passes for the after-party) are for people who know the right people. There seemed to be two kinds of passes, though. One was a round laminated card on a lanyard, the other was a round sticker. The lanyard group went in first, then the sticker group later. They all came out with signed group photos.
 
R

ross 1

Senate Member
Dec 21, 2008
5,858
2
38
Don't be surprised if you read the condensed version of some of this same stuff on mj's blog! I might even have to copy and paste some of it right into my recap.

So, yeah, I went in there, and got in about 4:00. The heat was kind of exhausting. I walked over to the bus area a few times but no one was around.
Then I met all these different people. I mostly met them by asking if I could take their pictures for the blog. They had some interesting costumes. A guy, a teenager, was in maroon from head to toe, and had a big sign around his neck, "I <3 Allison." Then those girls I met with the mom. They had these bags they had decorated with "Kris Allen Is Sexy" and "Adam Lambert Is Sexy." (!). They had big buttons with pics of Kris or Adam. Some of the Adam fans were kind of scary-looking, actually!

A little about the concert...

Adam does get the most incredibly deafening roar of screaming and applause. It is so unexpected even though I've heard it on the cellcasts. Kris gets an equally deafening roar when he's introduced on the big screen, and also when he starts Heartless, but that's it. About the screaming for Adam when his picture is on the screens, though: that was only from one part of the audience, it came from over my right shoulder, up in the balconies. It was big, but it seemed weird to me that it only came from one part of the arena.

I saw really clearly and easily why Kris stands out, tonight. Stands out from that group, I mean. And he does, so totally. Everyone's segment, even though they're all good, is so strangely theatrical and cheesy and corny. I don't care if it's Michael, Matt, Adam, Allison. Whoever. And then Kris comes on, and he is the only one who is not ever corny or cheesy. I think he has a few things to learn and grow into, I suppose, but he's so real and honest. It's really like he doesn't belong in an Idol concert! It's so funny. The rest are a different sort of performer. They put on an act. Kris just is. It is so cool to watch. We definitely picked the right guy.

The only negatives I noticed were that he probably could be more relaxed and enjoy himself more. He obviously takes it very seriously, but it's only pop music, after all. He only smiles once, in Hey Jude, and only for a couple of seconds. But you could literally hear a murmer go through the whole audience when he smiled. It relaxed them. He needs to do that, more.

Heartless is gorgeous, All These Things That I've done is great, but I don't think a lot of the audience seems to know it, the two numbers at the piano are brilliant.
The guitar solo was amazing. Hey Jude sounded so beautiful. He did this thing on the piano bench in Bright Lights I don't think I ever saw before. He kind of leaned all the way back, almost horizontal. The audience loved it.

I really loved Anoop, of all people. He sounded great (though he hit a bum note or two), and he has this fun cockiness onstage he never had on AI. He's also a way better looking guy in person. He seemed young and sort of amateurish, at times, but I can see him developing more polish and doing really well.

I also really liked Megan! Her first song was great. The second (Amy Winehouse) is a bad fit for her. But her voice is surprisingly good. And she's really, really pretty.

Let's see...Matt. He was really entertaining, did all kinds of little things, talked really easily, was funny, and played the piano really well. He worked the crowd like a pro. It was a little too corny to totally be my taste, but I really liked the Fray cover. People say that's the weakest thing he does in his set, but I liked it the best.

Allison: She had me with So What, but then she lost me again. My mind wandered after that (just like what used to happen when I watched her on AI). I think my main problem was the songs. I don't like Barracuda, for one thing.

Adam is way more campy and flamboyant in the concert than he ever seemed on the show. I haven't really watched the YouTubes of his concert stuff a lot I guess.
So I wasn't expecting it. I'll go into more tomorrow, I guess. I'm getting too tired...
 
Last edited:
M

missaddicted

House Member
Jan 16, 2009
3,177
0
36
Thanks ross! Looks like you had a good time! I'm looking forward to reading more about your experience!

Are you going to write your recap for MJ's blog today?
 
R

ross 1

Senate Member
Dec 21, 2008
5,858
2
38
'American Idol' winner Kris Allen stays low-key while stockpiling songs for upcoming album - cleveland.com

I think I'll definitely be taking some of the stuff I wrote here for my recap. With some revision. It sounds more spontaneous than what I've been attempting to write for the reacp. So don't be surprised if you read it over there.

Both Boston papers were not kind to Kris. I never read anything as bad as the Globe review, unless it was the Times.

Guys, help me, I'm totally baffled -- the mocking of Kris for playing guitar or wearing plaid shirts and jeans -- it's just weird. If these are contemporary critics, they must cover contemporary artists, yet most of the bands I've seen dress casually, or worse -- they aren't usually fashion plates -- and obviously they play instruments. The way so many reviewers have commented negatively on Kris playing acoustic guitar, particularly in relation to Adam's set, is bizarre. It's as if they're down on soft rock have no respect for it. I wouldn't have thought so many critics had that mind set.

I'm beginning to think I stumbled into some kind of alternate universe.
 
Last edited:
S

SleepinIn

House Member
Dec 24, 2008
3,799
0
36
Yay - Ross it sounds good so far! I'm glad you had fun.

The way so many reviewers have commented negatively on Kris playing acoustic guitar, particularly in relation to Adam's set, is bizarre. It's as if they're down on soft rock have no respect for it. I wouldn't have thought so many critics had that mind set.

I'm beginning to think I stumbled into some kind of alternate universe.
Click to expand...

Ha, I think that right there is the problem. There is a soft rock stigma. If you've ever heard Coldplay talk about their reviews - they used to get dinged time and time again for being soft rock. I don't think it ever stopped them from gaining fans or selling records though. In fact they are doing rather well. Hmmm.
 
R

ross 1

Senate Member
Dec 21, 2008
5,858
2
38
Ha, I think that right there is the problem. There is a soft rock stigma. If you've ever heard Coldplay talk about their reviews - they used to get dinged time and time again for being soft rock. I don't think it ever stopped them from gaining fans or selling records though. In fact they are doing rather well. Hmmm.
Click to expand...

I did not know that. I never usually read reviews any more. I kind of assumed the opposite. I thought bands like Coldplay would get respect from the get go. Very interesting.

Q:Adam got a lot of attention during the competition, and he continues to grab headlines. Do you ever feel like saying, "Excuse me -- I won"?
A: [laughs] Not at all, man. It never ever crosses my mind, because I'm a low-key guy. I don't demand any attention myself.
I'm not saying that Adam does. It just kind of comes with who he is. I lay low and do my thing.
Click to expand...

This is amazing. Have you ever heard stuff like this in your life? It never, ever crosses his mind. "I lay low and do my thing." Stealthy bastard.
 
R

ross 1

Senate Member
Dec 21, 2008
5,858
2
38
Hey. Thanks. That was a great interview. He opens up a lot when he talks about music. This tour is great, and I loved it, but it must be a little stifling for him, being such a creative guy, to sort of have to stick to formula night after night. I miss the Kris from AI, always rearranging stuff, being surprising. I bet when he has his own tour he won't just go out and repeat things without change.

I wish he didn't mention Adam at least half a dozen times a second, in every interview. I think Adam's getting enough press!! Haha.
 
S

SleepinIn

House Member
Dec 24, 2008
3,799
0
36
I kind of think that it's a defense mechinisim of Kris's to talk about Adam in the interviews. I think it's a way that he deflects attention from himself. Adam is wonderful ask me about him don't ask why I thought this was a good thing to do I mean I don't really know. But I think he would rather talk about how great Adam is than how great he is. If you know what I mean??? lol I think he was being honest when he was saying that he doesn't mind not having the attention that Adam is getting.

Plus, I think this interview was actually done at the beginning of the tour, right? I think they've all learned a ton about press since then just due to the shear volume of press that they've talked to.

and the music stuff was like the BEST EVER - lol. :)
 
M

missaddicted

House Member
Jan 16, 2009
3,177
0
36
I read your recap on MJ's ross, great job!! I love what you said about Kris. But how dare you think Kris is better than Adam? How dare you say that Adam is campy and Broadway? LOL.

Some of the comments are funny/frustrating. Some just can't accept that your opinion is just as valid as theirs. "Adam is theatrical, but he's theatrical in a GREAT way, not campy!" I especially laughed at the poster who responded to your amazing paragraph about Kris, almost saying that it should apply to Adam and not to Kris.

Good job, ross, whatever the Adam fanatics say, you're totally entitled to your opinion.
 
R

ross 1

Senate Member
Dec 21, 2008
5,858
2
38
What often seems to happen on mj's blog is that a lot of people start out posting positive things on a particular topic. Then, after around 30 or maybe 50 posts, it starts gettin' ugly. This happens time and again. It's like bait-and-switch.

What's nice today is that there were two other recaps by Kris fans, also! I liked theirs better than mine, I think. I was going to stay away from criticizing Adam altogether, but what I said was actually my main impression of his set, so it was hard not to say so. I just re-read it and I think I was pretty nice to him, considering I thought his set was really kind of ridiculous overall.
 
S

SleepinIn

House Member
Dec 24, 2008
3,799
0
36
Your recap was great Ross, I really enjoyed what you had to say! And you inspired a great discussion - I really enjoyed reading all of the opinions that followed too. It's so much more interesting when you get to the bigger picture and hear from people who have opposing views, it gives you a broader definition of the the world. And really don't let the reviews get you down because that's all they are too - opinions.

Remember the Idol tour isn't going to make or break anyone's career - they will have to do that with the music they put out in the future. Think about it Ross before watching this season - did you ever read a review of the American Idol concert tour? 'Cause I know I sure as hell didn't. It's nice to get good reviews but what they all really need is good reviews of the music they are creating. Hopefully, they are able to create something good while traveling the country on a bus, and recording in an hour or two in between press interviews. Seriously, that's what worries me. lol

Someone posted this link at TWOP http://www.pauseandplay.com/november2009.htm it seems to point to November 17th as release day for Kris's CD.

The Albany interviews were so cute. :) Albany got a refreshed Kris. LOL
 
Last edited:
R

ross 1

Senate Member
Dec 21, 2008
5,858
2
38
Think about it Ross before watching this season - did you ever read a review of the American Idol concert tour? 'Cause I know I sure as hell didn't.
Click to expand...

I laughed out loud at this. So true. Thanks.

Listen, if you guys have any questions at all about the concert (you must have some), about Kris, etc., ask me now before I forget everything. My memory sucks.

One thing I'm sorry about re the responses to my recap is that it's another damn Adam discussion. I would rather talk about Kris!
 
Last edited:
S

SleepinIn

House Member
Dec 24, 2008
3,799
0
36
We're having a tornado here - lol - I've snuck online in between storm fronts (lost my mind) .. but basically tell me everything.

Stage presence - Good and bad
Voice
Plaid shirt - yea or nay
any banter
guitar solo - details
Interaction with the band if any

Yeah so anything you can think of really... *all ears*
 
R

ross 1

Senate Member
Dec 21, 2008
5,858
2
38
A tornado? My gosh. Take all the necessary precautions, we don't want to lose you.

Umm...so I guess that wouldn't give you much time to check out Boston videos.

I found this one, of the bus "event" the three girls I met at the concert described to me. Matt and Michael at the window, Kris blows a kiss, then they pull the shade down...

YouTube - Idols Live Boston 8/18/09 - Boys Bus departing

They were 18, but such fangirls. They weren't the loud type, so it was more that they walked up to me with their mouths hanging open and a glazed look in their eyes. I had to ask them what happened.
"We just saw him."
"Kris Allen."
"We saw Kris Allen!"
"I can't breathe."
"He looked at me. I think he looked at me."
"And we saw Matt. I Iove Matt!"
"Oh. My. God."

I forgot to mention something. The guy who's the backup singer on the tour. Do you know his name? They talk about him on MJ's blog every now and then. Supposedly Adam flirts with him in his set, or something.

Anyhow, before the show, when I was outside the meet and greet, he (backup singer) came up to the guards and asked to get in. They said no. He said he was with the show and needed to get backstage. They said that wasn't the way to get backstage. They directed him to the entrance.

The guy is pretty tall and good looking. I was watching this dialogue, and then I turned around, and all the fangirls hanging out there were staring at this backup singer guy. Pretty funny.

Of course I didn't know who this guy was, so it was a surprise when the show started, and there he was onstage. Adam interacts with him at @ 3:50.

YouTube - Adam Lambert - Bowie Medley - Idols Live Boston 8/18/09

The sound on this user's videos isn't great, but check out their video of Kris's Bright Lights, the way he moved at the piano. Amaaaazing.

YouTube - Kris Allen - Bright Lights - Idols Live Boston 8/18/09

Wow, I have a bad headache, I think I'll have to answer those questions tomorrow.

Hm...plaid shirt was okay...it looks really small. When you're there you couldn't care less what he's wearing. His legs looked huge in person.
 
R

ross 1

Senate Member
Dec 21, 2008
5,858
2
38
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom