Sunday night at the American Idol summer tour kickoff at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, OR, Adam Lambert broke the show. And while the crowd was still in pieces, his friend Kris Allen came out and put it all back together again.
According to live tweets, live bloggers, and almost every fan or media outlet who could be called upon to comment, Sunday’s show was “better than the show,” a chance for the Idols to liberate themselves from many of the constraints imposed upon them by American Idol’s reality-show-slash-singing-contest format and prove themselves as artists.
Act One
Early standouts of the night included Anoop Desai, whose reprise of Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” knocked it out of the park for hard-core fans, and Matt Giraud, who kicked up the energy with The Black Crowes’ “Hard to Handle.” Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, Megan Joy and Michael Sarver stayed close to their signature sounds from the Idol stage, delivering solid performances that made many fans wish they’d power-texted a little bit faster.
Kicking off the second half after a brief intermission, Allison Iraheta killed a set that included Pink’s “So What”, and Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby” before bringing the house down with the Heart standard her fans had been begging for, “Barracuda.” Danny Gokey’s “P.Y.T.” by Michael Jackson was a slightly somber note given recent events, but was well-received by the crowd, along with Santana’s “Maria Maria” and Rascal Flatts’ “What Hurts the Most” and “My Wish.”
Top Two
But the biggest stars of the night came out for the last two sets. Tweets from the live show tell us “the place went insane” when Adam Lambert took the stage for a live performance of Led Zepplin’s “Whole Lotta Love” that one fan called “borderline apocalyptic.” The intro exploded with light and sound, and then Lambert’s commanding voice and innate showmanship took control of the crowd.
“He’s like performance art,” one fan said on a Dreamwidth.org message board. “And the subjects of his art are love and loneliness and how totally freaking hot he is.” An otherworldly cover of “Starlight”, by Muse and another brilliant reprise of Gary Jules/Tears for Fears “Mad World” were only barely enough to chill out the crowd before he revved them up again with “Slow Ride” by Foghat, along with Allison Iraheta. A David Bowie medley comprised of “Life on Mars”, “Fame” and “Let’s Dance” finished off the set amid a riot of screams, proving once and for all that Lambert has slipped the chains of the Idol apparatus to become a star in his own right.
Kris Allen, winner of the American Idol title for eighth season, had the formidable task of reclaiming the show after Adam Lambert stole it. But few were surprised that his low-key entrance and smooth slide into a slightly lower register were just what the crowd needed to unwind.
His rebuild of Kanye West’s “Heartless”, which many believe won him the crown, kept the audience entranced. Even “No Boundaries”, almost universally panned by fans and critics, worked out in context with Allen’s undeniable connection to its hooks and to the crowd itself. He followed it up with his haunting signature take on Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and then brought the arena back to its feet with Matchbox 20′s “Bright Lights,” a performance strong enough to make Rob Thomas look over his shoulder. With the Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” a hug of a song on its own, Allen pulled it all together for the crowd, especially when he brought out the rest of the Idols to join in on the “na-na-na” finish.
Finale
An all-Idol group number to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” sealed the deal: Kris Allen and Adam Lambert returned to the stage to wrap things up for the final chorus, greeted by a wall of screams from the audience. Lambert’s last note soared over the rest before the final “Don’t Stop!” …and the crowd went wild.
haha..did we expect any less of Adam ??
I cetainly knew that the crowd would get off their feet for Adam…..afterall , it should have been Kris warming up for Adam !!
I am sooo happy that it turned out well for him, I only wish I could see him in person…..
The Tacoma concert was awesome, even though the band was over amplified and drowned out some of the singers. It was a high energy show, and Adam gave a bass ass, fabulous performance. I have to say that Lil, Anoop, and Matt also surprised me. Allison came out and took no prisoners as she owned the stage. They were so much better live and not in front of Simon Cowell. They ALL sang their hearts out and looked as if they were having the time of their lives. I wish them all happiness and beautiful lives. Bless their hearts.
Vancouver was the same…. only better! Except for the mixer, still too loud for all the idols, only Adam could overcome the volume. All the idols loosened up a bit and Adam was amazing. He moved more, engaged the audience more, and when Alison kicked over a red bra that had been thrown near her during their duet, Adam merely bent down , lifted it by a strap, twirled it around over his head smiling and singing all the while, and threw it to the crazed fans..what a class act he is, and he’d better get used to the ‘flying undies”.