Glambert earns the loudest applause of the night as the Idols rock out Boardwalk Hall
Even before the show began there was no doubt who was the AC crowd’s favorite Idol. As various advertisements for Idol sponsors played on the jumbo screens pre-show, anytime Adam Lambert’s face was shown, a hearty group squeal rang out across the Hall. There were lesser reactions to Idol winner Kris Allen, Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta.
While Lambert, Gokey, Iraheta, and Matt Giraud were as excellent as expected, I have to give props to an unexpected source of showmanship and solid chops. Scott MacIntyre, who came rising out of the Boardwalk Hall stage with his piano, was pounding the keys with gusto on his two songs: "Bend" (Keane) and "A Thousand Miles" (Vanessa Carlton). We knew he could play but his song interpretations were equally impressive. Later, when he joined forces with Giraud for a double piano dose of Billy Joel’s "Tell Her About It," their joint exuberance was infectious and one of the evening’s highlights.
That said it was the big four — Allen, Lambert, Gokey and Iraheta — that stoked the crowd the most. The likable Gokey has improved his dance moves (small doses work best), and provided the most heartfelt speech of the night, talking about how you can’t let tragedy keep you from working toward your dreams. He is making his case every night on this tour.
Some of the other highlights included Gokey’s "P.Y.T" and "What Hurts the Most," Allison and Adam sizzling together with Foghat’s "Slow Ride"; Allison's "Barracuda; Matt G. having a blast with "Hard to Handle" (including his Jerry Lee Lewis tribute pounding the piano); Anoop Desai's "Always on My Mind" and Kris’s dynamite reworking of Bill Withers’ "Ain’t No Sunshine."
And, as much as I loved Kris and was glad he won, when it comes to working the crowd in combination with a rock snarl and Elvis-like gyrations, Glambert is in a category all by himself. From his "Whole Lotta Love" opening through his tender "Mad World" and his enchanting David Bowie medley, Glambert was the bomb, to quote a certain Idol judge.
This group of Idols, with as much talent as any previous season’s top five, has upped the ante with their group showmanship. I expect to hearing more from Adam, Kris, Allison, Danny, Matt and Anoop when their Idol umbrella is gone at the end of the tour.
There are always moments on America Idol that are “what the hell happened?” shockers. Last season’s such moment was the elimination of talented diva Pia Toscano, who had to settle for a ridiculous ninth place finish on the show. However, while the moment was disappointing at the time, it worked out quite well.
Danny Gokey, the church music director from Milwaukee who was a favorite in the season eight American Idol competition, eventually finishing third, did not hesitate or hedge when I asked him via a phone interview from North Carolina about the on-going negotiations with Idol judge Paula Abdul.
It should be quite a weekend June 25-26 in Atlantic City, with 50 Cent June 25 and Adam Lambert June 26.
In 2009, the American Idols Tour played at Boardwalk Hall, a 12,000-seat venue. This year, the show is taking place at the much smaller Mark G. Etess Arena at the Trump Taj Mahal this Saturday.
This season’s group of American Idols made its Atlantic City visit this year much earlier than in past years. Therefore, the Idols you saw on the TV show are pretty much the Idols you get on tour.
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1. sadiesam said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 10:56AM
“excellent review--adam is the "BOMB". He is causing a music explosion and leaving us in a million happy pieces!”
2. glambert4039 said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 11:17AM
“I like the honest praise you showered on the idols and how you recognized the stellar quality of Adam Lambert. He is an amazing entertainer with the vocal chops to guarantee longevity in the music industry. This is just the beginning of Adam's career and we fans are enjoying every minute of it.”
3. Titina said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 11:18AM
“Matt Giraud is an incredible talent.
I hope to hear lots from him after the Idol tour wraps up. Hopefully someone will sign him soon. He has tons of potential.
IMO with the right backup, material and producers Matt Giraud could be very very successful.
Scott is just plain boring. And his voice is annoying.”
4. priscela said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 11:20AM
“adam is perfect-he can sign?dance?and good attitude.a very unique guy no other singer out there can imitate him-only one adma labert in this earth.
thanks you mombert for raising such a wonderful kid like adam..”
5. Paula C said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 11:42AM
“Thanks so much for the review of the American Idol 2009 tour. I do agree that Adam Lambert is the real deal. His amazing voice paired with his electrifying stage show is something not to be missed. Adam Lambert is the next big superstar. I do disagree with your statement about Danny Gokey. His sermon was a little to much like going to church. Not the right place or time.”
6. Amanda said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 11:53AM
“Thank you for a great review! Adam was simply amazing, I love him so much!”
7. Terry said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 12:05PM
“Adam Lambert: the next mega superstar. Now that they're on the tour, Adam can show who is the master of the stage and the audience.
I like Matt Giraud too, and hope that he'll have great career. Scott has his own field and audience, he'll be loved and appreciated.”
8. Vickie R. said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 12:06PM
“Nice review. Good to see some kudos thrown to all the performers. They all work very hard. Although, as someone who has been to 3 shows, I have to say that Adam Lambert is by far the one and only true Entertainer/Star on that stage. He alone is worth the price of admission. I would pay much more to see him in a solo performance and hopefully will be able to do that sometime soon. His kind of talent comes along only once or twice in a lifetime and I feel so fortunate to be in the right place at the right time!”
9. kymm said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 12:32PM
“Great review. It was nice to read about the other Idols and how they are growing on the tour. I, too, thought Scott was much better live than on the show and Gokey surprised me with his live performance. Having said that, there is only one Idol ready to embark on a full scale solo tour and that is Adam. He is the whole package and I, for one, can't wait to see and hear him for years to come.”
10. Anne-Marie said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 12:38PM
“"And, as much as I loved Kris and was glad he won"
Good review but I am struggling to work out how someone who makes a living listening to and watching artists can ever say never mind feel the above.
The tour is serving to emphasise what a joke the result was. The most ridiculously weak winner of not just AI but any talent show I've ever seen, in the US and abroad.
Matt however is coming into his own on the tour.”
11. Vicki said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 01:08PM
“nice review. I saw them in Dallas and Adam holds the audience in the palm of his black leathered gloved hand. He is an amazing talent and worth the ticket price and listening through some of the OK performances. That being said, all these performers are much better live than on the show and me and my kids had a great time.”
12. lizziegibson said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 01:17PM
“I was at the show. Adam was amazing, his voice is simply stunning. Having said that I was shocked to find that i also loved Danny Gokey (????) and Matt Giraud was wonderful - super talented. Good luck to all of them.”
13. Anonymous said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 01:20PM
“ANNE-MARIE.....I find it so funny when people conclude that because Adam received a lot of applause, he should have been the winner.Anyone who thinks that way is naive. What has applause or screams got to do with being a winner.Adam has always gotten applause than anyone during the competition and yet still Kris won, that should tell you something. Both of the top 2 guys are very talented in their own different ways. Adam's set on the tour is all rock and rock goes with screams and dance, Kris' set is pop/soft rock and he connects to the audience in a kind of way that they would prefer to sit and listen to him sing. That does not mean they are not into it. As for people leaving, it's not because of kris, if you go to any concert, people leave early for different reasons, so stop artributing it to Kris. I don't think he cares anyway, he gets paid whether you leave or not. AMERICA HAS NEVER BEEN WRONG, it's what these guys do with the platform on which they are put that matters.”
14. Frank said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 01:21PM
“Good review of the Idols.
I hope both Matt and Anoop get record deals..think both of these artists are amazing and were underrated by the AI audience
And Adam..well Adam is already far beyond the AI stage..he is stepping onto the world stage. He is both an amazing vocalist and a superb entertainer. He will be iconic.
”
15. SilkenDreams said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 01:31PM
“Nice review! Yes, Adam IS the bomb! He is in a league of his own. However, I was pleasantly surprised at all of them actually. I saw them in Tacoma live. Adam was superb though!”
16. Anonymous said... on Aug 8, 2009 at 11:16PM
“So tired of the prudish tirades of the "disappointed" ADAM "fans"??? REALLY??? How do you consider yourself a "fan" when the first time your favorite does something that you do not "approve" of sends you on a criticizing streak of the one you "claim" to like??? These kids are working their collective butts off to entertain the "lucky" ones who come to the shows ..... isn't that enough?? ..... why should there have to be a personal meet & greet?? I don't remember ELVIS or any of the other STARS of the past doing any such thing. ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!!!! That's what his fans heard after a show. I don't have the physical ability to be able to attend a concert but I sure would give my half acre in H*** to be able to sit in the audience and cheer these kids on. I'm not their critic or censor and neither should you be.... just let them entertain you in their own unique and wonderful ways and ENJOY THE SHOW!!!!”
17. Maria said... on Aug 9, 2009 at 03:07PM
“I was there the show was incredible, Awesome, Adam my fav, but was great with Allison also, Matt, Kris and Danny were great, my ears were ringing, !! they put on a super show, the special lights , craziness, esp, the Adam fans, he rocked , cant wait to see Adam touring Alone, he is fantastic, !!!!!!!!!”
18. shadamholic said... on Aug 9, 2009 at 09:38PM
“One of the reasons people leave the performance while Kris is performing is because they've already seen who they came to see ADAM. AND...if you want to seriously have a good place in line to get autographs..then you have to leave the show before the very end....and it's pretty obvious who the favorite is when they come out one at a time and you see the reaction when Adam appears. That said, they ALL did great and the show is getting better as the weeks go by...ENJOY out there! Many have said it...Adam alone is worth the price of admission...ten times over! I will TRAVEL to see this man on tour when he has his first solo tour if it doesn't come through Atlanta. How fun watching and following him on his EPIC journey through STARDOM!!”