Amazing review from Memphis

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20090802/COLUMNISTS17/908020341

Quote :

I wouldn't say I'm a fan of "American Idol."


In fact, up until this year, I had never been able to make it through an entire season.

I will say, however, that I'm a gigantic, 13-year-old-screaming-girl-like fan of this year's top 10 contestants.

As Beth Liggett Cogbill and I mourned the ending of this season (and the fact that Adam Lambert didn't win) we found ourselves wanting more.

So we took a little trip to Memphis last Sunday, where the top 10 Idols were set to rock the FedEx Forum, and the entire trip (save the sleepy ride home) turned out to be an amazing experience.

We got there a little early to check out the eateries on Beale Street, and we ended up in Silky O'Sullivan's Pub where we had an amazing barbecue sandwich. Not only was the atmosphere incredibly cool, but while I was staring at the door I noticed a large hairy man that looked quite familiar come through the door. With him was a blonde woman who I also though looked familiar.

"Holy moly, that's Bam Margera's parents," I told Beth.

She just laughed, but when she looked she realized I was right — Phil and April Margera were eating there, too.

After filling our stomachs and texting everyone we know about who we saw, we were ready for the concert.

As the lights dimmed, a giant screen behind the stage displayed Michael Sarver's name — his booming voice filled the arena while singing Gavin Degraw's "I'm in Love with a Girl."

From that point until the very last production number, where all the Idols joined each other on stage, the show was worth every penny spent and every minute spent on the road to get us there.

Here's a few Twitter-worthy bullets from the performances:


If Michael Sarver had performed on the show as well as he did in Memphis, we may have been looking at a different top three contestants. Man, he tore that stage up!


The video backdrop provided almost as much entertainment as the Idols. Also, the video of the Idols really helped up for those of us cheapos who were in the nose bleeds.


I was never a fan of Megan Joy — I just couldn't get into her voice — but it was kind of cool to hear her "Caw!" like a bird when she left the stage, just like on the show. Also, she was wearing more makeup than Bozo the Clown.


Scott MacIntyre cracked me up referencing his high-five with Ryan Seacrest on air, and with the blind jokes. I've always thought laughter was the best medicine for any situation. Also, his version of "A Thousand Miles" was way better than Vanessa Carlton's.


Lil Rounds has never impressed me, but she didn't do too bad at singing "All the Single Ladies."


Anoop Desai gave me chills with his powerful voice, his ability to sustain some kickin' notes and his endless energy. I just wasn't a fan of the three songs he sang.


Matt Giraud may look like Justin Timberlake, but he's more like The Fray's Isaac Slade and Coldplay's Chris Martin mixed in with a little bit of Ray Charles. He blew me away.


All the Idols who had been introduced up until this point joined together for a few group numbers, which succeeded in getting the unusually sedate crowd cheering and singing along.


Allison Iraheta is a rock star. She may have been knocked for not showing much personality on the show, but this girl must have busted out of her shell — she's oozing rock girl. She has some serious Janis Joplin pipes.


Danny Gokey was never one of my favorites (although Beth thought for a while he'd end up winning the whole thing) but he had some serious energy and a great message for all the dreamers in the audience — never stop following your dreams, no matter how hard the fight may become.


Of course, the whole reason Beth and I went was to see Adam Lambert, and he didn't disappoint. It's easy to compare Lambert to David Bowie, especially since he gave a rendition of "Life on Mars," "Fame" and "Let's Dance" that I'll never forget, but he's almost the David Bowie of this generation. He's different, he's talented, and he's unapologetic about being himself. That's something you have to admire. Also, he and Allison joined together for "Slow Ride," and it's obvious they have a great stage chemistry. If there's ever an Adam/Allison tour, I'll be there with my wallet chain on.


I had hard feelings against Kris Allen when he took home the American Idol title, but the dude is talented. He made me like Kanye West's "Heartless," so that's saying something. I was just so tired from cheering during Adam's set that my energy was almost gone at this point.


I could have done without the "Don't' Stop Believing" group performance. It just seemed like a cheesy end to what was otherwise an amazing concert.

Jamie Dexter is tired from a late night ride from Memphis, but is still somehow energized by the "American Idols Live 2009" concert.

Hot damn Matt would be so happy reading this!

I freaked out when I read that line:
Matt Giraud may look like Justin Timberlake, but he's more like The Fray's Isaac Slade and Coldplay's Chris Martin mixed in with a little bit of Ray Charles.
He blew me away.

OMG! Finally, someone who "gets" what kind of music Matt wants to do! I hope some record producers read this review! Heh, the only singer this reporter didn't include in Matt's description was Gavin DeGraw ( but Michael performed "I'm in Love with a Girl", not Matt).

jenna, have you tried to tweet Matt a link to this article? Ha-ha, maybe he's already read it, who knows? We know Matt likes to read his own reviews and the Idol boards! But it might be worth a shot to try tweeting him, even though he has over 40,000 followers now. He might just reply to your tweet!

Riley 9 wrote:

I freaked out when I read that line:
Matt Giraud may look like Justin Timberlake, but he's more like The Fray's Isaac Slade and Coldplay's Chris Martin mixed in with a little bit of Ray Charles.
He blew me away.

OMG! Finally, someone who "gets" what kind of music Matt wants to do! I hope some record producers read this review! Heh, the only singer this reporter didn't include in Matt's description was Gavin DeGraw ( but Michael performed "I'm in Love with a Girl", not Matt).

jenna, have you tried to tweet Matt a link to this article? Ha-ha, maybe he's already read it, who knows? We know Matt likes to read his own reviews and the Idol boards! But it might be worth a shot to try tweeting him, even though he has over 40,000 followers now. He might just reply to your tweet!

Yes I tweeted it to him!

Jenna wrote:

Riley 9 wrote:

I freaked out when I read that line:
Matt Giraud may look like Justin Timberlake, but he's more like The Fray's Isaac Slade and Coldplay's Chris Martin mixed in with a little bit of Ray Charles.
He blew me away.

OMG! Finally, someone who "gets" what kind of music Matt wants to do! I hope some record producers read this review! Heh, the only singer this reporter didn't include in Matt's description was Gavin DeGraw ( but Michael performed "I'm in Love with a Girl", not Matt).

jenna, have you tried to tweet Matt a link to this article? Ha-ha, maybe he's already read it, who knows? We know Matt likes to read his own reviews and the Idol boards! But it might be worth a shot to try tweeting him, even though he has over 40,000 followers now. He might just reply to your tweet!

Yes I tweeted it to him!

Yes Jenna! I was going to suggest doing that. Hope he reads it.