American Idol Tour: Houston

Having extracted every minute of entertainment value out of the 70's, 80's and a bit of the 90's, I find myself disinterested (and I admit it... tired!) at the thought of attending concerts (of any kind, including reunion tours!).

Caught up in the social interactions of weekly Idol tv, and having strong favorites (Melinda and Blake) this year... I, however, bought pre-sale tickets and attended the tour in Houston last night.

First, let me say... I make it a policy to never sit in a seat other than the end of the row. And after last night, I will never have floor seats... particularly to a 'family' venue (read: alcohol not sold on the floor level).

Second, while you can read more thoughtful and analytical reviews, you might be interested in my superficial thoughts:

Awesome, Yet Not Nearly Enough Stage Time or Focus, and quite regrettably so...: Melinda Doolittle

Pretty Darn Good (probably because I couldn't see or hear the thing in her tongue): Gina Clocksen

Bringing Chubby Back But Not Nearly as Charismatic As I Hoped: Chris Sligh did me pretty proud! And I'll keep following him!

Most Engaging, Captivating and Impressive: Blake Lewis, hands down

GOOSEBUMPS: KiKi! (LaKisha Jones). She was awesome, and in front of her home crowd!!!

Surprisingly Entertaining (in a 'spoof'' sort of way): Sanjaya Malakar

Surprisingly Good: Phil Stacey. His performance, in uniform, was awesome.

Still Not Impressed: Chris Richardson

Pitiful: Haley Scarnato

Good But Not As Good As Expected: Jordin Sparks

Best Unexpected Group: The Boys and their instruments!

Most Unexpected Secret Moment: After Blake's set, he came out, in the darkness, to the sound mixing and balancing area on the floor. I was seated on the end of the back row, behind a giraffe... so I watched the entire show, standing, behind the last row. I happened to glance over and see Blake, mere feet from me, in the dark, taking photographs of the show. I took a few inconspicuous photos with my cell phone, and if I can figure out how to get them from there to here... I'll post them. I always thought he was pretty cool, but having witnessed his enthusiasm and humanness, I respect him even more. I found it funny, too, that he was a couple of dozen of feet from the young girls who screeched (so loudly that I couldn't fully appreciate it) through his entire performance... and he passed by them without notice. Pretty cool...