Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2008 > August > 18 > Entry
8/18: Idols in concert in Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After mocking various critics who were forced to watch this concert tour, I come in knowing the purpose of “American Idols Live” is somewhat different from most concerts. It’s merely a celebration of ourselves and the folks we picked to make the top 10, a visual and mental souvenir. We validate ourselves with the success of these singers, many of whom will never sing in venues this large again while a select few will use this as a springboard for bigger and better things.
From that standpoint, the concert was a rousing success, highlighting the depth and breadth of talent this year. Sure, the TV show itself is getting gray around the edges (like me), but there are a few solid reasons the show sold out: David Cook and David Archuleta (with a few Jason Castro fans thrown in for good measure.)
The staging was simple, the backing band solid, the opening host Corey aggravating to the nth degree. (Yes, he’s the type of host who had to exhort people to stand up, clap and do the hokey pokey.) And adding a level of corporate surrealism, big Pop Tarts characters walked around. The crowd was your usual blend of families with kids and gobs of middle-aged women.
Let’s run down the top 10. In fact, the show itself for the first time celebrates the countdown on the big screens behind the singers.
Chikezie (below) is facile on stage, with the chops to handle both slow and fast songs. He lacks a certain something that would make him a big star. I can’t quite figure out why but he isn’t Ruben Studdard.
(PHOTO CREDITS: Rodney Ho)
What can I say about Ramiele without being mean? Well, there is only one point on stage where the audience can touch the contestants stage right. When Chikezie, Michael, the two Davids et. al. went over people stood up, cheered, reached for them, took pictures. When Ramiele came over? Nothing. They just sat there. Ouch. She was so robotic during her “I Want You Back,” I watched the backup singers, who were given their one chance to show off their dance moves.
Michael Johns got a great reception from his hometown crowd. (In fact, he had a separate meet and greet afterwards for more than 100 people. I’m going to post a blog entry about that Tuesday.) He sounded great, looked comfortable and even introduced “Dream On” as “the song that got me kicked off ‘American Idol.’ ” But alas, he still likes the song too much to care.
Kristy Lee Cook feels very calculated, very rehearsed but that sheen of professionalism got her through her three songs, including (of course) Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” She, like most of the other women, went all sparkly, probably because it can be seen in the back of the arena.
Carly Smithson, without the pressure of the judges or the weight of her past, let loose with Evanescence, Heart and Cyndi Lauper. When she’s more comfortable, we feel more comfortable. And she pulled off this dress below far better than 99% of the population. She can still scrunch her face up impressively when she sings passionately.
Brooke White is a joyous presence on stage, even when she partly tripped getting up from the piano. As the second coming of Carly Simon, she even had ’70s-style wavy hair.
During the U2 “Pride” group sing, I caught the two former Atlantans together on stage here. They should definitely do some duets at some point:
After the break, Jason Castro came on with a lovely rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” followed by his emotive take on Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” that we missed on “Idol” because they couldn’t get full clearance. Castro noted he was really nervous doing it in Hollywood but now has more confidence or something like that. The dreadheads were out in force. Somebody in line sight of me kept waving a big “No. 1” foam finger with dreads on it.
I still have a hard time finding a real identity behind the polished and professional Syesha Mercado but she is amazingly good at imitating the likes of Alicia Keys and Rihanna. And I managed to get the best photo of the night despite how far away I was from the stage (about 30 rows back on the side).
David Archuleta received screams almost as loud as those I heard for the Jonas Brothers a few months back. He sounded amazingly good as always and acted as if he’d never heard such feedback before. I don’t even think it’s an act. It’s just Archie. And he has this nervous tick of saying “hah!” every time he paused between thoughts.
The winner David Cook came on finessing both “Billie Jean” and “Hello” into grunge-like Cook masterpieces just like on the show. And he managed to make both his coronation song “Time of My Life” and the execrable Aerosmith song “And I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing” palatable. He also brought out a video camera and taped the crowd, a sweet souvenir. He still comes across as a less arrogant, more supple Daughtry and that’s why he deserved to be the winner. Folks closer up said he does like to wear a lot of eye liner along the lines of Dava Navarro:
Comments
By Ilene
August 18, 2008 11:37 PM | Link to this
I just got back from the concert. It was long (and loud). And seriously — parents, how the heck are you dressing your kids these days? Terrible!
I have to say that this group of Idols is probably the most talented of all the groups so far. Pretty good voices and love the instruments. The instruments really added an ooomph to this season.
For this concert, the two Davids were great — just like on TV. Jason Castro performed on no sleep (he told me this at our earlier Meet ‘n Greet). Syesha was absolutely awesome singing “Listen” from Dreamgirls. It was one of my favorite performances the entire night.
By stinky concert
August 19, 2008 1:01 AM | Link to this
i am not sure what concert you were at but the only great ones there were david/david and kristy lee…syesha for petes sake what were you listening to….awful. the sound quality at the arena stunk too.
By stinky concert
August 19, 2008 1:03 AM | Link to this
i am not sure what concert you were at but the only great ones there were david/david and kristy lee…syesha for petes sake what were you listening to….awful. the sound quality at the arena stunk too.
By stinky concert
August 19, 2008 1:03 AM | Link to this
i am not sure what concert you were at but the only great ones there were david/david and kristy lee…syesha for petes sake what were you listening to….awful. the sound quality at the arena stunk too.
By JJ
August 19, 2008 1:53 AM | Link to this
Rodney, thanks for your praise and additional info on Michael Johns. Happy for him that he was warmly received in his adopted hometown. Even cooler he might be working with a mate in Farris. That means a lot to a transplanted Aussie. ‘Dream On’ wasn’t my fave performance of his on AI (but it wasn’t as bad as Randy said, even he admits that now himself). But the live ‘Dream On’—awesome. Must be cool and therapeutic for him to see the crowd actually appreciate his swan song. Looking forward to your Meet and Greet news, and Johns’ record!
By Megan Nantel
August 19, 2008 3:20 AM | Link to this
Wow! I wasn’t at this concert, but I did go to the one in Tacoma. Coincidently my best photo of the night was Syesha too! I found David A. really hard to photograph though :( I hardly got any good ones of him and took ten times more of him then Syesha. I was bursting with excitement for David A. to come on but I was a little disappointed there weren’t many group numbers or duets. Anyway, it was something I will never forgot!
By Nana
August 19, 2008 5:33 AM | Link to this
Good Morning!!!!!!
Hope you all had a good night and are ready to afce another day.
Chat with ya’ll later as I’m out the door for now.
Later
By goboywonder
August 19, 2008 5:40 AM | Link to this
Thanx for the article. I am so happy to see Syesha get the recognition she deserves for her awesome skills. I love Chikezie, glad that he is feeling better. And I was simply blown away with David A. He’s the kind of person you don’t go to hear, but to “experience”. I went to two shows and had a great time.
By Nana
August 19, 2008 7:13 AM | Link to this
Made the first error of the day on my 5:33 post. I mispelled the word FACE. Got my f and a mixed up. So much for a error free day.
Rodney, thanks for the rundown on the concert. Your pixs are really good. Hope you enjoyed the whole evening. MJ and CS should do duets. They sound great when singing together. It’s good to know that the folks in Atlanta gave a big welcome back to MJ. So Brooke tripped getting up from the piano, not much different from AI, where she repeatly messed up, forgetting the words, stopping and starting over. Maybe in time she will be less clumsy. All in all, from the comments here, this was a good concert. Hope that everyone who went got their money’s worth.
By Miller
August 19, 2008 7:53 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the review. It is a fun night of music, like a talent show. Ramiele is in over her head. Jason has been getting better and better with his stage presence and singing. He is one of a kind. Syesha is very talented but she isn’t very unique.
By Deirdre
August 19, 2008 8:05 AM | Link to this
Morning!
Rodney, thanks for the recap. Sounds like it was a pretty good concert. LOVED your first paragraph. “It’s merely a celebration of ourselves and the folks we picked” Truer words were never spoken. I’m happy to learn that we’re pretty good with our selections.
By flats
August 19, 2008 8:08 AM | Link to this
Good morning college ballsians!!!!!11 DAYS 4 HOURS 20 MINUTES TIL UGA COLLEGE BALLS STARTS!!!!!!!GO JACKETS!!!!!!!!!BALLS BABY!!!!!
By Lara
August 19, 2008 8:13 AM | Link to this
Good morning blogsters!!
Thanks for the rundown, Rodney. It was like I was there! So, did Cook and MJ do a little dance?!!?
By Deirdre
August 19, 2008 8:22 AM | Link to this
LOL!!! Lara! That’s right, Rodney…what was “The Mavid” at the Atlanta concert?
By harrietth
August 19, 2008 9:21 AM | Link to this
harrietth peeks in Grrrr! My job is interfering with my blogging this week!! LOL. I’d better be thankful, though. Students returned to campus over the weekend and classes begin this week, along with increased administrative/teaching duties. I’ve had a lovely summer, but will not have as much time to blog until things settle down.
Rodney, thanks ever so much for the coverage of the concert. And, D, you nailed it when you mentioned Rodney’s first paragraph. Lovely way of putting it, Rodney!
By Ilene
August 19, 2008 9:52 AM | Link to this
To Stinky Concert: I was at the American Idols concert last night. The sound isn’t good because they keep the volume up too loud. As you noticed, the slower songs came in just fine…and maybe you just had stinky seats. My seats on the floor were just fine for hearing. I’ve heard the Beyonce version of “Listen,” and I know that Syesha sounded wonderful. I knew the song instantly and she put lots of power and emotion into it. Loved the performance.
By Mingewood
August 19, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
As a dad of a thirteen old girl who escorted his daughter, the concert was fun. Excellent choices for songs but my fav moment? Those wonderful cinnamon almonds, I ate and shared a whole pound. Thanks Nuts about Georgia!
By woodpappy
August 19, 2008 10:23 AM | Link to this
Hey Rodney, you’re not a bad photographer at all! Thanks for the info and photos to go with em.
By Deirdre
August 19, 2008 10:27 AM | Link to this
wp is right, Rodney. What kind of camera do you have? It takes really good pictures. I remember that you lost your camera a few months ago. The new one is great!
By flats
August 19, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this
LOL @ D!!!!!!!!KISS SOME BOOTY WHY DONT YA!
By flats
August 19, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this
Like he’s going to put up some fuzzy you can hardly see pictures!!!!LOL!!!!GO JACKETS!!!
By Nana
August 19, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this
harrietth: Those students do have to learn. Glad you are there to see that they do.
I will not be back probably until I get home, unless I have time to sneek-a-peek. I’ve got 401(k) auditors coming in about 30 minutes, so I will be busy with them. Ugh and double Ugh. Don’t like auditors!!!
By flats
August 19, 2008 11:35 AM | Link to this
Rodney….post some black and white 1970 pictures next time!!!LOL!!!!
By JTesla
August 19, 2008 12:13 PM | Link to this
?
By flats
August 19, 2008 12:26 PM | Link to this
There you are JT…Come to the rescue!!!!!!!!!I LOVE YOU MAN!!!!!!
By Rodney Ho
August 19, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this
I’ll post the video I”m sure that will come up on Youtube of the Mavid dance. They did the Dirty South Falcons dance. I had no clue that’s what it was until Michael told me afterwards…
By Deirdre
August 19, 2008 1:41 PM | Link to this
It will be interesting to see because I have no idea WHAT would represent “Dirty South Falcons”. I liked the ‘singing in the rain’ Mavid…thought that was clever.
By harrietth
August 19, 2008 1:50 PM | Link to this
Maybe they are talking about a newer version of the old “dirty bird” dance the Falcons used to do.
By Deirdre
August 19, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this
I just saw it Harrietth and that’s exactly right. It was a stylized version of the Dirty Bird.
By flats
August 19, 2008 1:58 PM | Link to this
Tell us Rodney.Does it somethang to do with the falcons and pro balls!!!!!I still cant beleive your pictures are in coler!!!
By JTesla
August 19, 2008 2:57 PM | Link to this
Bored flats?
By flats
August 19, 2008 3:40 PM | Link to this
GOOD ONE JT!!!!D WILL BE ON IN A FEW TO THANK YOU!!!!!!!COLLEGE BALLS BIG BOY!!!!!!YOU ROCK!!!!!
By Deirdre
August 19, 2008 3:57 PM | Link to this
JT..as usual…the nail head has been hit.
By Harmony
August 19, 2008 3:57 PM | Link to this
Hello, I’m still here ,I haven’t blogged much because the Olympics are interfering with my life right now.I have also been extremely tired lately(probably from watching too much Olympics.
I hope you all are doing well and that we get some rain from Fay My cousin that was electrocuted is still hanging in there somehow,but they still can’t run the tests to determine if there is any brain function.
The Idol concert looked good, it reminded me that I haven’t been to a concert since 2003 when I saw Diamond Rio in Panama City Beach.
By flats
August 19, 2008 4:08 PM | Link to this
I told you she would!!!!!!!!!Miss perfect on que every time!!!!
By harrietth
August 19, 2008 4:14 PM | Link to this
Cue
By Deirdre
August 19, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this
Harmony…so sorry that the sadness continues with your cousin. What a horrible thing for his family to go through.
I know what you mean about the Olympics…I’m missing my regular bedtime almost every night…plus the gymnastics judges usually have my adrenalin revved up!!!!
By flats
August 19, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this
CUE BALL!!!!!!!!!!!gamecock balls in 8 days!!!!!!
By JTesla
August 19, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this
I hear you Harmony, can’t sleep when the Olympics are on. Keep us posted on your cousin.
By flats
August 19, 2008 4:25 PM | Link to this
JT…You watch sports???
By harrietth
August 19, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this
Yes, Harmony. We are all thinking about you!
By harrietth
August 19, 2008 4:27 PM | Link to this
Bye all. Time for me to call it a day. Hope the rest of the day is good for all of you.
By flats
August 19, 2008 4:32 PM | Link to this
HARM….i’m thinking about you and family!!!!!!
By Harmony
August 19, 2008 4:49 PM | Link to this
Thanks for the good wishes from all!
Deirdre, the judges are getting to me too, they are doing everything in their power to keep those girls from winning their deserved medals. We still have the most decorated Olympian in history though. GO USA!!!
By Nancy Ann
August 19, 2008 5:33 PM | Link to this
I was there at the concert and David A. blew me away. He was amazing. Best Angels and WYSYLM so far imo. Cook also got lots of screams but his set is so loud you can’t hear his voice and he will do anything to get the crowd louder and louder…got on my nerves…I thought please sing and stop with the silliness…The music drowns his voice out and it gave me a headache. Michael J. did a good job…better than Cook IMO.
By Reality in ATL
August 19, 2008 7:19 PM | Link to this
Is it just me? Am I crazy? Why does everybody keep saying “Georgia’s own Michael Johns?” The last time I checked, Georgia was in the United States, not Australia. Am I the only one who finds this bothersome? Also, he didn’t live in Buckhead, GA. He lived in Atlanta in the Buckhead area. Buckhead, GA is down south somewhere and I don’t think pretty boy would have enjoyed it for 30 seconds. BTW. If you didn’t guess already…I’m not a Michael Johns Fan. I was at the concert last night though. Carly Smithson rocked!
By Deirdre
August 19, 2008 7:42 PM | Link to this
Reality…he actually did live in the Atlanta Buckhead area for quite awhile and never claimed to be from the ‘other’ Buckhead. The show made the mistake of listing his American residence as Buckhead, GA. He has adopted Atlanta as his new home and plans to return here. He is also quite proud of his native Australia. Why would that be a bad thing? Seems like you’re looking for things to be upset about. The “pretty boy” comment spoke volumes.
By JTesla
August 19, 2008 7:46 PM | Link to this
People like to see a local connection. He lived there, he called it home that should be enough. We actually had an extensive “Buckhead GA vs. Buckhead area of Atlanta” discussion back in the day.
By ,,,=^..^=,,, from home
August 19, 2008 8:43 PM | Link to this
wow — i think… no, i KNOW… i am glad i was on vacation and afk for a couple of days! sheesh!
Thanks Rodney for a great writeup. And i’ll ditto the comments about your opening paragraph and the great photos. Great job, as usual!
i’ll be back at work tomorrow, but after being out a couple of days, not sure how much i’ll actually be able to blog, LOL. you know how it is… no one does the work for you when you’re out!
peace!
By Deirdre
August 19, 2008 8:47 PM | Link to this
Welcome home, linny!
By Denise (Birthday Girl in Green tank top) @ Gwinnett Arena
August 21, 2008 11:14 AM | Link to this
David Cook…Thank you for making my Birthday VERY Unforgetable at Gwinnett Arena in Georgia on August the 18th. You are the BEST!!!!! I am the girl that you said Happy Birthday to…in the Green tank top 2nd row. I must say your eyes are amazing.
By Extenze
August 23, 2008 1:22 AM | Link to this
His version of Billy Jean was awesome.
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By ymbcastrofan
August 23, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this
I thought all the Idols did a good job performing and showed tons of improvement since leaving American Idol. My favorites were Jason Castro and David Archuleta. Jason’s performance was cool, laidback and sexy. Archuleta’s was passionate with strong vocals. Both seemed a lot more confident. David Cook takes the honors for showmanship. I think that these are the 3 from AI Season 7 destined for superstardom. It was an added treat that Jason, Archuleta and all 5 girls came out to greet fans after the show.