GUEST REVIEW: Guy on the "Idol" kickoff
Was Amanda Overmyer-Daly really at the kickoff of the American Idols Live tour in Arizona Tuesday? Did Ramiele Malubay really get picked up by a smallish condor and flown to a nearby nest? Did Brooke White really set Vegas oddsmakers back years by keeping her shoes on?
Increasingly loyal blogger Guy, in his epic quest to see a concert in every state, dropped into AZ this week to check in on his beloved no-talent Kristy Lee Cook & Co. His musical report is detailed and saucy and rife with nudity. There's also a gratuitous Marissa reference which is always good for ratings. If you'd like to read Guy's full report, click below.
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Welcome to the American Idol Steam Bath and Show, courtesy of the 110 degree heat that baked the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., on Tuesday. The sold-out show, which kicked off the seventh tour of American Idol Top 10 finalists, was surprisingly glitch-free, marred by none of the restarts (Brooke White) or forgotten lyrics (Jason Castro) that undermined performances during the contest.
The format: the Top 10, in descending order, each sing three songs, with the exception of the evening’s final two performers: David Archuletta and David Cook (who each sing four, with Cook taking the first encore). Two medleys are also included –- a cover of U2’s Pride (in the Name of Love) featuring the Bottom 6 performers, while show-closer Don’t Stop the Music (Rihanna) is sung by all 10.
The good: Michael Johns, Carly Smithson and Brooke White. Johns displayed an arena-ready voice and impressive stage presence in reprising both his medley of Queen’s We will Rock You and We are the Champions and Aerosmith’s Dream On, the song that led to his exit from the contest. Smithson’s powerful set included a surprise cover, Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life, along with Heart's Crazy on You. Both made convincing cases that America may have selected the wrong Top 2.
Arizona native and local favorite White earned a warm reception for performing songs familiar to a majority of the audience (the Beatles’ Let it Be, a fun cover of Feist’s 1234 and a Coldplay’s Yellow, which was also featured on her 2005 CD Songs from the Attic. And yes, she eventually removed her shoes.
The bad: It’s all about the song selection, dawg. Ill-chosen covers (Kristy Lee Cook’s version of Carolyn Dawn Johnson’s Squeezin’ the Love Outta You) brought the show to a grinding halt in places. Pitch problems, coupled with a thin, reedy voice, ensured that Ramiele Malubay’s rendition of Maroon 5/Rihanna’s If I Never See Your Face Again was drowned out by the seven-member band.
The unbearable: The onslaught of commercials airing prior to showtime; David & David’s re-enactment of Tom Cruise’s underwear scene in Risky Business for Guitar Hero was funny...the first time. Even more egregious? The use of an emcee shill for the sponsors: "Let’s give State Farm some love"?
But the pre-game had nothing on an interminable intermission (is singing three songs that taxing?) that featured, among other monstrosities, a Guitar Hero competition between members of the touring band.
The favorites: Top 4 Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado, David Archuletta and David Cook delivered solid, occasionally shriek-inducing performances, the highlights of which were Castro’s ukelele-based reprisal of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Mercado’s cover of Rihanna’s Umbrella, Archuletta’s earnest rendition of Ben E. King’s Stand by Me, complete with controversy-causing lyrics from Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girls, and Cook’s electrified take on Lionel Richie’s Hello.
Spotted in the crowd: A Skoal-dipping Amanda Overmyer, wearing a wife-beater T-shirt emblazoned with the face of current Times pop music critic, and future fiance, Sean Daly. Long-time Pop Lifer Marissa, hanging out backstage with a "Marry me, Roo" tank top.
Sean Daly is the pop music critic for the St. Petersburg Times. His CD collection -- from Journey to Dylan, Prince to U2, Public Enemy to Stan Getz -- is much bigger and better than yours.
Guy,
Epic review.
All of my AI tour questions answered without ever setting foot in an arena. It's like you threw yourself on a pop culture grenade so the rest of us could be saved.
Nice work, soldier.
Posted by: Jeff in Cuba | July 03, 2008 at 04:00 PM
Woo! Thanks for noticing, Guy.
I second what Jeff said.
Posted by: Marissa | July 03, 2008 at 06:39 PM
Wow besides you getting Amanda's finances name wrong and the fact Amanda hasn't left Indiana since her concert at The Whisky in L.A. I guess you might be credible. But you are not. If you need to approve this comment the public will not see this. However you know you are full of crap!
Posted by: JohnnyDrama | July 04, 2008 at 08:17 PM
Dude, get real - the spotted in the crowd section is obviously a joke.
Posted by: Guy | July 04, 2008 at 09:11 PM
Guy,
You know you've arrived as a critic when you get your first piece of hate-mail.
Congrats!
Posted by: Jeff in Cuba | July 04, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Whether it was a joke or not people read these blogs and don't realize it.
POOR taste as we all know Amanda wasn't there
There is a difference between a joke that isn't funny and an outright lie.
Try to do better next time and you might be consider credible
Posted by: keg | July 04, 2008 at 11:53 PM
Wow. How could one not realize it was a joke? An exaggeration, if you will. Are there Sean Daly t-shirts available? If so, I want one.
My "Marry Me 'Roo" shirt is spelled out in sequins, by the way. I have an *in* with the AI peeps who let me backstage ALL the time.
Posted by: Marissa | July 05, 2008 at 07:49 AM
When the review starts off with and ends with the same "joke" then is the whole review a joke?
Since he starts off the review with a question it just seems appropriate that it be answered and then to end it with spotted in the crowd--which wasn't a question but does sound like he really saw this-- is obviously poor reporting
Posted by: keg | July 05, 2008 at 08:29 AM
Guy isn't a reporter. Guy is a guy who goes to concerts. Guy sent SD his personal take on the inaugural AI concert.
Posted by: Marissa | July 05, 2008 at 08:34 AM
Oh, and I'm done with this bit. Coffee and a shower are necessary. That's no joke.
Posted by: Marissa | July 05, 2008 at 08:36 AM
Loved this.
Posted by: Kyle | July 05, 2008 at 10:24 AM
Guy, I thought the review (and the jokes) were great.
Posted by: Bassnote | July 05, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Wow,the people from your American Idol make concerts around the country?American Idol Live Tour? That`s just hilarious! People for Idols here in Portugal get a cheese sandwich and a guest appearance on a crappy afternoon show!
Posted by: Miguel | July 05, 2008 at 12:17 PM
HA!Miguel
"Idols here in Portugal get a cheese sandwich"
priceless.
Posted by: Marissa | July 05, 2008 at 06:10 PM
that was suppose to be a joke? I find it much easier to believe that you were lying than to accept that the section was intended to funny, or even witty to say the least.
Posted by: Sue | July 06, 2008 at 07:55 PM
Wow Guy, guess the night at the Improv is canceled. Some people just are so critical. Anyone who reads this blog on a consistent basis knows the inside Amanda Overmeyer-Daly comment.
Sorry I was out of the loop for the last week. Was sunning myself on the beaches of De in the Speedo.
Posted by: sparky | July 07, 2008 at 09:44 AM
Wow! Great job Guy.
The comments are priceless. I could not stop laughing at them (especially the dude who knows amanda's life story); I hope they were inteded as jokes as well, otherwise I think some people should stop breaking their thorazine in half and just take the full dose.
And remember if it is in a BLOG it must be factual because "people read these blogs and don't realize it." Is that like sleep-reading?
Posted by: DoctorDrew | July 07, 2008 at 12:08 PM
Wow! Great job Guy.
The comments are priceless. I could not stop laughing at them (especially the dude who knows amanda's life story); I hope they were intended as jokes as well, otherwise I think some people should stop breaking their thorazine in half and just take the full dose.
And remember if it is in a BLOG it must be factual because "people read these blogs and don't realize it." Is that like sleep-reading?
Posted by: DoctorDrew | July 07, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Poor Guy! He had no idea what he was getting into when he volunteered to be a guest critic.
People can be nasty and unforgiving, Guy! Just ask Sean to tell you about the woman who told him a had a small
$%#^@& because she didn't agree with one of his reviews!
Keep your chin up. Hang in there. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off. And remember that people who are unkind often come back in their next life as some sort of bug!
Posted by: Forever Fiancee | July 07, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Sorry about the double post for the sentient readers.
Actually, I just wanted to the give the sleep-readers a sense of Deja-vu.
Posted by: DoctorDrew | July 07, 2008 at 12:11 PM
Nice job Guy! Personally, I enjoyed the jokes. The comments crack me up too-- some people are waaaay too uptight.
Posted by: SM | July 07, 2008 at 01:04 PM