American Idol Live Tour 2009 recap

(Click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

Leaving at 4:30 on Tuesday afternoon, we drove for 1 1/2 hours to Tacoma Dome, where the concert was. Approaching the gigantic parking lots, we saw many cars with signs that said "Honk if you love American Idol," etc. (As you can imagine, there were many cars honking ahead of us.)

Then we got to the lines outside the dome. There were loooong lines of AI fanatics waiting outside multiple entrances to the dome. When we got inside the dome, there were mobs everywhere: a giant mob near the t-shirt area, food booths, and bathrooms. We finally got to our seats and looked around:







We ended up waiting an hour for the show to start, but even that was fun. They were showing music videos from past Idol contestants, and Maya and I were watching the seats fill up with people of all sorts. I'm guessing that the number of people there was well into the thousands.

Finally, the lights dimmed and we saw this:

Everyone started hyperventilating. Then, the room erupted in screams as this guy appeared:

Michael Sarver. He was definitely enthusiastic and got us pumped up for the rest of the show.

Next was Megan Joy.

She was very classy and looked absolutely gorgeous in her hot pink dress.

And then Scott MacIntyre:

He sang really well, and his piano accompaniment was wonderful. I'm still in awe of his mad piano-playing skills.

Next (I think you can tell where this is going) was Lil Rounds:

Lil was a terrific performer and definitely into what she was doing. One of her songs was "Single Ladies" by Beyonce, and she actually used a lot of moves from the music video in her choreography. In the above picture, you can see some of the words to the song on the screen.

Anoop Desai:

He sang really well (and we're all wondering what's up with those glasses) :P

Up next was Matt Giraud:

Unfortunately, these seem to be the only two pictures I have of him. He also performed two piece on the piano ("You Found Me" by the Fray and something else), and he was really popular among the crowd.

Then came a group performance:

Then an intermission. :(


And the TOP FOUR.


Allison Iraheta:







Allison is a natural entertainer, and it was so much fun to see her perform. She had such a dramatic entrance, and she looked like a total rockstar.


Danny Gokey:

Danny is an incredibly soulful singer, and the whole time, you could tell that he really meant what he was singing. He talked about the meaning behind his songs, and how important it is to dream and have wishes.

OK now, drumroll....

I mean, seriously. There was a drumroll for Adam and nothing for Kris.

And then everyone started screaming.

And everyone stood up for a better view. You could practically feel the tension and excitement in the air.

And you know what? I'm just going to put in a ton of pictures here to satisfy your needs for Adam Lambert-ness. We took so many photos. (Here you go, Lorie Ann!)

"Slow Ride" duet with Adam and Allison:

And the last Adam song (a David Bowie medley):

Adam Lambert has amazing stage presence and charisma. He had everyone up screaming and dancing in the aisles. I would say that he was the best in the show.

And finally, KRIS ALLEN!

His songs were more low-key than Adam's, but still really good. The funny thing was that during "No Boundaries," the coronation song for this season, everyone sat down. (Apparently, since there has been such a "lack of enthusiasm" for that song, the producer has replaced it with another song for the rest of the tour.) Other than that, Kris' performance was marvelous. He picked all his hits from the season ("Heartless," "Ain't No Sunshine," etc.), so all of us in the audience really enjoyed it.

The concert ended with a group performance ("Don't Stop Believing") with all of the contestants:

All in all, it was a noteworthy night that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life.

(For a more in-depth recap of the concert, go here.)