Thank you, Louise, for sharing so much with us so often. Your generosity is truly appreciated. 
My sister and I went to Atlantic City to see the tour at the Boardwalk Hall where the Miss America Pageant was held for years. It’s perfect for this show. Big with a domed ceiling but horrendous floor seating unless you are in the front or on the sides near the stage.
Getting in was a nightmare. The place was filled and everyone decided to enter at the same time, flooding the 4 ticket scanners.
Once we were in, we were pleased with our seats. On the right bank in the second row and we could see the stage perfectly.
The acoustics in the venue are excellent and it really enhanced everyone’s performance. The show started 30 minutes late but the wait was MORE than worth it.
Michael Sarver: Looks and sounds so much better and more refined since his exit on Idol. What a way to start the show. Every time he came out to perform, the crowd loved him. I’m so glad he made the tour. I kept thinking he must miss his family so much to be on tour. He dedicated his 2nd song to his wife Tiffany, the love of his life. MS, my new fav hunky guy!
Scott: WOW, wow, wow. So much better than I remember from the show. Not wishy washy and so very connected to the audience. In between songs, he gets up and talks about the high fives he got from Ryan and how he can’t see if anyone is hand pumping for him. He asked the audience to high five while he sang the next song. Very touching performance. I admire him but he doesn’t need help. He’s doing just great.
Meghan Joy: I wanted to not like her but I was surprised by her first song, Put your Records On. Very, very good. She can sing when she wants to focus on it. She looked like Marilyn Monroe. Skin tight hot pink dress that was so short she couldn’t walk. She looked awkward in it but sang great. Not so great on song #2. When she sang with the other 5, she was very good.
Lil: She looks great, she sounded great and she has toned down her desperate need to be Beyonce or Alicia Keys. She had her own style and she has the pipes to do it as long as she finds her own style. I think she’s on her way. Not that my eval means much, she didn’t irritate me as much as she did on Idol. Her AK song and her own rendition of Single Ladies was a big audience fav. Good work, Lil.
Anoop: Another wow. He’s one mellow dude but can he sing or what? Michael Buble for the very young set. He has looks, a great voice and style and he is an intelligent, seasoned performer these days. Only down side: he did not move across the stage. Stayed in the middle too much.
Matt: Next to Adam, Matt was my favorite of the night. I’ve heard he really shines in this show and that is not an exaggeration. He reminds me of Billy Joel. I did not hear one pitchy note like on Idol where he was so nervous he couldn’t let his true brilliance come through. Huge audience favorite. 
Matt and Scott: Absolutely terrific dueling pianos and voices. What a great part of the show. I thought it was one of the best AI tour moments when these two guys came up from below the stage on pianos and sang. It was fabulous.
#10-5 Idols group song: Everyone was nicely dressed. Starting with Matt and Scott on the piano, the group song was very professional giving everyone a chance to shine and then knock it out of the part before the intermission. Whoever did the arrangement of this number did a great job putting the strengths of these kids in the forefront. It was better than the finale number, IMO.
Allison: She is Heart, Pat Benatar and Pink all rolled into one. Is she really 16 or 17? She works the stage and brings back the memory of Janis Joplin in her performance. If she is not huge, I’m eating my AI program booklet.
Danny: Huge audience favorite. He was walking on the boardwalk with Matt before the show and walked right in front of us. Before I could whip the camera out to get a pic, bodyguard snatched him away. I did get a pic of him, Matt and Scott on the steps at the back door of the arena.
This is the point where the audience stood and never sat down again.
Danny is so fabulous and genuine. There were so many signs for him and little kids and moms and dads on their feet for him. Very dynamic singer and performer because he engages the audience, gets them involved. Loved every minute he was on the stage. He told the audience to never let a tragedy or a bad day stop you from going forward. My sister and I put our hands together and we each made half the ‘Danny’ heart. Yes, we’re weird guy sitting next to me who glared but this is American Idol, bud. He was an Allison fan. LOVED Danny. And he is looking very buff these days. Woo.
ADAM: Who can keep their eyes off of Adam? Not me. My sister doesn’t care for him but even she got up. Woo. Adamized! He was not over the top like I thought he would be which I liked. What a sound comes out of that body if gives me goosebumps to look and see him live. TV does not do justice to how great Adam is. And my impression is that he is the Taylor of this tour: the leader, the friend, the shoulder to cry on. He takes command in every way. There was so much hysteria when he was on it almost drowned out his singing but then his voice rose up to the rafters. It was Adam vs. 17,000 screamers.
When Mad World started, there was pandemonium. When he opened his mouth, EVERYONE was singing along. It was a thrilling, thrilling moment.
He can do it all, I’m convinced. I went into the night already thinking Adam was going to be my favorite of the night and I left thinking the same thing. NO ONE IS LIKE ADAM!
Adam and Allison: Just fantabulous. Is there a tour for these two in the works like Kelly and Clay? They set the stage on fire.
Kris: I was so glad the audience was as boisterous for Kris as they were for Adam. He comes out and it’s very slow motion like while he stands on the stage and the audience cheers. Then he sings Heartless and the audience is singing along. Woooo. He then goes to the piano and sings and the audience is singing along again! Then he straps on the electric guitar and riffs with the band’s guitarist. The ending song brought such joy to the audience. Hey Jude by the Beatles. Everyone was singing, swaying and clapping. He is truly a champion and I loved his performance. No one should underestimate just how fantastic Kris is and that he deserved to be the American Idol.
The group number was a little anti-climactic. They had all given their all and it was a chance to relax and sing and fun around on stage with one another while thanking the fans and the band. Again, Adam took the lead but that’s okay. He gets to do what he does best.
Then in a flash it was over. We didn’t go to the bus afterward. I knew what would happen if we did and after last week trying to see David Cook after the show, I knew we were going to just head for the car and compare notes.
We both loved Matt the most for the night. But, I had to qualify my fav because after Adam, Matt was the best of then night for me.
We have been to the Idol tour shows since they started. Some have been just horrid (Carrie/Bo), some just so memorable (AI5 and 7). This one was right up there with those two. Overall, it was better than 7 but nothing will be as good as AI5. Having said that, if it even comes close to 5, you know it was a good show. And it was. I am not going to see it again and I’m glad I went again.
I have video but one video won’t load so it’s holding the others up. I will work on it. They will be nothing like the Greensboro vids here but they may be good for the audio. BBL. I hope everyone who can go will go. Seeing some of these kids now is so joyous.
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