My Trip to See the American Idols

I haven't been able to blog about this what with tours going out in a week and I have a godawful nasty head cold which makes doing ANYTHING harder than it really is, but last Tuesday I had a chance to go to the American Idol LIVE concert. Let me tell you something...from a boomer babe's standpoint, that show ROCKED and it was ME doing the rocking!

My daughter and I had tickets like FOREVER and we were counting down the days. All winter long, we watched the contestants being eliminated...she would record it if either of us were working that night and then we'd party down in her bedroom, cheering on our favorites.

Okay, so I liked Sanjaya. I know that's not a popular choice, but let me explain. I thought he'd do real well for teenie-bopper sales. He reminded me a little of David Cassidy, not so much in the looks but how he could woo your heart if you were of that certain teenie-bopper age.

My daughter was rooting for Blake. She even got him to sign up on her Myspace as one of her friends. I tried to add him to my friends on my Myspace page and he never accepted...oh the woes of being a boomer chick and not a hip chick twenty-years younger.

So we were counting down the days until Sept. 18 arrived and when it did, we couldn't wait to drive those 2 hours to see them at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia.

The area brought back lots of memories. My ex was stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton when my daughter was conceived and then she was born in the neighboring town of Newport News. But, the Hampton Coliseum was where my ex and I took in many concerts. It was a blast from the past for sure and to be going back there again to see the American Idols in concert made it even more special.

Of course we got lost even with my daughter driving, but after cornering some man in McDonald's in Newport News to give us directions to the Coliseum after we passed it on the Interstate, we made it with a half hour to spare.

The general concensus of the people attending were mainly married couples, older couples and children. Not too many twenty-somethings. My daughter was slightly miffed, but hey, I was having a heluva time.

She bought a pepsi and I bought a cherry icee and we found our seats. Thirty rows back in the middle on the floor. It was excellent seating really; only, I found that floor seats aren't necessarily the best seats even as close as you get because NO ONE SITS and if you're in back of a rather tall man like I was, you had to stand as long as he was standing and you couldn't wait until he tired and sat down so you could, too. But, it was a blast...I didn't care...I was screaming louder than anyone and when I looked over and saw a granny screaming louder, that only provoked me to turn it up a notch or two.

Okay, here's the rundown:

Blake was FABULOUS. I heard he got a record deal, so I know what I'll be buying my daughter for Christmas. He still had that beebopping charm and I thought that when he and Chris did a beebopping duo, it brought the house down. As it turned out, this was Chris' home town so he had a lot of the audience screaming for him.

Sanjaya was so cute up there...he hasn't lost his "I don't care what you say; I'm going to have fun whether you like it or not" attitude.

Haley. Well, Haley wasn't one of my favorites, although she did a good job. I noticed the guy beside me standing up and taking pictures on his cell phone when she came on. His wife eyed him, but he didn't care. What Haley had going on for her was that she was just as seductive on stage as she was on TV. She had a little skirt with fringes and when the fringes would fly up, half her backside was hanging out. Something I really didn't want to see, haha.

LaKisha was excellent. I thought she had lost a little weight, but then the TV cameras put ten pounds on you, but she was really good.

Belinda, also, was excellent...that girl can belt it out.

Phil was OH SO EXCELLENT...I understand why he didn't make it as American Idol but that boy really needs a record contract. Love his country singing.

Chris Sligh...not sure if I spelled that last name right...well, I felt a little sorry for him because everyone was standing for everyone else, but when he came on, they all sat down. Not that he didn't do a good job, but I guess he wasn't everyone's favorite.

Gina. Omg, Gina. Why didn't I realize how great she was when we were voting for Blake? Another one that deserves a record contract.

And then...the winner of American Idol, Jordin Sparks, just took down the show.

It was awesome and I'd do it again.

I'll have pictures in another day or two as soon as I can figure out where my daughter put the file, but we got some really good shots.

And I can't wait for this season to start...

Tags: American Idol, American Idol Live Concert, Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, Belinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey, Chris Richardson, Sanjaya Malakar, LaKisha Jones, Haley Scarnato, Gina Glocksen, Chris Sligh