American Idols Live! Brought Stars to Tulsa

America’s #1 show has been on tour since July 1st with the top 10 contestants from Season 9. This season, they are; Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, Casey James, Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami, Katie Stevens, Lee DeWyze, Michael Lynche, Siobhan Magnus, and Tim Urban.  Lee DeWyze was crowned the 2010 winner of American Idol and his first single was a remake of U2’s “Beautiful Day”, released May 27th, 2010.

The show started on time to a mostly full arena at the BOK Center. The first four to sing were Didi Benami, Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens and Tim Urban. They all sang 2 songs each and sounded very much like seasoned artists. All the nerves we saw on American Idol the show were now gone. No one sounded pitchy or flat or off key. I was truly amazed by the talent that each one instilled. Removing the judging panel seems to have removed some of the awkwardness we would sometimes see on the show. Each one shinned in their own way.

Next up was Siobhan Magnus which started a three song trend for the next 4 artists. Magnus opened with “Painted Black” by the Rolling Stones. In her punk rock gear, Siobhan gave a haunting performance of the song which really got the crowd going. She is known for being able to carry a note very long and very high and delivered it all tonight. You definitely get your monies worth just watching her set.

Concert goers Beau Richards and Kyle Bradley were enjoying the show next to me. Kyle said “this was a must see show!” I also found out that he is 23 and graduated from college this past December. He has spent the last several months in Colorado skiing and since Kyle has not landed a job yet he said he was going to Austin Texas to audition for the American Idol tryouts for Season 10. Kyle definitely has the look; I guess we’ll see if he has the chops.

Aaron Kelly, Michael Lynche and Casey James were next. Casey came out with those golden locks and baby blues eyes opening his set with “I Got Mine” by the Black Keys. Casey had won the crowd with his charm and with the bluesy sound of his voice. Not only does Casey have the vocals, he wailed on the guitar like no one I’ve seen before from American Idol. Michael Lynche came out to join with Casey on “When a Man Loves a Woman”, that was also performed on American Idol the show. Women across the room were swaying and singing along to the perfectly performed duet.

The crowd rose to their feet when Crystal Bowersoxs’ name came across the screen. She came out dressed in all black still with her famous dreadlocks and lovely new smile. She opened with “What’s Going On” by 4 Non Blondes with everyone still on their feet, singing along. Crystal has a very folk, bluesy sound with a powerhouse voice. Her performance of “Up To the Mountain” written by Patti Griffin was a very emotional heart-felt rendition of the song. Bowersox finished her 4 song set with “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin and left us with anticipation for Lee Dewyze.

Finally, the 2010 American Idol winner, Lee Dewyze took the stage. He opened the set with his single, “Beautiful Day”. His fans of all ages were holding up signed photos, wearing his t-shirts and screaming “I love you Lee!” Which he in turn said “I love you too.” From watching the show all season, it was evident that Lee had finally overcome his nerves. During the show, though Lee sang great for most of the season, the one thing that seemed to hold him back from winning was the problem he had with his nerves. He always seemed to be holding back just a little. He has definitely overcome that issue and was very charismatic on stage. Still, he has somewhat of a shy personality but was very endearing.  Lee did a soul-wrenching version of the song “Hallelujah “written by Leonard Cohen. He finally was letting it all out showing the real performer he truly is.

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Photos by: Kevin Pyle

All ten finalists came out to close the show singing 2 songs and ending with Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You.” This show was impressively entertaining. All the artists seem to have grown a lot since being on the show and honestly, all have the potential for being stars on their own. It was evident throughout the show that the finalists were appreciative of what American Idol has done for them and their careers.