American Idols Live! Tour – ARCO Arena (Sacramento, CA)

It’s DAY FOUR of the American Idols Season 8 Live! Tour at the ARCO Arena (Sacramento, CA). I’m gathering all the articles/reviews/videos/interviews here. All tweets are left behind in this post. For a round-up of Tour/Album news for Adam and Kris, click here.

Fair warning : I only care about Adam/Kris/Allison…

Check back – once they are up, All PERFORMANCE VIDEOS (Adam/Kris/Allison) will be on PAGE 2. The Rest of the Top 10 will be on PAGE 3.

ARTICLES

Chris Daughtry (Newsweek)

Were you surprised that Kris Allen beat Adam Lambert on idol ?
Yes and no. Yes, because there was so much media attention on Adam. But I had a feeling the underdog was going to win. Adam’s voice—I really don’t know how that guy does it. When you hear him talk, you’d never picture those notes coming out of his face. Sebastian Bach would be proud.

Concert Review: Packed Arco Arena revels in Idol-atry By Leigh Grogan

… jaw-dropping set by 17-year-old rocker Allison Iraheta… Perfect opener? You bet. Pink’s “I’m a Rock Star” They had the fans on her flaming-red hair and the leather-studded jacket and black pants were in keeping with her rocker-girl style. And it wouldn’t be right if Iraheta didn’t treat the crowd to her versions of classic rock standards – Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby” and Heart’s “Barracuda.”
… second-place finisher Adam Lambert. He clearly was the performer this audience was clamoring for. And he delivered. Washed in shades of blue and silver (his signature colors) and wearing a leather “morning coat,” Lambert made mincemeat of the microphone with Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” There was smoke and faux fire as he dominated the stage. He’s made perfection out of his haunting reprise of “Mad World” by Tears for Fears, which he sang at least twice on the TV show.
The audience was on its feet for the Lambert/Iraheta duet of Foghat’s “Slow Ride,” which they also performed on “American Idol.” With a bigger stage they played a cat-and-mouse game with the rock classic.
Season 8 winner Kris Allen wouldn’t be Kris Allen if he employed the theatrics of Lambert, so it was only fitting that he demonstrated his amazing gift to sing and play both the guitar and the piano. He opened with his amazing cover of Kanye West’s “Heartless,” which got him rave reviews on the show. He also performed “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Looking back at when “Idol” fans first met Kris – in January – this young man has matured into a singer/songwriter that deserved the title.

Well, I guess someone had to do it – a fan scanned the AI Tour Program and you can view all the scans from this link.

So, Adam & Kris co-hosted AT40 this weekend, and one kind soul ripped it for the rest of us who didn’t want to sit through 40 songs… Click here to download the MP3.
American Idols Live At GM Place in Vancouver on Wednesday

One might have expected the second half to kick things up a notch, and pint-sized rock chick Allison Iraheta, flame-coloured hair extensions billowing, did that nicely. Watching the 17-year-old with gravelly pipes belt out a version of Janis Joplin’s Cry Baby was one of the few true bright points of the night.
Thank God indeed, then, for Lambert. The man the entire crowd had shown up to see, he had them screaming in the aisles – and tossing their undies. Upping the temperature along with the tempo, Lambert was rude, pouty and completely over the top, just as a pop star should be. With a mostly successful set that included Led Zeppelin, Tears for Fears and a very apropos Bowie medley, he offered this panting crowd the possibility of something exciting, dangerous even.
But poor Kris Allen: Never has winning looked more like losing. With hiscringe-worthy performance (ending, miserably, with the terminally drippy Hey Jude), he sucked the air out of the room in seconds.

3 ‘Idol’ alumni target holiday season for debuts – reuters forgot to mention Allison

KRIS ALLEN – For his fall debut on 19/Jive, the 23-year-old has a wealth of songwriters and producers to choose from: David Hodges (Clarkson, Daughtry), Salaam Remi (Nas, Amy Winehouse) and Claude Kelly (Akon, Leona Lewis) have all submitted material for the record. Allen also collaborated with Joe King of the Fray in June at Timbaland’s Virginia Beach, Virginia, recording studio.
“Each writing session has been a learning experience,” says Allen, who adds that his record will sound similar to John Mayer and Jason Mraz, with possible traces of the urban sound that he’s been exploring with some collaborators. “I think that we are trying to figure it out and that it’s going the right way, and I’m really excited about it. I can’t wait.”
ADAM LAMBERT – The singer has so far teamed with producers RedOne (Lady GaGa) and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic (Beyonce, Jordin Sparks), while Sam Sparro and Jim Jonsin have contributed as well.
Tedder says his songs with Lambert have a new wave, Tears for Fears vibe, but that choosing a musical direction for Lambert results in an embarrassment of riches. “He can sing so many different styles of music,” Tedder says. “I think he can be a global superstar; there’s not a doubt in my mind.”

Journey ends for ‘No Boundaries’ – oh, wow, was the crowd reception that bad they had to drop the song? OR did Kris put his foot down and refuse to sing this dreck anymore? Either way – thumbs up!

Reviews of Season 8’s finale show widely trashed the victory number and the chilly reception has followed “Boundaries” onto the road. In reviews of the tour, “Boundaries” has been singled out as a misstep, generating a tepid crowd response compared with the other numbers.
The tour’s producers have been listening to the sound of few hands clapping. Starting tonight in Sacramento, “No Boundaries” will be disappear from Allen’s set, according to sources with the production.
A new song will take its place in Allen’s set down the road later this week.

VIDEOS OF INTERVIEWS/ W/ FANS

American Idols chat with Charr Crail of eMusiConnect / EyeStreet Chronicles

Bubble Tweet from Matt (Oakland) – special appearances by Allison, adam (looks like headache’s gone!), scott, and sarver
Oh, pity – Adam didn’t go meet the fans as usual… Migraines are bad

adamlambert Sacramento: I love u. Sorry I didn’t sign autographs outside. I have a killer headache.

Kris with fans

** I thought this post on ONTD_AI was hilarious…

PERFORMANCE PHOTOS ETC.

Photos courtesy of idoltourbenches, arcoarena, overstrung, Joy Fisher and fans

Check out this photogallery for more photos! This is another good gallery.

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