American Idol Live Tour 2011

First time in the history of Asia and Philippines concert scene that the Top 11 finalists from “American Idol” season 10 performed live on stage! Aside from their scheduled concert last September 20, Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart, Jacob Lusk, James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, Naima Adedapo, Paul McDonald, Pia Toscano, Stefano Langone, Fil-American Thia Megia, and Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery graced the big dome once again last September 21. I've been watching American Idol since its 1st season, with Kelly Clarkson as the very first winner. After that, I've been a fan of many different Idols. I even watched David Archuleta's most recent concert here in the country last July 18. I'm so lucky I got the chance to see my Season 10 Idols LIVE on their second night concert, happened at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The concert started with a taped introduction by Ryan Seacrest (AI host), flashed on the screens. The show was split in two parts, first of which was more of a variety show type, showcasing the first six who got eliminated. A winning group performance of Lady Gaga's "Born this way" by the girls opened the first half of the show. Ladies from this batch never fail to impress. There were solo, duet, and group performances. Despite having many performers, each of them had his shining moment, thanks to the organizer. It was like they were still fighting for the most coveted title, their performances were breathtaking and each of them gave their best!

Pia Toscano followed the group performance with her rendition of Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind". She also sang "This Time".

Stefano Langone kinda missed a note while singing "Grenade" by Bruno Mars, but this guy knew how to work the crowd. I think he not only gained admirers for his singing but also for his toned body. While he was singing Usher's "DJ got us fallin in love", he stripped his shirt off, which ofcourse sent the girls screaming so loud & wild. 

 

 Paul McDonald owned the stage when he sang "Maggie May". His dancing, which I find a bit weird, was still fun to watch. 

Talk about energy, Naima Adedapo had shown much on her rendition of J.Lo's "On the floor". She was so sexy on her belly-dancing costume, she danced well, complete with jumps and ended with split. She really got the crowd screaming & dancing with delight. It was her best number & it was a perfect example of winning a crowd over.

 Thia Megia sang "Who says?" which was popularized by Selena Gomez. I really adore her because aside from she's beautiful and talented, she's our Kababayan. :) She often performed & danced in the background throughout the concert. 

Now down to one of my favorites. Yes! Casey Abrams came out with the boys to sing "Animal". His solo performance of Santana's "Smooth", with a humming intro of cello, and Maroon5's "Harder to breathe" made the cheering & clapping even louder.

He also had a duet of "Moanin" with Hailey Reinhert, that number really gave me goosebumps.

The first half of the show ended with a group performance of Cee Lo Green's "Forgot you" by the finalists.

The second half of the concert started with Lauren Alaina's solo performance of "Flat on the Floor" by Katrina Elam. She was dressed up like a cowgirl with a shimmering boots. I loved it! Se also sang her single "Like my mother does". 

James Durbin's performance of "Sweet child of mine" was superb! It was also one of my favorites. He wowed the crowd by emerging from the audience area (from the back), and by shouting "Sigaw na!". It was like a rock concert during his performance, and I enjoyed it a lot! \m/ 

Jacob Lusk sang "Never too much" and "You're all I need to get by". Though his was just a short stint, he still owned the stage and gave his best.

  In my opinion, Haley Reinhart was one of the top performers on the show. I loved how she sang "House of the rising sun" & "Benny & the Jets" with her distinct voice. Her confidence just blew me away. And as I expected, the audience loved her too. Yeah, the night belonged to her!:) I had goosebumps when she did that jazz number with Casey. This girl definitely has something! Too sad he didn't sing Adele's "Rolling in the deep". :( 

The American Idol Season 10 winner Scotty Mccreery didn't show up until the second half. He finally hit the stage with his song "Are you gonna kiss me or not" and "I love you this big". The screaming just peaked when he said "Mahal Kita" in his deep country voice.

I was surprised by Scotty's appeal. He's naturally charming even though he was just dressed up with long-sleeved polo shirt & denim pants. It doesn't matter if we waited for an hour and a half before he showed up, the crowd loved him to pieces and I love you this BIG. <3 I also liked Scotty & Lauren's duet of "When you say nothing at all". He ended with an upbeat solo number of "Gone".

James and Lauren presided the closing group medley, they sang Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again.” Followed by Casey, Paul and Hailey's rendition of Journey’s “Faithfully.” Naima, Stefano, Jacob and Thia did Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” before all the idols onstage sang a booming version of Journey’s “Anyway You Want It.”

Got some Kitkats & Coffees at the exits.

All in all, I'm so glad I caught this show. THANKS TO MIGGY AND AT THE WOMB!
I must say that this is probably the best batch of AI to watch Live. As a group, they brought up different musical genre, different personalities & real BIG talents. The concert was so enjoyable. No wonder their season was the most watched & broke all the voting records. Scotty's the biggest winner and Hailey's the BEST SINGER/vocalist. Now I wonder what season11 could put on the table. The American Idol 2011 Live Tour was one to remember! Looking forward to the future Idols. :)