American Idol Live Concert Tour Review

Taylor Hicks and Company Hit Hartford, CT

It was my wife's birthday and the American Idol season had just wrapped up with Taylor Hicks emerging the victor, long thought by many to be a long shot (at best). Knowing how much she enjoyed this year's show, I thought to myself, "what would make a better gift than a pair of tickets for the tour?" So after a feverish 48 hours of online Ticketmaster auction bidding, my printer spit out two magic pieces of paper - the experience was "Wonka-esque" - 3rd row seats!

Weeks of waiting for the tour date came to an end yesterday. Luckily my wife Krissy works in downtown Hartford and as such, had a parking pass at a nearby garage, allowing us to zip past the masses congregating around the entrance. Arrival at the Hartford Civic Center came with much of the typical frustration one gets with large crowds but we didn't let it get to us. After the pushing and bumping and "excuse me's," we took our seats right up front. Unfortunately one of our favorites, Katharine McPhee, was not on the list due to illness.

My first observation was the demographic of the crowd; anyone who's seen the show knows it has a "teeny bopper" appeal, and that's just who came... in droves. At least 60-75% of the group composed of young girls; many of them near us were jacked up on cotton candy with parents nowhere to be seen.

This being only the finalists' 2nd stop, we weren't sure what to expect. Would they be as good as they were on the show? Would their stage presence be better in real life? The time had come - the lights dimmed, the band cued and to lead off the show, Mandisa came out with a stirring rendition of "I'm Every Woman." Everyone was very excited - there was a palpable energy in the air, as if months of bottled up anticipation were being released with each ear-numbing screech. 

Mandisa wrapped up her set with a transitional-duet with Ace. The crowd again went crazy. Ace gave the teenage girls exactly what they wanted – a sultry version of George Michael’s “Father Figure,” complete with (what I found to be very cheesy) pseudo-strip tease and pectoral pumping. That being said, he knew how to work the crowd.