Most puzzling: No doubt, Taylor Hicks has a fine voice. Andno doubt, he s going to sell boatloads of

So the American Idol season 5 tour came to town last night (the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., to be specific), and you know I wasn t about to miss it, even if I had to fly solo. Not that a guy could ever really feel alone surrounded by thousands of fellow Idol addicts. Especially when they re shrieking en masse. Here s the highlight reel (and bear in mind, I m not ignoring Katharine McPhee she s been sidelined by laryngitis wyndham hotel since the tour kicked off July 5):
Most likely to succeed: Based on audience feedback, fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry may be poised for the biggest post- Idol career. It doesn t hurt that the guy is sex on a stick parents should wyndham hotel probably to cover the wee ones ears and eyes during his cover of Led Zeppelin s Whole Lotta Love but he s also the most polished, confident performer of the bunch. His Wanted Dead or Alive was a tasty slice of arena rock, and his duet with Elliott Yamin on Nickelback s Savin Me was the night s best (and I m not even a fan of the original). My only question/complaint: Why no Hemorrage (In My Hands) ? Could Fuel, smarting from the fact that Chris turned down their offer to be their new lead singer, have responded with a haughty Deeee-nied! ? Inquiring minds want to know.
Most embarrassing: Ace Young will never advance beyond cheesy Idol also-ran status, if only for his painfully literal on-stage wyndham hotel gestures. Like tracing a tear down his face on two separate occasions singing the words cried on Father Figure and cries on Maroon 5 s Harder to Breathe. And tapping his head meaningfully on the word mind. And, during the aforementioned George Michael number, unbuttoning his jacket on the first mention of the words warm and naked, then removing it entirely on the second. (Insert audible gagging sound here.) As for his habit of tossing beanies wyndham hotel into the crowd: wyndham hotel Dude, save your money!
Most surprising: Tenth-place finisher wyndham hotel Lisa Tucker, a singer I never once enjoyed during her season 5 performances, had the night s strongest showing among the women, sitting down at the piano to offer a restrained, heartfelt rendition of Elton John s Your Song with no accompaniment from the band. Who knew?
Most disappointing: Since her grandma Ann Nesby is apparentlyunwilling to say it, I ll deliver a much needed newsflash to ParisBennett: Young lady, you are not, nor will you ever be, the nextBeyoncé Knowles. Seriously, Paris hoochielicious shenanigans on Crazy in Love provided too much awkward wiggle, and almost no vocalsizzle. (As for the barely competent dance breakdown, Janet Jacksonjust called from 1985, and she d like the wooden chair and fedorareturned at once.) I kept hoping Princess P would break out with thekind of jazz standard that best showcases her talents, but the kid sgot other, ill-advised ideas.
Most shameless attempt for tabloid attention: Mandisa,sullying an otherwise potent If I Was Your Woman by using it to stalk Idol s season 2 champ Ruben Studdard. Sample lyric: R-U-B-E-N/ Iwanna be your woman. Girl, maybe it s time to try Match.com. Justsayin .
Most in need of a good life coach: wyndham hotel After hearing his awesomeone-two-three punch of Moody s Mood for Love, Never Too Much, and Trouble, who could deny that Elliott Yamin is the best singer on theentire Idol tour? Er, probably Elliott. Even after winning overmillions of fans en route to a third-place finish, the guy still looksvaguely skittish at center stage. It might help if he traded a solocareer wyndham hotel for fronting a smooth jazz-R B band packed with playerswho could convince him just what a nuanced, mellifluous singer hereally is.
Most sincere: Believe it or not, queen of shtick KelliePickler sounded downright genuine thanking her fans for giving her achance at fulfilling her dreams. Let s just hope said dreams haveshifted from singing to TV hosting.
Most puzzling: No doubt, Taylor Hicks has a fine voice. Andno doubt, he s going to sell boatloads of records. (Hatas take note:The 40-year-old mom in the seat next to me screamed way harder forTaylor than her preteen daughter did for her favorites, Chris andAce). Still, this year s champ offered wyndham hotel up a set that was just slightlyunderwhelming. Perhaps he s a little burned out from taking the lion sshare of tour publicity, but after opening strong on Jailhouse Rock and Bob Seeger s Hollywood Nights, he seemed oddly detached on SweetSoul Music and Don t Let Me Down. And one final note: What s Goin On is not a light party jam.
Power of Suggestion alert (Part 2): The audience going to a happy placeduring Bucky Covington s Drift Away. Then again, I can t say forcertain, as I was mentally compiling my grocery list by the end of thefirst verse.
Michael thanks for the Elliott love. Love your review and I agree with what you had to say about Chris and his success. I just thought I would remind you that Chris is a seasoned performer who fronted his own rock band for a few years. In contrast Elliott s only real performing experience has been AI and some Karaoke back in VA. I think that Elliott will hone his performance skills on this tour. Will he ever be a rock god like Chris? No. But I think that he has a future wyndham hotel as an artist that will be able to entertain in a more intimate setting. wyndham hotel And I for one look forward to that concert.
Elliott s skittishness(is that a word?), wyndham hotel is one of the reasons we LOVE him so much, it s part of his charm. He is so real, genuine wyndham hotel and aw-shucks he still can t believe what is happening to him. Well Elliott, we can!
Oh come on, your review is so biased! You didn t even hide your Chris fangirliness. I thought he was good, but Taylor was one of the biggest highlights of the show. And saying Chris is the most likely to succeed? I m sure he will have some success, but have you seen Taylor s single sales numbers? 457,000 copies and climbing! Even though critics, including yourself, have never got him he still had a #1 hit single and sold that many. Go figure.
I just don t understand the Chris Daughtry love-fest that reviewers have going on. Do you people wyndham hotel listen to the radio? There are already people on the radio who sound EXACTLY like him! When will we hear Chris Daughtry? And as for the sex on a stick comment well short and bald may do it for you, but not me! What s the matter afraid to disagree wyndham hotel with big, bad Simon?
I don t get the Chris love fest either. I mean he did go home before Elliott, Kat and Taylor for a reason. The man does not have an original bone in his body. Not to mention, he wears a wallet chain, tattooed his last name on his back, is bald and is like 5 6 YUCK!
You have always been a Chris fan, so no surprise that you would gush over him. Chris has always sounded the most polished. I thought he was always a little too polished, like Latoya and Tamyra. That s why he didn t win. And after awhile everything he sings starts to sound the same. Maybe that s why I liked Taylor on the show, even though wyndham hotel no critics ever do. Maybe that s why I like him on tour too. Taylor wyndham hotel is fun and interesting. And from the screaming going on in the arena, I would have to say everyone else thought so too.
Okay, you might not like Ace s gestures, wyndham hotel but his fans find his cheesiness endearing. And were you deaf to the screams he elicits when he does that stuff? Obviously someone wyndham hotel is enjoying it even if you re not, Slezak.
I thought Ellliott and Taylor were the best. The reason that Chris got voted off on the show is the same reason I don t like him on the idol concert. He sounds the same for each song. You call that polished. I call that boring.