I may give off an artsy, sophisticated air but as all those who know me can testify, I’m really a soul-sucked television glutton at heart.  I’ve had many obsessions stem from the world of the glowing screen including Sonny & Brenda (General Hospital), Spike (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer), and most recently, Adam Lambert (American Idol but soon…the world!).  My fascination with The Glittery Alien from Planet Fierce, as dubbed by his own brother, reached great heights this summer.  So much so that I did something I thought I never would.  I bought a ticket to the American Idol concert in Greensboro.  Not only that, but I suckered three friends into going with me.

Now, I still try to maintain some sort of dignity, so I don’t watch American Idol until the performances start getting meaty, around when the Top 10 perform.  This year, Matt Giraud’s save was the first episode I watched so I had never heard the first two performers of the night before except for a duet on the finale.

Matt Sarver was really quite good.

He was soulful with a Southern twang and his two-song set definitely felt too short.

Megan Joy, on the other hand, was a hot mess.  I didn’t get any good pictures of her but girl looked like a kinky Barbie doll in her pink tight dress and Marilyn Monroe curls.  The Halloween cocktail waitress outfit that came out during the group sing was not an improvement.  I wanted to find her unique voice exciting but it was too brassy for me.  Paired with the outfits, I just didn’t get her at all.

Scott was next up and I quickly discovered that the piano’s glare was a problem for my photography so I don’t have good solo shots of him, either. But here’s one of him tickling the ivories with Matt Giraud from the group sing.

He was very comfortable onstage and gave a warm performance.  This was when my friend Kim first started musing how much better the show might be with a little more going on than just the singers singing.  I completely agree.  Back-up dancers would have been nice and a few of performers would have benefited from more help with staging.  It was a pretty bare bones concert for the most part.

Next up was Lil Rounds, whose voice sounded rather generic to me on the show.  She had lots of energy and her set was full of fun, hip songs.

Stripping down to a Beyonce-style bodysuit was not a good idea, though-I barely like how Beyonce looks in one.  Lil Rounds sang it well but it seemed to go on too long.  After two of her songs, I wanted to hear more.  After three, I was done.

Anoop came out next and of course, received a hearty welcome from the hometown crowd.

I love that he is a man who embraces both his geekiness and his preppiness and I must say, I dug the outfit.  He’s got a rich, smooth voice that’s just plain pleasant to hear.

Next up was Matt Giraud, the Justin Timberlake look-a-like.

He doesn’t look like Justin anymore with that new mohawk!  His punk Old West bartender look, a description supplied by my friend Sarah, was great.  This boy can sing well and play up a storm on the piano.  I liked him best when voice and keys were exercised together rather than when he simply sang.  He had fun, though, and that’s always infectious.

A forgettable group sing was next, then a totally unnecessary 20-minute break. I was getting antsy by the time the second half started but luckily, it was much more dynamic than the first, largely due to all four performers displaying great showmanship.  Allison led off and she can definitely pose well on stage.

I liked her style but she sings too hard for me, both while on American Idol and at this performance.  I want to appreciate her great, ragged voice but it kind of ends up sounding like distortion to me, a little too loud and run together.  I would love her if she just dialed it down about three notches in volume while keeping her performance energy at the same self-assured level she had tonight.

Danny totally surprised me.

On the show, I only liked one song he sang, which was during Rat Pack week.  He sounded much, much better live and the raspy quality of his voice didn’t grate on me for once.  I thought his Latin number was definitely the best of the set with some fun, flirty salsa moves and would have been completely satisfied if he had left out the little inspirational moment.  Heck, Danny did two Rascal Flat songs and I didn’t hate them!  That’s impressive.

And then there was Adam.

I am way too obsessed with this man.  He’s so gosh darn comfortable in his skin.  His “Whole Lotta Love” was a pelvis thrusting, microphone straddling, sexy entrance that he quickly mellowed out with “Starlight.”  I think that song might be my favorite of his tour performances, though I also really enjoyed the Bowie medley.   He and Allison also had loads of fun doing Slow Ride-it was my favorite performance of hers of the night.

Adam has such a great stage presence and that voice is just plain beautiful.  I know many can’t stand his higher register but I really enjoy a good rock wail so that just adds to his overwhelming appeal for me.  He better become a superstar!

Kris performed very well, also.  He’s got the singer/songwriter charm down pat and infused it with plenty of rock grit.

I didn’t like his Killers cover in the video I’d seen previously but in person, I was singing along heartily.  “Bright Lights” was too low energy for me but the rest of the set was great and the curtain drop was nicely done during “Ain’t No Sunshine.”  He’s adorable and I’m sure his album will be, too.  It’s an automatic buy for me along with Adam’s.

The whole slew of Idols finished out the night with “Don’t Stop Believing” and I left the show with it happily stuck in my head.  I was much more impressed with a lot of the performers than I expected to be.  But most of us agreed that a more full production would have been nice, by which I mean the addition of dancers and better staging and lighting.  For those who already knew how to work a stage or have learned fast, their sets were riveting but for the others, they needed a little more help to completely hold our attention.  Regardless, I had a fantastic time.  Sadly, my obsession of the summer has only gotten worse.  At least I have pretty pictures to stare at.  What, you want to look at them too?  Go ahead!