Even before the blue glow of the Idol stage illuminated my television screen, I was agitated. How much hype has been given to the "culture war" represented by the final two? Why did the many bloggers and columnists have to take the Adam/Kris finale and make it so... personal? I get that producers like a nice polar story-line, but why did it have to be Gay versus God? For one, I think Kris and Adam have made it pretty clear that they are not trying to label themselves as either a voice for the evangelicals or the homosexuals. For another, hello! There's already a perfectly good story-line to be had here: the explosive, power-house rocker versus the soulful, acoustic crooner!
Anyway - getting to the actual show:
I was pretty bummed that the contestants had to do a repeat performance, unlike last year where David Cook was able to present a new song. I thought both Adam and Kris nailed their songs, but it just didn't have the surprise factor. I think Kris benefited from this round because he did an even better job on "Ain't No Sunshine..." than he did the first time.
I thought that the producer's pick songs were great fits for the artists, and again, they both did fantastic jobs.
Now let's get to this atroshe Idol Anthem! When I heard that Kara had co-wrote the finale song, I was given an inkling of hope that she would redeem herself to all the haters. The Idol Anthems have always been terrible, and this one ended up being no exception. Something about hurricanes and fighting another day... and then there's that "You Can Go Higher!/You Can Go Deeper!" bit drilling "DO RE MI FA MI DO RE MI FA MI" into my head so completely that it provided the soundtrack for ensuing nightmares.
Neither song sounded great when sung by the contestants. Adam came across as shrill and out of breath, not to mention like he was attempting to become a sugary pop star when he is a metallic and glittery rocker to the core. The song was more suited for Kris, but he was also straining (despite the songs limited range, when in too high of a key, it was a killer).
However, the night ended on a great note: While Ryan was cueing all of America to vote for their favorite contestant Adam let out a goofy, joyous, "THIS GUY!" while pointing to his compatriot. And Kris didn't miss a beat shooting it right back at my future best friend.
Who will win? I'm really not sure! There's been so much hype about church groups voting for Kris, maybe he will snag the title. But with "No Boundaries" as the first single for the newest Idol, maybe Adam is secretly hoping to avoid the confetti shower!
It was definitely anti-climactic. I wasn't even that jazzed about either of their second performances. The only things I really liked were their repeat performances, but Adam's wasn't as good as the first time he did it (but still ridiculously amazing), and I agree that Kris was even better this time.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I tried voting like two hours after the show and still got busy signals for Adam. I did get through eventually, but I'm thinking it's going to be Adam.