Justin and the group put on a great show tonight - we not only got to hear Night and Day and Sing, but he pulled out Condition of My Heart aaaaaaaand My Funny Valentine! The first time for MFV, right? And wait until you hear the improvising he pulled off on that one - whew!

The event was a contest to pick the best singer from ten finalists.  I don't know what I was expecting, but all of these singers were dead serious and people who obviously have been singing all their lives.  The event was held in a club, which has been quickly reconfigured to accommodate the event (it was supposed to be in a ballroom but that got taken over by a huge wedding, we were told).  The tickets didn't exactly match the table set-up they used, so there was a bit of chaos before the show started.  Seems everyone who wanted a seat got seated, and all the seats were close to the stage anyway.

It was interesting to see Justin working a crowd that wasn't there so much to see him as their friends and family who were competing, and winning them over.  They brought him out to do a song first, before the contest.  Typical of Justin, he came to the front of the stage and commented that the lights were so bright, he couldn't see the audience.  A young woman yelled out "I love you Justin!" and he replied, "I love you, too.  I can't see you, but I love you!"  LOL!  The lighting crew figured out he actually wanted to see the audience, so they brought the lights down a bit.  He then sang Night and Day.  It's funny how every time I hear him sing that song live, I experience this moment of awe when the intro is over and the first notes come out of his mouth, because his vocal tone is so smooth and pitch perfect, you can't believe it's not studio magic.  Justin has said that's his favorite song on Stranger Things, and you can hear why because he and the song fit like hand in glove.

The singing contest then started, and Justin and the co-host would come out and banter between performers.  Justin was very loose and charming.  Having seen him both during the RCA/19E days and after, I see a difference in him.  Even though Justin is one of the most giving performers you'll ever encounter (see my comment above about how he performs at the front of the stage so he can make personal contact with the audience), there always seemed to be this almost imperceptible holding-back about him during the days he was under contract.  Music is in Justin's soul and the way RCA/19E was jerking him around and forcing him to sing music that didn't touch his soul reflected in some kind of less than authentic self sort of way, I guess.  Since he got out of those contracts, I have not perceived the same thing from him.  On this night, he was just himself as a performer, and he captured the crowd that as I said wasn't there to see him as much as their friends and family. 

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that he's a funny guy.  He quipped about being a "born again virgin" after hearing this novelty act singer do a song called "No Sex For Me."  In the finale, he did some funny shtick as he was announcing the top 3 finalists that he was the third one, he hoped he'd win, aww, second again, thanks, thanks a lot.  Those were just a couple of the moments.  He's got a quick mind and good comedic timing.

The contestants were all good but they sort of blurred after a while.  Most of them seemed to repeat the same formula - sing really, really loud and use as many notes as possible.  One woman introduced her song by saying "I can't believe I'm singing onstage at Atlantic City and that Justin just said my name!"  Coincidentally, the top two ended up being a white woman who sang a big ballady song and a black man who sang classic R&B.  I can't help but think the judges were being clever in setting this up, and having the female singer win the contest.  But, who knows?  The judges included a radio station PD and someone who is or was in the A&R department at Interscope Records.  They seemed to enjoy Justin's performances as much as the audience.  The PD joked at one point that Justin better sing another song or he'd start singing and no one wanted that.

After the contest, Justin came out to sing again.  I can't remember if it was before Condition of My Heart or Sing that he had to run backstage and get a stool.  Another funny moment when he told the audience he'd be right back, "Tawk amongst yourselves" in the Coffee Talk Lady's voice.  The sound guy goofed and ran Sing right after COMH, not letting Justin set up Sing the way he wanted to.  Maybe because of that, Justin decided on the fly to throw in another song, and it turned out to be my favorite on his album!  I was so glad I got to hear My Funny Valentine live!  It was great, and at the end of it, he was able to do an extended improvisation that was different than the album.  The guy sitting behind me was so blown away he commented out loud during that part of the song, "You gotta give it to him, bro!"  LOL  Standing ovation after that song, well deserved.

A lot of clamoring for "Justin, Justin!" at the end of the show, and he signaled that he would meet people in the hallway.  After taking pictures and signing autographs for the contestants, he made his way to a table the Trump staff had set up.  It was apparent they hadn't really thought out the process, and it took a while for things to get orderly (but they sure had a lot of security around), but eventually, people formed a nice, polite line.  As usual, Justin was animated and accessible, taking photos, giving hugs and cheek kisses if asked, acknowledging fans he's met before (that man has an unbelievable memory for faces), etc.  I spoke to him briefly, had him autograph a few items for the site, and talked about plans for a single.  A couple of other gals asked him about the clothing line he announced onstage that he was planning, and the subject of the green jacket we've been teasing him about on the message board came up.  He surprised them by saying "oh, the green jacket?  I'll burn it!"  Then, when he was walking away with his entourage after the meet and greet wrapped up, he looked back over his shoulder and again told us he would be burning the jacket.  He's got a sense of humor even if his sense of fashion is somewhat in question, haha.

All in all, it was a fun night.  The show was a bigger production than I realized it would be, starting and ending with the Trump Marina Dancers and giving away a lot of money and prizes.  I don't think most people knew it was this big an event, and if they do it again next year, word of mouth should pump up the crowd.  Justin once again looked like he was having a blast and everyone who came seemed to leave talking about how fun it was.