'Idols' lacking in originality
American Idols Live, two and a half stars.
Where: Conseco Fieldhouse.
The "American Idol" TV franchise -- today's cash cow, tomorrow's
footnote fad -- took live-action form Thursday night at Conseco Fieldhouse,
where its 10 talent-search finalists sang to a crowd of 8,000.
Perhaps the kindest comment would be that the show delivered a G-rated evening
of escapist fun. What motiv ated patrons to spend up to $48 for something
they've seen at home for free says more about the power of television than the
collection of musical talent.
In short, the program consisted of karaoke performed with a live band. It's a
shame that only one of the finalists had the sense to acknowledge an original
artist -- Nikki McKibbin while covering Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon."
Winner Kelly Clarkson heard the loudest cheers when she appeared at the end of a
worst-to-first countdown that comprised the concert's opening half.
Her rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" felt like a missed
opportunity; Clarkson could have performed her own No. 1 hit, "A Moment
Like This."
"Moment" wasn't performed after intermission, either, downgrading
Clarkson's initial choice to travesty. The house lights went on for good at 10
p.m., leaving plenty of time for a Clarkson encore that never came.
She did squeeze in "Before Your Love," an adequate torch song in the
Celine Dion/Mariah Carey mold. But without the boost of a hit television series,
the tune isn't idol-making material.
While on tour, the singers aren't subjected to the barbs and advice of celebrity
judge Simon Cowell.
Had he been at the Fieldhouse, Simon might have bluntly told Jim Verraros he had
no business singing on an arena stage.
Ryan Starr radiated star power, but she might be wise to abandon music for
acting or modeling.
Still, not much separated the skills of the five female finalists. As for the
guys, it sorted out as first runner-up Justin Guarini and four pretenders.
Because every song aside from Clarkson's "Before Your Love" was a hit
for someone else, the "AI" finalists faced a challenge in proving
their worth.
The audience knows the words, but the singer on stage isn't the person
responsible for the personality, inventiveness or effort that made the song a
hit.
Guarini claimed ownership every time he opened his mouth. With "Get
Here," he displayed his technical gifts and conveyed the emotion within the
lyrics. It's a slow burn of desperate need.
After intermission, Guarini became the de facto host. He interacted with the
band and aced Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."
These were moments that transcended a television show packaged for the road.
Elsewhere, predictability was hard to shake.
When a second-half medley split the boys and girls into teams, they sang --
believe it or don't -- back-to-back readings of "My Guy" and "My
Girl."
And while Stevie Wonder seems to be the patron saint of "AI"
contestants, his catalog should be off-limits during next summer's season two.