Last year’s “American Idols Live” stop at Gwinnett Arena featured rows of empty seats and a general feeling of ennui, reflective of the lack of enthusiasm for season nine’s cast.
But this year’s concert on Tuesday at the same location is sold out and, based on earlier dates this month in other cities, season 10’s crew will bring far more excitement and skill to the stage.
Here’s a teaser of what you can expect without giving too much away:
“Idol” goes to 11. You get 11 singers instead of the usual 10. Casey Abrams was surprisingly eliminated, then saved, during the top 11 results show this spring. The next week, two singers were axed. Given the circumstances, the producers decided to send all 11 on the road.
You’ll get your money’s worth. You’ll hear more than 30 songs, including a medley at the end. And this top 11 showcases impressive genre variety, from jazz to pop to rock to country to R&B.
Ninth-place gold. Pia Toscano may have finished ninth, but you’d never know it given how much stage time she gets. She even introduces a new single, “This Time,” during the tour, an honor typically reserved for the top two performers. But based on YouTube videos, it’s clear her dancing ability has not improved.
Mixing it up. In the past, performers generally appeared in order of elimination. Not so this year. Runner-up and Georgian Lauren Alaina, for instance, does her mini-set right after the intermission.
Teamwork. There are more duets, trios and group sings than usual. Most are familiar songs (for example, Katy Perry’s “Firework” with Alaina, Toscana and Thia Megia). Four of the women also tackle a relatively obscure Janelle Monae cut.
No pain, no gain. Alaina injured an ankle a couple of weeks ago and has been wearing a cast. She won’t be doing Jennifer Lopez-style dance moves anytime soon.
Hometown heroes. Atlanta-based acts get some love in the song mix, including Usher’s “DJ Got Us Falling in Love,” sung by Stefano Langone, and Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You,” performed by a group before intermission.
Baby, lock the door and turn the lights down low... Winner Scotty McCreery is the only singer you won’t see at all in the first half.
In fact, he doesn’t show up until near the end to sing his hit single “I Love You This Big,” a duet with Alaina, and three other songs. Not surprisingly, one of them is Josh Turner’s “Your Man,” which he sang so often in the early rounds of the show that it became a running joke.
