Happy birthday to me (as of Saturday). I am back and I am glad it was Tuesday that I had to go and cover Canadian Idol as it definitely took me a few days to recover. There were some Canadian Idol organizers at my party so it was cool seeing them outside of work.
After a dinner meeting with a WWE representative, this was the first Idol performance of the season that I was late in attending. Well, not really that late, (I was still 30 minutes early), but later than I have been before.
I took my seat and enjoyed some of the classic rock music that was playing for the audience before the show started.
I didn’t see as many family members this time around and I guess that this is a sign that the competition is starting to wind down.
Anyway, I was sitting in front of Rex’s dad and beside me sat some of Ben Mulroney’s closest friends including his girlfriend. I started talking to the guy beside me and it turns out that he is Glenn the “Superfan” that Ben has always been mocking since last season. It is an inside joke between the pair.
Brunton introduced the judges as well as Kurt Browning who was seated in the audience. Ben Mulroney came out and was wearing a very rocker-esque outfit which gave credence to the theme of the evening.
Sue Brophy then came out and did her prep routine.
I noticed that the live band was already on stage and that there were even back-up singers this time around.
The kids seated in front of me were actually holding bananas on sticks. Yes… I am serious.
When the show started, Ben said that the contestants have now developed strong fanbases. That could be the understatement of the year, as the followings of Aaron, Suzi, Rex, Melissa, Casey and Josh are absolutely unreal. I am sure everyone knows about how much support Casey has.
The host then asked the judges for their thoughts.
Jake: Classic rock songs were written because artists had something to say.
Farley: This is a nice test.
Sass: You have to have an immense amount of primal energy.
Zack: Let’s get on with some rock!
The band was introduced and a commercial break was taken.
Perfect time for me to pontificate. I think that the pre-show favourites tonight are Suzi, Josh, Rex and Aaron. I think most would agree with that assessment since they all have a background in rock. I thought that Melissa and Casey were in-tough with this theme.
Back from commercial and it was time for our first performance of the evening.
MELISSA
– Sang “Alone” by Heart.
– Good song choice.
– Song is good b ecause it starts off slow to ease the audience in, and then moves to fast-temp.
– Melissa has a dynamic stage presence. I never noticed her star quality before, but it is clearly there.
– I thought that there was a bit of a nasal-sound near the end of the song, but nothing that would damage an otherwise outstanding performance.
– Jake: Big dynamic part to the song, you were believable.
– Farley: You study the themes well each week.
– Sass: Hilary (Duff) and Jessica (Simpson) better watch out!
– Zack: You do what you do. You sing like you don’t give a f—.
– At the end of the song, Mulroney said that Melissa ‘smoked’ Carrie Underwood’s version of the song on American Idol. I wholeheartedly agree.
Another commercial break was taken.
REX GOUDIE
– sang “Turn The Page.” Ben said that Metallica covered the song, but Ben’s friend Glenn pointed out to me that it was actually Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet band. I think they both covered it.
– I liked how Rex worked with the band.
– Tonight, I just thought that he was a little more style over substance.
– I didn’t really dig it because his voice didn’t stand out like it has the capacity to.
– The crowd still loved it (as per usual).
– Farley: Uttered some verbiage that I couldn’t decipher.
– Sass: You got the vibe.
– Zack: You know how to rock. I could pick that apart as contrived nonsense, but it probably doesn’t matter anyways.
– Jake: It’s all about passion, and that’s what you have.
Another commercial break was taken and Sue Brophy used the opportunity to recycle trivia questions from last week (ie. who is Avril Lavigne engaged to?)
CASEY LEBLANC
– Sang “I’ll Stand By You” by the Pretenders.
– I didn’t think there was any passion to the performance at all.
– I don’t think that she connected with the audience that well.
– Bad song choice.
– I like Casey and have been a staunch defender of hers, but even I can’t defend this stinker.
– Didn’t interact with band that well.
– Squealed her high notes.
– I knew that my assessment would certainly not agree with what the judges thought since Jake was clapping ferociously throughout the performance.
– Sass: Your best effort so far.
– Zack: You sang like a grown-up.
– Jake: You sang the way you look on Wednesday nights… with vulnerability.
– FarleyMost impassioned performance you’ve done so far.
– Personally, I didn’t feel the connection.
– She is probably gone.
AARON WALPOLE
– Sang “Hot Blooded” by Foreigner.
– No question that he is the best performer left in the competition (aside from Suzi).
– Chose a good up-tempo song.
– While I like Aaron, I don’t think he has the support. I actually once talked to him about what he thinks his demographics are.
– Singing well + the live audience digging you does not always = votes.
– Another random question… do standing ovations count if everyone gets them?
– Zack: Song sounds like Ramada but you rocked it!
– Jake: You so natural up there, it’s almost unfair.
– Farley: People love you.
– Sass: You have a sense of humour. You sang the cheese and you grilled it.
A L’Oreal ad was played featuring the Idols (including Daryl and Ashley).
During the commercial break, I realized that the two real rockers were left. Suzi and Suzi. Haha, just kidding. Suzi and Josh.
Jon Dore came on-stage wearing a fake mustache. I had high hopes for Jon this week, because I thought las tweek was his funniest segment of all-time. Alas, I didn’t like the whole “my upper lip has come down with a case of classic rock” angle. Jon proceeded to throw fake mustaches out to the crowd.
Now it was time for the showstopper.
SUZI RAWN
– sang “Piece Of My Heart” by Janis Joplin.
– I HATED the arrangement of the song.
– Her voice is saving it, but I agree with Kevin Wong’s observation that she was probably having mic problems.
– Another spectacular performance.
– I still think she will be going to the finals.
– Jake: It’s hard to sing Joplin.
– Farley: Good song choice, good performance.
– Sass: You’re feisty and emotional.
– Zack: This is what you do. You either win Canadian Idol or you go home.
Another commercial break was taken and Josh Palmer would be last and certainly least… or so I thought.
During the break, even the band’s drummer had make-up applied!
JOSH PALMER
– sang “Layla” by Derek and the Dominoes.
– Jordis sang this last week on Rockstar: INXS.
– I loved how Josh entered and jumped onto the stage.
– I think the back-up singers were really hurting him because they sounded weak.
– I can’t believe that I actually liked a Palmer performance… my first one ever!
– I think he chose a really good song and didn’t wail. As I have said many times, if Palmer can keep his Buckley-esque screaming in check, he is actually decent.
– At the end of the song, he played the guitar player’s guitar, while the guitar player was still wearing it.
– It was cool.
– Not the best performance of the night (and certainly much worse after I saw it on TV), but I liked it live and he was not the worst.
– It was weird because Palmer got a delayed ovation, whereas the other contestants got one immediately.
– Farley: You fulfilled your destiny.
– Sass: Although you ran out of steam halfway through, good on you.
– Zack: Ignore that he played the guitar, but if I was your manager, I would say that “my boy rocked this.”
– Jake: It’s a hard song to sing, but you rocked it at the end.
So there we have it. Another performance show finished.
How do I rank ’em? Glad I asked.
1. MELISSA
2. SUZI
3. AARON
4. JOSH
5. REX
6. CASEY
Who will finish in the bottom 3? I think it will be Josh, Aaron and Casey. I really think that despite the judges liking her on Tuesday, it is her night to go.
I’ll be back with the results.
