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For the Latest ‘American Idol’ Finalists, Another 15 Minutes of Fame
By JON CARAMANICA
Published: August 6, 2008
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Syesha Mercado, a k a No. 3, was working herself flush performing “Listen,” from “Dreamgirls,” to an almost sold-out Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday night, pretending that she was not killing time. It was the third song of a three-song set, her not-quite-15 minutes of stage time on the American Idols Live Tour 2008, and she intended to milk it, even as Jeff Archuleta, father of David (No. 2), was making his way through the crowd to the sound board at the back of the arena, preparing to watch his son steal her thunder.
Rahav Segev for The New York Times
David Cook, the 2008 American Idol, performed with the show's other finalists on Tuesday night in Uniondale, N.Y.
Rahav Segev for The New York Times
Syesha Mercado performing on the American Idols Live tour.
For this concert, which featured the top 10 finalists from the seventh season of “American Idol” in the country’s largest covers revue, the singers were announced by their names and numbers — what place they came in on the show — on screens hanging high above the stage. They performed in order of elimination, leading up to the two Davids: Archuleta and Cook (No. 1).
The latest cycle of “American Idol,” which concluded in May, needed these Davids. Most of the other finalists were competent vocalists but otherwise largely blank. Mr. Archuleta was a winning, precocious naïf with a lovely, flexible voice, and Mr. Cook, the season’s token rocker, had a gift for holding raspy notes at length and with power. Viewers logged 97.5 million votes for the finale, with Mr. Cook capturing 56 percent of them.
These are numbers that any record label executive would salivate over. But, and it’s important, “American Idol” is not a record label. That the Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood, has become a true, consistent pop star seems incidental; no other winner — save, in moments, Kelly Clarkson from the show’s inaugural season — has come close.
Success on “Idol” has long been confused with music industry viability, but the show requires a different set of skills. Singing well is nice, but so is the ability to perform one’s emotions, to have an easily relatable and neatly sketched back story, and to understand what the camera will forgive and what it won’t.
“Idol” requires its own metrics, and accordingly, on this tour, the show’s stars were not just singing songs, they were also playing their characters. Brooke White (No. 5), the clean-scrubbed folkie, performed barefoot while torturing the Beatles’ “Let It Be”; Jason Castro (No. 4), the dreadlocked hipster, appeared just as dazed as he did on the night he was eliminated, and all the nights before that, though he snapped to attention for a ukulele-driven version of “Over the Rainbow.” Kristy Lee Cook (No. 7) used gratuitous patriotism to distract from her thin voice on Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.,” as well as some jiggles of her behind. (“That’s not very ladylike,” one mother could be heard telling her daughter.)
The winner, Mr. Cook, was a great television character: the humble beginnings, the ailing brother, the journey of self-discovery. But his set captured only the final installment of his growth: resignation. In a tight T-shirt, lace-up pants and eyeliner, he managed to appear both smug and glum, his performance carrying an air of the perfunctory about it. Perhaps thousands of screaming fans are not enough to lighten the burden of being the one who has to shout, at the end of the night, “Give it up for Pop Tarts, Guitar Hero and the band!” (In that order.)
Losing might have put things in perspective. Mr. Archuleta’s versions of Robbie Williams’s “Angels” and Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” were charming and impressive. And the night’s best performance came from Carly Smithson (No. 6), a major-label refugee who was an early favorite to win this season. (She released a flop, “Ultimate High,” on MCA in 2001 under her maiden name, Carly Hennessy. The next year, in an article on music-business excess, The Wall Street Journal reported that MCA had spent $2.2 million on the project.)
Ms. Smithson has a pleasantly brassy voice, though she was erratic on the show. But while television might not have suited her, the stage did. Here, her three songs — Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life,” Heart’s “Crazy on You” and Cyndi Lauper’s “I Drove All Night” — were stunning. She hit the big notes. She drew the audience close through careful deployment of volume. She dramatically dropped to her knees. All in all, it felt strangely like a concert.
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♥ 11/08/08 & I love Carrie Marie Underwood & 11/14/08 ♥
Very Cool!! Love the Carrie mention but kinda didn't like the DC comments. I know he'll never take Carrie in any catagory. I wish I could have made it to this tour.
Thank you for my set Clay! Saw And Met The Cast Of Wicked On 10/07/06 And 11/26/06!I Met Carrie On March 22nd!!!! Saw Carrie At Her Fan Club Party In Nashville On 6/03/08! Met Carrie AGAIN October 6th!
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