My Greensboro Concert

[geekilicious]

Just my photos for now, full recap coming in a bit...

http://lauren.mr-aiken.com/thumbnails.php?album=3

ok.. so.

my pictures are ok. some are really good, some are kind of like "ok".. I deleted all the blurry or bad ones. Unfortunately we were in row 17 of the floor, which means we had 16 rows of heads in front of us, on a level surface. Not ideal.. I think I would have gotten better pics from the side... anyway. Also add into account that I don't completely know how to use my camera yet, and I suck at photography. I get lucky shots sometimes but mostly I suck haha. Plus they're all moving around... everytime I focused the camera, they moved or someone 6 rows in front of me, moved their HEAD in the way. I was dead center of the floor, right where they stand in the middle, but there was this dad holding up a little girl right in front of me so he blocked my view.

I tried to get lots of pictures of Kel but I kind of failed lol. I got some cute ones but people kept blocking me during her set, I got more of her during the group songs at the end.

I got alot of really good pictures of Bucky haha. And Lisa and Elliott. I only got like 2 of chris because i had a headache and i knew his set had alot of lights, so i watched it from atop the lower level.. THEN i tried to go back down for he and Elliott's duet and i kept running into fences where the floor seperates from the lower level... so i like missed it.. i was so pissed off lol.

Anyway.. photos are tagged, even the crappy ones haha. If you want to post them on other sites, go ahead but PLEASE don't hotlink them... either just post the URL or upload it to imageshack or something.. thanks

Recap coming soon, as well as some SCANS of the tourbook and kellie photo.. not just crappy pictures of it lol.

[pick_pickler23]

Thanks for posting those pictures!! You did get a lot of good ones!

How did Kat sound live?

Oh and what are Kellie, Mandisa, and Lisa doing in that picture? haha Kat is like on the side...

[Soccergirl1415]

wow your seats where really good! i can't wait for the recap! I love the pictures too! i love this pic! http://lauren.mr-aiken.com/displayim...album=3&pos=95 it looks funny.

[KellieShellieGirl]

Those are great pics Lauren,fabulous job sweets.
Sounds like you had a blast.Looking foward to more pics.

[cheering4kellie]

those are some really good pics! i cant wait to read the review!

[CalamariKellie]

jen: thats my favorite pic too. poor kat...always left out.

[geekilicious]

My full uncut recap, as posted in my livejournal lol

- We got to the arena about 6ish I'd say.. waited in line and got merch. I got the tourbook and the 8x10 of Kellie, then decided to get the poster of the top 10 too because it's a really nice picture. it can replace one of my Aiken posters. *ahem*

- They didn't even check my bag.. I forgot that this arena was so lax about cameras.. i'll remember that in the future LOL.

- Found our seats and they were great when nobody was sitting in front of us hahaha. The arena was FULL... I'm not kidding.. all the way to the top.

- We're sitting there and suddenly the arena erupts in cheers and everyone is turning around and I'm like "what the crap?". It was like a celebrity walked in.. I'm thinking "Clay?... no.." and I turn around and I see "Bucky" and I realized who it was. Rocky Covington, Bucky's identical twin brother.. people thought it was bucky! it was quite funny lol. Speaking of Bucky, his like entire fanclub was at this show.. I've never seen so many Bucky shirts LOL. Other than that, I did not see Deanna Daughtry (she was probably hiding somewhere) but Absent Element was there. And after the show when Heather went up to get the set list, this lady went past me going to backstage and I realized that it was Elliott's model girlfriend from LA... I only recognized her because she was wearing the same shirt she was in the pictures I saw of her LOL.

- First up was Mandisa.. she did well of course. Her song to Ruben is like.. so random lol. She's trying man, lol. They'd actually be kind of a cute couple. She seems like she's really nice.

- Then Ace Young came out.. girls shrieked. He was decent. As everyone knows, not my favorite on the show, but he's really a pretty good singer and entertainer. That falsetto though... we know you can sing falsetto Ace, you don't have to do it every five minutes lol. His belt buckle had a 7 on it, which amused me lol. He's number 7 (I read an Elliott interview where he said they jokingly called each other by their place numbers LOL). His "Harder to Breathe" was what I thought it would be.. some interesting lyrical changes though. I'm not quite sure what he says instead of the eff word in "not fit to ****ing tread the ground that I am walking on".. and the part about "writhing in a naked sweat" was kind of mumbled.. between that and "Father Figure"'s "just for one moment to be warm and naked at your side", Ace sells his sex well.

- Next was Lisa Tucker. Her two Elton John piano songs were good.. she has a good voice but she seems very dry. She and Paris did their "Waterfalls" duet, that was cute.

- Paris Bennett is sooo cute. Seriously she's like a little doll. She has a great voice and alot of energy and personality.. she's going far. And she's a great dancer.. she did this little routine with a chair lol.

- Bucky Covington... is alot hotter in person than on the TV lol. He was great and everyone scccreeeamed for him lol. I got alot of amazing pictures of Bucky, quite by accident lol. Then Kellie came out for their country duet of "You're The One That I Want"

- PICKLER!! WOO!! She was great.. all the southern people talked about being happy to have sweet tea again.. she mentioned fried okra too haha. I dunno, not much to say, she sounded and looked good.. and segwayed into the break nicely ("I'm gonna go backstage and get out of this corset, so I can quit sucking in!")

- I had a headache at this point, and I knew Chris had alot of strobe effects so I watched his set from the top of the lower level. He was amazing.. sounded amazing, looked amazing.. everyone went WILD lol. Hometown crowd, so it was to be expected. I was distracted but I honestly don't remember him thanking the crowd or anything like that.. not like when Clay cried onstage in Raleigh. Anyway I TRIED to get down there for his Savin Me duet with Elliott and I kept running into fences at the bottom that separated the lower level from the floor.. TWICE I did this.. so I basically missed it. I was sooooo pissed..

- Elliott Yamin.. man I love him so much. I thought he sounded great - he and Chris were the best of the night IMO. gahhh lufff. And to think I didn't like him much at ALL in the semis. He really truly is one of the best male vocalists ever on that show. Actually he's number two, right under Clay. If Mario Vazquez hadn't been a dumbass, he'd be #2.. but I digress. I got a bunch of pictures of Elliott because he stood STILL at the micstand during "Moody's Mood For Love".

- The boys did "Patience" and that was really hot. I'd like a recording of that. This season had the best boys I think.. and the hottest boys too overall. Like who was hot season 2 besides Clay? Josh Gracin.. that's it.

- And then it was time for Katharine [s]McPhake[/s] whoops I mean McPhee. Wow, y'all she is.. a piece of work. Mom asked me in the car who was the worst and at first I was like "nobody", then decided Kath was the worst. Yeah yeah she was sick, she's holding back to save her voice blah blah... but it sounded like she wasn't even trying at all. And then she started saying STUPID ****. In the middle of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree", she's like "I love the south!" wtf kath? no you don't LOL. and she's like "wow, this crowd is one of the best i've seen!" out of what, all 3? she was just all like "wow, oh gosh" in such a FAKE way. It was rediculous and it pretty much completely made up my mind about her: I won't be buying her CD or supporting her. She's doing a great job of sinking herself too.

- I cheered pretty darn loud for Taylor Hicks after that. I'm glad he beat Katharine, really. He was entertaining as usual.. not like *incredible* for me, but good. "Do I Make You Proud" is actually a really good song.. probably the best single after "This is the Night" (and "Flying Without Wings" but that's not Ruben's song as far as I'm concerned). When he came in from the back, Heather and I stood on our chairs to see him.. he like ran with 6 security guards like Clay did during "Kyrie" on the IT haha. He did his little funky white boy spaz dances.. I got like no pics of him because everyone was going crazy.

- Then everybody came out for the group numbers and I snapped alot of photos of Pickler, including one of my favorites, one that I feel like illustrates... alot.. It's of Kellie, Mandisa and Lisa with their arms around each other, just being silly, and Katharine is looking on in both a kind of disapproving way, and a "why am i left out now?" way. you're left out because you can't keep your mouth shut and have to constantly diss everyone, so nobody wants to be your friend anymore. nobody's fault but her own.

- overall, the concert was enjoyable. What I like alot at concerts is when they interact with the audience.. there was some of it but not a ton. Kellie came closest to doing it like Clay does.. cracking jokes and stuff. I remember watching videos of the AI2 tour when Clay and Ruben like.. had this whole hilarious stage act of banter.. they were so funny. I felt that was kinda missing but I guess with trying to fit so many songs in they had to keep moving. I can't wait to see Kellie in her own concert though because that will be FUN.


I'm also planning on making some scans of the tourbook, but later because my left arm is KILLING me today for some reason.

[CalamariKellie]

wow great summary!

[Soccergirl1415]

great review! sounds like you had fun! I love that pic with kellie, mandisa, and lisa too.
what did Kat say about the other idols a while ago? I think i forgot or i didn't read about it...Idk i can't remember