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By Lauren, @tinyloveletters on Twitter
To try and wrap my experience up in a nutshell, I’d have to say July 21, 2010 was the best night of my life!
I had the time of my life and it’s all thanks to the American Idols Live Tour Concert that was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During season 9, I had quite the obsession with American Idol. Didi Benami and Casey James were my absolute favorites and the thought of seeing them live thrilled me!
Anyway, we got to the venue which was held outdoors at around seven PM. I was driving from Erie, PA and could not make it early to be able to meet any of the Idols in the pre-show meet & greet so I was hoping after the concert I’d be able to catch them.
Our seats were perfect! I first thought they were 6th row while buying them, then I got the impression that they were 10th, and they finally turned out to be 8th row! I’m not complaining at all because they were truly amazing! I could see every facial expression of the Idols. It was out of this world!
The Show
The ever so lovely Didi Benami kicked off the show and I was freaking out! I was so excited! she looked GORGEOUS. I can’t even say that enough. Her outfits are so classy and chic! Her set was wonderful to listen to! I was upset she had only 2 songs but I knew why and everything. Never the less, I enjoyed hearing her sing. My friend and I got up for “Terrified” and swayed our arms during it. We were basically two of the few who were standing up so she waved at us :). I really enjoyed her time on stage and I hope to see her singing live again in the very near future!
Mr. Garcia was next and he really got the crowd going! He was adorable and greeted us in a very ‘Andrew’ way by saying “HEY CUTIES!”. I absolutely loved his set! It was perfect for him. Katie Stevens, being my second favorite girl, was awesome. She sounded and looked beautiful! She has such a powerful voice and while she was singing “Fighter”, I really thought she had the voice of Christina Aguilera!
Tim was next up. He really did a terrific job while on stage! I was blown away by how much more mature and older he looked than on the show. He vocally improved too. After Tim, came Siobhan. Siobhan is such a great performer! Her outfits were out of this world cool and I enjoyed listening to her. Although I wasn’t a fan during the show, I certainly am now! Aaron Kelly was the last solo performer before intermission. Aaron is such a talented entertainer! The crowd loved him and he really showed his true talent up there.
“The Climb” group performance was very cool! I loved that Didi, Tim, and Andrew were on guitar for it. Everyone did a great job! Didi had a very cool outfit on during it too! I just thought I’d mention that, haha.
-Interlude–
After intermission it was Big Mike‘s turn. At this point, it was dark enough outside that the lights went down and the big screens went up. The crowd loved Mike and especially during “My Love”. We were all dancing! Mr. James was next up. Obviously, I was anticipating Casey’s set very much! I thought he did a phenomenal job on stage! He’s really the best guitar player I’ve ever listened too and seen. My Casey sign ended up getting on the big screens twice during his set! It was cool! I can’t say enough good things about his performance that night!
Crystal Bowersox walked out to a sea of screams! She was so friendly to the crowd! Although I wasn’t a huge fan of hers on the show, this totally changed my mind. She’s terrific! Once the big screens said “LEE DEWYZE” the crowd was INSANE! E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E was on their feet. Pittsburgh gave lee some major love and he seemed to enjoy it! He was really awesome! He was my second favorite male contestant on the show and I was just loving his set to pieces! After Lee left, Casey came back on and started the “It’s my Life”/”My Life Would Suck Without You” performance. I have nothing but love for that performance! Everyone is so talented and they sound beautiful all together! It was a great way to end the concert.
Meet & Greet
After the show, we headed to the main gates. I had heard there would be a signing there since there was no way for the public to access the area by the tour buses. Once there, I never thought I’d get to meet any of them because there were SOOO many people in front of me. However, security ended up moving a golf cart next to the barricades at the end of the line and I scooted right up to the front! It was sort like a miracle! Lee started at the end of the line and came to us. He’s so sweet! We chatted for a bit about twitter and the concert while he was signing my picture and others. He wasn’t allowed to take pictures with fans. He explained that he only had about 10 minutes and if he didn’t get to everyone, they would think he didn’t like them. Awww!
Crystal started at the end too and was totally cool with all of us! She was so modest and generous to the fans. Didi was right around the corner when Crystal left and I was soooooo excited! She was incredibly happy and sweet to all of us! I told her I loved her necklaces and she replied by saying “Thanks, they’re Energy Muse. I love you’re earrings!”. I then gave her my gift and told her she could open it later.She kindly thanked me and apologized for having to move along so fast. She ended up tweeting me that night about the note I gave her. It meant so much to me to know that she liked it! I was upset that I had forgotten to ask her for a picture but in the thrill of the moment, I simply just…..forgot. Meeting her was amazing nonetheless!
Siobhan came after. She was fast but signed for everyone! After Siobhan, came Andrew. He made sure to stop and fulfill everyone’s request! I didn’t get to talk to him but I did get a hug and picture. He spanked Casey on his way out and it was hilarious! Casey’s expression was what was really funny! Once I saw Casey so close to me, I almost lost it. Hahaha. I managed to contain my composure though and my friend promised to take pictures of him. He, like Andrew, stopped for everyone and made sure to fulfill everyone’s request. I asked him if he liked my Team Casey James shirt and replied saying “Thank you so much! I love it!”. We took a wonderful picture, I gave him a hug and he apologized for being so sweaty. Heck, that was the least of my worries. I was so star struck! Before leaving he let everyone know “Okay, last picture, I’ve gotta go call my momma!”. That was very cute!
Mike was next. He was really nice. I got a great picture and big ‘ol bear hug from him! Tim came after Mike. I can’t say enough good things about him! He and Aaron were the only ones who stayed until every fan was gone. He proudly said that he wasn’t leaving until security forced him too. He truly showed just how sweet of a guy he is that night! Aaron was right after. Like I said before, he and Tim stayed out the longest. Aaron was adorable! I got a decent picture with him and told him he did amazing that night, which he definitely did. Last but not least was Katie. Katie was friendly with all of us and really engaged in conversations! I chatted with her about her outfit and accessories. We seem to have a lot of the same fashion sense! My picture with her came out blurry but I still treasure the moment.
Go Watch!
That about wraps it up! It was surely a night to remember! Hearing them live was awesome and getting the chance to meet them was the icing on the cake! It blew me away. I was especially THRILLED for meeting both Didi and Casey. I could not have asked for a better night. I really encourage anyone who is on the fence about going to one of the concerts to DEFINITELY go! It’s worth every penny and every minute!! I was super surprised by how much I enjoyed it!
Thanks for reading… sorry about the lengthly-ness of this though :).
via Lauren, @tinyloveletters on Twitter | Please respect copyright on all photos. Do not republish without expressed consent from the author | © All Rights Reserved.
