Bucky in L.A.; photo by the very talented HeatherLovesAI of IDF.
First of all, a bit of photo goodness; a generous IDF fan shares three fresh new Grand Prairie concert photos on Bucky's thread there (and guess what--I'm still enjoying the hat!), and a fan of Katharine McPhee posted a link to this fantastic concert album at the Fox boards. Kathy at Team Covington found links to three terrific galleries from the Denver and Houston concerts--and a direct link to a truly fun shot that'll put a smile on your face, found by Beesims. And finally, over at the Fox boards, a poster kindly shared her Chicago photos--two beautiful albums can be found in her profile. Thanks, y'all!
Bucky got a brief, lukewarm mention in today's Daily Texan (UT Austin) review of Sunday night's Idol concert; can't say I agreed with all of the writer's observations, but I think he has a real point (a point we diehard Idol fans have made on many boards and blogs all season, but a real point, nonetheless) when he says this:
The singers are prisoners of "Idol." Every song, every wardrobe choice, every breath they take feels like it is afforded to them by the "Idol" machine. Talent doesn't matter when there is no creative freedom allowed whatsoever...
Some advice: watch them on TV, wait until they're free from 19 Entertainment's clutches, and then go see them when they're performing on their own terms.
(He made note of the "tin foil" set and "Windows 95 screensaver" projections, too. Do ya think the 19 folks might spring for something a bit more upscale next year? Naaah...)
However, I will say this--first, even with all the cheese, the Idol concerts are a total pop-culture delight if you go there with a set of harmonious, appropriate expectations. It's a sampler show, packaged by the TV bigwigs--we know Bucky's, and all the Idols', talents are very real indeed, but who really expects to get the full force of them in twenty-minute, two or three song sets? It's just fun to get a taste of what they're capable of doing away from the cameras and in front of an arena full of happy fans. So far, I have not been disappointed. In fact, I've become even more interested in what they'll do next.
And second, it's all too easy to go the usual "they'll fade into obscurity" route when writing a review of these shows. I am admittedly hugely biased, having heard Bucky's excellent originals (and pre-Idol stuff by Taylor, Ace and Chris now, as well) and concluding that these guys were well worth signing, reality-show or not. And I've riffed on this before, so forgive the repeat--but let's face it, the show's hype about "finding a superstar" is just that--hype. This season's Idols are all poised for solid national careers, touring and recording and doing what they love, and I am so looking forward to hearing and seeing them again for years to come--no matter when, and no matter what size venue. We really got lucky this time.
Off my soapbox now...
Over at the usually-pretty-quiet-these-days TWoP boards, a witty writer there met Bucky at the Austin LMBO show and shared her story; there's also a fun YouTube link in that thread that you might enjoy...
I'll stop here, but I'll be back later to catch up with happened while we dodged the lightning yesterday. Enjoy your Wednesday!
No comments:
Post a Comment