I had some time last week to sit down and watch American Idol again (at least parts), and picked up on some interesting things with some of the contestants. Maybe you did, too.
Change Things Up
Casey James has been playing guitar each week. It works for him. In fact, he says “this is what I do.” But if he were playing a full set, and if I were working with him, I’d for sure take it off of him for a song or two to change things up.
An audience would get bored visually seeing him the same way for an entire concert. The judges commented, too, that they wanted to see something different. He doesn’t have to change who he is or the type of songs he does…just give us a bit of variety to keep us interested!
Love Your Audience
Michael Lynch. He gave a good performance and Usher coached him to “look through” the audience. Come show time, Michael gave a good performance vocally, but his eyes were either closed or had a glazed look like he was thinking as opposed to caring about the audience. I didn’t feel like he was really looking at anyone when he did have his eyes open.
Watch singers closely on this – you can see the difference. You know when someone is actively looking at you. I’m not sure I agree with Usher to look THROUGH the audience, but maybe he was trying to say the same thing. Look AT them and make a connection. Above all, make sure they see love coming from you.
Taking Risks to Create a Moment
I really like Crystal’s whole thing. Love her voice. I was so glad to see her sit down at the piano. She said during rehearsal with Usher that she hadn’t played in awhile, but for the show she was able to play the first part of the song. With more rehearsal she would be able to look up and out at the audience, but she was probably too concerned about her playing to take her eyes off the keyboard.
After the first verse or chorus she grabbed the mic and came out front and let the band carry the rest of the song. Great! I got a big smile on my face when I watched her do this, because I’ve done this several times with artists who can play even a little bit. I have them learn a piece of the song – even if it’s very basic chords.
The audience doesn’t care! They don’t know you don’t know how to play the whole song. They are just thinking, “Cool! She can play piano!” It makes for a nice change and a potentially great moment.
So there’s my 2 cents for last week. What did YOU think?
Check out more of our American Idol blogs here.
Amy Wolter, Live Music Producer
Tom Jackson
Tom is uniquely talented and skilled at transforming an artist's live show into a magical experience for the audience; helping artists at every level create a live show that is engaging and memorable, teaching them to exceed their audiences' expectations and to create fans for life. Tom has taught indie and major artists of every genre. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Le Crae, Home Free, The Tenors, Shawn Mendes, The Band Perry, Francesca Battistelli, Jars of Clay, & many more. Tom also teaches at colleges, conferences and events worldwide.
Follow Me:
Yep, all the contestants could use some work with you guys big time. If Casey James moved the guitar to his back for even just one verse or chorus of one song and held the mic, it could create great visual impact.
And I couldn’t help but think that Aaron really should have come out running during blue suede shoes. The music was fast but he was slowly moving around the stage. It didn’t fit!