Mothers & daughters screamed in unison. Fathers & their little girls swayed back & forth to soulful ballads. Grown women fought over sweaty towels. And retirees pumped their fists in the air while shouting with glee. Talk about pop culture melting pots. The American Idol tour brought together the powerful worlds of tv, pop music, nostalgia & intergenerational bonding Friday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.
The performers - nine of the finalists on last season's hit Fox Network talent show "American Idol" - were nobodies before landing on the show last season. But beginning in January, millions of people watched them perform on tv every week into May.
"We followed it all winter & they became just like family. We were on a first name basis. It was amazing to watch how much better they got every week," said Diane Stanley, 61, a retired nurse from Dixfield.
Although all contestants got huge ovations, the most passionate went to the lean & long-haired hearthrob Constantine Maroulis, a 29 yr old garage band singer from New York City. Maroulis had a polished stage presence. He also played to the crowd by being the only Idol to walk right up to the front row of seating, causing an avalanche of women - grammar schoolers to grandmas - that the Civic Center security struggled to contain.
The second loudest ovation might have gone to Scott Savol, the chubby young man from Shaker Heights, Ohio who looks nothing like a pop star but has a smooth & pleasing voice. He did a serviceable version of the schmaltzy Phil Collins song "Against All Odds" & a very compelling duet with fellow finalist Jessica Sierra on Bonnie Tyler's 1983 smash "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Ray R Portland Press
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