'Idols' bring mixed bag
BY ROSS RAIHALA
Pop Music Critic

Here's the thing about the American Idols Live tour. For at least half of these kids, this is it. Never again will they have such a massive, lustful audience hanging on their every last word. If five seasons of "American Idol" have taught us anything, it's that post-show success lasts about as long as a Pop-Tart.

Paris Bennett, bless her soul, gets it. The former Minnesotan — who celebrated her 18th birthday on Monday — made the most of her fleeting stage time Tuesday night at the Xcel Energy Center. She ran laps around the stage, tore through "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "Crazy in Love" and worked every last curve of her not-a-girl-not-yet-a-woman frame.

If only the other nine "AI" finalists had put as much energy into their performances. Instead, the rest of the night was — like most everything else about the show — a mixed bag.

First the rough stuff. Can we never, ever allow Bucky Covington to sing in public again? The guy muffed lines, warbled off key and apparently thought no one would be the wiser as long as he kept flipping his Peter Frampton-esque locks.

Ace Young's butchery of "Father Figure" was the only vocal performance to come close to toppling Covington in the depressing mediocrity department.

And the endearing qualities that landed Kellie Pickler a record deal — she's one of a record four contestants this season to land a contract — were missing during her flat, yammering performance. Lacking both the passion of Melissa Etheridge and the subtle worldliness of Bonnie Raitt, Pickler's takes of those women's songs came across as mere karaoke.

Thankfully, the sold-out crowd of 16,685 — the second highest number so far on the tour, and the largest local "AI" audience to date — was more forgiving. They yelped in approval at bald rocker Chris Daughtry, lounge lizard Elliott Yamin (who was sporting a Star of David T-shirt) and somewhat frosty runner-up Katharine McPhee, who has spent much of the tour on the sidelines with vocal troubles.

Taylor Hicks, too, was struggling with his voice. His spastic dance moves and infectious enthusiasm were fun to watch, even when he was mincing around with a canary yellow feather boa. But whenever the Soul Patroller opened his mouth, he sounded like a guy who needs a break. And he's still got another month on the road.

After Hicks, Daughtry drew the loudest cheers from the crowd, particularly whenever the cameras lingered that extra beat in his pelvic region.

He's much more suited to the raw sexual energy of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" than the freeze-dried balladry of Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive," but whatever path he follows, he's clearly one of this season's keepers.

Pop Music Critic Ross Raihala can be reached at rraihala@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5553. Read more about the local music scene on his blog, "The Ross Who Knew Too Much," at blogs.twincities.com/ross.