Lara attended both of the AI concerts in Manchester, NH last weekend. She got to talk to Blake at the afterparty about his surprise addition of “She Loves The Way.” Read on to find out what he had to say, and to see Lara’s photos and videos!
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I went to both shows in Manchester last weekend, and truly had one of the best weekends of my life. I absolutely have to thank the best Top Ten ever for that… they have been amazing all summer to the fans, and they did not disappoint in New Hampshire.
I don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said, really. The shows were terrific, and the energy level very high. The crowd on the first night, especially, was great. Chris Rich even commented that we were the loudest crowd they’d had all summer, which was cool. We were loud for everyone, but when Blake came out for his set, the place just exploded. I know he got a big reaction at every stop along the way, but this was seriously like, whoa.
People have asked what the crowd reaction was like for “She Loves The Way” - it was very positive. Those of us who already knew the song completely freaked out, and those who didn’t know it actually listened. I think that’s pretty significant, actually, because I’ve been to a lot of concerts where people just start talking to their neighbors when an artist plays an unknown song. But people seem genuinely intrigued by Blake, and they want to hear what he’s going to do next. I think that bodes really well for him as he moves toward his post-Idol career.
Interestingly, Blake told me at the aftershow gathering that he wasn’t happy with his rendition of SLTW that night. He basically said that he was out of practice with the loop pedals and the Kaoss pad, and thought it could have been better. I love him all the more for being his own toughest critic (and admitting that to me, a fan who had just gushed all over the fact that he performed the song), but I think most of us would forgive him whatever mistakes he thinks he made! Personally, I thought it was a solid version, but marred by the fact that he had to rush through the naughtier bits of the lyrics. But it’s my favorite of his original songs (that we’ve heard thus far), so I was thrilled to pieces just to be there to hear him do it live.
Like most of us, I’m sad that the tour has ended but excited to see what comes next. This was the first season of AI that ever hooked me this thoroughly, and it’s all because of Blake and his nine awesome friends. I’ll be watching the show next season, but my heart will always remain with Season Six.
Lara,
That is one awesome recap from these 2 shows and from the looks of it, those photos are awesome too! Thank you for sharing them with us!
Your end-of-tour recap was perfect, and the pictures were great, too.
Thanks for sharing the aftershow conversation!
Thanks for the recap and photo’s Lara. Jordin and Haley really are beautiful, as is Melinda. You got some wonderful photo’s of CRich and I love the last one of Jordin hugging Blake.
That is saying alot because you are right if it is not holding your interest even alittle you are going to start talking.
Hey Lara,
Besides the obvious reason why we keep asking what the audience reaction was, I think its because the crowd was so darn quiet during it. It was like, the audience sucked it’s breath in, to listen. The ones who knew were all verklempt, and the others were like, “Oh, this is a cool tutorial”. There was criticsm of him about the version he did, rusty or not–but geez! I thought he did a good job keeping it entertaining as well as “clean!”
Major squeeage that night on all the boards, I don’t have to tell you.:-)
Thank yo for sharing your treasures from that night, as well as the much wondered about SLTW stuff. We really appreciate it.
i’m glad you guys are enjoying the pictures and other treasures. :-)
i didn’t notice the silence during SLTW too much when i was at the show, because i was busy trying to record without squeeing out loud. LOL. but it really struck me when i watched the video back, and then i realized how remarkable that actually was, that people were listening respectfully. even the people who aren’t necessarily fans of blake (yet) are curious. which is great, because that means he can still win them over.
anne - my camera was seriously loving it some chris rich that night. heh. and yes, the girls are all gorgeous. i was happy to finally get some good shots of haley, because i didn’t at the first shows i went to.
thanks, guys!
Lara what great comments! LOL! LOVE your answer about SLTW, and squeeage! heh. Also, your camera was lovin some CRich, hmm?
*waggles brows*
Naughty camera. :-D That boy is very charismatic!heehee!
The way I see it, there were two times this year where Blake really shocked us– the day in Chicago where he dared Chris into Sexxyback, and the crowd exploded(!!! one of my fav moments evar on vid!) and then this one you saw, with SLTW. Funny how Blake is responsible for two big moments on stage where us devoteds got a nice surprise! I’m so glad you were there to get to see that.
Thanks, Lara! Glad you had a chance to attend the final show and speak to Blake! :)
Thank you so much for the pics and the vids. I love them so much. I am trying to move to Seattle next year so hopefully I can catch some of Blake’s local appearances. I wish I was there already. The last pic of Blake and Jordin hugging is at the verge of bringing me to tears. All the idols look like they were a little teary-eyed. What a wonderful group this season, I wished the idol producers would of given them more time on tv and showcase their backstories more. OH well, it was a great season no matter what anyone say because we got Blakey. Oh and thank you teamplaid for being here for us. I love this site…