`Idol' interpretations are far from inspiring
Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe.
WORCESTER -- The "American Idol" franchise continues to grow, spinning off tours in the midst of the runaway success of the Fox TV series. Tuesday night's show was at the Worcester Centrum Centre, and while the machine is certainly well oiled, its future remains unclear.
If nothing else, it recalled the heyday of 1970s television variety shows, with a balance of ethnicities and wardrobe styles to fit all. Last year's finalists, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, amiably shared the spotlight with the other Idols, but this year's edition is more akin to the "Sonny and Cher Show," with finalist Diana DeGarmo and winner Fantasia Barrino commanding the lion's share of the spotlight.
Barrino is a true diva, changing costumes more often than many of the other cast members combined and delivering her numbers with an over-the-top drama that grew grating. "I Believe" was performed as if she were at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater rather than in front of a crowd of Central Massachusetts middle-schoolers and their parents.
DeGarmo fared better, maximizing her sunny girl-next-door charm while avoiding stepping on Barrino's toes. Much of DeGarmo's stage time was devoted to inciting the crowd to show enthusiasm, despite a scream level that recalled the Beatles' appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Perhaps it is the familiarity of the material that inspires such devotion, with virtually every song being a classic of the variety found at wedding receptions and bar mitzvahs. It is when the cast tries to tackle more contemporary material that things get dicey.
It has been said there was little that could make Queen frontman Freddie Mercury cringe, yet the schmaltzy version of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" that John Stevens delivered would have done the job. This followed a group tribute to Prince that included a version of "Kiss" that distinguished itself only by the off-key singing of virtually everyone clutching a microphone.
The troupe's pairing of OutKast's "Hey Ya!" and the Darkness hit "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," however, took the prize for worst interpretations. "Hey Ya!" began with an introduction that recalled gospel before the cast's resident jock type, Jon Peter Lewis, butchered it. This was followed by George Huff's reinterpretation of the hard-rocking Darkness track as a slow ballad. Ouch.
Among the most discouraging aspects of the "Idol" tour is watching young artists who seem to be aiming for careers in Las Vegas or on cruise ships, destinations once reserved for the twilight of a singer's career.
