American Idol Live

I'm embarrassed to say that I went to the American Idol Live concert in San Jose last night, but pleased that it was a good show. We were in the nosebleed section, which always takes me awhile to relax in (since I am terrified of heights).  I was disappointed that the organizers decided against using the arena's jumbotron and instead used screens over the stage which was VERY far from where we were sitting.  The main screen was also partially obscured with these electrical shims that were neat ... but so obscured the view that they became annoying.  Unfortunately for most of the singers, the sound guy did not properly balance or adjust the system - we heard a lot of bass and drums, but not much of the singers except for Michael Johns, Syesha Mercado and David Cook.  David A. was obscured by all the SCREECHING girls. yow.  It was a good mix of repeats from the show, some folks like Carly Smithson reworked some of the numbers significantly, while others like Michael Johns did them as we remember.  Everyone got three songs, except for David Cook. Syesha and David A were given more time and had longer numbers than the others, though.  Syesha really shined last night - showing a range I never saw on the show (though she again demonstrated that hip hop may not really be her thing). Kristy Lee Cook got such a cool reception, but showed that she's been practicing - her voice sounded much better. (I  always liked her, but still appreciated the improvement!) Vocal coaches must've been going around, as David A was actually singing very well last night (I was so tired of his nasaly drone!)

It was great to see all of the performers again - they all did very well. The group numbers were MUCh better than the live group numbers during the show. The band did a great job keeping up as well! I appreciated the intermission (though am confused by the number of women that kept standing in line for the restroom, even though there were many open stalls) and was glad that the concert started nearly on time. The problems with the show were not due to any of the performers and hopefully can be corrected for other dates.

The Shark Tank is a great place to see a show, with plenty of vendors open and nice wide halls and easily walkable from downtown.

Fireworks spoiled by nincompoops

We had a pretty great Fourth of July BBQ with friends, when we decided to walk to a nearby park and enjoy the fireworks being put on at the Shoreline Amphitheater. We thought we'd save ourselves some effort and watch from a nearby park (Whisman Sport's Complex) instead of walking all the way to the park (which would be much too crowded for driving) ... well, there was a group of idiots that thought the professional display was not enough, and they were letting off fireworks about 20 feet from a large group of people. Several of their fireworks misfired and exploded on the ground. Children were screaming and crying... yet they did not relent. They continued to let them off right near the main entrance of the park.  Some of our group had to leave early due how scared they were being so close - out of a nearly hidden back exit.  As far as I know, you're not supposed to let off fireworks in a park like that.  Who knows - but next year, we'll do the full walk to Shoreline, which is nicely policed, and enjoy the professional show without fear of injury from the amateurs. [Note: according to the Mountain View Voice, all fireworks are illegal in Mountain View]