American Idol Kelly Clarkson performs pitch perfectly at SJSU
Review: Concert
Minh Pham
Issue date: 12/1/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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The aesthetics of the show were toned down, probably confident that the main attraction would provide a good show. A simple stage setup put the focus on Clarkson's voice, which the singer took full advantage.
Clarkson's outfit was refreshing, donning only a red, bedazzled T-shirt with simple black slacks. She obviously didn't need to rely on being scantily clad and dolled-up beyond recognition to capture the audience's attention.
Charismatic and relaxed, Clarkson made easy, short conversations with fans, declaring them the loudest fans she has heard so far during the tour, eliciting even louder screams from the audience. The audience was, surprisingly, an older crowd, but the screams were obviously from excited teenage girls.
After performing a bluesy cover of Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight," Clarkson joked, "I feel like I look like Beyonce with that song."
Listening to her sing that song, I felt I was sitting around a campfire in my cowboy boots with 6,000 of my closest friends.
Clarkson was backed up by her nine-member band, which included a saxophonist and a trumpeter. The addition of the horns added a jazzy touch to her pop songs and a soulful pull for her rock songs.
Clarkson chose a variety of interesting artists to cover, such as The Black Keys, Kings of Leon and The White Stripes.
My favorite was her short but powerful cover of "Lies" by The Black Keys. Accompanied only by the sounds of an electric guitar and the piano, the song was haunting and bluesy and made Clarkson's voice sound like luscious melting chocolate.
An interesting cover combined King of Leon's hit "Use Somebody" with Alanis Morissette's, "That I Would Be Good." Lyrics such as "I would be good even if I gained 10 pounds," had the audience cheering for the slightly plumper singer.
Fan favorites, such as "Since U Been Gone," and "Walk Away," had the ladies and a good amount of males singing (and screaming) along. During the choruses, it was as if the crowd knew to immediately start hopping up and down in a synchronized format.
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