Lee Dewyze was hurtin’ while Crystal Bowersox was returnin’.
The “American Idol” finale Tuesday night saw the single mother from Ohio shoot to the head of the competition while Chicago’s favorite painter appeared to stumble over his nerves.
Crystal started out strong, choosing her best performance, “Me and Bobby McGee,” for her favorite of the season. Just as she impressed the judges when she first sang the Roger Miller hit, Bowersox roared back into their hearts with her encore performance. Randy said he hoped she would make a record like that while Kara said she had a fire in her belly. Meanwhile, Simon thought she brought them back “to the time when we fell in love with you.”
Despite his best performance being last week’s “Hallelujah!”, Lee chose Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” as his favorite song. The performance was about as middling as it was the first time around. Randy asked him to kick it up a notch while Ellen said Lee had improved since last time and that she “couldn’t be prouder if I birthed you myself.” Kara asked him to punch harder and Simon demanded a kiss on the lips rather than one on the cheek, which confused everyone.
Lee didn’t fare much better with REM’s “Everybody Hurts,” which was chosen for him by the show’s executive producer, Simon Fuller. He made a valiant effort but should have really resorted to an acoustic rendition. Simon thought it was a brilliant choice ( much?) but that he sounded nervous. He told Lee to give him a 10 out of 10 performance when he returned for the third round “because you’re capable.” It sounded a little patronizing.
While all this was going on, Mamasox was suiting up in a black satin party dress for her performance of Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet.” The Ohio native scratched up the classic rock song even further with her Joplin drawl, impressing the judges to no end. Ellen gave the 24-year-old a standing ovation while Simon said she “nailed” the song.
Next up, the duo sang what will become the winner’s first single. Lee chose U2′s epic “Beautiful Day” while Crystal sang Patty Griffin’s folksy gospel tune “Up to the Mountain.”
Kara thought Lee got swallowed up in his song, but that he had grown up most this season. “You deserve to be here tonight,” she said, which sounded about as patronizing as Simon’s last comment. Meanwhile, Simon said he genuinely wished the best for Lee.
For her final performance, Crystal was in her element (despite the giant diamond necklace around her neck) singing her simple folk song while seated on a stool with only her guitar to guide her. In fact, she was so emotionally attached to the tune that she cried at the end of it. Randy said her performance was one of her best moments at the perfect time. Ellen said she was in a league of her own and Simon thought it was the best performance of the night. “Incredible,” he said.
At the end of the night, Will Young sang “Leave Right Now” and it was hard not to see it as a message to Lee.
No Comments
