Monday, August 26, 2013
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Aubrey Cleland sings Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams” on Sunday at the Covelli Centre, where the “American Idol Live!” tour made a stop for the first time in Youngstown.
Concert features finalists from 12th season
YOUNGSTOWN
The “American Idol Live!” Tour made a stop first for the first time in Youngstown on Sunday, capping a busy day at the Covelli Centre where about 8,000 had gathered earlier in the day for the fourth-annual Panerathon.
Kelsey Rupert, director of marketing at the Covelli, estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 tickets were sold for the 30-show tour, which will conclude Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.
Sunday’s concert featured the top-10 finalists from the 12th season, and Aubrey Cleland, who won the “wild card” spot on the tour after she was voted in. Cleland was the sixth-place female in the top-20 round of the show, which airs on Fox.
Included in the top 10 was Candice Glover, expected to release her first album, “Music Speaks,” in October. She was crowned the winner of “American Idol” in May.
One of the Youngstown favorites, though, appeared to be Angie Miller, a 19-year-old Boston native sent home just before the show’s finale. She joined Amber Holcomb and Cleland to sing “The Way” by Ariana Grande, and Janelle Arthur, Holcomb and Cleland for Robin
Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” later in the set.
“I came to see Angie,” said Megan Schaffer, 11, of Columbiana, who was all smiles for Sunday’s show.
Her mother, Nickey Schafer, agreed, saying they both are big fans of the show. She surprised Megan with tickets about a half-hour before they were set to leave for the concert. Both went last year when the tour came to Pittsburgh.
Carrie Christy and Gary Dzamko traveled from Pittsburgh to Youngstown for the event. Christy came to see Miller as well, and Dzamko said he was most excited about Kree Harrison, a sort-of country-pop artist who was ousted by Glover to win the 12th season title. Both Christy and Dzamko said they bought their tickets for Sunday’s concert “the second” they went on sale months ago.
If fans wanted consistency Sunday, they got it. The concert was akin to watching the on-air show live, with more group singing and a live band backing them.
All of the show’s female singers opened the concert with “Wings” by the British girl group Little Mix, followed by Cleland, who soloed with Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams.”
Burnell Taylor, Devin Velez and Curtis Finch Jr. got a rise out of the crowd with Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie.”
The show ended with all the performers singing “We Are Young” by the Indie-pop band Fun and “Live While We’re Young” by boy group One Direction.
The show moves on to Toronto, Ontario, on Tuesday. Auditions for the 13th season kicked off this month.