Lee DeWyze at Arlington Park, 9/24/10

American Idol Season 9 winner and Mount Prospect native Lee DeWyze returned home on Friday to play a concert at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights. Backed by his own band, he sang a combination of covers and originals and treated the crowd to his first performance ever of new song "Only Dreaming" off his upcoming album due to be released November 16. He said the song is probably his favorite song he's ever written. DeWyze looked very confident onstage and told the audience how much he appreciated their support.

From the two times I've seen him perform live, I've seen how DeWyze connects to the feelings of the music and puts his whole soul into singing. On Friday he tackled covers of Elton John's "Rocket Man," Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," Dave Matthews Band's "Crash Into Me," and U2's "Beautiful Day." "Beautiful Day" was his first single released after winning American Idol; much to the delight of everyone in the crowd, DeWyze sang his unique version of the song, which he has performed on various TV appearances but isn't the version released as a single. One of the highlights of the entire concert was "Rocket Man," where DeWyze's gritty, soulful take on the beginning made me completely forget Elton John's version. From his pre-Idol album Slumberland DeWyze sang "So What Now," "Annabelle," and one of my favorites of the night, "Stay."  He also sang two songs that he memorably performed on Idol: Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." I think he sang a few more songs but I am not able to remember them right now.

While DeWyze previously performed at the American Idols Live tour in August at the United Center, this concert was his first solo performance since he won Idol; DeWyze told the crowd that this concert begins his career. I think he sounded awesome with the band backing him and you could tell how much fun he was having performing at home. At one point during the show, after ending a song, DeWyze announced that was the point where he was supposed to be done; his band left. Listening to the screams of the crowd, he remained on the stage and sang two more songs with just his guitar.

What we're listening to: American Idol Season 9

This CD features major highlights from this past season of American Idol and is worth a listen. Season 9 winner and Illinois native Lee DeWyze's gritty-rock cover of "Treat Her Like a Lady" kicks off the album. His performance of this song during R&B week was one of my favorite performances all season long because of how he changed the song to fit his own style. Andrew Garcia's cover of "Forever" sounds closer to Chris Brown's single version; Andrew performed an acoustic, stripped down version of the song on the show, which is why I loved that version so much. Because I really enjoy the smooth soulful sound of his voice I like the studio version too. Siobhan Magnus' voice is absolutely gorgeous on "Paint it Black" from the Rolling Stones; she starts the song in her lower register and then starts to really rock out, eventually hitting one of the huge notes she became known for on the show. Crystal Bowersox takes control of Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee," singing a bunch of fun and playful riffs. I think Casey James' best performance on the show was his cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy," and the studio version is just as good. Michael Lynche proved to be a versatile performer on the stage, singing both pop and R&B and playing guitar. I love his version of India.Arie's "Ready for Love," which he performed on acoustic guitar during R&B week. I wish the song included from Aaron Kelly was "Angie" or "You've Got a Way" by Shania Twain instead of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." During Rolling Stones week Aaron totally won me over with his tender interpretation of "Angie," so I am disappointed his version is not included on the Season 9 compilation. Ignoring the fact that "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song that's been covered by several previous Idol contestants, I just can't stand the song after hearing it on the radio endlessly during the summer of 1998 when the movie Armageddon was out in theaters. Curiously, the entry from Tim Urban is "Under My Thumb." His laid-back reggae version of this song didn't go over well on the show, but I do find myself liking his version a bit more on the CD. I don't think the judges gave Didi Benami enough credit after her performances. Listening to her do "Play with Fire," you would think the song was hers and not the Rolling Stones'. I like the tone of her voice and how she emotionally connects to the lyrics in the stripped down arrangement. Katie Stevens closes the album with her version of "Let it Be," which was one of her better performances during the season.
Find it in the catalog!

The Top 10 contestants from season 9 will perform at the United Center on Monday, August 30!

Lee DeWyze makes Illinois proud

It's DeWyze over Bowersox in the Midwest Match-Up; American Idol fans must be disappointed in the lack of airtime given to the contestants during the finale Wednesday night

If you've watched the news or read a newspaper you know that Mount Prospect native Lee DeWyze became the first singer from Illinois to win the title of American Idol last night. During the performance show on Tuesday Lee sang an encore of "The Boxer," "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. (selected for him by producer Simon Fuller), and "Beautiful Day" by U2, which will be released as a single. Crystal Bowersox, from Ohio, chose to sing "Me and Bobby McGee" as her repeat performance, while Fuller selected "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles. Her potential single was "Up to the Mountain" by Patty Griffin. I was disappointed that Lee and Crystal were not allowed to sing any original songs, but what can you expect from a show that forces the contestants to sing (well, lip-sync) tired song medleys during results shows? I thought Crystal had a good chance of winning after she attacked all three of her songs. Even though Lee was not at his best, I still voted for him, thinking of the awesome concert he gave May 14 at Arlington Park. I have voted for Lee all season but after the show on Tuesday I knew I'd be happy if either singer won.

During last night's finale, host Ryan Seacrest reiterated how it was "Crystal and Lee's night" but it sure didn't feel that way for anyone watching. Celebrity guests had more time up on stage than Crystal, Lee, or any of the other contestants from this season. Usually we at least get to see the contestants repeat memorable performances from the course of the season, but that didn't happen. I would have loved to see an encore of Lee and Crystal singing "Falling Slowly."

The show did have its highlights. Crystal's duet with Alanis Morissette on "You Oughta Know" was cool, and I thought Casey's duet with Bret Michaels on "Every Rose Has its Thorn" worked well too. Those two performances demonstrate that duets between American Idol contestants and celebrities don't have to be awkward or forced (Kris Allen's duet with Keith Urban on last year's finale is another example). I enjoyed Crystal, Siobhan, Lacey, Paige, Katie, and Didi singing "Beautiful" and "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera (and being a Christina fan, I think her performance afterwards was awesome). I also loved seeing former winners (all except David Cook) and contestants (Blake Lewis! Jason Castro! Melinda Dolittle!) back on stage together as a tribute to judge Simon Cowell, who is done with the show.

At the end of the night, though, I was bothered by how the singers didn't get their chance to shine. I really felt that Lee was being punished or something for having to sing a medley of hits with the band Chicago. And, riddle me this: Hall and Oates. Michael McDonald. The Bee Gees. Huh? Don't the producers think American Idol fans would have preferred to hear a final solo performance from Siobhan, Michael, Andrew, Aaron, Didi, or Katie? And why did it suddenly turn into a Janet Jackson concert? I'm confused by how the judges tell the contestants all season long to be relevant and current and be true to themselves, and yet the finale is packed with artists you only hear on easy listening radio stations and the contestants suddenly become back-up singers.

I don't want to end on a negative note, so I'll focus on the strong friendship that Lee and Crystal formed during the show after both auditioning in Chicago last summer. You could tell that no matter who won they would be happy for each other, and after Lee's name was read he told Crystal he loved her and gave her a hug. Their duet during Songs of the Cinema week on "Falling Slowly," which they sang facing each other and each playing guitar, will probably be remembered for seasons of American Idol to come.

For actual singing from the season 9 American Idol contestants, you can catch the American Idol tour. Lee and the other singers in the Top 10 will stop in Chicago on Monday, August 30 at the United Center. Get tickets to the American Idol tour stop in Chicago: Starting last night after the finale they started a promotion on the site where you can buy $20 tickets for 24 hours. (The $20 tickets are on the 300 level.) I checked the availability and was still able to find seats on the 100 level, if you are interested in paying full price.

Lee is in final 2! Midwest Match-Up next week on Idol!

It's a Midwest Match-Up for the American Idol finale next week: Mount Prospect native Lee DeWyze vs. Ohio native Crystal Bowersox. In addition to be super-excited for Lee, I'm also happy that both singers are from the Midwest; many of the winners and runners-up in the show's history have been from the South. Not only are both contestants from the Midwest, but they are both singer-songwriters. Since Lee and Crystal write their own music, I wonder if hope the producers will allow them to sing original songs during the performance show on Tuesday. One sign of progress is that Crystal's song "Holy Toledo" played during footage from her hometown visit on last night's show. Please, do not saddle Lee and Crystal with another horrible song like last year's "No Boundaries," which Kris Allen and Adam Lambert had to endure singing before the song was never heard from again.

On Tuesday's show each contestant sang two songs and you could really tell how much Lee's hometown visit impacted him. He didn't appear nervous on stage and gave the best performances of the night, singing "Simple Man" and "Hallelujah." I think Lee's hometown (and homestate) support will continue to drive him when he takes the stage next Tuesday for the performance finale.

Mount Prospect is holding an American Idol Finale Watch Party on Wednesday in front of Village Hall from 5-10 PM. Before American Idol starts at 7 footage from Lee's previous performances on the show in addition to video from his recent hometown visit will air. Download the American Idol Finale Watch Party poster.

More Lee coverage:
Between paint sales, Mt. Prospect store is Lee DeWyze central
When Lee DeWyze was 'Hoodie Guy' at Potato Creek Johnny's

Get reprints of the Daily Herald:
Special Lee DeWyze section from Friday, May 14
Front page from Saturday, May 15 detailing Lee's hometown visit

Lee DeWyze at Arlington Park, 5/14/10

Yesterday American Idol contestant Lee DeWyze returned home to Mount Prospect and the Chicago-area for a day packed with interviews, appearances, and performances. The grand finale of the day was a mini-concert set to begin at 6:30 PM at Arlington Park. Tickets for the free concert were gone in 12 minutes on Wednesday night, after Lee was announced as making the Top 3, and all of the race day tickets were also snatched up. While I was disappointed I was not able to get any of the concert tickets online, I later found out that general admission tickets to the track were still available for $6. This was an awesome surprise yesterday morning when I read about the tickets the newspaper and I was able to buy a few before they also disappeared.

Race times were moved up to 1 PM to make time for the concert and many Lee fans filled the stands watching the races as they counted down till Lee's arrival. Around 7 PM we started to hear screaming in a corner of the stands; Lee was making his way through the crowd surrounded by bodyguards (he was preceded by a bagpipe player!). Before Lee sang he spoke to the crowd a little; he was very overwhelmed by all the fans who came out to see him. Mayor of Mount Prospect Irvana Wilks also said some words before giving him the key to the city and proclaiming May 14 to be Lee DeWyze Day.

Fans try to catch a glimpse of Lee DeWyze as he makes his way through the crowd at Arlington Park. He was 3 feet away from me, but I couldn't see anything!

Originally scheduled to sing only three songs, Lee ended up singing ten in total during his acoustic set on a small stage in front of the Winner's Circle. One of the first things Lee told the crowd was that he was going to sing more than three. He kicked off his set with Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," which he said is a song he would like to perform on the show. He followed that with an original song. Next was Hinder's "Lips of an Angel," much to the delight of all the fans who sang along, which he performed during one of the semifinal rounds. Lee also sang "Walk Away" by Ben Harper before going into "The Boxer," one of his best performances on the show to date. At times he had trouble singing the lyrics because of how overcome he was with emotion (either that, or he forgot the words). Lee followed that with a cover of Dave Matthews Band "Crash Into Me," requested by his brother. He then went into another original song. Unfortunately I don't know the title, but he infused the lyrics with an intensity that I haven't seen him do on any song on American Idol. He really let loose while singing it. He introduced the next song, "Holiday in Spain" by Counting Crows, as being one of his favorites. At one point he jokingly began to sing Seal's "Kiss From a Rose," which he sang for this past week's songs of the movies theme and received negative feedback from the judges. Throughout his set Lee had fun with the crowd and even asked, "Am I smiling enough?" to reference a criticism he has received on the show about being too serious. Several times throughout the night he commented that he was told he had to leave, but he stayed up there to keep playing.

Lee started to sing "Hey, Jude" and then stopped to ask the audience to clap together during the song. After he got a few lines into the song with everyone clapping along Lee had to stop singing and moved to the side of the stage with his head in his hands because again became very emotional. He said that while he's been out in California he hadn't realized the extent of his support back home; over 41,000 people were in attendance at the concert last night. Lee ended the concert with a performance of "Stay," another of his original songs. Completing his set, he threw his guitar strap into the crowd, but even then he wasn't done; he came back on stage to wish everyone a good night.

I think the concert last night at Arlington Park was Lee at best. He was relaxed while singing and really let go, especially while singing his original songs. I loved his response to the crowd's support. He wanted to keep singing songs no matter what the American Idol handlers (or whoever they were) told him. I thought it was a possibility that he was going to have to be dragged off the stage! Lee told the crowd that when he goes back to California and performs at the next live show he will be thinking of everyone supporting him back home. I had an awesome time at the concert and definitely look forward to seeing the footage of Lee's hometown welcome on American Idol next week.

Images from Lee DeWyze Day (from the Daily Herald)

Do you want your own neon yellow "Vote 4 Lee" t-shirt or a blue "BELEEVE" shirt? Check out Where to buy Lee DeWyze merchandise for Mount Prospect businesses that sell Lee paraphernalia!

Lee DeWyze celebrations planned for Friday

Last week the very enthusiastic and helpful Harry Connick Jr. guided (and composed for and accompanied) the Top 5 on American Idol as they sang Frank Sinatra songs. Lee DeWyze's "That's Life" stood out as the best performance of the night, and on Wednesday's results show he was the first contestant revealed to be safe. Tonight the Top 4 contestants (Lee, Crystal Bowersox, Michael Lynche, and Casey James) perform songs from the movies. The three contestants that make the cut on Wednesday night's results show will then travel to their hometowns for parades, interviews, and other celebrations. If Lee continues on, he will be in the Mount Prospect and Chicago area this Friday! Wednesday night tickets will become available for Lee's Friday concert at Arlington Park at arlingtonpark.com. For more information about the concert click here.

Mount Prospect is ready to welcome home Lee DeWyze. In the morning Lee will do TV and radio interviews before throwing out the first pitch at the Cubs game at 1:30. At 4:30 there will be a parade along Northwest Highway, followed by the Arlington Park concert at 6:30. Read the Daily Herald article If he makes the cut, Arlington Park will host Lee DeWyze party to read more about the celebrations planned for Friday.

And don't forget to VOTE VOTE VOTE tonight!

More American Idol; or, Being a brief update on Lee DeWyze

Mount Prospect native Lee DeWyze continues his trek on American Idol tonight when the Top 5 perform Frank Sinatra songs with Harry Connick Jr as the mentor. In the previous four weeks of the competition Lee has always been one of top performers each night. For Beatles week he sang "Hey Jude," where he was joined by a bagpipe player for the last part of the song. The bagpiper player threw the judges off and was definitely a surprise, but it also made him stand out. During Elvis week he performed "A Little Less Conversation." Paul Simon's "The Boxer" was his pick during the inspirational songs week (in support of Idols Give Back), which all the judges said was his best performance ("Treat Her Like a Lady" remains my favorite performance of his or any contestant from this season). Last week the Top 6 sang from the Shania Twain songbook in what was probably the best overall performance night of the season. Lee took on "You're Still The One," and although I think he started out shaky, I really enjoyed how he updated the song. Crystal Bowersox and Lee are the only contestants who have never been in the bottom three on results night. If Lee makes it to the Top 3 some sort of parade-concert-celebration will be held in Mount Prospect! Right now I don't see anyone taking Lee's spot in the Top 3. I think it will be Lee and Crystal in the finale.

If you're a big American Idol fan like me, check out these Lee DeWyze articles from the Daily Herald and American Idol photo galleries from ew.com:

Newspaper stories written about Lee DeWyze:
Area citizens can show their support for 'Idol's' Lee DeWyze
Mt. Prospect is proud of Lee ... but is it ready for this?
DeWyze almost ditched 'American Idol' audition
Mount Prospect native's 'Idol' contract means death of band
Lee tees are all the rage at Prospect High School

More on American Idol from awesome Entertainment Weekly writer and obsessive AI fan Michael Slezak:
The 20 Best Performances Ever
13 Most Awkward Mentor Moments
20 Songs We'd Ban from the Show Forever!
American Idol Grads: Your Next Favorite Song?
Catching up with 13 Former Contestants!

(sorry for the poor quality graphic. My Vote 4 Lee t-shirt was a little wrinkled when I took a picture of it before I left the house this morning!)

Top 10 on American Idol; or, Lee DeWyze Leaves Everyone in the Dust

Mount Prospect native Lee DeWyze made last week's cut on American Idol, which means he will be going on tour with the other members of the Top 10 this summer. He gave a strong performance of "The Letter" by the Box Tops, forgoing his guitar and instead riffing a little with the back-up singers.

This week's theme was R&B/Soul music, and singer Usher acted as mentor to the contestants. He thought Lee had a great voice but needed to get rid of his nerves and "own the moment." Before taking the stage Lee talked with host Ryan Seacrest about having that Moment the judges have been waiting all season to see. Watching the show, I immediately thought, "No! Don't talk about what you need to do to have a Moment!" I was thinking of past seasons where contestants who had a Moment did so because it was unexpected and just happened (think Fantasia Barrino's "Summertime," David Cook's "Always Be My Baby," Blake Lewis' "You Give Love a Bad Name," Elliott Yamin's "Song For You," Melinda Dolittle's "My Funny Valentine," Adam Lambert's "Mad World," or Kris Allen's "Heartless" to name a few).

Performing "Treat Her Like a Lady" on his guitar, Lee attacked the song and injected the lyrics with his distinctive rock growl. I love how the song built to a crescendo as the band kicked in to join Lee and his guitar. He completely made the song his own and appeared much more comfortable on stage than in past weeks. The performance was the best of the night, and will most likely be remembered as one of the stand-out performances from season 9. Judge Ellen Degeneres was correct when she said that "the night starts now." Judge Simon Cowell told Lee that if he watches the performance back he will be able to see the night his life changed.

The only other contestant who I thought came close to Lee was Andrew Garcia. I have continued to root for him even though he has struggled in recent weeks. I loved his take on the Chris Brown song "Forever." I am guessing that the bottom three contestants will include Didi Benami and Tim Urban. I'm hoping it's Tim that goes home, but I've wanted that to happen since week one of the semifinals rounds.

What did you think of the show last night?