-A.S. Zack is leaving Chicago, just as winter is winding down, for Austin, TX tomorrow. I wish him the best of luck in Austin, and can’t wait to come down and visit for ACL.

Hope you have a safe drive, and a nice stop at that middle point…wherever it may be.
The only thing that’s going to change here at Festival Crashers is that we can now cover two great music cities and markets.

Stay with us as we transition to the newly designed blog, and conquer two of the best music markets in the U.S. Things are only getting bigger and better for Festival Crashers, and we thank you for your continued support.

-A.S. I’m much less excited for tonight’s results show after the underwhelming performances from last night. I won’t really be that upset to see any of these 12 through. Randy is still wearing his macaroni peace sign necklace…

7:03 It wouldn’t be an American Idol results show without a montage.
7:05 Kai Kalama (left) is doing some very awkward dance move and Nick Mitchell is playing it straight during the group 2 performance of Ne-Yo “Closer.” Read the rest of this entry »

-A.S. Last week, Casey Carlson bombed badly when she tried to sing the Police. Michael Jackson is an even harder artist to attempt. Kris Allen gave it is best shot, and didn’t exactly fall flat on his face. He ended “Man in the Mirror” quite strongly, and sounded decent enough through the rest.

The theme of the night seemed to be wrong song choice, and Kris Allen may have been the poster child. Unless he is ready to start calling himself the New King of Pop, singing “Man in the Mirror” wasn’t the call to make. Simon thinks the girls will love Kris Allen, and sometimes in American Idol, that’s all it takes.

Check out Festival Crashers’ live blog from tonight’s episode.

-A.S. Megan Joy Corkrey wowed judges during the auditions and Hollywood rounds, and she brought her A game for her bid at a top 12 American Idol spot. Singing Corrine Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On” she sounded stellar. She didn’t always hit the high notes and petered off a bit during the chorus, but this jazz singer got the job done.

Megan has the look to go with the voice, and seems to be a favorite among the judges. If there is only one girl that goes through from this group, she could be it. In a weak group, she stood out tonight.

Check out Festival Crashers’ live blog from tonight’s episode.

-A.S. This red head didn’t quite stand out tonight with her performance of “Betty Davis Eyes.” Jesse Langseth has the voice, but this song did not make her rise above the rest of the competition. In this weaker group, it may be enough to advance to the American Idol top 12.

Jesse Langseth dusted off the Kim Carnes song, but she should have left it in the 80s. Randy Jackson told Jesse she only had 5-note range. If she advances, nicknames along the lines of 5-note Jesse are sure to spring up.

Check out Festival Crashers’ live blog from tonight’s episode.

-A.S. Nick Mitchell aka Norman Gentle stepped his game up tonight. Rocking a white blazer over his now familiar costume, it’s hard to say he was in rare form. There are always moment in his performance when he hits all his notes and sounds great. When he’s in character, he’s never really on pitch. The judges have been saying all along that they didn’t think he needed to be perfect, because his character is.

He tossed his glasses and his jacket during his performance of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” He sang about the judges and felt up the American Idol sign. Ryan Seacrest even pointed out after the performance, that he thought it was the first time anybody had gotten to second base with the American Idol sign on the judges table.

Check out Festival Crashers’ live blog from tonight’s episode.

-A.S. Allison Iraheta was the first to really rock tonight, doing so singing Heart “Alone.” This fiery 16-year-old was one of the few to really show something special tonight. Randy Jackson told Allison Iraheta three times she “blew it out of the box.” It may be possible that Allison Iraheta shined bright on a dull night, but that might be enough to make it out of group 2 into the top 12 on American Idol.

Check out Festival Crashers’ live blog from tonight’s episode.

-A.S. Group 2 brings us the next 12 performers. My favorite of the ladies is Jasmine Murray. It’s a little harder to chose from the guys side. I really enjoy Nick Mitchell aka Norman Gentle, but the best singers are probably Matt Giraud and Adam Lambert. Ryan Seacrest is tossing daggers Simon’s way in the intros.

7:03 Jasmine Murray is up first. It’s an uninspiring cover of “Love Song.” Poor song choice that does not showcase her voice well. Judges weren’t impressed either. To Vote for Jasmine Murray Text 57701 to IDOL or Call 1.866 IDOLS 01.
7:13 Matt Giraud (left) is up next. He’s singing “Viva La Vida.” He sounds terrible too. What’s with these song choices people? Simon: “It wasn’t just that it was bad. You sounded awful.” Sidenote: Is Joe Satriani counting the money coming to him right now? To vote for Matt Giraud Text 57702 to IDOL or Call 1.866 IDOLS 02. Read the rest of this entry »

@ZackTeibloom Phish will be doing a sandwich headlining duty, performing Friday and Sunday nights, with Bruce and the E street Band taking over Saturday.

Personally, I’m just happy it’s not Saturday/Sunday because I have to be at Jason’s Wedding starting Saturday night. We’ll let you know as soon as the full schedule becomes available. I’m not too sad I’m missing Bruce. Sorry Boss fans.

@ZackTeibloom I always knew I’d get along with Jason Segel. From the first scene in the first episode of “Freaks and Geeks” when he said, “Hey I believe in god, man. I’ve seen him. I felt his power. He plays  drums for Led Zeppelin and his name is John Bonham, baby!*”

He was funny, gracious, told me I had an awesome voicemail and even had good advice for me.

I told him about Jason getting married the same weekend as Bonnaroo and he said, “You move the wedding to Bonnaroo. Erect a tent at Bonnaroo and have a wedding.” Lawyered!

Read the rest of this entry »