The Top 100, Preston's (Valpengeist's) Top 100 AI Performances Of All Time Options

[ladeo18]

wow. aren't we technical. lol

Sounds like it's gonna be one hell of a list. And only one semi-finalist (I think it's probably Sabrina )

And erm... I have no clue about the first clue, although I suppose the "kinda" should theoretically help.

[Valpengeist]

wow. aren't we technical. lol

Sounds like it's gonna be one hell of a list. And only one semi-finalist (I think it's probably Sabrina )

And erm... I have no clue about the first clue, although I suppose the "kinda" should theoretically help.

Yes we are. I really enjoy reading in-depth lists, though, so I figured if I finally posted a list I needed to do it right... actually, I just like to read in general. The more there is, the more interesting it would be to me.

I suppose that's a good semifinalist guess. Her "NLAMTWILY" was definitely a great performance... she definitely should have made the finals! (weren't there rumors early on that she was first TCO?)

And the first clue is pretty vague. I "un-vagued" it a little though.

[dhealy2003]

Wow. This should be a fun list to read!

[Tarman12]

This should pretty much last us until next season rolls around. I can't wait.

[midnight_phoenix]

This will be an interesting read. I'd never be able to do my Top 100 performances of all-time.

[Valpengeist]

Thanks for the comments, all!

This will be an interesting read. I'd never be able to do my Top 100 performances of all-time.

Yeah, probably my biggest difficulty with it was not overstuffing the list with my favorite contestants. I mean, if you think someone's great, they're likely to have, in your opinion, plenty of great performances. I've tried to limit, though, how often I include particular contestants. I think the most anyone is on the list is six times, which actually is probably too much. Oh well.

Another potential problem is that I'm releasing this so soon after season seven, and so you may see some performances from this year that might not still be worth remembering a couple of years down the road. I've tried to be pretty balanced, though.

This post has been edited by Valpengeist: May 25th 2008, 1:43 PM

[ladeo18]

Yes we are. I really enjoy reading in-depth lists, though, so I figured if I finally posted a list I needed to do it right... actually, I just like to read in general. The more there is, the more interesting it would be to me.

I suppose that's a good semifinalist guess. Her "NLAMTWILY" was definitely a great performance... she definitely should have made the finals! (weren't there rumors early on that she was first TCO?)

And the first clue is pretty vague. I "un-vagued" it a little though.

I enjoy in-depth lists too. Though I never produce anything worth reading myself. lol

Oooh we're being all mysterious now. lol I'm trying hard to think who else could be one of those semi-finalists. (and yeah, she was supposed to be TCO, who America had never seen but then blew everyone away in the semis. It sorta half-worked. lol)


hmmm..... my first thought was "independent woman" by Destiny's Child and then I tried to think of someone who sang it roflmao
My guess would be Carrie's "Independence Day", theoretically it was only performed once because the second time was an encore thing. I guess... I dunno. probably. lol

[Valpengeist]

My guess would be Carrie's "Independence Day", theoretically it was only performed once because the second time was an encore thing. I guess... I dunno. probably. lol

Good guess, but it's not ID. You're "kinda" close, though.

[midnight_phoenix]

Thanks for the comments, all!
Yeah, probably my biggest difficulty with it was not overstuffing the list with my favorite contestants. I mean, if you think someone's great, they're likely to have, in your opinion, plenty of great performances. I've tried to limit, though, how often I include particular contestants. I think the most anyone is on the list is six times, which actually is probably too much. Oh well.

Another potential problem is that I'm releasing this so soon after season seven, and so you may see some performances from this year that might not still be worth remembering a couple of years down the road. I've tried to be pretty balanced, though.

My main problem is that I may forget some of my favorite performances, and then I'd have to cram then back in.

I have no clue what #100 is.

[Valpengeist]

#100- Gina Glocksen: “I’ll Stand By You” (The Pretenders, 1994)
Season 6: Top Ten: No Doubt/Songs That Inspired Gwen Stefani—March 27, 2007



Judges Comments:
Randy- “I thought this was one of your best performances ever. And I tell you something—what you gotta do is—I said this to you a couple of weeks ago—you got that big ol’ voice, just believe, man, and choose wise songs. This was a perfect song for you. Very nice, very nice.”

Paula- “I love the fact that you are improving each week and you’re coming into your own as an artist. You look fantastic. The song you picked really was great because it showed vulnerability, and it also allowed you to soar with your vocals. Really was your best performance so far.”

Simon- “Gina—wasn’t one of your best performances—it was your best performance. This is all about knowing who you are, choosing the right song… the transformation from three or four weeks ago to tonight is literally chalk and cheese. It was actually not just your best performance, but the best performance so far tonight; that’s how good it was.”



My Comments:

First, an interesting story—two years ago, I decided on a whim to try out for AI in Memphis. So I took a Greyhound (alone!), arriving at the arena about 2:30 a.m. I couldn’t find the entrance, and I noticed a young couple also having difficulties. I went up to ask them if they knew how to get in—and funny enough, it was Gina and her boyfriend! She was very nice in person, and she was really impressed and surprised that I remembered her from the season before. She said she had already tried out in LA that year but was cut first round, but she wasn’t going to give up. Then, on the actual audition day, she sang in the group of four right behind me… I stuck around long enough to see that she made it through (so, as early as September 2006 there was an AI6 Gina Glocksen spoiler from yours truly ).

Anyway, name-dropping aside, this was easily Gina’s best, most defined performance of the competition. The song choice was superb: one-- it had never been sung on AI before (coughAlonecoughAllByMyselfcough), two-- ISBY is already a fantastic song on its own merit, and three-- it fit Gina like a glove. If a Gina Glocksen record ever comes out, honestly, I don’t know if I’d buy it. I would, however, buy a single if it was anything like this performance.

One of the best things about this was her emotional connection to the song and how she reflected that connection in both the arrangement and vocals. I love how it began stripped down, with just piano, guitar, and cymbal, allowing her pure, bare vocals to shine through. All it took was an “Oh, why you look so sad?” to immediately draw me into the performance that was about to take place. She just stood there for 1:33 and sang her tail off, and it easily brought Gina some much-needed momentum.

So, after all that positive, why only #100? Well, for one, she has a habit of dropping off the ends of phrases instead of pursuing the note all the way through, resulting in somewhat of a “flat” ending. But that’s just a little thing. Generally, while Gina was quite good, she never really had a voice that could make it to the end of the competition. I loved her, but I also recognized the limits she had as a vocalist and contestant. Still, this is a performance that deserves attention as her best and one of the more memorable ones of season six.

(You could argue, I suppose, that her next performance, “Smile,” was better. But for me, they were quite similar performance-wise, and the element of surprise wasn’t there the second time around. Plus, ISBY is more recognizable and has a more rousing ending than Smile. Sadly, I can somehow understand how she was voted off after such a great, controlled performance.)

Favorite Moment:
In the video I posted, it takes place at :17-:19. Something about the way she sings “don’t,” with that half-smile/encouraging look on her face, sounds very raw and emotional to me. (then she follows it with some unfortunate falsetto on “cry,” but at least she tried, eh?)



*

HINT for #99: A fun breakout performance.

This post has been edited by Valpengeist: May 25th 2008, 7:16 PM

[midnight_phoenix]

That was a good one.

[ladeo18]

wow. reading your comments was awesome. The way you argue your case is amazing, if you had just said that was your #100 I might have sent the men in white coats after you, because I personally dislike that performance. But I think you argued awesomely.
And I love the story about how you actually met her I'd totally feel so weird if it was me standing next to a future AI contestant, I'd be all like "yeah, I knew, we were real close before she as on Idol"

and hm..... no idea about 99. lol Seeing as it's 900 performances to choose from there were quite a few breakouts. Maybe Garrett Haley's "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do"

[Valpengeist]

That was a good one.

I'm glad you approve of it!

wow. reading your comments was awesome. The way you argue your case is amazing, if you had just said that was your #100 I might have sent the men in white coats after you, because I personally dislike that performance. But I think you argued awesomely.
And I love the story about how you actually met her I'd totally feel so weird if it was me standing next to a future AI contestant, I'd be all like "yeah, I knew, we were real close before she as on Idol"

and hm..... no idea about 99. lol Seeing as it's 900 performances to choose from there were quite a few breakouts. Maybe Garrett Haley's "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do"

Thanks so much! Hopefully I'll be able to argue effectively for the 99 others...

And yeah, it was crazy to meet her... it was like, "wow, these people are actually real people!" And it gave me hope to hear that she had been cut in round one before. She's a cool gal-- very real.

This post has been edited by Valpengeist: May 25th 2008, 5:12 PM

[dhealy2003]

Great choice with "Stand By You." I think she could've easily gone that week if she hadn't pulled such a show stopper. Can't wait for 99.

[pistol_saf]

100. That was one of my favorite performances of AI6 Yeah, that was one of her best for sure.

[Valpengeist]

Thanks for the comments, David and pistol. I'm glad I started the countown with ISBY-- it seems to be a pretty respected performance.

I'm pretty sure most people will like #99 too. It's just one of those that's hard not to like, I think.

[dhealy2003]

Cool! I'm very much looking forward to it. Are you gonna post one performance per day?

[Valpengeist]

^ Yep, that's the plan for right now. Getting the video/comments/picture for each one takes awhile, and I don't want to overload myself.

[Valpengeist]

#99- Vonzell Solomon: “Best Of My Love” (The Emotions, 1977)
Season Four: Top Eleven: Billboard #1s—March 22, 2005



Judges Comments:
Randy- “You know what it’s like, I mean, you know, it’s like everyone showed up tonight. All the Idol stars are out, in it to win it… that was great! Man, you finally came out… Vonzell’s back, everybody’s back!”

Paula- “Vonzell—your personality came out, but most important, your vocals came out. You took a risk, and if Simon Cowell does not recognize what you did tonight, then I give up! Who cares anyway? You did it!”

Simon- “Vonzell—don’t take this the wrong way, but I think for the first time since you’ve been in this competition, people are going to remember you. That was very good.”



My Comments:

I dare you to tell me you don’t love this performance.

Well, maybe not love, but I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t say that they didn’t at least like it. This was definitely Vonzell’s “breakthrough” performance—we had been waiting for two months or so for this loveable girl to emerge as a potential frontrunner, and she did just that and more with this performance. I haven’t watched her audition since it aired, but I remember it clearly—the pink and green outfit, the smile, the clear vocals. Finally, with BOML, her potential was reached, and she continued to push it further in the competition.

What’s there not to like about this? Her high energy, smile, and on-the-money vocals were absolutely infectious—she perfectly slid into the pop/soul vibe of this Emotions classic. The word that keeps coming to mind is that this performance was just plain “fun”—she looked like she was having a blast, and so did we. From the first “Come on y’all!” (some people are annoyed by audience encouragement, but I’m usually okay with it), she had a clear connection to the lighthearted nature of the song, giggling, easing through the vocals, and proudly singing straight to Simon’s face.

On the downside, one of Vonzell’s problems was that she was always teetering on the edge of being off-key (a malady that brought many of her potentially-strong performances down, such as “Anyone Who Had A Heart”). Also, some of her high runs were a bit iffy—as in, are we exactly sure she’s hitting the notes she means to hit? Still, the infectious, fun energy of this enjoyable performance can not be denied, and it earned Vonzell her first spot in the Top 100 (yes, there are more to come).

Favorite Moment:
If I could single out one thing from this performance, I enjoyed her occasional bursts of giggling/laughing during and after the song. They don’t seem forced—they seem to erupt directly out of the fun she was having on stage. (in the video, :37 and 1:21)



*

HINT for #98: Saltwater?

[ladeo18]

LOVE that performance. awesome choice.
and roflmao at Randy's comments


I'm kinda lost on the clue though. Is it something by Ruben ? or maybe Sanjaya's "Bathwater" ???