Blake Lewis, a top three finalist on American Idol, is from Bothell, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. Why is this important? When American Idol gets to their top three, that means it is time for the contestants to travel back home and be received like royalty, with parades and radio appearances and TV coverage. Take Blake Lewis’ schedule for today: First, an 8AM local TV talk show appearance. Next, a stop for interviews on four different radio stations. After that, a free 45-minute concert at Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle. Then, a 4PM parade down Main Street in Bothell, WA. And, finally, Blake is scheduled to sing the National Anthem at Safeco Field for the Mariners-Yankees game.
Being that BuddyTV is located in the beautiful city of Seattle, it was only natural that we would head to Downtown Seattle for a first-hand at today’s free outdoor Blake Lewis concert. It was a sight to be seen. In addition, we have a an exclusive video of the concert and the entire mp3 audio of the concert.
Let’s set up the scene. There was a big audience at the concert, probably somewhere over 1000 (but I’m not sure; I’m a bad crowd number guesser). The demographic wasn’t as skewed toward the teeny-bopper population as I thought it’d be. There were plenty of them, mind you, but less than you’d expect at an Idol show. You had everyone from twenty-somethings to grandparents, and they all seemed to enjoy the show.
Blake showed up on time and talked to the crowd for a bit as he waited for some equipment to show up. He let the beat-boxing flow during the 40-minute concert, even performing two of his original songs, which were effects/beat-box heavy.
He sang a few of the songs he’s performed on American Idol, including Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” and Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity” (which we have video of below). At one point, Seattle’s own Sir Mix-a-Lot joined Blake on stage. The two performed Baby Got Back, with Blake providing the beat for Mix.
You could tell that Blake was vocally tired, his voice was hoarse, but he gave it his all throughout the concert, and was very appreciative of his fans. It’s easy to imagine Blake doing some interesting things once his commitment to American Idol ends. The creativity he showed when performing his original material is more than impressive. If he teams up with a good producer who can reign his ingenuity in, then Blake may turn into the real deal.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
