Finale Tickets

Through the luck of the draw I ended up with American Idol Season 9 finale tickets! It wasn't hard to find three friends who wanted to go with me. After standing in line and getting our awesome seats (we were center orchestra) we wandered around the LA convention center and downtown LA until we found a place to eat, Bottlerocks. Their lunch prices were really reasonable for such an upscale dining area.

Looking back, I'm pretty sure it's because they make their profit specializing in wine. The picture sort of gives away why the waiter's polite smile grew tight as each of us non-drinkers all ordered water.

After we finished eating, we wandered around and saw a dog strut by wearing sunglasses. I was sad I missed the photo op but later we saw him again, this time riding shot gun in a truly awesome car.

With his sun glasses and paw resting on the window he seemed very Hollywood. Not only does he fit in better in LA than I do, but he is also much cooler.

Outside the theater, the media were milling around, looking for interviews. People had been lined up hours, staking out good spots and hoping to catch glimpses of their Idol favorites. You can see the red carpet behind us. The city block was closed hours before the show actually began taping.

It was amusing to watch people try to scheme themselves into better seats. Every seat in the theater was assigned and yet people kept thinking they could claim any empty one as their own. I witnessed a fight between two people over seats and it turned out it didn't belong to either of them. The guy who won the argument was kicked out by the ticketed owner about five minuets after his heated fight. When the show actually started the excitement in the room was palpable. It helped that the audience warm up guy, Cory Almeida, was full of energy and really knows how to work a crowd and get the blood pumping. I'm not just saying that because he's a friend either. :) I had no idea when I signed up to get tickets that I would end up with finale tickets or that it would be Simon's last show. They pulled out all the stops for this one. The guest stars were amazing and they just kept coming. Here are a few: Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Kelly Clarkson, The Bee Gee's, Chicago, Bret Michael, Carrie Underwood, Alanis Morissette and Christina Aguilera. There were tons more! I had to stop screaming at some point because my vocal chords felt like they were about to snap like a too tight guitar string.

Based on the signs and cheering volumes, I wasn't surprised when Lee took the title. The audience vibe that night was very pro Lee. It was a fantastic night and I'm so glad I got to go!