Hiya cuties! Back from taping which, due to technical glitches and taping “extras” for the international viewing audience, ran over by about an hour!
Well. Another amazing show…90% because all the rockers really reached down deep and brought something extra and beautiful…but it was also made special because it was the last Sunday taping of the season, lots of hugs and emotion all around, and the audience (except for those 25 paid hotties) all seemed to be friends, family and RABID FANS, which was awesome.
Before the show: we get to see the reality show - the trials and tribulations of song selection, will Lukas fight for his song? Will Dilana fuck up her song choice? Is Magni too homesick to continue on? Who's face will Toby smash a pie into this week? All these questions are asked, and only the Lukas and Toby questions are answered: No, and Magni!
Today's format - each rocker got to choose from the ENTIRE seasons back catalogue of songs. They could do one oldie, plus…drumroll…their original song again. Yes. I know. AGAIN. So just when I start groaning…I learn that the rockers had four NEW songs slipped into the stack of oldies…and three out of four rockers went for the new tunes, thus saving us from hearing Rebel Yell or I, Alone one more time! Woohoo!!
On with the show:
The House Band decides to play a little warm up song for us before the cameras start rolling…but this time, instead of Paul singing, they announce a surprise vocalist….and it's none other than Suzie freakin' McNeil! She and OB:House, with NO PRACTICE, bust into Bohemian Rhapsody for us, and holy hot damn. Truly forgot what a powerhouse this girl is, vocally. The audience goes nuts for her. I saw cameras filming it, so maybe it'll end up on some DVD extra or something!
Okay, camera time:
Brooke informs us that the home audience has voted for one of our old rockers from this season to come back and sing one more tune, one more time…and the winner? The Dark Horse himself, Mr. Ryan Star. Yes, everyone's favorite cuddly serial murderer comes back (his mysterious open wound still covered with the “arm bandage”) Perhaps he's Jack the Ripper, incapable of actually being killed, and the secret to his longevity lies beneath that mysterious bandage? What else can explain the reason I'm STILL seeing this dude? Oh, he's got the #1 song on itunes, you say? Maybe that's a more plausible reason. No matter. He rocks Back of My Car again, and even though I haven't heard that song since he got the boot, even I know the words! “It's a perfect time of night…for taking your clothes off…” Everyone loved this - the audience went mad afterwards!! Ryan fans, your boy did you proud!!
First up: Toby!
Karma Police - Radiohead
Throw it All Away - original, w/special guitarist…Magni!
Toby was pretty hot! He comes out in aviator shades and rocks Radiohead. He sounded amazing. There were a SEA of “EVS” signs (passed out by our very own rockbanders) and “RAND WAGON” signs, the entire place was humming with Toby love. For me, the Radiohead song was really good, and had high energy, but Toby didn't really take off for me until he sequed into his original - when MAGNI comes out to join him on stage. Holy freaking Moses!!!!!! These two were so god damn hot together. Magni is on guitar, hitting the cords hard, and at one point, SINKING TO HIS KNEES IN FRONT OF TOBY, offering up homeboy his guitar for Toby to play, while it was still strapped around Magni's neck. All. Kinds. of. Sexy!! Now THAT was worth paying money for - we all pogoed and sang “chemical dreaming…throwing it all away…uh oh uh oh uh oh…” Yep, its official, after hearing a song three times, you basically know all the words.
Judges: Dave - great set, just watched a rock show…but dude, when Magni dropped to his knees in front of you…you need to watch out for those camera angles! ;) T Lee - uh, yeah, I didn't know WHAT was going on there. But loved it! Gilby: thought toby lost it in the beginning of the Radiohead song, but loved it when he pulled out his full voice. Gilby echoed my sentiments, that he was disappointed to be hearing the songs AGAIN for the third time, but even so, thought Toby was GREAT! Jason: loved the comfortability Toby has on stage, and with his fellow rockers, and he's “almost erased” one of the Toby moves that he finds annoying, the “Kangorilla”. Hm…don't know what that is, but whatever it is, it's almost gone. Good job Toby!!!
Next up…my boy Lukas…
Fix You - Coldplay
Headspin - original
In a taped package early in the show, Lukas told us that he was singing Fix You to his father - with whom he had a rough relationship. He hoped he could “fix it”. I just can't count the ways in which Lukas makes my head spin, y'all. I love this dude. Lukas' set was pretty mellow compared to Toby's - Fix You starts out slow but then builds and builds and Lukas just lets it rip - vocally stunning. Visually captivating. And then there's his freakin' falsetto. Lukas fans, our boy really brings the emotion. Then for the third time…Headspin. Lukas is the only one of the rockers to change up his original, this time doing a stripped down version. Well, even I, who have heard/seen him sing it this way on youtube videos…got chills. I thought it was the most beautiful we've heard him. I could go on, but all I'd end up doing is typing one word over and over: ROCKSTAR!!
Judges: Dave confessed, he didn't know at first if he could listen to Lukas' voice for two hours…but after hearing so many facets of his voice…not only could he listen for two hours he'd buy tickets right now. T Lee can't even speak. He says in a hoarse voice - “you freak me out, that's all I can say…I'm freaked out…” Translation: T Lee is seriously in love, folks. He's verklempt and passes the mic to Gilby…who is drawing up the adoption papers right now to adopt Lukas practically! Lots of affection when he tells Lukas how amazed he is at still hearing new things in Lukas' voice. Called him “fearless, and that's what rock n roll is all about.” Jason: that was the song, done just that way, that made Lukas stand out from 12,000 others he auditioned with, and now everybody gets to hear what got him there. YAY LUKAS!!!! Audience had a lot of Rossi Posse signs, but not as many as the EVS signs.
Next up: my girl Dilana!
Roxanne - The Police
Supersoul - original, with special backup singers….Magni, Lukas and Toby!!
Truth be told, I thought we could almost count our girl out after the last few weeks drama, calf injury, Psycho Killer rendition, etc etc…well. How can one person, with ONE SONG, erase all of that, and put herself BACK IN THE FUCKING GAME?? Ask Dilana, because homechick simply nails Roxanne. From the first two notes, she will rock you back on your heels, stop your heart and make you a BELIEVER again. I loved loved loved this. The audience MELTS and then becomes hers. And I'm suddenly afraid for my boy Lukas. Dilana is back. On last chorus, her fellow rockers take the stage and something of an AI sing-along ensues - sweet, fun and cute! Her original…now that I've heard it several times…has a cool and memorable verse and she rocks her song hard. She sports a black cane, but after a bit, tosses it aside, and proceeds to come into the audience, go up into the bleachers, sing to EVERYONE, then sings right in Supernova's faces, one at a time, putting herself BACK in their minds and hearts. GO DILANA!!
Judges: Dave: blown away by Roxanne, and proceeding her original with a slow song made the original really pop. Tommy - you touched EVERYbody, beautiful! Wish we could have put you on a cherry-picker so you could sing to the balcony. “We love you!” Gilby: Great set, you have such an amazing recognizable voice, everyone who hears it will remember it for the rest of their lives." Jason: take care of that leg! Great job!
Last up: man of the year - MAGNI!
Hush - Deep Purple
Original song
I LOVE MAGNI!!!! He played guitar on Hush, and my GOD, he and the House Band need to drop EVERYTHING and tour right now. Forget the Supernova tour. They are so tight, and when they each pair off and trade guitar licks, *poof*! It's very masculine and hard - I am looking at MUSICIANS…perfect look and sound. Magni was awesome. He and Raphael share a mic and belt out the chorus, and again, *poof*! Hush is hard rockin' tune, as is his original, so Magni rocks us yet again - an dthe audience throws devil horns and pogos for him.
Judges: Well…yikes! Tommy says that he really dug the Deep Purple song…but he doesn't think Magni's original is memorable :( Dave concurs - he can remember words or chorus from Dilana, Lukas and Toby's originals…but not Magni's. T Lee got BOOED long and loud by studio audience. ALL give props to Magni's singing and playing on Hush. Jason gives Magni a shout out about a 5-hour jam session that they all had last night - he loved playing with Magni. Jason commends him for his amazing versatility - playing with Toby, singing with Dilana, playing guitar on his own song. He's impressed. But over all…SN was the most lukewarm for Magni.
So…that was the show! We were told that on the finale, the bottom two vote-getters are going to have a sing-off (I think - the applause was very loud when Brooke was explaining this) and one of them will be sent home. And then the final three will sing for the prize!
I have NO IDEA who is going to win this.