Questions:

Where’s Jeff Lopez? His replacement was good, but he was no Jeff. Why is Brian in the background? He should be taking the lead in the keyboard solos. I’m confused… Melanie (background singer) is very good. She adds a sparkle to the stage. She’s a keeper!

Taylor was wearing the black Modern Whomp t-shirt at the Meet and Greet. I thought that was very nice!

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And from the local paper…

Last update: March 26, 2007 – 12:01 AM

Taylor Hicks in concert: What would the ‘Idol’ judges say?

By Jon Bream, Star Tribune

“American Idol” puts singers under a microscope. After offering only one song, they are diced and sliced by Simon Cowell, given a reality check by Randy Jackson and propped up by Paula Abdul. But that version of reality TV is such an artificial situation.A full concert is the true test of an “American Idol.” So we wondered what Randy, Paula and Simon would have said about 2006 “Idol” Taylor Hicks’ 72-minute show Sunday night at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake. We imagine their conversation would have gone something like this …

Randy: Yo, dawg, listen. The screams and standing ovation were great. But listen up: You really got it goin’ on with this Southern soul thing. Loved the funky five-string bass player. Loved that you gave props to the saxophonist [Brian Gallagher] from Minneapolis.

You know, you really reminded me of someone I’ve worked with before — Joe Cocker. That raspy kind of soul thing, reworking well-known songs. I dug the bluesy growl on Willie Nelson’s “Nightlife” and the way you turned Rod Stewart’s “Young Turks” into a funky strut.

Simon: Oh, come on, Randy. That was nothing but lounge lizard stuff. Taylor, when you did Hall & Oates’ “She’s Gone” and Supertramp’s “Take the Long Way Home,” it was nothing but corner-bar karaoke. You need to put your own stamp on these tunes. People don’t pay $53 for this kind of cabaret crap that they can see at any Holiday Inn on any given night.

Paula: Taylor, don’t listen to him. I just have to say … I don’t know how to put this. You know, the magic you showed on TV, you showed it again tonight. That smile just lit up the room and connected with all 2,300 fans. You look so sexy when you sweat through your shirt and your sport coat. And you look sooo good now. What did you lose, like, 20 pounds?

When you went from “Tupelo Honey” to “Let’s Get It On” and started dancing crazy, I just wanted to get up and dance with you just like we did during “Dancing in the Dark” on TV.

Randy: Yo, dawg, I dug the way you grafted oldies onto the ends of your own songs. That was a cool way to give props to your roots, like when you mixed in “Ain’t That Peculiar” and the Ray Charles piano riff on “Heaven Knows.” You’ve got some good instincts when it comes to soul music.

Simon: But he doesn’t have any original material worth putting on the radio. “Heart and Soul” from your “Under the Radar” album was painfully generic. “Gonna Move” from your new album had a nice groove to it. But do we need a new Dobie Gray? Anyway, I heard that song when it was first recorded in 1973. That new single you did, “Just to Feel That Way,” sounds like something Styx or Journey would have rejected 20 years ago. Why do you think your album is not selling anymore?

At least you had the good sense not to do that “Do I Make You Proud.” The only thing more pathetic than that single was the one that Katharine McPhee did.

And let me just say that you seemed to rush things. You talked too fast. I thought Southerners were supposed to talk slowly. Actually, you didn’t say much to the audience at all. You should have said more, and you should have introduced every member of your band.

Randy: You didn’t even shout “Soul Patrol.” What’s up with that, dawg?

Paula: And you didn’t even mention “American Idol” once. That’s OK. You looked sexy and confident. You had so much energy. I loved you. And America still loves you.

Jon Bream • 612-673-1719 • popmusic@startribune.com