Exquisite Transitions
Exploring the opportunities and gifts of changing timesArchive for road to idol
NOW showing everywhere: The Road to Idols
It’s so clear to me now, this road we’ve all witnessed. Another journey we’ve been on together. Did we know when we boarded, at such a necessary time for feeling good again, precisely 9 months after that fateful September day…
I don’t think so…
Looking back at the innocence of contestants, host(s), judges… even the audiences took on a whole different feel over the years. It’s morphed into the scene everyone wants in on… and well beyond. From t-shirt and jeans auditions which ran 4 and 5 weeks into performance shows, to gowns and rhinestones in Hollywood week. From 2 out of ten great singers which could reasonably have won, to 8 out of 10 great singers equally vying for the crown.
And the finales. Yes…
The first finale, a high school production. Innocent, and filled with a gazillion sparks of excitement and anticipation. And the tears…the raw emotion…by Kelly, the judges, the audience…and me. We all adopted Kelly. But my how they’ve changed.
From high school musical to Emmy show knock-offs. From allowing the contestants to sing a few notes along side their Idols, to awkward joint performances, to Idol’s two Idols singing as equals, bringing the past and the future into the present. How awesome.
No more awesome than experiencing the demonstration of singing and performing with experience shining through talent, rather than talent as a blank canvas which has yet to feel of the colors of the song… Side-by-side each highlighting the beauty of the other. Celebrate that which unifies. Celebrate the differences.
Between the poking self-awareness about whose exit is Most Shocking, “Special” Relationship? and the effervescent self-awareness of each participant, is there still more to recognize?? These future Idols slip into character like a hand in a glove, through these finale vignettes. Clearly they bring a new dimension of talent to Idol, ones Justin and Kelly simply lacked.
And what of those Idols of the past, where did they come from, and why does it still light a fire where none has burned in decades? Acceptance, appreciation…the future, those kids, carry an appreciation for that which even their parents may not know. They feel it. They groove it. They LOVE it. And it shows.
And what of the panel? Randy, who has gotten into a rut of creating the phrase of the season, to be played back as a standing joke that played out weeks ago. Or J Lo, the updated, though looking-toward-out-going version of Paula. The singer as Music Video artist that’s more focused on the entire experience than vocals. The rose between the thrones.
And then there’s Steven. From “fun” bleeps and bizarre Taylorisms, he’d give us pieces here and there, with his sound and rock persona. Then a performance, something new… still unknown. Full stop. Here it is, that “really great song!” Is that him?? Never quite piecing it together, or remembering for more than an instant…until the finale. Yes, it’s THAT guy. Clearly I was not cool. I didn’t listen to that. Or know his name. Or remember what Aerosmith sang. So why is it now such a great song?
True.
Then it was not appealing, not to me. Or my husband. Why now then? Without even realizing it we were now being treated to the soundtrack of our lives. Somehow echoing through the fabric of our past, even those vibes we did not consciously seek out, we now fully embrace and revere. [That would explain some of the musical taste of our grandparents and great-grandparents!] Thanks for linking a resisted past with an all-embracing future.
The energies being pulled along from the consciousness of the past and rippling out from the future, merging in the now.
Exquisite Transitions 