--- Comes out in a white shirt, tie, and scruffy as all get out. It works for him.
--- No one in the audience seemed to know “Gather Round,” the irresistibly catchy track on his new album. I immediately whooped and pointed at him, showing him that at least I knew it! I feel like he saw me, but who knows…
--- “Train Wreck” and “Free” were super smooth. Hard not to be a fan of those. “Wait for You” and “One Word” were a bit syrupy. Shatika Mays probably would have liked them; I did not.
--- “Virginia” / “Downtown on the Boulevard” proved how
important it is to share stories with the crowd. He talked all about how he was a local boy
from the 804 and how a middle school friend he ‘used to ball with’ was at the
show tonight, and it totally enhanced the songs. Combine that with his humming between songs,
his familiar goat chuckle, and his shout out “to all the moms everywhere,” you
couldn’t help but love him. The mom
reference made you connect immediately back to Elliott’s mom and the parade in
Richmond, the most moving hometown visit in Idol
history.
--- The final song did not need a story or any sort of introduction. It was better than anything Danny Gokey, Casey James, or Jasmine Trias ever sang, and it was better than Elliott’s own version on the show. All the other members of the band left the stage, and it was just Elliott, the microphone, and Donnie Hathaway. It was…“A Song for You.”
Grade: B+
Endnote: Meeting him after the show was awesome. He seemed to genuinely appreciate how I’d
used his song in class and used him as an example of a three-dimensional
character. Evan Rochkind certainly has a
cool cousin.
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