Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to my review of America’s Got Talent - The Live Shows. And boy, what a huge start last week. Almost all of the acts did great, and deserved their stays in the competition. And now they get to rest, as another 12 acts take their chances on the Radio City Music Hall stage in the hopes of winning over the nation and securing their places in the next round of Live competition. It’s time for this group of acts to shape up and give their all, before it’s all downhill.
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Kicking it off, the only female-only act that pops, locks and rocks: DMNation!
#AGT
— Maroon Mondays (@MaroonMondays) August 19, 2015That was dope. Truly. The girls brought it. But I did feel it was the same Technique-wise. The dances were different, but I felt there were less to to love about them after the first couple times.
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Next up was stand-up magician extraordinaire Derek Hughes.
For his act, he asks Melanie to come up on stage to help with this card trick.
At first, I was bored with it. I was expecting the same old thing (emphasis on “Same” and “old”). But then I was blown away when he showed us this part of the trick: he shuffled the deck a few times, and then revealed the card Mel signed wasn’t even in the deck at all. It was in his pocket! Then after showing us how it’s done, he tries it again, but not with the card. But with the deck!
That was crazy good!
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3 Shades of Blue made their Live Shows debut with their cover of Nick Jonas’ “Chains”.
At first, I wasn’t as liking towards it as I’d want to. But as it progressed, I warmed up to it. It still dragged to me, but it’s not bad. But, the vocals of the frontman were mediocre.
I also found the instrumentation really good.
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Animation Crew returned to AGT, and sadly, it didn't live up to what they brought.
I wholeheartedly agreed with what the judges (especially Heidi, believe it or not) said about this performance. The set-up was more distracting than helpful to the act’s dancing, and even overpowered it at times. And I wish I could say that their dancing held up very well. And it did...at parts. There were parts where it looked like they stopped suddenly, there’s parts where the dancing was more sub-par; and if the camera wasn’t held on them at the right time, it looks sloppy. I also blame the camera work and direction, because that looked sloppy was well. I’m not saying better work would’ve made the performance better--I’m say that made it worse.
Also, the set-up showed a graphic at the end that said “GAME OVER”. I have a feeling that this will be foreshadowing to them leaving the competition the next night.
Sorry, Animation Crew, but that wasn’t your best play.
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Up next was young singer Arielle Baril. She blew us all away with her angelic operatic voice during her audition--so much so, that Heidi pressed the.golden Buzzer for her. And now that she’s in the the Live Shows, she has to pick up the tempo to go through. I guess she would…
She’s just fantastic.
Oh my goodness. @ArielleBaril is a star. She deserves to be. #AGT
— Maroon Mondays (@MaroonMondays) August 19, 2015Okay, a little more insight. It was more nuanced, controlled, and powerful than in her audition. It’s like she took lessons--which payed off wonderfully. Beautiful job, young lady.
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Uzeyer Novruzov was an act I didn’t expect to make it past the Judge Cuts--he’s a guy holding onto a ladder and trying to stand. It’s not that impressive. But somehow, he impressed the judges enough to make it here, the Live Shows. What happened this time?
Well, this time I will admit I was wrong and I will eat my words.
This was fun, exciting and...breathtaking.
But first, the start. I was bored and uninterested going in--especially with that fall (which I later realized was fake and enhanced it), but when Uzeyer did those tricks on smaller ladders, I was more and more intrigued, and then enjoying the act more than I wanted or needed to. When he got to the bigger ladder, my boredom turned interest which turned to enjoyment. I was actually enjoying this performance and wanted to root for him now.
And finally, the biggest one, the 18-foot ladder. I was nervous, and even scared for him, hoping this dude wouldn’t break anything on live television. But...he did it!! Uzeyer did!! He balanced the ladder and kept his cool. Plus, his character is very reminiscent to Charlie Chaplin, which was a big plus. He’s changed my entire perception of him in this one performance, and I’m now a bigger fan. A bigger fan to call this my Favorite Act of the Week.
Great job, you--uhh…@FreeLadderMan.
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Our favorite puppet and his puppet-ty mom have returned!!
Ira and his mom Miriam make their Live Shows debut performing Sir Tom Jones’ classic (and the song everyone really knows as the song Carlton Banks does The Carlton to) “It’s Not Unusual”
I’ll start with this: While his love rollercoaster for Mel has fluctuated since the Auditions stage my love for him started to wane. I got very annoyed for his crush gimmick. But my enjoyment of his singing has never died. This guy (behind him) can using real good, better than a couple of the singers (they are male, calm down). So I was still interested with what he’d bring here.
This ship on the sea setup was really cool, and his little band was a great touch. Ira’s vocals were wonderful and the sax solo by Miriam was real nice. I liked this very much.
Good job, Mr. and Mother Funnelbloom.
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Damone Rippy is another act I didn’t expect. In his case, AT ALL. I thought his act of flyboarding was (while really cool) an act that would last long after his audition. I never even saw him in the Judge Cuts. But...he’s here. Somehow. (did they lose someone again?)
It’s clear that because the weather was clear and sunny at the time, this portion was taped. But that’s not the straw that broke for me. That was simply because this is not a million-dollar act, plain and clear.
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Hopefully, the next act, Myq Kaplan would ease my frustration.
The comedian, known for his fast, awkward comedy, hit the Live stage for more, and I gotta tell ya...it was not as strong as last time. The jokes were fine, but they weren’t as great as the ones he shot during the Judge Cuts. He also seemed less confident here, which is understandable (live show, and audience was a little unresponsive); but when your last live competitor was a putter that aced it, you’ve got a problem. And a problem he had. The content wasn’t great, the speed wasn’t perfect and he wasn’t as on-the-ball as last time. I was disappointed in Myq.
Pity, because he’s good and has a really cool, unique name.
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Things got even better for me when The Craig Lewis Band lit up the stage with their performance of Otis Redding’s classic (and the reason everyone really knew about it--Duckie dancing and lip-synching to it in Pretty in Pink...and Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “Otis”) “Try a Little Tenderness”. And, damn it, they knocked it out AGAIN.
I’ll start with this: the instrumental was a turn-off; I didn’t like it. And that’s the gripe.
I don’t have to say what I’ve already did before. These guys are sooo talented, and deserve to reach the finals. These guys are also my Favorite Act of the Week.
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Dance/video mapping group (and Auditions Golden Buzzer choice) Freckled Sky turned the Live stage into a lovely piece of art with their performance.
I thought it was really nice. But I thought it didn’t bring as much surprise or excitement as their performance in the Auditions.
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Finally this week, singer (and Melanie’s Golden Buzzer choice) Sharon Irving just ended the show on another high note with her cover of “Glory” from the Selma soundtrack.
This was an interesting choice, as this was a collaboration between a rapper and a singer. But she pulled it off in a powerful, yet delicate way. She sang...and rapped. That’s enough for me to help move her through. But her voice is so beautiful, yet bombastic, that you can help but get emotional from listening. It has almost it all.
She said her grandfather one walked with Dr. Martin Luther King, and dedicated this performance to him and his walk for our people’s freedom. And I deeply commend her for it.
I know that she’ll never get this personally, but I just want to thank Mel for sending Sharon to the Live Shows so quickly. This is well-deserved and she proved why she deserves to be there.
I send gratitude to Sharon for her rapid rise to success, and Mel for her bright-eyed choice.
I also commend the producers for adding the Golden Buzzer this season; it was a genius add.
Favorite Acts:
Uzeyer Novzurov
Craig Lewis Band
Sharon Irving
(all have improved from last time and made me an even bigger fan)
Honorable: Ira & Arielle Baril
Worst Acts:
Animation Crew
Damone Rippy
Myq Kaplan
(all didn’t live up to expectations, and have fallen lower than before)
Dishonorable: 3 Shades of Blue
I have said previously that singers weren’t my favorite group of acts on this show. But dammit, I’m happy to change my perception of them, because so far this season, they’re come to dominate and lead the competition. (And most of them are female) Samantha Johnson, Arielle Baril, Alondra Santos, Craig Lewis Band and Ira (yes, him too) have brought their all to their performances and made me impressed in a way I never expected. This season’s Live Finals are starting to be a different beast than usual for me, and surprisingly, I’m really cool with that.
Three of the Auditions Golden Buzzer winners (along with JC GB winners Craig Lewis) made their Live Shows debuts, and all of them did amazing. But it varied.
Craig Lewis blew me away with their concept singing,
Arielle Baril was a lovely violet in her vocals,
Ira was more than a lounge singer,
and Sharon Irving was a true star.
And now, the eliminations:
Going Home This Week:
DM Nation
Animation Crew
Damone Rippy
Myq Kaplan
Freckled Sky
Moving on to The Semi-Finals:
Derek Hughes (@StandupMagician)
@3ShadesBlueBand (Judges’ Choice)
@ArielleBaril
Uzeyer Novruzov (@FreeLadderMan)
@IraFBloom (Dunkin’ Save)
@CraigLewisBand
@SharonIrving
(check them out on Twitter)
This was the second week in a row I figured that at least some of the best acts would get the clearance to move to the Semi-Finals. But it’s not a bad thing; I was still ecstatic for them to move forward. It was still expected.
Even though I was happy to know that he went, I was surprised that Ira got to go through, while Freckled Sky didn’t. Oh well, I wasn’t as enjoying this performance here, so I guess I wasn’t too surprised.
I was also surprised that 3 Shades of Blue went through too, because I wasn’t a fan of their performance here. It wasn’t that good to me. But hey, the judges chose them to move on, so I can’t fret hard about that.
Suit Up! with Nick:
I mean look at that gold thing holding the blazer.
And on Wednesday, Nick was super sharp in this pink/purple combination.
But it reminds me of something. But I can't tell what it--Oh yeah, Bing Bong.
All, in all, this was another great week of talent showcased here. I couldn't be anymore happier with the acts we saw here and I can’t wait for the acts to show their stuff next week:
Alicia Michili
Benjamin Yonattan
Chapkis Dance Family
DADitude!
Daniella Mass
Freelusion Dance Company
Gary Vider
Metal Mulisha Fitz Army
Mountain Faith Band
Oz Pearlman
Selected of God Choir
Stevie Starr "Professional Regurgitator" (really?!?)
See you then for the Live Shows Round 3!! My review coming at an earlier time than this.
See you next week!!
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