Ok here's that report I promised.
This was the first venue in the tour to sell out so quickly that they added a second show, which also sold out the first day. Once you were within a mile of the place, it was like one big AI party. There was limo after limo of screaming fans. Car loads of people with the AI CD cranking. People waving signs...the traffic was a nightmare. And while a good portion of the people were of the screaming teenage girl persuasion, I saw many families, adults, couples, even senoirs. It was unbelievable how wild it was, and this was just outside. I've seen Madonna at this arena during her prime and it was nothing like this.
BTW, I should have ignored the stupid warnings that no cameras were allowed because EVERYONE had cameras. As for the souvenir/T-shirt stands..I couldn't even get close to them. It was ridiculous. The money was just flowing. I saw people trying to throw cash over the heads of the people in front of them trying to buy stuff.
My crappy 14th row floor seats (not second row) turned out to be pretty good. Inside it was just as wild. It was deafening...and the show hadn't even started. They were playing videos and stuff on the big screens and when they put on AI highlights I thought the roof was going to come down.
Anyway...the show. It started out with some kid who always wore a hat. Then.....sigh....The Julia had her first solo number. She was elevated from below stage laying on a couch singing Beautiful. And she sure was. Some crazed fan tried to jump onstage and lay on the couch with her, but the security guards stopped him. They were strong too....the poor guy got some nasty bruises on his arms that are just fading now. Now I know she was shaky at times during the competition, but her singing was unbelievable. Even the Julia haters would have to agree...she was phenomenal. After her number she chatted a bit with the audience, said hi to her parents who were there, and cracked a joke about rooting for the Yankees. That took a lot of guts because a few idiots started booing. The same crazed fan tried to attack the booers so the security guards had to constrain him again. I think they could have done that without ripping his shirt! But Julia clearly was showing a confidence and an ability to work the crowd she never had on the show. She handled that with ease and even got a laugh from the crowd. She then introduced the next singer. Don't remember who it was. Eventually a bunch of people came out and did solos. The first half of the show ended with some big guy who likes wearing an area code.
The second half was even better. There were a couple really well done numbers where The Julia sang with some of the other contestants who I think were on the show. And yes....Julia does look good in white. And she CAN dance quite well. She was the complete opposite to the nervous, sometimes awkward girl we saw on Fox. And for those who doubted the authenticity of certain body parts...let's just say...saline or silicone doesn't move like that. And if you were there in, say, the 14th row with 80x binoculars, you'd have seen for yourself.
Then there was some more singing by some people until The Julia had a duet with....I think his name was Rocky or Rickey...something like that. But again she was amazing, her voice has great range. It was If I Never Knew You from Pocohontas and she sang it better than Shanice did in the original recording. When The Julia finished that song the applause and cheering was ear splitting, so much that the poor lady beside me covered her ears in pain.
More singing by other people....blah blah blah....then another group number. The Julia again showed that she's destined for super stardom. There was a minor incident during this performance, but luckily it didn't detract. Some stupid kid in the 13th row kept waving this damn sign at the skinny singer with the big ears. The sign apparently blocked some guy's view of The Julia and a minor scuffle ensued. Can't say I blame the guy..who pays $45 to see a piece of cardboard?!? I sure as hell didn't!!
When the show ended, the frantic chants of "I want more Julia" were shaking the rafters. The aformentioned woman that was sitting beside me ran off with a trickle of blood coming from her ears. But thankfully, the Julia came out for an encore....oh and the other singers came out to do backup for her I guess.
I thought it a nice touch that she let the area code guy and the big eared kid do a couple songs on their own and then She ended the show with God Bless the USA.
I have to say that Julia's show was probably the best concert I've ever seen and it's no wonder it she's sold out in every city. She's THAT good.
I'm glad you managed to enjoy yourself after all that. 
