Live at American Idol: Grand Finale Kicked Major Ass!

All the behind-the-scenes scoop from the season 10 finale

By Aimee Curran May 26, 2011 4:32 AMTags

American Idol closed out season 10 with a bang…or rather a star-studded blowout that fully redeemed the show's reputation following Tuesday's lackluster and rushed final performance show. We're still scraping our jaws off the ground from the number of music powerhouses and surprises that graced the stage during the two hour event.

So how was it inside the Nokia Theatre, and which performance was in danger of harming the audience?

Words can't describe our relief that Wednesday's finale show was a slam dunk in terms of entertainment. In sharp contrast to Tuesday's final performance show, the Nokia Theatre was crackling with excitement. It felt super packed, the audience felt warm and the old, familiar, cozy, Idol fuzzies were wrapping the room in one big celebratory hug.

Prior to going live, judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler were introduced to the audience as they took their seats. The crowd went wild as the three waved enthusiastically and flashed genuine, excited grins to everyone.

Kevin Winter/American Idol 2011/Getty Images

Things only got better from there with a lot of the credit going to Beyoncé. We saw an array of talent hit the stage. Icons like, Judas Priest, Lady Gaga, Tom Jones and Steven Tyler performed, but it was Ms. Sasha Firece that lit a fire in the audience.

When she came out with the top 13 girls, the entire room erupted. Out of every act that performed, Beyoncé received the loudest cheers, incessant screams, and like a magnet, captivated every singe person in the theater. Seriously...everyone freaked out.

We've been fans of B's for as long as we can remember, but even we were surprised by the true beauty of her voice, style and the warmth she seemed to spread with every note. No joke, it felt like she was giving a private concert to every ticket holder. It was truly amazing.

During commercial break, the set crew prepped for Bono and The Edge, along with Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark star Reeve Carney, to perform "Rise Above," but it was more than just a couple minor set changes. The stage manager and audience fluffer took command of the audience instructing them to to keep the aisles clear. The acrobatics of the flying Spider-Men was something that could injure anyone not in their seat….eek!

But that didn't seem to bother the audience. They were too distracted trying to learn the lyrics they were going to sing during the Spidey song. The performance went off without a hitch, and everyone was going nuts for Bono, but we couldn't keep our eyes off Reeve, who killed it! We predict it's only a matter of time until he's getting the applause and recognition his megastar stagemates were receiving. Ummm, did we also forget to mention he's a major babe?!

Finally it was time to announce the winner, and it seemed like every audience member asked was rooting for Scotty McCreery. As Lauren Alaina and Scotty joined Ryan Seacrest onstage to find out whose dream was coming true, the mood in the room immediately went from carefree and fun to intense anticipation.

The entire room held it's breath as Ryan read Scotty's name, and then it was nothing but a shower of confetti, congratulations and country celebration as Scotty took the mic to sing his first song as American Idol.

Are you happy Scotty is the new American Idol? Will you buy his album? Are you going to see the American Idol tour this summer? For the last time in season 10...hit the comments!