After individual sets, the ‘American Idol’ trifecta come together for a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy.’ By Jim Cantiello Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen (file) Photo: MTV News NEW YORK — The “American Idol” stars aligned Friday night (February 12), as Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen took the stage for an exclusive live event. Ryan Seacrest’s “Rock My Town” concert brought out hundreds of lucky ticket winners, all of whom braved the cold for hours to make sure they got the best possible spot in the intimate Highline Ballroom. Performing in the order in which they were eliminated during the eighth season of “Idol,” fiery-haired Allison Iraheta rocked out first in a dizzying set that showed off her raspy pipes and her criminally overlooked pop/rock songs. Iraheta — in two punky pigtails and a black-and-white rocker-chic dress — and her enthusiastic four-piece band ripped through fan favorites like “Holiday,” single “Friday I’ll Be Over U,” show-opener “Don’t Waste the Pretty” and “Robot Love” with plucky aplomb. (The latter song even featured Iraheta busting out a quick robot dance move, much to the delight of the audience, made up of teenagers, their parents and a host of baby boomers with glitter face-paint, presumably there for Mr. Lambert.) Iraheta’s set hit a few bumpy patches — including some technical hiccups with a bum mic — but she made up for it with her rough-around-the-edges, self-deprecating charm. After flubbing a few lines in the title track of her album, “Just Like You,” she offered a silly mea culpa to the adoring crowd. “I’m sorry for being an idiot. Let’s see if I can get this next one right.” (She did. “Trouble Is,” an achingly tender ballad, was a set highlight.) Later, on another ballad, “Scars,” Iraheta stopped her band when she realized she began in the wrong key. During take two, Allison changed the lyrics to “Don’t turn away, I won’t go off key this time.” All was forgiven by her set closer, a stompy fuzz-rock cover of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly” that was so strong, it’s easy to imagine Iraheta making it to last year’s finale had she had the chance to sing it on “Idol.” It’s a shame Allison’s self-confidence was on the fritz as she exited. “Sorry about sucking tonight,” she sighed. (For the record, she did not suck.) Self-confidence wasn’t a problem for Adam Lambert , who sported more glam and glitter in his hair than all of Las Vegas combined. During the explosive 11-song set, he owned the stage with his blend of raw sexuality, campy theatrics and, most importantly, vocal agility. Lambert effortlessly glided through octave-jumping, voice-testing songs like “Music Again,” “Strut” and the heart-stopping ballad “Soaked,” originally a Muse demo. Adam easily whipped the crowd into a frenzy with his Mick Jagger-meets-Alice Cooper-meets-Elvis Presley presence, but Lambert quickly stopped his set as soon as he noticed a fan in front had passed out from all the excitement. Once the situation had been resolved and the sick woman got some water, Adam suggested she take a seat away from the stage. “You can rock out from back there,” he politely suggested, before busting out “Sure Fire Winners,” which appropriately features the line “Give ’em something to pass out about.” Any “Idol” fans who expected Lambert to put out an album of hard-rock songs should start saving their cash for when Adam goes on tour later this year. Songs like “If I Had You,” “For Your Entertainment” and the Lady Gaga-penned “Fever,” which each have a dance/pop vibe on his RCA/ 19 Recordings debut, were given a rough, badass makeover thanks to his backing band. Lambert and his crew were just as effective on quieter tunes too. Current single “Whataya Want From Me” and the Ryan Tedder collaboration “Sleepwalker” were both high points for the passionate singer. But it was the one-two punch of his last two songs that really kicked the set to new heights. First, Lambert busted out the rare bonus track “Down the Rabbit Hole,” and even though not everyone knew the song, Adam had the entire crowd in the palm of his spiky-gloved hands thanks to his electrifying performance, complete with knee-falling, ear-monitor tossing and plenty of cozying up to his bassist, TommyJoe Ratliff (who your parents probably remember as the dude Lambert kissed on the American Music Awards ). “I got a little carried away,” he meekly said. Lambert then busted out his iconic cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” and the crowd erupted. It was a genius set-ender. Not only did it allow for his talented band to get some arena-ready rock solos, but the risqu
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