As a fan of American Idol I was looking forward to seeing some of the finalists perform live at Franklin Summer Bash. On the lineup this year was Thunderstorm Artis, Mattie Pruitt, Filo, Josh King, Canaan James Hill, Drew Ryn, and Kolbi Jordan (Season 23), and Kayko (Season 22).

Kayko kicked off the night, pulling double duty as emcee and performer. He welcomed everyone, saying what a special night it was to support the Idol finalists. Then he took to the stage to perform a mix of pop/rock covers and originals including his new song “I Wanna Fall In Love”. These tunes were fun, upbeat, and full of energy. His onstage charisma and familiarity with the other contestants made him a good choice for emcee.

Next up was pop singer Drew Ryn. As a Franklin native, she was excited to be performing her first hometown show with friends. She sang a few original songs including “I Talk to God” and her viral hit “Orchestra”. All the while cracking jokes, reminiscing about her time on Idol. She also did a cover of Avril Lavigne’s “I’m With You” that she had performed on the show.

Platinum ticket winner Filo came out and belted out classic soul tunes, his vocals shining. Among them was a cover he had performed on Idol “Try A Little Tenderness”, as well as a Jack Harlow Cover “Set You Free”.

Seventeen-year-old gospel singer, Canaan-James-Hill brought everyone to church. He sang a few of his favorite Christian covers. He also performed originals “Better Days” and “I Need Your Glory”, all the while praising God, and doing his best to lift up the audience in prayer and encouragement.

Platinum ticket winner and gospel singer, Kolbi Jordan came out with a big voice and big personality to match. She performed “Don’t Walk Away” an old 90s cover by Jade, in addition to a few others.

Singer-songwriter Josh King brought his airport lounge vibes (and jokes) to Nashville. His set was very mellow and laid back. Best part was when he did his Rick Astley song “Never Gonna Give You Up” from Idol. He performed two originals, including a song he had just written called “Refugee”.

I enjoyed watching sixteen year old Mattie Pruitt grow throughout the last season, and was happy to see her on the lineup. She has clearly come a long way from the quiet, young girl we first saw on Idol. While not as talkative as the rest, she held her own performance wise. She performed an original called “Strings” which she’s thinking of releasing as her next single. At one point, she got vulnerable and sat on the edge of the stage, singing a sad song she had just written directly to fans up front.

Singer-songwriter and Top 5 finalist, Thunderstorm Artis closed the show. He was a strong front runner on the show, so I was looking forward to seeing him live as well. He even brought back out Drew Ryn to perform the viral duet “The Night We Met” that they had done on American Idol. Most memorable performance of the night. He also brought out his wife to sing a song, which was touching. He performed originals including the song he auditioned for Idol with “Don’t Let Me Let You Go” and “Better Days”, a song he wrote to his sixteen-year-old self.

All of the artists stuck around to meet fans afterwards, which I think is great. And not done enough anymore. It was a fun night and cool to see a glimpse into American Idol.