The underdog who won American Idol Season 11, Phillip Phillips came to the South Side Ballroom in Dallas on Sept. 24 for his first tour.

Although, many people claimed that Phillips didn’t have any star presence on the AI stage, and that he shouldn’t have won compared to Jessica Sanchez (runner-up), they are wrong. I honestly didn’t go to the concert for Phillips; I went to the concert for the opening acts: ZZ Ward, A Great Big World and Magic.

The whole concert had an alternative smooth rock vibe. Overall, it was really great. Everyone that performed had great stage presence and interacted well with the crowd. The first act was ZZ Ward. She is an upcoming artist with an amazing and powerful voice. She commanded the stage, and I couldn’t help but just stare at her. The way she moved with the music, enticed the crowd. You could tell she was into and was passionate about her craft.

Next act was A Great Big World, the band best-known for their song “Say Something.” They have so many other songs out there that everyone can relate to as well. I swear they sounded exactly like on the radio although they did not have Christina Aguilera with them. The set lasted about 30 minutes, but I wish it could have gone on forever.

The last opening act was “Magic,” the reggae band that currently has the chart-topper song “Rude.” They were actually the main reason I wanted to go to the concert. I fell in love with them when I heard the song “Rude” because it became a meaningful song between a friend and I. The best part during the 30-minute set was when the lead singer jumped into the crowd, I about died. They deserved so much more than half an hour.

After all of the opening acts, Phillip Phillips came on and made the night even better. When he’s on stage you can tell he and his band feed off of the crowd’s energy. With every beat he’s stepping and just listening to his fellow band members. On stage they even had a music battle between the keyboard and the cello. You could see Phillip’s genuine smile as he watched it happened.

It was a successful night for Phillips in Dallas. I’m sure he convinced those people who thought he wasn’t good enough to win, wrong. The only negative thing I would have to say about the concert is the set changes could have been much quicker. They lasted anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour, which is a long time since the concert was standing room only. Overall, I would recommend people to give Phillip Phillips a chance because his performance just may surprise you.