Last week, the top 2 finalists tossed a coin and Kris Allen won — he then chose to perform second in all the three songs that will be sang tonight. And so the much-anticipated night opened with Adam Lambert singing his masterpiece, “Mad World” which had the entire Nokia Theater in Los Angeles go ballistic. The judges were also proud of his much-subdued performance though Simon Cowell said his trench coat was over-theatrical. Kris Allen then reprised his “Ain’t No Sunshine” on piano — it was his best performance ever! He connected to the audience emotionally, his voice was flawless, he was in the zone as Randy Jackson would say. And for that, Kris Allen won Round 1 according to Simon Cowell.

In Round 2, the finalists performed songs chosen by American Idol creator Simon Fuller. Adam Lambert sang “A Change is Gonna Come” and according to all the judges, it was his best performance ever! Kris Allen then performed the socially conscious song “What’s Goin’ On”. He did it well but Simon Cowell said it was not ambitious enough for big night such as the finale. Adam wins Round 2 by “a million percent”. The last round had the contestants sing the same song — the coronation song co-written by American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. Adam Lambert’s performance was dramaticbut Randy Jackson he was pitchy. Randy then said Kris Allen was much more suited to the coronation song. In closing, the judges asked the voters to review the entire season’s performance before voting.