A full-circle moment for Leah Marlene at the Castle Theatre

She called it her homecoming.

To be clear, that singing ray of sunshine known as Leah Marlene has returned home lots of times since appearing on Season 20 of American Idol—not including a whirlwind parade through Uptown Normal and a televised, prime time concert with thousands of fans. That mainstage event was just steps from Uptown Circle, where a scrappy, guitar-toting teenager played, sometimes, to tens of people.

There also was a night at the Corn Crib. And another at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts. This summer, she played a set at Tailgates ‘N’ Tallboys, too.

But what made Saturday night different is all it represents for a kid from Normal with a dream. Now based in Nashville, Leah Marlene packed up her guitars and brought a five-piece band, plus Idol pal Fritz Hager, for a one-night-only show at the Castle Theatre.

As an aspiring musician attending Normal West High School, Leah Marlene saw lots of shows at the Castle. She worked there for a time and even opened for a few friendly headliners.

The natural progression for a townie with a guitar is to eventually headline at the Castle — but until this weekend, that was the one box in Bloomington-Normal Leah Marlene had yet to tick.

So even after all of it — the parade, the show and the media blitz and the inevitable cooling off period that comes after a meteoric rise that ends as soon as the confetti drops — after all that, it was so abundantly clear how much playing the Castle meant to her.

Julie E. Ballard

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WGLT

She pulled together a setlist highlighting her versatility, anchored by her first EP since Idol ended, We’re All Buying Into A Dream. In one evening, Marlene managed to build up an emotional arc of ups and downs, demonstrating both her vulnerability and a burgeoning rock star, best seen in originals Architect and Flashes, plus a near-perfect cover of The Rolling Stones’ Paint it Black as the closer.

It was in these moments that her seemingly apathetic band mates came alive — then again, if we’ve learned anything from Marlene, it’s to not judge a book by its cover.

On that last point, her night at the Castle Theatre also is a reminder of the journey she’s been on, with and without American Idol. Somehow, she’s stayed pretty grounded. Her mom is her manager; her dad is the guitar tech. She kept a few of the things she learned on the show — like her now signature pantsuit and a more mature performance quality.

Leah is good. She's always been good. And she’s getting even better, doing her homework by watching and learning from the headliners she's opened for the last two years — somehow improving on what has always been strong guitar chops and an even stronger vocal.

This homecoming event was special because it wasn’t Leah Marlene the superstar. It was the kid from Normal with a dream, doing everything she can to make her dream a reality. It felt like headlining the Castle was as much if not more of an expression of that dream as singing for Katy Perry to an audience of millions.

That may be why she dusted off Wisher to the Well as an encore, an older original song that convinced American Idol's judges to send Marlene to Hollywood. She said she doesn't play it much anymore — even fumbling the words on the first try. It's as though she wants to remember the journey, while she's still very much on it.

Snakes & Ladders
Lottery
By The Wind
Architect
Hold On
Tomorrow
Can’t Keep Me Down
Tusk (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Volcanos (Damien Rice cover with Fritz Hager)
My Girl
Dying Wish
Flashes
Paint It Black (The Rolling Stones cover)

Alright
Flowers
Wisher To The Well

Leah Marlene will for headline for Canadian indie pop band Peach Pit at Illinois State University's homecoming concert, Sept. 24 at Braden Auditorium, 200 N. University St., Normal. Tickets are $20-$30 at ticketmaster.com.