American Idol announced the top 5 performers for its final season last night, and featured a pair of performances by former Idol runner-up Adam Lambert.

American Idol Recap: Adam Lambert Performs

Before the top 6 singers hit the stage Thursday night, longtime Idol favorite Lambert hit the stage to perform “Mad World” – which was preceded by a brief dip back in time to 2009, when Lambert first performed the song on the show. Later on, Lambert treated the audience to his new song “Welcome to the Show,” featuring Laleh.

Though Lambert is a tough act to follow, the remaining contestants in the 2016 season then took to the stage. Unfortunately, midway through, one of the singers learned that it was going to be the end of the road.

Trent Harmon – OneRepublic, “Counting Stars” & Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Simple Man”

Trent mixed up his performances by giving America a taste of what he sounds like singing a modern pop vocal with OneRepublic’s oft-covered hit – and then threw it back in time with “Simple Man.” Though Trent’s first performance was well-received, his second was more powerful – for both him and the audience.

Dalton Rapattoni – Lincoln Park, “Numb” & Simon and Garfunkel – “The Sound of Silence”

Like Trent, Dalton’s first performance paled in comparison to his second. Though Lincoln Park’s catalog would seem to be a natural fit for Dalton’s vocals, there wasn’t enough energy behind his rendition of “Numb” to make it memorable. However, Dalton did what he does best with “The Sound of Silence,” imbuing every lyric with added meaning with the use of his voice.

La’Porsha Renae – India.Arie, “Ready for Love” & Mary J. Blige, “No More Drama”

La’Porsha came ready to fight for the American Idol title Thursday night, hitting both performances out of the park. She opted to do a slowed down rendition of “Ready for Love,” and then offered an impeccably controlled vocal of Mary J. Blige’s powerful anthem. In fact, it was so powerful, that she left both herself and J. Lo in tears.

MacKenzie Bourg – Cat Stevens, “Wild World” & Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean”

MacKenzie’s take on “Wild World,” selected for him by the audience, was more than passable. However, it was his stripped down version of “Billie King” that showed his full range, potential, and creativity as an artist.

Sonika Vaid – Frozen’s “Let It Go” & Zedd feat. Foxes “Clarity”

Fighting for her spot in the top 5, Sonika performed two very well known and frequently covered songs. The performative aspect of “Let It Go” likely saved an otherwise average performance of the Frozen song. Sonika was stronger vocally on “Clarity,” a more natural fit for her range.

Tristan McIntosh – Martina McBride, “Independence Day”

Tristan only got to perform one song Wednesday night, as after the performance, she was informed that she was getting cut from the competition. With that being said, she did the country anthem proud from behind the piano keys, going out on a solid note.

American Idol airs Thursdays on Fox at 8/7c.

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