American Idol began revealing the Top 24 contestants of the competition with its Showstopper episode on Sunday night (April 9) and singer Warren Peay -- who was called the "Christian Chris Stapleton" in his audition -- was put to the test. The 24-year-old singer opted to perform a version of The Allman Brothers Band's "Whipping Post" for this make-or-break performance. He also chose to lose his guitar for the rendition, a move that surprised the judges.
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Peay clearly displayed his robust and gritty vocals throughout the entirety of the performance, and judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie were impressed. He showed the performance skills of a seasoned professional as he roved the stage while belting the classic rock song.
During the performance, Bryan commented that Peay looked "natural" without the guitar. Shortly after he left the stage, Perry said, "I think it's pretty evident tonight who is the superstar."
After the performance, the judges invited Peay to a room where they would share with him his fate in the competition. Upon walking into the sleek room, Peay said, "I'm a little far from home, and it's a little fancy for my taste." Bryan then asked Peay how he felt about his performance.
"That's one of my favorite songs of all time, so I certainly hope that I did it justice," he said. "Judging from the crowd, I'd say it went well, and just based off of my feeling, I was certainly happy with it."
Bryan then revealed that Peay had "cleared another hurdle," telling him, "You're in our Top 24."
"I'm very proud of myself for getting this far," Peay said in an interview after finding out the good news. "I didn't know that I would make it this far. I certainly had the highest of hopes. And every performance that I've given, I've been happy with."
American Idol is currently airing on Sunday and Monday nights on ABC.
