Fritz Hager wasn’t able to take to the “American Idol” stage as planned on Sunday after contracting COVID-19 but he still managed to wow the judges.
Hager belted out an epic performance of an original song “All My Friends”. The show aired a rehearsal before Hager video-called in to the show.
After checking how the singer was feeling, Luke Bryan said: “Thank God we video-taped rehearsal. Just for you to transition so much from the acoustic to the electric guitar and have that rock star moment. It looked [and] sounded amazing.
“You just got all the tools. You’ve got the creativeness to go a long way.”
Hager then surprised his mom with a song about his family, dedicated to his grandma, titled “The Ocean” for Mother’s Day.
Bryan gushed, “Once again Fritz, just your guitar playing and the emotion that you’re able to… you’re just, you look like a pro, you sound like a pro. Just amazing performance.”
Richie added, “All I’m going to say is, singer, songwriter, performer… my friend, your star has arrived.”
Perry shared, “I think that was one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard about grandma in general. You continue to shock me and blow me away.”
Noah Thompson also tested positive for COVID-19 so was unable to perform onstage, instead zooming in.
Sunday saw Christian Guardino and Jay Copeland get eliminated, failing to make the Top 5.
