When I was younger, spring break meant party time on the best beach that bus boy money could buy — Pensacola, South Padre Island, Panama City. So it’s a little pathetic that this year’s spring break sojourn to Evansville, Ind., caused so much excitement in my house.

But folks, we’re ‘American Idol’ junkies. We’ve sworn off Seacrest, Mr. Dog Pound, Ms. Ditz and Grumpy countless times, but always end up watching anyway.

The show’s biggest success story has been Carrie Underwood, and she was reason enough to pack up the car and head east.

We made a couple of stops along the way, including one at the giant Santa, whose wide eyes and over-sized nostrils could send a kid to therapy.

After dropping by the Pagoda, which serves as the visitor’s center, we had tasty fish and chips at the Tin Fin restaurant, which overlooks the swollen Ohio river.

The concert was held at Roberts Stadium, a 12,500 seat venue offering a good view from the cheap seats.

Josh Turner opened the show, and he was a pleasant surprise. I haven’t followed his career but his music was straight-ahead country, and the women clearly approved of his deep voice and beefcake looks.

Carrie started her set an hour later, clad in black, rising from a platform beneath the stage. She revved up the Idol base with ‘Flat on the Floor’ and ‘Wasted’ before settling in to a more mellow vibe. I think Carrie is at her best with slower, poignant songs, such as ‘I Know You Won’t,’ or sassy efforts, such as ‘Last Name.’

I’ve heard her described as a fembot performer, stiff and robotic. but she seemed at ease with the crowd.

The show was good but overproduced. Songs such as ‘Just a Dream’ didn’t need lasers and twirling lights, which became a distraction.

Carrie’s also difficult to pin down musically. After performing a country influenced set, her encore was a cover of ‘November Rain,’ made famous by the rock group Guns N’ Roses. But why stop there? Her next encore was a cover of ‘Paradise City,’ another Guns N’ Roses song. Hey, I’m a big fan of G N’ R, but I’m not sure the Josh Turner crowd knew what hit them.

Carrie isn’t scheduled to appear in St. Louis this year, but she has a couple of stops in Illinois this April and will play Indianapolis and Nashville this summer.

Above photos by Charles Williams/P-D