Amazing: Crystal Bowersox rocks AI with “Me and Bobby McGee”

Last night’s American Idol featured some pretty awful performances, most notably a cringefest when Paige Miles covered some horrible old Phil Collins song and we learned it was actually possible to make a Phil Collins song worse. (Even nicey-nice Ellen DeGeneres passed on commentary about Miles’ voice, commenting only on her shoes before passing the torch to Kara.)

One bright, shining highlight of the two-hour show was Crystal Bowersox’s awe-inspiring rendition of Janis Joplin’s version of “Me and Bobby McGee.” (While Joplin inarguably ‘owns’ the song, she did not write it and several versions have been released since then.) Despite an overall bad mood last night, even cranky Simon Cowell (who traded barbs all night long with Ryan Seacrest) told Bowersox that he “wouldn’t change anything” and Bowersox “nailed it.”

Below is a clip of Bowersox being coached by Miley Cyrus (Miley, meet talent) who has apparently decided pants are no longer fashionable, followed by her rendition of “Me and Bobby McGee.” While Bowersox is a bit unlikely to win the competition, let’s hope she sticks around for a bit afterwards.