Shania Twain helps Abby Carter set the bar high

Some of the contestants on Season 22 of “American Idol” were born at a time when Blink-182 was experiencing huge success.

Do you feel old yet?

On Sunday night, the top 8 artists took the stage with songs from the year they were born, taking viewers back to late 90s pop punk and country songs from the 2000s. Shania Twain was on hand to push these singers to new heights and, when necessary, steer them away from some bad decisions (see: Kayko's insistence on singing Britney Spears' “Oops!…I Did It Again” as if it were “Bohemian Odyssey “).

Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie saw the fruits of the rare criticism they tied with last week's top 12 contestants as some “Idol” hopefuls pushed themselves to reach new heights.

Here are some of the highlights of the night and the contestant who was sent home after saving the judges.

What happened last week? The judges dole out cash (and hugs), and two contestants are voted off

Abby Carter ditches the instrument and sets a new standard for herself

Carter's dad is behind.

Her first bout with criticism from the judges last week seemed to light a fire under the 21-year-old musician, who has been one of this season's frontrunners since her Billie Eilish cover earned her a platinum ticket and an announcement from Bryan that she “could be the winner of 'American Idol'.” “.”

She heeded Brian's advice, ditched the guitar and piano, and the risk paid off.

When Abby started performing Coldplay's “Clocks” (2003) to the audience, it was immediately clear that we were going to see something new from her. She engaged with the audience, touching their hands as she made her way to the stage. Abi meanwhile sounded like she was having a blast while controlling the pitch of her voice.

Before, she had a voice And talent. Now she has the stage presence to back her up.

The performance made Perry eat her words. She admitted that Bryan may have been right last week to encourage her to “start working in the room,” a criticism that Perry did not agree with at the time.

Luke Bryan says Amy Russell showed off her “best vocals” yet with Blink-182

Amy Russell took to the stage dressed as a country pop star to perform the 1999 pop punk song.

She sang Blink-182's “All the Small Things” (1999) with joy and a sing-song voice, which was not a choice you'd expect for such a chart-topping song. The juxtaposition with Kayko's barely contained energy as he sang Wheatus' “Teenage Dirtbag” minutes earlier didn't do the Emmy any favors.

Although still giving off shrinking violet energy, Amy seemed far less stressed than in previous weeks as she experimented with walking around the stage a bit with what Ritchie calls her “storytelling voice.”

Her efforts did not go unnoticed. “Comfort looks good on you,” Perry said. “You sounded like the toughest AZ I've ever heard from you.”

Brian praised the performance and said he was shocked that “one of your best songs would be a Blink-182 song.”

Who was eliminated from “American Idol”?

Sam “Kaiko” Kelly Cohen soundly beat WETUS and Mia Matthews beat her idol Shania Twain, but unfortunately they didn't receive enough votes to make the top eight.