CLEVELAND, Ohio — Adem Dalipi probably won’t be intimidated by the judges table in the back of the room at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when he takes his turn onstage for the 24th annual Tri-C High School Rock Off.
After all, the Illinois teenager has probably faced tougher critics, like Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. That was during his Hollywood performance as a contestant on the 2018-19 season of “American Idol.”
The Rock Off begins this Saturday with the first of three consecutive weekends of preliminary competition, leading to the Saturday, Feb. 29, Final Exam. Adem, who was still 15 when he began the road to his “Idol” golden ticket to Hollywood, gets his turn at the Rock Hall next week.
“It was crazy,” said the teen, calling from his basement in Belvidere, Illinois, about 75 miles from Chicago, to discuss his “Idol” time, and to explain why after having been on a big show like that, he’d take part in what essentially is a regional battle-of-the-bands.
