NEW YORK -- Early Thursday morning (and we mean early), Kris Allen and Adam Lambert fans young and old congregated in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center to hear the [article id="1611893"]"American Idol" top two[/article] give live performances on the [article id="1612286"]"Today" show.[/article] For some, getting to the show was a testament to their fandom.

"Eight-hour train ride for Adam!" announced Liz and Michelle, a pair of mothers from Richmond, Virginia, who watched (but could not hear!) the performance from a neighboring café. But it was all worthwhile, as Liz said: "It was so awesome to be so close to somebody that cool!" The two added that their families have been affected by their new obsession. "Since [Adam has] come into my life, my family says I have not been the same," Michelle said. "We left our husbands and seven children in Richmond just to look at [Adam] through the glass today!" Liz said.

Greg and Kristen, a pair of siblings from New Jersey, woke up at 1 a.m. to arrive by 3:30 a.m. with their standout Obama lookalike sign, which read "Range We Can Believe In." "We really like Obama, we like Adam, we put them together. It was just a joke, but then we decided to blow it up and bring it here."

Some fans opted to bring their kids along. Yoshi Campbell and her daughter, Mariel, came in support of the show's runner-up. "I just loved hearing his voice live," she explained as she held up a raincoat that read "Adam Lambert" in cursive (her daughter's nod to Katy Perry's sartorial support). Yoshi and Mariel also referenced an inside joke the last two contestants shared about nail polish: "I have one painted nail and Mariel has all but one," Campbell said, as Allen and Lambert had the same, respectively, during their hometown visits.

See Adam And Kris On The 'Today' Show

But the talk of the taping was the recent [article id="1612236"]power-texting voting controversy[/article] that some have speculated may have skewed the contest -- and opinions were mixed. A Kris Allen-fan family from the South said, "Well, they obviously liked him a lot or they wouldn't have done it. So he would've gotten the votes, anyway." Kristen from New Jersey said about Allen, "I think he won and people are just making a big deal out of it."

And Campbell offered a practical take on the controversy: "If some Arkansas fans have some chutzpah and want to do some community organizing, and some grassroots work, I just hope they put it to stopping a war next time. But more power to them!"

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' [article id="1486475"]"American Idol" page[/article], where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.