OhhhMyGosh!! I had the BEST DAY Of my life yesterday! To begin with, I just want to let everyone know, that I was having an AWFUL Hair Day, So when you see my pictures, please excuse my hair. It normally does not look that way. I promise! :)
Okay Lets Do This. I had planned on waking up at 4:30 am yesterday morning to finish getting some things done, but this didnt happen! I overslept, and I woke up at 5:46 am, so I was very pushed for time! I finally got out the door around 7:30ish. It took us about 2 hours to get to Lexington, but we stopped to have breakfast, so I didnt get to the hotel until about 10:15. Luckily, they let us go ahead and check in, which was AWESOME, because...again...my hair..was...ugh. I needed to fix it. We ended up leaving the hotel around 11:30, and arrived at Rupp Arena around 11:50. I got lost, even with a GPS, and I ran a red light..I didnt mean to though, I was behind a semi, and I couldnt see the lights. it had just turned red so I had a few seconds!
Once I was there, I found a place to park, and asked this nice security man which way I needed to go. Actually, I was soooo excited, and nervous, I forgot to lock my doors. (Yikes!) So my sister and I walked down and saw the crowd of people waiting for the buses. There was soooo many people, the line was huge! I then called Dominic to ask him where he was, and we finally spotted each other! Dominic is really really nice, and really cool! about 10 minutes later, archiefanatic (John) called...or I called him...Im not really sure! Anyway, we talked...and he came over to where we were at. We were right beside of the fence and had a really nice view! There was this ...."hill"...as I called it, right beside of us with a nice shade tree! It actually was just a mound of dirt with a tree planted...but...later on...it would be a big use to me! A little while after archiefanatic showed up, I saw Beene, who is soooo pretty, and little beene, who is soooo cute!! We was having so much fun talking and getting to know one another, we showed each other our posters and was just talking about how excited we were! Finally, InspiredByLittleDavid (Jennifer), who also is sooo pretty, called and said she was there, so we told her where we was standing and she came over to us! She was with one of her friends, who was also super nice!
By this time, Im thinking it was between 1:00 and 1:30, there was still no sign of the idols. I have to say though, that the weather in Lexington was really nice. It wasnt humid, and there was a nice breeze, and we also had the shade tree I mentioned earlier. We were actually standing in a parking lot behind the arena, a parking lot that I was not aware of, and could have parked in...but ended up parking a mile away! There was this lady who kept driving around the parking lot....passing by the line of people with "Crush" turned up really loud...she was driving slow....and it was sooo awesome!! She also played some other songs for us, Imagine, Another Day in Paradise, Shop Around...and I requested Stand By Me, but I dont think she ever got to it. It was really funny though! :)
Around 2:15ish, we saw the buses! The crowd went wild! There were 3 of them, and once they pulled in, we saw everyone getting off of the buses...I actually couldnt see much, because I'm short...but I did happen to see a little! I saw Carly, Kristy, Michael Johns, Ramielle, and Chickezie get off of the bus. Soon after that, around 2:30ish, Kristi and Carly came out...and right after that....DAVID ARCHULETA CAME OUT!! I was sooo nervous, I felt like I was getting ready for my wedding day. (Ha) OhhhMyGosh! I saw him, for the first time, walking toward us, and I almost had a cow! I couldnt believe it! I was hoping he would start on our end of the fence, but he didnt...he went to the other end. Sooo this is when, I stood up on the "Hill" and was able to see EVERYTHING! I saw his head, and signing things! Awww, He was sooo cute! Sooo thats when I decided to go down and follow him back up the line. Ohhh Man! He is the most beautiful person I have ever saw in my life, his skin, is sooo perfect, and when I got close enough...I heard him talk for the first time (in person), and it was soooo smooth, and pretty, and I almost melted! He was sooo nice to people and everyone loved him!
I decided a few minutes later that I should go back up to the "hill" and wait for him, because it would be crowded on our end soon. However, by the time he got to our end, he didnt have time to talk, he just was walking by us and signing his initials quickly. He did sign my poster, and said..."Awww, Cool! Thanks!" I wasnt sure if he actually saw it though. I forgot to mention that before David got to our end, Kristy and Carly had came down, they signed things and posed for pictures, and was sooo nice, and very pretty!
After David went back in, I decided to just go back to the hotel to freshen up. It was around 3:00 pm and I had to be back at the arena by 6:30. I also needed to rest. I was out of breath, my heart was about to jump out my chest and I was a nervous wreck!
So I left the hotel around 6:00 pm, and OhhMyGosh, traffic was terrible, and yes...I got lost again. So Jennifer, called and I asked her if she would get in the car with me to show me where to park, and she did, Jennifer is sooo nice! I had to pay 8.00 to park! By the time we got inside it was about 6:45, and we went down and found our seats on the floor. It was the very last row on the floor, it wasnt all the way back though, and I was sitting right beside of the sound booth, I had an aisle seet. Sooo guess what, I looked over, and guess who was standing right beside of me?!? JEFF ARCHULETA! I was like...OhhhMyGosh! So i tried to secretly take a picture of him, and I think I may have scared him away, because he didnt stay to long! Actually, I dont think i Scared him away...im thinking he had other things to tend to!
Finally...the show had started...the lights went down, and this was IT! I'm going to do a quick rundown of everyone...they all just amazed me!
Chickezie- AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME! He is a really really good performer. He was definetely one of my favorites of the night. He had sooo much energy and spunk. The crowd loved him!
Ramiele- Soooooo tiny! But a big Voice! I loved her version of the Jackson 5 song. She done really good, and the crowd gave her some nice cheers!
Michael Johns- He got everyone on their feet, the crowd went wild for him. I loved all of his songs! He's a great performer.
Next was Kristy Lee Cook- She done really really good! I really liked "God Bless the USA" it was beautiful. And when she said..."From the Lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee"- the crowd started cheering. There were lots of Tennessee folks there.
Carly- WOW THIS GIRL CAN SING! She was my second favorite of the night, she definetely knows how to put on a show!
Brooke- Sooooo Sweet! I love her voice. "Let it Be" was absolutely beautiful. She got lots of love from the crowd!
Intermission time- During Intermission, Indomass called me to see if I could cellcast David Cook, and I told him yes. Apparently there was a missunderstanding, I was supposed to cellcast Ramile, Michael Johns, David Cook and PDSTM, but I couldnt get anyone to answer! Sooo Indo called, gave me a number and I cellcasted David Cook and PDSTM!
Alrighty now....
Jason- Soooo laid back!! He got lots of cheers from the audience, I loooved Daydreamer!
Syesha- Her voice is powerful! That last song was amazing! She has good stage presence.
David Cook- I really liked his set, he knows how to work the crowd...and the crowd loved him! My favorite was Time of My Life, that actually is a pretty song!
NOW! NOW! NOW! Let me begin with saying that before intermission there was this security guard standing right behind me, and he was sooo nice, we accidently kept bumping into each other, and he told me if I wanted to, I could go up close and take some pictures, and I was like really? and He was like, yea sure! And i was like can I go up close when David Archuleta sings? And he was like, Yes, of course! Sooo i was looking forward to this...however...after intermission, the nice security guard got moved somewhere else, and I was stuck with an ole' meaniebutt who wouldnt let me leave! However, I still LOOOOOOVED his set!
When he rose up from the stage and started singing "Angels" thats when I lost it. I couldnt believe that David Archuleta was there, right in front of me...singing live. I couldnt help but cry. His voice just soars, and its sooo beautiful! He really gets into that song.
"Apologize" was next, and WOW! Whoa! I dont even know what to say! His voice just...stops your heart...takes your breath away. He done soooo good on this song! I got a nice "hunkerdown" picture!
And next came...
"Stand By Me"!!!!!!! I thought I was going to die! My sister snapped a picture of me, with my mouth held wide open, I was in awe, I was amazed! He sounds sooo beautiful on that song!! I new I had to remain composed during this, I couldnt drop to the floor because...then I would miss my chance of meeting him afterwards! He done great though! THE CROWD LOOOOOVED HIM! The girls went crazy, and that last note at the end...Mmmm!!! He is beautiful!
"When You Say You Love Me"- OhhhMyGosh! This Song is soooo beautiful! His voice is just...wow...I just stood there...amazed...tears in my eyes...I took a quick glance around...and I didnt see the meaniebutt security guard....Sooo..i walked Closer...and OhhhMyGosh! This may sound silly, but its exactly how I felt...I couldnt help but think he and I were the only 2 people in the room, and he was singing that song directly to me. I was hypnotized, I was mesmerized! I couldnt take my eyes off of him...I couldnt think about anything other than him. That is the most beauiful song I have ever heard in my life!
After crying during Davids set...I decided..I needed to touch my makeup up! I couldnt have him seeing me like this! Sooo During David Cooks set, I was trying to cellcast, and trying to put my makeup on at the same time. Sooo Im soooooo soooo sooo sorry if it didnt sound good. :(
And NOW! THE AFTERPARTY!
OhhhMyGosh!! We were the first ones back there, Dominic, Archiefanatic, and Myself. And I was freaking out! I just couldnt believe what was about to happen. I was a nervous wreck, my hair looked awful...and I didnt even care!
We walked in, and I saw David standing there looking at the tv watching the olympics. So I walked over to him, ( i was the very first one to say anything to him) and I said...(ohhhman my hands are shaking just trying to type this thing!)..okay..Sooo I said...."hey David!!" and he turned his head and he looked at me, and he smiled...and he said.."Hey!" And I was like..."I have a gift for you, and he was like..Ohhh Cool! Thanks!" So I handed him the gift..and I touched his hand! AHHHHHHH! And then he said..."Do you have any gum? and I was like..Noooo! but then someone gave him a piece...and then he said..."So whats your name?" and I said..."My name is Kristi, and he was like nice to meet you Kristi!...Ohhh Cool! Im standing in between Two Kristi's! (because Kristy Lee was on the other side of him) And then..HE SHOOK MY HAND! And then he was like..."Where are you from?" and I said..."Im from Tennessee" and he started singing something about Tennessee..I couldnt understand what it was...but then he said..."Ohhh Cool! Tennessee. I've never been there before, I've been by it though." And then I was like...I have a picture I want you to see, and he was like..Ohhh okay! And I was like, its of my poster, I dont think you saw it earlier and I really wanted you to see it...and then i said, you did manage to sign it though. But I showed him my poster picture which said...."I Got an A+ in Archu-ology!" "Gosh!" and he laughed and was like awww thats cute! So then I asked him to sign my pictures and my tour book, and I was like...Wil you take a picture with me? and he was like "Sure!" Sooo I held my camera up, and we got supppppper close...and I snapped a picture, and then I looked at it, and I was like...Ohhhh Nooo David!! I cut you out of the picture! Can we try this again? And he laughed and was like...Yea, Sure! Sooo someone offered to take a picture of us, and he smiled, and I smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing ever! Sooo I decided to walk away and give the others a chance to talk to him...and he was Soooo Nice to everyone!!
I met Michael Johns, i forgot to take a picture with him though because I was sooo focused on David! He's really nice, and I love his accent!
And while I was standing there waiting to talk to Michael Johns, I promise, Im not even just saying this, but David turned around, and smiled at me...not one time...not two times...but three times! I dont know how i kept my cool!
I walked around and Met Chickezie and he hugged me real tight, I told him he was one of my favorites of the night and he said Thankyou! We took a picture and he signed my picture and tour book
I then walked around to Ramielle and she was like...."OhhhMyGosh! You're eye makeup looks soo pretty!" and I was like..."really?" "Well thankyou!, My mom says I look like a clown!" and she laughed and said...."Ohhhh No no no! It looks good, Im gonna have to try that!" And then she told me that my accent was cute. Actually, Everyone told me my accent was cute! We took a picture and I had her sign my stuff.
I saw Brooke next and she gave me a hug, she was soooo sweet, and beautiful! We took a picture and she signed my book and picture!
And then...I remembered! I had a card in the bag I gave to David for his dad. So i walked back over to David, and I was like..."hey David?" and he turned around, and i said..."I have a card in that bag for your Dad, do you mind if I give it to him, I forgot to get it out!" and he was like..."ohhh sure, and handed me the bag" Sooo I got the card out and sat the bag down beside of him.
Then..I saw Jeff! And I walked over to him and I was like Hey Jeff!! And he said, "Well Hello!" and I said, My name is Kristi, and I shook his hand...and he said,..Its nice to meet you! And I said, its nice to meet you too! And I was like...I have a little card for you. And he said, Awww, you didnt have to do that, and I said, Yes, I want you and your family to know how much you are appreciated too!" and He said well thankyou! And then he said..."thats a cute little accent...are you from the deep south?" and I said..."well..Im from Tennessee" and he said.."Tennessee, where at in Tennessee?" and I told him...and he seemed to know exactly where I was talking about. Which...I dont know...I live in Cumberland Gap...and I think most people know where thats at. But Jeff was sooo nice! I told him How amazing David is, and how much he's been an inspiration, and he said..."You KNow what Kristi, I completely agree with you!" He's just sooo nice, you can tell he loves David very much! I asked him if we could take a picture, and he was like Sure! Sooo we took one, and it messed up, and he was like..well lets try it again! And then he said it was really nice meeting you, I hope you have a good time! Wow, he's just sooo sweet!
I then walked over to Jason Castro, he was very....laid back. I dont think he knew what was going on. We took a picture, and he signed my tour book and poster...but..he didnt say much. I mean he was nice in what he did say! His eyes are super pretty!
After That, I went over to Syesha, she's SOOOO PRETTY! And was nice, I think she was a little tired though! :)
I then walked over to David Cook, and said hello to him, He was really nice to everyone, I got a picture and I asked him to sign my tour book.
(GOOD PART COMING UP!)
After that, I walked back over to David, and I was like David! I just wanted to tell you about the gift that I got you. And he was like..."ohhh okay!" And i said..."its a daily devotional book for teens, its something that you can take with you and read everyday!" "Its a really awesome book!" and he was really close to me, and he looked right into my eyes...and smiled the biggest most beautiful smile ever and said....
Awww, Thankyou! "You are Sooo Sweet!" (AHHHH *in my mind*) ...and then I said, thanks!! You are too! And then...We HUGGED!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! And I was like...Ohhh man, I forgot to sign the book, can I borrow your pen? and he said, Yea sure!" so i borrowed the pen, and I got the book back out of the bag, and signed it, and I handed it back to him...and I think it kind of confused him...and I was like..."ohhh, you just let me borrow it!" and he was like...Ohhh okay!"
I also called Wanda from my phone...and I said...David, My friend is on the phone her name is Wanda, and she's coming to see you in Charlotte tomorrow, could you say Hello to her? And he was like..."Hey Wanda!!" It got kind of busy after that...everyone was trying to tell him goodbye so thats all he got to say. But I think she was happy. :)
I just want to tell everyone that when he looks at you...HE LOOKS AT YOU. You're so captivated by him...you cant help but look right back into his eyes. I couldnt take my eyes away from his! He just...puts you into this trance...and its like...nothing else around you even matters!
It was then time to go, Soooo I told David bye, and I told him that Im one of his biggest fans, and that he was amazing! and he said..."Awww, thanks!" And I was like...Can I have one more picture?!? and he said...yea sure...and so we took a picture...and I said...it was nice to meet you!! And he said, nice meeting you too!! :)
And it was over.
After the concert, Archiefanatic, dominic, his sister-in-law Amber, and my sister all went to Dennys, it was nice! And while we were there, a man from the concert came in, and I said..hey! I remember you from the concert, and he was like Ohhh yea! , did you have a good time? and I said, i had a great time! I met David Archuleta! And he laughed and said awww thats cool! And then..he gave ma a poster! A poster! I was sooo excited, i thought that was very nice of him.
Wow, I had the most amazing, wonderful time of my life last night! I never expected anything like that to happen. I still cant grasp the fact that ...I heard David sing...that I saw David in Person, that I hugged David, that I shook his hand...I am on cloud 9! This is an experience that I will never ever forget!
Beene, when I delivered the gifts to everyone, they all told me to tell you thankyou, actually, David Cook said that he was really jealous because he didnt get one earlier!
To All of the people that I met yesterday, You guys are soooooo awesome! I hope you had the best time ever, it was so nice meeting and sharing this experience with you!
I'm sorry for the very very long report, but I just had sooo much to say, I wanted to tell you every last detail! :)
Well hey everyone. My name is Simone, I am the Archey Reporter for
the very first American Idols tour of 2008 in Glendale, AZ. Man was my
day CrAzY !
It all started out at 5am. Now I take forever to get
ready. Plus I had to take the city bus in order to get down to the
arena since I don't have a car. I had to get up in order to get down to
the arena for the FanBlast shoutout party at 8am. FanBlast (which is a
Archie fansite created by a Archuleta family friend) is filming a
documentary of the tour, and is following the idols ALL over the
country all summer long. After a 2 hours bus ride, I finally arrived at
the arena. I walked my way down to the Renassaince Hotel, which is
where all Archie fans would meet FanBlast in order to be filmed for the
documentary. I walked into the hotel, expecting to see dozens, maybe
HUNDREDS of Archie fans. But I only came to see about 15 people there.
I was kinda bummed about that, but that is ok . For the event, we
basically only filmed Shoutouts for David, numerous ones. You can go to
davidarchuletafanblast .com to see the video that was posted. Not only
did we do those shout outs, but I all got interviewed serperately for
the documentary. The host of the summer tour footage over at FanBlast is Phil E. He is SO goofy. He has a GREAT personality, and is rather
funny, but goofy never-the-less. Eric, the developer of FanBlast , is
the most professional guy I have met... lol . He is super nice tho.Once
we were all done with the filming, we all went our seperate ways. This
was around 9:30am.
I began my "investigation" lol . I started to
search everywhere around the arena for some sign of Idols. Now let me
fill you in on something. It was about 100 degrees at this time, at
9:30 in the morning. So I was sweating already. And I had an ENTIRE day
to still go through until I could be inside the arena for the show at
6pm. Anywho , I would find random people walking around the arena, and
would ask them if they knew anything about the Idols, and when they
would be coming in. FINALLY, I asked the right guy, who told me that
the Idols had a meet and greet at 3pm and that was when they would
finally be back at the Arena. I thought "Meet And Greet? I gotta get
some passes!!!" So I continued my investigation around the arena. As I
was wondering around the arena, looking down around the loading docks,
where I knew the Idols would be pulling in at since there were
underground parking structures, I ran into a girl named Lindsey. I had
remembered seeing her at the FanBlast party. She had asked me if I knew
anything about the meet and greets at 3pm. I told her i didn't and that
I was looking for more info on them as well. We talked for a while, and
then she told me her friends were hanging out in the most PRISTINE area
for watching the Idols when they came into the arena. And it was in the
SHADE! And about this time, it was probably 105 degrees, and it was
10:30am.
She led me to where they were sitting. This location
was AMAZING. I mean, when the Idols would pull up in their tour busses ,
we would be able to say hi, and wave down. Maybe even talk to them. She
had told me how she had been at the arena for 2 nights already. She had
met them all already, and she knew the busses they traveled in. Each
tour buss was labeled with color stickers. And she knew which 2 tour
busses the Idols would be coming in since she had seen them 2 nights in
a row. Well we waited there for a while, about 2 hours. Every so often,
me and Lindsey would walk around the Arena, looking to see if we could
find any info about those meet and greets. We found none, other than
you had to know someone or had to have won them in a contest. After
those 2 hours had past, and we sat in the nice shaded area looking for
the Idols to pull up, a security officer came. OH NO! Yeah, he told us
we had to leave that area for liability reasons. So we left, but kept a
close eye on the busses and the entry way which was located right where
we were sitting before.
About 30 mins later, 2 tour busses pulled up. We saw the busses and SPRINTED towards where we were
sitting. We were so excited. Cause we were almost pretty sure that was
them. So we stood by the railling , took out our cameras, and got ready
to start snapping the photos! But wait, what where the colors of the
busses . Lindsey said the colors on the busses weren't the right colors.
Was these the wrong busses , and we got excited for no reason. Yeah, it
was the wrong busses :(
So we left, but as soon as we left,
MORE BUSSES CAME! Turns out those were the right colors on the busses ,
so they were the Idols busses ! We SPRINTED down to the loading dock to
meet them as they walked into the Arena. We were all so excited. I
forgot to mention that there was only about 15 people there, so it was
a small crowd. Anyways, we all got ready, I turned my camera on, and oh
no, it died. I began to cry, well inside. I wasn't going to be able to
get pics of their arival in the stadium. I was crushed. But I had to
roll with the punches. It was amazing seeing them. They were all so
happy to see us. Brooke White looked shocked we were outside. And of
course Archie came out and waved and smiled like he always does. They
went inside, and we thought it was over. But minutes later, Kristy Lee
Cook came outside to meet us face to face. She was so sweet. She was so
concerned that she didn't wear any makeup. She was gorgeous tho. She
gave us 10 dollar giftcards , which we were STOKED she even gave us
anything... lol . She left after like 3 minutes, and we were all STAR
STRUCKED ! We all looked at the back of our cards, and realized
something funny. On the back, there was nothing but bible
verses... lol . She was SPREADING THE GOSPEL! hahaha .
At about
1:30 we were all VERY hungry after waiting in the sun since 8am. But we
didn't want to leave, because what if other Idols would come out, and we
missed meeting them. Well we waited, and waited. And nothing. No one
else came out. But we were all VERY hot and hungry. And I needed to go
home to grab my other camera since mine died. So there I went again, 2
more hours of a bus ride, freaking out hoping i would be back for the
show. It was 3:30, when I left to get my other camera. But I got back
at 5:30. I had plenty of time to wander around. So that is what I did.
There was no chance anymore of meeting more Idols. When I was gone, no
other Idols came out. So I had to wait for show time which was at 7pm,
but the doors opened at 6pm.
So after ten hours of waiting in the
Arizona heat, the doors finally opened. I sat 5 rows from the center.
And All around me there were nothing but, Cook, Castro, Archie, and a
few Brooke fans. I had my working camera, my phone appeared to be fully
charged. I was completely set. Made my first couple calls to Rickey.org
for the live phone stream. I knew the quality was going to be bad since
the signal in the Arena was AWFUL! Not just for me, but for everyone
around me. The lady next to me could only text to her friend because the
concert really couldn't be heard on the phone. But I rolled with the
punches. Chikezie was first, and let me say, he surprised the HELL out
of me. He was amazing. I could easily say I am a fan of his now.
Ramiele was next, she was ok . It was ok . You could tell she was really
nervous. But she pulled it off. Michael Johns was next up. He was
OUTSTANDING! Seriously, he was one of the best by far. The crowd was
totally into him. As I looked AMAZED at how Michael was doing, I looked
down at my phone. IT WAS GOING TO DIE SOON! WHAT! I HAD CHARGED IT THE
NIGHT BEFORE! Well yeah, somehow the battery life was dieing, and fast.
So I freaked out. So I decided I would call for like one song for each
person, and hopefully it would all work out. So the concert went on,
and I continued to call in, every so often. I was loving the photos I
was taking, but the call, um, not so much. Christy Lee Cooke was
awesome as well...surprised me too. Carly Smithinson was GREAT! Brooke
was much better than she was on the show. Only messed up once on
lyrics, and that was in the last group number... lol . Jason Castro wasn't
that great in my opinion. I don't have any like " OMG moments." I think
he was just really nervous. Syesha was outstanding, you could feel the
emotion in her words and facial expressions when she sang. Now was the
moment you could tell the arena was waiting for. The DAVIDS!
The
minute Archie came out, the crowd went INSANE! My eardrums were
hurting... lol . Everyone got out of their seats on the floor, and went
closer and formed our own little mosh pit... lol . I mean, people went
nuts. He did AMAZINGLY AMAZING of course. You could tell his voice was
a little strained, but he sounded awesome anyways. When he sang Angels,
there was smoke around him. At one point, the smoke completely covered
him, and you couldn't even see him... hahaha . But he was Archie, so he
could pull of ANYTHING! Next up, Cook! This is when the crowd was the
loudest. Of course, Cook was hyped up WAY more with the video being
shown. So naturally the crown ate it. And cheered like crazy. He got on
stage, and the crowd went crazy. I must say, they had a reason to be
crazy. David Cook is an AMAZING performer. After seeing him last night,
I know he won American Idol fair a square. He may have had a little
help from AI producers, but he won it with his skill, not by AI. He was
awesome. I was expecting him to sing "Always Be My Baby." But he
treated us with his biggest hit, "Billie Jean". He was awesome.
Overall, he really was the American Idol of the night.
The
show then ended with a mighty group number, the second one of the
night. The other was of the top 5, half way through the night. I left
that arena becoming fans of really all the Idols. Some people didn't
like the format of the show. But I felt like it was a great format.
Just a mini concert of each Idol, one after another. American Idols
Tour 2008, the best yet? I don't know about that, but being my first
Idols concert, I must say it will be a night I will always remember.
All
fresh and rejuvenated after our 4 hour Idol worship in the St. Louis
heat, we arrived at the Scottrade Center for the concert. A radio
station was handing out free signs. Meg grabbed an "I'm The Next
American Idol" and I, of course, opted for the classic "I <3 David
Archuleta!"
"I <3 David Cook" was sold out. It looks like the Cookies were finally here to represent!
After
some dopey pre-show that included a dancing Pop-Tart, we got down to
business. They went with the standard "Order In Which They Were
Eliminated" setup.
I
know they perform the same stuff at every show, so I'm not going to be
redundant. I'll just break down my thoughts on each performer.
Chikezie:
Great! Lots of energy. I forgot how great he was. Actually, this goes
for everyone. They all sounded incredible. I mean, I know it's more
relaxed and all that now, but it just really illustrated for me how
superbly talented this season was overall.
Ramiele:
Adorable. She wore this glittery outfit with black Pretty Woman boots.
She sounded way better than I think I've ever heard her before.
Michael
Johns: Great (again). His best for me was "Dream On". I can't believe
he was eliminated on that song!!! He gave a shout out ("Hi Mrs. Cook!)
to David Cook's mom.
Kristy
Lee: I really liked her first song, although I don't know what it was.
I'm not a big KLC fan, but she was good. I actually screamed for her
and my daughter looked at me in shock.
Carly:
Since she is my favorite girl, and I didn't get to meet her earlier, I
was so psyched for her. She killed it with "Bring Me To Life" and "I
Drove All Night." She commented on how the Cardinals sent the Padres
home crying, because they beat them yesterday.
Brooke:
Just wonderful. She was always a little awkward for me on stage during
Idol, but there was none of that tonight. She was polished and
professional. She told us how the first time she sang on stage, she was
in a play called "Meet Me in St. Louis."
Then
the Idols 5-10 came out and did "In The Name of Love" with Idol Gives
Back stuff in the background. Luckily, no donation jars floated around,
because I had just spent $6.50 on a soda and was near broke!
May
I jump on my soapbox for a sec and say that I wish concert venues would
quit selling light up crap that only serves the purpose of annoying
fellow concertgoers? And seriously, if you are compelled to purchase an
overpriced glo-stick, please do not wave it in my face during a show
where I have paid over $50 for my seat? Thank you so much. (Yes,
annoying little girls in front of me- this means you!)
Now
it was time for another big Pop-Tart/Guitar Hero commercial... aka
Intermission. The best part of intermission was when they played a new
Guitar Hero commercial where the Idols were all dressed up as dorky
70's rock stars. Archey had kind of a Davy Jones/Beatles hairdo. He
rocked it, though!
Jason
Castro: He started off with that "Over the Rainbow" song and his
ukulele. He messed up the words. Twice. Unless the song goes "Where the
dreams that you dare to dream, why o why can't I?" Seriously, he did it
twice. The first time I looked at my mom and said "Did he just mess
up?" and my mom nodded. Then he did it again. It was so funny, so
Jason. (Don't jump on me, Dreadheads, I like him.) He did really great
his next two songs. He killed "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley.
Syesha:
Syesha was great with Umbrella, then did "If I Ain't Got You", which I
didn't love because it was too slow for me. I did like her doing
"Listen", though, it's one of my fave songs. She wore a gold dress and
she looked fabulous.
ARCHEY!!!
Archey was superb, but really, duh! He made my mom cry with one of his
songs. Something about telling people that you love them. He was his
cute self with his little ad-libs... something about seeing the Arch
from his hotel (I wonder if he's staying at the Millenium, where I am!
Though I heard they were all staying at Union Station.) And how Arch is
part of his name. Aww. His performances were flawless.
Cook:
Cook was fantastic as well. He told us how when he last played St.
Louis, it wasn't here in the big Scottrade Center. He said this was the
first show that his family was at. They showed his brother and mom up
on the big screen. DC said it was weird to see his brother cry, but oh
well. LOL.
Lastly,
all the Idols came back out and did "Please Don't Stop the Music" like
they did on Idol Gives Back, minus the SYTYCD kids. Everyone was up
dancing and it closed the show wonderfully.
This
is my first Idol show, and I have to say that the whole weekend was so
worth it. Worth the time off work, worth the expensive tickets and
hotel room, worth the gas money and 2 hour drive, and definitely worth
the 4 hour wait in the hot sun. Now that I know what to do, I can't
wait until next year.
I'll post pics as soon as I sort through everything from my camera, my Blackberry, and my mom's camera.
I must say that I have just experienced two of the BEST days of my life! I honestly don’t think anything will ever top this. My report is for both days, even though I was only a cellcaster for the Charlotte show and not for Duluth.
When I originally purchased my tickets to the Charlotte concert, I got section 225, row B. I was not happy with those seats at all. So, I decided to find someone who would be willing to purchase better seats and split the cost with me. I found tickets on Ebay, so I gave my other tickets to my son, Blake, and his friend, Tyler. I am so glad that I decided to do that because I ended up being on the 4 th row from the stage!! It was awesome!
I spent most of Saturday finishing up my poster, getting my t-shirt finished, and talking to Kristi Howard on the phone (getting updates from the Lexington concert). Kristi called me from the afterparty and said “ I have someone here who wants to say hey ”…or something along those lines…LOL! I honestly don’t remember! The next thing I know, David was on the telephone saying “ Hey, Wanda ”! OMG!!!!!! David was saying hi to me!!! He actually said my name!!! I had the biggest lump in my throat at that point and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to speak without crying, but I managed to say “ Hi, David ”!! I will never be able to thank Kristi enough for doing that for me. She is a doll! I love you Kristi!!! Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep Saturday night! It didn’t matter, though….I spoke to David Archuleta on the telephone!!! Who needs sleep anyway????
I woke up Sunday morning around 7:00am (after only getting about 3 hours of sleep). I was pretty tired, but very eager to get to Charlotte! I met up with Erika (archuleta_addict) and her son, Andrew, at the Bobcat Arena around 11:00am. It wasn’t long before Kathy (arch4me) joined us. It was so nice to finally meet everyone in person. I just adore Erika and her son, Andrew. I have designated them as my e-mom and brother…LOL! We all got in line and began our wait, which ended up being about 3 ½ hours. It was cloudy and even drizzled a little, but just before David came out, the sun began to shine very brightly!!
When the Idols began to make their appearance, my stomach began doing flip flops. I realized that it was finally here….I was going to see David in person!! What was I going to say to him? OMG!! I was a nervous wreck. I tried to get myself together and was doing considerably well….until I saw David Cook. All I can say is “WOW”!! Now, I must admit that I have never liked David Cook at all. Not so much because of his singing…but, because he won AI and our David didn’t. I know, I know…not a good reason at all! So, I decided I was going to ask David to sign my picture, although I hadn’t been planning to before. As he made his way toward me, I looked up at him and said…” OMG, you are so handsome ”! He looked at me directly in the eyes and said “ Thank you .” OMG!! Did I just say that to David Cook?? What in the world was I thinking…LOL??? Well, at any rate, he is quite handsome in person! So, now that I had embarrassed myself with David Cook, I was afraid of what I might do when our David was standing before me. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything at all when he comes by………
Michael Johns was next. He is just the sweetest thing ever. He is quite funny and he was actually my favorite after David. So, when he came by, I asked if I could have my picture taken with him and he said “ Sure….but, I am not David Archuleta ”….referring to my t-shirt…LOL! I told him that it was alright…that I loved him too! So, he put his arm around me to take the picture and I was thrilled! Later, I realized that my son had not completely pressed the shutter button and didn’t get the picture…grrrrrr!! My son felt really bad and kept apologizing. Bless his heart. I told him not to worry about it…I was there for one person only!!
Jason Castro came by and he was soooo nice to everyone and very attentive to all the fans screaming his name (and there were many). He visited with everyone for what seemed like forever and was very good about taking pictures with everyone. I had my photo taken with him, but it will remain unseen. Whoever took the photo got too close and I look as though I have 15 chins…LOL!! Jason, of course, is gorgeous! When he signed his name, he drew the little face with the dreadlocks…haha!
When David finally made his appearance, the crowd went crazy! He was smiling that gorgeous smile…waving to everyone! He started at the opposite end, so we had to wait a while for him to get to us. The wait was excruciating and my nerves began to get the better of me. I kept telling myself that I would be fine, not to worry about it. It didn’t work. Before I realized it, David was standing in front of me and I couldn’t think of one single thing to say to him. I finally managed to say “ Hi, David…I’m Wanda. You said hello to me on the phone last night ”. He looked up at me and said “ Oh yeah! Hey! How are you doing ”? I told him I was nervous and he just laughed and said “ Awww ”. I handed David my bag of gifts and he said “ Oh gosh, thanks ”! He slid the bag onto his arm with the others and then he looked at the poster I had made for him. It said “Conditioner Loves Crush” and it had an adorable goldfish listening to an mp3 player. The song he was listening to was “Crush” and I had some of the lyrics in a little talk bubble above his head as if he were singing along to the song…LOL! David laughed at the poster and then I got a photo of him holding it. I have no idea why I didn’t ask him for a picture with me instead of the poster, but I obviously wasn’t coherent at the time. I am still really sad about that. But, I did get a hug, so I am happy about that! He smelled sooooo good. I don’t think he smelled like Nutmeg and Cinnamon, though. He was definitely wearing cologne. David was there with me for only a few minutes and then he was gone. I was elated for having had the opportunity to speak to him, yet sad that the time had gone by so quickly. He was absolutely breathtaking. His eyes…OMG…his eyes!! His lips are beautiful and I couldn’t help but stare at them as he was chewing his gum…LOL!!
When Kathy and I got to our seat that night, we both shouted hysterically about how close we were to the stage. Our view was amazing. My son and his friend were up in section 225 and I honestly felt bad that I had given him such bad seats…LOL! When Chikeize came out, I was amazed at how good he is live. He has a wonderful stage presence and is full of personality. I would certainly buy his album and wouldn’t think twice about it. Chikeize later proved what a good hearted person he really is by jumping the barriers to pose for a picture with a handicapped girl sitting beside me. He was so sweet and attentive to her, making her feel really special. Her mother was crying tears of happiness and I nearly choked up myself.
I thought Ramiele’s set was okay. She is cute as a button, for sure, but her performances seemed a little cheesy to me. I think she has a beautiful voice, so maybe it’s just her choice of songs for the tour. I don’t know. I will make up my mind about her if she ever puts out an album. I LOVED Michael Johns set!! He is so much fun to watch on stage! I hope to see him put out an album really soon because I would hate to see him disappear when the tour is over. I have not been very fond of Kristy Lee Cook, but she is certainly a very beautiful girl and I actually enjoyed her set. She knows how to work the crowd…LOL! I think I will enjoy her music, but not enough to buy her album. I was blown away by Carly!! She is so beautiful in person and I loved how they had her hair blowing during the first song!! It was kind of sexy and I couldn’t help but think of Rickey the whole time and how much he loves Carly…LOL! She is so sweet, too. I love her accent and the fact that her husband is from N.C. is really cool. Brooke is just beautiful in person. OMG! She has the most amazing hair and she has a gorgeous smile! I loved her all throughout AI and I thought she was awesome at the concert. I can’t wait to buy her album! Jason has to be one of the most handsome men I have ever met…aside from David Archuleta, of course! He has an amazing smile and his eyes are just as beautiful. But, as much as I love Jason’s looks, I am not a lover of his singing. He definitely sounds better live than he did on television, but I doubt I would buy his album. I guess we will see. I was more impressed with Syesha than I thought I would be. I think she can sing beautifully. I just don’t like her attitude.
When David was rising from beneath the stage, my heart began to race like crazy. I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing him live! I just stood there in awe throughout his entire set. His voice is out of this world. I literally had chills the whole time and I was on the verge of tears during “When You Say You Love Me”. I was trying to take pictures and watch him sing at the same time, so that made the set seem to go by extra fast. My hands were shaking so much that I could barely hold the camera still long enough to take pictures. He didn’t really talk much between his songs…basically saying the same thing he always does. It didn’t matter though because what little he does say is so precious and heartfelt that you just want to put your arms around him and let him know just how proud of him you are!!! I was really disappointed in the reception he received in Charlotte, though. I don’t think he got nearly enough applause. That may have just been my perception, though. Someone else might disagree with me. In a matter of minutes, he was gone from the stage and his set was over. I couldn’t help but think about the future and how nice it will be to see him out on his own…where everyone is there to see him and him only!!
David Cook was the most surprising to me of them all. I actually enjoyed him. He is definitely more seasoned with the crowd that anyone else and he knows how to get everyone on their feet. He took a drink from his water bottle and then tossed it out into the crowd, which sparked a lot of applause. He then filmed the crowd with his camera, getting even more applause. When he sings, he has a way of pausing through certain parts of the song so that it draws even more applause. I was just amazed at how good he really is. I started feeling guilty about all the hard feelings I had against him…knowing it really wasn’t him I was angry with anyway. I think I have a new perspective now and I think I might even buy his CD.
All in all, the entire show was phenomenal and I had a blast. When I got outside and met up with my son, he was smiling from ear to ear with excitement. He gushed about how much fun he had and how great David was. He even recorded him on his cell phone so he could let his friends at school listen!! We headed for the line so that we could try to get another glimpse of David before we left for home and we were lucky enough to get a good spot at the front of the barrier…about middle ways down the line. It wasn’t long before the line was about 5 or 6 rows deep and everyone was pushing and shoving to the point that I was getting squished up against the barrier. It was really crazy.
I’m only going to tell about my time with David since this is so long, but it’s the most important to me anyway. When David finally came out, the crowd went just as crazy as they had earlier that day. David was still smiling (I wonder if he smiles in his sleep, the shower, etc) and he waved to everyone. I couldn’t see him that well but I have a 15x zoom on my camera, so I was taking pictures like crazy, trying to get as many as possible. As he started getting closer, I heard someone say something to him about his necklace. I couldn’t hear what they said, but he responded “ Awww, thanks! One of my fans gave it to me today ”. I looked up to see that he was wearing one of the necklaces I had just given to him at the pre-show signing!! OMG!!!! I couldn’t believe that he was actually wearing it, much less that soon!! I got so excited, I said “ OMG…I gave you that necklace ”! David looked up at me and said “ It was you? Oh gosh, thanks ”! This particular necklace had a special meaning and I wrote about it in my letter to him, which I included with the gifts. This necklace is called “The Life Compass” and instead of having the normal N, S, E, and W letters on it…it has the letters G, F, F, K. Those letters stand for God, Family, Friends, and Knowledge. On the back of the necklace, it is engraved with the message: “This is your journey….choose the right path”. The reason I chose this particular necklace to give to David was because I had wanted to give him a compass…something that would always help him find his way back home, should he ever start to feel lost or all alone. In my search for the compass, I found this necklace and it was the most perfect thing I could have ever found. I wrote all of this in my letter and I explained to David how much he meant to me and the meaning behind the necklace. Seeing him wearing it absolutely made my day and I don’t think I could have been any happier than I was at that moment! My other gift to him was a Silver “Envelope Locket” that really opens and closes. Inside the locket, there was two removable Silver inserts that I had engraved a short “fan letter” from me to David on. I kept it short, but sweet and then I engraved my name, the venue, and AI Live Tour 2008 on it as well. On the outside flap, I had his initials monogrammed on it. In my letter to David, I explained to him that he might think this particular gift was a little feminine and if so, he was not obligated to wear it at all. I just told him that I wanted to give him something that was different from every other fan letter he might ever receive and that it came from my heart. If he were to ever wear that locket, I would absolutely cry.
Jeff came by soon after and I gave him his gift, which was a personalized hat that I had made for him. It has an “A” on the front and then “Archuleta” written across the back. He loved it and couldn’t believe that I had it custom made for him. He hugged my neck and just looked at me in astonishment. I told him I just loved him and was so proud of David and of him as well. He thanked me again and asked me my name. I just couldn’t believe the day I had had. It was more than I could have ever asked for!! I left the venue with the biggest smile on my face and I drove home listening to David on my IPod. I climbed into bed around 3:45am and got up at 7:00am to get ready for my trip to Duluth. I will post that report shortly. I have over 500 pictures to upload, so as soon as I get them uploaded, I will post a link!
August 14, 2008 will be a day I’ll never forget – I
finally got to hear our Angel David sing live and had the chance to meet him.
My day started out by going to meet the buses around 1
pm at the Verizon Center in Washington
DC. There I met kpham54, karidol,
archftw/crusherlover, Richard and several Angels from Fans of David, including
Mary, Christy, Andrew, Fran, Amy and several other Angels (whom I’m not
intentionally leaving out – there were several of us and I can’t remember who
else was there!)
We waited for the buses until around 2:15 p.m., which
is when they finally came by. David and
David were the first Idols to come out around 2:30 p.m. along with yesha. David Archuleta headed to the right all the
way down the line and David Cook headed to the left all the way down the line
and we were standing in the middle. kpham54
and I decided to go down the line so we could see David up close. He is so gracious, kind and just gorgeous in
person. People were talking to him and
he kept saying “awww, thank you sooo much!,” smiling as he did so and giving
those completely adorable typical David looks. During the time that I was following David, Ramiele, Jason, Carly,
Kristy Lee, and Brooke came out, but I barely saw them. Brooke kept apologizing because she had to
leave to do press but signed as many autographs as she could.
David Cook got to our end first and stayed out the
longest of any of the Idols along with Michael Johns, who came out a little bit
after the rest of the Idols. Chikezie
was the only one who didn’t make it outside. I didn’t have the chance to speak with David Cook, but he seemed really
nice and spent a lot of time talking to people. He told the fans around us that he was wearing a suit because he’d had
an important meeting earlier that day and hadn’t had the chance to change. Later during our concert he was still wearing
the suit and he explained that he’d met with Senate to talk about cancer
awareness and research.
Archey reached us right after David Cook did and I got
him to sign two pictures for me (one’s for you luvnugsrarofan!) As he was signing my pictures he asked
someone what time it was and he exclaimed “Oh my gosh, I have to go, I have
press in 5 minutes!!!” so he handed my pictures back and continued down the
line so he could get to as many people as possible before he had to go.
Andrew, who designed the original Archey cartoon, had
done one for each of the Idols and handed Michael Johns the one he’d done of
him when he came to our part in the line. Michael quipped that he should be making a profit off of them! We also had the opportunity to speak with
Jeff, who is one of the nicest people that you will ever meet. He spent a lot of time with our group and you
could tell that he really appreciated David’s fans.
We hung around the buses a little bit longer after
David left, up until the moment that David Cook and Michael Johns went back
inside. It started to pouring rain just
a few minutes later, so I left with kpham54 and karidol. kpham54 went back to his hotel and karidol
and I headed to her hotel, where we both finally had the chance to meet
ml. Her bus had gotten delayed from Canada so she
didn’t have the chance to come and meet the Idols at the buses. We got ready for the concert and headed back
towards the Verizon
Center.
The Concert
Here I finally had the chance to meet Linha
(randyisgreat), who gave David the “David is My Hero.” I also met Karla, Richard’s wife and several
other Angels (there were about 50 of us!) and we waited for Richard to hand us
our tickets to the concert. Richard and
Karla are also two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet and David is fortunate
to have such wonderful people looking out for him. Before we knew it, it was 7 pm.
I sat with ml and karidol and we were beyond excited
for the start of the concert and to finally hear David sing live. I’ll say that I was very impressed with the
concert and how great each and every one of the Idols sounded live. They’re all extremely talented and I truly
enjoyed each of their sets. The concert
went by extremely quickly and karidol, ml and I were counting down the number
of songs to go before we got to hear David sing.
David and
Angels
Finally, the moment we’d all been waiting for
arrived. Smoke rose from the stage, the
piano emerged and we saw David – I could barely breathe! The crowd went completely crazy for him. I think I held my breath, jumped up and down,
started sweating, screamed my head off and just took in every moment as best I
could while attempting to take decent pictures. Hearing David sing live is beyond anything you’ll ever expect – it was
just so beautiful and yes, magical. There’s a whole other quality to hearing his voice live that you don’t
get from the TV or from recordings. His
voice just envelops you and leaves you wanting more. Angels was spectacular – as always, he
completely changed up the song and made it sound new and different. I loved how he bounced up and down in his
seat as he got into the song!
David and
Apologize
I loved hearing David sing Apologize – he totally got
into the song, from the facial expressions down to the hunkerdowns and
everything in between! David is so
emotional when he sings and it was worth it just to watch see his gorgeous eyes
and expressions as he sang this song. He
sounded fantastic and amazing. It’s
David, how could he not?! ;)
David and
Stand By Me
I was so happy and literally “stoked and pumped!” to
get to hear Stand By Me live. David
worked the stage and the crowd was pumped! Again, it sounded like a completely new song. I especially loved the “And all you beautiful
girls” part. David started dancing and
really getting into it at this point and it put the biggest smile on my
face! I tried to take video of this part
but my camera didn’t co-operate with me.
David and
When You Say You Love Me
Before we knew it, David was on his last song. He didn’t talk too much between sets and it
was sad to realize that he was almost done! When You Say You Love Me left me mesmerized. I’m sure I stopped breathing at this point
too and am surprised that none of us passed out from the emotion and
excitement. David explained that WYSLM
was “one of those message songs that I like to doooo” (so adorable how he said
it!) but told us how it was an important message and how it was for the fans to
show them how much he loved us (of course you already knew that, but I still
hung onto every word!) The crowd was
screaming and cheering for him like crazy at this point. I’m surprised that I didn’t start crying but
I think I was just too enthralled and captivated with the whole
experience. Again I tried to take video
but it didn’t work! ml got some of the
ending of the song and a security guard came up to tell her to stop recording
about 30 seconds before David finished. I practically smacked him because he was interrupting us while David was
singing and there were only a few precious seconds left, dang it! David finished the song and introduced David
Cook and was gone in a flash.
Backstage
David’s set went by super fast but we were all excited
because we knew that we were going to meet David backstage at the
afterparty! After the concert ended,
people with backstage passes had to sit and wait for security to take us up and
all the Archey Angels were taken up first. It was here that I finally got to meet Virginia5, who’s just amazing in
person! I’d estimate that there were at
least 60 of us Angels, so we were given our own private room with David and the
rest of the Idols were somewhere else. David came in after we were all there and he tried his hardest to get to
everyone. He only had about an hour to
be with us because the other Idols had to leave for Lexington and he had to get his belongings
from the bus before they left. We talked
to Jeff for a bit more at this point and karidol, ml, Virginia5, kpham54 and I
just observed David interacting with the fans. At one point karidol got David to speak in Spanish and again my camera
didn’t co-operate or else it would have been a great video! I was so upset when I realized that it hadn’t
worked!
We were told that David had to wrap things up and that
he only had about 5 or 10 minutes left and I literally panicked because I
hadn’t had the chance to get near David yet. I quickly asked him for a picture and a few autographs and handed him
the gifts that I had for him from luvnugsrarofan and myself, but didn’t say
much else because my mind went blank, ahhh!! He thanked me and I think I just didn’t say anything or I might have
said “you’re welcome”, I was too much in awe! I talked to karidol in Spanish so she could take the picture and I could
feel David turn around and look at me surprised, I don’t think he was expecting
me to speak in Spanish, haha! I was
literally shaking during this time and wrapped my arm around him and then a few
other fans got their pictures. I managed
to sneak in a few other pictures before David left because I really didn’t like
the first one, but I could not stop shaking! I couldn’t believe that David was standing right there next to me. His eyes literally glow and he was so
gracious whenever someone asked him for a picture and really listened whenever
someone spoke to him. He kept saying
“did I get to everyone? I want to make
sure that I had the chance to meet everyone” and he thanked us all for coming
before he left. His arms were laden with
gifts! I kept wondering what it must
feel like for him to have all those fans around you and having everyone taking
pictures of you right and left. As
surreal as it is for us to meet David, I imagine it’s pretty surreal for him
too. I didn’t get a hug but I’m sure
that he smelled like heaven! Before I
knew it, we all had to go. It was a
fantastic experience and I know that I’ll remember it forever!
First of all, I want to say how very happy I am to be here. I've been spazzing over at my journal and I don't think people can actually understand all my ARCHEY posts, so I'm so happy that I have somewhere to post my ARCHEY spazzes ^______^ Finally, somebody who actually understand me! Hahaha. I hope you guys welcome me here, because really, I'm soooo darn happy :)
Secondly, Mad props to whoever thought and created this site! I so so so so love you right now! Hahaha. More ways to show how much we love ARCHEY oh yeah~
Third, though I'm sad over ARCHEY not winning IDOL, I just want you guys to know, I'm going to be here to support him all the way with all of you guys~ ARCHEY ANGELS ALL THE WAY! Well, now I know the reason why I'm named this way ^_______^
I blog a lot, so I hope you guys don't mind~ Hehe, and refer to our dearest ARCHEY as my little boy, hahaha, you know like my SON, haha, CRAZY RIGHT? But think about it, I'm not going to take him away from you~ UNCONDITIONAL LOVE HERE YO! ^^
We stayed at the Hilton right down the street for the night, This
made the whole day and evening a real pleasure. It gave us a chance to
go back to the hotel after the signing and get cleaned up for dinner,
then after the show we didn't have to fight traffic we just went back
and relaxed.
We got to Worcester around noon and checked in to
our hotel, next to the DCU center. When we showed up there were only
around 100 people. right a way we ran into a whole group from rickey.org. There were 10 of us in all and
it's so funny that we just walked right up to them like they were
expecting us or something, Pretty funny. They were all so nice. One
of the girls was complaining that Ryan Seacrest did not correct the
Jonas Brothers when they said they won the fanatic fans award, They
were all very passionate about David, Well aren't we all. .
David
came out around 2:45 and the whole crowd went crazy !! David is the
most beautiful kid I have ever seen, His hair is black as it can get
his eyes the just stunning, He is simply breathtaking !! He's worth
seeing in person if you can. He took his time going down the line, He
cared about each and every fan, He was talking to us and getting hugs
from us all. It was amazing how many gifts he got. Security was
helping David carry all the gifts and by the end the guys hands were
completely full of bags, it was a really awesome sight. We had one
Jason fan standing with us that was crushed at the end because Jason
never came out after waiting 3 hours, I felt so sorry for her.
We
went back to the hotel, got cleaned up, went to a really nice dinner at
this Italian restaurant then we were off to the show. We had floor
seats, so we are headed down to the floor, looking for our seats in
12th row center, well we get down there and because the center of the
stage jets out from the rest of the stage we ended up in 2nd row dead
center !!, with only a few girls in front of us !! I still can't
believe we had seats that good. All of the Idols looked right down at
us, it was awesome.
All of the Idols did a really nice job but
I have to say, when Archie came out the crowd went nuts and the whole
vibe of the place changed. It was like every person was there just for
him. Seeing him onstage right in front of me was one of the most
memorable experiences I think I've ever had, It was absolutely crazy.
He looked right down at us and I know he was thinking, wow there's
those guys again that were outside earlier. He did the usial 4 songs. During the last song he was going
to each side of the stage and shaking hands with everyone, He made
sure he shook everyone's hands not just one or two, It was so cute.
He genuinely really cares about all of his fans. After the show We
decided not to wait for them to come out because we really didn't know
when they would show if at all. It was really nice walking one block
and staying the night at the hotel, we got up had a nice breakfast and
drove home, I know one thing, getting to meet and talk to David and
the whole 24hr experience is one I will never forget !!
I can’t even begin to express my excitement and shock right
now. Words are not enough. I’m writing this at 4am – I just got back from the
concert and I can’t wait until the morning to make this post.
Yes, I did indeed get to hang out and talk with David for 2
hours this evening. SDcoulturedoll (Liz) and Blaykee (Kristen), and Chaarlie (Cherlyn) from the AI Boards shared this amazing
evening with me and I would like to tell you about it!
Liz and Kristen drove up from San
Diego to go the Tacoma
concert.
They both had been to two other concerts in California, and decided to
try one more! We (including Cherlyn) met by the buses, where the idols
were kept
behind the fences and never came out. I managed, however, to get David
to sign
my David Archuleta Fan Blast water bottle (given to me by Eric from FB)
and he
signed my hand. (He held my hand while he did it!! EEK!) Anyway, David
recognized Liz from the other concerts and American Idol tapings and
his reaction was priceless. He was
on vocal rest and couldn’t talk, but when he saw Liz he just threw his
head
back and did a “silent” laugh. Liz asked “Do you remember me?” and he
shook his
head in disbelief and smiled.
There were many disappointed fans in Tacoma, because the idols couldn’t come out
due to security reasons. There were a LOT
of
people there. However, we did manage to run into Jeff Archuleta. I was
able to personally hand him the hat I bought him which read "World's
Greatest Dad"! This act sparked a lengthy conversation. Liz and Kristen
came over to
us, and Jeff recognized them.
Then he leaned forward, and whispered very quietly in our
ears “Write your names down, give me a phone number. I’ll get you backstage
After Show Party passes”
My heart exploded.
The conversation continued as normal, because Jeff didn’t
want to draw attention to the situation in fear that others would want passes.
In fact, Liz started talking to Jeff in Spanish so others wouldn’t understand
what they were saying! It was really cool, and kinda funny.
Realizing the idols would not be coming out, and bursting at
the seams with excitement about our backstage passes, we left for the rest of
the day and came back later to pick up our passes.
I wore it very proudly. It had a little handwritten “DA” on
it, which meant we were on David’s guest list
The concert was fantastic, as you all know by now. Honestly,
I didn’t even take pictures of the concert (or at least not many) because so
many identical pictures exist on the Internet and I wanted to soak up the
concert and enjoy it as much as I could. Besides, I knew I would be meeting
David afterwards so I assumed I would get better pictures then.
The concert ended, and we met up with Jeff again who told us
where to go. We were led into a medium sized room where all the idols were
waiting for us (changed back into normal clothes). Honestly, there were not
very many people there. You’ll be able to tell from my pictures. It was quite small, and we were happy for it.
Liz and I went to straight to David Archuleta. He was
standing in a corner talking to two other people. As we walked up, those people
left and it was just me, Liz, and David. David said hi to Liz (his now familiar
friend LOL) and Liz introduced me. “This is my friend, Meleah” she says. “It’s
really nice to meet you!” says David as I shake his hand and try not to look
stupid. Right away we took pictures. I specifically asked David to take a “fun”
picture with me and we decided to do a “thumbs up” picture because he loves
doing that in pictures!
As this was happening, I handed him the movie I bought him –
the “Notebook” (remember the Seventeen Mag interview?) – and his reaction was awesome !
I hadn’t even finished explaining it to him and he says “Oh wow! I haven’t seen
this! That’s so nice thank you so much!” So when we took our picture, he held
up the movie. I thought it was sweet. Later during the evening, we talked about
it again. He said to me “You know, I think I want to save this and watch it
with my friend!” I told him that it was definitely something to watch with a
friend, and Kristen chimed in and said “Yes, save it watch with a special lady
friend”. David laughed hysterically. “Girls love Guys who have watched the
notebook” I say. He laughs more. I think we made him laugh a lot tonight.
After our initial meeting with David, we decided to spread
the love around. Liz and I headed to Cook. He was standing alone, and so we
went to him next. I have to tell you – my Cookie love has grown enormously. He
is the funniest, sweetest guy. He was goofing around with Liz and I, and taking
silly pictures and making fun of my “I Voted for David Archuleta” t-shirt. He
was very cool.
After saying high to Cook, Jason, and Michael Johns, we
suddenly realized that we were standing in the same room as David Archuleta yet
NOT with him. I’m like “what am I doing??” so I went back to David and watched
him (non-creepily… I think). I stayed with him the rest of the night. I watched
as he interacted with some people (again, not many people there) and every move
he made was adorable. His skin was bright and shiny, and so were his eyes. I
couldn’t take my eyes off him. He looks completely unreal.
We continued to talk throughout the hour – about various
topics. It was strange how easy it was to talk to him. I was so afraid I would
go all “fan girl” on him, but instead I was cool and calm and able to converse
with him like a friend – and that’s how he talked to us! He was very smiley and
excited. At one point he was talking about something that made him happy and he
did a little “hop” in the air. We all laughed. It was adorable.
I asked him about singing “Crazy” on Tuesday, and he didn’t
know about it! But he said “Ok, then! But I haven’t rehearsed it in awhile”. I
told him that his fans really want to hear him sing it. He went on to explain
how he sings it – he said it’s a very slow, simple version of it - nothing
fancy. And we told him anything he sings is fantastic. At times he almost
rambled, and I loved every moment of it.
We talked about his album and how it’s ranked number 4 on
Amazon. His reaction was priceless – he was like “nuh UH!” I told him I already
bought his album, which prompted him to discuss his album and how he’s still
trying to find the right balance. “Hopefully it will be good” he says. We
laughed again.
One of my favorite moments happened when we were talking
about his height. “I’m really short” he says. “You’re taller than me!” I say.
Then he stops, stands on his toes, squints his eyes, tilts his eyes, looks me
up and down, sizes me up, and then says “nahh I don’t think so”. I swear
Archies – my heart exploded. But I kept my cool.
Another funny moment happened when a Goth girl came up to
David to get his autograph. “You have an interesting style” says David. LOL!!!
I couldn’t help it – I laughed out loud. It was awkward.
I told him I loved reading his Myspace Blogs. He laughed,
and seemed flattered. “I wrote another one today!” he says. (He hasn’t posted
it yet though!) “I wish I could do more video blogs. I’m not very good at them,
and I don’t know how and my laptop is all messed up. I’m going to get Jason to
help me.” I said “What, American Idol can’t get you a decent laptop?” and he
says “Well I haven’t asked. I don’t want to be like “Ohhh give me a laptop”. He
said it with this mock “arrogant” tone and it was the funniest thing ever.
It was funny to watch as he would sing and hum to himself.
At one point, these two girls stood next to him and he started singing a line
from “Stand by Me”. He spoke in Spanish a lot, which I didn’t understand but it
was very cute.
I got so many autographs its ridiculous. He signed my hand,
my water bottle, my picture – and then I asked him to sign my shirt. As he was
spelling out my name, he was like “Oh I met you early today! I signed something
for you”. I was happy he remembered me! I asked him if he recognized my shirt
and he did! And I told him about how I drove to Murray for his homecoming.
At one point, while Cherlyn was giving David a present, she
gave him a pin of some sort and it was white. “And it’s white!” she says. David
looks confused and says “White?”. Cherlyn says “That’s your tour color.” Still
confused, he asks “What is a tour color?”. I explained it to him was like “OH!
That’s cool – I never noticed!” I laughed. Maybe a little hard, but it was
funny. I told him to keep an eye out for the white fans! (I got this whole
interaction recorded - I’ll post it later)
At one point he asked “What time is it?” – I don’t know, but
it was such a normal, non-fan-like question and it kind of tickled me that was
asking for the time.
David seemed to think it was really funny and cool that Liz
and Kristen drove from California
to see him in concert again. Liz and Kirsten made him guess how many hours they
drove. He guessed 12 hours, but it was actually 19 hours and he was shocked!
As the evening went on, the room became more and more empty
as others Idols left. Of course, David just kept staying. Part of me wondered
if he was reluctant to meet the huge mass of people waiting outside at his bus.
Regardless, he kept talking to just us – finally we were the last ones in the
room, except for Jeff and some security guards. We were the last to leave.
I sheepishly asked “Can I have a hug before I go?” and said
“Aww! Of course!” and gave me a big old hug. His cheeks touched up against mine
– EEK!
He said goodbye to us and whishes Liz and Kristen a safe
trip home to San Diego.
We were like “bye David! It’s been so nice talking to you tonight” and he was
like “Thanks! Have a good one bye!”
We went into the parking lot, and then a few minutes later
he came back out on his way to buses. He said goodbye to us again! It was funny
to watch as his security guards escorted him behind the huge line of people waiting for each Idol to return to
their buses. We watched as he snuck up behind the crowd– no one knew he was
there and then suddenly everyone started screaming. That was the last we saw of him.
The experience is still hard for me to completely grasp –
the fact that we spent 2 hours just talking to David about random things. Some
things were so random I can’t even remember now! But I was taking major mental
notes the whole time and thinking of you all a ton.
His ability and
eagerness to listen, ask questions, and respond was amazing. I would be talking
to someone else, and David would overhear and chime in. There was no sense of
just David talking to us because he had to – he seemed so interested in talking
to us. In fact, the fact that he kept talking to us – even after everyone left
– is what kept him from making an appearance at the buses afterwards. We didn’t
realize this until afterwards. Oops.
He was so normal, yet so perfect at the same time.
My ODD needs a new word, because I’m not sure “ODD” says it
all anymore.
David started with Angels coming up from below the stage - very dramatic. He really changed this up from the many times I have heard it. It is amazing that each time it sounds so different. He was wearing a black suit with sparkles (which IMHO did not fit well). Believe me I was close enough to see that it was HANGING on him. He spoke for a few seconds but unless you could read lips you could not hear what he was saying. Next was apologize which he sang while ascending and descending the stairs. He had some pretty sexy moves coming down the stairs. His runs on this song were superb and it was really entertaining. He then sang Stand By Me. He went to each side and touch the fans hands. People almost died getting to little David. His dance moves were so cute and he sang more than just the Beautiful Girls part of the Sean Kingston song. It was the best performance of SBM yet. Then he moved his mike to within inches from me and sat on a stool. He talked about the meaning of the phrase I Love You and that the song expresses it so well. (Again hard to hear because of screaming). This song was so amazing I think I held my breath the entire time. He hit each note flawlessly. And his expressions were so powerful. He really knows how to feel and interpret a song. This one must be seen LIVE for the full effect. He did stand and embrace the mike stand and the ending his arms went in the air for an amazing finale. He had his hand over his heart as if you convey his love for the fans. He then introduced Cook and disappeared. For the Finale he came out in a cute preppy outfit to join the others in Please Don't Stop the Music. He and Cook hi-fived and then came right up to us to finish. He looked right at us and smiled. Then he was off.
I had noticed after the intermission that his dad, Jeff was sitting just seats away with Brooke's husband. I went right up to him and told him how amazing his son is. This man is so soft spoken and almost as humble as David. He was extremely approachable and we talked for about 20 minutes. Someone asked him if David would release WYSYLM or Imagine on his CD, but Jeff said that he felt like David would really want all new songs on his freshman CD. He said he has recorded MANY tracks and that working with Jive is a dream. Jive knows what they want and it totally meshes with what David wants. He did say that the cd would be out before Christmas (we don't want to rush excellence). He took a picture with me as we were getting kicked out by security (the only reason they let us stay so long is because it's Jeff Archuleta). As we were walking out he saw that David had signed my shirt and he asked "When did you see David?" I joked with him and told him that David and I were old friends. He looked shocked until I told him that I had met him by the buses earlier in the day. I told him about giving David the pictures of the San Diego Mormon Temple and the Angel Moroni and he said "Aw! That is so thoughtful" Then we talked about his church for a minute. He really appreciates his sons' fans. He did express concern that some people just don't "get" David because he is such a good kid with strong morals and not willing to give them up to sex up his image. I told him that he had fans of all ages and that David is appreciated by many types. I also told him that David was the most popular by the buses and stayed out a half hour longer than any of the other contestants to finish signing autographs. This man was surprised and happy and didn't seem to be assuming about anything regarding David. I felt like I made a new friend. Maybe I'll get to see him again on Monday at the Los Angeles venue.
*The Guitar Hero Commercial is classic. Very little of David but his dance moves are the cutest thing I have ever seen. Don't miss it!
*The shirt I had on I made myself with iron ons. I show Jeff the "Can I adopt him" part and he laughed.
That was my San Diego experience, I can't wait to tell you about my meet and greet on Monday. And yes, I'll be by the buses again hoping to have more conversations with little Archie.
So yeah, I haven't been posting stuff, sorry about that. Hopefully I'll have more interesting stuff for you guys to read later.
But anywho, I AM ONE OF THE OFFICIAL TORCH REPORTERS FOR ST. LOUIS!!!!! Thanks so much Rickey!! I can't wait to post my pictures and videos of the day for you guys. It's going to be so much fun :D Instead of just having boring video of just 30 seconds of David's beautiful voice singing, I am going to be posting seperate videos of my whole experience. From making my Archie sign for the Fanblast Tour Documentary to checking into my beautiful hotel room to even stalking the area to meet David himself. It's going to be a blast and I want you guys to see every step of the way. Also I might be stopping at the Gateway Arch. Which seems appropriate because, Arch ie + Arch Angels + Arch uleta. Hehe maybe I'll even see him there. OMG could you imagine?? But anywho just wanted to let you guys know and check back here on July 19th when everything will be posted. I would post the night of the concert...BUT...I'll be in my hotel and I don't have a laptop to do all that.
When I think back to what initially attracted me to David
Archuleta, it is hard to describe. There was just a “spark”, for lack of a
better word, that he possessed. His voice literally started to wrap itself
around my heart and from that moment on, I knew I was a forever fan. I am a
total music lover! If you look into my music collection, you probably would be
very shocked. I am all over the board in regards to tastes in music. I range
from opera’s Puccini La Boheme and such to AC/DC, not to mention everything in
between. I love the different moods that I can get from each one. However, having
said that, I only have a select few CD’s that has stood the test of time. With
these CD’s I can listen to them over and over and never tire of them. It’s
interesting that I can listen to them and become completely taken away to
another world. How does David fit into all of this? I have watched American
Idol here and there for the last few years, and have never much been really
into it. I voted a couple of times in prior seasons, but lost interest. Other
than the occasional watching, I pretty much ignored it. That all changed during
season seven. I watched casually in the beginning, as I figured it would be
much the same as in years before. Of course I was completely wrong! This year
is the year I discovered David Archuleta. His voice, charm and genuine personality has completely
won me over. He has become part of my elite group. I don’t say this lightly. It
is amazing to me that he has been able to do this in such a short period of
time. My iPod has even been renamed the Archupod! I guess I just love the
depth, tone and above all else the emotion that he so stunningly is able to
relay to all of us fortunate fans. But is that all? No, in fact there is much
more to my devotion to him as I am completely impressed by him as a person and
his chosen life choices. I am so blessed to be able to feel that way about him.
I do hope by providing this background, you will be able to see why I chose to
go to the Tour and be able to see David and experience his beautiful voice and
personality for myself.
The few weeks prior to the tour, I was trying to think of a
way that I could “experience” David in person. I just had this pulling at my
heart, that at times it was almost like a magnet, driving me to be a part of
this phenomenon. The logical side of me
was trying to convince me that I was clearly being stupid. The music lover side
was driving me even harder, and so I’m glad that it won out in the end. The
hardest part, after I had made my decision, was how in the world am I going to
be able to tell/explain this to my husband? Well after much thinking, I finally
set him down and just simply said that I wanted to go and see David live. I
explained my feelings as best as I could, and he was very understanding. I’m
still not so sure he gets it, but how could he? He is a different person with
different feelings, and so I was satisfied that he just supported me. I don’t
want to give the impression that my husband does not like David, he does, he
just does not have the devotion that I do. As far as going to the concert, that
was something that we haven’t done in years. My husband and I did go to
concerts when we were younger, but have not gone since because of practicality.
When I went and bought the tickets, I asked if he would go, and he said “yes,
whatever makes you happy” I was so overjoyed that he understood me. About a
week before the tour, I was trying to think of a way that I could “delicately”
inform my husband that I wanted to go and meet the buses for autographs. I had
actually been thinking of doing this since I got the tickets, but didn’t know
how to broach the subject. I was all over the place on this one! I was back to
square one on the “logical/desire drive” subject. I kept thinking that I needed
to be grateful for just being able to go to the concert and forget the rest.
But once again the David magnets were working overtime. I knew that I had to
try. I wanted to be able to come full circle in my quest to connect with David
in the way he has connected to me. I had talked to my son about it, trying to
gauge his reaction, and he just sort of smiled and said to do whatever I
wanted. So then I had put my plan in place, plus had back up plans in case
anything changed. You know having children in the midst of ODD is near
impossible! But I had my plan in place.
So a couple of days before the tour, I brought the topic up out of the clear
blue. At first my husband was like…”WHAT????, are you serious??” and then I tried to rationally explain it to
him. Who was I kidding; there is nothing rational about this at all! I just
knew deep inside that I had to satisfy my desire, or I would forever be kicking
myself for not going. I heard on the television just a couple of days before
that really struck me. Of all of the decisions people make, the biggest regrets
were not the things they did, but the things they didn’t do. I would not be a
part of that group! So after a lot of discussion about autographs (he does not
get the idea of an autograph at all!) and how I was going to do this, he said
to do whatever made me happy! I have such a wonderful husband, who supports me
even when he thinks I’m starting to go over the edge. I don’t know if I could
be so understanding if the shoe was on
the other foot.
So Monday came with lots of preparation! Batteries charged,
camera ready, work taken care of (kind of) and the house in decent order.
Everything seemed ready to go… that was my first mistake! My son got sick and I
seriously thought I might need to take him to the doctor. I told my husband
that if I needed to I would not go. I always had plan B which was going Tuesday.
But after much working around issues, and children who are so thoughtful of
their mother, I got in the car with them and headed to Salt Lake City. We went shopping early to get some needed
school shopping done. I really felt this
was something I could do for them for being so understanding of their mother. I
kept watching the clock and finally we left for the buses. When we got there, I
was amazed that there were so few people. My children and I found a shady spot
under a tree as it was 95 degrees and very sunny! We watched the local TV
station come, and my son was very concerned that he would NOT be seen on TV.
Can’t have your friends see you with your mother… not to mention getting
autographs at the buses hehe! What would they think? Well, anyways we watched
the Fanblast shout out and then we waited. I was able to meet some online
friends from Rickey.org which was really cool in of itself. It’s almost like
connecting a dream from the night into the day light. Making the screen names
into faces is really cool and you realize that you’re not talking into mere
space. I was able to meet ITTO, Josie, houstonrufus,SweetonDA and mcluvin. Each
was very unique and so kind. I wished that we had more time to talk and share
our DA love, but it wasn’t in the cards. Who knows, maybe one day? I do feel
fortunate though that I have been able to make new friends because of our
common David bond. I don’t even think David is even aware of the rippling
effect he has had. It is so inspiring to see how one good decision leads to
others.
So 1:30p.m. rolled around and by that time I was sweating,
kids were complaining and I was very thirsty. The cheers for all of the service
workers were kind of funny and the crowd was getting restless. All of the
sudden a bus came, but looked nothing like the pictures I had seen of the tour
buses. As it went by, I noticed Michael Johns in the back seat. Everyone
cheered and then an ear piercing scream alerted everyone that David had just
gotten up from his seat! My heart just started to beat hard because I knew that
I might get to have my desire realized! We waited and waited while they
unloaded from the bus into the event center and dropped their things off (I
assume). Finally Kristy Lee Cook and Seyesha and Brooke came out and the
security people let them by the huge iron gate. I was hoping that we didn’t
have to see them through the bars, but thankfully that did not happen. So I got
lots of pictures of them, and even some with my daughter. Each idol that came
out was very gracious and kind. They must be tired of all of the signing and
I’m sure screaming for the boys, but they were sweet. We were able to get
autographs as well. Ramiele and Carly came next. They both were just as kind as
the rest. Carly is quite witty. I thought she had a very kind, loving demeanor
about her. By this time, everyone really wanted to see the boys, and so you
could see heads bob up and down to see if they were going to come out.
Finally my heart did skip a beat because here the David’s,
Jason and Jeff came. I was so excited to think I might be able to get a photo
and an autograph! I was talking to mcluvin during this whole thing, and it was
really good to be able to talk with someone who so totally got it! We together
were a team, and really looked out for each other. She had brought a ukulele to
be signed by Jason as well as a tour picture. I wished I had thought of doing
that, but I was afraid that anything I brought had to be approved for them to
sign. So if you’re reading this, bring something special for them to sign! I
did buy a fanblast water bottle, and so now that is my souvenir. So David goes
to the top of the group and David C went to the other side. Each idol was
signing away… their arms had to hurt. They never did get cranky or complained.
I must say that David is the SLOWEST idol of all with Jason a close second.
That is really a compliment because he is so concerned that each fan gets their
individual time. He really tries to make a connection with each one. When David
came to us, I had a mouth full of cotton. How could I explain my feelings? It
was impossible and I knew that even before I went. Looking back I wish I had a
rewind/stop button to make changes, look at details etc. but that wasn’t the
case. I told David that he did a wonderful job on “Crazy” and “Waiting on the
World to Change” and he said while looking straight into my eyes “ Aww, I don’t
know…thanks”. His eyes are so powerful and deep. It’s true that the eyes are
the window to the soul, and David has a glorious soul! I also told him that I
thought he was really awesome. Anything else that came out of my mouth, I
wouldn’t know. Where is photographic memory when you need it? I did give him some Nutterbutters… maybe that
was a dumb idea. I didn’t know what to get him; I just thought he needed
something! I felt like I should give something back to him because he has given
so much to me. I do know for a fact that teenage boys like to EAT! So I thought
why not give him his favorite munchies? I don’t know if he’ll ever eat them, but I
wanted to show him that I cared. We then took a picture of us with him. Where
were all of the hair dressers, makeup? It was HOT and I wanted to look good
NEXT to David. I thought mcluvin said it best, “it’s not about me it’s about
David” So the end result was fairly decent. We were then able to talk to Jeff
and had quite a lengthy conversation with him. He is such a good example to
everyone on how to face adversity. I really look up to him with admiration
because he conducted himself so well under immense pressure from the media not
to mention just the stress of the show. He tried really hard to make everything
all about David and not him. But you know, pesky fans want the inside scoop I
think, and so he was very gracious and kind to talk about anything he could.
David is very fortunate to have a father that has put all of his interests on
the back burner to help him realize his dreams. I hope that I am doing that for
my children to some degree too. He really is a man with lots of integrity and
full of kindness.
Jason was one of the last idols that we seen. He too, is
someone that I was completely blown away by. He is very soft spoken and very
kind. I can see why David and Jason get along so well. He is so NOT pretentious
at all! What you see is what you get with him. I like that very much in a
person. It speaks volumes about their character. He signed my water bottle and
he did sign the ukulele. He was so cute when he tried to play it some. Mcluvin
and I were even able to get more than one picture with Jason because he too
took so much time with every fan. I think they both (David & Jason) have
hearts of gold. David C. was the last idol to come our way. He was really nice too;
however we could not chat because he had to go to do press. He told us we could
either get an autograph or picture, so I chose an autograph. I did get some
shots of him farther away. I noticed when he was on the other side; he took
time to hold a small girl and also was signing someone’s guitar too. He held it
and started to play it a little. All in
all I am VERY THANKFUL that I did listen to the inner voice and follow my
heart. I was rewarded richly by doing so. If I ever am asked if it was worth
it, I won’t even hesitate for a moment….YES!
So after a long, but very rewarding day on Monday, I was
ready on Tuesday to go to the concert. I was very intrigued about hearing David
live vs. or by recording. I was going to go to the buses, but I figured since I
was so successful on Monday, I shouldn’t be a complete hog. I felt others
needed their chance too. So I waited
patiently…not really, but anyways I finally the time came. I was planning on
going with my husband, but he decided to stay home with my daughter. As a side
note, I didn’t have enough seats to take my sons with me so I decided to
purchase two more tickets from Ticketmaster. I could hardly believe that I was
able to get row 7 seats. So for future reference, wait until the concert comes
closer to purchase tickets if at all possible. I went with my sons and we ate
dinner before and went to the E Center. I was blown away how close our seats
were! I was very excited and so I purchased a program book which I think is
really cool. Finally the concert started and it was really interesting to see
how the idols were live compared to on television. I enjoyed Chikezie quite a
bit. The audience was fairly good and I do think he does have a lot of stage
presence! Ramiele was up next, and of all of the idols, she is my least
favorite. She did well, but isn’t in the same league in my opinion. She kind of
acted like she didn’t really want to be there. Michael Johns was really good.
My sons really liked his performances. His tribute to David Archuleta was so
funny! He told us all how hot he was, and then he proceeded to take off his
jacket which underneath he had a David Archuleta T-shirt. He then drank from a
Fanblast water bottle and called it “sweet nectar.” Everyone went wild when he
did that. Kristy Lee Cook was good, but seemes to be somewhat “manufactured
country music” like a lot of the country women now days. She is beautiful. Then
Carly was up next. I really enjoyed her set! She has such a powerful voice with
huge range. Most everyone liked it, especially my youngest son. Then Brooke
White came out. She is so sweet and genuine! She is so authentic and just being
who she is and I really like that in her. Her song “Yellow” was really good. My
older son totally liked it. She just seems to have a calming presence. Up next
was Jason Castro. I really like him a lot. My whole perception of him changed
once I met him live and then heard him live. He is so easy going and genuine.
He commented on David Archuleta singing “Crazy” the two previous days for the
local crowd, and he seemed totally fine with it. I enjoyed his voice and
interpretation of his version as well. He is very likeable! Up next was
Seyesha. I initially really liked Seyesha a whole lot when Idol started, but as
the weeks went on, I felt like she was somewhat bitter. She did a good job with
her songs and her voice is really powerful as well, but for some reason her
personality kind of seemed to overshadow it. I am going to insert David Cook
here because I don’t want to end with him. He is an awesome performer to say
the least. I really liked everything that he did, with the exception of
“Hello.” I can’t seem to get Lionel Richie out of my head when I hear that
song, so it sounded weird to me. I thought it was really cool that he tried so
hard to impress Salt Lake City. He really seemed to and wanted to have us all
like him. He did do something that I was impressed with. He recorded the whole
crowd on his personal camcorder. I thought it was good that he did that because
he obviously wanted to remember what Salt Lake was like. He sang really well
and I did enjoy his voice a whole lot more live than on the show. He seems to feed
off of others opinions of him, and I do think that is what drives him to be
such a performer. I do have to say that I can finally, really and truly like
David Cook.
Finally the moment I had been waiting for! As David came up
out of the floor singing “Angels” I thought it sounded beautiful! I was trying
to see him, but the fog was a little overwhelming from my vantage point. Once I
did see him, I was in awe! I have read so many opinions from others how
fascinating it is to watch him go from seventeen to a performer without age. I
was somewhat skeptical in this when I first heard it, but I wanted to see it
for myself. I can indeed say without reservation that he becomes ageless! He
has such a commanding presence when he sings. I believe that it is something
felt, not seen. He then sang “Apologize” which was as good as the first song.
He then followed with “Stand by Me” which has always been one of my favorite.
His voice is so right on the mark for this song. This isn’t a song many people
can sing, but David did an outstanding job. The cute dancing was a bonus in my
opinion, along with all of the fan interaction. He knows who his fans are and
they know him!! The last song he sang was “When You Say You Love Me” by Josh
Groban. I love Josh Groban and so when I first heard he was going to do this
song, I didn’t have any doubts that he could do as well, if not a better job.
His rendition was flawless. He even changed up the ending which I actually
liked better. The emotion in this song is so beautiful and deep. As I mentioned
before, his voice once again wrapped itself around my heart. The depth and
emotion was clearly felt deep inside. The hand movements he added were made
with such feeling, that in my opinion, they were as much a part of the song as
his voice. What a glorious soul to watch. I didn’t want the end to come, but it
was over way to soon. I just craved to hear his voice more! Crave….that is the
word indeed! David has become part of an elite group of musical artists I
consider worthy of complete praise and honor. I know that I will forever be
fascinated to watch where he goes and how he develops in life both as an artist
and as a person.
Lastly, I wanted to address David the person. I feel that
this is the most important part of him that I love. I do love his voice beyond
doubt, but his character is really what makes his voice for me. There are all
kinds of beautiful singers, but none can hold a candle to David because of who
he is. I feel so inadequate to describe my adoration of him and how he has influenced
people both old and young. Who does that at seventeen? In my opinion, only an
“older and wiser soul”, with an enormous amount of integrity, humbleness and of
course kindness could do it. He is so genuine and full of compassion for others
that it is touching to watch. His attention to detail is something I want to
mirror in myself. David and I share many things; we both live/come from Utah,
have the same beliefs and the same devotion to family. Having said that, I
still find that I am intrigued that he possesses so many extraordinary
qualities above and beyond the normal person. Many of us try to acquire such characteristics
and are only able to accomplish a few during a whole lifetime. I am in constant awe of him and am amazed by
personal choices he makes irrespective of what others think. He is just trying
to stay true to who he is… David. What better thing can we all do than that? I
do hope that maybe one day I can relate some of what is in my heart to him
personally. I have read many beautiful and inspiring stories from others, and
clearly I am not alone. I too, along with many others have had difficulties in
my life that have shaped who I am today. I know that if I hadn’t experienced
those things, I might not be a fan nor had the desire to see David and connect
with his music. He inspires hope which is key to happiness and success in life.
I do hope that David can grasp the depth of love, we fans, feel for him. It is
hard to summarize what is in ones heart, but the songs he sings with such emotion
bridge the gap that the human language cannot. Music is the language of the
soul, and David has a glorious soul full of music that reaches the inner
strings of the heart! David is indeed, one of a kind!
David Archuleta: Rickey Concert Report (Indianapolis, July 22) Report written by Freo (Teresa)
Thank you for reading my report of the Indianapolis concert on Tuesday, July 22! I know there are some people reading this who will not have an opportunity to see David in concert during this tour, so I especially thought of you while writing this. As you read below, you will find out why my username is “Freo.” Also, before you begin reading, this is a friendly warning that my report is quite long. I’m a features reporter by training and there were loads of details I had been wondering about before the day’s events.
Before I get started, I’d like to note that fans have already captured excellent concert videos with cameras far more sophisticated than mine. I am sharing the links to my concert clips, though, so you can see some more Indy clips. I mostly focused on set introductions and David’s comments talking between songs. In addition, I am sharing some excellent (and unexpected) videos made during the pre-concert bus meet and greet. You can find URL’s to my videos on YouTube in this report.
I snapped some very nice pictures of David, Jason, Michael, and Carly, especially. You can check out all my pre-concert and concert photos at: http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm309/Freo_ph oto/
I have the photos organized by album. All of the David-related pre- and post-concert photos are in his album, “David in Indianapolis.” I've also posted a couple photos in this blog.
Initially, I was reluctant to attend the concert at all because I imagined that I would be surrounded by screaming 15-year-olds. However, I was so moved by David’s culminating performances on Tuesday night before the finale that I immediately purchased a ticket for Indianapolis.
I was dying to hear him sing live. For months I’ve read reports about how the television performances and studio recordings do not fully capture the richness of his live sound. Attending the Indy concert required me to make a nearly five-hour drive in a non-air-conditioned car, but I just couldn’t wait until September when the concert would be playing in my home market in another state.
I attended the concert with a fellow fan I met online through Archey’s Angels. It was wonderful to share the day’s experiences with her because she is equally excited to see where young David’s career will take him. Also, we were each a bit nervous to hang out at the buses on our own, so going together really gave us the extra push we needed to just go for it.
On the concert day, our first task was to meet David at the buses. When I arrived at the downtown venue around 12:30 p.m., there were already television cameras and about 75-100 fans with cameras, signs, and gifts waiting near the underground parking entrance. The crowd for the most part was a mixture of Archie, Cook, Jason, and Carly fans. More fans joined us by 1:30 p.m. By the time the first Idols came out a few hours later, probably around 300 people had gathered. Shortly before 2 p.m., more activity began to occur around the area. Security people began milling around, cars with darkened windows entered the underground parking area, and then, the buses appeared! I recognized the color codes on the front windows. The buses went right past us and perhaps took the performers out for dinner. Shortly thereafter, an equipment bus pulled up and the crew began unloading Guitar Hero and stage items.
When the security people took out the barricades shortly thereafter, we knew that we were in for a treat! They eventually told us that the Idols would be arriving in small groups around 2-ish p.m.
Before I describe the Idols’ appearances, let me briefly set the scene for you: The Idols’ appearances were surprising partially due to the venue’s lay-out itself. The equipment bus disguised part of the ramp going down to the underground parking area. As a result, we could not see who the emerging Idols were until their heads poked up at the top of the ramp. It was quite exciting and a little unnerving to hear cheers from people on the far end of the line (who had visibility into the ramp) and know that someone would be emerging. My friend and I had an excellent spot in the middle of the line, so we could watch the Idols go up and down the entire greeting line once they emerged from the ramp.
All of the Idols came out to greet fans except for Cook and Chikezie. I honestly attended primarily to see Archie, but it was fun to greet the other Idols. Ramiele, Kristy, Jason, and Michael seemed the most friendly, sincere, and gracious. I found the others to be rather rushing past and more business-like. I got all their signatures in my little book and wished them all the best as they walked past.
Here is a special video of Carly interacting with fans who made her a beautiful scrapbook: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gfce11q-Dp4.
At one point, I heard massive screams and couldn’t believe my eyes when David Archuleta appeared! I can only describe the experience as surreal. After months of watching him during the last month of Idol, and then following his whereabouts through fan sites, it was quite surreal to actually see the real living person. As my friend remarked to me, “This isn’t a YouTube video! This is the real thing!” (to which I laughed hysterically).
We had an excellent viewing position for watching Archie come down the entire line as he made his way toward us. I snapped photos and took videos the entire time: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5uxKFhHlbCM When he was about fifteen feet away from us, we heard his laugh and voice for the first time in person. My friend and I gave each other a look of disbelief! As my friend insightfully noted, at that moment “meeting Archie” suddenly became real.
I wish that I could have had a proper sit-down interview with David. I had loads of good questions that I wanted to ask him, but the situation was rather rushed, security and his handler were milling about, and he was clearly anxious to get to everyone. He was clearly trying hard to be friendly, but yet streamlined with what little time he had. My friend and I had planned on having our photos taken with him, but when he appeared in front of us, it was just so hectic that we found it difficult to even think straight! In person, David looked just like what I imagined. He was quite tanned from doing so many outside bus autograph signings during the past month. Some people have remarked about his shortness, but he seemed fine to me. My husband is a couple inches taller than him so I knew what to expect. I was surprised how dark-featured he was in person.
The vibe that I received from him was friendly, gentle, somewhat quiet, and unassuming. I consider myself to be a fairly perceptive person. Again, I was not surprised, as many fans had already noted this. He seemed genuinely happy about meeting his fans and was making an effort to greet everyone. We noticed that night that his voice was a little strained between songs, so he may have been saving his voice because he did not talk much during the bus meet and greet.
When he appeared right in front of me, I took a couple photos as he signed my book and wished him well. There were many things I wanted to say, and questions I wanted to ask, but I was also trying to savor the short moment. When he was slightly past me to the next person, I got my bearings together, put my calm journalism face on, and said, “David, I forgot to tell you. I am from Rickey’s as a reporter.” He looked up and gave me a confused look about what Rickey’s was, but I think it came to him when my friend said, “You know? Rickey.org.” You can actually observe this moment on a video clip taken by another person: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bGSpTG6g_IQ. At 6:32-6:33, you will see him look up in response to my question. Also, you will see the venue set-up that I described early on in the video when he emerges from the underground area.
There were about a million things going on, so maybe someday I’ll have a chance to have a proper interview with him. Also, looking back on the moment when I told him about my reporting assignment, he might have quickly wondered if I was from a gossip site.
After that, David made his way down the rest of the line. We kept him in our sight as we greeted Jason. I snapped some excellent photos of Jason that I am sharing with you all on my Photobucket account. He also was very friendly and laid-back, just as I expected.
After David finished going down the line, he suddenly came walking up the entire line giving everyone high-fives. I captured this excellent moment on video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fhMWkzeI1zQ. I love the effect in my video of him approaching us from the perspective of our hands. The end of the video is priceless: after he gives me a high-five, you will see that I hold my hand up to inspect it! You can also hear me exclaim to my friend, “I got that all on video,” and her surprised reaction.
David eventually walked back over to the front of the bus to pick up gifts that his handler had placed for him there. We heard security telling him that he had to go inside and do local media interviews. Mind you, meanwhile I was capturing what I thought was his goodbye all on video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CwUWzWkzq6s.
Suddenly, he ignored security and came walking quickly directly toward me and my friend! You will see him coming closer and closer on my video clip; it’s great! You will also see that when he arrives right in front of me, I dropped the camera with excitement. It turned out that he was coming to see an elaborate scrapbook made for Carly by a fan beside me. The fans said goodbye to David as he slowly made his way back to the underground entrance.
Other than David, I was eager to see Michael Johns. I lived in his Australian hometown for a few years in the 1990s. You don’t meet many Americans who had been to Perth, Australia! When Michael got to me, I immediately told him that I used to live in “East Freo,” which is a slang term for one of Perth’s suburbs. I knew that by me saying that, Michael would know that I had spent some good time in Perth. I captured the exact moment of me telling him and his response on video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=PcDLtEsJpZE.
Because I almost emigrated there in the late 1990s, I wish that we would have had time to chat more about his experiences in Perth and America. Maybe someday I will freelance an article to The West Australian about his experiences in America.
I gave a Rickey's shout-out to Michael and got him to say "puppy johns," but unfortunately did not have the video running at that moment.
The bus meet and greet gradually died down after it was apparent that David Cook and Chikezie weren’t coming out. There were quite a few Cook fans there from Indiana who were disappointed, so I felt badly for them. After that, it was time to wait for the concert!
I know that many others have shared concert reports so I won’t go into huge details about all the sets. But I was genuinely surprised by the strength of Carly’s voice live. She has an excellent stage presence. Sayesha also gave a lovely performance and she is a natural performer. I thought that the others were just okay. Certainly not bad, but average. David Cook had a lot of family and friends in the audience, given that his father lives in Indianapolis and he has family in Terra Haute.
Of course, I was dying to hear David sing live. The crowd went crazy when Syesha introduced him: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UcuqSbtup7w.
Quite honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by his strong stage presence. As we all know, the tour managers had given him that awful suit because they were afraid, so they said, that the “little guy” wouldn’t show up on stage with typical clothing. Such nonsense! He has quite a strong presence on stage, moves and dances often around the stage, and comes out toward the audience from all sides. His voice is just so strong and rich live.
He received uproarious applause to “Stand By Me” as usual: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ly-_WXFdInk.
His final song (WYSYLM) was phenomenal. I was especially fascinated by how his body also moved with the song, so it was a holistic performance. The last few measures of the song were just incredible. His voice filled the arena. His technical voice training and energy-feed-off from the audience was apparent in his live performance.
I toyed with the idea of seeing the Idol concert again this summer, but I have decided to wait until I can enjoy a solo David concert. His set just goes so quickly, so try and savor the moment when you attend the concert. I know some fans who are going to a second concert just to absorb David’s set after getting their videos and pictures at the first concert. In fact, during the last song, I just put the camera down and tried to drink in the sound as much as possible.
It was a pleasure sharing my experiences with you. Thanks, Rickey, for this opportunity! I extend a special thanks to my Archey Angel friend, who shared general fan giddiness, hilarious and unexpected moments, plenty of concert screaming, and David sightings that day. Sharing the events with a fellow fan made them even more memorable and fun. I invite you to check out my videos and photos!
Well the day started for me and my 9 family and friends along for the journey at 1030 in the morning. We headed from the hotel down to the Scottrade Center to wait for our Idols. When we got there there were a few people already camped out also. It was about 95 degrees and there was hardly any shade!!! We waited, and waited, and waited some more! As the hours went on more people started to filter in. We saw some Archie and Cookie fans, but i must say the Dreadheads completely dominated. So around 2 o'clock the buses started to arive. The fans went wild!! (By the time the idols had arrived there were close to 150 people waiting) So everyone was shoving and pushing there way to try to get as close as they can. It was seriously complete chaos! But me and my little cousin made it to the front. The first to come out was David Cook. He was AWE OME. He was very personable and made every person feel special. Ramiele came next. She was a complete sweetheart! Next was Brooke. All I can say is she's just a down right nice person. Kristy Lee followed close behind her. She talked about how she used to cage fight lol. Jason came out and everyone went wild! He spent so much time listening and talking to every person. He spent the most time talking to the fans out of all the idols. Then came Archie! He's so cute. Just a nice kid! He was only out for a few minutes because he needed to go back in for press. He ran through the signings as fast as he could. I was kinda disappointed because he was so rushed but at least i got to see him and get some pictures. Then Jeff Archuleta came out to send David back in. Then Jeff came out and talked for a little bit. He's also so nice. I told him he had an AMAZING son and he said i know i think so too! Following Jeff was Chikezie. Chikezie was sporting a bright pink shirt and neon green shoes. He was sweating SOOO bad..suprise suprise lol. He was just a jolly man! SO NICE! Syesha was out being the sweetheart she is. But let me tell you girl was gettin some attitude also because people weren't wearing Syesha shirts. lol I thought it was quite funny. Last but certainly not least was Michael Johns. He was going quickly too but had a little more time then Archie. He told us he woke up with a fever but he would ROCK OUT his show!!! So we ended up meeting everyone but Carly. By the time we left it was 430 so we grabbed a bite to eat, changed, and back to the Scottrade Center. Guitar Hero had a big set up and State Farm did also. It was really nice and family oriented. Start of the show. Chikezie came out and got the crowd going. He did awesome as expected. Then Ramiele was next. Her scene was very choreographed. Michael Johns came out and ROCKED! The tone in his voice is so unique! Next was Kristy Lee. Now I will say I was not a fan while she was on the show but she's really grown on me now! Then came Carly...WOW. She has some mean vocals...seriously girl is good. Brooke came out with a very laid back happy set of songs. Those five did a medley that was great and then it was time for intermission with Poptarts and the Guitar Hero taff. After intermission Jason was up with his ukelele. He did a great job also. Syesha was last before the Davids and she hit some awesome notes. She sang Listen by Beyonce and it was incredible. Then came David Archuleta ascending from the floor singing Angels. It seriously brought me to tears. He's such an awesome talent. Every song he did was impecable. LOVE HIM. Then it was time for the Idol! DAVID COOK. David started by singing Hello. Awesome. But I must say I dont really like the eyeliner look for him...too Daughtry I think. Anyway he was awesome as well. The ended with a little Please Dont Stop the Music. Honestly I didnt want them to stop the music because every SINGLE one of them were AMAZING. They're all so unique and different and will all have great careers supported by loving fans. So the day I had been waiting for for so long had finally come to an end. IT WAS ALL WELL WORTH IT! Now I'm just wondering how I can make it to another show before the tours over :) It was just that good! The Idols REALLY care about and love their fans. So make sure you can do everything you can to show them your support!
Hope I gave a good report :)
Brianna
P.S.-I'll post videos and pictures tomorrow on my way home!
David-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! The crowd goes crazy. I was worried that Archie wouldn’t get a good reception because I thought maybe there were more Jason fans but the crowd went nuts! Here are the videos. I APOLOGIZE for the horrible quality. I was trying to watch David, while screaming my head off with everyone, while taking pictures, holding my cell for the cellcaster job, and taking video all at the same time. I did NOT do a good job. But here it is anyway…
The best was before and after Stand By Me because we just kept screaming and screaming. You can’t hear it well but we were stomping our feet while screaming for him at the same time. It was so awesome. He kept smiling and saying, “Aww thanks!” He even wiped his brow a few times and told us we had great energy and that we were the loudest. I hope he knows that there are people who think of him as a WINNER and not someone who is second best.
Finally, David Cook comes on and again the crowd goes nuts. He was definitely, all ROCK STAR. I really enjoyed his set-even the songs that I wasn’t so crazy for on AI. Someone threw a note on stage and he read it to the audience. Then, 2 shirts were thrown on stage. The first he gave to someone in the band and the second one, he put on . I later saw that it said, “I love Jason Castro” on it-LOL. The sides of the stage touched the audience. When he went up to the side, he stepped onto the rail and the girls there grabbed his pants and held onto his legs for a few seconds. I wish I would’ve gotten a picture of that but my camera had died at this point.
All in all, everything was great. The audience was all wild. They cheered the longest for Archie but I saw more people stand up and cheer for Cook. So in the end, Sacramento showed the Idols we love them.
Yay-we love David Archuleta!!!
WHEW--Thank you to anyone who made it to the end! LOL
Hello everyone! I am one of the two
reporters for the Indy concert later in
July. I am so excited for the concert and I
will do my best to give you great coverage.
I will be going to the night-before fb
events and morning shout out (but hoping
there will be some people around my age
there -- I'm 36!). Thanks to Rickey for
organizing this.
So this is my first Archie blog (well 2nd, but nobody read mine on the Idol website) and hopefully it doesn't bore you that much. But anywho in this blog I am going to mostly be posting stuff about the tour and anything else that pops in my mind about David that I think will interest you. Oh oh and I am also going to be posting my Archie Fanfics that I have been posting on archuletafans . Hmmm...that's pretty much it. I promise a MUCH better post coming soon. Heh, it will probably be tonight. While you wait, you can just stare at the screen at this:
I can't believe it. I have been reading stuff on ARCHIE the whole day and now I'm overwhelmed by the pureness of everything. He's just so great. I'm so impressed. And how the people have reacted to him, all those write-ups, all those beautiful stuff, and ARCHIE himself...Gosh, he's really a great person, and what? He's only 17...it's a long way, we can grow up with him. I wanted to cry, I want a guy like ARCHIE! Or a son like him or something. HUHU. He's just so amazing. I applaud his parents for raising such an ANGEL in this world...and then sharing him to us. Beautiful shouldn't be used to describe physicality, it should be used to describe something more beyond that...like pureness of heart, truthfulness / honesty, humbleness and all that David is. Because for me, he's really beautiful. Inside and out.
I totally loved this one from NotingDavid, which you should read if you're an ARCHIE fan (and we all are here anyway, so go read heh) http://www.notingdavid.org/?p=20 <-- check it out, it's wonderful. I totally smiled so wide with goosebumps because of that. WOW. Insanely true.
and then the reaction from EMMY ROSSUM:
' Hey!
Did any of you happen to see American Idol last night? I
tuned in as I'd heard it was Andrew Llyod Webber night. David Archuleta
sang "Think of Me" (a conventionally poperatic female song) from
Phantom of the Opera. His interpretation was a sexy smooth pop ballad
and it was stunning. His performance was breathtaking. I'm sure it's up
on youtube but I wanted to share it with all the Phanton phans if you
didn't have a chance to tune in. Those who are loyal to the original
interpretation might not love it, but he really did an excellent job of
making it his own!
Go David! :)
xx emmy
ps: check it out here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=aZU4SV83qtM '
You can see the full comment here : http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog. view&friendID=185709354&blogID=383982114
[She also commented on David C, so check it out ^^]
Amazing. I totally liked the song 'Think of Me' from Phantom of the Opera because of my friend Gab, so when I saw and heard David singing 'Think of Me' I totally just went, 'OH MY GOSH'. WOOOT. Insane everyone, Insane. I loved his rendition. I listen to it at night and I smile because I feel so blessed to be listening to him.
I have been around checking out David fan contributions, like you can send him a note and everything, I think I visited all of them, lol, if not, then if you have any suggestions, where I can contribute, anything, please do leave me a note, I'll join you! ^^ Don't we have like a project for Archie?? ^^
I'm still in awe. I shall be reading more. Be back~ HAHAHA.
Ok, so I'm assuming people will start flocking here as I know there are a million people who read Rickey.org! Anyway, I just need to say thanks to Rickey for this place for us all to discuss and love on the ever talented, amazingly humble David Archuleta.
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OhhhMyGosh!! I had the BEST DAY Of my life yesterday! To begin with, I just want to let everyone know, that I was having an AWFUL Hair Day, So when you see my pictures, please excuse my hair. It normally does not look that way. I promise! :)
Okay Lets Do This. I had planned on waking up at 4:30 am yesterday morning to finish getting some things done, but this didnt happen! I overslept, and I woke up at 5:46 am, so I was very pushed for time! I finally got out the door around 7:30ish. It took us about 2 hours to get to Lexington, but we stopped to have breakfast, so I didnt get to the hotel until about 10:15. Luckily, they let us go ahead and check in, which was AWESOME, because...again...my hair..was...ugh. I needed to fix it. We ended up leaving the hotel around 11:30, and arrived at Rupp Arena around 11:50. I got lost, even with a GPS, and I ran a red light..I didnt mean to though, I was behind a semi, and I couldnt see the lights. it had just turned red so I had a few seconds!
Once I was there, I found a place to park, and asked this nice security man which way I needed to go. Actually, I was soooo excited, and nervous, I forgot to lock my doors. (Yikes!) So my sister and I walked down and saw the crowd of people waiting for the buses. There was soooo many people, the line was huge! I then called Dominic to ask him where he was, and we finally spotted each other! Dominic is really really nice, and really cool! about 10 minutes later, archiefanatic (John) called...or I called him...Im not really sure! Anyway, we talked...and he came over to where we were at. We were right beside of the fence and had a really nice view! There was this ...."hill"...as I called it, right beside of us with a nice shade tree! It actually was just a mound of dirt with a tree planted...but...later on...it would be a big use to me! A little while after archiefanatic showed up, I saw Beene, who is soooo pretty, and little beene, who is soooo cute!! We was having so much fun talking and getting to know one another, we showed each other our posters and was just talking about how excited we were! Finally, InspiredByLittleDavid (Jennifer), who also is sooo pretty, called and said she was there, so we told her where we was standing and she came over to us! She was with one of her friends, who was also super nice!
By this time, Im thinking it was between 1:00 and 1:30, there was still no sign of the idols. I have to say though, that the weather in Lexington was really nice. It wasnt humid, and there was a nice breeze, and we also had the shade tree I mentioned earlier. We were actually standing in a parking lot behind the arena, a parking lot that I was not aware of, and could have parked in...but ended up parking a mile away! There was this lady who kept driving around the parking lot....passing by the line of people with "Crush" turned up really loud...she was driving slow....and it was sooo awesome!! She also played some other songs for us, Imagine, Another Day in Paradise, Shop Around...and I requested Stand By Me, but I dont think she ever got to it. It was really funny though! :)
Around 2:15ish, we saw the buses! The crowd went wild! There were 3 of them, and once they pulled in, we saw everyone getting off of the buses...I actually couldnt see much, because I'm short...but I did happen to see a little! I saw Carly, Kristy, Michael Johns, Ramielle, and Chickezie get off of the bus. Soon after that, around 2:30ish, Kristi and Carly came out...and right after that....DAVID ARCHULETA CAME OUT!! I was sooo nervous, I felt like I was getting ready for my wedding day. (Ha) OhhhMyGosh! I saw him, for the first time, walking toward us, and I almost had a cow! I couldnt believe it! I was hoping he would start on our end of the fence, but he didnt...he went to the other end. Sooo this is when, I stood up on the "Hill" and was able to see EVERYTHING! I saw his head, and signing things! Awww, He was sooo cute! Sooo thats when I decided to go down and follow him back up the line. Ohhh Man! He is the most beautiful person I have ever saw in my life, his skin, is sooo perfect, and when I got close enough...I heard him talk for the first time (in person), and it was soooo smooth, and pretty, and I almost melted! He was sooo nice to people and everyone loved him!
I decided a few minutes later that I should go back up to the "hill" and wait for him, because it would be crowded on our end soon. However, by the time he got to our end, he didnt have time to talk, he just was walking by us and signing his initials quickly. He did sign my poster, and said..."Awww, Cool! Thanks!" I wasnt sure if he actually saw it though. I forgot to mention that before David got to our end, Kristy and Carly had came down, they signed things and posed for pictures, and was sooo nice, and very pretty!
After David went back in, I decided to just go back to the hotel to freshen up. It was around 3:00 pm and I had to be back at the arena by 6:30. I also needed to rest. I was out of breath, my heart was about to jump out my chest and I was a nervous wreck!
So I left the hotel around 6:00 pm, and OhhMyGosh, traffic was terrible, and yes...I got lost again. So Jennifer, called and I asked her if she would get in the car with me to show me where to park, and she did, Jennifer is sooo nice! I had to pay 8.00 to park! By the time we got inside it was about 6:45, and we went down and found our seats on the floor. It was the very last row on the floor, it wasnt all the way back though, and I was sitting right beside of the sound booth, I had an aisle seet. Sooo guess what, I looked over, and guess who was standing right beside of me?!? JEFF ARCHULETA! I was like...OhhhMyGosh! So i tried to secretly take a picture of him, and I think I may have scared him away, because he didnt stay to long! Actually, I dont think i Scared him away...im thinking he had other things to tend to!
Finally...the show had started...the lights went down, and this was IT! I'm going to do a quick rundown of everyone...they all just amazed me!
Chickezie- AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME! He is a really really good performer. He was definetely one of my favorites of the night. He had sooo much energy and spunk. The crowd loved him!
Ramiele- Soooooo tiny! But a big Voice! I loved her version of the Jackson 5 song. She done really good, and the crowd gave her some nice cheers!
Michael Johns- He got everyone on their feet, the crowd went wild for him. I loved all of his songs! He's a great performer.
Next was Kristy Lee Cook- She done really really good! I really liked "God Bless the USA" it was beautiful. And when she said..."From the Lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee"- the crowd started cheering. There were lots of Tennessee folks there.
Carly- WOW THIS GIRL CAN SING! She was my second favorite of the night, she definetely knows how to put on a show!
Brooke- Sooooo Sweet! I love her voice. "Let it Be" was absolutely beautiful. She got lots of love from the crowd!
Intermission time- During Intermission, Indomass called me to see if I could cellcast David Cook, and I told him yes. Apparently there was a missunderstanding, I was supposed to cellcast Ramile, Michael Johns, David Cook and PDSTM, but I couldnt get anyone to answer! Sooo Indo called, gave me a number and I cellcasted David Cook and PDSTM!
Alrighty now....
Jason- Soooo laid back!! He got lots of cheers from the audience, I loooved Daydreamer!
Syesha- Her voice is powerful! That last song was amazing! She has good stage presence.
David Cook- I really liked his set, he knows how to work the crowd...and the crowd loved him! My favorite was Time of My Life, that actually is a pretty song!
NOW! NOW! NOW! Let me begin with saying that before intermission there was this security guard standing right behind me, and he was sooo nice, we accidently kept bumping into each other, and he told me if I wanted to, I could go up close and take some pictures, and I was like really? and He was like, yea sure! And i was like can I go up close when David Archuleta sings? And he was like, Yes, of course! Sooo i was looking forward to this...however...after intermission, the nice security guard got moved somewhere else, and I was stuck with an ole' meaniebutt who wouldnt let me leave! However, I still LOOOOOOVED his set!
When he rose up from the stage and started singing "Angels" thats when I lost it. I couldnt believe that David Archuleta was there, right in front of me...singing live. I couldnt help but cry. His voice just soars, and its sooo beautiful! He really gets into that song.
"Apologize" was next, and WOW! Whoa! I dont even know what to say! His voice just...stops your heart...takes your breath away. He done soooo good on this song! I got a nice "hunkerdown" picture!
And next came...
"Stand By Me"!!!!!!! I thought I was going to die! My sister snapped a picture of me, with my mouth held wide open, I was in awe, I was amazed! He sounds sooo beautiful on that song!! I new I had to remain composed during this, I couldnt drop to the floor because...then I would miss my chance of meeting him afterwards! He done great though! THE CROWD LOOOOOVED HIM! The girls went crazy, and that last note at the end...Mmmm!!! He is beautiful!
"When You Say You Love Me"- OhhhMyGosh! This Song is soooo beautiful! His voice is just...wow...I just stood there...amazed...tears in my eyes...I took a quick glance around...and I didnt see the meaniebutt security guard....Sooo..i walked Closer...and OhhhMyGosh! This may sound silly, but its exactly how I felt...I couldnt help but think he and I were the only 2 people in the room, and he was singing that song directly to me. I was hypnotized, I was mesmerized! I couldnt take my eyes off of him...I couldnt think about anything other than him. That is the most beauiful song I have ever heard in my life!
After crying during Davids set...I decided..I needed to touch my makeup up! I couldnt have him seeing me like this! Sooo During David Cooks set, I was trying to cellcast, and trying to put my makeup on at the same time. Sooo Im soooooo soooo sooo sorry if it didnt sound good. :(
And NOW! THE AFTERPARTY!
OhhhMyGosh!! We were the first ones back there, Dominic, Archiefanatic, and Myself. And I was freaking out! I just couldnt believe what was about to happen. I was a nervous wreck, my hair looked awful...and I didnt even care!
We walked in, and I saw David standing there looking at the tv watching the olympics. So I walked over to him, ( i was the very first one to say anything to him) and I said...(ohhhman my hands are shaking just trying to type this thing!)..okay..Sooo I said...."hey David!!" and he turned his head and he looked at me, and he smiled...and he said.."Hey!" And I was like..."I have a gift for you, and he was like..Ohhh Cool! Thanks!" So I handed him the gift..and I touched his hand! AHHHHHHH! And then he said..."Do you have any gum? and I was like..Noooo! but then someone gave him a piece...and then he said..."So whats your name?" and I said..."My name is Kristi, and he was like nice to meet you Kristi!...Ohhh Cool! Im standing in between Two Kristi's! (because Kristy Lee was on the other side of him) And then..HE SHOOK MY HAND! And then he was like..."Where are you from?" and I said..."Im from Tennessee" and he started singing something about Tennessee..I couldnt understand what it was...but then he said..."Ohhh Cool! Tennessee. I've never been there before, I've been by it though." And then I was like...I have a picture I want you to see, and he was like..Ohhh okay! And I was like, its of my poster, I dont think you saw it earlier and I really wanted you to see it...and then i said, you did manage to sign it though. But I showed him my poster picture which said...."I Got an A+ in Archu-ology!" "Gosh!" and he laughed and was like awww thats cute! So then I asked him to sign my pictures and my tour book, and I was like...Wil you take a picture with me? and he was like "Sure!" Sooo I held my camera up, and we got supppppper close...and I snapped a picture, and then I looked at it, and I was like...Ohhhh Nooo David!! I cut you out of the picture! Can we try this again? And he laughed and was like...Yea, Sure! Sooo someone offered to take a picture of us, and he smiled, and I smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing ever! Sooo I decided to walk away and give the others a chance to talk to him...and he was Soooo Nice to everyone!!
I met Michael Johns, i forgot to take a picture with him though because I was sooo focused on David! He's really nice, and I love his accent!
And while I was standing there waiting to talk to Michael Johns, I promise, Im not even just saying this, but David turned around, and smiled at me...not one time...not two times...but three times! I dont know how i kept my cool!
I walked around and Met Chickezie and he hugged me real tight, I told him he was one of my favorites of the night and he said Thankyou! We took a picture and he signed my picture and tour book
I then walked around to Ramielle and she was like...."OhhhMyGosh! You're eye makeup looks soo pretty!" and I was like..."really?" "Well thankyou!, My mom says I look like a clown!" and she laughed and said...."Ohhhh No no no! It looks good, Im gonna have to try that!" And then she told me that my accent was cute. Actually, Everyone told me my accent was cute! We took a picture and I had her sign my stuff.
I saw Brooke next and she gave me a hug, she was soooo sweet, and beautiful! We took a picture and she signed my book and picture!
And then...I remembered! I had a card in the bag I gave to David for his dad. So i walked back over to David, and I was like..."hey David?" and he turned around, and i said..."I have a card in that bag for your Dad, do you mind if I give it to him, I forgot to get it out!" and he was like..."ohhh sure, and handed me the bag" Sooo I got the card out and sat the bag down beside of him.
Then..I saw Jeff! And I walked over to him and I was like Hey Jeff!! And he said, "Well Hello!" and I said, My name is Kristi, and I shook his hand...and he said,..Its nice to meet you! And I said, its nice to meet you too! And I was like...I have a little card for you. And he said, Awww, you didnt have to do that, and I said, Yes, I want you and your family to know how much you are appreciated too!" and He said well thankyou! And then he said..."thats a cute little accent...are you from the deep south?" and I said..."well..Im from Tennessee" and he said.."Tennessee, where at in Tennessee?" and I told him...and he seemed to know exactly where I was talking about. Which...I dont know...I live in Cumberland Gap...and I think most people know where thats at. But Jeff was sooo nice! I told him How amazing David is, and how much he's been an inspiration, and he said..."You KNow what Kristi, I completely agree with you!" He's just sooo nice, you can tell he loves David very much! I asked him if we could take a picture, and he was like Sure! Sooo we took one, and it messed up, and he was like..well lets try it again! And then he said it was really nice meeting you, I hope you have a good time! Wow, he's just sooo sweet!
I then walked over to Jason Castro, he was very....laid back. I dont think he knew what was going on. We took a picture, and he signed my tour book and poster...but..he didnt say much. I mean he was nice in what he did say! His eyes are super pretty!
After That, I went over to Syesha, she's SOOOO PRETTY! And was nice, I think she was a little tired though! :)
I then walked over to David Cook, and said hello to him, He was really nice to everyone, I got a picture and I asked him to sign my tour book.
(GOOD PART COMING UP!)
After that, I walked back over to David, and I was like David! I just wanted to tell you about the gift that I got you. And he was like..."ohhh okay!" And i said..."its a daily devotional book for teens, its something that you can take with you and read everyday!" "Its a really awesome book!" and he was really close to me, and he looked right into my eyes...and smiled the biggest most beautiful smile ever and said....
Awww, Thankyou! "You are Sooo Sweet!" (AHHHH *in my mind*) ...and then I said, thanks!! You are too! And then...We HUGGED!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! And I was like...Ohhh man, I forgot to sign the book, can I borrow your pen? and he said, Yea sure!" so i borrowed the pen, and I got the book back out of the bag, and signed it, and I handed it back to him...and I think it kind of confused him...and I was like..."ohhh, you just let me borrow it!" and he was like...Ohhh okay!"
I also called Wanda from my phone...and I said...David, My friend is on the phone her name is Wanda, and she's coming to see you in Charlotte tomorrow, could you say Hello to her? And he was like..."Hey Wanda!!" It got kind of busy after that...everyone was trying to tell him goodbye so thats all he got to say. But I think she was happy. :)
I just want to tell everyone that when he looks at you...HE LOOKS AT YOU. You're so captivated by him...you cant help but look right back into his eyes. I couldnt take my eyes away from his! He just...puts you into this trance...and its like...nothing else around you even matters!
It was then time to go, Soooo I told David bye, and I told him that Im one of his biggest fans, and that he was amazing! and he said..."Awww, thanks!" And I was like...Can I have one more picture?!? and he said...yea sure...and so we took a picture...and I said...it was nice to meet you!! And he said, nice meeting you too!! :)
And it was over.
After the concert, Archiefanatic, dominic, his sister-in-law Amber, and my sister all went to Dennys, it was nice! And while we were there, a man from the concert came in, and I said..hey! I remember you from the concert, and he was like Ohhh yea! , did you have a good time? and I said, i had a great time! I met David Archuleta! And he laughed and said awww thats cool! And then..he gave ma a poster! A poster! I was sooo excited, i thought that was very nice of him.
Wow, I had the most amazing, wonderful time of my life last night! I never expected anything like that to happen. I still cant grasp the fact that ...I heard David sing...that I saw David in Person, that I hugged David, that I shook his hand...I am on cloud 9! This is an experience that I will never ever forget!
Beene, when I delivered the gifts to everyone, they all told me to tell you thankyou, actually, David Cook said that he was really jealous because he didnt get one earlier!
To All of the people that I met yesterday, You guys are soooooo awesome! I hope you had the best time ever, it was so nice meeting and sharing this experience with you!
I'm sorry for the very very long report, but I just had sooo much to say, I wanted to tell you every last detail! :)
Pictures are coming soon! :)
Archey Reporter from Glendale Archey Reporter from Glendale, AZ (First Show)
Link To Pictures...
http://picasaweb.google.com/sreynol87/AmericanIdol
Well hey everyone. My name is Simone, I am the Archey Reporter for the very first American Idols tour of 2008 in Glendale, AZ. Man was my day CrAzY !
It all started out at 5am. Now I take forever to get ready. Plus I had to take the city bus in order to get down to the arena since I don't have a car. I had to get up in order to get down to the arena for the FanBlast shoutout party at 8am. FanBlast (which is a Archie fansite created by a Archuleta family friend) is filming a documentary of the tour, and is following the idols ALL over the country all summer long. After a 2 hours bus ride, I finally arrived at the arena. I walked my way down to the Renassaince Hotel, which is where all Archie fans would meet FanBlast in order to be filmed for the documentary. I walked into the hotel, expecting to see dozens, maybe HUNDREDS of Archie fans. But I only came to see about 15 people there. I was kinda bummed about that, but that is ok . For the event, we basically only filmed Shoutouts for David, numerous ones. You can go to davidarchuletafanblast .com to see the video that was posted. Not only did we do those shout outs, but I all got interviewed serperately for the documentary. The host of the summer tour footage over at FanBlast is Phil E. He is SO goofy. He has a GREAT personality, and is rather funny, but goofy never-the-less. Eric, the developer of FanBlast , is the most professional guy I have met... lol . He is super nice tho.Once we were all done with the filming, we all went our seperate ways. This was around 9:30am.
I began my "investigation" lol . I started to search everywhere around the arena for some sign of Idols. Now let me fill you in on something. It was about 100 degrees at this time, at 9:30 in the morning. So I was sweating already. And I had an ENTIRE day to still go through until I could be inside the arena for the show at 6pm. Anywho , I would find random people walking around the arena, and would ask them if they knew anything about the Idols, and when they would be coming in. FINALLY, I asked the right guy, who told me that the Idols had a meet and greet at 3pm and that was when they would finally be back at the Arena. I thought "Meet And Greet? I gotta get some passes!!!" So I continued my investigation around the arena. As I was wondering around the arena, looking down around the loading docks, where I knew the Idols would be pulling in at since there were underground parking structures, I ran into a girl named Lindsey. I had remembered seeing her at the FanBlast party. She had asked me if I knew anything about the meet and greets at 3pm. I told her i didn't and that I was looking for more info on them as well. We talked for a while, and then she told me her friends were hanging out in the most PRISTINE area for watching the Idols when they came into the arena. And it was in the SHADE! And about this time, it was probably 105 degrees, and it was 10:30am.
She led me to where they were sitting. This location was AMAZING. I mean, when the Idols would pull up in their tour busses , we would be able to say hi, and wave down. Maybe even talk to them. She had told me how she had been at the arena for 2 nights already. She had met them all already, and she knew the busses they traveled in. Each tour buss was labeled with color stickers. And she knew which 2 tour busses the Idols would be coming in since she had seen them 2 nights in a row. Well we waited there for a while, about 2 hours. Every so often, me and Lindsey would walk around the Arena, looking to see if we could find any info about those meet and greets. We found none, other than you had to know someone or had to have won them in a contest. After those 2 hours had past, and we sat in the nice shaded area looking for the Idols to pull up, a security officer came. OH NO! Yeah, he told us we had to leave that area for liability reasons. So we left, but kept a close eye on the busses and the entry way which was located right where we were sitting before.
About 30 mins later, 2 tour busses pulled up. We saw the busses and SPRINTED towards where we were sitting. We were so excited. Cause we were almost pretty sure that was them. So we stood by the railling , took out our cameras, and got ready to start snapping the photos! But wait, what where the colors of the busses . Lindsey said the colors on the busses weren't the right colors. Was these the wrong busses , and we got excited for no reason. Yeah, it was the wrong busses :(
So we left, but as soon as we left, MORE BUSSES CAME! Turns out those were the right colors on the busses , so they were the Idols busses ! We SPRINTED down to the loading dock to meet them as they walked into the Arena. We were all so excited. I forgot to mention that there was only about 15 people there, so it was a small crowd. Anyways, we all got ready, I turned my camera on, and oh no, it died. I began to cry, well inside. I wasn't going to be able to get pics of their arival in the stadium. I was crushed. But I had to roll with the punches. It was amazing seeing them. They were all so happy to see us. Brooke White looked shocked we were outside. And of course Archie came out and waved and smiled like he always does. They went inside, and we thought it was over. But minutes later, Kristy Lee Cook came outside to meet us face to face. She was so sweet. She was so concerned that she didn't wear any makeup. She was gorgeous tho. She gave us 10 dollar giftcards , which we were STOKED she even gave us anything... lol . She left after like 3 minutes, and we were all STAR STRUCKED ! We all looked at the back of our cards, and realized something funny. On the back, there was nothing but bible verses... lol . She was SPREADING THE GOSPEL! hahaha .
At about 1:30 we were all VERY hungry after waiting in the sun since 8am. But we didn't want to leave, because what if other Idols would come out, and we missed meeting them. Well we waited, and waited. And nothing. No one else came out. But we were all VERY hot and hungry. And I needed to go home to grab my other camera since mine died. So there I went again, 2 more hours of a bus ride, freaking out hoping i would be back for the show. It was 3:30, when I left to get my other camera. But I got back at 5:30. I had plenty of time to wander around. So that is what I did. There was no chance anymore of meeting more Idols. When I was gone, no other Idols came out. So I had to wait for show time which was at 7pm, but the doors opened at 6pm.
So after ten hours of waiting in the Arizona heat, the doors finally opened. I sat 5 rows from the center. And All around me there were nothing but, Cook, Castro, Archie, and a few Brooke fans. I had my working camera, my phone appeared to be fully charged. I was completely set. Made my first couple calls to Rickey.org for the live phone stream. I knew the quality was going to be bad since the signal in the Arena was AWFUL! Not just for me, but for everyone around me. The lady next to me could only text to her friend because the concert really couldn't be heard on the phone. But I rolled with the punches. Chikezie was first, and let me say, he surprised the HELL out of me. He was amazing. I could easily say I am a fan of his now. Ramiele was next, she was ok . It was ok . You could tell she was really nervous. But she pulled it off. Michael Johns was next up. He was OUTSTANDING! Seriously, he was one of the best by far. The crowd was totally into him. As I looked AMAZED at how Michael was doing, I looked down at my phone. IT WAS GOING TO DIE SOON! WHAT! I HAD CHARGED IT THE NIGHT BEFORE! Well yeah, somehow the battery life was dieing, and fast. So I freaked out. So I decided I would call for like one song for each person, and hopefully it would all work out. So the concert went on, and I continued to call in, every so often. I was loving the photos I was taking, but the call, um, not so much. Christy Lee Cooke was awesome as well...surprised me too. Carly Smithinson was GREAT! Brooke was much better than she was on the show. Only messed up once on lyrics, and that was in the last group number... lol . Jason Castro wasn't that great in my opinion. I don't have any like " OMG moments." I think he was just really nervous. Syesha was outstanding, you could feel the emotion in her words and facial expressions when she sang. Now was the moment you could tell the arena was waiting for. The DAVIDS!
The minute Archie came out, the crowd went INSANE! My eardrums were hurting... lol . Everyone got out of their seats on the floor, and went closer and formed our own little mosh pit... lol . I mean, people went nuts. He did AMAZINGLY AMAZING of course. You could tell his voice was a little strained, but he sounded awesome anyways. When he sang Angels, there was smoke around him. At one point, the smoke completely covered him, and you couldn't even see him... hahaha . But he was Archie, so he could pull of ANYTHING! Next up, Cook! This is when the crowd was the loudest. Of course, Cook was hyped up WAY more with the video being shown. So naturally the crown ate it. And cheered like crazy. He got on stage, and the crowd went crazy. I must say, they had a reason to be crazy. David Cook is an AMAZING performer. After seeing him last night, I know he won American Idol fair a square. He may have had a little help from AI producers, but he won it with his skill, not by AI. He was awesome. I was expecting him to sing "Always Be My Baby." But he treated us with his biggest hit, "Billie Jean". He was awesome. Overall, he really was the American Idol of the night.
The show then ended with a mighty group number, the second one of the night. The other was of the top 5, half way through the night. I left that arena becoming fans of really all the Idols. Some people didn't like the format of the show. But I felt like it was a great format. Just a mini concert of each Idol, one after another. American Idols Tour 2008, the best yet? I don't know about that, but being my first Idols concert, I must say it will be a night I will always remember.
St. Louis Idol Concert- Offici St. Louis Idol Concert- Official Archey Report
Idol Concert
All fresh and rejuvenated after our 4 hour Idol worship in the St. Louis heat, we arrived at the Scottrade Center for the concert. A radio station was handing out free signs. Meg grabbed an "I'm The Next American Idol" and I, of course, opted for the classic "I <3 David Archuleta!"
"I <3 David Cook" was sold out. It looks like the Cookies were finally here to represent!
After some dopey pre-show that included a dancing Pop-Tart, we got down to business. They went with the standard "Order In Which They Were Eliminated" setup.
I know they perform the same stuff at every show, so I'm not going to be redundant. I'll just break down my thoughts on each performer.
Chikezie: Great! Lots of energy. I forgot how great he was. Actually, this goes for everyone. They all sounded incredible. I mean, I know it's more relaxed and all that now, but it just really illustrated for me how superbly talented this season was overall.
Ramiele: Adorable. She wore this glittery outfit with black Pretty Woman boots. She sounded way better than I think I've ever heard her before.
Michael Johns: Great (again). His best for me was "Dream On". I can't believe he was eliminated on that song!!! He gave a shout out ("Hi Mrs. Cook!) to David Cook's mom.
Kristy Lee: I really liked her first song, although I don't know what it was. I'm not a big KLC fan, but she was good. I actually screamed for her and my daughter looked at me in shock.
Carly: Since she is my favorite girl, and I didn't get to meet her earlier, I was so psyched for her. She killed it with "Bring Me To Life" and "I Drove All Night." She commented on how the Cardinals sent the Padres home crying, because they beat them yesterday.
Brooke: Just wonderful. She was always a little awkward for me on stage during Idol, but there was none of that tonight. She was polished and professional. She told us how the first time she sang on stage, she was in a play called "Meet Me in St. Louis."
Then the Idols 5-10 came out and did "In The Name of Love" with Idol Gives Back stuff in the background. Luckily, no donation jars floated around, because I had just spent $6.50 on a soda and was near broke!
May I jump on my soapbox for a sec and say that I wish concert venues would quit selling light up crap that only serves the purpose of annoying fellow concertgoers? And seriously, if you are compelled to purchase an overpriced glo-stick, please do not wave it in my face during a show where I have paid over $50 for my seat? Thank you so much. (Yes, annoying little girls in front of me- this means you!)
Now it was time for another big Pop-Tart/Guitar Hero commercial... aka Intermission. The best part of intermission was when they played a new Guitar Hero commercial where the Idols were all dressed up as dorky 70's rock stars. Archey had kind of a Davy Jones/Beatles hairdo. He rocked it, though!
Jason Castro: He started off with that "Over the Rainbow" song and his ukulele. He messed up the words. Twice. Unless the song goes "Where the dreams that you dare to dream, why o why can't I?" Seriously, he did it twice. The first time I looked at my mom and said "Did he just mess up?" and my mom nodded. Then he did it again. It was so funny, so Jason. (Don't jump on me, Dreadheads, I like him.) He did really great his next two songs. He killed "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley.
Syesha: Syesha was great with Umbrella, then did "If I Ain't Got You", which I didn't love because it was too slow for me. I did like her doing "Listen", though, it's one of my fave songs. She wore a gold dress and she looked fabulous.
ARCHEY!!! Archey was superb, but really, duh! He made my mom cry with one of his songs. Something about telling people that you love them. He was his cute self with his little ad-libs... something about seeing the Arch from his hotel (I wonder if he's staying at the Millenium, where I am! Though I heard they were all staying at Union Station.) And how Arch is part of his name. Aww. His performances were flawless.
Cook: Cook was fantastic as well. He told us how when he last played St. Louis, it wasn't here in the big Scottrade Center. He said this was the first show that his family was at. They showed his brother and mom up on the big screen. DC said it was weird to see his brother cry, but oh well. LOL.
Lastly, all the Idols came back out and did "Please Don't Stop the Music" like they did on Idol Gives Back, minus the SYTYCD kids. Everyone was up dancing and it closed the show wonderfully.
This is my first Idol show, and I have to say that the whole weekend was so worth it. Worth the time off work, worth the expensive tickets and hotel room, worth the gas money and 2 hour drive, and definitely worth the 4 hour wait in the hot sun. Now that I know what to do, I can't wait until next year.
I'll post pics as soon as I sort through everything from my camera, my Blackberry, and my mom's camera.
My Concert Experience Part 1: My Concert Experience Part 1: Charlotte, N.C.
My Concert Report: Part 1- Charlotte
I must say that I have just experienced two of the BEST days of my life! I honestly don’t think anything will ever top this. My report is for both days, even though I was only a cellcaster for the Charlotte show and not for Duluth.
When I originally purchased my tickets to the Charlotte concert, I got section 225, row B. I was not happy with those seats at all. So, I decided to find someone who would be willing to purchase better seats and split the cost with me. I found tickets on Ebay, so I gave my other tickets to my son, Blake, and his friend, Tyler. I am so glad that I decided to do that because I ended up being on the 4 th row from the stage!! It was awesome!
I spent most of Saturday finishing up my poster, getting my t-shirt finished, and talking to Kristi Howard on the phone (getting updates from the Lexington concert). Kristi called me from the afterparty and said “ I have someone here who wants to say hey ”…or something along those lines…LOL! I honestly don’t remember! The next thing I know, David was on the telephone saying “ Hey, Wanda ”! OMG!!!!!! David was saying hi to me!!! He actually said my name!!! I had the biggest lump in my throat at that point and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to speak without crying, but I managed to say “ Hi, David ”!! I will never be able to thank Kristi enough for doing that for me. She is a doll! I love you Kristi!!! Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep Saturday night! It didn’t matter, though….I spoke to David Archuleta on the telephone!!! Who needs sleep anyway????
I woke up Sunday morning around 7:00am (after only getting about 3 hours of sleep). I was pretty tired, but very eager to get to Charlotte! I met up with Erika (archuleta_addict) and her son, Andrew, at the Bobcat Arena around 11:00am. It wasn’t long before Kathy (arch4me) joined us. It was so nice to finally meet everyone in person. I just adore Erika and her son, Andrew. I have designated them as my e-mom and brother…LOL! We all got in line and began our wait, which ended up being about 3 ½ hours. It was cloudy and even drizzled a little, but just before David came out, the sun began to shine very brightly!!
When the Idols began to make their appearance, my stomach began doing flip flops. I realized that it was finally here….I was going to see David in person!! What was I going to say to him? OMG!! I was a nervous wreck. I tried to get myself together and was doing considerably well….until I saw David Cook. All I can say is “WOW”!! Now, I must admit that I have never liked David Cook at all. Not so much because of his singing…but, because he won AI and our David didn’t. I know, I know…not a good reason at all! So, I decided I was going to ask David to sign my picture, although I hadn’t been planning to before. As he made his way toward me, I looked up at him and said…” OMG, you are so handsome ”! He looked at me directly in the eyes and said “ Thank you .” OMG!! Did I just say that to David Cook?? What in the world was I thinking…LOL??? Well, at any rate, he is quite handsome in person! So, now that I had embarrassed myself with David Cook, I was afraid of what I might do when our David was standing before me. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything at all when he comes by………
Michael Johns was next. He is just the sweetest thing ever. He is quite funny and he was actually my favorite after David. So, when he came by, I asked if I could have my picture taken with him and he said “ Sure….but, I am not David Archuleta ”….referring to my t-shirt…LOL! I told him that it was alright…that I loved him too! So, he put his arm around me to take the picture and I was thrilled! Later, I realized that my son had not completely pressed the shutter button and didn’t get the picture…grrrrrr!! My son felt really bad and kept apologizing. Bless his heart. I told him not to worry about it…I was there for one person only!!
Jason Castro came by and he was soooo nice to everyone and very attentive to all the fans screaming his name (and there were many). He visited with everyone for what seemed like forever and was very good about taking pictures with everyone. I had my photo taken with him, but it will remain unseen. Whoever took the photo got too close and I look as though I have 15 chins…LOL!! Jason, of course, is gorgeous! When he signed his name, he drew the little face with the dreadlocks…haha!
When David finally made his appearance, the crowd went crazy! He was smiling that gorgeous smile…waving to everyone! He started at the opposite end, so we had to wait a while for him to get to us. The wait was excruciating and my nerves began to get the better of me. I kept telling myself that I would be fine, not to worry about it. It didn’t work. Before I realized it, David was standing in front of me and I couldn’t think of one single thing to say to him. I finally managed to say “ Hi, David…I’m Wanda. You said hello to me on the phone last night ”. He looked up at me and said “ Oh yeah! Hey! How are you doing ”? I told him I was nervous and he just laughed and said “ Awww ”. I handed David my bag of gifts and he said “ Oh gosh, thanks ”! He slid the bag onto his arm with the others and then he looked at the poster I had made for him. It said “Conditioner Loves Crush” and it had an adorable goldfish listening to an mp3 player. The song he was listening to was “Crush” and I had some of the lyrics in a little talk bubble above his head as if he were singing along to the song…LOL! David laughed at the poster and then I got a photo of him holding it. I have no idea why I didn’t ask him for a picture with me instead of the poster, but I obviously wasn’t coherent at the time. I am still really sad about that. But, I did get a hug, so I am happy about that! He smelled sooooo good. I don’t think he smelled like Nutmeg and Cinnamon, though. He was definitely wearing cologne. David was there with me for only a few minutes and then he was gone. I was elated for having had the opportunity to speak to him, yet sad that the time had gone by so quickly. He was absolutely breathtaking. His eyes…OMG…his eyes!! His lips are beautiful and I couldn’t help but stare at them as he was chewing his gum…LOL!!
When Kathy and I got to our seat that night, we both shouted hysterically about how close we were to the stage. Our view was amazing. My son and his friend were up in section 225 and I honestly felt bad that I had given him such bad seats…LOL! When Chikeize came out, I was amazed at how good he is live. He has a wonderful stage presence and is full of personality. I would certainly buy his album and wouldn’t think twice about it. Chikeize later proved what a good hearted person he really is by jumping the barriers to pose for a picture with a handicapped girl sitting beside me. He was so sweet and attentive to her, making her feel really special. Her mother was crying tears of happiness and I nearly choked up myself.
I thought Ramiele’s set was okay. She is cute as a button, for sure, but her performances seemed a little cheesy to me. I think she has a beautiful voice, so maybe it’s just her choice of songs for the tour. I don’t know. I will make up my mind about her if she ever puts out an album. I LOVED Michael Johns set!! He is so much fun to watch on stage! I hope to see him put out an album really soon because I would hate to see him disappear when the tour is over. I have not been very fond of Kristy Lee Cook, but she is certainly a very beautiful girl and I actually enjoyed her set. She knows how to work the crowd…LOL! I think I will enjoy her music, but not enough to buy her album. I was blown away by Carly!! She is so beautiful in person and I loved how they had her hair blowing during the first song!! It was kind of sexy and I couldn’t help but think of Rickey the whole time and how much he loves Carly…LOL! She is so sweet, too. I love her accent and the fact that her husband is from N.C. is really cool. Brooke is just beautiful in person. OMG! She has the most amazing hair and she has a gorgeous smile! I loved her all throughout AI and I thought she was awesome at the concert. I can’t wait to buy her album! Jason has to be one of the most handsome men I have ever met…aside from David Archuleta, of course! He has an amazing smile and his eyes are just as beautiful. But, as much as I love Jason’s looks, I am not a lover of his singing. He definitely sounds better live than he did on television, but I doubt I would buy his album. I guess we will see. I was more impressed with Syesha than I thought I would be. I think she can sing beautifully. I just don’t like her attitude.
When David was rising from beneath the stage, my heart began to race like crazy. I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing him live! I just stood there in awe throughout his entire set. His voice is out of this world. I literally had chills the whole time and I was on the verge of tears during “When You Say You Love Me”. I was trying to take pictures and watch him sing at the same time, so that made the set seem to go by extra fast. My hands were shaking so much that I could barely hold the camera still long enough to take pictures. He didn’t really talk much between his songs…basically saying the same thing he always does. It didn’t matter though because what little he does say is so precious and heartfelt that you just want to put your arms around him and let him know just how proud of him you are!!! I was really disappointed in the reception he received in Charlotte, though. I don’t think he got nearly enough applause. That may have just been my perception, though. Someone else might disagree with me. In a matter of minutes, he was gone from the stage and his set was over. I couldn’t help but think about the future and how nice it will be to see him out on his own…where everyone is there to see him and him only!!
David Cook was the most surprising to me of them all. I actually enjoyed him. He is definitely more seasoned with the crowd that anyone else and he knows how to get everyone on their feet. He took a drink from his water bottle and then tossed it out into the crowd, which sparked a lot of applause. He then filmed the crowd with his camera, getting even more applause. When he sings, he has a way of pausing through certain parts of the song so that it draws even more applause. I was just amazed at how good he really is. I started feeling guilty about all the hard feelings I had against him…knowing it really wasn’t him I was angry with anyway. I think I have a new perspective now and I think I might even buy his CD.
All in all, the entire show was phenomenal and I had a blast. When I got outside and met up with my son, he was smiling from ear to ear with excitement. He gushed about how much fun he had and how great David was. He even recorded him on his cell phone so he could let his friends at school listen!! We headed for the line so that we could try to get another glimpse of David before we left for home and we were lucky enough to get a good spot at the front of the barrier…about middle ways down the line. It wasn’t long before the line was about 5 or 6 rows deep and everyone was pushing and shoving to the point that I was getting squished up against the barrier. It was really crazy.
I’m only going to tell about my time with David since this is so long, but it’s the most important to me anyway. When David finally came out, the crowd went just as crazy as they had earlier that day. David was still smiling (I wonder if he smiles in his sleep, the shower, etc) and he waved to everyone. I couldn’t see him that well but I have a 15x zoom on my camera, so I was taking pictures like crazy, trying to get as many as possible. As he started getting closer, I heard someone say something to him about his necklace. I couldn’t hear what they said, but he responded “ Awww, thanks! One of my fans gave it to me today ”. I looked up to see that he was wearing one of the necklaces I had just given to him at the pre-show signing!! OMG!!!! I couldn’t believe that he was actually wearing it, much less that soon!! I got so excited, I said “ OMG…I gave you that necklace ”! David looked up at me and said “ It was you? Oh gosh, thanks ”! This particular necklace had a special meaning and I wrote about it in my letter to him, which I included with the gifts. This necklace is called “The Life Compass” and instead of having the normal N, S, E, and W letters on it…it has the letters G, F, F, K. Those letters stand for God, Family, Friends, and Knowledge. On the back of the necklace, it is engraved with the message: “This is your journey….choose the right path”. The reason I chose this particular necklace to give to David was because I had wanted to give him a compass…something that would always help him find his way back home, should he ever start to feel lost or all alone. In my search for the compass, I found this necklace and it was the most perfect thing I could have ever found. I wrote all of this in my letter and I explained to David how much he meant to me and the meaning behind the necklace. Seeing him wearing it absolutely made my day and I don’t think I could have been any happier than I was at that moment! My other gift to him was a Silver “Envelope Locket” that really opens and closes. Inside the locket, there was two removable Silver inserts that I had engraved a short “fan letter” from me to David on. I kept it short, but sweet and then I engraved my name, the venue, and AI Live Tour 2008 on it as well. On the outside flap, I had his initials monogrammed on it. In my letter to David, I explained to him that he might think this particular gift was a little feminine and if so, he was not obligated to wear it at all. I just told him that I wanted to give him something that was different from every other fan letter he might ever receive and that it came from my heart. If he were to ever wear that locket, I would absolutely cry.
Jeff came by soon after and I gave him his gift, which was a personalized hat that I had made for him. It has an “A” on the front and then “Archuleta” written across the back. He loved it and couldn’t believe that I had it custom made for him. He hugged my neck and just looked at me in astonishment. I told him I just loved him and was so proud of David and of him as well. He thanked me again and asked me my name. I just couldn’t believe the day I had had. It was more than I could have ever asked for!! I left the venue with the biggest smile on my face and I drove home listening to David on my IPod. I climbed into bed around 3:45am and got up at 7:00am to get ready for my trip to Duluth. I will post that report shortly. I have over 500 pictures to upload, so as soon as I get them uploaded, I will post a link!
Duluth report coming up!!
Archey Report - Washington DC Archey Report - Washington DC
Archey Report – Washington DC – August 14, 2008
The Buses
August 14, 2008 will be a day I’ll never forget – I finally got to hear our Angel David sing live and had the chance to meet him.
My day started out by going to meet the buses around 1 pm at the Verizon Center in Washington DC. There I met kpham54, karidol, archftw/crusherlover, Richard and several Angels from Fans of David, including Mary, Christy, Andrew, Fran, Amy and several other Angels (whom I’m not intentionally leaving out – there were several of us and I can’t remember who else was there!)
We waited for the buses until around 2:15 p.m., which is when they finally came by. David and David were the first Idols to come out around 2:30 p.m. along with yesha. David Archuleta headed to the right all the way down the line and David Cook headed to the left all the way down the line and we were standing in the middle. kpham54 and I decided to go down the line so we could see David up close. He is so gracious, kind and just gorgeous in person. People were talking to him and he kept saying “awww, thank you sooo much!,” smiling as he did so and giving those completely adorable typical David looks. During the time that I was following David, Ramiele, Jason, Carly, Kristy Lee, and Brooke came out, but I barely saw them. Brooke kept apologizing because she had to leave to do press but signed as many autographs as she could.
David Cook got to our end first and stayed out the longest of any of the Idols along with Michael Johns, who came out a little bit after the rest of the Idols. Chikezie was the only one who didn’t make it outside. I didn’t have the chance to speak with David Cook, but he seemed really nice and spent a lot of time talking to people. He told the fans around us that he was wearing a suit because he’d had an important meeting earlier that day and hadn’t had the chance to change. Later during our concert he was still wearing the suit and he explained that he’d met with Senate to talk about cancer awareness and research.
Archey reached us right after David Cook did and I got him to sign two pictures for me (one’s for you luvnugsrarofan!) As he was signing my pictures he asked someone what time it was and he exclaimed “Oh my gosh, I have to go, I have press in 5 minutes!!!” so he handed my pictures back and continued down the line so he could get to as many people as possible before he had to go.
Andrew, who designed the original Archey cartoon, had done one for each of the Idols and handed Michael Johns the one he’d done of him when he came to our part in the line. Michael quipped that he should be making a profit off of them! We also had the opportunity to speak with Jeff, who is one of the nicest people that you will ever meet. He spent a lot of time with our group and you could tell that he really appreciated David’s fans.
We hung around the buses a little bit longer after David left, up until the moment that David Cook and Michael Johns went back inside. It started to pouring rain just a few minutes later, so I left with kpham54 and karidol. kpham54 went back to his hotel and karidol and I headed to her hotel, where we both finally had the chance to meet ml. Her bus had gotten delayed from Canada so she didn’t have the chance to come and meet the Idols at the buses. We got ready for the concert and headed back towards the Verizon Center.
The Concert
Here I finally had the chance to meet Linha (randyisgreat), who gave David the “David is My Hero.” I also met Karla, Richard’s wife and several other Angels (there were about 50 of us!) and we waited for Richard to hand us our tickets to the concert. Richard and Karla are also two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet and David is fortunate to have such wonderful people looking out for him. Before we knew it, it was 7 pm.
I sat with ml and karidol and we were beyond excited for the start of the concert and to finally hear David sing live. I’ll say that I was very impressed with the concert and how great each and every one of the Idols sounded live. They’re all extremely talented and I truly enjoyed each of their sets. The concert went by extremely quickly and karidol, ml and I were counting down the number of songs to go before we got to hear David sing.
David and Angels
Finally, the moment we’d all been waiting for arrived. Smoke rose from the stage, the piano emerged and we saw David – I could barely breathe! The crowd went completely crazy for him. I think I held my breath, jumped up and down, started sweating, screamed my head off and just took in every moment as best I could while attempting to take decent pictures. Hearing David sing live is beyond anything you’ll ever expect – it was just so beautiful and yes, magical. There’s a whole other quality to hearing his voice live that you don’t get from the TV or from recordings. His voice just envelops you and leaves you wanting more. Angels was spectacular – as always, he completely changed up the song and made it sound new and different. I loved how he bounced up and down in his seat as he got into the song!
David and Apologize
I loved hearing David sing Apologize – he totally got into the song, from the facial expressions down to the hunkerdowns and everything in between! David is so emotional when he sings and it was worth it just to watch see his gorgeous eyes and expressions as he sang this song. He sounded fantastic and amazing. It’s David, how could he not?! ;)
David and Stand By Me
I was so happy and literally “stoked and pumped!” to get to hear Stand By Me live. David worked the stage and the crowd was pumped! Again, it sounded like a completely new song. I especially loved the “And all you beautiful girls” part. David started dancing and really getting into it at this point and it put the biggest smile on my face! I tried to take video of this part but my camera didn’t co-operate with me.
David and When You Say You Love Me
Before we knew it, David was on his last song. He didn’t talk too much between sets and it was sad to realize that he was almost done! When You Say You Love Me left me mesmerized. I’m sure I stopped breathing at this point too and am surprised that none of us passed out from the emotion and excitement. David explained that WYSLM was “one of those message songs that I like to doooo” (so adorable how he said it!) but told us how it was an important message and how it was for the fans to show them how much he loved us (of course you already knew that, but I still hung onto every word!) The crowd was screaming and cheering for him like crazy at this point. I’m surprised that I didn’t start crying but I think I was just too enthralled and captivated with the whole experience. Again I tried to take video but it didn’t work! ml got some of the ending of the song and a security guard came up to tell her to stop recording about 30 seconds before David finished. I practically smacked him because he was interrupting us while David was singing and there were only a few precious seconds left, dang it! David finished the song and introduced David Cook and was gone in a flash.
Backstage
David’s set went by super fast but we were all excited because we knew that we were going to meet David backstage at the afterparty! After the concert ended, people with backstage passes had to sit and wait for security to take us up and all the Archey Angels were taken up first. It was here that I finally got to meet Virginia5, who’s just amazing in person! I’d estimate that there were at least 60 of us Angels, so we were given our own private room with David and the rest of the Idols were somewhere else. David came in after we were all there and he tried his hardest to get to everyone. He only had about an hour to be with us because the other Idols had to leave for Lexington and he had to get his belongings from the bus before they left. We talked to Jeff for a bit more at this point and karidol, ml, Virginia5, kpham54 and I just observed David interacting with the fans. At one point karidol got David to speak in Spanish and again my camera didn’t co-operate or else it would have been a great video! I was so upset when I realized that it hadn’t worked!
We were told that David had to wrap things up and that he only had about 5 or 10 minutes left and I literally panicked because I hadn’t had the chance to get near David yet. I quickly asked him for a picture and a few autographs and handed him the gifts that I had for him from luvnugsrarofan and myself, but didn’t say much else because my mind went blank, ahhh!! He thanked me and I think I just didn’t say anything or I might have said “you’re welcome”, I was too much in awe! I talked to karidol in Spanish so she could take the picture and I could feel David turn around and look at me surprised, I don’t think he was expecting me to speak in Spanish, haha! I was literally shaking during this time and wrapped my arm around him and then a few other fans got their pictures. I managed to sneak in a few other pictures before David left because I really didn’t like the first one, but I could not stop shaking! I couldn’t believe that David was standing right there next to me. His eyes literally glow and he was so gracious whenever someone asked him for a picture and really listened whenever someone spoke to him. He kept saying “did I get to everyone? I want to make sure that I had the chance to meet everyone” and he thanked us all for coming before he left. His arms were laden with gifts! I kept wondering what it must feel like for him to have all those fans around you and having everyone taking pictures of you right and left. As surreal as it is for us to meet David, I imagine it’s pretty surreal for him too. I didn’t get a hug but I’m sure that he smelled like heaven! Before I knew it, we all had to go. It was a fantastic experience and I know that I’ll remember it forever!
ANGEL Signing in! ANGEL Signing in!
WOW!
First of all, I want to say how very happy I am to be here. I've been spazzing over at my journal and I don't think people can actually understand all my ARCHEY posts, so I'm so happy that I have somewhere to post my ARCHEY spazzes ^______^ Finally, somebody who actually understand me! Hahaha. I hope you guys welcome me here, because really, I'm soooo darn happy :)
Secondly, Mad props to whoever thought and created this site! I so so so so love you right now! Hahaha. More ways to show how much we love ARCHEY oh yeah~
Third, though I'm sad over ARCHEY not winning IDOL, I just want you guys to know, I'm going to be here to support him all the way with all of you guys~ ARCHEY ANGELS ALL THE WAY! Well, now I know the reason why I'm named this way ^_______^
I blog a lot, so I hope you guys don't mind~ Hehe, and refer to our dearest ARCHEY as my little boy, hahaha, you know like my SON, haha, CRAZY RIGHT? But think about it, I'm not going to take him away from you~ UNCONDITIONAL LOVE HERE YO! ^^
I shall be back you guys~
ARCHEY ANGELS ROCKS!
Official Worcester Archey Repo Official Worcester Archey Report
We stayed at the Hilton right down the street for the night, This made the whole day and evening a real pleasure. It gave us a chance to go back to the hotel after the signing and get cleaned up for dinner, then after the show we didn't have to fight traffic we just went back and relaxed.
We got to Worcester around noon and checked in to our hotel, next to the DCU center. When we showed up there were only around 100 people. right a way we ran into a whole group from rickey.org. There were 10 of us in all and it's so funny that we just walked right up to them like they were expecting us or something, Pretty funny. They were all so nice. One of the girls was complaining that Ryan Seacrest did not correct the Jonas Brothers when they said they won the fanatic fans award, They were all very passionate about David, Well aren't we all. .
David came out around 2:45 and the whole crowd went crazy !! David is the most beautiful kid I have ever seen, His hair is black as it can get his eyes the just stunning, He is simply breathtaking !! He's worth seeing in person if you can. He took his time going down the line, He cared about each and every fan, He was talking to us and getting hugs from us all. It was amazing how many gifts he got. Security was helping David carry all the gifts and by the end the guys hands were completely full of bags, it was a really awesome sight. We had one Jason fan standing with us that was crushed at the end because Jason never came out after waiting 3 hours, I felt so sorry for her.
We went back to the hotel, got cleaned up, went to a really nice dinner at this Italian restaurant then we were off to the show. We had floor seats, so we are headed down to the floor, looking for our seats in 12th row center, well we get down there and because the center of the stage jets out from the rest of the stage we ended up in 2nd row dead center !!, with only a few girls in front of us !! I still can't believe we had seats that good. All of the Idols looked right down at us, it was awesome.
All of the Idols did a really nice job but I have to say, when Archie came out the crowd went nuts and the whole vibe of the place changed. It was like every person was there just for him. Seeing him onstage right in front of me was one of the most memorable experiences I think I've ever had, It was absolutely crazy. He looked right down at us and I know he was thinking, wow there's those guys again that were outside earlier. He did the usial 4 songs. During the last song he was going to each side of the stage and shaking hands with everyone, He made sure he shook everyone's hands not just one or two, It was so cute. He genuinely really cares about all of his fans. After the show We decided not to wait for them to come out because we really didn't know when they would show if at all. It was really nice walking one block and staying the night at the hotel, we got up had a nice breakfast and drove home, I know one thing, getting to meet and talk to David and the whole 24hr experience is one I will never forget !!
My 2 Hours Hanging Out With Da My 2 Hours Hanging Out With David - Tacoma Report
I can’t even begin to express my excitement and shock right now. Words are not enough. I’m writing this at 4am – I just got back from the concert and I can’t wait until the morning to make this post.
Yes, I did indeed get to hang out and talk with David for 2 hours this evening. SDcoulturedoll (Liz) and Blaykee (Kristen), and Chaarlie (Cherlyn) from the AI Boards shared this amazing evening with me and I would like to tell you about it!
Liz and Kristen drove up from San Diego to go the Tacoma concert. They both had been to two other concerts in California, and decided to try one more! We (including Cherlyn) met by the buses, where the idols were kept behind the fences and never came out. I managed, however, to get David to sign my David Archuleta Fan Blast water bottle (given to me by Eric from FB) and he signed my hand. (He held my hand while he did it!! EEK!) Anyway, David recognized Liz from the other concerts and American Idol tapings and his reaction was priceless. He was on vocal rest and couldn’t talk, but when he saw Liz he just threw his head back and did a “silent” laugh. Liz asked “Do you remember me?” and he shook his head in disbelief and smiled.
There were many disappointed fans in Tacoma, because the idols couldn’t come out due to security reasons. There were a LOT of people there. However, we did manage to run into Jeff Archuleta. I was able to personally hand him the hat I bought him which read "World's Greatest Dad"! This act sparked a lengthy conversation. Liz and Kristen came over to us, and Jeff recognized them.
Then he leaned forward, and whispered very quietly in our ears “Write your names down, give me a phone number. I’ll get you backstage After Show Party passes”
My heart exploded.
The conversation continued as normal, because Jeff didn’t want to draw attention to the situation in fear that others would want passes. In fact, Liz started talking to Jeff in Spanish so others wouldn’t understand what they were saying! It was really cool, and kinda funny.
Realizing the idols would not be coming out, and bursting at the seams with excitement about our backstage passes, we left for the rest of the day and came back later to pick up our passes.
I wore it very proudly. It had a little handwritten “DA” on it, which meant we were on David’s guest list
The concert was fantastic, as you all know by now. Honestly, I didn’t even take pictures of the concert (or at least not many) because so many identical pictures exist on the Internet and I wanted to soak up the concert and enjoy it as much as I could. Besides, I knew I would be meeting David afterwards so I assumed I would get better pictures then.
The concert ended, and we met up with Jeff again who told us where to go. We were led into a medium sized room where all the idols were waiting for us (changed back into normal clothes). Honestly, there were not very many people there. You’ll be able to tell from my pictures. It was quite small, and we were happy for it.
Liz and I went to straight to David Archuleta. He was standing in a corner talking to two other people. As we walked up, those people left and it was just me, Liz, and David. David said hi to Liz (his now familiar friend LOL) and Liz introduced me. “This is my friend, Meleah” she says. “It’s really nice to meet you!” says David as I shake his hand and try not to look stupid. Right away we took pictures. I specifically asked David to take a “fun” picture with me and we decided to do a “thumbs up” picture because he loves doing that in pictures!
As this was happening, I handed him the movie I bought him – the “Notebook” (remember the Seventeen Mag interview?) – and his reaction was awesome ! I hadn’t even finished explaining it to him and he says “Oh wow! I haven’t seen this! That’s so nice thank you so much!” So when we took our picture, he held up the movie. I thought it was sweet. Later during the evening, we talked about it again. He said to me “You know, I think I want to save this and watch it with my friend!” I told him that it was definitely something to watch with a friend, and Kristen chimed in and said “Yes, save it watch with a special lady friend”. David laughed hysterically. “Girls love Guys who have watched the notebook” I say. He laughs more. I think we made him laugh a lot tonight.
After our initial meeting with David, we decided to spread the love around. Liz and I headed to Cook. He was standing alone, and so we went to him next. I have to tell you – my Cookie love has grown enormously. He is the funniest, sweetest guy. He was goofing around with Liz and I, and taking silly pictures and making fun of my “I Voted for David Archuleta” t-shirt. He was very cool.
After saying high to Cook, Jason, and Michael Johns, we suddenly realized that we were standing in the same room as David Archuleta yet NOT with him. I’m like “what am I doing??” so I went back to David and watched him (non-creepily… I think). I stayed with him the rest of the night. I watched as he interacted with some people (again, not many people there) and every move he made was adorable. His skin was bright and shiny, and so were his eyes. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He looks completely unreal.
We continued to talk throughout the hour – about various topics. It was strange how easy it was to talk to him. I was so afraid I would go all “fan girl” on him, but instead I was cool and calm and able to converse with him like a friend – and that’s how he talked to us! He was very smiley and excited. At one point he was talking about something that made him happy and he did a little “hop” in the air. We all laughed. It was adorable.
I asked him about singing “Crazy” on Tuesday, and he didn’t know about it! But he said “Ok, then! But I haven’t rehearsed it in awhile”. I told him that his fans really want to hear him sing it. He went on to explain how he sings it – he said it’s a very slow, simple version of it - nothing fancy. And we told him anything he sings is fantastic. At times he almost rambled, and I loved every moment of it.
We talked about his album and how it’s ranked number 4 on Amazon. His reaction was priceless – he was like “nuh UH!” I told him I already bought his album, which prompted him to discuss his album and how he’s still trying to find the right balance. “Hopefully it will be good” he says. We laughed again.
One of my favorite moments happened when we were talking about his height. “I’m really short” he says. “You’re taller than me!” I say. Then he stops, stands on his toes, squints his eyes, tilts his eyes, looks me up and down, sizes me up, and then says “nahh I don’t think so”. I swear Archies – my heart exploded. But I kept my cool.
Another funny moment happened when a Goth girl came up to David to get his autograph. “You have an interesting style” says David. LOL!!! I couldn’t help it – I laughed out loud. It was awkward.
I told him I loved reading his Myspace Blogs. He laughed, and seemed flattered. “I wrote another one today!” he says. (He hasn’t posted it yet though!) “I wish I could do more video blogs. I’m not very good at them, and I don’t know how and my laptop is all messed up. I’m going to get Jason to help me.” I said “What, American Idol can’t get you a decent laptop?” and he says “Well I haven’t asked. I don’t want to be like “Ohhh give me a laptop”. He said it with this mock “arrogant” tone and it was the funniest thing ever.
It was funny to watch as he would sing and hum to himself. At one point, these two girls stood next to him and he started singing a line from “Stand by Me”. He spoke in Spanish a lot, which I didn’t understand but it was very cute.
I got so many autographs its ridiculous. He signed my hand, my water bottle, my picture – and then I asked him to sign my shirt. As he was spelling out my name, he was like “Oh I met you early today! I signed something for you”. I was happy he remembered me! I asked him if he recognized my shirt and he did! And I told him about how I drove to Murray for his homecoming.
At one point, while Cherlyn was giving David a present, she gave him a pin of some sort and it was white. “And it’s white!” she says. David looks confused and says “White?”. Cherlyn says “That’s your tour color.” Still confused, he asks “What is a tour color?”. I explained it to him was like “OH! That’s cool – I never noticed!” I laughed. Maybe a little hard, but it was funny. I told him to keep an eye out for the white fans! (I got this whole interaction recorded - I’ll post it later)
At one point he asked “What time is it?” – I don’t know, but it was such a normal, non-fan-like question and it kind of tickled me that was asking for the time.
David seemed to think it was really funny and cool that Liz and Kristen drove from California to see him in concert again. Liz and Kirsten made him guess how many hours they drove. He guessed 12 hours, but it was actually 19 hours and he was shocked!
As the evening went on, the room became more and more empty as others Idols left. Of course, David just kept staying. Part of me wondered if he was reluctant to meet the huge mass of people waiting outside at his bus. Regardless, he kept talking to just us – finally we were the last ones in the room, except for Jeff and some security guards. We were the last to leave.
I sheepishly asked “Can I have a hug before I go?” and said “Aww! Of course!” and gave me a big old hug. His cheeks touched up against mine – EEK!
He said goodbye to us and whishes Liz and Kristen a safe trip home to San Diego. We were like “bye David! It’s been so nice talking to you tonight” and he was like “Thanks! Have a good one bye!”
We went into the parking lot, and then a few minutes later he came back out on his way to buses. He said goodbye to us again! It was funny to watch as his security guards escorted him behind the huge line of people waiting for each Idol to return to their buses. We watched as he snuck up behind the crowd– no one knew he was there and then suddenly everyone started screaming. That was the last we saw of him.
The experience is still hard for me to completely grasp – the fact that we spent 2 hours just talking to David about random things. Some things were so random I can’t even remember now! But I was taking major mental notes the whole time and thinking of you all a ton.
His ability and eagerness to listen, ask questions, and respond was amazing. I would be talking to someone else, and David would overhear and chime in. There was no sense of just David talking to us because he had to – he seemed so interested in talking to us. In fact, the fact that he kept talking to us – even after everyone left – is what kept him from making an appearance at the buses afterwards. We didn’t realize this until afterwards. Oops.
He was so normal, yet so perfect at the same time.
My ODD needs a new word, because I’m not sure “ODD” says it all anymore.
San Diego Concert San Diego Concert
David started with Angels coming up from below the stage - very dramatic. He really changed this up from the many times I have heard it. It is amazing that each time it sounds so different. He was wearing a black suit with sparkles (which IMHO did not fit well). Believe me I was close enough to see that it was HANGING on him. He spoke for a few seconds but unless you could read lips you could not hear what he was saying. Next was apologize which he sang while ascending and descending the stairs. He had some pretty sexy moves coming down the stairs. His runs on this song were superb and it was really entertaining. He then sang Stand By Me. He went to each side and touch the fans hands. People almost died getting to little David. His dance moves were so cute and he sang more than just the Beautiful Girls part of the Sean Kingston song. It was the best performance of SBM yet. Then he moved his mike to within inches from me and sat on a stool. He talked about the meaning of the phrase I Love You and that the song expresses it so well. (Again hard to hear because of screaming). This song was so amazing I think I held my breath the entire time. He hit each note flawlessly. And his expressions were so powerful. He really knows how to feel and interpret a song. This one must be seen LIVE for the full effect. He did stand and embrace the mike stand and the ending his arms went in the air for an amazing finale. He had his hand over his heart as if you convey his love for the fans. He then introduced Cook and disappeared. For the Finale he came out in a cute preppy outfit to join the others in Please Don't Stop the Music. He and Cook hi-fived and then came right up to us to finish. He looked right at us and smiled. Then he was off.
I had noticed after the intermission that his dad, Jeff was sitting just seats away with Brooke's husband. I went right up to him and told him how amazing his son is. This man is so soft spoken and almost as humble as David. He was extremely approachable and we talked for about 20 minutes. Someone asked him if David would release WYSYLM or Imagine on his CD, but Jeff said that he felt like David would really want all new songs on his freshman CD. He said he has recorded MANY tracks and that working with Jive is a dream. Jive knows what they want and it totally meshes with what David wants. He did say that the cd would be out before Christmas (we don't want to rush excellence). He took a picture with me as we were getting kicked out by security (the only reason they let us stay so long is because it's Jeff Archuleta). As we were walking out he saw that David had signed my shirt and he asked "When did you see David?" I joked with him and told him that David and I were old friends. He looked shocked until I told him that I had met him by the buses earlier in the day. I told him about giving David the pictures of the San Diego Mormon Temple and the Angel Moroni and he said "Aw! That is so thoughtful" Then we talked about his church for a minute. He really appreciates his sons' fans. He did express concern that some people just don't "get" David because he is such a good kid with strong morals and not willing to give them up to sex up his image. I told him that he had fans of all ages and that David is appreciated by many types. I also told him that David was the most popular by the buses and stayed out a half hour longer than any of the other contestants to finish signing autographs. This man was surprised and happy and didn't seem to be assuming about anything regarding David. I felt like I made a new friend. Maybe I'll get to see him again on Monday at the Los Angeles venue.
*The Guitar Hero Commercial is classic. Very little of David but his dance moves are the cutest thing I have ever seen. Don't miss it!
*The shirt I had on I made myself with iron ons. I show Jeff the "Can I adopt him" part and he laughed.
That was my San Diego experience, I can't wait to tell you about my meet and greet on Monday. And yes, I'll be by the buses again hoping to have more conversations with little Archie.
The Official St. Louis Reporte The Official St. Louis Reporter !!!
So yeah, I haven't been posting stuff, sorry about that. Hopefully I'll have more interesting stuff for you guys to read later.
But anywho, I AM ONE OF THE OFFICIAL TORCH REPORTERS FOR ST. LOUIS!!!!! Thanks so much Rickey!! I can't wait to post my pictures and videos of the day for you guys. It's going to be so much fun :D Instead of just having boring video of just 30 seconds of David's beautiful voice singing, I am going to be posting seperate videos of my whole experience. From making my Archie sign for the Fanblast Tour Documentary to checking into my beautiful hotel room to even stalking the area to meet David himself. It's going to be a blast and I want you guys to see every step of the way. Also I might be stopping at the Gateway Arch. Which seems appropriate because, Arch ie + Arch Angels + Arch uleta. Hehe maybe I'll even see him there. OMG could you imagine?? But anywho just wanted to let you guys know and check back here on July 19th when everything will be posted. I would post the night of the concert...BUT...I'll be in my hotel and I don't have a laptop to do all that.
Bye guys!!
<33 Tori
My AI Tour Experience at SCL 7 My AI Tour Experience at SCL 7-15-08
When I think back to what initially attracted me to David Archuleta, it is hard to describe. There was just a “spark”, for lack of a better word, that he possessed. His voice literally started to wrap itself around my heart and from that moment on, I knew I was a forever fan. I am a total music lover! If you look into my music collection, you probably would be very shocked. I am all over the board in regards to tastes in music. I range from opera’s Puccini La Boheme and such to AC/DC, not to mention everything in between. I love the different moods that I can get from each one. However, having said that, I only have a select few CD’s that has stood the test of time. With these CD’s I can listen to them over and over and never tire of them. It’s interesting that I can listen to them and become completely taken away to another world. How does David fit into all of this? I have watched American Idol here and there for the last few years, and have never much been really into it. I voted a couple of times in prior seasons, but lost interest. Other than the occasional watching, I pretty much ignored it. That all changed during season seven. I watched casually in the beginning, as I figured it would be much the same as in years before. Of course I was completely wrong! This year is the year I discovered David Archuleta. His voice, charm and genuine personality has completely won me over. He has become part of my elite group. I don’t say this lightly. It is amazing to me that he has been able to do this in such a short period of time. My iPod has even been renamed the Archupod! I guess I just love the depth, tone and above all else the emotion that he so stunningly is able to relay to all of us fortunate fans. But is that all? No, in fact there is much more to my devotion to him as I am completely impressed by him as a person and his chosen life choices. I am so blessed to be able to feel that way about him. I do hope by providing this background, you will be able to see why I chose to go to the Tour and be able to see David and experience his beautiful voice and personality for myself.
The few weeks prior to the tour, I was trying to think of a way that I could “experience” David in person. I just had this pulling at my heart, that at times it was almost like a magnet, driving me to be a part of this phenomenon. The logical side of me was trying to convince me that I was clearly being stupid. The music lover side was driving me even harder, and so I’m glad that it won out in the end. The hardest part, after I had made my decision, was how in the world am I going to be able to tell/explain this to my husband? Well after much thinking, I finally set him down and just simply said that I wanted to go and see David live. I explained my feelings as best as I could, and he was very understanding. I’m still not so sure he gets it, but how could he? He is a different person with different feelings, and so I was satisfied that he just supported me. I don’t want to give the impression that my husband does not like David, he does, he just does not have the devotion that I do. As far as going to the concert, that was something that we haven’t done in years. My husband and I did go to concerts when we were younger, but have not gone since because of practicality. When I went and bought the tickets, I asked if he would go, and he said “yes, whatever makes you happy” I was so overjoyed that he understood me. About a week before the tour, I was trying to think of a way that I could “delicately” inform my husband that I wanted to go and meet the buses for autographs. I had actually been thinking of doing this since I got the tickets, but didn’t know how to broach the subject. I was all over the place on this one! I was back to square one on the “logical/desire drive” subject. I kept thinking that I needed to be grateful for just being able to go to the concert and forget the rest. But once again the David magnets were working overtime. I knew that I had to try. I wanted to be able to come full circle in my quest to connect with David in the way he has connected to me. I had talked to my son about it, trying to gauge his reaction, and he just sort of smiled and said to do whatever I wanted. So then I had put my plan in place, plus had back up plans in case anything changed. You know having children in the midst of ODD is near impossible! But I had my plan in place. So a couple of days before the tour, I brought the topic up out of the clear blue. At first my husband was like…”WHAT????, are you serious??” and then I tried to rationally explain it to him. Who was I kidding; there is nothing rational about this at all! I just knew deep inside that I had to satisfy my desire, or I would forever be kicking myself for not going. I heard on the television just a couple of days before that really struck me. Of all of the decisions people make, the biggest regrets were not the things they did, but the things they didn’t do. I would not be a part of that group! So after a lot of discussion about autographs (he does not get the idea of an autograph at all!) and how I was going to do this, he said to do whatever made me happy! I have such a wonderful husband, who supports me even when he thinks I’m starting to go over the edge. I don’t know if I could be so understanding if the shoe was on the other foot.
So Monday came with lots of preparation! Batteries charged, camera ready, work taken care of (kind of) and the house in decent order. Everything seemed ready to go… that was my first mistake! My son got sick and I seriously thought I might need to take him to the doctor. I told my husband that if I needed to I would not go. I always had plan B which was going Tuesday. But after much working around issues, and children who are so thoughtful of their mother, I got in the car with them and headed to Salt Lake City. We went shopping early to get some needed school shopping done. I really felt this was something I could do for them for being so understanding of their mother. I kept watching the clock and finally we left for the buses. When we got there, I was amazed that there were so few people. My children and I found a shady spot under a tree as it was 95 degrees and very sunny! We watched the local TV station come, and my son was very concerned that he would NOT be seen on TV. Can’t have your friends see you with your mother… not to mention getting autographs at the buses hehe! What would they think? Well, anyways we watched the Fanblast shout out and then we waited. I was able to meet some online friends from Rickey.org which was really cool in of itself. It’s almost like connecting a dream from the night into the day light. Making the screen names into faces is really cool and you realize that you’re not talking into mere space. I was able to meet ITTO, Josie, houstonrufus,SweetonDA and mcluvin. Each was very unique and so kind. I wished that we had more time to talk and share our DA love, but it wasn’t in the cards. Who knows, maybe one day? I do feel fortunate though that I have been able to make new friends because of our common David bond. I don’t even think David is even aware of the rippling effect he has had. It is so inspiring to see how one good decision leads to others.
So 1:30p.m. rolled around and by that time I was sweating, kids were complaining and I was very thirsty. The cheers for all of the service workers were kind of funny and the crowd was getting restless. All of the sudden a bus came, but looked nothing like the pictures I had seen of the tour buses. As it went by, I noticed Michael Johns in the back seat. Everyone cheered and then an ear piercing scream alerted everyone that David had just gotten up from his seat! My heart just started to beat hard because I knew that I might get to have my desire realized! We waited and waited while they unloaded from the bus into the event center and dropped their things off (I assume). Finally Kristy Lee Cook and Seyesha and Brooke came out and the security people let them by the huge iron gate. I was hoping that we didn’t have to see them through the bars, but thankfully that did not happen. So I got lots of pictures of them, and even some with my daughter. Each idol that came out was very gracious and kind. They must be tired of all of the signing and I’m sure screaming for the boys, but they were sweet. We were able to get autographs as well. Ramiele and Carly came next. They both were just as kind as the rest. Carly is quite witty. I thought she had a very kind, loving demeanor about her. By this time, everyone really wanted to see the boys, and so you could see heads bob up and down to see if they were going to come out.
Finally my heart did skip a beat because here the David’s, Jason and Jeff came. I was so excited to think I might be able to get a photo and an autograph! I was talking to mcluvin during this whole thing, and it was really good to be able to talk with someone who so totally got it! We together were a team, and really looked out for each other. She had brought a ukulele to be signed by Jason as well as a tour picture. I wished I had thought of doing that, but I was afraid that anything I brought had to be approved for them to sign. So if you’re reading this, bring something special for them to sign! I did buy a fanblast water bottle, and so now that is my souvenir. So David goes to the top of the group and David C went to the other side. Each idol was signing away… their arms had to hurt. They never did get cranky or complained. I must say that David is the SLOWEST idol of all with Jason a close second. That is really a compliment because he is so concerned that each fan gets their individual time. He really tries to make a connection with each one. When David came to us, I had a mouth full of cotton. How could I explain my feelings? It was impossible and I knew that even before I went. Looking back I wish I had a rewind/stop button to make changes, look at details etc. but that wasn’t the case. I told David that he did a wonderful job on “Crazy” and “Waiting on the World to Change” and he said while looking straight into my eyes “ Aww, I don’t know…thanks”. His eyes are so powerful and deep. It’s true that the eyes are the window to the soul, and David has a glorious soul! I also told him that I thought he was really awesome. Anything else that came out of my mouth, I wouldn’t know. Where is photographic memory when you need it? I did give him some Nutterbutters… maybe that was a dumb idea. I didn’t know what to get him; I just thought he needed something! I felt like I should give something back to him because he has given so much to me. I do know for a fact that teenage boys like to EAT! So I thought why not give him his favorite munchies? I don’t know if he’ll ever eat them, but I wanted to show him that I cared. We then took a picture of us with him. Where were all of the hair dressers, makeup? It was HOT and I wanted to look good NEXT to David. I thought mcluvin said it best, “it’s not about me it’s about David” So the end result was fairly decent. We were then able to talk to Jeff and had quite a lengthy conversation with him. He is such a good example to everyone on how to face adversity. I really look up to him with admiration because he conducted himself so well under immense pressure from the media not to mention just the stress of the show. He tried really hard to make everything all about David and not him. But you know, pesky fans want the inside scoop I think, and so he was very gracious and kind to talk about anything he could. David is very fortunate to have a father that has put all of his interests on the back burner to help him realize his dreams. I hope that I am doing that for my children to some degree too. He really is a man with lots of integrity and full of kindness.
Jason was one of the last idols that we seen. He too, is someone that I was completely blown away by. He is very soft spoken and very kind. I can see why David and Jason get along so well. He is so NOT pretentious at all! What you see is what you get with him. I like that very much in a person. It speaks volumes about their character. He signed my water bottle and he did sign the ukulele. He was so cute when he tried to play it some. Mcluvin and I were even able to get more than one picture with Jason because he too took so much time with every fan. I think they both (David & Jason) have hearts of gold. David C. was the last idol to come our way. He was really nice too; however we could not chat because he had to go to do press. He told us we could either get an autograph or picture, so I chose an autograph. I did get some shots of him farther away. I noticed when he was on the other side; he took time to hold a small girl and also was signing someone’s guitar too. He held it and started to play it a little. All in all I am VERY THANKFUL that I did listen to the inner voice and follow my heart. I was rewarded richly by doing so. If I ever am asked if it was worth it, I won’t even hesitate for a moment….YES!
So after a long, but very rewarding day on Monday, I was ready on Tuesday to go to the concert. I was very intrigued about hearing David live vs. or by recording. I was going to go to the buses, but I figured since I was so successful on Monday, I shouldn’t be a complete hog. I felt others needed their chance too. So I waited patiently…not really, but anyways I finally the time came. I was planning on going with my husband, but he decided to stay home with my daughter. As a side note, I didn’t have enough seats to take my sons with me so I decided to purchase two more tickets from Ticketmaster. I could hardly believe that I was able to get row 7 seats. So for future reference, wait until the concert comes closer to purchase tickets if at all possible. I went with my sons and we ate dinner before and went to the E Center. I was blown away how close our seats were! I was very excited and so I purchased a program book which I think is really cool. Finally the concert started and it was really interesting to see how the idols were live compared to on television. I enjoyed Chikezie quite a bit. The audience was fairly good and I do think he does have a lot of stage presence! Ramiele was up next, and of all of the idols, she is my least favorite. She did well, but isn’t in the same league in my opinion. She kind of acted like she didn’t really want to be there. Michael Johns was really good. My sons really liked his performances. His tribute to David Archuleta was so funny! He told us all how hot he was, and then he proceeded to take off his jacket which underneath he had a David Archuleta T-shirt. He then drank from a Fanblast water bottle and called it “sweet nectar.” Everyone went wild when he did that. Kristy Lee Cook was good, but seemes to be somewhat “manufactured country music” like a lot of the country women now days. She is beautiful. Then Carly was up next. I really enjoyed her set! She has such a powerful voice with huge range. Most everyone liked it, especially my youngest son. Then Brooke White came out. She is so sweet and genuine! She is so authentic and just being who she is and I really like that in her. Her song “Yellow” was really good. My older son totally liked it. She just seems to have a calming presence. Up next was Jason Castro. I really like him a lot. My whole perception of him changed once I met him live and then heard him live. He is so easy going and genuine. He commented on David Archuleta singing “Crazy” the two previous days for the local crowd, and he seemed totally fine with it. I enjoyed his voice and interpretation of his version as well. He is very likeable! Up next was Seyesha. I initially really liked Seyesha a whole lot when Idol started, but as the weeks went on, I felt like she was somewhat bitter. She did a good job with her songs and her voice is really powerful as well, but for some reason her personality kind of seemed to overshadow it. I am going to insert David Cook here because I don’t want to end with him. He is an awesome performer to say the least. I really liked everything that he did, with the exception of “Hello.” I can’t seem to get Lionel Richie out of my head when I hear that song, so it sounded weird to me. I thought it was really cool that he tried so hard to impress Salt Lake City. He really seemed to and wanted to have us all like him. He did do something that I was impressed with. He recorded the whole crowd on his personal camcorder. I thought it was good that he did that because he obviously wanted to remember what Salt Lake was like. He sang really well and I did enjoy his voice a whole lot more live than on the show. He seems to feed off of others opinions of him, and I do think that is what drives him to be such a performer. I do have to say that I can finally, really and truly like David Cook.
Finally the moment I had been waiting for! As David came up out of the floor singing “Angels” I thought it sounded beautiful! I was trying to see him, but the fog was a little overwhelming from my vantage point. Once I did see him, I was in awe! I have read so many opinions from others how fascinating it is to watch him go from seventeen to a performer without age. I was somewhat skeptical in this when I first heard it, but I wanted to see it for myself. I can indeed say without reservation that he becomes ageless! He has such a commanding presence when he sings. I believe that it is something felt, not seen. He then sang “Apologize” which was as good as the first song. He then followed with “Stand by Me” which has always been one of my favorite. His voice is so right on the mark for this song. This isn’t a song many people can sing, but David did an outstanding job. The cute dancing was a bonus in my opinion, along with all of the fan interaction. He knows who his fans are and they know him!! The last song he sang was “When You Say You Love Me” by Josh Groban. I love Josh Groban and so when I first heard he was going to do this song, I didn’t have any doubts that he could do as well, if not a better job. His rendition was flawless. He even changed up the ending which I actually liked better. The emotion in this song is so beautiful and deep. As I mentioned before, his voice once again wrapped itself around my heart. The depth and emotion was clearly felt deep inside. The hand movements he added were made with such feeling, that in my opinion, they were as much a part of the song as his voice. What a glorious soul to watch. I didn’t want the end to come, but it was over way to soon. I just craved to hear his voice more! Crave….that is the word indeed! David has become part of an elite group of musical artists I consider worthy of complete praise and honor. I know that I will forever be fascinated to watch where he goes and how he develops in life both as an artist and as a person.
Lastly, I wanted to address David the person. I feel that this is the most important part of him that I love. I do love his voice beyond doubt, but his character is really what makes his voice for me. There are all kinds of beautiful singers, but none can hold a candle to David because of who he is. I feel so inadequate to describe my adoration of him and how he has influenced people both old and young. Who does that at seventeen? In my opinion, only an “older and wiser soul”, with an enormous amount of integrity, humbleness and of course kindness could do it. He is so genuine and full of compassion for others that it is touching to watch. His attention to detail is something I want to mirror in myself. David and I share many things; we both live/come from Utah, have the same beliefs and the same devotion to family. Having said that, I still find that I am intrigued that he possesses so many extraordinary qualities above and beyond the normal person. Many of us try to acquire such characteristics and are only able to accomplish a few during a whole lifetime. I am in constant awe of him and am amazed by personal choices he makes irrespective of what others think. He is just trying to stay true to who he is… David. What better thing can we all do than that? I do hope that maybe one day I can relate some of what is in my heart to him personally. I have read many beautiful and inspiring stories from others, and clearly I am not alone. I too, along with many others have had difficulties in my life that have shaped who I am today. I know that if I hadn’t experienced those things, I might not be a fan nor had the desire to see David and connect with his music. He inspires hope which is key to happiness and success in life. I do hope that David can grasp the depth of love, we fans, feel for him. It is hard to summarize what is in ones heart, but the songs he sings with such emotion bridge the gap that the human language cannot. Music is the language of the soul, and David has a glorious soul full of music that reaches the inner strings of the heart! David is indeed, one of a kind!
Indianapolis Archey Report Indianapolis Archey Report
David Archuleta: Rickey Concert Report (Indianapolis, July 22)
Thank you for reading my report of the Indianapolis concert on Tuesday, July 22! I know there are some people reading this who will not have an opportunity to see David in concert during this tour, so I especially thought of you while writing this. As you read below, you will find out why my username is “Freo.” Also, before you begin reading, this is a friendly warning that my report is quite long. I’m a features reporter by training and there were loads of details I had been wondering about before the day’s events.
Report written by Freo (Teresa)
Before I get started, I’d like to note that fans have already captured excellent concert videos with cameras far more sophisticated than mine. I am sharing the links to my concert clips, though, so you can see some more Indy clips. I mostly focused on set introductions and David’s comments talking between songs. In addition, I am sharing some excellent (and unexpected) videos made during the pre-concert bus meet and greet. You can find URL’s to my videos on YouTube in this report.
I snapped some very nice pictures of David, Jason, Michael, and Carly, especially. You can check out all my pre-concert and concert photos at:
http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm309/Freo_ph oto/
I have the photos organized by album. All of the David-related pre- and post-concert photos are in his album, “David in Indianapolis.” I've also posted a couple photos in this blog.
Initially, I was reluctant to attend the concert at all because I imagined that I would be surrounded by screaming 15-year-olds. However, I was so moved by David’s culminating performances on Tuesday night before the finale that I immediately purchased a ticket for Indianapolis.
I was dying to hear him sing live. For months I’ve read reports about how the television performances and studio recordings do not fully capture the richness of his live sound. Attending the Indy concert required me to make a nearly five-hour drive in a non-air-conditioned car, but I just couldn’t wait until September when the concert would be playing in my home market in another state.
I attended the concert with a fellow fan I met online through Archey’s Angels. It was wonderful to share the day’s experiences with her because she is equally excited to see where young David’s career will take him. Also, we were each a bit nervous to hang out at the buses on our own, so going together really gave us the extra push we needed to just go for it.
On the concert day, our first task was to meet David at the buses. When I arrived at the downtown venue around 12:30 p.m., there were already television cameras and about 75-100 fans with cameras, signs, and gifts waiting near the underground parking entrance. The crowd for the most part was a mixture of Archie, Cook, Jason, and Carly fans. More fans joined us by 1:30 p.m. By the time the first Idols came out a few hours later, probably around 300 people had gathered.
Shortly before 2 p.m., more activity began to occur around the area. Security people began milling around, cars with darkened windows entered the underground parking area, and then, the buses appeared! I recognized the color codes on the front windows. The buses went right past us and perhaps took the performers out for dinner. Shortly thereafter, an equipment bus pulled up and the crew began unloading Guitar Hero and stage items.
When the security people took out the barricades shortly thereafter, we knew that we were in for a treat! They eventually told us that the Idols would be arriving in small groups around 2-ish p.m.
Before I describe the Idols’ appearances, let me briefly set the scene for you: The Idols’ appearances were surprising partially due to the venue’s lay-out itself. The equipment bus disguised part of the ramp going down to the underground parking area. As a result, we could not see who the emerging Idols were until their heads poked up at the top of the ramp. It was quite exciting and a little unnerving to hear cheers from people on the far end of the line (who had visibility into the ramp) and know that someone would be emerging. My friend and I had an excellent spot in the middle of the line, so we could watch the Idols go up and down the entire greeting line once they emerged from the ramp.
All of the Idols came out to greet fans except for Cook and Chikezie. I honestly attended primarily to see Archie, but it was fun to greet the other Idols. Ramiele, Kristy, Jason, and Michael seemed the most friendly, sincere, and gracious. I found the others to be rather rushing past and more business-like. I got all their signatures in my little book and wished them all the best as they walked past.
At one point, I heard massive screams and couldn’t believe my eyes when David Archuleta appeared! I can only describe the experience as surreal. After months of watching him during the last month of Idol, and then following his whereabouts through fan sites, it was quite surreal to actually see the real living person. As my friend remarked to me, “This isn’t a YouTube video! This is the real thing!” (to which I laughed hysterically).
We had an excellent viewing position for watching Archie come down the entire line as he made his way toward us. I snapped photos and took videos the entire time: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5uxKFhHlbCM
When he was about fifteen feet away from us, we heard his laugh and voice for the first time in person. My friend and I gave each other a look of disbelief! As my friend insightfully noted, at that moment “meeting Archie” suddenly became real.
I wish that I could have had a proper sit-down interview with David. I had loads of good questions that I wanted to ask him, but the situation was rather rushed, security and his handler were milling about, and he was clearly anxious to get to everyone. He was clearly trying hard to be friendly, but yet streamlined with what little time he had. My friend and I had planned on having our photos taken with him, but when he appeared in front of us, it was just so hectic that we found it difficult to even think straight!
In person, David looked just like what I imagined. He was quite tanned from doing so many outside bus autograph signings during the past month. Some people have remarked about his shortness, but he seemed fine to me. My husband is a couple inches taller than him so I knew what to expect. I was surprised how dark-featured he was in person.
The vibe that I received from him was friendly, gentle, somewhat quiet, and unassuming. I consider myself to be a fairly perceptive person. Again, I was not surprised, as many fans had already noted this. He seemed genuinely happy about meeting his fans and was making an effort to greet everyone. We noticed that night that his voice was a little strained between songs, so he may have been saving his voice because he did not talk much during the bus meet and greet.
When he appeared right in front of me, I took a couple photos as he signed my book and wished him well. There were many things I wanted to say, and questions I wanted to ask, but I was also trying to savor the short moment. When he was slightly past me to the next person, I got my bearings together, put my calm journalism face on, and said, “David, I forgot to tell you. I am from Rickey’s as a reporter.” He looked up and gave me a confused look about what Rickey’s was, but I think it came to him when my friend said, “You know? Rickey.org.” You can actually observe this moment on a video clip taken by another person: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bGSpTG6g_IQ. At 6:32-6:33, you will see him look up in response to my question. Also, you will see the venue set-up that I described early on in the video when he emerges from the underground area.
There were about a million things going on, so maybe someday I’ll have a chance to have a proper interview with him. Also, looking back on the moment when I told him about my reporting assignment, he might have quickly wondered if I was from a gossip site.
After that, David made his way down the rest of the line. We kept him in our sight as we greeted Jason. I snapped some excellent photos of Jason that I am sharing with you all on my Photobucket account. He also was very friendly and laid-back, just as I expected.
After David finished going down the line, he suddenly came walking up the entire line giving everyone high-fives. I captured this excellent moment on video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fhMWkzeI1zQ. I love the effect in my video of him approaching us from the perspective of our hands. The end of the video is priceless: after he gives me a high-five, you will see that I hold my hand up to inspect it! You can also hear me exclaim to my friend, “I got that all on video,” and her surprised reaction.
David eventually walked back over to the front of the bus to pick up gifts that his handler had placed for him there. We heard security telling him that he had to go inside and do local media interviews. Mind you, meanwhile I was capturing what I thought was his goodbye all on video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CwUWzWkzq6s.
Suddenly, he ignored security and came walking quickly directly toward me and my friend! You will see him coming closer and closer on my video clip; it’s great! You will also see that when he arrives right in front of me, I dropped the camera with excitement. It turned out that he was coming to see an elaborate scrapbook made for Carly by a fan beside me. The fans said goodbye to David as he slowly made his way back to the underground entrance.
Other than David, I was eager to see Michael Johns. I lived in his Australian hometown for a few years in the 1990s. You don’t meet many Americans who had been to Perth, Australia! When Michael got to me, I immediately told him that I used to live in “East Freo,” which is a slang term for one of Perth’s suburbs. I knew that by me saying that, Michael would know that I had spent some good time in Perth. I captured the exact moment of me telling him and his response on video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=PcDLtEsJpZE.
Because I almost emigrated there in the late 1990s, I wish that we would have had time to chat more about his experiences in Perth and America. Maybe someday I will freelance an article to The West Australian about his experiences in America.
I gave a Rickey's shout-out to Michael and got him to say "puppy johns," but unfortunately did not have the video running at that moment.
The bus meet and greet gradually died down after it was apparent that David Cook and Chikezie weren’t coming out. There were quite a few Cook fans there from Indiana who were disappointed, so I felt badly for them. After that, it was time to wait for the concert!
I know that many others have shared concert reports so I won’t go into huge details about all the sets. But I was genuinely surprised by the strength of Carly’s voice live. She has an excellent stage presence. Sayesha also gave a lovely performance and she is a natural performer. I thought that the others were just okay. Certainly not bad, but average. David Cook had a lot of family and friends in the audience, given that his father lives in Indianapolis and he has family in Terra Haute.
Of course, I was dying to hear David sing live. The crowd went crazy when Syesha introduced him: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UcuqSbtup7w.
Quite honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by his strong stage presence. As we all know, the tour managers had given him that awful suit because they were afraid, so they said, that the “little guy” wouldn’t show up on stage with typical clothing. Such nonsense! He has quite a strong presence on stage, moves and dances often around the stage, and comes out toward the audience from all sides. His voice is just so strong and rich live.
He received uproarious applause to “Stand By Me” as usual: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ly-_WXFdInk.
His final song (WYSYLM) was phenomenal. I was especially fascinated by how his body also moved with the song, so it was a holistic performance. The last few measures of the song were just incredible. His voice filled the arena. His technical voice training and energy-feed-off from the audience was apparent in his live performance.
I toyed with the idea of seeing the Idol concert again this summer, but I have decided to wait until I can enjoy a solo David concert. His set just goes so quickly, so try and savor the moment when you attend the concert. I know some fans who are going to a second concert just to absorb David’s set after getting their videos and pictures at the first concert. In fact, during the last song, I just put the camera down and tried to drink in the sound as much as possible.
It was a pleasure sharing my experiences with you. Thanks, Rickey, for this opportunity! I extend a special thanks to my Archey Angel friend, who shared general fan giddiness, hilarious and unexpected moments, plenty of concert screaming, and David sightings that day. Sharing the events with a fellow fan made them even more memorable and fun. I invite you to check out my videos and photos!
Official Archie Reporter- Repo Official Archie Reporter- Reporting from St. Louis
Well the day started for me and my 9 family and friends along for the journey at 1030 in the morning.
We headed from the hotel down to the Scottrade Center to wait for our Idols. When we got there there were a few people already camped out also. It was about 95 degrees and there was hardly any shade!!! We waited, and waited, and waited some more! As the hours went on more people started to filter in. We saw some Archie and Cookie fans, but i must say the Dreadheads completely dominated. So around 2 o'clock the buses started to arive. The fans went wild!! (By the time the idols had arrived there were close to 150 people waiting) So everyone was shoving and pushing there way to try to get as close as they can. It was seriously complete chaos! But me and my little cousin made it to the front. The first to come out was David Cook. He was AWE OME. He was very personable and made every person feel special. Ramiele came next. She was a complete sweetheart! Next was Brooke. All I can say is she's just a down right nice person. Kristy Lee followed close behind her. She talked about how she used to cage fight lol. Jason came out and everyone went wild! He spent so much time listening and talking to every person. He spent the most time talking to the fans out of all the idols. Then came Archie! He's so cute. 
Just a nice kid! He was only out for a few minutes because he needed to go back in for press. He ran through the signings as fast as he could. I was kinda disappointed because he was so rushed but at least i got to see him and get some pictures. Then Jeff Archuleta came out to send David back in. Then Jeff came out and talked for a little bit. He's also so nice. I told him he had an AMAZING son and he said i know i think so too! Following Jeff was Chikezie. Chikezie was sporting a bright pink shirt and neon green shoes. He was sweating SOOO bad..suprise suprise lol. He was just a jolly man! SO NICE! Syesha was out being the sweetheart she is. But let me tell you girl was gettin some attitude also because people weren't wearing Syesha shirts. lol I thought it was quite funny. Last but certainly not least was Michael Johns. He was going quickly too but had a little more time then Archie. He told us he woke up with a fever but he would ROCK OUT his show!!! So we ended up meeting everyone but Carly. By the time we left it was 430 so we grabbed a bite to eat, changed, and back to the Scottrade Center. Guitar Hero had a big set up and State Farm did also. It was really nice and family oriented. Start of the show. Chikezie came out and got the crowd going. He did awesome as expected. Then Ramiele was next. Her scene was very choreographed. Michael Johns came out and ROCKED! The tone in his voice is so unique! Next was Kristy Lee. Now I will say I was not a fan while she was on the show but she's really grown on me now! Then came Carly...WOW. She has some mean vocals...seriously girl is good. Brooke came out with a very laid back happy set of songs. Those five did a medley that was great and then it was time for intermission with Poptarts and the Guitar Hero taff. After intermission Jason was up with his ukelele. He did a great job also. Syesha was last before the Davids and she hit some awesome notes. She sang Listen by Beyonce and it was incredible. Then came David Archuleta ascending from the floor singing Angels. It seriously brought me to tears. He's such an awesome talent. Every song he did was impecable. LOVE HIM. Then it was time for the Idol! DAVID COOK. David started by singing Hello. Awesome. But I must say I dont really like the eyeliner look for him...too Daughtry I think. Anyway he was awesome as well. The ended with a little Please Dont Stop the Music. Honestly I didnt want them to stop the music because every SINGLE one of them were AMAZING. They're all so unique and different and will all have great careers supported by loving fans. So the day I had been waiting for for so long had finally come to an end. IT WAS ALL WELL WORTH IT! Now I'm just wondering how I can make it to another show before the tours over :) It was just that good! The Idols REALLY care about and love their fans. So make sure you can do everything you can to show them your support!
Hope I gave a good report :)
Brianna
P.S.-I'll post videos and pictures tomorrow on my way home!
Sacramento Report-Final Chapte Sacramento Report-Final Chapter
David-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! The crowd goes crazy. I was worried that Archie wouldn’t get a good reception because I thought maybe there were more Jason fans but the crowd went nuts! Here are the videos. I APOLOGIZE for the horrible quality. I was trying to watch David, while screaming my head off with everyone, while taking pictures, holding my cell for the cellcaster job, and taking video all at the same time. I did NOT do a good job. But here it is anyway…
Angels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSSjIFsFh2Y
Apologize: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKMIYTNMnmY
The best was before and after Stand By Me because we just kept screaming and screaming. You can’t hear it well but we were stomping our feet while screaming for him at the same time. It was so awesome. He kept smiling and saying, “Aww thanks!” He even wiped his brow a few times and told us we had great energy and that we were the loudest. I hope he knows that there are people who think of him as a WINNER and not someone who is second best.
(this is really bad) Stand By Me- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFXUp5b1M1k
When You Say You Love Me- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l90kHRSBAww
Finally, David Cook comes on and again the crowd goes nuts. He was definitely, all ROCK STAR. I really enjoyed his set-even the songs that I wasn’t so crazy for on AI. Someone threw a note on stage and he read it to the audience. Then, 2 shirts were thrown on stage. The first he gave to someone in the band and the second one, he put on . I later saw that it said, “I love Jason Castro” on it-LOL. The sides of the stage touched the audience. When he went up to the side, he stepped onto the rail and the girls there grabbed his pants and held onto his legs for a few seconds. I wish I would’ve gotten a picture of that but my camera had died at this point.
Here is just the beginning of Cook’s set.
Hello- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnkdu_GRQIs
Time of My Life- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0axVW0WDt_Q
All in all, everything was great. The audience was all wild. They cheered the longest for Archie but I saw more people stand up and cheer for Cook. So in the end, Sacramento showed the Idols we love them.
Yay-we love David Archuleta!!!
WHEW--Thank you to anyone who made it to the end! LOL
Co-reporter for Indy Concert Co-reporter for Indy Concert
Hello everyone! I am one of the two reporters for the Indy concert later in July. I am so excited for the concert and I will do my best to give you great coverage. I will be going to the night-before fb events and morning shout out (but hoping there will be some people around my age there -- I'm 36!). Thanks to Rickey for organizing this.
--Freo
Archie Reporter for Tacoma WA Archie Reporter for Tacoma WA
Hey everyone ! I'll be reporting for the Tacoma WA concert. I just wanted to test this blog thing out before I make the big post in a few weeks!
I'm so excited for the concert! Anyone else attending the Tacoma concert??
Archie Blogs = Super Fun! Archie Blogs = Super Fun!
Well hello fellow Archies and Arch Angels!
So this is my first Archie blog (well 2nd, but nobody read mine on the Idol website) and hopefully it doesn't bore you that much. But anywho in this blog I am going to mostly be posting stuff about the tour and anything else that pops in my mind about David that I think will interest you. Oh oh and I am also going to be posting my Archie Fanfics that I have been posting on archuletafans . Hmmm...that's pretty much it. I promise a MUCH better post coming soon. Heh, it will probably be tonight. While you wait, you can just stare at the screen at this:
<3 Tori
Lead the way Archie! Lead the way Archie!
WOW.
I can't believe it. I have been reading stuff on ARCHIE the whole day and now I'm overwhelmed by the pureness of everything. He's just so great. I'm so impressed. And how the people have reacted to him, all those write-ups, all those beautiful stuff, and ARCHIE himself...Gosh, he's really a great person, and what? He's only 17...it's a long way, we can grow up with him. I wanted to cry, I want a guy like ARCHIE! Or a son like him or something. HUHU. He's just so amazing. I applaud his parents for raising such an ANGEL in this world...and then sharing him to us. Beautiful shouldn't be used to describe physicality, it should be used to describe something more beyond that...like pureness of heart, truthfulness / honesty, humbleness and all that David is. Because for me, he's really beautiful. Inside and out.
I totally loved this one from NotingDavid, which you should read if you're an ARCHIE fan (and we all are here anyway, so go read heh) http://www.notingdavid.org/?p=20 <-- check it out, it's wonderful. I totally smiled so wide with goosebumps because of that. WOW. Insanely true.
and then the reaction from EMMY ROSSUM:
' Hey!
Did any of you happen to see American Idol last night? I tuned in as I'd heard it was Andrew Llyod Webber night. David Archuleta sang "Think of Me" (a conventionally poperatic female song) from Phantom of the Opera. His interpretation was a sexy smooth pop ballad and it was stunning. His performance was breathtaking. I'm sure it's up on youtube but I wanted to share it with all the Phanton phans if you didn't have a chance to tune in. Those who are loyal to the original interpretation might not love it, but he really did an excellent job of making it his own!
Go David! :)
xx emmy
ps: check it out here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=aZU4SV83qtM '
You can see the full comment here : http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog. view&friendID=185709354&blogID=383982114
[She also commented on David C, so check it out ^^]
Amazing. I totally liked the song 'Think of Me' from Phantom of the Opera because of my friend Gab, so when I saw and heard David singing 'Think of Me' I totally just went, 'OH MY GOSH'. WOOOT. Insane everyone, Insane. I loved his rendition. I listen to it at night and I smile because I feel so blessed to be listening to him.
I have been around checking out David fan contributions, like you can send him a note and everything, I think I visited all of them, lol, if not, then if you have any suggestions, where I can contribute, anything, please do leave me a note, I'll join you! ^^ Don't we have like a project for Archie?? ^^
I'm still in awe. I shall be reading more.
Be back~ HAHAHA.
Take care you guys :)
ATT Text Chat with DA 052208 ATT Text Chat with DA 052208
AT&T Text conversations with David Archuleta 5/22/08
Q from Esti:
First off you have an amazing voice. I love to sing. Do you have any tips for an aspiring singer?
David Answers:
Remember what you enjoy about music. If you want to be a singer, realize how much work it really takes. But also enjoy it as much as you can.
Q from aichat 47254:
What do you plan to accomplish in the next years?
David Answers:
I want to continue my education. Also, I want to make an album. If music ends soon, it would be great to serve a mission for my church.
Q from problemchild:
If you could choose any song to record on your 1 st CD, what would it be?
David Answers:
I’d love to do Angels or I’ll Be. Imagine is another good one. They’d all be really neat to do . I am also starting to work on my own songs.
Q from mb44:
What was your favorite Ford music video that you made?
David Anwers:
I really liked the super hero video. That was a lot of fun – all the crazy hair and eyes. It was all really cool.
Q from babyyidol
How did u decide which song u were going to sing each week?
David Answers:
It was a different strategy each week. Some weeks we were given a short list, others we had more choices. I depended on what you want to try.
Q from mrs.Archuleta4:
Davidddd! I am 13 and wondering who your celebrity crush is! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! YOUR DREAM IS HERE YOU ARE A STAR!
David Answers:
LOL. I am not really into celebrity crushes. It’s like, I don’t really know them. Personality is important!
Q from beaneek:
I think we’re all dying to know…Do you have a girlfriend?
David Answers:
I don’t really have time for a girlfriend right now. But I do like to go out on group dates.
Q from archuleta_fan25:
What did you think when Ryan handed the keys to your first car?
David Answers:
That was like the coolest thing – a car is a dream for a teenager! And it is really cool that it’s a hybrid. It’s the car I’ve always wanted!
Q from utsajennifer:
What was your most memorable experience on idol?
David:
There were so many amazing moments, I can’t pick just one. Getting to know everyone who works here was cool, all the contestants, learning new stuff.
Q margaretjonas:
What was it like being the youngest contestant on American Idol?
David Answers:
It was pretty rough. I was the only one who had to fit school into the schedule and it took all my free time. School is my #1 priority.
Q from Santi:
What was the funniest thing that happened off camera?
David Answers:
Everyone was so funny. Syesha and Jason were so funny. We were always laughing. There were so many fun times.
Q from g-man:
What do you miss most about home?
David Answers:
Family. They’ve always been there for me, always been so happy for me. I also missed the quiet time in my room and doing normal teenage things.
Q from julianig777:
Besides singing, do you have any other hobbies or past times?
David Answers:
I spend all my time listening to music. I’ve missed that the last couple weeks! I love all kinds of music – folk, rock, pop and gospel.
Q from Samantha17:
You have such a beautiful voice. Every time you sang you melted my heart. Did you take voice lessons?
David Answers:
I didn’t when I was younger, but started when I was on Star Search. Voice lessons have helped me keep my endurance up and stretch my range.
Chat Host:
Thank you so much for you time David! Do you have any final words for your fans?
David:
I SOOO appreciate all the support. Every fan letter is very special. Your support lets me know that I am doing the right thing with my music.
Thanks for participating in the Idol Text Chat session with David Archuleta and for participating in American Idol.
(The chat was scheduled for 30 minutes but David stayed almost an hour. )
First Blog? I'll Fix That! First Blog? I'll Fix That!
Ok, so I'm assuming people will start flocking here as I know there are a million people who read Rickey.org! Anyway, I just need to say thanks to Rickey for this place for us all to discuss and love on the ever talented, amazingly humble David Archuleta.
THANKS RICKEY! We love ya!