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• Lexington Kentucky - David Arc Lexington Kentucky - David Archuleta Report

  • From: Kristi_Howard
  • Description:

    ♫Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum
    <b>Whats wrong with me?</b>
    Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum
    <b>Why Do I feel Like this?</b>
    Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum
    <b>I've Gone Crazy Now!!!</b>
    Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum♫
    
    
    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! :)

  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
  • Favorite count: 1
  • Views: 1469

• Sacramento Report-Chapter 1 Sacramento Report-Chapter 1

  • From: chelley
  • Description:

    This is VERY long-sorry. First of all, THANK YOU to all the Idols for coming out in the heat and signing autographs for the fans that waited in the heat for you!

    Ok, so I drove by the venue around 11 something during my break to see if any fans were at the venue but I didn’t see anyone. I came back later and saw tons of people! First I saw a HUGE group of dreadheads on the grass. They had people holding up letters to spell “Dreadheads” and had tons of posters and 1 really cute Jason looking head made out of a big, round paper lantern on a stick. They were all very cute and sweet (and had the best posters & shirts IMO). See video :

    I went to find all the David fans and it was really funny because no one else knew what “group” we belonged to. I only saw “David” shirts and signs and none of us knew if the other was a Cook or Archie fan-so people were just walking around-LOL. Anyways, I met up with the Fanblast people and we did our shout-outs to David. I really hope he gets to see it one day to see all the love. Afterwards, everyone started walking towards the back where the buses were. That’s where we met up with the security guards, which we ended up spending the next 3 hours with… They told us that the Idols weren’t coming, then later that they wouldn’t be allowed to talk to us, then later that they were going to send them to a “different” location and that we all had to move… Keep in mind that it is about 110? degrees, really humid, and there’s so much smoke that it looks foggy all around. Well, finally we see the buses arrive and see the Idols come out! YES! We are so excited after hanging out in the heat for FOREVER that we are screaming for everyone that came out of the bus. Even Jeff Archuleta was probably thinking, ‘huh???’ when we started screaming for him-LOL. Here are the pics:

    

    

  • Video blog post
  • 2 years ago
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  • Views: 3330

• Archey Reporter from Glendale Archey Reporter from Glendale, AZ (First Show)

  • From: Sreynol87
  • Description:

    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.

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• Indianapolis Archey Report Indianapolis Archey Report

  • From: Freo
  • Description:

    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!

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• St. Louis Idol Concert- Offici St. Louis Idol Concert- Official Archey Report

  • From: Micara
  • Description:

    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.

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• Official Archie Reporter- Repo Official Archie Reporter- Reporting from St. Louis

  • From: Bria631
  • Description:

    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!

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• Tacoma Concert Day, part II Tacoma Concert Day, part II

  • From: bianca
  • Description:

    Concert report:
    
    First, I'll get the bad news out of the way--I did not stand in line to meet with idols. So my little touch from David will have to suffice. I have my reasons and I'll explain them later but I didn't want you all to hit that point and feel too bad.
    
    We left for the concert (1/2 hour away) 1 hour 15 minutes ahead of time. It was my goal to pick up one of those lucious programs before the show. A bit more Saturday evening traffic than expected but nothing too bad until we got near the Tacoma Dome when the traffic basically stopped in the freeway exit and CRAWLED all the way from there. I'm watching my watch ... minutes are ticking by ... They'll start late, right? They always start late ... tons of cars behind us but we're right next to the main lots and they're pretty full. Crawling along. Finally into the parking area and we are directed to be the next to the farthest car in a loooooong row which is straight out from the main entrance. At least we'll be able to find the car.
    
    At 6:45 we hop out of the car and power walk to the Dome. I check a sign and we go around to the right side to get to our seating area. Through security (took no time at all) and into the madhouse behind. The souvenir shop is PACKED. Bernard decides we should find our seats and then he'll come back out and get a program for me (have I mentioned he's a sweetheart?). Walking around the perimeter and we are quite close to the stage. I totally didn't understand that this huge long line was heading into our section and the one next so we were elderly line breakers. I was all set to plead age and infirmity if anyone asked--but Seattle-Tacoma area people are polite so no one did.
    
    Got to the front of the line and start descending to our seats in row 16. And descending and descending and ... OMG we're in the 2nd row! There's a little, mostly empty, wheelchair area in front of us but really, we are 2nd row on our side and the view is just great. I didn't want floor again so I'm really happy. Bernard takes off for the program and I sit and wait...for an angel.
    
    The Poptart guy does his thing. No Bernard. OMG they are starting on time! No Bernard. He'd like Chikeze, I hope he gets back soon. And he gets there at about the end of Chikeze's first performance. Very entertaining, that guy. Not the strongest \voice but a fun start to the show. He clearly just loves being on stage.
    
    The crowd is generally a lot quieter than what you've heard on most of the shows. The Dome is not a huge venue and the nosebleed seats are not full. Mostly families in our area with some girls in mixed tee shirts in front of us and to the right. Throughout the show (and even during their favorites) these were some of the quietest kids I've ever heard. I hope they liked the show!
    
    Ramiele. She did the show, she's cute, she's got good stage presence but she's just not who everyone came to see.
    
    Micheal Johns--and the crowd goes louder. He did great, looks soooooOOoooo handsome up there. Bernard absolutely loved Micheal--loved the songs he chose, loved the way he sang, loved his stage presense, everything.
    
    Kristy Lee. Definitely sexy up there. Bernard liked her a bunch (he is a bit country himself). I don't care for her set but she is undeniably pretty and sexy. Crowd yells for her when asked because she was born in this area. She asks a bit too often.
    
    Carly--is prettier in person than she was on the show, lovely bone structure. I just don't get into her songs especially the first one. The crowd loves her best so far and cheers lots. She tells us how beautiful the area is which earns her brownie points because it was a PERFECT day and Mount Rainier was beyond gorgeous. I noticed Carly's hair was soaking by the time she was done, she really gave it her all. Go Carly!
    
    Brooke rises up on the piano and does a beautiful set. I like her much more than I did on the show--she seems another person who shines without the judging. And she's just lovely and her voice is so sweet. I would love to see Brooke perform in a smaller venue!
    
    Montage from Idol gives back and the lamest number of the night, the first group number with just the "bottom 6."
    
    Intermission was long and boring except for that adorable Guitar Hero video. Archie got plenty of laughs for his adorableness in it. In general, though, this crowd is really subdued compared to LA. No cheering at the Davids in their skivvies videos? Good heavens!
    
    I'm stating to get nervous about the cell casting. We also plan to video Archie on the camera. I'm hoping the technology doesn't interfere with our enjoyment.

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• My Concert Experience Part 1: My Concert Experience Part 1: Charlotte, N.C.

  • From: AlwayzAnArchAngel
  • Description:

    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!!

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• Official Worcester Archey Repo Official Worcester Archey Report

  • From: hifi2020_mark
  • Description:

    
    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 !!

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• American Idol Tour in Tacoma, American Idol Tour in Tacoma, WA

  • From: jy24
  • Description:

    (If you click on the entry, you can see pictures with it.)

    Today I went to the American Idol tour to see them sing live. Since I'm a big archie fan, I was pretty excited to go. Btw, I've never been to an idol concert before so it was all new for me. Actually, I never liked an artist so much to give lots of effort in going to a concert/trying to meet them live.

    
    

    Well, I went to the venue and waited for the morning meet and greet, but later found out that the idols weren't going to come out until after the concert. So I left a bit disappointed, dropped by home, ate, and came back with a friend.

    

    By the time we came back into the venue, the concert had just started with Chikezie. I was surprised... in a good way. He was REALLY good! Great show starter! He had lots of energy that I never saw... but it could be because it was live. Very impressed! I really liked his version of "Caught Up" by Usher.

    

    Next, Ramiele came out and she actually was worse than I expected. Seemed like a valley girl . For some reason I thought of her a bit more mature on TV. I don't know why. She wasn't horrible, but compared to the rest of the concert, I gotta say she was the weakest link.

    

    Michael Johns then came out and that's when the screaming began. And he deserved the loud screams. He was really good. I didn't really get the whole "Michael got booted off. I'm so angry" sort of thing until now. Before I thought that everyone gets booted off eventually except one so who really cares (unless it's Archie of course. lol)? But now I think he should have placed much higher.

    

    Then Kristy came out and she was better than I expected too. Why? I guess I didn't expect too much from her. She definitely has a country vibe. I'm not sure she'll do as well as Carrie Underwood, because I heard her new single and it's not that catchy. Maybe a comparison with Kelly Pickler. Hmmm... Anyway~

    

    Afterwards, Carly came out. At first, I was a bit disappointed because I really liked her on the show and she started off with an Evanescence song, which really didn't fit her voice in my opinion. Then she sang "Crazy" by Heart and "Drove All Night" which was much better. :) I really wanted her to sing "Here You Come Again" but oh well~

    

    After that, Brooke came out with her piano singing "Let It Be". It was beautiful like the first time I heard it on American Idol. I loved Brooke on the show and I loved all the songs she sang live. "1,2,3,4" was really cute! :)

    
    

    Then there was an intermission and after that, Jason started with "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". It was good like I expected from TV. People had a big deal about "Crazy" so when I heard his version of it, it didn't sound as good as I expected. I'm a bit afraid that I'll be disappointed with Archie's version next week. I hope not. I love all his songs so far. Anyway, "Daydream" was much better.

    

    Next, Syesha came out by first singing "Umbrella". BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. It was totally karaoke for that song. But don't think I was disappointed with Syesha's other performances. They were actually REALLY good. Now I realize why some people voted for her to be in the Top 3. She is really good at singing live. I was just not happy with the Umbrella song.

    
    

    A video of David singing Angels.

    And behold, our favorite David came out after Syesha's introduction of him. It suddenly got REALLY loud. I already knew all the songs he was singing (unlike all the other idols), but HE WAS AMAZING . His voice sounded even better than he did on TV. I didn't think that was possible! Something about the live performance was different. It really felt like he sang it from his heart.... well, like I could actually feel what he's singing. It's a bit hard to explain. And I couldn't help but smile the whole entire time. "Angels" was absolutely beautiful and unlike the show, you can actually hear him play the piano! Apologize was great! And Stand By Me/Beautiful Girls was ABSOLUTELY adorable. Love Archie's dance moves!

    

    But I gotta say my favorite was "When You Say You Love Me". It was sooo beautiful and pure. He really could go the Josh Groban route if he wanted to. I hope he records that song as an extra on his upcoming CD. I want it!! I really hope he doesn't go towards the Disney route. I'd be so disappointed. His voice has so much potential. Hopefully "Crush" doesn't turn out to be too corny.

    

    Lastly, David Cook came out, and I have to admit that there must have been more Cook fans in the Seattle/Vancouver area because it got even louder. He did deserve the praise too. He was really good. You can tell he had lots of experience. He knew how to work the crowd. I don't get the fan wars against the Davids. They sing different genres. You can't really say one's better than the other. I like Archie better, but I think it's 'cause I like his style better. Also as a person he's more adorable. lol.

    A video I took of Don't Stop the Music.

    Overall, great experience! Although I was disappointed I couldn't meet the idols, it was worth it to see them sing live. Next year, I don't think I'll even try to go to the meet & greets just to be disappointed by all the waiting and chance that they won't come out. Plus, I don't think there will be another contestant like Archie that will be worth my time to wait for. I really enjoyed this idol group this year. Most of them sang well live. David Archuleta is still my favorite though! :)

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• Tacoma Concert Day, part III Tacoma Concert Day, part III

  • From: bianca
  • Description:

    Finally, it's Jason. He does exist! I hadn't been able to catch even a glimpse of Jason during the LA concert--the man in front of me was very tall and broad and apparently a Jason fan. I watch Jason through the little binoculars we brought and don't even share them with Bernard--Jason is unbelieveably cute in person. I like him tons although he just mostly sits or stands, zero choregraphy. Bernard liked him least of the whole concert, proving I guess that Jason is one for the ladies. We at least agree that we'd love to see Jason in a smaller venue.
    
    Syesha is up next. She's all sparkly and screamy. Does a very good job with her set but it's just not our kind of songs. She's 10 minutes of sweating away from a wardrobe malfunction. Anyway, Bernard loves her Broadway-type performances on the show but was disappointed with her in person.
    
    Syesha introduces David and by far the loudest cheers of the night erupt. I put on the cell phone, Bernard is in charge of the video. We're ready.
    
    Piano rises up and the mist is perfect. David's gorgeous. He really is getting better and better looking. His singing? It's beautiful and perfect and it's a whole new Angels once again. But having heard him so many times before I can tell that he needed even more vocal rest. There's no sound of fatigue but he isn't reaching for the high stuff the way he usually does. It's still beautiful and I'm turning into a * puddle *. Angels is over already and the crowd is still on its feet. In fact, I don't think the floor sat down at all during David's set.
    
    A couple of things get tossed onto the stage for David, including what looks like a green Care Bear. He giggles and picks them up and puts them back by the stairs.
    
    Apologize. I'm worried a bit because of the fatigue, but once again David pulls it off. He does use his head voice a few times in this song and every note is clear and beautiful. I'm holding the cell phone in one hand and my little binoculars in the other and can see his every expression. Oh, our boy is handsome. He is also sexy as heck in an undefinable way, moves comfortably on the stairs and really makes contact with the audience.
    
    Apoligize is over too soon and David says almost nothing (saving that voice) before he launches into Stand By Me. Bernard had not viewed any of the concert videos of this and was unaware of the Beautiful Girls part--he loved that and really really enjoyed this number overall (best of the night). David's dancing was on point and he worked the crowd effortlessly--seriously better than any of the other Idols all night. If the final "Stand" didn't soar as high as usual, it was still breathtaking and the crowd went wild. My heart was pounding.
    
    When You Say You Love Me--beautiful, rich, golden, intimate, gorgeous, tender, velvety and our boy was luminous, transcendant, manly, captivating...really I need to study the thesaurus. I was glued to the binoculars, our seats were great and out on the tongue of the stage David was just the floor away. I wished life would move in slow motion. I wished it would never be over. "Do you know how I love yoooooou?" There's a lump in my throat. I can't scream as loud as I want and I can't clap because of the cell phone but I was projecting "love rays" in David's direction and I just know he felt them, LOL.
    
    Bernard's comment about David later was that he is a big-venue guy and will do great--that's a tribute to David's stage presense as well as his voice. He really is that good, a total pro, a superstar in the making.
    
    Drop the mic stand, "really excited about the next guy ... the one and only Sugarfoot!" And the crowd goes even more nuts as David Cook's set begins. Cook is really a master at working the stage. The sound (both from the stage and the audience) is a huge roar throughout these songs. I totally love Cook's guitar skills and the way he's all over the stage. He is the Idol, gets the complete star treatment, the crowd is crazy for him. As I reflect, I don't remember Cook's voice at all, not a word--but I do remember the performances. Billie Jean was a little off last night, perhaps Cook too needs some rest.
    
    The final group number is cute as ever. Great choice of song and the choreography is fun. Archie is very hard to hear during his solo bit, resting his voice already? But he's so cute in his preppy jacket. He's positively adorable bouncing up and down and sort of pointing at Cook at the end. Little David definitely waved in my direction three times as this song ended. I wasn't the one going nuts (well not on the OUTside) to attract his attention but thank you to someone who must have been behind me, LOL.
    
    Aww, it's over. We're exhausted. The crowd is milling about, leaving. We go down to the floor because it's way closer than the level we entered on. I get a couple of scraps of streamer (just in case I make a scrapbook page) and we begin to walk out. We see Jeff Archuleta in the middle of a large crowd. Bernard asks if I want a photo, I say nah because the crowd is so thick. As we head out, I watch how people are walking and remember the lack of stetup by the buses and decide that we won't try for autographs. David should be resting anyway and my heart is full. It was a great night.
    
    We trek out to the car and as we get there, a group of 3 generations of the women in a family ask us to take their photo. They all have on hand-made tee shirts, mostly with all the Idols on them but one Cook fan and two Archie. They like my shirt, too, and were impressed that I had made it (by tracing a photo of Archie and turning the tracing into an Andy Warhol treatment).
    
    We then wait for a long while without starting the car, just listening to David's songs from my iPhone. We had the moon roof open and it's kind of romantic. Finally, the traffic deadlock breaks and we leave. Once home I view the video we took and while the picture quality sort of sucks (as expected), the sound is amazingly good. Quite possibly the best sound of any concert so far :D So I'll have to figure out how to get that posted!
    
    Archey reporter and cell-caster --bianca signing out. Thanks for the memories!

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• Sacramento Report-Chapter 3 Sacramento Report-Chapter 3

  • From: chelley
  • Description:

    BTW, one fan asked David how he got the name Conditioner and this is what he said:

    Video:

    Ok, concert review…I’ll make this short—it was AWESOME! The crowd was nuts! I actually saw more of an “older” crowd, rather than a younger one. I had a mix of people all around me and they were ALL screaming for the 2 Davids. Ok, well, here’s what I remember:

    Chikeze-good energy. He was another one that I felt bad for because I wanted him voted off before David H. but he sang his songs really well and I enjoyed it. Good job Chikeze! Some stood up but we all cheered and clapped when appropriate.

    Rami-she was so cute. I liked her second song the best but I didn’t like the last song. I’m not sure if others knew it either, so people weren’t out of their seats for her but again, we still clapped and cheered.

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• Official Archey Report-o.d.d.y Official Archey Report-o.d.d.yssey in Baltimore

  • From: djh
  • Description:

    Was this only ONE DAY?!? Seems like more.

    August 12, 2008 began at Midnight when I went online to buy Crush on iTunes and left a review. It said I could be the first to write a review, but when I didn’t see my comment posted right away I figured lots of people were getting that message.

    In the morning, I chatted online a while, and looked up Crush on iTunes. It was at #39, and I thought, David will want to see that he’s on the charts, so I printed it out to give to him. I was also taking a couple of spare tickets to give to an online friend.

    I got to the venue about 11:30 and called my online friends Mary and Christy to hook up. Turned out they were about 3 people in front of me, haha. They are traveling the Northeast and going to Idol venues with their dad and Christy’s two kids, who are adorable. Ralph gets my vote for one of the best dads EVER! (Right behind Jeff Archuleta.) They’ve been to the buses before, but this will be their first show. (Ralph will miss the show to babysit the kids.)

    With us were two women from Gettysburg PA , Jen and Melanie, who were Cook fans. Mary and Christy had been up with them til 3 that morning at the hotel, talking Idol. (Hey Jen and Melanie! If you’re reading this.)

    I have to say at this point that there were a LOT of Cook fans at the buses. Red shirts were everywhere. (OK some of them were on the security guards.) But as it said on Craig’s List when I went to sign up for an account: “Cookies Must Be Enabled”. So I went with it.

    I went over to this big plastic sign they had behind us that said Word Nerds Across America, signed my good wishes for Cookie, and asked the woman what the story was. She said they are sending the sign to different cities, and her contact in KC will present the banner to Cook and his mom. Suzanne, the woman in charge of the banner, is a moderator on a Cook chat site, wordnerdshome.com. She said they migrated there from the AI boards.

    At this point someone told us that Crush was # 7 on iTunes. So much for my #39 printout…

    Gossip was flying up and down the barricades, and we learned that David and Kristy Lee Cook had been spotted having lunch at Baltimore ’s Inner Harbor . This was about 1:15 or so, so we figured we might see them soon. Apparently they don’t come out til after lunch. We already knew that the Idols were staying at the Holiday Inn across from the Arena, and had gotten there the day before.

    About 2 PM , Kristy Lee and Brooke came out and signed autographs. Brooke was sorta rushing because she had to go and do press.

    Then we learned that Crush was #4 on iTunes.

    At around 3, Jeff Archuleta came out, but he went the other way from where we were standing, then went and sat on a wall to make some phone calls. We couldn’t get his attention. At this point we still hadn’t seen any other Idols.

    Around 4, my friend from work called to say she was on her way, and could she get us any drinks. So we gave her our drink orders and she was to be there about 4:30 or so.

    Then at maybe 4:15 , Jeff A. came out and told a group a ways away from us something, we didn’t know what, but they started leaving. Apparently the rest of the Idols weren’t going to be able to come out. Jen and Melanie the Cookie fans left, and Mary and Christy were about to go too, but I reminded them the sodas would be there any minute.

    At about 4:30ish, the doors opened and here came the rest of the Idols (except Chikeze). I bent down and started looking in my purse for my camera, then I heard this VERY familiar silky voice VERY close by. Oh Oh Oh I’m missing him!!!! I got up quick!

    I managed to shake David’s hand, and then he said ‘If you have anything to be signed, could you get it out, please’ Christy had given me a picture of him to be signed, so with shaking hands I got it out and he signed DA. Then he was gone moving on down the line. I also got autographs from Syesha and Carly. The autographs are like hieroglyphics. Too cute.

    Melanie and Jen, you didn’t miss TOO much, because Cook didn’t sign autographs, he just went down the line slapping palms. I know, this alone would probably have given Jen a stroke.

    I finally found my camera (in my back pocket), and got some pictures of the back of David, MJ, and Jason as they went into the arena. I think at this point Crush was #2 on iTunes, and we tried to shout that out to David as he was leaving, but I don’t think he heard us.

    We went and got something to eat, then I went to meet my contact for tickets outside will call, and found out we were in the 5 ^th row!!! I was also flabbergasted to learn that we were getting BACKSTAGE PASSES! I am humbled by the generosity of some people (who will remain nameless).

    The Show

    Guys, 5 ^th row is better than 1 ^st row. We were right beside the catwalk, opposite the mike stand where the Idols would sing some of their numbers.

    Well you all know the show. But I have to say, I enjoyed every performance. All the women were gorgeous. Several of the Idols personalized their between-song patter to include Baltimore references. Chikeze gave a shoutout to Baltimore , and said Baltimore likes to PARTAY! The audience agreed.

    This was a rock and roll crowd, and they were very into Michael Johns. MJ did his talk about Dream On being the song that got him kicked off the show, and then said that in this time of the Olympics, his song Dream On is on the tube every night and he’s loving it.

    Kristy Lee was very sparkly with her bedazzled outfit including a rhinestone microphone pack. I loved her diamond circle pendant too. She told us that she and Carly had gone out for Crabs and had 4 CRABS EACH. My friend cracked up because even the daintiest eaters in Baltimore can eat 6 minimum.

    Carly blew the audience away with her first two songs. Wow. The Celine Dion song did not go over big with the Baltimore crowd. I bet if she hadn’t mentioned whose song it was, it would have gotten a better reception. She also mentioned the crabs and said they were given hammers and all sorts of tools to eat them with. It was her first experience with crabs.

    Brooke White came up through the stage at the piano, and we got a brief glimpse of her face before the piano blocked her from our view. All we could see was this topknot of golden hair. I laughed and just started watching her on the Jumbotron. I knew then that this would also be my experience with Angels.

    Brooke said it's great to be here in "Bawlmer." She said 'I was told that's how you pronounce it.' (Haha, that was just right--it's Bawlmer, Merlin!)

    At intermission, I got up to go to the bathroom, and there were my new friends talking to Jeff Archuleta. I thought, Hmm, meet Jeff or go to the bathroom? I had to hope there would be another opportunity to meet Jeff. So I got back just in time to see the 70’s Guitar Hero commercial. And the 2 little boys who were playing Air Guitar Hero. Haha the one boy, a 7-year old, didn’t know how to do air guitar. The comedian (is this Cory?) said ‘no that’s a flute’, and repositioned his hands.

    I enjoyed Jason’s set, though we were saying that we prefer David’s version of ‘Crazy’. There were two women in front of us in ‘I shot the Tambourine Man’ Shirts.

    Syesha probably enjoyed her set in Baltimore , because it didn’t seem like they were staring daggers at her to get-off-the-stage-we-want-David-A! Polite applause.

    David's set was so awesome. Those songs are so familiar to us now, but still so powerful. Seeing him live was an emotional experience. I kept feeling the music in my upper chest. I was unconsciously doing the David Fan sign just to try to control my heartbeat. It felt like I might start sobbing at any minute. But I didn’t; I held it together. OMGosh.

    

    I’m going to have to continue this later….have an appointment I have to keep.

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• My 2 Hours Hanging Out With Da My 2 Hours Hanging Out With David - Tacoma Report

  • From: MCR4DJA
  • Description:

    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.

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• Sacramento Report-Final Chapte Sacramento Report-Final Chapter

  • From: chelley
  • Description:

    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

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• San Diego Concert San Diego Concert

  • From: blaykee
  • Description:

    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.

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• Sacramento Report-Chapter 2 Sacramento Report-Chapter 2

  • From: chelley
  • Description:

    

    So we wait and wait…finally Brooke comes out. She is SO sweet and very calm and soft-spoken. She tells everyone that they have A LOT of time and that they will sign something for everyone. She says that this is the biggest crowd that they’ve seen waiting for them.

    

    Next comes Davi d Cook. The fa ns start going crazy. He takes pics with everyone and he is ve ry nice. Here’s a short video where someone asked something like, “David, how do you get the inspiratio n to your music?” Check the video...

    

    W hen he says, “that girl”, I took it to mean, a girl, not Kim C-but I could be wrong.

    He semi-poses with Jason as he’s coming and everyone takes pictures and then they get to the crowd. So they’re all signing and signing and I’m patiently waiting for Archie to come out b/c I only have about 30 minutes before I have to leave. I was front and center of the “barricade”, so I was the first to see the dark spiky hair from far away. Once I saw it, I started screaming first-LOL. Then the place erupted and people started calling out for him to come towards them. He decides to go right next to Cook, who is STILL at the beginning of the line-dang it! LOL Ok, so when I realize I will never get my autograph, I move to the far right where Archie is “trapped”. There were SOOOO many people asking him for autographs at the same time and he got really overwhelmed. I stand behind some people and they’re all getting pictures. David sees me several times because I’m right in front of him but behind a row of people and the ones around us kept pushing their way in. So I wait…he sees me…I wait some more. Finally, after someone asked for an autograph, David says, “Well, let me do this one first” and nods toward me. GAK!!! So I jump forward and this is my chance! I start to tell him that I brought something for him and he says, “Hey, I have that same shirt!” and he points to the Bianca-made Archie Angels shirt that Cinny gave to him. I freak out and then proceed to give him something and he looks me straight in the eye and says, “OMGosh, Thanks! Thanks so much!” I felt that he was surprised and he gave me a genuinely appreciative smile. Then we took our pictu re and I put my hand on his back and leaned in real close-wow, so awesome!

    Aft erwards, I asked h im questions: I asked him how he’s enjoying the tour and the west coast and he said that everything and everyone has been great. I tell him that he’s wonderful and that he’s an inspiration to a lot of people and he says thanks a bunch of times. Then I asked him if there’s any chance that he’ll sing “Crazy” on tour and he turns to look at Jason and says, “No…[smiles]… I really wanted to but…someone else is singing that song. [laughs]” Then I tell him that we’ve all been waiting to hear his version of it and he says, “Well, sorry I won’t be able to sing it on the tour…but I’d really like to one day”. So I tell him that maybe he can put it online one day for all of us and he says, “Th at’s a great idea. Yeah…maybe one day…” Then I grab my video camera and that’s when I ask him to say hi to the Rickey fans. I finally moved back afterwards because I felt bad that I hogged him. (sorry everyone!) Of course, I realized that I never got an autograph, so I waited till everyone got a picture in front of me and snuck back in to get my signature---aaaaaaah! When he was done he actually said, “Thanks again” to me. I can’t tell you how sweet he is! AHHH!!!

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• My review of the Oklahoma City My review of the Oklahoma City concert

  • From: OKDAfan
  • Description:

    I arrived downtown where the Ford Center is located probably about 1:00 and it took me probably 15 to 20 min of driving around the block to spot where the meet & greet was going to take place and figure out where I was going to park. While I was driving around though, I saw Kristy Lee leaving on the back of a motorcycle going off someplace. I didn’t notice who was driving the motorcycle though because she was on one of those seats that sits up higher than the driver and she just really stood out. She looked absolutely beautiful. Like a movie star or something, she just grabs your attention.

    When I got to the meet & greet area, there were maybe 100 people there already. I was a little surprised at the number of teens and kids who were there because school has started and it was still during school hours. I guess some people let their kids skip school for it. There was a section barricaded off for fans to stand behind and there were people all along the whole area. The most people though were on the end by the door where the idols would come out, which also just happened to be the area in the shade, so that’s where I went to stand because it was just too hot to stand out in the sun. I met a nice lady and her husband who were Cook fans and another nice lady who had driven down from Wichita who was also a Cook fan. This was her third concert and the first two she had gone to the meet & greet to meet Cook and he didn’t come out at either of those, so she was still trying to get to meet him. Luckily for her, he did come out for this one. David and Kristy Lee came out at 2:00 and Ramiele, Chickeze, Jason and Brooke came out at various times while David was out there. Kristy Lee was only out for about 15 min. Ramiele wasn’t out long either. Chickeze was out longer and Jason was out quite a while too. David was out the longest though. He spends quite a bit of time chatting with the fans, while the others don’t. They pretty much just sign and move on. David was out from 2:00 until 3:00. Just as he was going in Cook came out. He is very outgoing and was being clowning and making funny faces. He is just a natural born entertainer. Some girls gave him 2 hula hoops, with I’m sure, the hope that he and Michael would use them in their Mavid routine, and sure enough, they did. I stayed until about 3:15 and then left. Michael, Carly and Syesha hadn’t come out and since I left I didn’t know if they did, but after the concert I met up again with the lady from Wichita and she said they never did come out. By the time I left the number of people had grown to probably 150 or 200. I guess after school let out a lot more of the kids were able to get there. It was getting hard to get close enough to see the idols who were out there signing. I went home to eat and freshen up for the concert.

    When I got to the concert, I had 2 tickets because the first ticket I bought was bought on the first day they went on sale. It wasn’t very close and I wasn’t really happy with it. The day before the concert I went online to see if I could get anything better, because I had heard that they released tickets for better seating that hadn’t sold yet. I found one on the floor that was on the 4 ^th row, but was the fartherest seat from the stage in the row. I went ahead and got it but I kept the first one just in case I didn’t like the floor. I’m pretty short and since floor seating isn’t elevated I wasn’t sure if I would have a problem seeing over the heads in front of me. I decided to try that seat for the first half and if I didn’t like it I would move to my other seat for the second half. The seat turned out to be ok, although I did have some problems seeing when the idols were out on the ramp that extends into the audience. But I decided to move at intermission, because my seat was right next to where security was sitting, and I tried to video one of Michael Johns’ songs and security stopped me. I still can’t figure out how they knew I was videoing and not taking pictures. Since there’s video all over the internet, I think it’s pretty ridiculous that they stop you from doing it. Anyway, I had every intention of videoing some of David’s songs so I moved to my other seat at intermission. I had to sacrifice being close though. I did a video of Please Don’t Stop the Music too, and Cook did a new thing with David when their both down at the end of the ramp that I think left David a little flummoxed. Afterwards, he didn’t quite seem to know which was to turn. You just have to see it.

    Chickeze started the concert off with a lot of energy. A lot of the idols do things to rev up the crowd, like telling them to get on their feet or throwing things into the audience. David didn’t do anything like that. He doesn’t really need to. There were some others that didn’t, like Brooke and Jason. Cook does a lot of that. I think he spends more time showboating (I don’t mean that in a bad way) with the audience than he does singing. It just seems to come naturally to him to be very outgoing.

    All the idols are very talented, but some more than others. I’m not going into a critique of each of them. The ones that stood out for me were Michael Johns, Carly and, of course, David. David was amazing. He was coughing a little bit, but it didn’t effect his singing. He got some very loud screams too, but the loudest screams were for Cook. I knew Oklahoma was a Cook town. Everyone I have talked to about American Idol is a Cook fan. And then, he lived in Tulsa for a while too so I guess people feel like they have a connection with him or something.

    After the concert I went back out to the meet & greet area to see if I could see David again. There was probably well over 1000 people there though. You couldn’t even begin to get close enough to see any of the idols. I stayed for almost an hour and Kristy Lee and Chickeze had come out, but I could only manage to occasionally get a glimpse of the top of their head and their much taller than David, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to see him at all. It was still very hot even that late at night so I decided to come home. The concert was great, but I’m ready for a concert that is all David. I almost forgot to mention that Cook sent the hula hoop he used for the Mavid dance out with a security guard with instructions to give it to a little kid, so he gave it to a little girl about 7 years old. She was just thrilled. I thought that was a nice thing to do.

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• Tacoma Concert Day, part I Tacoma Concert Day, part I

  • From: bianca
  • Description:

    Tacoma Archey Reporter bianca reporting with the early scoop–

    David can’t talk today (vocal rest).

    That’s the big story (in my opinion) but here’s what has happened so far…

    Gorgeous day today in the Seattle/Tacoma area, beautiful clear skies, low 80’s, light wind. My sweetie (call him Bernard) and I arrived early for the Fan-Blast shout-out and talked with Eric, Phil-E and Cody while waiting. By noon, the crowd was already more than double the size of the LA crowd and it only got bigger.

    Carly had a large contingent which appeared to be from Canada. Other than that, it is going to be an Archie crowd for sure tonight if the bus-stalkers are any indication. It appeared that well over half of the crowd was there for our David. I met lots of nice people–most of whom weren’t affiliated with any on-line communities but all of whom had seen Rickey reporter videos (whether they knew that’s what they were or not).

    We had a great and noisy shout-out for David at 12:30. Apparently this was the biggest crowd for him so far

    Then the waiting began. We were lined up along a road leading to the bus area–it had a nice wide sidewalk, fair shade, and a good security lady to keep us out of the street. I kept looking around trying to figure out where the idols would be able to meet the crowd because there were no barricades or anything. There was a short chain-link fence across a driveway and perhaps 15 feet not across the driveway next to the building. One David fan had brought a tiny boom box with her iPod so we listened to David’s songs and I danced. Can’t help myself.

    The Idols must have slept in today because it took forever for the buses to arrive at about 10 ’til 2. They stopped right in front of us while trying to figure out how to go in the parking lot. It was funny because everyone had really cheered for the first bus (which was the band bus) and was kind of quiet for the 3rd bus which was the guys bus. I jumped and waved though.
    Finally they maneuvered the buses into position and people began to slowly trickle out. First out was David Cook and I swear I was the only one to recognize him. At this point I was standing up on the hill close to the small section of chain link fence. Most folks still lined the street and were being very very polite.

    Carly went by with a handler and I shouted for her so her fans would know she was there–and she got a lot of cheers. Then Ramiele. All of the action appeared to be on our side of the buses from the building, until Archie popped out from behind all the buses and got a yell just as he was going into the building. He waved at me, I swear!

    David Cook and some of the crew started throwing around a football and he got close to our little fence (by this time, I’ve staked out the corner by the building–but there are only 20 people anywhere near the fence). He says that he’ll be back out later and is very nice. He did get a (rude?) request to ask Archie to come out and said that David doesn’t listen to him. “Why not?” “Because he’s David Archuleta.”

    Eventually Cook was playing football with Jeff Archuleta, someone else I swear nobody noticed but me. Michael Johns joined him and again, nobody recognized him. Now, granted, they’re a few feet away but who else is going to be wearing a hat with an Aussie flag on it? By this time all of the Idols have been seen with the exception of Jason. I never saw Jason in LA either–guess he was enjoying a nap.

    So David Cook starts talking with fans over by our little fence and then–Carly and Archie come up!!! I holler to Carly that she has a ton of fans here today. David comes over and starts mouthing that he can’t talk. It’s so cute (isn’t he always?) because you can just tell he’s saying “Sorry, can’t talk, sorry.” He’s reacting to the crowd and stuff. I holler his name about 5 times and then say “Please” and he looks over and comes over to me, still explaining that he can’t talk. I said that’s okay, we understand, we want to hear him tonight and I point at my tee shirt and explain that I’m the artist. I’m not sure he understood what I was saying because he was so concerned about us understanding that he couldn’t talk. I got a small, light finger shake through the chain link fence and then he moved on. It was enough

    Then Brooke and Kristy Lee came up–Kristy was right in front of me. She started signing things poked through the fence. I couldn’t see Archie any more, so I relinquished my spot at the fence to those behind me. By this time the crowd was 4 deep behind me (which was still just a small fraction of the total crowd). It would have been easier to stay smushed up against the fence, but I wiggled out and Bernard and I went home to rest up for the main event tonight.

    As we walked back to the car, past all those people, I just wish someone had planned ahead for the Idols to be able to see more of their fans there. The fence area was SO tiny and the crowd was so well-behaved. They deserved a chance! I hope things go well for them this afternoon.

    So that’s the early report. More later!

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• Sacramento Report-Chapter 4 Sacramento Report-Chapter 4

  • From: chelley
  • Description:

    Ok, concert review…I’ll make this short—it was AWESOME! The crowd was nuts! I actually saw more of an “older” crowd, rather than a younger one. I had a mix of people all around me and they were ALL screaming for the 2 Davids. Ok, well, here’s what I remember:

    Chikeze-good energy. He was another one that I felt bad for because I wanted him voted off before David H. but he sang his songs really well and I enjoyed it. Good job Chikeze! Some stood up but we all cheered and clapped when appropriate.

    Rami-she was so cute. I liked her second song the best but I didn’t like the last song. I’m not sure if others knew it either, so people weren’t out of their seats for her but again, we still clapped and cheered.

    Michael Johns-Wow! He brought up the energy and he was ALL KINDS of HOT! He sang all the songs I liked from AI, especially “It’s All Wrong, But It’s Alright”-which the crowd also ate up. But I only got the first song on video : (I had to save memory for Archie)...

    Kristy-good set and cute songs. Enjoyed it. My husband especially enjoyed her booty-shaking during her cowgirl song.

    Carly-She was AWESOME! I loved her. Crowd loved her. I’m soooo buying her album.

    Brooke-awww. The crowd loved her and we all sang her songs. (another album I have to buy…. ) She actually said, “First, let me thank all those fans that waited for us in the heat today. You were so cute with all of your Jason Castro shirts. Bless your hearts!” awwww…

    Jason-crowd went wild even more and we sang all his songs. He smiled a lot and seemed so happy to be there. I hope he felt the love because I saw a ton of Jason Castro shirts everywhere I looked. (BTW, I loved him too)

    Syesha-she was good. I enjoyed her songs much better than the ones I heard her do on Idol.

    But the one I was looking forward to was coming soon--DAVID!!!!

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