This photograph from the Worcester show inspires me to imagine how exciting it will be when David can really carry a concert on his own. It’s hard to know when that will be.
Some of you got very annoyed with me because I had issues with David’s performance at the concert I attended. I felt that there was a substantial gap between the degree of care and discrimination he puts into his songs and the almost complete lack of same in his non-singing moments. It’s not that I felt that there was any significant amount of discomfort in his patter, his presence, or in his audience rapport–he was entirely competent–it’s just that he has not yet gotten to a place where his skill in that dimension is anywhere near where his skills are in the musical portions. But the cha-ruth of the matter is that the whole thing is a performance, and David will eventually learn that.
Don’t get me wrong–it’s not “professionalism” per se that I’m looking for in the non-musical dimension, the last thing I would ever want to see is David Archuleta somehow becoming “slick” like Cook or Cook; I’ll be the first to mourn if he ever relinquishes the aw-gosh laughs or even the slight physical awkwardness that betrays such an appealing vulnerability. What I am looking for, and which will eventually happen (I have no doubt), is the same level of conscious command of the stage and the audience as he so brilliantly displays in his songs: A great concert is not a series of disconnected musical moments but a total experience.
I’ve always been reluctant to bring up this analogy, despite the fact that I’ve thought of it often in regards to David, because it’s such an old-school reference, but here goes. Seeing Judy Garland live in concert was reputed to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. People who were not even big fans of hers would apparently emerge from her shows with tears and laughter and drained of every ounce of emotional energy. Garland had a unique ability to juxtapose incredible skill, unparalleled professionalism, and immense vulnerability. You never knew what to expect from her, yet at the same time you knew you were in extremely capable hands. It was a thrilling combination of suspense and trust. David’s potential for emotional impact across an entire show is no less than Garland’s, in my opinion. The nature of the impact would obviously not be the same (Garland was as much a cynic as a wide-eyed child, making for both hilarity and pathos), but the degree to which an audience can be moved by an artist in an evening’s performance is as potentially significant in the case of David Archuleta.
For the sake of peace, I also want to make a couple of things clear about these observations. First, I think that one of the challenges with a talent like David is that because his skill in certain areas is so remarkable, that it sets up expectations in other areas where he is not as prodigal and where he lacks experience. These gaps won’t last. He is a fast learner. And, I want to make it clear that although no one expects him to be anywhere other than where he is right now (and goodness knows, that’s enough — I’m not sure my heart could take any more), that it doesn’t obviate the opportunity to offer thoughtful, constructive criticism.
Finally, on a personal note, I’d like to make it clear that although I welcome dissenting opinions and support healthy debates, there are two things I will not support here on notingDavid, so take note: (1) I will not tolerate personal attacks of even the most benign nature, in other words, criticize the idea, not the person; and (2) I will not respond well to suggestions or implications that I do not support David one-hundred percent, one-hundred percent of the time. If for whatever reason such a thing occurs to you, then you are laboring under a misapprehension. In any case, if that’s the way you feel, keep it to yourself.
Wow, Caseydog, this timeline is fantastic! I love the way you were able to include all the key moments. This definitely feels like The Year of Archuleta. I hope you will continue to build on it.
On another note, I would love to know what program you used to construct it. I’ll be introducing the concept of multimedia narratives to my students in the fall, and this timeline looks like a potentially good project I could assign. How easy or difficult is it to use? It looks like it could accommodate videos, audio, images, text, links, etc. Right?
Great job! 🙂
I am so worried about the possibility of the hurricane traveling North from Cuba, and possibly ruining our chances of attending the Tampa concert on Thursday, the 21st. We’re hoping and praying that the hurricane may make a sudden turn toward the Atlantic Ocean and die there! I would hate to see Idol cancel their tour stop in Tampa, and possibly Sunrise ~ and, of course, I’m worried about the hurricane in general, that no one will be hurt or even killed in its path!
Caseydog, the timeline is sooo cool. I love it. Thanks for all the work you put into it. I am just returning from the Lexington show. I had a great seat, so the whole show was very intimate. I did the 3 hour wait for the buses this morning and had a lovely conversation with David as he traveled the line. He is such a sweet, patient, adorable young man! All in all, a terrific day. However, I looked forward to the show for so long, that now it feels a bit like Christmas is over. Your timeline will be a lovely diversion as I readjust.
Thanks, Caseydog, what a cool timeline! But I’m afraid I’m going to fail my Archie Finals … don’t get “David hears a who” (March).
caseydog, awesome timeline! I so admire those who take the time to do these cool things and then share them with the rest of us -- all for the love of David. Thank you so much!
TOfan, tsk tsk on missing the “David hears a who” reference!! I think you need to go back and watch old AI episodes -- hey, I think I will too!! Great idea. Any excuse for a David fix!
🙂
davidfanLIZ -- I know just what you feel like on the ‘Christmas is over’ thing. Hard to adjust and get back to real life. So cool that you had a great conversation today. Enjoy the archu-glow as long as you can!
Whoa Nelly! Caseydog! That time line has definitely developed some muscle! My hat’s off to you for building it up like that. I hope you’ll just keep on adding! Can you add the “Sleaze” interview series? (or did you put it in and I missed it? I’m tired and buggie-eyed at this point so I could have missed that and heaven knows what else.) Anyway, caseydog, bravo!
And, rascal, HI! Love ya! Mean it! Oh, I meant to ask you if you’d written a review for “Crush” at iTunes? There aren’t really that many actually “helpful” reviews among the lol… oh lordy… three thousand, three hundred and fifty and counting (LOL! whoa!) reviews there. Sheesh! I was thinking it would be nice to read a few reviews with a little meat that might actually help the uninformed… but… even if you did, who would FIND it??
… nevermind. :p
archu-adorable, Thanks for sharing my pain (haha).
Caseydog, THANKS for taking my mind off the storm coming our way here in Central/West Florida! I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the Timeline you constructed, from beginning to end! As David would say, THANK YOU SO MUCH! 🙂
Why do you people goad me on like this? You know I can’t resist a challenge to fertilize the opinion-making out there! Sheesh. So, okay, fine, here’s my iTunes review:
One Smart Kid
People should know that in his own quiet, humble way, David Archuleta exerts considerable influence over his music, both the selection and the performance of it. Without taking any credit away from the producers at Jive who have turned the crafting of these modern ditties into a science, the reason Crush is just slightly above the usual in this category is because of David Archuleta. Given all he had to try and accomplish with his first-out-of-the-gate single--from proving he could do pop in the first place to not alienating his considerably wider fan base--the selection was as smart as it could be. But what elevates the song into something people remember and want to hear again is Archuleta’s inimitable voice. Even on an overprocessed, sweet teen pop tune like this, there is a certain subtle pathos in his voice that feels wise beyond his years and beyond the composition itself. David Archuleta is a master in the making, and has the potential to wield enormous influence over American popular music for a long time to come. Congratulations, David, homerun.
rascal #160, nice!
Thank you, Rascal! I was waiting for that ~ as we all were, I’m sure ~ and you didn’t disappoint! And BRAVO to David! I’ve been “requesting on demand” from my local radio station all morning! 🙂
Thanks, everybody, for the feedback on the timeline. Glad you liked it! It was a labor of love, of course. I was thinking it might be particularly helpful for people who came to David late -- or maybe only know of him because of Crush? I loved adding things like the movie premiers and the handstand because those were the fun moments that tided us over until we could hear sing again!
Hello Gorgeous: I used a site called http://www.circavie.com/ . Adding the text, photo links, video links is the easy part -- The tough part is doing the research and finding the appropriate materials. I think students could have a lot of fun with something like this, and it would give them a little experience in how to tell a story with multimedia. (I’m an Internet Producer when I’m not ODDing.)
Heart, my Mom’s in Clearwater -- Guess I better check weather.com to keep an eye on that storm.
Enjoyed your capsule review, rascal.
Rascal -- Thank you ! and YES -- David “has the potential to wield enormous over American popular music…” …. Love your review and the way you supports him !!!
caseydog, As my ODD was kicking in high gear watching your timeline on David, I, again realized the impact this young man has had on my life. Your timeline is the best I’ve seen on the history of David’s journey through Idol and beyond! How clever you are! Thanks!
Yes, Caseydog ~ do check on your Mom if the storm hits Tampa ~ she would be very close! Will she be attending the Tampa concert? I love Clearwater ~ it’s a beautiful place!!
Again, I loved your Timeline! Great job ~ I so admire people who are NOT computer-challenged like me! But you missed one of my favorite little videos ~ the one about David chewing grape skins ~ dangit! 🙂
Thanks, Caseydog. I expect my students to do “tough” things like research and what not. But if the software program is easy and fun, that should make the hard parts more so!
Hi everyone! Just dropped by to recommend two great Sunday links, I mean, in case you haven’t checked them yet:
*a must see
rel="nofollow ugc">
a dedication video with Jason Mraz’s Lucky -- beautiful vids and pics of David & great song
*a must read
http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/492850.html
The writer says good things about David and finishes the article by saying that ‘In a long evening of pop pageantry, Mercado, like Archuleta with his King/Kingston medley, showed American Idol had in its possession something its biggest critics never would have dreamed possible: soul.’
Isn’t that great? Even more so because it’s true!
Another rascal review for my file! Got it!
Hey caseydog, maybe you can incorporate rascal’s reviews into the timeline!
oooooh arch-adorable, what a “feed for my ODD”? That idea is very intriguing!
archu_adorable(sp)sorry!
I was there! at the Lexington concert…it was great! I WAS THIS ( ) close to David at the barricades and all I could do was STARE at him, couldn’t say a word just devoured the sight of him with my eyes…his face forever etched in my brain. After waiting for 3 hrs for the buses! and all I could do was LOOK at him! haha!
While waiting for the buses, though, in order to pass the time productively, I got in my car, drove back & forth by the barricades BLASTING my favorite cd, CRUSH! The crowd seemed to love it, but wondered who the heck this crazy woman was? Then I started getting “requests” haha! It was fun! I was fair…I played a Jason song too for the Jason fans who gave me a thumbs up, but I went right back to playing CRUSH! I stopped when the security guys were looking at me funny. Finally David came out, went through the line, got to me & my new friend davidfanLIZ, signed our photos, ( actually initialed our photos ). I ran back to my car, and started blasting CRUSH again and by this time David was close to the end of the barricades but I was told that he did a little dance when he heard me drive by haha! My car has excellent speakers and I really jammed it!
The Kentucky review was right on! All the idols did a really good job. But of course, I WAS THERE FOR DAVID A! He did not disappoint! No doubt, I WILL be going to the CLEVELAND OR EVANSVILLE concert because that little bit of “Heaven” seeing David…left me want to be “coming back for more”….once is just not enough! Yes folks, I almost O/D on my ODD!
Rascal—I just saw that you wrote that review—Bravo! I’m SO glad you did that. Now we ALL have to go to iTunes and click the “Yes, this review was helpful” button so it will rise to the top of the “helpfuls” — GOSH, maybe somebody will actually be HELPED! (Really so glad you did that.)
#172 -- silverfoxe, I saw this video and wondered if it were you, BLASTING CRUSH:
rel="nofollow ugc">
oh my gosh….why yes it is! I had no idea anyone filmed it…I wish though you could hear how LOUD and AWESOME IT SOUNDED! THEY CAUGHT ME AS I WAS PARKING CAUSE AS I SAID, THE SECURITY GUARDS WERE LOOKING AT ME FUNNY….THE ONLY THING I WAS ‘ON” THOUGH WAS A FIERCE CASE OF ODD!
oh yeah…I did do it again, though,when David was out…heehee!
Oh, silverfoxe, that’s so funny — I heard about your friendly Aruchu_music_service from a sweetie pie of a fan who was there and appreciated your effort and was also much amused! Way to go!
Thanks beebee…I aim to please!
I made this little montage of snapshots from David’s recent interview that we all love so much. I have so much fun looking at it that I thought I’d post it here—just another way to love our boy!
http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l347/beebeepix/David%20Archuleta/the_interview.jpg
beebee….What are you trying to do to me?? I’m trying to “rehab” myself from the really fierce case of ODD I had in Lex where I did things that were out of character for me, ie..driving around blasting songs by David….especially CRUSH! THEN you have to do this?
LOL! Give up, Silver… there IS no rehab for this.
ok….
silverfoxe you are now the famous ‘lady blasting David Archuleta!” That is too funny! My daughter and I usually try to do our part in blasting Crush as well, so imagine our delight the other day when we pulled up by a car full of girls singing CRUSH at the top of their lungs! It made our day.
Found rascal’s iTunes review and clicked ‘yes’ for finding it helpful. I have been going through the reviews and reporting the truly vulgar and offensive BS that the haters leave. Grrrrrr….ok, so you don’t like David Archuleta, I get it. What I don’t get is why leave disgusting irrelevant and in some cases slanderous comments? I hope the iTunes PTB pay attention to reports filed and REMOVE those nasty comments.
LOL, that account (plus video to back it up!) was too funny! Way to represent, silverfoxe.
Beebee #179, OMIGOSH!!!!!! Absolute feast for the eyes….and the heart!!!!! Any way to add little captions from the interview for each picture?
Picture #6 & #12 are my favorites. He’s so adorable.
kccy lol… I’d say thanks, but as all can see, it ain’t me… it’s ALLLL that precious boy! Captions? You mean actual accurate “what he was saying at the time” captions? lol… Tell ya what… you write the captions and send ’em to me, I’ll see what I can do for you. :p I was telling somebody else that going through that video slo-mo and isolating images was a lot of fun, but I could go through it a zillion times (oh hurt me) and get a gabillion more unique faces, I swear. I may take another whack at it again one of these days. Such an impossibly gorgeous, adorable subject.
caseydog, how great it is to see how inspired David makes his fans feel. Thank you for sharing your labor of love!
rascal, the review you wrote just can not be beat. It is a pleasure to read.
And silverfox, are you Dee?? Because over at FOD, Jenny (maddijoegirl) wrote: “…We enjoyed the next three hours waiting together in the Kentucky sun, and during that time we were approached by several other Fans of David, including Dee (who drove her car around the parking lot blasting “Crush”), Liz from San Francisco who flew to Kentucky to see the concert…” And Liz must be davidfanLIZ though it could be another Liz… I am jealous!
Oh, one more – MYYK, your English is fine. Great to see passionate fans who would travel great distances to see their favorites.
In his latest blob, David mentioned he was in NYC for a photoshoot before going to Lexington. He said it was for his album. I am excited about that. Though I enjoyed his photos from that last shoot, I was more in agreement with hello geogeous in that though it was good David wasn’t portrayed as just this young teenager, I was hoping for see David looking more natural, so I am stoked to know there are new photos that will be for the album. He said the photographer had “really good taste in music”! That surely would have helped him enjoy the shoot and hopefully the photographer was able to capture all the charm that David naturally possesses.
I mean blog, not blob. I know everyone’s gone to bed. I must too…
vermeer, yes I am that ‘Dee’ and I am not even embarrassed about that video!!! I went around the lot several times and had a blast BLASTING “CRUSH”…brought back memories of when I was in high school a few…OK, MANY years ago when we used to “cruise” blasting our favorite music!
David just makes me feel ALIVE & Happy!
I found one of the comments in David’s new blog to be particularly interesting. He said that he thought the new photo shoot went well and that he “can’t wait to see the final shots.” Whaaa?!? Okay, who are you and what have you done with David…?!
Pretty cool that the guy is starting to get so comfortable with everything.
I realize that there will be those who will mourn the loss of the awkward teen as David matures ( rel="nofollow">this video is particularly hilarious) but I, for one, won’t be one of them. It’s adorable for the moment to be sure, but I’m looking forward to when David becomes a conscious force of intentional power. It’s already starting and it’s going to be awesome to watch.
Rascal, you and me both. I’m so excited to be on this journey, and that journey includes David’s inevitable transformation. Great video! Thanks for posting.
rascal, I can assure you that David is no longer a KID, even though, he may say things that are sweet, cute & funny, charming us to no end…he is maturing physically before our very eyes. In Lexington, I was maybe a foot away from him and as I said previously, I just stared at him ( good thing I was wearing dark sunglasses, otherwise I would have freaked him out, no doubt!) and even though he does have beautiful skin…he did have just a hint of stubble above his…uh…
lips and along his sideburns…he DOES shave people! He has glowing skin cause he takes care of it…so to me, he looked all of almost 18…a young MAN,no longer a boy. His physical appearance is reaching the level of his mental maturity, and he is very mature mentally. he has alot going on in that brain of his!
Thanks for the video link, Rascal, made my day. And where David’s progress is concerned, I’m trying not to look back or forward but to relish each moment — cause every Archie moment is so gosh dang fantastic!
Silverfoxe, thank you so much for cruising to ‘Crush’ in Lexington! I saw that video clip earlier and was thinking ‘’who is this wonderful person?” The combination of you in your red car, the late summer sunshine and the sound of Crush blasting from your open windows took me way back to my high school days and memories of my first crazy love. You are awesome!
I anticipate a journey filled with continuous maturity of our David. It’s been quite the ride already!
One thing I’ll say is that David appears to be doing a man’s job, and an extremely demanding one at that, what with the grueling schedule, new experiences, steep learning curve and accompanying pressures he is shouldering. I am so awed and impressed with this alone, nevermind the mad, mad talent, and precious personality and character. (I still hold that at 17, stubble or no, he is a boy, albeit an extraordinary boy to say the very, very least.) And, yes, he has what seems to me to be an extraordinary mind (and heart and soul it would seem). I’m with Hello Gorgeous — being in a position to watch (and hear) the “transformation” as his brilliant story and career (and “wings”) unfold is indescribably compelling to me.
I was writing a rascal post the other day that ended up on the cutting room floor (you’ll all be happy to learn) but in it I said I had to laugh because while we are (or perhaps I should just speak for myself, “I am”) busy feverishly searching for and scrutinizing everything “david” and slaving over our rascal posts typing our fingers to little nubs, we’ll look up and, oopsie… David will have left our *raggledy asses* in the dust! (As if he hadn’t done that already!) He is charging forward at a breathtaking pace. He is a BOY. He is SMART. And madly talented. I cannot bring myself to be anxious about any current performance, or stage, or off stage “quirks” but can only savor them because, as Hello Gorgeous said earlier, the transformation is inevitable and playing out before our very eyes. And I will savor every last nanobit of it. It is happening even as we type, at a pace I suspect none of us would survive were we in his shoes.
Rascal, that video is so great. Loved it!
Silverfoxe — you are now a role model for David fans — and now FAMOUS (and deservedly so, lol!) for your thoughtful and hilarious “Crush Cruise” in Lexington, KY! Silverfoxe FTW!
Have been lurking and enjoying the posts. But could not hold back on commenting… Silverfoxe, the cruising near the barricades w/Crush blasting just brought a HUGE smile to my face. That is just hilarious and fun! Sounds like you had a blast (no pun intended).
I cannot wait.. I am going to the Duluth concert tonight and look forward to seeing how my experience compares w/all these reviews.
#188 vermeer: It was fun to be “called out” by Jenny of fansofdavid. I knew them from pictures on Fan Blast. I asked Jenny what she did in her real life, and it turns out that both Jenny and Becky are college professors. Why am I not surprised? David not only has the most fanatic fans, he has the most intelligent fans!
Dee (of “Crush Cruise” fame) and I had a great time together waiting for the buses before the Lexington show. When David came down the barricade line, he was charming, patient and so appreciative of everyone. The thing that impressed me the most was his pure joyfulness. If only I had a portion of that!! He is on a grueling schedule of shows and on his “down” days, they fly him around the country for Teen Choice shows and photo shoots. Still, he is the one spending the most time with fans and giving his all in the shows. I love this guy!!!
STUBBLE???!!!! I want to see it. I want PROOF! I only saw sideburn stubble when I met him. Give me the stubble!!
Rascal, for a moment I thought the youtube you posted would be this other one that shows him to be a total kid teenager that you would expect him to be (hiding/crawling under a table while Jason is being interviewed; I love that one), but I love this one too (already in my archive!). Being an obsessive observer that I am like many of you are out there, I just want to comment on David’s appearance which is all part of his transformation besides his growth as a singer and performer and a person. I was really struck maybe a week ago or more looking at one of the fan photos how he is morphing right before our eyes into somone older. I mean, that’s to be expected but it’s still fascinating to notice it. His face is getting longer, his neck thicker and shoulders broader. The change may be ever so slight but he is looking a bit more 17 (he knows he looks younger than his age). Don’t mean to sound stalkerish by focusing so intensely and intently on his physical appearance but love faces and doing portraits sometimes.
Honestly, I can’t imagine David without the sometimes awkward giggles even as I try to imagine him older and more mature. Maybe he won’t be giggling anymore as a man (!) but I will mourn the awkward teen as David matures, but while at the same time celebrate his transformation into a “conscious force of intentional power.”
I’ve had a stubble witness at fansofdavid.com (first picture on today’s post). I believe.
I swear he had just the slightest hint of stubble ( not peach fuzz, if you please! ). I thought to myself what a glorius looking face! But it was not the face of a “little kid”, I saw the face of a young man who is experiencing his dreams and he is so very happy.
I just wanted to hug him tight, not in an inappropriate way, but just to tell him how very special he is. I think all of his “motherly, grandmotherly, and big sisterly fans just want him to be happy, healthy & safe. I still think that even though he has the mannerisms of a teenager and comes across as a teenager in the FOX interview we all love, you can see his mind is churning with so many thoughts, ideas and goals. As I said, he has alot going on in his brain. We see him growing into a young man and some fans may feel sad about that…not me! I am excited about the musical magic he has yet to unleash on the world…he has only just begun!
Here’s a link to an interview that Josie posted at Rickeys…
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/08/18/0919214.php
I love this interview because it’s the first time I’ve seen in print how the expectations changed his feelings about performing on the show. Up to Imagine, he was enjoying himself, believing that no one was really watching him (silly boy!) but after that, when he started being called the “frontrunner” the pressure really increased. The interview also, once again, illustrates how unaware he still is of how many of us he’s touched and to what degree. He’s such an inspiration to me! His humility and grace are just stunning.
On another note… Caseydog, your timeline is priceless…a must for all DA fans! And Silverfoxe, the video of you cruising around had me rotfl… thanks to all for the streaming commentary on DA’s journey… what a gift for all of us! BTW, everyone should search for Rascal’s itunes review and respond to it so that we can get it bumped up…it’s got such substance to it…there are a few others as well, but being biased, I think Rascal’s is the best.
#205 momofteens: Thanks so much for the link to this great interview. There is lots of information here that is new to me. It’s great to see David speaking more frankly about the challenges of the AI experience.
What number is Rascal’s review? I would love to help bump it up. I started to look through all the reviews, but got discouraged after several hundred!
If you sort the reviews by “most recent” and scroll down… Rascal’s review is between 301 and 325.
Thanks!! I’ll try that.
momofteens #205, thanks so much for posting that link. It’s the most David has said about his experience on American Idol. But, honestly, my jaw dropped when I read David saying this:
“It was a good thing [his showstopping performance of DLTSGDOM was selected for him] because so many other songs didn’t work for me. It was hard to get songs cleared. I mean, there were like six songs I was trying to get cleared and then I ran out of time. So I had to do a song I had already done, unfortunately. I did “Imagine.” But it was good being able to do “Imagine” again. I think that is a great song.”
This, coupled with the snide remark Cook made of saying how he wasn’t “showing growth” by repeating a song he had already sung, which seemed to have been a set up response that Simon provided for him when he criticized his choice to not do a repeat performance, knowing David was on next to do a reprisal of “Imagine,” is why I absolutely cannot in good conscience watch that show next year.
I can only imagine, if David hadn’t been held back (either due to the “frontrunner” pressure or his limited song choices) how he would’ve blown us away many times over (maybe this is all for the best anyway, lest we all wound up on stretchers in emergency rooms! Ha ha) if he performed “just being himself” the way he said he was when he first sang “Imagine” and “DLTSGDOM.” Can you imagine if David wasn’t held back on the show? The way he’s starting to let himself go on the tour? The way he’s working through certain commercial pop limitations right now for the first album?
Oh boy! I get chills thinking of what he would do when he’s not holding back. World, get ready!
Anyway, the show is behind both David and us, and we can move forward to what could only be bigger and better things. 🙂
hee hee, silverfoxe your fame spreads like wildfire! Here’s an excerpt for a fresh-baked Lexington fan recap:
“There was this lady – probably in her 60’s – very well-dressed and in a nice car – who drove around the closest clump of parked cars with her windows down and “Crush” blaring. It was a riot. She just kept lapping these parked cars – I think she played “Crush” twice, then several other of David’s performances, and finally Jason’s “Daydream.” We were loving this lady. She kept such a straight face and just drove around and around like she was doing nothing unusual.”
The YouTube comments are fun, too! Silverfoxe FTW!!
Yeah, Silverfox (Dee), you are funny lady. I wish I was there to witness it all.
Speaking of David being himself, I think a lot of us got hooked on David at Top 24 when he did Shop Around (if not earlier at Heaven or Waiting On the World to Change) and we noticed how beyond Imagine, he never got back his free spirited enthusiastic demeanor. It was really fun to see him alll pumped raising his fist and turning around to the audience behind him and yelling “Yeah!”, it almost seemed uncharactistic of him seeing the David that followed (much shier, awkward, etc.) when in fact, that was completely characteristic of him. So deep inside, the whole rest of the AI season I was waiting for that side of David to resurface. After Imagine, it seemed like something had changed/shifted in him. This interview that Josie posted at Rickey.org explains a lot. And now with the Tour, I am sure he is not letting loose either because of the reasons others had raised, his concerns for the idols, etc. I think that spirited and more carefree side of him came out a lot within his performance of Shop Around and to this day, that one still remains one of my all time favorite, besides Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me (to name a few).
Haha.. that’s funny, but how did that writer know I was in my 60’s ? Oh, it must have been my silver hair!!! And I do that every day as a matter of fact…go around my neighborhood, David’s music blaring so it’s not unusual for me! ha-ha! ( just kidding, I would but my son won’t let me )But I played CRUSH over & over, until I got some requests! I kept a straight-face cause I didn’t want the security guards to know I was ODD’ing.
Rascal, thank you for such a great site. Your intelligence and command of language in expressing the joy and fascination we all have for this young man is what makes this site necessary to visit. I was not a fan of A1 but in channel surfing came across a performance of David’s “Long and Winding Road.” I came back each week to watch him from then on and caught up on his past performances. The first singer I ever remember obsessing over was Ricky Nelson. (That dates me.) There are many great singers but David has a special magic element in his rich textured voice. I listen to every word he sings (the message) as well as the beautiful sounds that roll over us. He is indeed a prodigy with a great gift that he is sharing with us. He loves to perform and bares his soul vocally with us. I think much of his awkwardness after performing is reserve-like we would feel after sharing something so intimate and personal that we are almost embarrassed to even face it again.