Cheeshead Report - Green Bay, WI - 09/02/08

(Here's the Cheeshead Report from Peg in Green Bay! Peg was a cellcaster that night, and gave us the ultimate fangirl screams during PDSTM and BJ! Go Peg!)

The Cheesehead Report: Barricades, The Concert, The Pick Incident and Cheeseheads

The Barricades Tuesday with the Idols started with a blistering hot day for Green Bay standards. Several of us Cook fans had been planning signs, gifts and the inevitable props for Mavid. If you have ever seen a Green Bay Packer football game, the triangular-shaped foam cheesehead is a standard form of head gear. What could be better than having cheeseheads for the Mavid dance!! By the way, Green Bay is also the toilet paper capital of the world, so we figured it would be in poor taste for them to put a couple of rolls of TP on where ever.

Part of our plans included clever signs to convince Michael and Cook to wear this ridiculous headgear. Suzanne had found a photo of David with a box of Cheezits on his head, an actual box of Cheezits and a clever saying: “honorary cheesehead” Since we also had to have a sign for Michael, I was charged to figure out a sign for Michael Johns. So, if you can’t have a quality sign, go for innuendo. So my cheesehead sign for MJ read: “Michael Johns You melt my cheese.” I got quite a few comments on that sign!

The Barricades are like riding a roller coaster: anticipation, boredom, excitement, euphoria and let down. We were a small group according to Stacey. There was one delightful family of Brooke fans. Mom, Dad, kids were all dressed in yellow shirts. Dad had long curly hair like Brooke. I would say that the crowd was half Cook and half Archie fans, with a few MJ, and the “Brookefamily” fans.

Kristy Lee blazed through first. I wish she would have stayed longer to talk. David A. started at one end and stayed out the longest. He was on vocal rest and couldn’t talk. But he was so charming using hand signs. You could tell he really cares about the people who were there. We had a great conversation with Jeff Archuleta, talking about David, how Jeff’s a Packer fan. So, naturally we had to give him a Packer hat.

Brooke started at the other end and when she got to me, she said “And, what are we doing here?” Dumbfounded, I asked for an autograph and I think I got a photo. We were all kind of punchy after being in the hot blazing sun for 4 hours.

I had brought my video camera, a still camera and a photo for them to sign. When they finally came out to sign, I couldn’t find my photo, so I had to use the back of my sign. I had hoped to videotape the signings but I soon determined that much of my footage was of the ground and of people’s feet. I got Kristy Lee’s nose. The last two idols who came out to sign were Jason and Ramiele. Ramie is my younger daughter’s favorite and she had made a special sign for her. We were able to get a nice photo and videotape( I think). Jason came by next. When he got to me, I said probably the most stupid comment you could make to a person, “All I have are pictures of people’s feet.” He looked at me like I had been smoking weed. I think I got an autograph. I was so embarrassed.

The Concert The Concert still remains a blur for me. I took my two teenage daughters since we had watched the whole season together. I was able to get middle section, second row back from the stage outcropping. The seats were TO DIE FOR. We sat at the end of the row. The woman next to me was a “piece of work”. (more on her later).

Most of the floor sections stood for the concert. The only time we sat down was for a slow song. When I’m at a concert, I have a good time: singing, dancing, waving my arms, clapping. “Piece of work” next to me stood there like a statue. ( See the pick incident).

Chikesie was the bomb. Loved him. Ramiele was delightful – my daughter’s favorite and she didn’t disappoint us. Omigod, Michael Johns. Electric. I loved every minute of his set. People were singing along and cheering. When he got out to the end of the stage by us, I held up my sign (the one that says Michael Johns melts my cheese). He laughed and pointed it at it.

Green Bay loves us some country singers and Kristy Lee was no exception. Country singers come here to tape TV specials because we’re so crazy for country. I think she was surprised at well she was received. (I would kill for her body).

Carly with her blowing hair was a vision. LOVED HER. She came and knelt by us at the end of the stage. We sang, cheered, danced. She dedicated “I drove all night” to Freddie, the truck driver. She said that she was going to drive truck before the end of the concert. My two daughters absolutely loved her.

Brooke seemed a little off tonight. Her set was lovely. Group song okay.

Jason’s set was fun; kind of a folk singer set. I think most people were sitting down for his set. Green Bay is not a fan of R & B, so we all sat down for Optional’s set.

I had agreed to cellcast for the Archie, Cook and PDSTM sets. The event staff (orange nazi) were out in full force. The staff guy by us sat his chair at the end of the row in front of us (three seats from me) and turned his back to the stage and watched everyone to make sure they didn’t leave their seats to take a photo in the aisle. But, I love a challenge to thwart the evil orange nazi. I made sure he never saw my cell even though I held it in my hand the whole time.

David Archuleta is a vision who sang like an angel. LOVED HIM!! When we saw him at the piano with the mist, omigod, he was beautiful. Everyone was screaming, singing along with him. We never sat down. He was coughing after each song. I can’t recall but he didn’t say much between his songs. I really wish that he could have sung “Crush.” It would have blown the roof off. LOVED HIM!!

Cook is a ROCK STAR!! I kept saying to my daughters, I’ve died and gone to heaven. LOVED HIM!! I’ve seen most of the concert videos so I knew every song and where he went on stage. We stood the entire set, screaming, yelling, singing along to every song. LOVED HIM!! Billie Jean!! Sweat pouring down, hitting those power notes. Gone to HEAVEN!!

Cook and Archuleta are both STARS. I don’t see how people can say one is better than the other. They both have different genre music, different personalities but I think they’ve got what it takes if they have a little luck. LOVE THEM BOTH!! So did both of my daughters.

The Pick Incident Once I got my great seats two weeks ago, I set a goal that I wanted to get one of Cook’s picks. I figured out this really catchy phrase “PICK ME.” “Pick” on the first line, “me” on the second line. I cut out two bright yellow pieces of paper that looks like picks and put them near the word pick.

I can’t even remember the song, but it had to be one where he plays the guitar (again a blur).When he came out to the edge of the stage where we were sitting, I put up my sign. He looked at it, pointed and threw the pick to me-- not out into the audience, but it was well thrown like a pitcher would throw it to our row. “Piece of work” (woman next to me) and I both dove down to the floor. Keep in mind I still have my cell phone in my one hand and my sign in the other. So we’re on the floor and she pushed away my hand and grabs MY PICK.

I kept yelling at her that it was my pick because it was my sign that he saw and he threw it to me. No, she says, he looked at HER and threw it to her. I yelled and showed her my sign. It’s my pick!! Well, I gave her one of my “don’t mess with me, I’ll hurt you for that PICK.” (I used to be a foreman for a Pulp Mill and supervised 15 burly men. I ain’t afraid of NO ONE). She gave me THE PICK!!

I have no idea what you heard during the cellcast, but I never dropped the phone nor did I lose the connection. Mission accomplished.

Cheeseheads and the PDSTM Our group had decided that we really wanted the MAVID dance to be the Cheeseheads. When neither of them were at the barricades we weren’t sure if they were going to wear them or not. We believed that we would have to explain what they were and why we wanted them to wear this crazy head gear.

Now, the people on the floor are different from the people in the stands because we’ve been following the concerts. When Michael walked out on stage with the Cheesehead, the floor exploded. I know I went crazy yelling into the phone. The people in the stands thought it was funny but the people on the floor knew what this meant. And, when Cook came up through the rabbit hole – more screaming. I thought the screams were loud before but nothing like that.

The MAVID dance was the two of them linked arm to arm doing a little jig and then doing a chorus line kick. Michael dropped his head down and it read “NO SHAME” And David’s said “what his said with an arrow.” When the two Davids walked to the end of the walkway at the end of the song, Cook put the Cheesehead on Archie, who just laughed. The cheeseheads were being passed around. At the end when David was descending into the rabbit hole, he was wearing the cheesehead.

The part that I love most is that these two crazy guys already had their own cheeseheads and didn’t need to be convinced to wear them. EPIC Mavid.

Thanks, Rickey, for allowing me to be a cellcaster. I was really nervous because I didn’t want to let anyone down but also very happy that I could “give back” for all the enjoyment I experienced every night of the concerts.

Rock on!!

Additional info:

During our conversation with Jeff, he mentioned that David had spent all day recording
during Labor Day and that they had finished one song. He also mentioned that they
were interviewing management companies for David and he wanted to be a co-manager.
He then talked about how he is a fan of the Green Bay Packers.