David Archuleta - Archey Report - Bossier City, LA - 08/26/08

(Here's the Archey Report from Scout1971 in Bossier City! Thanks!) UPDATED!!!

The Scouts Meet the Idols

What do you say to a pop star?

If you’re a hard-core Archuleta fan who’s planning to attend one of the concerts, you’ve probably thought to yourself, “OK, what do I say to him?” Words of wisdom about being true to yourself? Encouragement for a budding career? Maybe congratulations on a new hit record….

“Uh, David, you’re standing in ants.”

Yeah, that was David Archuleta’s introduction to me yesterday. Mrs. Scout and I arrived at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, Louisiana just after noon yesterday to find a small crowd gathered outside the fences surrounding the tour buses. Knowing what to expect, we brought an ice chest full of water and Diet Cokes, two lawn chairs, and an enormous umbrella to shade us from the heat. It was already 94 degrees, and the radio station was reporting 60% humidity. As the work crew from the venue assembled the barricades to protect the Chosen from the Faithful, the 50 or so assembled fans visited quietly. Soon others began to drift in, mostly happy and gregarious females accompanied by what appeared to be husbands/boy friends not sure what they were getting into.

Around 2:15 the crowd reaction lets us know that Brooke White is approaching, pulling the cap off her Sharpie as she walks. She quickly walks past everyone to the far end of the line, and begins working her way back, smiling and posing and signing. Presently, Ramiele arrives (she’s wearing a sweater?) and begins working the other end of the line. More squeals from the crowd; it’s Chikezie, and though he talks to us politely (like the other Idols), he’s obviously in “voice save” mode, speaking not much above a whisper. The crowd, which still numbers less than 100, is reserved and respectful, and the Idols seem relaxed and patient with the fans. Almost before I know it, Kristy Lee Cook is there posing with my wife, having arrived without fanfare.

That’s when the sounds started. Wails, cries, screams, moans. You knew someone else was here, but this was different. “It’s him” I kept hearing. I didn’t have to ask who “him” was.

David Archuleta walked briskly towards the crowd, beaming and waving, looking all for the world like there was no place he’d rather be. As he worked his way down to where we were standing, The Kid never stopped smiling. He occasionally pointed to his throat to let people know that he was on vocal rest and therefore couldn't speak, and they responded with knowing nods of the head, letting him know “it’s alright”, and “we understand”.

David stopped next to us to meet a lady in the wheelchair. As she and her husband were talking, and he was smiling and nodding, I looked down to see that he was standing in a fire ant bed. “Uh, David, you’re standing in ants,” I said.

No reaction. He’s still smiling and nodding to the chattering lady. Without thinking, I reach out and grab his arm to get his attention, and point down to the ground. Uh, oh, I touched David, what have I done? I almost expect secret service agents to emerge from the bushes. I hope Jeff doesn’t have a concealed weapons license, or I’m doomed.

“Hmm?” (looks up from picture he’s signing)

“Ants, you’re standing on an ant hill.”

(Silent “Oh!” and a nod of the head, followed by furiously shaking his left foot) This produces sounds from surrounding females best not described in a family publication. I realize I’m blushing.

Our visit is otherwise uneventful. He compliments Mrs. Scout on her necklace. He chuckles at the 8x10 “Archukick” photo I ask him to sign. He poses with us for pictures, and as he moves on, we abruptly switch into momma and poppa bear protective mode. If you’re a parent, you understand what I’m talking about.

“He doesn’t look well,” I say. “He looks tired,” my wife says. In fact he seems almost to be melting before our eyes. Someone has given him a towel, and although he never stops smiling, he is constantly wiping the sweat that is almost literally pouring from his face, and his eyes look heavy. I wonder aloud if he’s running a fever. When he reaches the end of the line and doubles back, he almost seems to be moving at half speed as he adjusts the row of gift bags hanging from his arms. “Are you ok? Do you feel alright?” I ask? He smiles and rocks his head back and forth to as if to say, I’m fine, but his body language says otherwise.

Ok, guys, I’m not trying to overdramatize this, and the story has a happy ending. To be continued….

UPDATE * * * * * *

Pop Tarts Presents David Archuleta Live (with those other nine people)
Bossier City, Louisiana

After thrashing the fire ants with my trusty cowbell (Be Prepared, as we scouts say), we adjourned to Fuddruckers on the Louisiana Boardwalk for a tasty triple cheeseburger and a cold bottle of Shiner Bock (I hear on good authority this is David’s favorite beer). Uh, oh, my church slacks are getting a little snug. We enjoyed their air conditioning until it was time to head to the concert.

Author John Updike once laid down his own six rules for reviewing. His first was. “Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.” With Updike’s advice in mind, what follows is my attempt to convey my impressions of the Idol Class of ’08 when their tour brought them to the CenturyTel Center near Shreveport, Louisiana. You may not like what you read, but, as the philosopher Cowell once said, “Just an opinion.”

Chikezie

No matter what place he came in, they couldn’t have picked a better guy to kick off the concert. Surely Donny Hathaway is smiling down as this young man has blossomed. On the TV show he only showed hints of what his possibilities were; now I can’t help but wonder what might have been if he’d only lasted a few more weeks. Outstanding voice, great showmanship. I’d buy his record in a heartbeat.

Ramiele Malubay

Ramiele was in a class of her own, but not in a good way. She’s a sweetheart in person, but on stage, her voice and stage presence just weren’t in the same league as the others. She’s not bad, just, well, as I said, not in the same league. Probably wouldn’t buy her record.

Michael Johns

For the first time tonight, I realized why Michael and Cook are such good friends: they have far more in common musically than I realized. The Queen number was, well nothing special. It was a great sing-a-long number that everyone recognized, and got the crowd excited, but he didn’t give me any reason to buy HIS version when I already have Freddy Mercury singing it.

The Dolly Parton cover (It’s Alright) was much more promising. Way to go Michael! I want to hear what you can create, not re-create. Would I buy his album? Maybe, with the right song choices.

On another note, when we were meeting the Idols by the buses earlier, I felt that there was a wall of reserve between us – as if they were meeting us politely out of obligation. I’ve met politicians before that gave me the same I’m-saying-all-the-right-words-but-I’m-not-really-here kind of feeling. That feeling was noticeably different with two of the singers. Michael did a good job of connecting with us, and talked to you like he was really listening. When he posed for a picture with Mrs. Scout, he made an exaggerated show of squatting down to be at her level for the picture that made her giggle. My wife doesn’t like for me to say that she’s short, so let’s just say that she’s fun-sized, like David.

Wait, did that come out right?

Anyway, I’ll leave it to you to guess who the other engaging idol was. Hint: first name David. Another hint: not Cook. All the more impressive, since he couldn’t talk.

Carly Smithson

When they talked about this being the most talented class of Idols yet, they were talking about her. By far, best vocalist of this year not named David Archuleta. I have yet to understand why she didn’t connect any better than she did. Could she have made top 2 if she wore long sleeves? Someone else will have to figure this out; I can’t. I didn’t like her on the show, but would I buy her record now? Absolutely.

Kristy Lee Cook

I told my wife that this girl is a Star, with a capital “S”. Now I understand why she’s already got a contract. I’m not a big country fan, ok? But even I could see that Carrie Underwood had “it”. Kristy may have “it” too, but she needs to make better decisions. For example, why did she feel compelled to try to excite the audience by throwing them t-shirts? Also, I’m as patriotic as anyone, but was this the place for all the flag waving? Just sing, honey, we’re listening. Would I buy her record? No, but I think a lot of people will.

Brooke White

Brooke led her set with “Let it Be” and oh, there’s that tingly feeling again. She was the first singer tonight to give me chills. The rest of her set was a little bit of a let-down after that. Alright, she’ll never be Eva Cassidy, but maybe she can be Eva Cassidy Lite. If she is, that’s not a bad place to be. Would I buy her record? Maybe, let’s she where she goes from here.

The other two singers to give me chills? One guy - Hint: engaging personality. Second Hint: not Michael Johns. One girl – Hint: remember the owl gag from “Dumb and Dumber?”

Jason Castro

I really, really want to like Jason. He’s practically a neighbor, and I know second hand what a great individual he is. He was an engineering major at Texas A&M, so I know he’s smart. I have a feeling I’d be proud to have him as a son. As a singer, ehh, not so much. I didn’t get anything from Over the Rainbow that I didn’t already get from Brodah Iz’s version.

He managed to avoid near disaster in "Crazy". As he began, it became immediately evident that we were getting NO sound from the guitar, only voice. Castro soldiered on like a pro as one of the techs rushed out to push/pull on the plug at the end of his instrument. Suddenly the guitar’s sound emerged from the speakers, and we were in business. Good save, Jason, but I couldn't get excited over your version of "Crazy".

“Day Dreaming Boy” reminded me how much I liked the original, but just doesn’t inspire me to go out and buy a Castro version. Buy his record? Probably only as a favor to his mom.

Syesha Mercado

The first two numbers were typical Syesha, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. The story of the night, though, was her final number from Dreamgirls. She made my hair stand up and brought the crowd to their feet as they responded to her performance. I’d really, really like to have a recording of that, and my eyes are welling up as I type this. I’m no Hemingway, I can’t describe it, you just had to have been there. Wow. Just wow. At the end of the song, she completely fell apart, stopped singing, and was on her knees crying. Great singer, or great actress? Maybe both. Before it was over, the audience went nuts, and I was looking for a sweater. Buy her record? If she can keep this up.

David Archuleta

Even though I was expecting it, the sound from the crowd was startling in its intensity when David Archuleta’s profile was shown on the big screen. I didn’t think it could get any louder, but the volume knob went from 10 to 15 at the sound of the first chords on the piano. Keep in mind that The Kid was not yet visible to the audience.

As soon as he appeared, the two girls in front of me in the matching pink “Archu-Licious” shirts appeared to have been shot with a taser. The jacket’s back? Why didn’t someone warn me? Grrrrrrrrr….someone WILL pay.

Suddenly I realize my wife’s singing along with “Angels”. Wow, my wife who NEVER sings in public. I love you, honey.

I won’t recap the individual songs for you – if you’re reading this, then you’ve already tracked them down on YouTube. But I immediately noticed that something was not quite right. The voice was, well, different. A different quality. Not worse, not better, just different from what I’d heard the last 6 months. So was he really sick? How sick? As he worked his set, he ticked the musical boxes. Intonation: perfect. Phrasing: perfect. Breath control, etc, etc, etc, all spot on. His stage presence continues to mature. The diva hands are gone. The awkward movements are gone. In its place are performance skills to match the voice. This isn’t a teenager, this is now a polished professional.

Talking with Jeff afterwards (we were sitting directly in front of the boards) we learned that, yes David had a cold. He had not spoken all day. He spent much of the day getting breathing treatments with humidified air. So something WAS wrong. Trust me on this, though: if you didn’t know his voice, you would have never noticed it. My respect for him as a musician, if anything, has further increased. David, drink lots of water and get some sleep. More on Archie in the Cook review -

David Cook

I was first impressed by this guy when he did his “Hello” cover this season. Impressed enough that I tracked down “Analog Heart” to hear his original stuff. I found it a mixed blessing. I would listen to a tune and think, “Wow, that’s really good!” only to decide, well, the way he ended that line just didn’t work, did it? I see him, like the other David, as a work in progress. I’ve been saying all along that the best thing for him would be a good producer to clean up some of the excesses and to keep his ego in check. He has a great skill for taking someone else’s work and making just enough changes to get your attention. Now I want to hear his original stuff done up to a higher standard.

Where does he go from here? He’s a good singer with strong, no, VERY strong performance skills who’s just won American Idol, but that description fits Taylor Hicks as well. Judging from how smart he has played this game so far, I expect much more from Mr. Cook, but for me, the jury is still out.

Finale

During his set, someone reached up to Cookie with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

WTHeck? What is this, figure skating? This is a rock concert. There's no flowers in a rock concert, except maybe dead ones.

He accepted them gracefully, and proceeded to place them on a table on the stage. Later, during “Please Don’t Stop the Music”, he grabbed them to carry to the front of the stage, where he kneeled in deference to Prince (no, strike that) KING Archuleta, to whom he offered the flowers. Archie, laughed, accepted the flowers, and then proceeded to whack (Archu-Whack?) Cook over the head with the flowers.

As Shakespeare once said, all’s well that ends well.