David Archuleta - Archey Report - Fresno, CA
(Tim(bot)'s Archey Report is in. Tim's cellphone for the win! Advice for future "cellcasters": Hold your cellphone up and point it directly at the speakers.)
Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA – July 3, 2008
The crowd of 12,000 strong roared with enthusiasm and good cheer for all the American Idol singers as they opened and closed their respective mini-concert sets. One of the many wonderful things that I noticed from the Idols was how each of the top ten verbally conveyed a genuine, heartfelt gratitude for all the devoted fans. I discovered a deeper appreciation for the other Idols as well.
The David’s:
David Archuleta projected a stunning depth of range and beauty with every song that he performed tonight. His musicality was clearly evident even when it was almost impossible to hear him sing over an overwhelming audience noise consisting of ear-piercing screams of all sorts, tones and decibel levels. The girls really loved Stand by Me and their screams of approval thundered through the rafters. David came across as sweet, humble and genuine. What we’ve seen and heard over the last six months is really what you get when watching him live in concert. He still seemed very surprised at all of the accolades and adoration that came his way this evening and he seemed to choke up a bit when he began to talk about how much all of his fans meant to him. Everyone in the crowd gave the love right back. David is much more confident on stage and seems happy to have had the opportunity to just sing for his thousands of fans. Good for you David!
David Cook pleased the crowd in a big way by opening up his set wearing a Fresno State Bulldogs baseball jersey and congratulating the team as the newly crowned College World Series baseball champions. Smart move Cook! He even pulled out his new camera and took videos of the crowd. Several times, he waved his arms up and down while singing to pump up the crowd as they yelled and screamed louder and louder. David Cook really knows how to get everyone up and off their seats. He sang Billy Jean very well and I would say that Cookie put on a good show and the crowd responded by being very loud and supportive.
The gals:
Syesha looked and sounded top notch tonight! She has matured into a wonderful singer and performer. I found her to be one of the best acts of the evening. Carly is a very good singer and didn’t disappoint this evening. I liked how she was more at ease and that made her much more enjoyable to listen to. She really had good control of her powerful voice! Brook and Ramiele were very pleasant to listen to and the crowd was very appreciative of their performances. They performed and sounded just like they did on television. Kristi Lee looked great and ushered in the 4th of July with a great rendition of God Bless the USA. I noticed that she projects a much higher level of polish and confidence now. I think KLC is going to be a big star.
The guys:
Michael and Chikezie really sang well and displayed a lot of energy by moving rapidly back and forth and all around the stage and keeping things upbeat and soulful. They both were very comfortable working the crowd and feeding off our energy. Michael has a polished stage presence and command of himself and his music.. Jason performed all his songs well and naturally put everyone at ease with his sweet, mellow, and relaxing stage persona. I think that Jason’s voice and performance came across better live than on television. It was really fun as everyone sang along to Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Throughout his performance, girls screamed while waving their LARGE signs. Very nice job!
Tonight was a wonderful culmination of a journey that began with our Idols at the beginning of this year. If you get the chance, you really need to go and see them on tour. I hope that you do because all of the Idols deserve great success. For me, what started out as just another year of great singers, turned out to be a humbling journey of gratitude and appreciation as the top ten clearly showed last night that it’s not just about their great performances that bring us all together but more so, it’s the fans who really make American Idol great. I wish you all a happy 4th of July.
Timbot out.
Links to photos:
http://s311.photobucket.com/albums/kk462/timbotforda/David_Archuleta_Fresno_July_3_2008/
http://s311.photobucket.com/albums/kk462/timbotforda/Other_9_Idols_Fresno_CA_July_3_2008/
