David Archuleta - Archey Report - Long Island, NY - 08/04/08

(Here's the Archey Report from Amanda from Long Island, NY! Thanks!)

So...my original plan for this concert was to get to the arena early, do the whole "meet the idols at the bus" thing and then see the concert, but unfortunately the person I was going with bowed out at the last second so I had to go with my Mom. She was thrilled, of course, but it sure put a damper on my plan of meeting the Idols!

We got to the Coliseum around 5:30 ( too late for M&G, I know :( ) and went right in to get our seats. There were a few girls sitting not too far from us that started talking about how apparently David A. got lost and was outside in the front by the gates for a bit because he didn't know where he was going! I'm not sure how valid that information is but by how excited they were I figured it was possible. Then all of a sudden we saw about 20-30 girls get up and run over to this guy standing in the floor section. I couldn't really see him but I saw that he was signing autographs...my Mom thought he was Elliot Yamin, LOL. But it was really Jeff Archuleta. He stuck around for about 10 minutes and chatted with some (undoubtedly) overzealous fans before disappearing backstage. I was on the opposite side from where he was so I had no interaction other than to be a spectator.

Now for a quick run-through of the concert:

Chickeze was surprisingly good. Admittedly I didn't pay much attention to him while he was on the show but his enthusiasm was just great and really put the crowd in the mood.

Ramiele's first song was really squeaky but the rest of her set was awesome.

Michael Johns was the first one to really get a huge rise out of the crowd. Just the energy that was going on while he performed was intense. "Dream On" was so ridiculously fantastic, if I were to use words to describe it they would probably be expletives. (If you couldn't tell already, Michael was my original favorite, haha.) He talked for a bit about how yesterday while the Davids were at the TCA he saw his first Yankee game. One out of three performers to get continual screams throughout his songs. Awesome stage presence and awesome, awesome set.

I had heard from...around town that Kristy Lee Cook's set was geared a bit more towards rock, but I was not expecting what she brought out! She also had really great stage presence and kept the audience engaged by telling us to scream like, every 3 seconds.

Carly's set was perfect for her, but she sounds so different live than how she sounds on TV. I assumed her vocal range to be mostly deep, but she really hit some of those notes like you wouldn't imagine.

Brooke surprised me with how good she was. During AI she was not one of my favorites but tonight she was great. She really seemed to be in her element and she looked a whole lot more confident.

Jason's first song, "Over the Rainbow," was pitch-perfect. His songs were also good for the aura he kind of sends out.

Syesha's first two songs bored me, but she got SO into her last one that it completely made up for it. She dedicated "If I Ain't Got You" to her fiancé, which I thought was cute. She seemed to sense that towards the end of her last song that people were getting antsy and excited and wanted to see David, so she had a nice little introduction made up for him and said how he has "a different mind," but also managed to squeeze in how "cute" he was.

Now for David! He started off with Angels, which of course the Archangels (a few of them I was sitting near) completely DIED over. I do recall seeing the "signal" a few times though I'm not sure if it is intentional or even relevant anymore, haha. The rest of his songs were flawless, and his little "chat time" consisted of (mostly) him being interrupted by screams from the audience and him awkwardly thanking us for everything we've done for him. Aw! During "Stand By Me," though -- and I'm not sure if I'm the only one that caught this -- he was walking on one of the areas close to the side of the coliseum to touch some fans' hands, and I could've sworn someone pulled on his a little too hard and he stumbled! His dancing during that song was unintentionally hilarious and adorable, though. But the screams during Archuleta's set were really incredible. They went on throughout the whole time he performed, and the fans' response to his little quirks/interactions with the audience were absolutely...well...fanatic. Even during intermission and before the show when the Guitar Hero commercials were on, people absolutely flipped out when he was on the screen. There are a LOT of Archuleta fans in New York, apparently!

David Cook, and at the risk of sounding totally lame here, completely rocked the house. Just when I thought that the excitement couldn't get any greater after Archuleta's set, Cook was there (much eyeliner in tow, who knew he had it in him?) and blew everyone away. My Mom is a HUGE Cook fan so I found it funny that while he was performing she was sitting next to me, quietly having a little fangirl fit. He dedicated "My Hero" to his brother, Adam. At one point during that performance, a fan threw a hat at him which he caught and put to the side, only to return to it right after that song was over. Apparently someone wanted him to sign it and give it back to them after the show. He read the message aloud...and his response? "I'll get right on that." There was a lot of audience interaction with Cook - he whipped out the video camera to get everyone all riled up again - (not that they needed it!) and he settled for a bit of rather comedic banter between each of his songs.

Although I did not have any personal interaction with any of the Idols, I am happy to say I am completely grateful I was able to see the concert at all. Over all, 35 excellent songs from 10 excellent performers, and a concert that could really hold its own by the support of 10 entertainers with supreme talent.