Sanjaya Malakar - Greenville, SC - American Idol Tour

Teen Pop Sensation Sanjaya in Chris Sligh's hometown Greenville, SC

Go Sanjaya!

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Torch Report from kung-fu kitten at dazeoffire:

First, I must say how much of a wonderful experience this has been! Thanks to everyone on Daze and Rickey.org for allowing me to be a torch carrier. It was much fun and it will be greatly appreciated for the rest of my life. Now, starting off with the actual report... We arrived at the Greenville venue at 4:00 pm because we heard that the Idols were doing a “meet and greet” session. We arrived but weren’t able to get in at that time due to a large crowd of shrieking fans already there. That was a let down, but instead, we were interviewed by the local news. I was asked who my favorite Idol was and of course I said Sanjaya. He asked several other questions like why I was fond of him, etc. We met up with some fans that saw Sanjaya arrive earlier that morning. Apparently, the Idols did a concert in Atlanta on their believed day off (July 9). She showed me a photo of Sanjaya she took and he was wearing a long white hoodie. It almost looked as if he was trying to avoid attention. I really don’t blame him, he must be very exhausted. We left the venue and returned again at 7:00 pm. TV Guide panels were all over the place. There was a booth where they were filming people for the purpose of giving their favorite Idols’ a shout out. TV Guide was going to pick a select few shout outs and air them on the TV Guide Channel. Of course, I gave a shout out to Sanjaya We were very surprised how close our seats were to the stage. The Bi-Lo Center seemed much larger in photos, but in reality, it was a rather small venue. The concert kicked off with “Let’s Get it Started” as like the other concerts. Sanjaya was dancing with Gina for most of that song, it was so adorable! He can wiggle a lot ? It seemed like all of Sanjaya’s performances were mostly in the beginning of the show. His duet with Melinda was beautiful. I didn’t catch most of it due to trying to take photos. I missed the part with the torn dress!!

Sanjaya’s solo performance “The Way You Make Me Feel” was what I had been anticipating. It seemed like when it first started, it ended. It was a very short performance. His clothes and dance moves were rockin though. He attempted that jump at the beginning, it was awesome! I was amazed with Chris Richardsons’ performances. I didn’t really expect much, but man, can he move a crowd!!! Melinda, Lakesha, and Blake were also my other favorites. Jordin was great, but she’s always great! I was just so impressed with how well everyones performances were!!!! This concert was by far, the best I have ever been to!

Ok, back to Sanjy… He was the one who introduced Chris Sligh to the crowd. Chris Sligh’s hometown is Greenville, so it was a special moment. The Idol Boys formed a boy band which I am sure you heard of. Sanjaya played guitar and tambourine. It was so awesome to watch. Jordin ended the night with one of her songs she sang in the beginning of the competition. The crowd cheered for an encore, and she came out again singing “This is My Now”, the rest of the Idols joined her near the end. It was such a heartfelt moment! And just when you think it’s over, the Idols come back again and sing small segments of their solos. Sanjaya jumped off the stage at the end and was shaking different fans’ hands and such. I didn’t expect that! After the show, I was able to meet Sanjaya and give him lots of hugs! Yay! ? And when I say lots of hugs….I mean like 20! I asked him to sign my Sanjaya shirt that I had, and when I pulled it out of my bag, guess what…my permanent ink marker’s cap that I had came off and the shirt had a big blotch stain on it. I was so upset, “Nooo!! It’s ruined! *Sob* (It’s the end of the worldddd!)” He smiled and said, “I have the solution…” and pulled out a permanent marker out from his pocket! How convenient! He is always at the aid of his fans! ? He made a pretty heart out of the blotch stain and signed his name. It was the cutest thing! I was very embarrassed though! I didn’t get to talk much since there were many people who wanted autographs and such. I did find out from an AI department lady that Mamajaya was accompanying Sanjaya for moral support, of course, and because he is still underage. She said that Mamajaya would accompany him for a few more concerts but then Shyamali will switch with Mamajaya.

Overall it was such a wonderful day that I won’t soon be forgetting! I didn’t see many Fanjayas at all. One lady in the crowd, whom I never got to meet, was always standing up and screaming for Sanjaya while he was performing. It’s a shame I didn’t catch her name, she was rather close to the stage as I was too. That lady and myself were the only ones I could see, besides little girls, that were cheering him on. Most of the people I chatted with were Blake and Chris Richardson fans believe it or not. I didn’t meet any die hard Chris Sligh fans like I thought I would. I also met Melinda, Chris Sligh, Chris Richardson, Haley, and Phil Stacey. They were soooooo nice! I didn’t expect them to be so friendly! The same with Sanjaya! It was just so amazing to see these people up close, and in person! It’s almost like on TV, they seem fictional, but when you actually see them in person, you realize that they are just normal people! It seemed so surreal. Thanks again everyone for allowing me to be a torch carrier! I will never forget your kindness! I must obtain my sleep that I have not had in three nights…Peace.

Note: By the way, the ride to the venue from my house was about 3 and a half hours long, and the hotel we stayed in did not have any internet access ? So I just got home now (3:20 pm). Hope nobody was mad! I apologize!

-Kung_fu_Kitten