I didn’t actually watch this week’s Idol finale but just hearing about it reminded me of how exciting the AI7 finale was … in a gut-wrenching, never-want-to-go-through-that-again kind of way. 🙂
And that got me thinking about which performances of David’s that night, and since then, have given me chills… I wished I’d kept a list! lol
It was not easy to narrow it down, but here’s my top-3. I hope you’ll share yours!
#1: When One Republic was introduced that finale night, I was thrilled! Not only were they a more current band than Idol sometimes invited (hello, ZZ Top??), but one I actually liked. But I had no idea what was coming next….
So about a minute into the song, when the camera pulled back and a certain someone started to stroll toward the front of the stage … HOLDING A MICROPHONE!!!!!!!! … chills literally rippled around my ankles and across pretty much every inch of skin I have. In fact, I still get them when I watch that video. Incredible.
#2: My #2 choice isn’t a performance of David’s… but the reception he got here in Toronto when he and his piano rose up to the stage at the Idol tour show. I’d been so worried my town would let me down and give him merely a polite response (which our sometimes-reserved crowds do). But NO! Thunderous applause and screams shook that arena and gave me chills of joy when I saw the tsunami of love flow his way!
#3: You might think this is a strange one, but when David performed My Hands at the Manchester, NH, show on the Demi Tour (the first show of the rescheduled ones), it gave me chills more than once.
MH had been my favourite song on his debut album and seeing it live is always a thrill for me, but that performance was electric live, even more than usual. Can’t explain it, only know it happened, and it was mighty fine. 🙂
So how about you guys? What are your top chills-enducing David moments?
SnowAngelz: Canadian fans of David Archuleta 
I saw David for the first time at the first Idol Tour Stop, Glendale AZ, July 1, 2008. The chills came when he sang “When You Say You Love Me”. Chills and tears.
And another, I was lucky enough to see the Concert from Santiago Live. I got the site right before David & Rebecca starting singing The Prayer. I couldn’t believe I was hearing him sing LIVE from Chile. Good thing I was alone, I went nuts. Thank God for being on twitter at the right time.
To this day I find David’s ALMA performance of Contigo mesmerizing. The way he looked and carried himself, the lighting, his passionate performance, the simplicity of a single guitarist accompanying him, the audience reaction…CHILLZ!!
Contigo was perfect in every way! “CHILLZ” yes!
also DLTSGDOM from finale night. such intensity.
Little Drummer Boy from Ventura http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkUlKuir_OM
The crowd singing along. His little smiles. The drumming. Oh, the drumming! The intensity with which he jumps back to the mic after the first bit of drumming. The audience reaction at the end. David’s reaction to the audience. Or maybe I should have just said EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE MAKES ME HAPPY.
Tina, thanks for reminding me of D’s amazing LDB! At Westbury, when none of us knew what to expect yet, when he raised those drumsticks over his head and belted out “ME AND MY DRUUUUMMMMM!” oh man, the chills!
And when I watched your vid just now, I totally got chills when the music stops and it’s just David almost whispering: “Then he smiled at me, parumpapumpum, me and my drum” WOW!
Every performance gives me chills, but if I had to choose my favorite I’d pick When You Say You Love Me in Salt Lake City when he cried. Such a special moment for him.
Chill moment numero uno for me would be when David took the stage at the Conference Center for the Thursday night “dress rehearsal” for MoTab. #2 would be CFTH opening night, SLC and #3 would be Sacramento Jingle Ball. All three were “firsts” that I was fortunate to attend.
#1 by far: Mission announcement. I don’t know if chills is the right word but I was bawling, clapping and hugging random people, so I’m counting that.
“Contigo” baby!!!!!! A perfect moment.
Also, listening to “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus” had me shaking the entire time. Literally.
The moment they showed his face on the screen in SLC on July 14th during the AI tour and the crowd went beyond craaazy. You could cut the LOOoove with a knife.
“Love Me Tender”: I almost fell off the couch. I don’t know why but it was just… ahhhhhh.
The kite flying part of Nandito Ako. (Just joking!)
I was just going to add I’m trying to be like Jesus! Were you at that vip? i would’ve been shaking too.
and In this Moment on finale night… “no one can take this from me!” still gets me.
I wasn’t there which is probably a good thing. Someone shouting “Call 911!!” would probably have distracted from the spirit of the moment… heh.
Yes– In This Moment! And also when he stood up and marched to the front of the stage during “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”, especially in high def.
BTW, Deb, I was just watching “Apologize” yesterday, but that was because I was revisiting my “other” list– “Great Moments in Archuleta Hair” and one of my favs there was “We Can Work it Out.” I just put it on mute and enjoy the hair and clothes. And swagger. The “I’m not going down with this ship even if they threw me off with the stairs and walking and singing at the same time” swagger.
I wondered if anyone was going to mention his mission announcement, lol… in hindsight I can see the beauty and power of that moment (and now 100% believe it was exactly the right thing for him) but gotta admit, at the time, my gut reaction was literally that… as in “getting punched in the…” lol
I know that was tough for some people. I was hoping for it for so long and had kind of seen it play out in my mind exactly as it happened (announcement at home, standing ovation, tears) that I was in shock and awe and had a meltdown (a happy one though). So, now that he’s outed himself as to his current location and purpose in his latest liner notes, can I add “The Prayer” to my list of chill-inducing performances?
If I listed all of mine it would be embarrassing and I would probably need to start a whole new blog just to accomodate them but here are a few – random, not necc. the top of the list.
Ave Maria started my tears the 2nd night in SLC (CFTH tour) and O Holy Night sealed the deal. Luckily Janey, Karenkid and Julee were there to make sure I could see well enough to get out the door at the end of the concert.
The first time I heard Broken …. I was a bit broken myself.
For some reason the bell-like Oh Oh Oh’s in NEBTD give me chills every dang time.
Contigo forever. SMM forever. GGTT, EWTRTW, Love Don’t Hate esp with really good headphones, that video of MKOP……. Do you get my drift?
love your list! 🙂
Wow, tough homework tofan, especially when you could quite possibly list almost every single performance he has ever done! Any Crazy, Love Me Tender, In This Moment, Contigo, O Holy Night, and on and on….
and a few less obvious ones that always get to me for various reasons:
I’m singing it again, I’m changing it up again, and it’s gonna be brilliant again (my words not his.)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj0R7y1RNVk&list=FLcOMytuNUhF8V8L6jcZ7c_w&index=209
The love, the roar at the end.
Simple, beautiful acoustic performance.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQxi9UjqfKQ&list=FLcOMytuNUhF8V8L6jcZ7c_w&index=215
(oh, and David dancing at the Jordin Sparks gig…..chills, baby.)
hey emme, which vids did you mean to post for #1 and #3? (they’re both showing up as David’s Mother’s Day message in Spanish (not that I’m complaining! 🙂 )
aaah jeez! His third AI Imagine when he played the piano and Mary Did You Know at a Christmas function before he was on AI, thanks!
here you go, emme, thanks for giving me the chance to watch this again, hadn’t seen it in ages *chills* for sure!
love this comment on the vid too:
Oh so many chill worthy performances! Love your picks TOfan and all of the above, yes and many, many more. A difficult task to pick just a few. Definitely OHN live for me was incredible along with so many others.
Heaven also holds a special place for me, first song live for me and chills is an understatement, honestly! A young guy at a keyboard belting out a powerful song with such gusto and heart and a voice to be reckoned with, ’twas amazing. Agree, most all of of David’s performances are chill inducing and his AI finale was all about chills and goosebumps….oh sweet memories!
This A Capella Angels, outdoors…after a book signing in Nevada is still one of my faves. With that Angel breath, a powerhouse of incredible soulful vocals, wow and yes…even that hair is special. 🙂
By the way…loved watching all the videos posted here. You do realize TOfan, that this could go on and on…infinitum! Haha….at least until you have a new thread. 🙂
OH SWEET PEACHES, PEPP!!!! How on earth did I miss this one??? Is it the only time we’ve heard him do Angels without playing piano? Download mp3 HERE 🙂
This is so much fun! Thank you Deb for a chance to relive so many Archu-chill moments!
I don’t think I can rank anything but I’ll add to this. Going back to Idol, after he got through singing Stand By Me, I had major chills! He was so comfortable with the song, he showed a lot of swag and attitude, the way he hadn’t done since Shop Around. I was waiting for that!
Love love love OHN live but one that I didn’t hear live that I think was one of his best is the LA Tree Lighting OHN sung for a small group before the main public event. I want to say that it was the first time we heard him sing that but am not 100% sure. It was electrifying and his voice was so powerful all the way to end.
Silent Night from The Music & the Spoken Word Sunday morning which I was very fortunate to attend, I will never forget. Part way through I decided to close my eyes, not to be distracted by anything other than his voice (I was sitting very far so it was ok to do so lol). Tears started to roll down my cheeks almost immediately.
Just leaving the Video Vortex Library. Thanks, y’all. It is too hard to narrow down my chill memories, but there are three I thought of immediately (in no particular order):
I will sidestep the mission announcement (beyond chills) and go straight to Contigo. I return to that video frequently, always to be impressed. I mean, he was only 18! Incredible.
I would also choose the Sunday morning performance of “Silent Night” with the Tabernacle Choir. I was sitting very close, close enough to see his eyes, and I felt” every word as he told the story. Major chills. Hubby was sitting further back with youngest daughter who told me hubs cried like a proud parent. Awww. There were a lot of weepy peeps in that crowd after David’s exquisite performance.
My third mention is a little odd perhaps, but chills for a variety of reasons. It was at the Rexburg concert I attended in June of 2010. “Works for Me.” It was so David, so good, so confident, so sassy, and “So there, doubters!”
Sassy David FTW!!! Love what he does with WFM live!
And that Sunday morning MoTab SN was def. something special. Because I was sitting up in the rafters, I felt brave enough to turn my camera on (not that brave, it was in my lap with my coat over it, lol)… I knew I couldn’t get a great picture but felt compelled to capture the audio that morning (please excuse my blurry photos, lol):
I’m enjoying so many lovely memories here! Thank you to everyone! I would like to add mine, not a song though but the very first time I ever set eyes on this young man, at the buses before the American Idol show. Such a thrill to see him interact with all the fans. And to see with my own eyes I hadn’t just made him up. 🙂
Love WFM, David performing it live is a treat! TOfan, your SN video is lovely and David has the best rendition of that beautiful song, truly. Chills….yes for sure. Thankful for all the vids from that beautiful, momentous occasion, especially since I wasn’t there.
David sang A Capella Angels on another occasion, believe it was at a radio promo M&G for a group of fans, think he was even younger. It was also gorgeous, of course.
davidarchiefan4life……Love the memory you shared. Same feeling for me the time I first saw him.
🙂
Thx. peppertara, you’re right, I’d forgotten about that one.
New post/thread!
🙂