I miss the Archuleta Confessions Tumblr. It was cool to see the range of “confessions” — some I could relate to, others not so much. But always interesting to read.
Here are a few from the site followed by *gulp* my own.
k, here are mine:
I’ve never read The Alchemist.
I hope he’s practicing piano while he’s away.
Not a fan of Wait.
I’m still blown away that he sings because he loves it and wants to help people, not for fame or fortune.
But I do think that anyone who studied the Billboard charts the way he did, can’t help but dream of being on them.
When he’s touring a lot I sometimes worry about him harming his voice, and I wonder if he has that fear too.
I loved his covers until I heard his original songs… his voice + his melodies = GOLD for me.
VIPs terrify me.
I saw a video once from the A.I. Tour where a woman lunged at David, wiped the sweat off his face with a towel and then asked him to sign it. I’m a little too not over it.
This has nothing to do with David, I just thought it was cool. (Credit: Tim Manley / click 4 source.)
It just struck me today how much I’ve changed as a David Archuleta fan over the last five years.
I started out taking it all so very seriously. Back then I remember being fiercely protective of David, ranting on Entertainment Weekly and other pop culture sites in response to anyone’s criticism of D. (I believe I used the phrase “cyber-bullying” at one point.)
Then I discovered fan sites, where I loved nothing more than to spout my conspiracy theories about the evil vortex that is American Idol (theories I still hold btw, I just spout them less often).
And then, debating and speculating ad nauseum about David’s career path and choices became like going to the gym for me. Cardio, of course.
When I tried to convince a fan-friend to join in on these discussions, she said: “But that would take the joy out of my David experience.”
At first, I didn’t understand what she was talking about. Then I noticed that reading and responding to comments late at night left me tossing and turning and waking up in a cold sweat. I was so invested. Not just in David but in being a fan of David. It struck me that I’d been going around and around in circles, covering the same tired ground.
I started to wonder what it would be like to do what my friend was doing — focusing on the joy of the David experience. And, come on, Announcement notwithstanding, there is a LOT of joy to be had, thanks to David.
So much great music. Great friends. Lots of laughs. Fun twitter “cocktail parties.” Amazingly creative stuff on Tumblr. Did I mention the great music?
I started looking at what we have now, not wishing it was something else. Started letting go of expectation and entitlement. Oh, I do backslide from time to time. Feel jealous that another young newbie is getting the acclaim I know right well David deserves. But then I try to take a deep breath and let it go. Find my way back to the joy. It’s a good place.
But that’s just me. How about you guys? Do you think you’ve changed as a fan?
Thought this beautiful creation by the lovely @rhiminee deserved its own post.
When I first listened to BEGIN., I became so focused on trying to find the purpose for each song. “Is Everybody Hurts about his mission? Is True Colours about being true to yourself? Is Somewhere Only We Know… just a great song?”
I admit that I forgot to look at the big picture: Why David did the whole album in the first place. Lupe’s words tell us why he did it. To shake us by the shoulders and say, “People, people, people! Music beats through my veins, this is my promise I’ll come back to it!”
I realize that even he couldn’t know then how he’d feel come 2014, so we sure don’t. But even the fact that he went to those great lengths to send us that message means so much all on its own. Doesn’t it?
P.S.
Thought this was appropriate … check out from 8:12 on:
Press conference question: “Do you have any plans on doing any concerts again, after your mission?”
David: “Oh, of course! Yes! Once I get back after two years, I definitely plan to start recording again and doing more shows. Because that’s what I love to do [Recording something I’ll be more prepared for in two years] … That’s what I plan to do for the rest of my life … I will definitely be touring and recording. That’s who I am. That is what I love to do. It’s my passion.”
I’m not the biggest David “anniversary” person … probably because I’m terrible at remembering dates (just ask Refnaf, lol) … but I’ll make an exception for Ford Day.
There have been a lot of big shows I was sad I missed but I am SO glad I was able to be at Ford Day. Why was it special? Hmmm. Well, it was the first non-Idol Tour show we were able to see. So to go from little David on stage in a huge arena to this cozy corporate theatre with maybe 400 peeps was electric. When he first sat down at his keyboard to sing Angels, a young girl behind me gasped, “He’s. Right. There!” I knew exactly how she felt. Plus, it was his very first live performance of Crush. He was so nervous but, of course, knocked it out of the park.
Nothing against Cook but let me just say that that crowd was mostly Ford corporate peeps, not die-hard Idol fans and they gave our David polite applause at first but by the end of his set the entire audience spontaneously leapt to their feet for an extended standing ovation. *so proud* Whereas Cook finished his set and the MC had to creep up behind him and motion people to stand for him too. Just sayin’.
The whole thing was an out-of-body experience for me. I had trouble processing that I was actually there and David was singing a few feet away.
Then he started singing Imagine. Right there. The whole song. How could I be so blessed to be hearing this?? I literally wondered if I was dying or something… Not even kidding, that actually crossed my mind.
And afterward, we didn’t know that they’d both be coming back out but luckily a lot of us stuck around. He signed stuff from up on the stage for a while then sat cross legged to sign some more then eventually hopped down to take pictures with people and just soak it all in. I swear, his usual glow was glowing. I will never ever forget that day. Ford Day. Thank you, Henry Ford.
This is a recap I came across at MJs that I’d never seen before. I think it’s written by a Cook fan (Kristen) but she does a great job at recounting what our David said between songs and how everything unfolded. Plus, she includes links with her own pics and videos, which is an added bonus.
Enjoy!
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Let me just start by saying it was the best Idol experience of the whole summer for me. Although the Grand Rapids after party comes close since I got to spend so much time with Michael!
Recap photos and videos after the JUMP…
The Night Before
So it started Thursday evening when I picked Kathleen up from the Detroit airport. She just decided to fly in from Atlanta 2 days after getting back from Tulsa because I had an extra ticket. Desi drove in from the other side of the state and we had a good old-fashioned slumber party complete with lots of junk food and frozen strawberry margaritas! We watched the final Mavid Dance compilation and the hour-long video scrapbook I gave to the Idols in Tulsa. Then we made a midnight trip to Kinkos so I could burn a copy of the Mavid video for David since my CD drive wasn’t working. We took Flat Jason along for the ride. FJ had a little bit of water damage from the torrential rain in Tulsa so we renamed him Flat Crying Jason. FJ took a picture with another random cutout. I think it’s a golfer but I dunno. Anyway, we drove back to my place and I tried the CD I had just burned in my desktop computer and it wouldn’t work. I also tried it in my laptop and it made this horrible screeching noise and said it was corrupt. So we had to make another trip to Kinko’s Friday morning on the way to Dearborn!
Ford Day — Prior to Concert
Okay, I’ll fast forward to the actual event. It was only about 30 minutes from my house. We got to the Dearborn Conference & Event Center around 11:15. When we gave our tickets at the door before entering the lobby they had a seating chart that showed the first 7 rows in the center and first 2 rows on the left and right were reserved for Ford execs, Fox officials, and the local news and radio people. So we planned to try and get close on either side.
Lunch was already setup in the lobby. I didn’t know what half the stuff was so I just went for the sandwich roll ups, fruit, and a delicious cookie. It was pretty good but none of us were very hungry. I was bummed that I never saw the free cocktails they promised. They might have been serving them upstairs in the lounge but we didn’t go up there.
So we sat and chatted with a group of ladies mostly from the Chicago area. Then we saw people start to line up around noon so we made our way over there to try and get a good spot. It wasn’t so much a line as a mob. I was starting to feel claustrophobic but it wasn’t as bad as the Tulsa buses. The crowd kept inching closer and closer up the hallway and the security lady kept yelling at us to move back. I was really missing Security Rayand Hot Dave at this point. They would have had the crowd in much better control!
Ford Day — The Show Starts
They finally let us in around 12:30 and it was a mad rush to get a spot. We ended up with on the left side of the stage in the 5th row. I had the 3rd seat from the aisle. It was a pretty good view. It felt like we were on the set of Idol with the way the stage was set. I was just waiting for Ryan Seacrest to come out and say, “This is AMERICAN IDOL.” I would estimate there were about 400-500 people in the audience. A lot less than I thought there would be. Desi cell-casted for Rickey.
The Adcraft President came out and made some remarks. Then a local DJ gave a news and weather report. That was kind of odd but guess it’s a tradition at Adcraft events. Everyone cheered that our Detroit Mayor is going to jail for 3 months and a new mayor was announced. A Ford Marketing exec was the main speaker. There were a lot of thank you’s. Blah, blah, blah.
At some point they gave away an awesome door prize. It was a trip for two to L.A. to attend all of the Idol finale events next season, including the after party. I would have jumped out of my seat if I had won but sadly I did not win.
They also showed some of the worst auditions featuring Alexis Cohen, the angry chick that told Simon to “Take it, take it, take it. I’m going for actressing.” James Lewis, the “Let My People Go” guy and Renaldo were also featured. Desi, Kathleen, and I sang along annoyingly loud to “I am Your Brother.”
Ford Day — The REAL Show
Then they showed the montage of the David’s from finale night and the Ford guy FINALLY asked us to, “Please give a warm welcome to your American Idol runner up and Ford Escape Hybrid Owner, David Archuleta!” Lots of cheers. David waves to the crowd and sits down at the keyboard. He asked how we were all doing tonight. Um it was about 12:45 in the afternoon David. 🙂 He says, “We’re really happy to be here. It’s just been a fun day so far.”
Then he tells us his first song is going to be Angels on the keyboard. “I hope you guys enjoy it. Here I go then.” It sounded great! Really stripped down with just his vocals and the keyboard. I honestly think he could release this as a single on his album and it would sell really well.
THEN it’s time for his 2nd song. You could tell he was really nervous. The crowd went wild when he said, “This will be my first time ever performing it…. So I guess it will be pretty interesting but I’m sure it will be fun. Let’s see how it goes.” I felt really privileged to see his first performance of Crush. He looked into my camera a couple times (0:57 & 3:18). I thought his vocals were really good. It’s a really difficult song to sing. His smile was so big at the end. I think he was probably relieved the first performance was over. I asked if he would be singing Crush when I saw him in Grand Rapids a few weeks ago. At that time he wasn’t sure. He said it gets pretty high and he would have to get over his cold. He told me he would probably just do songs from the tour because he wouldn’t have much time to practice. I’m so glad we got 2 non-tour songs out of him!
His introduction to his 3rd song was hilarious. He says, “It’s one that doesn’t take as much energy as Crush. But that’s what, you know, I tend to be better at I guess… I don’t know. Ha ha ha. But not like, you know, not like I’m terrible at that stuff. At least I hope I’m not anyway… Anyway I should… Enough with that but um this next song I’ll be singing is actually one of my favorite songs ever and it’s actually one that um uh one of my favorite moments on the show… This song is called Imagine.” I think I literally gasped when he said that. I was not expecting him to sing it. I seriously got goose bumps it was so beautiful. It was great to hear the entire song. He received a standing ovation after his performance.
The Ford guy came back out and introduced David Cook of course as, “Our American Idol and Ford Escape Hybrid owner.” I loved that he comes out with this puzzled look on his face and casually says, “What are we doing? You guys thought I would come out all guns blazing and be all professional. I’m just hanging out.” That’s truly what it felt like in that intimate venue and with the way he interacted with fans after the show. I can hear myself make a loud gasping noise after two chords of The World I Know. I was praying he would either do this one or Always Be My Baby. I even requested it in my Tulsa letter. It was truly an AMAZINGINLY BEAUTIFUL performance. It’s one of my favorite songs ever and the stripped down version was haunting.
Then David gave us the choice of My Hero or Hello for the 2nd song. I like both songs but I voted for My Hero. Hello won, instead. David made me laugh when he said, “I know. It sucks doesn’t it?” We suggested he just sing both songs! Hello was good but I prefer the dramatic concert version better. I like it with the rock edge of the electric guitar but it was nice to hear a different version for a change. He hit all the glory notes.
Then his banter about the matador costume had me LMAO. After watching the Ford Video montage earlier I had a feeling he would comment on that ugly green lycra outfit they made him wear. He compared himself to Mr. Robotnik from Sonic the Hedgehog. Best line of the day, “There’s no moral to this story. Just don’t make me do that any more!” Then he goes on to say he gave his Escape to his father and plans to buy another one for himself but wants to get the “bro deal.”
He goes right into Time of My Life. I knew he would sing this song since it’s still his single but I would have preferred something else that he didn’t do on tour. Again it was at least nice to hear theacoustic version. It sounds like a much different song than the version I heard in Tulsa. David got a standing ovation when he finished.
… After about 45 minutes on Cook’s side I made my way over to Archie’s side. I love Archie and all but I’ve met him at all the other concerts and already had pictures with him. Cook was about finished on his side so he came over and asked Archie if they were on the same flight. Archie didn’t know. Cook leaned down from the stage and hugged him in case he didn’t see him later. I was standing right next to them but I had already given my camera to Kathleen to take a picture of Archie & I. Here’s someone else’s video of it though. You can see the back of my head in the lower right corner. Ha ha. Then I got my chance to take a pic with Archie but Kathleen didn’t realize the camera was super zoomed in! It actually makes me laugh though. Then Dadchuleta came over and said it was time to leave. Archie waved goodbye and it was all over at about 3:00.
Ford Day was such a unique experience. I will never forget what it was like to see the Davids perform in such an intimate setting. I’m so happy they had time to get to everyone’s requests for autographs and pictures. I’ve watched Idol religiously since the first season but I’ve never been obsessed like I was this year. I had never even been to an Idol concert before this season. Ford Day was truly a wonderful event and a great bookend to my Idol tour season. It was so much different than the concerts. I’ll probably go again next year since it’s so close to me. I can’t wait to hit the solo tour circuit.
David, I have my own Announcement to make … since you are persona non available-a right now, I am hereby devoting this fan space to someone else… keeping it warm for you, as it were.
And I think you would approve of my choice… someone who is almost as much of a snappy dresser and dancer as you are… that’s right… I’ll be supporting Mr. Bill Nye the Science Guy in his bid to win the Dancing With the Stars crown this season.
What can I say? He may not glow… or sing… but he’s where it’s at right now. So cats and kittens, fasten your seatbelts and prepare yourself for unabashed Science Guy fangirling. Are you guys with me???
“That’s my name… not The Science Guy, but Bill Nye” … OMJ HE IS DAVID!!!!!
This week is the anniversary of David singing Contigo en la Distancia on the ALMA Awards. Not gonna lie, when I looked at the original date and saw 2009, it kind of freaked me out. But there’s nothing dated about this performance. Nothing. It’s perfect.
You know those people who say “nothing’s perfect”? They’re wrong. THIS is perfect.
Here’s my original post on it from waaay back then, can’t really add much tbh… how about you guys?
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“Relax, guys. I got this.”
How do we love Contigo? Let me count the ways
You tax my vocabulary, David Archuleta. I’ve run out of words to describe that thing you do to us when you sing. That magic you make. That spell you cast.
I’d bet many Canadians tuned into the ALMAs last night to see Nelly Furtado perform and ended up under your spell, instead.
7 things to love aboutContigo:
1) The introduction. There was no mention of A.I. or the words “runner up,” only a warm, heartfelt welcome to the stage. “We are very proud to recognize the accomplishments of a very special young man. Please welcome the recipient of the Year in Music NCLR New Artist Award, David Archuleta.”
2) The first line. “No existe un momento del dia
En que pueda apartarte de mi” (“There’s no moment of the day
That you could drift apart from me”). He had us at “No existe.” Soft yet strong, tender as an embrace, it was his “Once upon a time…” that took us by the hand and led us into the story of the song.
3) Lone guitar. The ideal minimalist accompaniment to showcase David’s vocals (which were so overwhelming I had to replay it to convince myself there wasn’t also a string section or horns off stage).
4) Spontaneous applause during the third verse. At “Es que te has convertido En parte de mi alma” (“You have become part of my heart/soul”), the intensity and passion rang so true, I felt an electric charge jolt through me and, clearly, so did the audience.
5) Looking up to the stars on “las estrellas.” That move took us up to the stars with him, but subtly, with restraint — a grown-up glimmer of the youthful gestures David uses in his live shows. Demonstrating his impeccable instinct for calibrating his performance for each audience, venue and occasion.
6) Panther-like movement. The rise from the stool, the Archustrut to one side, the rhumba-like step back and stroll to centre stage – masterful and commanding. The opposite of awkward.
7) The song. Oh my. Each exquisite note caressed with love. The embellishments of David’s youthful version stripped away to reveal the beating heart of that song. Written in 1950 by Cuba’s César Portillo de la Luz, it’s a timeless classic dear to the Latino community and it took courage and cojones to sing it for them. He could have also wowed the crowd with Angels or ZG – something to promote his own releases. But no, he offered up a gift to that community, and by doing so, a gift to us all.
Here’s part of an awesome interview with John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting), who has a new album called “Bookmarks.” Very interesting to hear what he has to say about the music industry:
Mike Ragogna: …given the state of the music business, how does an artist keep their energy up anyway? Like, how do you stay energized?
JO: That’s a great question, and maybe one that I should answer to my therapist. It’s a real battle and especially when you have a certain amount of success you want to continue to achieve that. When you don’t… We’re all human, right? It’s still a shock to the system and it’s depressing and as grateful as I am for the success I have, it’s harder and harder. Every artist, I don’t care who you are, goes through it.
Now sure, it’s nice to be Bruce Springsteen and be an icon who can still go play arenas, but I can guarantee you he’s still pissed off he can’t get on the radio.
… I think there are some things you can do. I think social platforms really help, knowing that you can reach out to people on Twitter and Facebook and that there is an audience for what you do. It may not be as large as it used to be, but these people probably care more and most of these folks will probably hear your song and buy your single. I think you kind of do it for them and also you have to find reasons to do it for yourself.
For me, I really enjoy writing songs, I enjoy making records, I enjoy working with people I like, and you have to recognize that and you have to kind of switch your mindset from “Okay, what is success? Is success getting better as a songwriter? Is success enjoying your life? Or is success having a number one single?” If you can’t do that, you’re going to be pretty depressed because we all hit that wall. I hope I have hit songs, because when you have hit songs, you can do a lot of other stuff and raise your profile and it’s fun.
But that’s great question and I don’t know if I have an answer for you because it is one I look at, and there are days where I go, “Maybe I should hang it up because it’s a grind and it’s not fun and I’ve had a great career.” But to this point, I’ve found the energy to do it and the thing that really does it, to be honest with you… Mike, last night I had a radio show down in Palm Springs, I drove down to Palm Springs, a hundred people were there.
You play a few songs, you play “What If,” and then you take pictures for an hour and these people walk up to you and they have stories of how your songs affected their lives. They have a comment on how they just heard “What If” and what it means to them. You get that personal interaction and that personal feedback, and you’re like “Okay. It’s good. I see why we do it,” and my own insecurities and all that stuff is a little shallow, so maybe I should back up and appreciate what I do and that I can do it and that I don’t have a real job.
…
MR: What advice do you have for new artists?
JO: Definitely milk the social platforms. I think as frustrating as it can be within the major labels, music is being consumed more now than ever and it’s easier than ever to get your music heard. That was my problem coming up. So really work Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, all the music sites, build your following, build your audience. You may do better without a label financially and career-wise. Get out and play gigs. That’s the other thing I say. It’s easy to sit in your room and write a song for your friends, but get out and play gigs. You will learn much more about yourself and your music. So social platforms, play gigs, enjoy what you do.
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Play gigs, did you hear that, David?… gigs. We will all be there, bud.
P.S. The lovely and amazing JR4DA posted this from her own “vault”… I have never seen this! (Check out the “DAVID COMES HOME!” across the bottom of the screen about half-way through 🙂 🙂 🙂 )
When David gets back could Ted Capener maybe sit and talk with him for a few days like this? kthxbye
p.s.
btw I loved this interview even before I knew Mr. Capener was related to the lovely smanda 🙂 … I can’t help but wonder if he knew David was going on a mission? … and who else needs to grab tissues when David talks about what Christmas means to him at around 17:35?
How about you guys… if you could interview D. and ask him one question, what would it be?
p.p.s. Lovely story about a David friendship that crosses geographical and age barriers on FOD today, HERE (scroll down to “Two Worlds, Spinning Apart”).
FOLLOWERS: Will not take no for an answer. Since they’re playing the game, they believe the rules and the courts will save them.
LEADERS: Hit a roadblock and change direction. They only fight battles they know they can win.
FOLLOWERS: Work for the corporation.
LEADERS: Start the corporation.
FOLLOWERS: Go to graduate school to gain a profession.
LEADERS: Hire professionals.
FOLLOWERS: Look at how everybody else does it, conformity is king.
LEADERS: Do it their own way, but are aware of how everybody else is doing it.
FOLLOWERS: Believe in vacation.
LEADERS: Never take a day off.
FOLLOWERS: Are students of what’s in front of them.
LEADERS: Are students of the game.
FOLLOWERS: Stop learning after school.
LEADERS: Never stop learning. Whether it be from books, news or colleagues.
FOLLOWERS: Argue about their paycheck.
LEADERS: Money is secondary, and they believe there’s enough if they succeed.
FOLLOWERS: Are afraid to lose.
LEADERS: Are willing to lose, because they believe they’re destined to win.
FOLLOWERS: Say no. Pessimism reigns.
LEADERS: Say yes. But are not afraid to say no. Optimism rules.
FOLLOWERS: Plan.
LEADERS: Make it up as they go.
FOLLOWERS: Take direction.
LEADERS: Make up the direction.
FOLLOWERS: Believe it’s all about the CV, what you can list on LinkedIn.
LEADERS: Social network because they’ve got so many ideas their heads will explode if they don’t release them. They know the people who started the social networks. They’re more interested in what made social networks successful than playing within them. They know building a resume only counts if you’re looking to get hired, and they’ve created every job they’ve had since high school.
FOLLOWERS: Are afraid and sometimes evidence desperation.
LEADERS: Are never afraid and never desperate. They see the world as their plaything, not something that can hold them back or down.
FOLLOWERS: Have no vision.
LEADERS: Can see the future in 3-D.
FOLLOWERS: Work in established industries.
LEADERS: Establish industries. The greats are not afraid of being ahead of the times, they know the times will come to them.
FOLLOWERS: Think about themselves.
LEADERS: Think about others. Sure, many are narcissistic, but their fortunes are based on filling the needs of the public, not their boss.
FOLLOWERS: Adjust their personalities to get along.
LEADERS: Get to be themselves.
FOLLOWERS: Play the politics.
LEADERS: Are above the politics.
FOLLOWERS: Work in the world.
LEADERS: Run the world.
So what do you guys think? Which category does David fit into most? And why?
P.S.
Kari just tweeted David’s first vlog … oh my, what a difference five years make… and yet, not. 🙂
SnowAngelz: Canadian fans of David Archuleta 
