“SURREAL” – having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic
The David Archuleta fans began gathering in front of the stage area early on Saturday morning. We laid out our blankets and lawn chairs and laughed as we referred to it as our “real estate,” adding on “room additions” as more fans arrived. Some were long time fan friends while others were meeting for the very first time. It’s always fun to hear fans introduce themselves by their alter ego Twitter/posting names.
And then of course, there are the hugs; many, many hugs. David’s fans are “huggers.” It’s who we are. It’s what we do. It’s as natural as breathing to us. We are squishy fans.
We all knew this weekend was going to be special. It would be the first time that David performed a full concert with his new band. As fans, we had done our homework. We had researched Google, Facebook and YouTube in our attempt to glean any morsel of information about these new musicians. Their credentials looked good and a couple of them emerged on Twitter and Facebook, giving us a glimpse into the personalities of David’s new musical compadres. They were friendly…they were funny…they were talented…they were excited…and SO WERE WE!
This pic & below: SunNews.com
We fans spent Saturday together on our patchwork real estate, reconnecting, rehashing past concert memories, talking about the latest news about David or simply getting to know one another. There is nothing better than being surrounded by fellow David fans in anticipation of one of his concerts. There is a particular bliss in it. I’m a firm believer that one half of the David concert experience is the anticipation of it and this day was no exception.
I love that prickly feeling you get before David’s concert starts. It’s a mash up of emotions … anticipation, anxiety, and excitement as your mind swirls with unanswered questions about how he’s feeling, how the band will sound, and how the crowd will react. I don’t know about anybody else, but I always seem to hold my breath as David starts to sing his first song and then breathe a sigh of relief when I hear his voice sounds healthy and strong.
"Reach out to me, touch my hand, reach out as far as you caaaaan."
Well, let me tell you, when he came bounding onto that stage, smiling and addressing the crowd with, “How are you guys doin’?!!” as the crowd erupted into screams and applause, and then he began singing “Stomping the Roses,” there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that this was the start to a great evening!
David was on fire! ON FIYA!!!! The new band sounded spectacular, like they had been touring together for years! There was tangible chemistry going on up on that stage. You could see it in the exchanged glances between one another, silently communicating with each other as they fine-tuned their magic. Their timing was impeccable and they were flawless. David’s involvement with selecting this group of talented musicians was obvious, not just because of their skills but also because of their musical intelligence and synergy. It was exciting and glorious to behold!
Songs that I had heard many times before suddenly took on a brand new vibe and texture and I felt like I was listening to them for the very first time! I was thrilled that, for many in the audience, this would be their first introduction to David performing live.
David seemed different as well. His vocals were stunning and he tread fearlessly into new vocal territory with an intensity I had never witnessed before. David’s penchant for detail and his passion for musical expression were at full throttle! It was 80 degrees outside and I had the chills! It was all I could do at times to keep my video camera steady! He was in constant motion, using the entire stage as he spun his magic and you could feel the crowd momentum building as he progressed through his well-thought-out set list.
Source: @MyMyrtleBeach
David was energetic, powerful, and positively buoyant, and there was a feeling of something else. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it … then it occurred to me, it was PRIDE, and I’m not referring to pride in himself, because I don’t believe David thinks that way. I think it was pride in the talented musicians surrounding him that, in his mind, just made his performance that much better … the supreme gift to his beloved fans.
I won’t go into detail about the performance of each song because you can witness them for yourselves via the videos I took of the evening on my YouTube channel.
I stand by one of my many (albeit SPAZZZZZTIC) tweets in the aftermath of this momentous experience…
@Jonerz: I have seen A LOT of @DavidArchie concerts. He BLEW ME AWAY tonight!! The professionalism of he and his band was OFF THE CHARTS!!
Asian fans, start taking your vitamins. I think you’re gonna need them!
~ Joner
p.s. BYU Book Fair pics from @unicornfeather! (anyone know how to make a flip book? 🙂 )
David is baaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!! (Both pics: @Rhiminee)
Sorry for the flimsy post, guys, I’m still in a dazed and confused state from hearing that David sang “Blackbird” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” … two of my favourite songs ever! Here are some tweets from last night along with Jonerz & emilyluvsarchie’s aMAZing videos, in set list order. GO!!!!!
@Jonerz: I have seen A LOT of @DavidArchie concerts. He BLEW ME AWAY tonight!! The professionalism of he and his band was OFF THE CHARTS!!
We complimented Steven R. (the drummer) after the show and he said that they have fantastic chemistry with one another! :))) It shows!!!
@TV33South Asked David A. about a US tour. Said he was trying to get it done but was tough to do at the moment. Will post the interview tomorrow.
@zerogravity1 ROFL!! A lil girl jus dropped her glasses in front of D & he picked em up & gave em back to her during My Hands!
… The band intro’s were so fun! You cud tell D is really proud of them. *squishes*. On one of the songs Brian did this lil’ solo & D looked at the audience, pointed at Brian as if to say “check this guy out”. So cute!! David is always funny explaining MKOP. That audience “gasp” when they find out he’s never had a girlfriend is funny! D was like “it’s ok… I’m jus taking my time”.
… David stayed for a good while after the show & signed stuff for people on both sides of the stage that waited. So sweet! I loved his shirt 2
… When D was signing stuff after the show a guy asked for a hug… ROFL. D looked up w/ a look only D cud give & said “how’bout a high five?”
@emily4archie I realized that I have a special place in my heart for David. Not as in, ‘I want to marry him’ but a deep respect for who he is & what he does
Stomping the Roses (jonerzz)
The Other Side of Down HD (jonerzz)
ALTNOY (emilyluvsarchie)
Everybody Wants to Rule the World (jonerzz)
Somethin’ About Love (jonerzz)
Touch My Hand (emilyluvsarchie)
My Kind of Perfect HD (jonerzz)
A Thousand Miles (emilyluvsarchie)
Gotta Get Through This (w/band intro) (jonerzz)
My Hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (jonerzz)
Blackbird (emilyluvsarchie)
Falling Stars (emilyluvsarchie)
Works for Me HD (jonerzz)
Complain (emilyluvsarchie)
Elevator (emilyluvsarchie)
Crush
So what do you guys think of David 2.0?
p.s. Download mp3s of all Myrtle Beach songs HERE.
The countdown is on to David’s upcoming performance in Myrtle Beach. 🙂
The thing about David doing a full concert set is the anticipation for VIDEO!!!!! Since the departure of previous management *coughmelcough* we seem to be full steam ahead for our honourable ninja videographers and cellcasters to do their work.
So I felt it was appropriate this Victoria Day weekend to give a hats off and thumbs up to all the royal peeps in this wonderful fan base who
a) have quality equipment
b) get great seats at concerts
c) sacrifice relaxing and absorbing the Voice so the rest of us can get lost in endless vortexes of audio and video delight!!!
All my David concert experiences have been so numbing I can barely get a pic. The idea of trying to listen and do something else as well makes me dizzy. My lack of decent technology makes tweeting impossible>>>> never mind cellcasting…..
Then there are those who upload and categorize and make mp3s and MGRs. The fanbase owes so much to all of you….. SO HUGE HUGS YOU who do this awesome and appreciated work!!!! (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! *glomps*)
For many of us David Archuleta fans, Season 7 of A.I. was an eye-opener to both the beauty of David’s performances and the ugliness of some of the media slams against him.
In fact, I cancelled a long-held subscription to Entertainment Weekly back then because they lost all credibility for me. Not only did they fail to appreciate how uniquely talented and original David is, but I was shocked at how mean-spirited and downright nasty they were toward him.
I thought I’d moved past my anger and disappointment, then I read this:
David doesn’t need autotune, so he’s “robotic”???? For me, that sentiment alone captures so much of what’s wrong with the music industry today. A place where real singing and musicianship have less value than repetitive hooks and shooting foam from your D-cups.
And I fear that the proliferation of shows like Idol, The Voice, X-Factor etc. will only make things worse. They take an art form that should be about bringing people together, connecting heart to heart, soul to soul, and make it a cut-throat competition — both between the contestants themselves and their fans.
Source: FanScene
Yes, these shows are there to make a profit, and the more fierce the “fight,” the higher each show’s ratings, the more readers for entertainment/gossip rags and more hits on websites that fuel fan wars.
Guess I’m a hater too, ’cause I hate all this.
I also hate how magazines, websites and radio stations manipulate and exploit the devotion we have for David, and other artists, and twist it for their own purposes. Hits down on your radio station or magazine’s website? No problem, run an Idol poll and you can show your advertisers a massive traffic bump.
Idol and its offshoots twist music fandom into something more like sports fandom, where your team must crush all others.
I love Mumford and Sons, but if they’d been contestants on Idol in Season 7 — or included on a Q102 poll — I’d have had to make a choice on who to support — that feels wrong to me. It seems David fans are torn between wanting to support our guy –and each other– and not getting sucked into the ugliness and fake rivalries perpetuated by these soulless sites.
Of course, for David and the other contestants, the real battle is fought when they leave the show and enter the snake-pit that is today’s music industry — a place where real talents like Jordin Sparks end up wobbling on platforms to Glee-ish songs to please their label.
But just when I start to get discouraged by the dark side of the entertainment industry, along comes David … no kidding … right after I’d scribbled out these ramblings, I saw this interview. He’s such a breath of fresh air I felt as though I’d been holding mine. I replayed a second time only to watch the interviewer’s expression as David talks about the power of music to heal and inspire. I’m pretty sure it mirrors all of ours.
I just got back David Detox … aka a week’s vacation where, for the first time in a long time, I spent days on end away from computers and all things David Archuleta. (Well, not all things, I was in Honduras, after all, lol)
And rather than jump right back into uber-fan mode, I was feeling pretty good about being able to step away and maybe get back to real-life a little more. I mean, David’s taking a well-deserved break himself, taking time to regroup, recharge, plan for the future, so why not us?
Not gonna lie, as much as I still love the guy to pieces, it’s been nice to feel more “normal” again. … Then this:
He’s thanked us a gazillion times before, so why did this one hit me so hard? It’s only 44 seconds long, for Pete’s sake!!!
Is it because I’ve been out of the loop? ‘Cause his message was so heartfelt? ‘Cause we know how much he needs our support right now? ‘Cause Mr. Random wasn’t being random at all?
Maybe it’s all that … but most of all it just made me so happy to know that David knows that we’re behind him 100% no matter what. We might not think he notices our crazy poll voting, youTube views & comments, tweet-spamming and blog-a-thons but, you know what? He does. *toast*
You know the feeling you get when you realize you’ve been having an affair without noticing it? Well, you probably don’t know since it sounds ridiculous, but I swear to the Archuleta that it happened to me today.
I realized I’ve spent every day with this gorgeous guy, who makes me laugh, cry, smile (nowadays often simultaneously) and furrow my eyebrows in an attempt to understand how the heck anyone can produce sounds so beautiful that actual honey starts dripping out of my ears. And the guy is not my fiance. Oh no. But it’s not my fault. Really. Just read on and see how this guy has snuck into my life without me being able to stop him.
I wake up, get angry with the dude who invented mornings, and go downstairs. As I make a little porridge and yell at anyone who tries to talk to me before noon, I turn on the computer and read today’s news online. The bookmarks for all of David’s fansites are under the one of Iltalehti-magazine, so obviously it’s convenient to click on one (or five) of them, just to quickly see what’s new. After about two hours I realize I’m still in my pyjamas watching a vlog. I go upstairs to change, and spend a moment admiring the posters of David I have in my walk-in closet.
"You talkin' to me?" (Source: Tumblr/ilovechudavidarchie)
My phone rings, and it’s the tune for general callers (Something ’bout Love) so it could be anyone. As it turns out, it’s a person selling magazines. Of course I politely refuse to buy anything.
Alrighty then, time to hit the gym. Today I decide to walk, so I attach earpieces to my cellphone and listen to David-remixes all the way to the gym. Ironically while listening to “Zero Gravity” I’ve never felt so heavy, as the baby kicks and punches me repeatedly to my bladder and I have to tell myself I don’t have to pee for another two kilometres.
When I get home, I remember I have to rip off the wallpaper in the baby’s room, ’cause my dad promised to help me paint the walls. I put on TOSOD ’cause obviously the job gets done much faster when listening to good music. As David sings “Baby I can’t complain,” I kick the pile of shredded wallpaper on the floor and give up. David, you can “not complain” all you want, but I ain’t scratching the walls for one more minute. Cue a phone call to daddy.
Embe & Embe Jr. "get lost in the clo-u-u-u-ds"
Proud of all the work I’ve done, I lie down on the couch and put headphones on my stomach. I press ‘play’ and soon the baby is jamming to a techno-remix of “Think Of Me”. She l-o-v-e-s it. Or she’s trying to kick the headphones off. Either way, I spend a ridiculously long time staring at my jumping belly thinking “that’s sooo freaky.”
Finally, Pete’s home. He eats the portions of Obelix, so I drive to the supermarket. As it happens, I have a live recording of David’s A.I. performances in the car stereo. And like always, when he sings that one particular part in “In This Moment,” I can’t help but rewind and listen to that sound again. As I press rewind for the 11th time, I’m so focused on listening for the exact, lovely spot that I almost run over a shopping cart.
Now you see? You SEE??? I’m completely blameless. Every place is a secret rendezvous for me and David, but I’M not the one insinuating themselves close to me. Now, with a baby on the way, we really have to stop seeing each other like this, David. I mean it. It’s OVER. Right after I watch the Ramblin’ man vlog one more time….
Here’s a recap from Karin (@zerogravity1) of the amazing Invisible Children “Break the Silence” Event in Nashville:
What I loved about the Invisible Children event….
* I loved everything about being in Nashville and witnessing a crowd of about 250 young people come together in complete silence for about 2 hours until the show began in an effort to stand up for the rights of the invisible and Break the Silence to the end the use of Child Soldiers in war.
* I loved that this wasn’t about seeing a show…or who was closest to the stage…or who had a better view… or about pushing and shoving to get close to the artists. It was about bringing change… taking a stand… creating awareness… making a difference.
* I loved the atmosphere of walking into a beautifully low lit arena… still completely silent… and seeing the passion in the eyes of the College Students who have raised money and spent their time speaking out about this great cause.
* I loved the different booths that surrounded the arena where you could write a letter to Government Officials to ask for help and create awareness about IC… or to look at the incredibly moving artwork drawn by Child Soldiers… or to sign a large banner in support of removing these children from the dangers of war.
* I loved the anticipation of sitting on the floor in front of the stage… yes, still silent… and watching a ticker click down 25 minutes until the crowd will erupt and Break the Silence. Such a moving, sobering experience to sit and reflect on how lucky we are, to be thankful for all that we have and to think that even on our worst day it still doesn’t compare to what these children have to endure each day.
* I loved that when the clock ticked to zero the crowd erupted in triumph as David and Landon leaped onto the stage with the biggest smiles waving their hands as if they were leading a Pep Rally. In the crowd you would find people hugging… giving high fives… and truly celebrating the efforts of Invisible Children.
* I loved Landon’s set… great songs… great artist!
* I loved David’s setlist… perfect mix of songs. TOSOD… My Hands… Crush… POTC… and WOW… GGTT. It couldn’t have gotten any better than that.
* I loved that the crowd still sings along to Crush at every show… just because.
* I loved that David’s voice was pitch perfect… once again. He sang the songs HE wanted to sing and felt confident singing.
* I loved that David is trying new things with his voice and his craft. There were beautiful new runs in Prayer of the Children and singing a fast, upbeat, difficult song like Gotta Get Thru This shows that David is ready to take his talent to yet another level.
* I loved David’s and Landon’s voices together during Sounds of Silence… and seeing their interaction on stage. You can tell David had become a big fan of Landon’s and the admiration was returned by Landon.
* I loved that after they both performed the COO of Invisible Children came onto the stage with David and Landon and told the crowd that both of “these guys are class acts” and thanked them for their support of IC. David had a huge smile on his face and was great about taking the compliment.
David's autograph for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
* I loved that we were able to spend a few minutes with David after the show and let him know that we appreciate him and appreciate the fact that he brings awareness to organizations like IC.
While visiting with David he took pictures with us individually… was so gracious about signing anything we wanted him to sign… and then we took a group shot. David seemed so relaxed… so happy to engage with fans again… and more confident than I’ve ever seen him. There wasn’t anything rushed with the visit and as always I think we all left feeling so good that David is happy and doing what HE wants to do. I left the arena feeling so moved that I was able to experience such an event and so happy knowing that David is in a good place. It was a special evening… and I love that!
Hugs, Karin
And here is John’s (@JohnA_F) recap)!
WOW! It’s been a long time since I’ve written a recap for a David event. I may be a little rusty at this, but here it goes!!
The day started early with Karin arriving at my house at about 9AM. I took the day off work, but she had to work, so she set up a mini office at my dining room table. In between conference calls, emails and phone calls, she managed to chat/spazz/squee with me a little about what we were about to hear. I spent most of the day at my computer and doing laundry (BIG TIME YUCK!!)
The doors to event opened at 6:30, but like all good David Archuleta fans, we arrived at the venue at about 4PM. Sadly, there were only a few people in line. Even more sad, David is not that well known in Nashville. THAT JUST MEANS HE NEEDS TO PERFORM HERE MORE OFTEN, but I digress. Soon after we arrived, we heard (and saw on a big monitor inside the venue) David doing sound check. We heard, “The Other Side Of Down”, “Crush”, a mystery song and “Prayer Of The Children”. THAT was enough to let us know we were in for an EPIC night.
Karin and I took a quick walk over to the student union for bite to eat and bathroom break. When we returned to the venue, there were a few more people in line, but not too many. At this point, everyone was silent, including the Invisible Children people who were outside holding signs letting us know which line we were to be in. In fact, the I.C. people would only communicate with us and each other by writing what they had to say either on paper or a dry erase board. The unbroken silence was that important!
Soon the doors opened and those who raised more than $100.00 were let in first. We were next. Typical David Archuleta fans…Karin and I sprinted down the steps to the stage area. After a few minutes of standing in front of the stage, all proud of ourselves, we realized that we were the only ones there. Everyone else was sitting WAAAAYYYYYY back in the seats. AWKWARD!!! So…we went back to join everyone else. There were tables set up around the perimeter of the seating area that anyone could check out. Some of the tables were to purchase I.C. merchandise, some were to have your picture taken, some were of pictures of Invisible Children. Keep in mind, we were doing all of this while being completely silent.
At about 7PM some people started to go to the stage area, so we followed them, made our way to the front and promptly sat down in front of the key board. We were still totally silent as we waited for the countdown to break the silence. The countdown clock finally started at 7:30 and at 7:55 I noticed that there were a few people at stage left…unsure who all was there. At exactly 8PM, I.C. people took the stage, the lights came on and everyone was cheering. Before I knew it, David was on stage, also. He was cheering, clapping, celebrating and encouraging us to do the same.
Soon David was gone and we were then shown a video of I.C. and the work that is being done in South Africa. After the video, we heard a touching story from a woman who lived in Uganda and knew first hand the tragedy of war there.
Now on to the entertainment! First up, Landon Pigg. I had never heard him before, but I liked what I heard…very unique. When Landon was done….well….y’all know who was next!!
When David came out with two of his new band members, Brian on guitar and Steve on drums, he was, as usual, smiling and waving to the crowd. A lot of cheers for him from the 300 people in the audience.
I know y’all have seen the videos, so I won’t go into too much detail:
“The Other Side Of Down” was fun for all of us. David definitely started his set off right doing this one and he really did “put one foot in front of the other”.
“My Hands” = my goodness!! Seriously??? It’s a great song and has always been a favorite of mine…but the ending??? WHOA!!! KILLAH!!!!
“Gotta Get Through This” I had not heard this before, but WOW!! LOVED IT and add the “Message In the Bottle” line??? Dang straight it’s a great song!! THIS is what he needs to be doing!!
“Crush” will always be another favorite of mine. As David says, it’s what really started his career. So many of us were in front of our computers the morning it premiered on Z100 and heard it live for the first time in Detroit for the Ford Day event. It’s just a cute, cool song that has won the hearts of many, many people the world over.
And the most perfect song to end his set…”Prayer Of The Children”! Just too much for words. His voice just…SOARED!!! There was one point in the song, as he opened his eyes, it looked like he was maybe tearing up. I don’t know for sure, but it just shows the importance of the song to him and how much he feels the words.
After that, David thanked everyone and stated to leave, but then stopped, hesitated a little bit and then started telling us that there was another song they wanted to do, but didn’t have much time to practice and didn’t know how well it would sound or work. Then, Landon came back on stage and they proceeded to sing “Sounds of Silence”!!! I was floored!! IT WAS SO FLIPPIN’ GOOD!!! There were parts of the song where you could tell they didn’t have a lot of time to practice, but it still sounded AWESOMESAUCE!!!!
The CEO of I.C. came on stage and thanked David and Landon for volunteering their time to do the event. We were asked to hang out so we could be part of videos/pictures that would be used for future promotions. A lot of different poses involved…some of us smiling/cheering, other poses of us looking serious/somber.
After that, they turned up the music and had a dance party for anyone who wanted to…dance (or if you’re like me, watch others dance HAHA). While this was happening, there were rumors floating around that David was going to come out and sign things for us. No one knew for sure, but we waited for a bit. Sure enough, he poked his head out from behind the curtain to about 10 – 15 of us waiting. He seemed a bit apprehensive, understandably so, at being on the outside of the curtain, which made him visible to those who were dancing not too far away. I’m sure he feared that there may be a rush of fans if they had seen him. So he went back behind the curtain and we were led back to where he was waiting for us. Again, it was a very small group and David was, as usual, very gracious and accommodating to us…he signed posters/cd’s/phones/etc and posed for pictures.
It was an EPIC night for sure. Each time I see David perform, it seems to be a little different, whether it is a new sound, vibe, or new cover song, he ALWAYS manages to keep in new and fresh.
I LOVE THE NEW BAND!! Can I say that again??? WOW!! Talk about new sound/vibe. THIS IS EXCITING AND FUTURE EVENTS WILL BE GREAT!! OH YEAH…Steve on the drums….WAY KEWL!!!
Seriously…I’m glad he is able to now take time to find what he wants to do with his music. He is free to experiment with different sounds, instruments, songs…whatever he wants, because his contractual obligations to Jive ARE NO MORE!!
Truth be told, I hope he takes as much time as he needs to be comfortable and happy with what he is doing…for himself and us.
I, for one, am not putting away my shades anytime soon, ‘cuz D’s future is VERY BRIGHT!! HEH!!
Do You Ever Think, When You’re All Alone…Where This Thing Could Go??
What an energized and fun few days we have had in this ArchuChange phase of being a David fan.
Mayhap this is a portent of things to come. Soulful? Jazzy? Organic? Acoustic? Jammin’ with ma’ hommies? Who knows??
What I do know is that it’s sublime, divine, and full of joy.
The National Anthem at the National Hockey League playoffs last Friday, April 22nd was gorgeous in it’s simplicity. And this YouTube video, one of many, has just over 12,000 views…
And then the online concert in Nashville for the Invisible Children on April 25th…
“Gotta Get Through This/Message in A Bottle” packed a one-two punch. No this “Crush” ain’t going anywhere. It’s got its claws into us and we are…”hypnotized, mesmerized…” Lord help us (or not 😀 ).
How can one not have a “crush” on David Archuleta’s music which is enhanced by his person, his character, his stick-tu-a-tive-ness to his sense of self.
With his latest simple, soaring, gorgeous National Anthem and then his cover of GGTT and POTC and the “Sounds of Silence” duet with Landon,” it cements in place, yet again my dear fellow Archu-Loonies, that this…
David seemed different as well. His vocals were stunning and he tread fearlessly into new vocal territory with an intensity I had never witnessed before. David’s penchant for detail and his passion for musical expression were at full throttle! It was 80 degrees outside and I had the chills! It was all I could do at times to keep my video camera steady! He was in constant motion, using the entire stage as he spun his magic and you could feel the crowd momentum building as he progressed through his well-thought-out set list.
SnowAngelz: Canadian fans of David Archuleta 