Angelica
djafan
bebereader
Abrra
Ah! Where do I begin?
I invited Sandy Beaches to fly down and attend the show on Friday at Six Flags, to see David. It was a pleasant ride up to the park. We weren’t quite prepared for the daunting task ahead of us. Six Flags is a bit like a mini Disneyland. Everything is bigger and farther away than you realize. There were trams that shuttled us from the parking lot to the main gate. We had vouchers to turn in to get a VIP wristband. Long walk to the building, only to wait 30 min for an updated name list so that we could be given out wristbands.
We had River and TrudyFOD waiting in the line at the entrance to the area where the stage was located. The path leading to our destination was a maze of humanity that we had to weave through. We were about 75 deep in the line, with several hundred coming in later after us to wait for the 3 pm opening of the gate. Djbell arrived and our group was complete. There were mostly teens in the line around us. They are so resourceful! I enjoyed watching then make their David posters to hold up at the show. Bringing rolled poster board, day-glo markers of all colors and printed pictures, they decorated each one to have a high visibility from the stage. I am sure they all hoped David would see theirs and give his classic wave! Part of my mission was to share Cd’s I had made as well as some pins that declare “The Voice.” I do try to spread the word about our site to as many fans as possible.
Next came a quick lunch of fresh pizza served to us by TrudyFOD ( our brave waitress who went to stand in a 30 min food line) and we were ready for the gate to open.
This was a general admission venue. Our wristband gave us “up front” standing spot at the stage. We were led in slowly with the warning not to run so that no one would get injured. Seriously! Once through the gate the 5 of us made a human chain and scooted as fast as we could to keep up with the teens who had a faster scoot rate than us, haha! One of us had a tumble ( all is ok, not to worry) on the grass, but we made it to the 3rd row. Djbell had center position. I told those around us to give her room if they wanted primo video on youtube. She did an awesome job! I was able to meet Niki from Snarky’s and Rach from ArchieRx. I handed them some Cd’s and a “The Voice” pin as a keepsake.
I discovered :
1. I can’t text/tweet in the hot sun.
2. I can’t take pictures/videos in the hot sun.
3. I have a 2 hour limit standing in the hot sun.
The show started with a young female singer named Auburn. She is a hip hop singer. She performed rather mechanically with rehearsed moves as she sang. Her voice was very good. Watch Auburn here
But she was not David. So we waited.
They announced David Archuleta and then we waited more. Tick- tock.
Twenty-five minutes later David appeared on the left side of the stage, poised to go with his hand on the railing, ready to run up the steps to the stage.
Dressed in a white cotton tee shirt with baby blue horizontal stripes, new dark hip hugger jeans , sassy leather belt that peeked out from under his front tucked shirt, David shot up to the stage!
He led off with Touch My hand, with a music track behind him.. Full of energy with a strong voice! Lots of waving to fans, and a generous number of look aways. He sure likes getting the ladies screaming. Next was Something ‘Bout Love. He had a pounding beat musical track accompanying him. It was a departure from what we have seen up to now on this promotional tour. I see great things ahead as we see him evolve with this song on his solo tour. It will be his new “jump” song no doubt. Mike came out for the next number “Elevator.” There were a few new hand movements during this song. As he sang, “Go with the flow..” he bent his arm out in front in a serpentine wavy motion and “a box with no air” he drew a square out in midair. David said this is a favorite of his. Dreaming a song is very special indeed. He is truly living his dream. With sweat rolling down his sideburns (yes, I said sideburns) he mopped his brow and stepped up to the microphone on center stage to sing Crush. The crowd noise went up 100 decibels. Everyone sang along and David had a HUGE grin on his face the whole time.
I could see a new intensity in his performance. He has missed the energy the fans bring in a live show. Lots of clenched fists, hunkerdowns, head whips, plus new ending notes to all the songs. It’s obvious he is bursting with pride over this new album.
When his set was finished, he turned to his right and ran off the stage, down the steps, then out of sight.
Sandy beaches and I left right after he was gone and the rest of the group stayed till the end. It was a grand time. We reconnecting with friends we had not seen since the CFTH tour. But best of all, we reconnected with the one who connects us all to each other___David.
6:29 PM Jun 8th ~ DA tweet
The mark of a great singer is the ability to communicate the message with more than mere words. David displays a raw emotional connection with each performance. The spoken language of the song is not as relevant as the message conveyed through his interpretation. David has demonstrated this ability countless times. Honored with the ALMA Award Year in Music “Rising Male Star,” his capacity to tap into his passion for a song, then convey its meaning to an audience was breath-taking. Contigo en la Distancia was flawlessly performed in Spanish on national television before an audience of Latino cultural elite. Many well-known singers, actors and entertainment industry decision makers had stunned looks of appreciation when the lights went up. This passion for the art of conveying emotion through song has caught the attention of the Latino community in a big way. His voice was showcased in three solo parts in the production of Somos el Mundo, while most singers were featured once or twice. Such recognition indicates a level of well deserved respect outside of mainstream pop and within a much larger world perspective.
With the news that David’s book “Chords of Strength” made #15 on the New York Times best seller non-fiction list, I began to wonder how a book makes it to the list. I was interested to read that the New York Times “tracks” a book (not every book published) they deem a potential best seller and ask 4,000 bookstores, both chain and independent, to report sales. Other times they are alerted by the publisher to a book that has gained a fast rise in sales. The fact that David’s first attempt at something outside the music world made it to this standard in publishing is astonishing.
