The Voice

DAVID ARCHULETA

Posts Tagged ‘missing him’

David Archuleta ~ At the Sounds of David Event

Posted by djafan on Sunday, April 21, 2013

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Sounds of David Luncheon and Fan Mixer

On Saturday April 6, 2013 a group of devoted fans got together in honor of David Archuleta and his music with the goal of benefiting Child Fund International and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, two children’s’ charities that David supports.

Pamela Pike did a terrific job arranging this event which I had the pleasure of attending!  We had a delicious buffet lunch consisting of grilled chicken and steak, together with greens and wonderful desserts.

I had a great time with Winnie, she’s lovely.  It was also great fun meeting up with known fans and meeting new ones.  I hope we can continue to have fan get-togethers.

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Here are the highlights:

Mariners Elementary School Choir of Newport Beach sang for us.  It was a great surprise to hear them sing Nandito Ako, they were so cute.

Newport Platinum Dance Academy danced to Zero Gravity and My Kind of Perfect, some more cuteness.

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Singer/Songwriter, Sunny Hilden emceed the event.  She has so much energy and spunk. Sunny handled the auction duties had us in stitches.  While auctioning off a large David poster she encouraged us by saying it could serve as a wrinkle remover lol.  I can see why she is David’s friend.  It was a privilege to have some words with her.  She is a genuine person.  She loves and admires David.  Sunny spoke of David throughout the event, sharing how she met him at the AI finale when Randy Jackson told a bunch of kids wanting to sing for him to go sing to Sunny, she’s a singer and songwriter, so they all went to her and sang.  David waited to the end.  She knew then he had something special and kept in touch with him. Sunny also shared with us a story about The My Kind Of Christmas poem David read to the kids on the Christmas tour.  They are actually part of the lyrics of a song by the same name she had never completed.  It has since been completed and Sunny read it to us.  She shared that the melodies in this song are beautiful.  She’s hoping and praying that David record’s it when he returns (I added to my list of prayers).

I was so excited to meet Michael Orland, Musical Director of American Idol.  He and I have some tweet history and I’ll never forget him saying “David came to us a genius and left a genius”.

Dorian Holley, AI vocal coach, spoke so highly of David and his time on American Idol. Noting how David in his quiet way stood his ground on things going on behind the scenes. Dorian mentioned how everyone liked David and that his work ethic was something else.

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Special video appearances by:

Rosanne Simunovic better known as Masterclass Lady who is a voice instructor also spoke highly of David and has a huge admiration for not only his voice but person.  She told the story of meeting David during AI tour in Canada.  That upon meeting and introducing herself to David he quickly asked her for help in regards to his singing, always trying to improve.

Dean Kaelin David’s voice instructor sent a video in which he spoke about his singing and the decision of going on a mission.  Dean got teary at one point talking about David’s decision.

I understand this will be on the DVD of the day.  I hope it has Kari’s parting words at the end, had us in tears.

I was able to speak to Kari for a bit and meet Jon “The Broken Man” I named him.  I introduced Winnie to her as a new fan.  Kari asked Winnie how she became a fan and Winnie told her because of Nandito Ako.  Kari’s face lit up and said “Wasn’t he good?” lol We said, “YES!  Still hoping for that DVD!”

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Kari thanked us for our support of David through tears.  Told us she and David are so appreciative of all we do for him and that David WILL START WHERE HE LEFT OFF UPON HIS RETURN AND THAT THINGS WILL BE BIGGER AND BETTER!

I have chills every time I repeat this.  So let the countdown continue.

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They played I’ll Be Waiting by Aaron Paul in closing.

credit aaroncathy619

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Posted in @DavidArchie, @kariontour, Appreciation, Archies, ChildFund, Children's Miracle Network, David Archuleta, fandom, The Voice, tours | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 70 Comments »

Random Thoughts From a Long Time Fan of David Archuleta

Posted by betsy on Saturday, April 13, 2013

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Still here, guys.

Less than a year to go.

How have things changed? Because they have. I’m not talking about how many new Twitter followers David’s gained, or how many album sales, or how many Facebook Likes he has. I’m talking about us.

Some days I HAVE to listen to him. Have to.

Some days not.

I went over a week without, just didn’t feel like it. Listened to a lot of Gavin DeGraw and I’LL ADMIT IT LEE DEWYZE. :)

Some days I comment on posts. Then I’ll disappear for a little while.

(and it’s not always because life gets in the way, we can say that till the cows come home, but there was a time we stayed up all night discussing things, laundry decaying in piles lol)

Sometimes I think there isn’t anything worthwhile for me to contribute anymore, after five years of online fangirling, I think I’ve said everything I could possibly say. What HAVEN’T I said?

Am I as invested as I once was? Probably not. Or maybe I am. I don’t even know anymore.

I miss David. Some days more than others.

I miss his random, funny tweets.

I miss his vlogs.

I miss his random bursts of song. In person and written in tweets.

I miss planning trips to shows, and knowing, just KNOWING how great it’ll be.

I miss his smile, his laugh, his hugs.

I miss staying up late and looking for new concert footage the night of a show.

I miss a lot of people who have drifted away, not just since he’s been gone, but even before that.

I miss the friends I made at the shows. The friends I attended shows with. Had great dinners with. Held hands with and cried while the most beautiful songs were being sung to us. While Ave Maria was happening in front of us. Peeked through a crack in a door to watch David soundcheck with. Talked like the oldest and best of friends while eating some fab food. Laughed hysterically in the car when someone’s iPad ran out of minutes and she frantically added time so we could continue watching videos that were popping up after our show. Danced to TOSOD in a gas station restroom after a show. :) Ran like a foolish 13 yr old to save a place in the front row of a show outside in the cold. Sat in a chatroom till all hours discussing every minute particle of every song. Every change in our lives.

Wow, we’ve really been lucky. Really, genuinely lucky.

A year ago, I wondered what it would be like in a year. I wondered if people would still frequent the sites. Who knew what would happen? We all said we’d be here, but life has a way of curving, changing.

We are closer to the coming back than the leaving.

* * * * * *

Betsy is a Staff Writer for The Voice

Posted in @DavidArchie, @kariontour, David Archuleta, fandom, The Voice, tours | Tagged: , , | 136 Comments »

DAVID ARCHULETA ~ LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!

Posted by djafan on Thursday, March 28, 2013

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Mckenzie did an awesome job highlighting David’s accomplishments during  his first year away on his mission.  She does a great job of promoting David.  I saw this tweet and was blown away by this amazing labor of love.

McKenzie Harris ‏@McKenzieHarr21 Mar

Uploading my 30 min vid of career highlights of @DavidArchie March 2012-March 2013 tonight, “Popstar on A Mission”. Check it out @kariontour

On March 28, 2012, American Idol star and Platinum recording artist David Archuleta left on a 2 year Mormon mission. 

In his absence, David’s team has successfully managed to keep his music career thriving by regularly releasing projects prepared before he left and by effectively harnessing the power of modern technology and social media to fully engage with fans around the work and to enlist their aid in keeping his name prominently in the public eye.

What David Archuleta and his team have accomplished this past year is something even fans doubted could be done. To an outsider looking in, David seems busier than ever before and certainly more busy than some artists actively pursuing their music careers. This is a testament to his incredible preparation before leaving, a marketing strategy effectively tailored to promote an artist not available to promote his work, and the undying support of one of the most committed fanbases in the world.

This video is a record of the remarkable and unprecedented year in David Archuleta’s career AFTER he left on his mission. Here are the highlights of what David and his team accomplished:

Released 4 CDs
Earned 1 Gold CD
Earned a #28 Debut on Billboard 200 (His 4th Top 30 CD)
Released 4 Music Videos
Earned multiple chart topping singles
Starred in an Ad campaign for Bench clothing
Released 14 new videos on his YouTube Channel
Added 320,000 Twitter Followers
Inspired 37 World Wide Twitter Trends
Added over a Million Facebook Friends
Preparing to release DVD of Nandito Ako – the miniseries he filmed just before leaving.

Pick up David Archuleta’s New CD, “No Matter How Far” out March 26, 2013 and released by E1Music. Available on ITunes, Amazon, Walmart etc.

Request his debut single “Don’t Run Away” at your radio stations.

The songs in the video are:

Forevermore and Tell Me from David Archuleta’s CDs “No Matter How Far” and “Forevermore” released by Ivory Music and Video.

Nothing Else Better to Do from David Archuleta’s CD “No Matter How Far” released by E1Music.

Somewhere Only We Know from David Archuleta’s CD “Begin.” released by Highway Records.

Rainbow (Remix) from David Archuleta’s CD Forevermore, Expanded Edition released by Ivory Music and Video

Follow David Archuleta on Twitter @DavidArchie

Like David Archuleta on Facebook

Follow David’s manager Kari Sellards on Twitter @kariontour

Follow me on Twitter @mckenzieharr

Please retweet this video to support David Archuleta

 Let the countdown begin!

 

Posted in @DavidArchie, Anniversary, Appreciation, David Archuleta, fan video, Mission, Musical icon, The Voice | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 45 Comments »

The Ultimate Setlist ~ David Archuleta

Posted by bebereader on Tuesday, March 5, 2013

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gif credit: ohnopurple

It is not an easy feat for a young artist to come up with a sophomore album. Yet David has produced a total of seven albums in five years. To quote Simon Cowell, “When you’ve got it, you’ve got it.” Back from his mission with a plethora of songs in his repertoire, he will have a leviathan task on his hands making up his setlist for when he starts touring again.

So let’s help him out. I’ve compiled a list of songs from his albums, plus songs and covers he has done at concerts and appearances.  Some songs he hasn’t even sung yet but we can dream, can’t we?

Here is your assignment, should you wish to accept it:

Use the ballot below to select 25 songs you would like to hear David sing on his next tour.  You can make suggestions for other songs, too. We will tally the ballots and come up with the 25 songs that make it to the Ultimate Setlist for the Homecoming Tour! You never know who may wander over here to read our list and take note of our choices. ;)

Posted in @DavidArchie, concerts, David Archuleta, fandom, Homecoming Tour, poll, The Voice, tours, Welcome Home Tour | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 84 Comments »

David Archuleta – No Matter How Far, The Tracklist

Posted by djafan on Saturday, February 23, 2013

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1. Nothing Else Better To Do

2. Everything And More

3. Don’t Run Away

4. Tell Me

5. Love Don’t Hate

6. Wait

7. Heart Falls Out

8. Notice Me

9. I’ll Never Go

10. Forevermore

AMAZON

Walmart

Best Buy

Barnes And Noble

NO MATTER HOW FAR-002

Posted in @DavidArchie, Appreciation, David Archuleta, fillers, music, song writing, The Voice, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 95 Comments »

Happy Valentine’s Day ~ David Archuleta

Posted by betsy on Wednesday, February 13, 2013

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It’s here! It’s one of my favorite days of the year. What’s not to love about a holiday celebrating love? I’ve been told “Oh, no, you’re one of THOSE.” Yes I am. It’s the reason I chose to marry the love of my life on Valentine’s Day. Hearts, flowers, chocolates, poems, special weekends away – I am there for all of it.

Do you guys remember when David left us a singing Valentine message? This was 4 years ago, and it was the best thing.


Then 1 year ago. <3

Have a great Valentine’s Day, everyone.

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Wonderful Heartache ~ Jordan S. Hutchinson

Posted in David Archuleta, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | 35 Comments »

DAVID ARCHULETA NEWS TODAY!

Posted by djafan on Monday, January 28, 2013

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Photo by Matt Clayton

Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆ ‏@LadyVmusic

ooo i know for sure some of you on here would be loving to come to my lunch meeting to hear which artists new record i’m discussing!! :)

Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆ ‏@LadyVmusic

lets just say this about today.. some of my tweeter fam are going to freak out soon when they hear the news… :)

Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆ ‏@LadyVmusic

I do believe its archie news sometime today! :)

Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆ ‏@LadyVmusic

haha i love all your messages & lets be honest it is exciting news! (i might just already know what it is!) just waiting for the official ok

Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆ ‏@LadyVmusic

@jmlittman the other stuff is about an extremely fab artist & his team r about to announce some news as he’s done something for his fans! :)

Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆ ‏@LadyVmusic

if you guys read the official before they mail me, plz tweet me!!

Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆ ‏@LadyVmusic

trust me i do know how excited you all are, cos when i first found out- i was like this is amazing!!!

Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆ ‏@LadyVmusic

right now 1million 300k @DavidArchie fans should be getting very excited!!!!

Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆Victoria Hornღ♫♕❀✿♥☆ ‏@LadyVmusic

ok gotta go and get ready for my session today but i’ll keep my eye on my phone.. but the news might not be released til later today…

And Kari!

Kari SellardsKari Sellards ‏@kariontour

It’s going to be a crazy but good last week of January 2013!! Who’s ready for it?

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

FROM DAVID!!!!!

David ArchuletaDavid Archuleta ‏@DavidArchie

A little message today from David “I hope you all have a wonderful week! – David” (KS)

Posted in @DavidArchie, Archies, David Archuleta | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 71 Comments »

David Archuleta Inspires Gifting

Posted by djafan on Thursday, November 1, 2012

(photo credit: Naree)

David fans are the best gifters ever.  Most of the time they want to remain anonymous.  We want to thank them all who have so selflessly gifted.  Here are a couple of thank yous we’ve received; not all sent them, but as long as they are loving David Archuleta and his music, all is well.

English Translation

Hey guys, it’s Georgette here! Haha, sounds familiar? Well seemed like a good way to start this email since that’s how David begins his video blogs every time he makes one, and I love how he does that.

I became an “Archie” or “Arch Angel” as I watched the episode of Hannah Montana on Disney Channel 2 years ago. I felt an incredible connection with David and his way of being caught my attention, so I searched for him in Google (as anyone who wants to know a little more about someone LOL) and what I liked the most is that David has Latin family! wow! That shocked me very much, so I quickly went to YouTube and looked for videos of David speaking in Spanish… I was shocked! Not only by his way of speaking, but by its simplicity, humility, passion and all the feelings I noticed when David speaks, sings or simply expresses himself.

I also noticed that David participated in American Idol and came in second place, so I looked for the songs that he sang and all performances on YouTube. What else did I do? Download all the songs obviously! I converted to an Archie at around September, a little before the release of The Other Side Of Down. I remember it very well.

On http://www.DavidArchuleta.com page there was a countdown marking the days until 5 October. After downloading his songs I looked up the lyrics and I learned them very quickly. The connection I felt with David was very deep… he was not only “David Archuleta” he had become everything and more than I thought. I remember feeling inspired with the lyrics of his songs from TOSOD.

For me David is one in a million.  The simplicity and modesty that he shows are a great inspiration for many people. Not many artists are like this. I’m in love with the fact that David sings because he loves singing and music, not because he is interested in fame or anything else that comes with it; He only sings because the music is his life. David can’t imagine doing anything else that is not singing, and I can’t imagine listening to different music than that of David.

It’s as simple as this, if there is no David, there is no Georgette because David is part of me and I see him as a very important person in my life. The things that he taught me cannot be counted with a finger and I am really thankful for it all. I sometimes think, “how can there be people who don’t like David? Or, people who like David, but don’t feel as inspired as I am? Don’t they feel his music like other Archies? It is not easy to say, but I’m sure that if they stopped a moment to listen to any song, the words, it will be an inspiration because what you feel when David sings is contagious… you can see in his eyes, his way of expressing that he has a message behind each song and I am proud to say that I know that message. I now understand the message better.

When David announced that he would leave on a mission for the Latter Day Saints Church, my heart broke… but I couldn’t be happier! David would be serving his church for 2 years preaching the word of God, the person who has taught me many things I know and I give thanks to him for putting David in my path and now David will reach more people. Wow that is incredible!

To make a long story short. I give thanks to The Voice for all that you do for the fans. Thank you for sending me a copy of Forevermore and the amazing bracelet … David: You’ve become part of my soul.

-Georgette, Venezuela.

Original in Spanish

Hey guys, it’s Georgette here! Haha, sounds familiar? Bueno me pareció una buena forma de empezar este email ya que así empieza David sus video blogs cada vez que hace uno, y amo la forma en que hace eso.

Yo me convertí en una “Archie” o “Arch Angel” mientras veía el episodio de Hannah Montana en Disney Channel, hace 2 años. Sentí una conexión increíble con David y su forma de ser me llamó mucho la atención, así que lo busqué en Google (como toda persona que quiere saber un poco más acerca de alguien LOL) y lo que más me gusto es que David tienen familia LATINA! wow! Eso me impactó mucho, así que fui rápidamente a YouTube y busqué vídeos de David hablando en español… Quedé impactada! No solo por su forma de hablar, sino por su sencillez, humildad, pasión y todos los sentimientos que noté en David al hablar, cantar o simplemente expresarse.

También noté que David participó en American Idol y que quedó de segundo lugar, así que busqué las canciones que cantó y todas sus presentaciones en YouTube. Qué más hice? Descargar todas sus canciones OBVIAMENTE!!! Me convertí una Archie al rededor de Septiembre por lo que faltaba poco para el lanzamiento de The Other Side Of Down, lo recuerdo muy bien.

En su página www.DavidArchuleta.com había un conteo regresivo por los días que faltaban para el 5 de Octubre. Luego de descargar sus canciones busqué las letras y me las aprendí muy rápido, es que la conexión que sentí con David era muy profunda… no solo era “David Archuleta”, él se había convertido en todo lo que pensaba. Recuerdo haber sentido una inspiración muy fuerte con las letras de sus canciones desde su primer CD hasta TOSOD. Para mí David es uno en un millón, su sencillez y modestia que expresa son de gran inspiración para demasiadas personas y eso no lo tienen muchos artistas. Estoy enamorada del hecho de que David solo canta porque ama cantar y la música, no porque le interesa la fama o cualquier otra cosa que venga con ella; él solo canta porque la música es su vida, no me imagino a David haciendo otra cosa que no sea cantar y no me imagino escuchando otra música que no sea la de David.

De una manera más sencilla: No hay David, no hay Georgette; porque David ya es parte de mí y lo considero como una persona muy importante en mi vida.  Las cosas que él me ha enseñado no se pueden contar con un dedo y estoy realmente agradecida con todo. A veces pienso, ¿Cómo existe gente a la que no le gusta David? O, a la gente que le gusta David, ¿se sentirán tan inspirados como yo?  ¿Sentirán su música al igual que otros Archies? No es fácil decirlo, pero estoy segura de que si se detienen un momento a escuchar cualquier canción de él y entender las letras, lo sentirán porque la inspiración es contagiosa al igual que los sentimientos que siente David cuando canta… se puede ver en sus ojos y en su forma de expresarse que él tiene un mensaje detrás de cada canción, y estoy orgullosa de decir que sé cuál es ese mensaje. Y ahora mucho más conozco el mensaje.

Cuando David anunció que partiría en una misión para la Iglesia de los Santos de los Últimos Días, mi corazón se partió… no podía estar más feliz!! David estaría sirviendo para una Iglesia por 2 años predicando la palabra de Dios, la persona que nos ha enseñado muchas de las cosas que sabemos y le doy gracias a Él por poner a David en nuestro camino; y saber que ahora David llegará a mucha más gente?? Wow eso es increíble!!

Para no hacer esta historia más larga me despido agradeciendo a The Voice por todo lo que hacen por los fans, gracias por enviarme una copia de Forevermore y el increíble brazalete… David: Te has convertido en parte de mi alma.

-Georgette, Venezuela.

English Translation

Hello, first of all I want to thank you TheVoiceDavidArchuleta and Blueberry Ice from CA, thanks to you I have this wonderful FOREVERMORE Cd and also to SandyBeaches from Canada for the beautiful bracelet she gave me.  INFINITE THANKS!

DAVID JAMES ARCHULETA MAYORGA… MORE THAN AN IDOL

For me DAVID is more than an Idol, why?  Because he is simple and humble despite being a famous artist, he has never changed and remains as who he is. I love his personality, so humble and generous to all, it is really admirable.

David is the best singer for me because he has an ANGELIC voice that not many have, his songs are very beautiful and meaningful. He inspires me so much. :)

For me he is a winner.  He worked hard to get to where he is :) and he remains the same: the same sweet guy. Nice, humble, simple, charismatic, lovable and cute.  I watched him on ‘American Idol’ in 2008 and  I became a fan of David. :)

David Archuleta is without a doubt a complete artist! In addition to a great human being < 3!

- ALWAYS smiles.
- ALWAYS delivers the best in every interpretation.
- ALWAYS supports his friends.
- ALWAYS is proud of his Latin roots. <3
- ALWAYS cares for those around him.
- ALWAYS attends to his fans and talks with them.
- ALWAYS is attentive to everyone.

Thanks to his efforts.  He has endured adversities but has been able to overcome :’)

The truth for me, and I dare say that for many of his fans he is an example to follow and a being that inspires us a lot. :’ (D)

Waiting for David Archuleta…

Lizbeth

Original in Spanish

Hola, primero que nada muchas GRACIAS a TheVoiceDavidArchuleta  y a Blueberry Ice de CA,  ya que gracias a ustedes tengo este maravilloso Cd FOREVERMORE y también a SandyBeaches de Canadá por la hermosa pulsera que me obsequiaron.  J  ¡INFINITAS GRACIAS!

DAVID JAMES ARCHULETA MAYORGA… MAS QUE UN ÍDOLO

Para mí DAVID es más que un ídolo, ¿porque? porque es humilde y sencillo a pesar de ser un famoso /artista  nunca cambio  y sigue siendo tal como es, amo su personalidad tan humilde y generoso con todos, es realmente admirable.

El mejor cantante para mí porque tiene una voz ANGELICAL que no muchos poseen.  Sus canciones son muy hermosas y significan tanto,  me inspiran mucho :)

El para mí es UN TRIUNFADOR, lucho MUCHÍSIMO para llegar a donde el esta :) , y sigue siendo el mismo: el mismo chico dulce, simpático, humilde, sencillo, carismático, adorable, lindo que  veía en el programa ‘American Idol’ aquel 2008 que es  desde allí donde me hice fan de David. :)

David Archuleta es sin duda un artista completo! Además de un gran ser humano<3!

- SIEMPRE está sonriendo.
- SIEMPRE entrega lo mejor de sí en cada interpretación.
- SIEMPRE apoya a sus amigos y cercanos.
- SIEMPRE se muestra orgulloso de sus raíces latinas. <3
- SIEMPRE se preocupa por los que están a su alrededor.
- SIEMPRE atiende a sus fans y conversa con ellos/as.
- Es atento con todos.

Y todo lo que ha logrado ha sido gracias a su esfuerzo, al igual que cualquier persona ha tenido debilidades y adversidades pero las ha sabido superar :’)

La verdad para mí, y me atrevo a decir que para varias de sus fans, es un ejemplo a seguir y un ser que nos inspira muchísimo. :’D

Waiting for David Archuleta…

Lizbeth

Posted in @DavidArchie, @kariontour, Appreciation, Archies, David Archuleta, fandom, music, The Voice | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 60 Comments »

Concert and VIP Memories/The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face ~ David Archuleta

Posted by bebereader on Sunday, October 21, 2012

The first time I saw David live in concert was at a stop on his first solo tour. I knew I‘d be running late so I didn‘t get VIP tickets. Since then I have gone to six more events, and met him in person three times. I should be a pro by now and able to write the book on how to do a VIP with him, right?  Wrong! YouTube had become my BFF because it shielded me from coming face to face with him. Without fail, I revert back to my fifteen year-old shy self when I see him.

I know that there are fans out there who have not yet seen David live in concert or met him in person so I wanted to write about my first VIP experience. Thinking about it brought back some concert memories, too.

My first VIP was almost three years ago at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. Being there felt surreal. After months of anticipation, could this really be happening?  To make it worse, from the time I checked in to VIP to the time I actually met David was several hours. Spending the time with Marlie, Silverfox and Dawn in a special VIP room with approximately 100 other VIPers was a lot of fun. We sat at round tables and chatted while munching on New York pretzels and other assorted snacks provided by the tour promoters. While the anticipation was mounting, they tried to keep us busy by having us answer silly DJA trivia questions like what is David’s favorite food and what are the names of his animals and what is his birthdate. It didn’t work.

Time was tight, we heard, and were informed that David would not be singing “Heaven” or “Crazy” as promised, like he did in previous shows on that tour. I was so looking forward to hearing those songs. Instead, we marched to the arena where we saw sound check performances of  TMH and ALTNOY.

Then David answered some questions from the fans. Look how comfortable he was, chilling with us.

After sound check it was back to the to the VIP room when word got around that David was due to arrive for the meet and greet. It seemed like the number of people sitting at the tables multiplied when we all stood and gathered on the long line. Without even seeing him I knew that he had arrived. There was a kind of hush when David entered the room. Not even kidding. The sound actually changed from a drone of noise to one of quiet excitement. And there he was, a regular guy, except not.

Honestly, I didn’t believe all the hype about the glow around him. I had never heard of such a thing; how can a person glow? But for some reason it looked like there was constant light shining on him. I looked at the ceiling to see if there was a spotlight or a bulb or something. But I didn’t see anything. It was as if a glow was from inside him.  He was across the room so I was able to take it all in, the line of fans waiting in anticipation for their turn, the gentle manner he had with each person. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him and I wasn’t the only one.  As I got closer and closer it was as if he was larger than life, a brilliant presence, yet just a young man.

One of the things that’s so endearing about David is the way he gives each fan his undivided attention. When he finished with one fan, he looked at the line to see who was next. Yikes it was me! He looked at me and Mr. Bebereader and I froze. I had to be pulled to come forward.

I had it all planned. I prepared to ask David about the song “One” by U2 that he sang a segment of on his solo tour. With Marlie’s help, I had started a campaign and collected close to 100 letters from fans, (delivered to David by Silverfox at a prior show on the tour), encouraging him to cover the entire song. Achkkk; what I said to him came out all jumbled.

David: Heyyyyyyy! (Big smile, you know the one.)
Fifteen year old Me: Hi David, remember the one letters?
David: Huh????? (his signature huh?)
Who could blame him? It sounded like I was doing a play on words with one/won. I rattled his brain and explained yada yada yada, ciss boom bang. And then he said…
David: Oh yeah!!!!!
Me: Do you think you’ll sing the whole song one day?
David: I don’t know but I really love that song!

Phbbbbbt!  After all that, I got a non-answer! We took the picture and away I went. Ironically, Mr. Bebereader had a more coherent and satisfying conversation with David about picking him to win from the audition and  wishing he had 100 students like him.  It was interesting to stand around and observe the other fans after their encounter with David. Each person looked touched in some way, either with a permanent grin on their face or like they needed to get outside for some fresh air.

My memories of the actual Atlantic City concert are hazy because my upgraded Row 2 VIP seats were so far over to the left that I could barely see David onstage. In between songs, David talked about Halloween and asked what costumes people wore. I remember sitting behind a little girl and her Mother. During the show, the girl turned around several times and looked at me. Then she whispered something to her Mom. (Did I have something in my teeth? Was I singing a little too loud?) Shortly after, the Mom turned around and asked “Excuse me, are you David’s mother? My daughter said that she thinks you are. “  Trust me; I look nothing like Lupe Archuleta. But I was so tickled and responded with “No, but I wish I had a son like him!”

When the show was over all the fans found each other and congregated in the lobby of the hotel, not wanting to go!  Such good memories.

For those of you who have been to David’s concerts and/or VIPs, are there any memories that stand out that you’d like to share?

Posted in concerts, David Archuleta, fandom, recaps, The Voice, tours | Tagged: , , , , , | 133 Comments »

David Archuleta ~ FOREVERMORE EXPANDED EDITION???!!!

Posted by djafan on Friday, October 19, 2012

Posted in Appreciation, David Archuleta, fillers, music | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 76 Comments »

 
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