Cleveland, Ohio 12/12/09

(Sorry that some of this is like I'm not even sure of what I'm saying. As weird as it sounds, I literally have a fear of lying haha. And I want to make sure every detail is accurate.) And I'll be adding details as I remember. :)


So first of all, I have no words. I'm so blessed to be able to have gone on this trip to Ohio all the way from Georgia for this concert and be able to say I was a part of this tour. I feel blessed I have parents that are willing to let me fly over 3,000 miles to and from for a concert. I'm so blessed that I have a mom and grandmom that want to actually go with me and be able to see what I see and maybe a taste of how I feel. I prayed that if this was supposed to work out that it would, and it did. Better than I ever could have dreamed. My grandpa passed away 3 years ago and we were able to use his frequent flier miles to almost pay for our airline ticket, and my dad travels to the point he got us into a very nice hotel for a very little cost. I feel so blessed.

First of all, I didn't go to school Friday, December 11th. Our flight was going to leave at 4:55pm, and I woke up excited. We left at about 1:30 and got to the airport where we sat for about 4 hours haha. We were going to fly and connect in Houston and then fly to Cleveland, Ohio, but the flight was late to the point there would be no way we would make it to our next connection in time. So the lady was nice enough to transfer us to a plane that left at 7pm from Atlanta (where I live) straight to Cleveland. We graciously accepted. The flight to Houston would take 2 hours and then the flight to Cleveland from there would have taken 4, so less than an hour in replace of that was amazing.

When we got on the plane, it was a pretty small plane, only seating around 70. We walked outside and walked up the steps to the inside of the plane, and sat down. I was so excited when the plane took off! We knew that when it landed we would be in Cleveland, and I was thrilled. The flight didn't seem long at all, and flying over Atlanta at night with all of the lights was magical. Same with flying into Cleveland. When we got off of the plane, the first thing I thought of was the cold. It said it felt like 14 degrees, and I've never felt cold like that before. It was awesome! So we went inside of the airport and I stood in front of a Welcome to Cleveland sign and took a picture!




We got our luggage (our one 48 pound bag) and waiting near the door for the cab to pick us up to take us to the hotel. I was ecstatic. On our way to the hotel, the man driving was like "So I'm guessing you guys are from the south by the way you're talking?" Haha! When we got to the hotel I saw some snow on the ground by the hotel and walked around on it haha. When we were checking in, the guy was so nice. He put a big smile on my face lol. We got them to make sure to get a taxi there at 2:25 the next day! We unpacked and got stuff together, and I was spazzing out. We watched some TV and we went to bed. I woke up so many times during the night, and at one point had the weirdest dream. I had a dream that I had gotten to the concert and the next thing I know was that he was leaving the stage and when I asked what happened someone told me I had fallen asleep through the whole concert, haha! It was so realistic when I woke up I thought that I had actually missed it. I bet you can imagine how I felt when I realized that I hadn't missed it and I was going to see him TODAY! I was so excited. My mom and grandmom went to get breakfast and I stayed behind and watched TV and listened to my iPod. When they got back (and awh! They brought me food back haha) I ate and continued to watch TV. I was texting some of my Archie friends that were going to be there that day and we were all so excited. Around 1 I started getting ready, and I was trying to not get too excited because I had already been spazzing out all morning, and didn't want to be on pins and needles waiting haha. But I was so excited still. Last time I had been to a concert or had seen him was 4 months before, and I was so excited to get to go to the show and see what I've been seeing on YouTube, and get to see him be random at the VIP again haha. So the hour flew by while I got ready, and then all of a sudden I was afraid I was running late haha. But we took some pictures inside of the hotel lobby, and then the guy was waiting for us. So we got into the car and we were on our way! I was so excited and he was asking about what we were seeing at the Palace Theater, and we told him David Archuleta. I was so happy! So we finally got there, and let me just say Cleveland is beautiful. My mom said it looks similar to New York or something.



But I waited outside for a couple of minutes and then we read the itinerary and they said to meet in the lobby, so thankfully we were able to go inside. It is SO beautiful inside.




(those were taken after the VIP when nobody was allowed in there yet)

The first person I saw was Christian, who was at Greenville, who greeted me with a hug haha. I was so excited! We went to where everyone was waiting. They had it locked off so we couldn't get into the main area of the theater yet, but it was gorgeous. So I met up with some people from IDF, and got to talk to Christian and his brother John and Amanda and a lot of people haha. There were so many people there, 100 people. We were right by where they would let us in, and all of a sudden they flipped it, so we were last to get our tickets and lanyard and wristband and the people in the back were the first to. At first we were kind of bummed, because Christian had been there since 2 and I had been there since around 2:45 and now it was around 3:40. But there was a big gap in the line at one point and they were trying to just get people to fill in the line, and someone got a little irritated and so we backed off, but a minute later she came over crying apologizing saying how she had no clue we had been waiting there as long as we had and she felt bad. She was such a sweet lady. We signed in and they gave us our tickets, the lanyard and the wristband.



At this point, I think they finished checking everyone in and then let us in for crowd free shopping. Again, it was so beautiful there. I didn't shop, and some of us were trying to find where they were going to let us in to the venue so we could get in there faster if we were standing near the doors. They told us they were going to take us up some stairs to a room before then. Finally they took us up there, and it was a huge room with a lot of round tables and food and the ILAA background. We got seats and they told us about how we were just going to hang out there for a while until they got the word they could let us into the theater. They told us to put our gifts under the tree for David and I had a big envelope with letters from my friends and my own in there, and people set theirs under the tree. Kristin explained how David really does go through them all and stuff, and They passed out David quizzes and pens, and said to feel free to eat. They had all sorts of food there, they had cookies, and sandwiches, and so much more that I didn't really pay too much attention to haha.

We were in that room a looooong time, I'm not sure exactly how long. I'd say around an hour. (Or maybe I'm just bad at estimating time haha) I sat by some friends at first and moved around, and then ended up at a table by the door with some people that I remembered from the summer. One woman I was sitting by was willing to trade her row C ticket with someone, and although I had row E which wasn't bad at all, she traded with me. I'm still so grateful for that. They drew the raffle of who would ask the questions, and they went over the answers to the David quiz lol. Finally, after waiting a while, they told us they were ready. So we went into the theater and David wasn't there yet, and when the first row was filled and they were starting the second row, they said they still had two extra seats in the front row, which me and John took haha. I was the second seat from the left end. There was hardly any foot room in the front row, and you had to look way up to see the microphone haha. We were so excited! We saw Kendra and Dave and I think Steve in there. And out of nowhere, David walks in from the left side of the stage, and we all clapped and cheered haha. I always have thought he looks different in person, in a good way of course lol. I forgot what he looked like in person for a while, so seeing him again brought back that feeling of Oh yeah! I remember now haha. When he walked in, and said hello, I asked what was on his shirt? And the girl behind me started asking too, and so he looked over and smiled and did the peace sign with both hands, I think, and said "Peaceee" haha. I forgot what he said at first, but he told everyone to wave to someone because during the Demi tour the woman always had candles in his dressing room, and then today he said he walked in and saw candles in there from her lol. Next I remember him asking what songs we wanted to hear. I automatically yelled MARY DID YOU KNOW, along with a lot of other people saying the same thing. He was like "Okay Mary Did You Know, I'll sing that second." And then people started yelling other songs. I yelled Bubbly haha. I heard I'll Be, and some other songs. He went with Pat a Pan and then people were still yelling and he said something like "I can only do two!" Or "I already picked them out!" Or something, haha. I don't remember exactly. But he was about to start talking or something and they started playing Pat a Pan, so he started singing! And it was awesome. He started walking around the stage and looked straight at me and John at one point, and I was so excited and happy and just a mix of emotions haha. He sounded really gospel-y singing this version, and it sounded amazing! Next he sang Mary Did You Know, and my heart was pounding in my chest the whole time. It was absolutely beautiful. So after he sang that, either he or someone else said it was time for questions and he was like "And I have answers!" so he walked over to the left side of the stage and there was this cute little girl, and she asked if he could sign her CD booklet and he said sure and asked if there were any other questions she wanted to ask, and he was squatted down signing it. At first I guess the marker wasn't working because I heard him go "Oh there we go" or something haha. He was like a few feet away from me and John because he was on our side. I think then the girl asked what was his favorite song on the album. I'm not completely sure of what happened, but he was trying to remember something and then goes "Oh thank you voices in my head" and later said "Oh right, thank you voices in my head" when he remembered something else HAHA! But when he got asked what his favorite song on, he was like "Uhm I'm not sure..I'm not even sure of all of the songs on there.." or something along those lines haha! So he started flipping through the CD liner and looking at the songs and said Pat a Pan. At one point he sat down crossed legged haha. He started handing the booklet back to the girl and then goes "Oh wait! I didn't finish signing it!" and took it back and signed it. At one point he asked the little girl to hold his microphone and she looked like, star struck or terrified. It was so cute. And then the next question was the person wondering if he would be home for Christmas, and he was saying that home was where the family was and something about how there's not really anything planned on Christmas or something. He's pretty sure he'll get to be home though, yay! And next was someone asking if he could sing Happy Birthday to them ,and he said sure and then asked if anyone else had a Birthday in the room, and I think there were about 8. And then he asked her if it was okay if he sang it to her and everyone else. Then he tried getting everyone to stand up if it was their Birthday, and only about 3 people stood up. And he was like "I know I counted more, come on guys STAND UP! You, I think you said it was your Birthday..come on guys STAND UP, it's your Birthday!" And people slowly started standing lol. So he sang Happy Birthday to "Tara and everyoneeeeEEEEEEEEE!" haha. He hit a note that was amazing. So after he said he guessed it was time to take pictures, and said "that's all folks!" and did the looney toons dance haha! At one point he started singing a little of Remember December after something was said that reminded him of it haha. And so this is when the funny part happens haha. So his water bottle was right in front of me, and remember how I had like no leg space? Well I stood up and when the chair closed behind me, I started losing my balance or I'm not even sure what happened really, but I caught the stage. Right when he was walking over to get his water haha. We was squatted down and was like "Were you gonna take my water?" And I was like stunned. I was like "Oh no no no!" haha and he was like "Oh haha okay!" And stood up with it and said how people have been taking his water and asking him if they can have it and he was like "But I'm not finished with it yet!" Haha. I was mortified. He walked to the microphone and I was like "DAVID! DAVID!" haha and he looked at me and I showed him what happened and he laughed and said oh. So I was so embarrassed. At the moment I had never been that embarrassed before. People were looking at me laughing walking back to the room and I was like "Oh my gosh I'm so embarrassed, I was NOT trying to take his water!" And John said he knew, he saw it happen and I wasn't trying to take it haha. But then we got into the room and I got into line, I think 14th if you count the groups in front of me. They gave us hand sanitizer, and out of nowhere I hear someone go "Hi David!" And I look and he's already in front of the background lol. He's sneaky I guess. He came in a side door by the background so people didn't see him at first, but them people started clapping. When it was my turn to go up, I started walking and it went something along the lines of something like this: (I don't remember everything haha, my mind was racing)

Me:Oh my gosh, I'm SO sorry if you thought I was taking your water!
Him: Oh no it's okay!
Me: Ugh, that's so embarrassing. No I wouldn't do that haha. That's kind of creepy.
Him: (said something)
Me:Yeah my friend did that haha.
-takes picture-
Him: No I wasn't trying to be like -mean voice- Were you taking my water or anything, I was just like oh, are you taking my water?
Me: Oh no haha. I'm just clumsy.
Him: Oh it's okay I am too haha



Walking back I remembered I needed to get my VIP bag. So I helped the woman find mine, and then we finally did! I then got a sandwich and a cookie haha whooo. So I stood at a table and started eating, and when I was done stood by a pole nearby the table and a few feet away from David. I just kind of stood there, and he seemed tired. He got his water at one point and drank some and just kind of dropped it on the ground and people laughed, and he yawned a few times and started stretching, like bending down and touching his toes and just moving around and said at one time "Stretchhh" or something to himself before someone walked over, and he stretched a few more times lol. At one point they were playing the live version of TMH, and at the end when they were screaming he looked around and asked "What was just playing?" And I said "The end of TMH" or something and he looked and said "Oh! Okay haha I was gonna say.." or something like that because WCIT was on when he asked haha. When he was done and saying bye, I said "Thank you, David!" And he said "Oh you're welcome!" and then left. They raffled off signed stuff (I didn't win anything, it's okay lol) and it was so funny seeing people's reaction. So we stayed around in the room a little longer, and then I left and went to the main lobby and saw people standing behind the, I guess gate waiting for them to let them in. So I told my mom and grandmom about what happened during it and then bought the DA necklace, pajama pants, and the bag. So more people came down from the VIP room and we talked, and they opened the gate. The VIP, from the time they checked us in until then, was over 3 hours long. It was awesome!




We had to wait for them to let us into the actual theater about 30 minutes, and finally they let us in. I was 3rd row center, it was so awesome. We waiting in there for a while and I talked to some people around me, and then Benton Paul came out and sang a few songs.



They sounded really good! He seems like a sweet guy. At one point some people yelled WE LOVE YOU BENTON! and he said "I can't really hear with these things in my ears, but I think I heard I love you Benton, and thanks!" or something along those lines. Haha, he seemed shy. When he asked if we were excited about David, everyone went crazy. When he was done there was a 30 minute intermission. We were so excited!

About 30 minutes later, people started chanting DAVID, DAVID, DAVID! and the lights dimmed and the band came out. And then, Waiting for Yesterday started. I called my friend Michelle and was going to let her listen to as much as she could since she wasn't able to make it to the concert. And then, David comes out! And the concert starts.



The concert was of course amazing. I tried to take videos, and I got a few, but then a venue staff man told me that I could be put in jail for 25 years and so I stopped recording lol. But the first half was him singing songs off of his CD like Waiting for Yesterday, ALTNOY, My Hands, ZG, and more, and then he sang Fields of Gold and The Riddle and Prayer Of The Children, which were beautiful. He waved to people a lot haha. Then, he changed into a suit and sang his Christmas songs, opening with Melodies of Christmas. He sang Silent Night, Ave Maria, Pat a Pan, Riu Riu Chiu, The First Noel, Feliz Navidad, and more, and then came out for an encore and sang OHN. At one point during the concert he started talking about water and saying how good it was for you and your voice or in general, and excused himself to 'take a sip' haha. But the concert was so beautiful. He receieved so many standing ovations. And I bet there were hardly any dry eyes in the audience after OHN.

So at 4am the next morning (today right now) we left the hotel, and by 5pm I was back in my town. It's so upsetting to leave like that, it's weird how one moment you're dancing to Zero Gravity and beyond your mind happy and the next you're already home and not sure when you'll see him again. And it seems to get harder to leave each time. But I know this isn't the last time I'll see him, or any of the friends I now know as my second family. There will be another 'family reunion' with the many many sweet friend's I've made that even though I've only known them for months, it feels like forever, and then of course David, the guy who brought us all together. The guy who has me flying 9 hours and 3,000 miles altogether for one afternoon, and the one I'd do it all over again for in a heartbeat. The guy who has continuously brought me happiness with his random outbursts and awkward moments, and of course has taken my breath away many times with his, I can't even find the word, beautiful is an understatement, magnificent voice. As sad as I've been to leave, and choking up saying goodbye to everyone that I'll miss until I see them again, and as sad as it is to see David walk off of the stage and not know when I'll see him walk back out, I've realized I shouldn't frown because it's over, I should smile because it happened. It's never a goodbye, it's a see you later. And I will continue to look at pictures of me and my friends and know that all of us, all over the United States and even Canada and Malaysia and Australia and Europe and wherever you are, are still connected in a way. And that way is David Archuleta.






^ Credit: http://twitpic.com/photos/gengenw

Uorganized version of August 4th Greenville VIP David Archuleta recap

8/5/09


So it's almost 4am, and I'm going to attempt to recap everything that went on at VIP yesterday haha. It's not going to be as good and descriptive as the first one, but I'll add changes to it later. This is mostly just an overview haha. And I forgot a lot and couldn't hear a lot, and you'll read why haha.


So I left the house at about 11:45am and left to go to Greenville, South Carolina at about 12:30pm. It was just my mom and I, which was really cool to have like a day with her. It was so exciting to get to leave. The way there we listened to some of David's CD and talked about how excited we were. Entering South Carolina was so cool, because we knew we were so close. Driving was like, 113 miles just to get to our next turn. After that we got there pretty fast it felt like. I bet my mom that David would wear plaid that night haha.

((( )))

^guess who won ;)



We got there at around 3:15pm at the Bi-Lo center.




We had some parking troubles, though. They sent us to one parking garage and then told us to come back to the other one, so we just ended up parking at the first one that wasn't a VIP parking place. We went up and waiting outside with some people going to VIP for about 45 minutes. I was so excited! The thing about being with David fans, is that they make you feel welcome, like they want you there. When I walked to the group I asked "Are you guys waiting for VIP for David?" And they said "Oh yeah! Hi! What's your name?" Everyone just made you feel welcome. Being with the fans is really the only place I feel I truely belong. Everyone talks to one another and cares and lets you say whatever and makes you feel worthwhile. It was so hot outside though, people were getting lightheaded and feeling sick and everything. I think it was like, 95 degrees. There was NO shade at all haha. Everyone was fanning themselves with papers and stuff. So there was a guy named Christian there that we swore we knew each other from somewhere. I don't know. We never figured it out. But Karin was there, which I knew she would be haha :) And a few people from Duluth were there. It was awesome seeing familiar faces. We talked a lot about David and his fans. People had traveled everywhere to see him, and we talked about what extent some people go to. Everyone was so nice to one another, another thing I love about David fans. They told me "Oh honey don't even worry about it" when I apologized for rambling haha. We talked about how he said either "Awh", "thanks", "sorry", "cool", or "awesome" at least once in every sentence haha.





I met some amazing people as always, and I got to see Michelle again which was great. :) There ended up being a total of 37 people there.A guard came out and told us the rules, and then about 5 minutes later we got in. They put on our bracelet, gave us our ticket, and then gave us the raffle tickets and lanyard.



They told us to go meet up with this girl a few feet away, where she said to start a line. I was first in line, I was so glad. I was hoping that I'd get to be close to the piano when he sang again like my first time. People shopped for a while, and I got a blue David Archuleta Tour 2009 bag and a Demi Lovato glowstick. (she's awesome haha) They told us that we shouldn't buy the bag because they were raffling it off, but of course I never win anything like that so I bought it anyway. Finally they took us to the room, and I was the first one in there and ran straight to the keyboard. I sat in the exact same place as I did the time before! I was so happy and nervous and excited..it was so cool. I was more excited than nervous this time though, since I knew what to expect. But still..it was amazing!



The room was really dark though, they only had a few lamps. We were sitting in an area that overlooked the arena, and they told us that we would get to hear and see David soundcheck in a little while. Which was of course an amazing plus. There was a buzz in the room. Everyone was so excited and just waiting for David to come and everything. Nobody could quite sit still.


(that's kind of the view from where we were..it was like, an outer room I guess.)

They explained to us about not using cameras or cell phones, because David wanted this to be something just between us and something personal. They said David had the choice of doing pictures or autograph signings, and he chose the pictures because he thought they were more intimate. (how thoughtful!) Then they drew the raffle for who would ask questions, and said that we weren't allowed to ask David questions that were too personal for obvious reasons. So when she drew it, she asked the winners what they were going to ask, and told us to feel free to give them ideas. She also asked us to not be too loud, since they needed to hear what they were doing with soundcheck and couldn't have us screaming haha. About 10 minutes later he came out we saw him from up where we were to go soundcheck, and people watched him go over TMH a few times. Of course, it was great. He did some warm ups on the piano and his voice. Kristin said that they usually would warn them when David was coming, but recently he had just been popping up on them haha. When he was done they told us that David was on his way up in the elevator which was across the hall, and everyone got so excited.

When he walked in everyone clapped, and I was, again, filled to the brim with happiness. He had on jeans and a black shirt with the M&M guy on the bottom left side haha. He sat down in front of us and said hey! And mentioned how he was losing his voice because he screamed at Disney World the day before. We all tried to say that his soundcheck was great of course, but he was like "Well, that's because I didn't hit the high notes!" And pressed a key on the keyboard and sang "Somethin bout your beautiful FAAAAAACE". Which was perfect of course, but he still thought he sounded bad. He was saying how he needed to hurry up and sing it because Jordan was about to start soundchecking. He did some whoOOOO warm ups a few times and smiled. Someone asked him why he couldn't eat dairy and he said "Because it makes my throat phlegmy". I thought it was cool how like, open he is haha. Then before he started singing he said "Well I'll play this one" and put his hands in a position on the keyboard, and then said "No I'll do this one.." and changed his hands again and then said "No I'll just do this one" and started singing Heaven. Which was amazing. Michelle started like spazzing during the middle of it and he started smiling really big, and I laughed and he looked at me and smiled. Haha, it was so cool. And then he mentioned about how Crazy had higher notes, and started singing that. It was amazing too of course. He always puts so much energy into his songs and really draws you into it, and it didn't matter there were less than 40 people in the room. He still gave it his all. Then David said "So..what kind of food do you guys have?" Haha. He asked at some point about who was from South Carolina? And a few people raised their hands and asked where was everyone else from and I heard a lot of Georgias. So he asked who was from Georgia and the majority of the room raised their hand. Haha, at one point during the photo op he commented on how he liked the accents here. Which I don't have at all, so I don't count lol. And the people went up for the questions then. The first one was asking if he could sing Still Be My Soul. He wasn't sure about it. "We won't get offended, or anything" I said. He agreed to it, but Jordan's soundcheck started and he said sorry it was too loud. And he started pressing keys on his keyboard, like going up a scale, and while the guy was asking him the question he pressed one more and giggled. He messed with the keyboard a few times, it was cute. So the Iloveallaccess lady Kristin (who I mentioned before) asked if he had another question and he wasn't sure, so the next person asked how it was at Disney World. He was saying he loved being with his friends and family and everything, and I said "Did you go on the American Idol experience? Haha" And he said "Oh yeah it was so weird. Like one of the previous Idols said I was their favorite and it was weird." Then a girl asked what was his most memorable moment out of his fame and everything, and he was like "Well it changes a lot. Right now I'd say yesterday. But I don't know, just getting to go here and there and getting to see like my history and everything.." and talked about that. Then the next question was "What advice would you give to someone going for American Idol?" And he was starting to talk while soundcheck was going on, so you couldn't hear him hardly at all. He knew that too, he started laughing through the question. I could hear him say partly about try to sing different songs because you have to sing a lot of different songs on the show and everything and then had to learn a lot too. A lot that he said during VIP was random though , like out of the blue stuff. Which is so David haha. There was one time he was trying to remember something and did that like, cool finger snap thing he can do haha. He asked us a few times if we had read the blog yet and if anyone knew if it was up, and made sure everyone had their cell phones off. They told us it was picture time, and they lined us outside. I was 5th in line. They were letting us go in one by one, but after the first or second person they started trying to get us to hurry up, I guess. But they were just getting some of us in the room and said that after we take a picture to sit down. When I got in there I started walking up and said; "Haha we match!" and he said "Haha yeah!" and I was like "Uhm. Would it be okay if we did a hugging picture?" and he kind of squinted and looked around and was like "Uhm..sure." So I was like great I just freaked him out. So I hugged him and they took the picture.



After they took it I was like "I met you in Duluth last month" and he looked at me for a second and was like "Oh yeah! That's cool" (or something along those lines), I watched him take pictures with everyone else. He didn't look freaked out with just me thankfully lol. I don't think it was like he was freaked out, just he seemed confused on why people wanted to do certain poses with him I guess haha. He said at one point to some people from South Carolina "Awh I'm glad I have some South Carolina fans." I think about it now and feel bad, because it was his first time there and everyone there seemed to be from Georgia or somewhere surrounding South Carolina. He probably thought he had no fans there. But during the photo op people were sitting on this part of the area that if you leaned back you would fall backwards, into like the chairs (this was behind the stage up in a balcony kind of area, I don't really know how to explain it.) And he was saying something about to be careful because if you fell it'd be a long drop, and started singing the line to a song. I'm not sure what song, though. I sat down on it and when he was done with a picture he came over near me and was like "Oh, well I guess it wouldn't be that far of a drop." He was looking around a minute later and was like "What's the ratio of guys here?" And stood on his tip toes and counted 8 guys. Before he left he thanked us, and someone said "David? Now that it's quiet could you sing Still Be My Soul?" We wasn't sure about it, though, because I think he was supposed to leave then or something. But he said "Okay, I'll do a part of it." And closed his eyes, and sang. During the whole time he sang it, he was totally in it, but figited with something in his hands, I'm not sure what, but I thought it was cute. (Kristin later said, "Well David hates saying no..haha") And when he was done he smiled, and waved by, and left. Then they did the raffle drawing. Remember that blue bag I bought? Well of course I won the one he signed haha. When they called my number I was like THAT'S ME! I couldn't believe it. It's so pretty.



I felt kind of bad about freaking him out (which even though in the picture he doesn't look scared haha) so when Mike was in the room I asked him if he could tell David I said sorry, which I ended up quickly adding to my letter as a sort of PS. (Which now I feel really stupid for doing haha) Mike starting saying it was totally fine it happens all the time and about how David just wasn't really one of those people that was outwardly affectionate. (did you know Mike's known David since David was 12?) And we talked and then he left. After David left, the buzz in the room I mentioned earlier was pretty much gone. People commented on it too. Everyone just kind of stood around and talked or sat down and ate. It's amazing that someone has such an effect on people like David does on his fans.


The concert was great of course. I noticed how he didn't try to hit all of the usual high notes and remembered what he said at the VIP haha. He still made it amazing though. Our seats were in row K, and they had some chairs blocking an area up front. Me and Michelle were like haha, we're going to find a way to get up there. And we did. Even though a venue staff lady tried to move us back. They forgot to drop the curtain at the beginning of TMH, and I got to touch his hand.

I was standing pretty much exactly where I was the beginning of the concert last time and then moved to where I was too. (you can see it in my previous entry.) When he sang Works For Me he messed up at a part, which I always think is cute. Everyone screamed even more then. He just smiled and kept going. He commented on a girl's poster, which I glanced at that said something about Modest is Hottest haha. I admit, I cried when he sang Apologize. It was just like, so pretty. And I was just so happy in general and felt so blessed, it was like overwhelming. Haha. And I cried when he left. I don't really know why. My mom said the last time I did that was when Barney left when I was little. (haha raaandom) Michelle hugged me and said "Dont worry! We'll see him again! He's not getting rid of us yet!" Haha and "He'll be like oh gosh there's those freaky Georgia girls again."


But I really enjoyed this time. Last time since it was my first time, I was nervous over excited. Which wasn't great, because it was uncomfortable as you can probably tell in my picture. If you look at the difference between the two pictures, you can tell I was a lot more comfortable this time. Of course though, it was amazing. He's such a sweet, genuine guy, and I hope to see him many times more in the future. :)



PS: Demi is awesome too. I got to touch her hand twice during the show. ;)

PSS: Uhm. I'm trying to upload videos on youtube. (grapeexmagoo). It's taking a while though sorry haha. And I didn't record all of them, as selfish as it sounds I didn't want to have the experience taken away by holding a camera and trying to focus it the whole time haha. I'm too ADD. ;)

UPDATE 12/7/09: I'm going to be going to David's concert in Cleveland, Ohio this Saturday the 12th! I will try to either type it or make a video recap. It'll be up around the 13th or 14th. :) Thanks for reading!

June 29th, first time meeting David RECAP

I know this is really late, but I didn't really have anywhere to put it. But the first time I met David was June 29th, 2009. I wrote a recap for the VIP portion and a little bit of information about when I became a fan. Remember to feel free to contact me with any questions!



I think everyone needs to feel true happiness. A kind of happiness that you don't really understand, where nothing else matters and you feel like you're in your own little world. Something that makes you so happy it's overwhelming to even think about, and how it's something that even your wildest dreams couldn't even dream about.


I actually didn't watch hardly any of that season of American Idol. I mean, I knew who he was. I remember being shocked he didn't win American Idol, and I remember getting his CD the day it came out and being excited and listening to it almost non stop since that day. I remember seeing him in Seventeen for an interview and asking my mom if she would let me date him (haha) and my mom said I helped her vote for him. I don't remember that though. But through all of that, I guess I was a fan, but January was when it reached a new level. I've never really been like a 'fan' of someone or something before; I'd never been to a concert, meet and greet, or anything. I hadn't even been in like 100 miles of a famous person. It was my friend Sammi that talked about him all the time. She would tell me about his songs and tell me about how true of a fan she was, and I remember being upset for her when he didn't win American Idol. When his CD came out I loved it, I still wasn't a fan but that was like all I listened to for a couple of days. I just couldn't really get over how good he was. But in January we had to do a project on a hero, and it couldn't be a family member or someone we personally knew. Since I hadn't really been a fan of anyone before I had no clue how I could even think of someone famous to do a project on. But then for some reason I thought about David. Really I just wanted the easy way out, I knew Sammi knew almost everything about him and could give me all the information I needed and it would be an easy project. (this is why when everyone is like see, you're so obsessed you did a project on him; yeah. No haha)


So she told me some things about him, and once I started watching videos about him there was just something about him that made me happy. How he would have the most awkward moments and say the funniest things, and how down to earth he was. He seemed to truely care about his fans (which I eventually found out he'd almost drop everything for them) and just had something I didn't really get. You could just see his happiness; I'd never seen someone like that before. I didn't get how someone could stay so genuine and down-to-earth and have so much happiness it made them almost shine. I was impressed, and found it a mystery of how this could be.
Fame never got to him, in fact he seemed like he was oblivious to it. He didn't care that cameras flashed like crazy and there was always people following him around. He was still David, through and through.


5 months passed where I continued to follow and support him. For some reason I felt because I didn't watch him much on American Idol and didn't get to vote for him, I didn't deserve to be a fan because I didn't help him out. (Even though my mom said I helped her vote, I still wasn't sure). People worked so hard to get him to where he was, and I didn't do anything. It wasn't until I realized how many passionate fans there were that didn't become fans until the finale that I felt a little bit better.


When I first started being a fan, I could say I was borderline obsessed. I hadn't ever felt happiness watching someone like that before; for so long I had been so upset and when I got to see something so real; I just kept trying to absorb it and make it last. There was a change almost immediately. His optimistic attitude and humble ways made gave me the extra bit of strength to be able to want to be a better person.


In April, I desperately wanted to see him in person, or a concert. I wasn't sure how it would work; I asked Sammi probably a million questions trying to figure out what to do. My mom was amazing; she bought 6 tickets trying to figure out what seats were best and what would make me happy. Finally, she got VIP tickets. I couldn't believe I was FINALLY going to be able to meet someone so talented and amazing like him.


As time went on, I found my boundaries. I balanced my life out instead of every second of the day being about David. I figured out he was a person just like everyone else (even if he was extremely talented and sweet). It even got to the point I would go days without watching a video of him; and I would go days without listening to him. I figured out during those days, they were the ones that I was the most angry, the most upset, and the most vunerable to what people said about me.


I counted down until I met David from the 60's , and when it came down to the 10's I couldn't believe it. I went germ crazy; I could NOT be sick on the day I met David. Finally the day came.
June 29th, at midnight, I changed my myspace status to TODAY! and I felt amazing. I couldn't believe it. The whole day I couldn't wait; I woke up excited, and couldn't even eat during the day. I counted down hours during school and the whole class knew what was going on. Finally, I left to go to the concert, and I ran down the school steps (almost falling, thank you) and jumped into the car with the biggest grin on my face.


My mom got lost. And she was a WRECK. The was shaking and going 80 in a 35 and calling my dad every 5 minutes. It was only around 3 at this time, and we didn't even have to be there until 4:30.


We eventually got there, where I freaked out, texting Sammi saying David was in this building where I was. We had to walk around for a minute because they kept telling us we couldn't go here and had to go there and blah blah. I couldn't feel my legs and my brain wasn't working. We waited outside of the arena where I met some super nice people, including a woman named Karin, an older man, and a 21 year old girl named Michelle. I was amazed at the age differences; there seemed to be more adults than teenagers. And they were so nice. I guess David has that affect on everyone.


When they started letting us inside, they only took us in by groups of 10. I almost pushed my way through, thinking that this was to see David (I didn't realize they were just checking us in.) I feel guilty about that now, but I was beyond excited. When I got inside they made me sign (which I could barely do) my name and gave me my lanyard, ticket, wristband and VIP bag. They let us shop for about 30 minutes, and told us that we weren't going to watch him sing in the arena, that we were going to a party room. Which I was fine with since it was obviously going to be smaller. So when everyone was done shopping, they took us down some stairs, through a hallway, and into this curtained off room where there were rows of chairs, 3 tables, and a keyboard. I automatically sat down in the chairs. "You guys can sit on the floor, if you want. Just don't get behind the keyboard." I almost fell flat on my face jumping out of the chair and managed to sit on the first row, right in front of the keyboard. Michelle sat on the left of me and my mom sat on the right of me.



(he came in from that entrance on the left of the curtain)

They told us to put our gifts on a table (I had only written a letter) and had food and drinks. I wouldn't move from my spot though, there was no way I was losing it. They played David music and people walked around and talked. I sat in my area with a group of people, where they asked why we liked David and where we came from. The Iloveallaccess lady played trivia, and every time I saw the curtain move my heart would skip a beat. And all of a sudden, I heard him soundchecking. I had never heard him sing live before, and I was just shocked that I was so close to where he was. (After you watch him on youtube for a few months, you kind of feel like he's so far away and that meeting him is just a dream.) About 30 minutes later, the woman said he was coming down the hallway, where people starting chanting DAVID, DAVID! all of a sudden, I looked up. David walked into the room with the glowing smile I was familiar with, and sat down. The first thing that came into my head was he was smaller than I expected. And Juno. I don't know why, I guess he looks like he could be related to Ellen Page? But since I'm a little over 5'6 and he only seemed to be a little over 5'6 1/2, I thought it was so cool. I was hoping he wouldn't tower over me. So he sat down, and automatically I realized how he had an aurora about him that made everyone just seem, well happy obviously. Everyone's face lit up automatically, everyone's eyes were sparkling, and in that moment I felt like I truly belonged. I felt like these people were people I had known forever, and I felt like every one of them cared for each other and we all had a certain type of bond. He sat down right in front of me. "Hii. I'm David." He doesn't sound much different from what you hear on the internet, just smoother I guess. And it sounds more powerful. He pressed a key on the keyboard and laughed saying he actually pressed the right note, asked who the people behind the curtains were, and then told us "I was supposed to sing Heaven and Crazy, but was wondering if anyone wanted to hear something different." It was like he was making sure it was okay to sing those songs. People started saying Angels and I'll Be (that's the majority of what I heard) and he responded with "Over what, though?" Apparently he could only sing 2 songs.


So he started off with Heaven, where the girl sitting by me automatically had tears in her eyes when he started. I sat there with this huge smile on my face. My cheeks were on fire and I was filled to the brim with happiness. His voice was so strong and powerful, and Heaven is already a beautiful song. He sang it with so much passion, one of the reasons I'm a fan. It didn't matter there were only around 40 people in the room, he made it his best. I watched his hands play for a second and then looked back at him. When you're around David, you almost can't take your eyes off of him. He's beautiful. His skin glows, his eyes shine. I realized the little things I noticed on youtube was there; he licked his lips, had his hair the way he's worn it so long, and had on the Invisible Children bracelet I've seen him where so many times. Heaven was amazing. It was so strong.and smooth, and I was just stunned by how beautiful his voice was. And then he looked at me, which I thought was so cool. I've never had someone look at me singing before. (does that sound weird?) When he was done he opened his eyes and sat back, where everyone cheered. People wiped away tears, and I was sitting there with this grin on my face that probably made me look like an idiot. He laughed and thanked everyone, and then adjusted the mic asking if people liked it better further away from his mouth or closer, where people opted closer. He apologized ahead of time in case his fingers messed up during Crazy, and started singing. It was great. At the end he hit notes I don't think I've ever heard him hit before; you could tell he really put effort in to hit some of those notes. Of course it was amazing too, and he apologized for the rough versions of the songs. Which of course wasn't true, if he messed up I couldn't tell . I thought it was amazing. Then 3 people asked him a question (raffle drawing). One was what is your favorite song to perform and he said Angels and some other stuff, (sorry some of it's kind of a blur), someone asked him when he does different runs during a song if they have to go over it to adjust anything and he said unless it's a change in what they're playing then no, and when someone asked if he could scratch out one song on the album and replace it with another, which ones would it be. He said he'd replace Running because nobody really knows about it and Waiting For Yesterday because if you get the album that doesn't come on there (or something along those lines)


Right then they told us to stand up to get our pictures taken, and he went to the food table of course haha. He walked right past my mom and she said he stuck his hand in the chip bowl and took out some chips, and they looked at each other and laughed apparently. I was the first in line for the picture. They told me to go ahead up to him, where he was still eating. I was so glad I finally got to meet someone that was such an inspiration. Someone that had changed lives of millions, someone that was talented in so many ways, and someone who no matter what had such a positive outlook on life, where you never heard him say a single bad thing (or bad word) and found the good in everything.


Walking up was something I won't forget. Actually that's a lie, a lot of this was a blur. I remember reaching out my hand and saying "HiDavidnicetomeetyouI'mNatalie" and shaking his hand. Shook my hand, said Hi Natalie, and put his arm around me to take a picture. I wasn't really sure where to put my arms, so I just stood there. I heard someone ask if it was a certain other type of food (I forgot what) and he answered. I don't remember with what lol, I was just so overwhelmed I was standing by someone so sweet and talented. I heard someone ask "Do you want to drink water or something?" Apparently he was still eating when I got up there. He went over and drank some and walked back commenting on how they tasted home made. He came back and got into 'picture position' where I still didn't have a clue where to put my arms. I think the picture makes me look like I was trying to get away from him. When we were done, I couldn't believe what I did. I gave him a hug around the neck and said "ThankyouDavid" and he hugged me back saying You're welcome I think. I didn't even think about hugging him. It just kind of happened. When I walked back I made half of the room laugh with my facial expression haha. I was just so shocked I met him. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this already or not, but after watching David on TV and on YouTube for a few months, it just feels like he's a million miles away and the thought of being in the same room as him is something that never feels like it's going to happen.



I stood by some chairs (about 6 feet away from him) and watched him take pictures with other people. One girl came over and almost tackled him. An older woman wanted to take a picture posing shaking hands, and David couldn't do it. He'd giggle and laugh and said he wasn't good at "seriousness and the staring game", so people behind her were trying to get him to look over there. A woman named Lucy came up to him and he started sing in the I Love Lucy theme song. A woman shook his hand and said "Sorry, my hands are sweaty" and he said "That's okay! My hands are always sweaty." An 11 year old boy sang Save the Day to David, and David made sure he finished the song. A girl in a wheelchair got up with braces around her arms and walked over to him, and he gave her one of the nicest hugs I've ever seen. He would ask you your name, and then repeat it back to you to make sure he got it right. He was so down to earth; he texted between pictures, he'd talk to the people listening to their whole story from how long it took to get there and why they're fans and would listen and ask questions back; he never seemed rushed even though he came in the room right from a soundcheck and would have to almost run backstage again to get ready for the concert. He listened to stories. And something I hadn't noticed before that I notice now is he almost always talked RIGHT before she would take the picture. If you watch a few videos I bet you'll notice that now.

The last person to take a picture with him was a girl who was there for her 16th Birthday, and asked if David could sing Happy Birthday to her. He laughed and giggled and said he wasn't sure if he could, and while he was walking out asked who's Birthday it was, where half of the room raised their hand. He actually seemed surprised. He said he could just do the origional version or something along those lines, and then said he actually didn't know how. So he started singing acapella with no microphone. He wasn't screaming but his voice was so powerful and strong. "Happy Biiiirthday to...everyoneeeee" he laughed. And then thanked us and left with a smile. I got to take a picture with two of his band members, Mike and Dave if I'm not mistaken.


They then drew 3 more raffle tickets to win something that he had signed. (I didn't win, but that was of course fine with me.)


And of course, the concert was amazing. And I was also blessed and fortunate enough to get to be front and center from about the middle of the third song and the rest of the concert. I can't even explain what I was feeling, it was just happiness that I've never experienced. He sounded amazing and was just so full of energy and got so into the songs. I have the videos on my youtube account. (http://www.youtube.com/user/grapeexmagoo)


After his show was over, before Demi's, I got to talk to Kathleen from SnarkyArchies too for a few minutes. She's so sweet, and never acted like she was in a hurry to stop talking or anything. I hope she has a good time at the Nashville show next month!



(I tried to circle my head in this picture. And it makes the stage look really small haha because I cropped it.)

I feel so blessed I had the chance to have this experience. I'm so glad I got to meet such a down to earth, genuine guy that hadn't let fame get to him. I'm so glad I got to meet someone that has kept their morals. I'm so glad I got to meet someone that almost shined with happiness. I'm so glad I got to meet someone that was so talented and didn't even think he was, and I was so glad I got to meet someone that was so patient, so kind, so real. It's so rare to find someone like that nowadays, so getting to meet someone that was like this was almost unbelievable. It made me realize that there ARE some good people in the world. When I meet disrespectful guys (every day) and when girls are just rude and ignorant, I remember that David isn't like that. Which gives me hope, because if one person can be like that, how many others are like that out there? David is a person, just like everyone else, but can stay the way he is now without even trying. He has a cute awkwardness about him that nobody can compare to. I don't know him personally and I know I don't know everything about him. But from what I see, there's no doubt that he's real. He's beautiful inside and out. And I have more respect for him than anyone in the world. And I'm so glad I got the chance to meet someone like him.





(PS: I'm meeting David again August 4th, which is a WEEK from tomorrow. And the girl I mentioned named Michelle is going to be there too. It's in Greenville, South Carolina. I hope to see you there!)

Hey!

Hi everyone!
So first of all, my name's Natalie. I'm fifteen and live in Georgia, and I'm a David Archuleta fan. This blog is really just about David, and my experiences and stories I have that involve him. I hope you enjoy.


If you want to contact me, then add me on myspace (myspace.com/xxnataliee) or my youtube account (grapeexmagoo) or my e-mail (xxnatalalaliee@aim.com). If you want a quick response I'd recommend either myspace or youtube. Thank you guys!