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!)
