|
Police sources and organizers pegged the crowds that
gathered to watch the David Cook–David Archuleta show last
Saturday night at 50,000. It’s not hard to believe the number.
From my seat somewhere in the VIP section, I could see people of all
age groups waiting in breathless anticipation for the show: entire
high school or college barkadas, mostly female, but with a few male
companions in tow; full families, including kids as young as six or
seven; white-haired, crinkly-faced grandmas sitting next to
screaming pre-pubescents in their porma best; couples canoodling
with each other and the occasional solitary concert-goer trying hard
to enjoy the show by his or her lonesome.
It could’ve been the
Eraserheads reunion concert all over again, if it weren’t for the
hoots of “I Love You David!” every two minutes or so.
The runner-up took to the stage
first. It would’ve been easy to assume he was just a warm-up act
for the Idol champ who would come later, but this was a
co-headlining show and from the moment Archuleta appeared onstage
with his trademark, aw-shucks smile, it was evident he was prepared
to put on a great show.
He opened with “Touch My
Hand,” one of the catchier numbers in his unabashedly pop
eponymous debut. As expected, everyone got on their feet and whipped
out their camera phones to preserve the moment. For many of those in
the audience who’ve been fantasizing about Archuleta performing on
Philippine soil ever since they first saw the then 16 year-old
meekly trying out in the audition stages on American Idol, this was
as awesome as it was going get.
Now 18 years old, Archuleta has
obviously picked up not a few things since he almost won the Idol
title. Wearing his favored plaid button-down with a slim tie, jeans
and sneakers, he worked the stage from end to end as he sang,
engaging the audience with his energy and enthusiasm. And of course,
that wide grin. “I’m so glad to be here. I’ve had a fantastic
time,” he said to the wild applause from the audience. Despite
having had countless opportunities to perform onstage since Idol,
there was still a boyish, almost amateurish quality to his delivery.
He’s already a pro, but he still has that wide-eyed, innocent
thing going, and this is no doubt part of what endears the young
talent to his legions of fans.
There’s that voice, too, of
course. Part matinee idol, part smooth crooner, say what you will
about the kid but he sure could sing. He played piano during his
interpretation of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles,” and
throughout he displayed vocal chops that would impress the most
cynical of judges (cough* Cowell *cough). That charisma, that unseen
factor prized by many but possessed by only a fortunate few, it’s
what Archuleta has, and by the time he walked off the stage after
singing his monster hit “Crush,” it all felt like the hour just
wasn’t enough.
During the 30-minute
intermission, the fireworks show did a much better job of
distracting the audience while the stage was set-up than the poker
place ads that showed on the screens, but that’s just me.
David Cook materialized via
hydraulics from beneath the stage. While Archuleta was bubblegum pop
through and through, Cook expectedly brought his rough-edged rock
persona to his set. With the heavy guitars, heavy bass and heavy
drums, even Cook’s presence was anything but lightweight: there
was no denying who won American Idol, and why.
Cook was a struggling musician
even before Idol, as most everyone who ever followed his career
knows, so it was no surprise he was much more experienced in his
onstage performance in ways Archuleta could only hope to be. Each
raising of the eyebrow, every invitation to make some noise, Cook
was a consummate performer, with a rock star swagger that reminds
one of fellow Idol alum Chris Daughtry. His gruff vocals, though
comparable to the Goo Goo Dolls’ Johnny Rzeznik and Collective
Soul’s Ed Roland (he even opened the show with an excerpt of their
“World I Know”), were still uniquely his own. The older songs
may have left many in the crowd clueless, but you have to admire his
resolve to stay true to his roots and even mine it for material to
offer to an entirely new set of devoted followers. (For those
waiting for more familiar pieces, he performed his much-applauded
version of that Mariah Carey song, the first time ever with the full
band, he said.)
At one point, Cook climbed down
the stage and made himself available to his “Titanium” (what
that section of the seats was called) fans. Now that was an
unmistakable rock star image if there ever was one: his smiling mug
surrounded by a gaggle of disembodied, digicam-wielding hands.
Truly, David Cook has arrived. Even his version of Fleetwood Mac’s
“Little Lies” was Cook-ified, becoming a hard rock anthem but
still recognizable enough to sing along to.
“I’m having a blast,” he
said towards the end. The crowd loved it, of course. He played three
encores, including his first hit post-Idol, “Light On.” After
calling pal Archuleta to the stage on his final song, the two Davids
embraced amid an unending shower of shouts, whistles and applause.
All in all, it was a damn good show, whichever David you were
screaming for.
E-mail pjcana@gmail.com
|
