Friday 27 June 2008

Archie on Tour!

We heard word from David himself that the American Idol tour rehearsals wrapped up a few days ago and the Top 10 finalists are now on their way on their tour buses to Glendale, Arizona ready for their first concert on July 1st. The Idols play a whopping 52 dates in under 2 months, that is an intense touring schedule and a half. That intensity is bound to take its toll on some of less technically trained singers of the bunch but I suppose each artist is only singing a handful of songs so hopefully no repercussions shall be felt towards the end of the tour. David is singing 4 songs as opposed to the standard 3 and 1 less than David Cook who is singing 5, one being the winning single so lets call it 4. Only joking, I'm sure some people like magic rainbows. We've also heard a sample of a possible group number of 'Where is the Love?' on some press interviews which sounds promising.

Touring is the opportunity of a lifetime for most of these contestants and is arguably the biggest perk of entering the American Idol competition. The venues are decent, the tour dates are plentiful and the production appears to be of a top notch standard. Driving round America in a tour bus performing to thousands of people will be a valuable and memorable experience for David and all the other Idol contestants and hopefully will be something that we will be seeing David do a lot more in the up coming years. Listening to albums, watching artists on TV is great but nothing beats the live experience or even comes anywhere close to it. Ive had the pleasure of seeing quite a few great artists live and they have given me some of the most euphoric and memorable experiences of my life so far. David touches us all through our TV screens and speakers, that feeling we gain will be magnified when we get to see him sing in person. Great live music is an experience to be treasured and so I'm sure this years Idol tour will be a blast for everyone.

So what do we want to see David sing? David will be singing 4 different songs in a mini-concert format so here are my nominations for what I think he should and will sing.

Don't Let the Sun go down on Me - His performance of this at the finale was truly something to behold as its a very powerful song and David performs it with great tension and emotion. This will be the song to get people on their feet and the tears streaming down their cheeks. A full length version would do the song more justice as to what we heard on Idol and would be one of the most impacting and memorable performances on the concert. The lead into the chorus and then the chorus itself is a real opportunity for a 'moment' and it gives David an opportunity to 'let rip' vocally as he did in the finale and with more practice we could maybe even see something better on the tour compared to the finale. David really knows how to deliver this one and as arguably performance of the season, its a real must do.

Angels - On David's Larry King Live interview he expressed an interest in performing this song on the tour and I'm very confident he will hold true to that. Ive have also performed Angels live (not singing) and it is one of the best songs for a live experience. Its a real swaying arms in the air song with an anthemic vibe and memorable melody and it was the favorite of all his performances on Idol for many. David's unique soulful touches and runs in this song are absolutely golden and I actually think he sings it better than Robbie Williams himself. Angels is a truly brilliant song (who knows why it hasn't been a smash hit in the US) and is even more brilliant live. Its designed for the live setting. David also loves to sing it and I believe he could really have the crowd in the palm of his hand with this song. Angels is another 'must do'.

Think Of Me - This is definitely the song that i associate Davids artistry too, what makes him more than just a singer but an actual musician and artist. The arrangement and vibe of this song is slick, cool, laid back, acoustic and expressive. It accentuates everything great about Davids voice in a modern and contemporary way and I truly believe with the right production this song could be a great album song for him as it was one of his more memorable performances on Idol. This song has become very popular amongst Davids fans due to its originality and uniqueness and also it has been featured as a remix by Lucid which has spread like wildfire through the fanbase thus placing it in the spotlight more. Its another song that David seems to love to sing as its seems very personal to him due to the fact is so wildly different from the original and when you are performing covers, its great to have a song that you can truly call your own. Think Of Me would be great for the tour as its an opportunity to reveal his artistic identity as his career launches with this tour.

Shop Around - So this is a slightly bizarre choice and unexpected and I highly doubt he will do it but here is why I think he should. David is young, hes going on a tour to finally launch his career and hes going to really enjoy himself. Shop Around was by far the best energetic song that David sang and it would really give him to chance to let loose on stage and have some fun which is ultimately what this tour is going to be about for him and all of the contestants. In amongst a set of mid tempo songs and ballads, I think this would be a great song for David to get the crowd moving and have a great time up on stage. Its important that David varies his set in terms of tempo and vibes and I think this would be a great opportunity for David to really show his youth and rock the house. Shop Around was a very popular performance with the fans for those very reasons and I believe this would be a perfect choice to really have a great time with.

Other choices: Love me Tender, Stand By Me.

I would imagine that David may attempt something completely new and different for the tour, as some of the other contestants are doing that, so something he did not sing on Idol and we may even hear him perform his new single later on in the tour if it gets recorded and released prior to the tours conclusion as this has been done by previous contestants. That would be a great introduction to the song for all of us to hear and to promote his up coming album to the non fans. I personally am flying all the way over from the UK to attend the Bridgeport, Connecticut show on September 6th (its costing me a bomb!) and I'm really looking forward to finally embracing Davids singing in person, I'm sure it will be something special. Finally seeing David sing in person will be a seminal and inspirational moment for me and I haven't looked forward to something as much as this in a very long time.

What songs would you like to hear David sing on tour? What date(s) are you attending? Come tell me HERE

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