New Albany David Archuleta Concert Recap

David Archuleta live is a must- hear experience. The first time that I heard Archie's voice in person was at the AI Finale in Hollywood. When his warm, clear voice first filled the studio, my sister and I just looked at each other wordlessly, jaws dropping. Next time I heard him live was at the AI Live Tour in Cleveland, where I couldn't help but feel I was witnessing the beginning of the career of someone who was destined to be great someday. Although I had no connection to him, I actually felt proud. There is something about that live voice that doesn't quite make it to television, to studio recordings. So it wasn't a stretch for me, upon discovering that there were no longer any tickets available on ticketmaster.com OR by phone 15 hours before the show, to instantly feel that it was a huge mistake to have waited too long to get tickets. It wasn't a stretch that I would locate a ticketmaster outlet and drive to it just in case they had a ticket.... after it was technically closed at 9:00pm. It wasn't a stretch for me at all to drive two hours to New Albany, Ohio on a cool Sunday morning by myself.

Once at the fairgrounds, I located a spot and observed the buzz and excitement of the various fan groups uniting. I got nothing but smiles from everyone who met my gaze. I was asked at some point if I had a screenname and I had to explain that I did, but they wouldn't know me because I am a Cook fan. People were actually surprised that I'd be there; "so, then, what is your connection to Archie?" and "Wow, the last person I'd expect to see here would be a Cook fan!" But being a stan of one doesn't need to exclude being a fan of the other; I have always been in favor for the "Davids" fans to band together. (It occurs to me how all this fan stuff is just bizarre, but it doesn't matter because it's fun.) "You're going to see him sing songs that the fans haven't even heard yet! This is a big deal!" was the message communicated with pride by several people. I met people from Canada, from Florida. Pennsylvania.. and so on. Met some sweet people from a chat I visit from time to time when I want to talk Archie.

Standouts in Archie's set were "Something 'Bout Love," "Stomping the Roses," "Elevator," and "Zero Gravity." I loved jumping with Archie when he said to jump... and swaying, dancing, smiling. "Stomping the Roses" was a new song and I loved it instantly. "Elevator" had the most emotional impact for me and the emotion was joy. I find Archie to be joyful when he performs; he clearly loves it and this song was all kinds of fun. The falsetto in this song was pretty impressive and strong, and honestly I am not always a fan of falsettos. At one point, Archie yelled out "O-H" and, after the crowd responded "I-O," he instantly gave a full body chuckle: "haha." Adorable.

I think I didn't appreciate "Falling Stars," "The Other Side of Down," and "My Kind of Perfect" quite enough, but these were two brand new songs and it was awesome to be among the first to hear them live. After further listens to "The Other Side of Down" and "My Kind of Perfect," I'd like to experience them live again because they are really good songs. Of course he closed the show with "Crush," which was a crowd pleaser. His second single, "A Little Too Not Over You" was somewhere in the mix too. As I commented afterwards, it isn't easy to put on a great show when much of the music is not familiar, but Archie pulled it off.

In all, it was a great show and I left energized and happy. While technical excellence is important, the way that the music makes you feel is even more important. I think Archie hit all the right notes in both areas.