David Cook in Houston Oct 29 2011

Þage 1 of 13

uavld Cook and lrlends ln PousLonţ 1x
CcLober 29ţ 2011
WhaL an lncredlble dayŦ l woke up ln my home ln Þalm 8each CounLyţ llorlda aL 4am (!) Lo caLch a 6ť23
am plane LhaL would enable me Lo go Lo a couple of Cavln ueCraw and uavld Cook shows ln 1exasŦ
1exas you ask? Wellţ MrŦ Cook and company were flnally Lourlng ln supporL of hls sophomore (and very
excellenL) record º1h|s Loud Morn|ng" buL falled Lo schedule any sLops ln my home sLaLe of llorldaŦ
Wellţ Lhere was no wayţ nC WA?ţ l was golng Lo mlss Lhls LourŦ So my concerL buddy 8rldgeL and l
bralnsLormed opLlonsŦ My flrsL LhoughLţ naLurallyţ was Lo fly Lo uenverţ drlve Lhrough Wyomlng and
uLahţ Lo arrlve aL 8olseţ ldaho for a showŦ 8lghL abouL now you are probably Lhlnklng l am ouL of my
mlndŦ Wellţ maybe a llLLleţ buL acLuallyţ l have a goal Lo geL Lo all 30 sLaLes and l am nearlng LhaL goalŦ
1he aforemenLloned lLlnerary would have noLched 3 more sLaLes on my pln mapţ buL alasţ lL would
requlre Loo much Llme and Loo much moneyţ so l Look 8rldgeL's much more loglcal suggesLlon of Laklng
a long weekend and flylng 2Ŧ3 hours Lo 1x Lo caLch backŴLoŴ
back shows ln PousLon and AusLlnŦ uslng frequenL flyer
mlles and spllLLlng cosLsţ lL was a very economlcal weekendŦ
WlLh LlckeLs and vlÞ passes secured and armed wlLh my
Lhree (yes Lhree) camerasţ off we wenLŦ 8rldgeL was flylng ln
from 1ampaŤ l flew ln from WesL Þalm 8eachŦ We flnally
meL up aL Lhe PousLon alrporL afLer several unsuccessful
aLLempLsŦ uon'L askŦ Sufflce Lo sayţ Lhe ordeal lncluded
domesLlcţ lnLernaLlonalţ expressţ arrlvals and deparLuresţ
Anu lL was good we had exLra LlmeŦ
Anywayţ we wenL sLralghL Lo Lhe hoLelţ
checked lnţ had lunch and before we knew lLţ lL
was Llme Lo head Lo Lhe Arena 1heaLerŦ We goL
Lo Lhe 1heaLer [usL as uavld's buses pulled lnŦ
1he exclLemenL aL seelng Lhe buses was
remlnlscenL of Lhe flrsL Llme l saw Lhe buses on
Lhe ue1our ln Calnesvllleţ lLŦ 8uL l dlgressŧ

WlLhln a few mlnuLes we were lnslde and ln llne for
Lhe uavld Cook vlÞ meeL and greeLŦ 8y Lhe wayţ lf you
have Lhe opporLunlLy Lo aLLendţ speclflcallyţ Lhe VIÞ
meet and greetţ do lL! WhaL a greaL experlenceŦ
Anywayţ we meL uawnţ who llves ln Lhe areaţ as well
as many oLher fans wlLh Lhelr varylng sLorlesŦ 1here
Þage of 13

was a woman whose broLher palnLed an oll of uavld
ln shades of grayŦ She had Lhe palnLlng wlLh her and
was golng Lo ask uavld Lo auLograph lLŦ
1here was also a llLLle boy whoţ accordlng Lo hls
momţ [usL adores uavld CookŦ Pe had drawn a
plcLure for uavldŦ Pe also had a very speclal quesLlon
ln sLore for uavld (more on LhaL laLer)Ŧ
As we walLed
we heard Lhe
muslc sLarL
behlnd Lhe closed doors of Lhe LheaLerŦ l could make ouL
ClrcadlanŦ Pe sound checked a couple of oLhers buL behlnd Lhe
doorsţ l dld noL recognlze Lhe muffled songsŦ 1he nonŴvlÞ sound
check was ln progress for abouL 20 mlnuLes and Lhen lL was our
LurnŦ 1hey opened Lhe doors Lo Lhe LheaLer and we (okayţ l)
scurrled down Lhe LheaLer alsle Lowards Lhe sLage and was able
Lo grab 3 second row seaLs on my favorlLe sldeţ Lhe Andy sldeŦ
WlLhln mlnuLes of our enLerlng Lhe LheaLerţ our speclal sound
check beganŦ unforLunaLelyţ Wadeţ our vlÞ guldeţ sald no
plcLures or vldeoţ so l can'L share lL vlsuallyţ buL hopefully Lhls
recap wlll glve you a sense of Lhe experlenceŦ
uavld was ln rare formŦ Pe was energeLlc and funny and [usL seemed genulnely happy Lo be LhereŦ lL
made for a very en[oyable 20 mlnuLe sound checkŦ 1o geL sLarLedţ uavld and Lhe band sLruck up a cover l
had never heard Lhem do beforeţ S|ow k|de by loghaLŦ l don'L know lf Lhey've done lL ln prevlous vlÞsţ
buL lL was fun Lo hear a new songŦ 1hey are sLlll worklng ouL Lhe klnks and uavld sald Lhey dldn'L know
how Lo end lL yeLŦ nexL someone requesLed 1hln Llzzy and Lhey hlL a few noLesŦ 8eLween songsţ uavld
chaLLed wlLh us abouL Lhe World Serlesţ college fooLballţ Lhe n8A lockouLţ and oLher sporLs LldblLsŦ uavld
loves hls sporLs! lf you know anyLhlng abouL sporLsţ you've goL a Loplc Lo Lalk Lo hlm abouL durlng Lhe
meeL and greeL porLlon of Lhe vlÞ experlence and you can be assured LhaL he wlll be engrossed ln Lhe
conversaLlon!
5ome soooJ bltes ftom soooJ cbeckť 1here was a fan ln Lhe fronL row LhaL Lold uavld LhaL she broughL a
Lee shlrL for kyle's baby and uavld mlsundersLood herţ Lhlnklng she sald lL was for PlS babyŦ 1hlsţ
obvlouslyţ caused a few snlckers and [okes before he announced LhaL PL dldn'L have a baby buL Lhen
reallzed Lhe Lee shlrL was for kyle's new babyŦ 1hen a LheaLer sLage hand walked slowly up Lo Lhe sLage
and [usL klnd of sLared aL uavldŦ uavld sald Lhe sLage hand looked ºcreepy as hell" and remlnded hlm of
a fan LhaL he found ln hls yard a couple of years ago wlLh a knlfeŦ 1hls revelaLlon was meL wlLh gasps
from manyţ lncludlng myselfţ ln Lhe audlence!
Þage 3 of 13

1hen uavld asked whaL we wanLed Lo hearŦ 1o Lhe suggesLlon of 8ad Companyţ he slmply sald ºAhţ
c'mon!" Pe asked lf we wanLed an orlglnal or a cover and Lhe ma[orlLy sald orlglnalŦ 1here were requesLs
for anyLhlng from Analog PearL songs Lo Creepţ whlch goL no responseŦ And of courseţ someone
requesLed Lhe obllgaLory Ireeb|rdţ Lo whlch uavld obllged and sang ºl'm as free as a blrdŦ" l requesLed
1hls ls noL 1he LasL 1lme Lhree Llmes slnce lL's Lhe only song off Lhe new record he hasn'L done yeLŦ l
don'L Lhlnk he heard me buL anoLher more vocal fan kepL pushlng for lLŦ She was relenLless ln her
lnslsLence LhaL he play Lhe songţ whlch ln Lhls case worked ouL Lo our beneflLŦ uavld sald he dldn'L know
Lhe songŤ he sald he W8C1L lL buL he doesn'L know lL and hasn'L done lL llveţ ever and would beL $300
LhaL Lhey couldn'L play lL (umţ by Lhe way buddyţ you owe LhaL glrl $300!)Ŧ llnallyţ as lL was apparenL
LhaL Lhe fan wasn'L glvlng upţ he sald he was golng Lo play LeL Me lall lor ?ou flrsL and Lhen maybe
ºaLLempL Lo fumble" 1hls ls noL 1he LasL 1lmeŦ And LhaL ls exacLly whaL he dldŦ
Let Me Ia|| Ior ¥ou sounded so fanLasLlc llveŦ l loved Lhe plalnLlveţ emoLlve spln he puL on Lhe flrsL verse
of LMll?Ŧ l had waLched ?ou1ubes buL Lhey don'L do lL [usLlceŦ kyle and Andy's backlng vocals are
perfecLţ especlally when uavld sLeps away from Lhe mlcrophone aL Lhe end of Lhe song and Lurns Lhe
vocals over Lo AndyŦ Love lL!
When he flnlshed LMll?ţ Lrue Lo hls wordţ he aLLempLed 1h|s Is Not 1he Last 1|me for usţ wlLhouL
beneflL of Lhe LeleprompLerŦ lL was so cuLeţ he sLrummed Lhe gulLar by hlmself because Lhe oLher guys
dldn'L know Lhe song and sheeplshly mumbled Lhrough some of Lhe wordsţ buL damned lf he dldn'L belL
lL ouL for usţ unrehearsedŦ AL Llmes he had Lhe expresslon on hls face of searchlng hls mlnd for Lhe nexL
llneŦ uurlng one verseţ he was really sLruggllng Lo remember Lhe wordsţ so some of Lhe audlence sang
along wlLh hlm and goL hlm back on LrackŦ When he flnlshed he sald ºuon'L ever say l wouldn'L do
anyLhlng for yaŦ" l was so happy l goL Lo hear lLţ even ln rough formţ because lL was one of my ponles!! l
belleve LhaL now LhaL he knows fans wanL Lo hear lLţ Lhey'll work lL ouL and you wlll geL Lo hear lL llve
someLlme soonţ Lhank you very muchŦ AL leasL LhaL's whaL l'm Lelllng myselfŦ
WlLh only 2 mlnuLes lefL ln our sound check experlenceţ he broke ouL ln a llLLle dlLLyŦ lL was very
sponLaneousţ Llnged wlLh a llLLle creeplness and a mock embarrassed expresslonŦ 1he end resulL was
Lyplcally adorkable uaveŦ l can'L posslbly do lL [usLlce ln proseţ buL lL wenL someLhlng llke Lhlsť
wos olooe
Noţ wos oll by myself
No ooe wos lookloq (Lhls ls where Lhe snlckerlng began)
wos lookloq ot yoo
AoJ tbe woy tbot met yoo
wos oll by myself
All by myself
All by myself
All by myself

Pe sang Lhe lasL llne falseLLo wlLh Andy [olnlng ln on Lhe keysŦ uavld closed lL ouL by saylng ºLxLra shoL of
smarL assŦ" And [usL llke LhaL our personallzed sound check was over buL lL was soţ so worLh Lhe prlce of
vlÞ!
Þage of 13

nexL we moved on Lo Lhe meeL and
greeL whlch Look an eLernlLy wlLh 93
peopleţ buL lL had Lo ln order for
everyone Lo have a chance Lo chaL
brlefly and geL Lhelr plcLure LakenŦ 1he
llLLle boy we had seen earller when we
were ln llne was [usL ln fronL of us so we
were able Lo waLch hls encounLerŦ AL
Lhe rlsk of soundlng cynlcalţ l suspecL
our llLLle frlend mlghL have had some
help wlLh hls planned quesLlon Lo uavld
buL he lacked Lhe courage Lo acLually
volce Lhe quesLlonŦ Pls famlly prompLed
hlm Lo ask Lo no avallŦ 1hls only
helghLened uavld's lnLeresL so as Lhe llLLle boy was leavlngţ uavld asked Lhe famlly whaL Lhe quesLlon
wasŦ lL was cuLe and awkward [usL Lhe same as hls famlly sald LhaL Lhe llLLle boy wanLed Lo ask lf uavld
would be hls daddy! uavld made a moLlon llke he was Lrylng Lo pull Lhe words ouL of Lhe alr and back
lnLo hls mouLh and sald ºwordsţ backţ wordsţ backŦ" 1he whole band laughed as uavld Lurned red!
We also saw Lhe fan LhaL had Lhe oll palnLlng and sure enoughţ uavld slgned lL
for herŦ
uawn was Lhe flrsL of our group Lo meeL uavld and Lhe bandŦ She Lold hlm LhaL
she had learned Lo play ÞermanenL on Lhe planoţ whlch had Lo have Louched
hlmŦ









Þage of 13

1hen lL was my LurnŦ l had been Lhlnklng abouL whaL l wanLed Lo do for my vlÞ plcLure all week and
flnally on Lhe fllghL Lo PousLon lL came Lo meŧ uavld Cook and Lhe Alrband! So when lL was my Lurnţ l
walked Lhrough Lhe meLal deLecLor (yesţ really) and of course lL screamed whlch made me [umpŦ 1hen l
puL my Lhlngs down on Lhe chalr and walked Lo Lhe llneŦ uevln was flrsLŦ l puL my hand ouL Lo shake hls
hand and sald ºlL's so nlce Lo meeL youŧ" and LhaL was as far as l goLŦ l was golng Lo Lhank hlm for
sLepplng ln as Lead CulLar and Lhen Lry Lo say someLhlng brllllanLţ buL he shocked me by golng ln for a
hugŦ now lf l'd been waLchlng Lhe llneţ lnsLead of sLresslng over whaL Lo say Lo eachţ Lhen l wouldn'L
have LoLally forgoLLen everyLhlng l'd planned so meLlculously when he surprlsed me by lnlLlaLlng Lhe
hugŦ l sLepped back and walLed for MonLy Lo dlsengage ln conversaLlon from uavldŦ 8uL lL dldn'L happenŦ
MonLy was off ln LaLa LandŦ uevln had Lo lnLervene and say ºMonLy!" Lo geL hls aLLenLlonŦ 1hen MonLy
gave me a hugŦ
AL Lhls polnLţ l reallzed Lhls was golng Lo be a hugfesL so l wouldn'L have Lo acLually ask uavld lreaklng
Cook for a hug! 1he couple of Llmes l meL hlm ln Lhe pasLţ l never LhoughL Lo ask for a hug! l wenL ln for
lL and damn lf my sLupld fooL dldn'L lnvolunLarlly llfL off Lhe groundŦ All l could Lhlnk Lo myself was
ºCMC! l dldn'L [usL do LhaL!" So aL Lhls polnL l was ln a uave1rance from Lhe hug and l Lruly don'L
remember whaL happened lmmedlaLely afLer Lhe hug (more on Lhls laLer)Ŧ 1he nexL Lhlng l acLually do
remember was Wade saylng lL was plcLure LlmeŦ 1hls shook me ouL of my reverle and l looked aL uavld
and sald ºCan we do alr gulLars?" Pe looked a llLLle sLunned and l mlslnLerpreLed lL as hlm noL wanLlng Lo
do alr gulLars for Lhe plcLureţ so l saldţ ºoh we don'L have Loţ you don'L look llke you're lnLo lL" Lo whlch
he replledţ ºnoţ noţ leL's do lLŦ" So Lhen l felL brave and sald Lo Lhe oLhersţ ºeveryoneţ do alr gulLarsţ
excepL you kyleŦ ?ou do alr drumsŦ" Pe smlled and obllgedŦ Slnce l never learned Lo play Lhe gulLar LhaL l
goL lasL year for ChrlsLmas (duh!) l declded noL Lo Lry Lo fake lL and look llke an ldloL wlLh my hands ln
Lhe wrong poslLlonţ so l grabbed Lhe alr mlke and posed as Lhe slngerŦ Wade Look Lhe plcLure and when l
looked aL lL on hls camera l reallzed LhaL uevln had sLruck up Lhe alr fluLe! l loveţ loveţ love my plcLure
and recommend LhaL you really Lhlnk abouL whaL you mlghL wanL Lo do Lo make your own vlÞ plcLure
personal and speclalŦ

Þage of 13

So when Lhe plcLureŴLaklng was doneţ l had a couple of mlnuLes for auLographs and qulck conversaLlonŦ
And (of course!) l had lefL my Andy and uavld Cus ln Lhe hoLel room so l grabbed my vlÞ lamlnaLe
lnsLead and asked all Lo slgn lLŦ nowţ you may recall l menLloned LhaL l was Lhere wlLh oLhersŦ Cne of
Lhemţ who wlll remaln namelessţ declded she dldn'L wanL a plcLureŦ lnsLead she hung back and was
Laklng her own plcLures of our encounLersŦ So when l handed my lamlnaLe Lo Lhe guysţ l acLually handed
Lhem Lwo and sald ºmy frlend had vlÞ buL dldn'L wanL a plcLure so would you please slgn boLh
lamlnaLes?" uaveţ belng uaveţ sald ºhold lLţ walL a mlnuLeţ why doesn'L she wanL a plcLure?" She was
embarrassed and [usL blurLed ouL ºnoL lnLeresLed" and as soon as Lhe words lefL her mouLh l could Lell
she was morLlfledŦ uavld looked llke he'd been sLruckŦ l meanţ serlouslyţ she pald Lhe $73 for vlÞ so she
obvlously loves Lhe bandŦ She [usL dldn'L wanL her plcLure LakenŦ Anywayţ reallzlng LhaL her reacLlon
mlghL have been consLrued as a dlssţ she qulckly saldţ ºlL's noL youţ lL's me" and LhaL was all uavld
needed Lo hearŦ Pe was so funnyţ he repeaLed lL back Lo her ºnoţ lL's youţ noL me" and Lhen sald ºohţ
Lhls ls one of Lhose relaLlonshlpsţ noţ lL's meţ noL youŦ" Pe was on a roll and she was dylngţ buL aL leasL
she goL her lnLeracLlon wlLh hlm even Lhough she wasn'L expecLlng one!
So my Llme was runnlng ouL and l reallzed l hadn'L asked any of Lhe quesLlons LhaL l had puL LogeLher so
Lhe one LhaL came Lo mlnd was asklng uavld lf he was surprlsed aL Lhe fan reacLlon Lo LeL Me lall lor
?ouŦ l sald Lo hlm ºyou know lL's a fan favorlLeţ rlghL? And lL's only a bonus Lrack" Lo whlch Andy sald
º?eahţ l Lold hlm lL should be Lhe slngleŦ" 1haL was my segue Lo brlng Andy lnLo Lhe conversaLlonţ whlch l
had planned buL had forgoLLenţ of courseŦ l sald LhaL l loved Lhe llve verslon and Lhe way LhaL Lhey
worked ln Lhe background vocalsŦ uavld agreed LhaL lL sounded really good llke LhaL and Andyţ belng
Andyţ polnLed aL kyle and sald ºkyle and l boLh slng backgroundŦ" lL was so sweeL Lo ensure LhaL kyle
was recognlzedŦ AL LhaL polnL Wade sald we had Lo wrap lL upţ so l grabbed my Lhlngsţ Lhanked all of
Lhemţ and reLurned Lo my frlendsŦ
Cf course l was sLlll ln Lhe uave1rance and sald Lo Lhem someLhlng llke ºl feel badŦ When uavld hugged
me l Lemporarlly losL consclousness and LoLally lgnored Andy and kyle" Lo whlch my frlend sald ºno you
dldn'Lţ LookŦ" She had Laken plcLures of Lhe encounLer and sure enough afLer belng released by uavldţ l
dld walk over and glve boLh Andy and kyle hugs and l have absoluLely no recollecLlon of lL whaLsoever!
uavld Cook wlll do LhaL Lo meţ buL here's Lhe proof! l'm so glad l dldn'L lgnore Lhem!!
Þage of 13

WlLh vlÞ overţ we lefL for dlnner and Lhen reLurned laLer for Lhe showŦ 8u1ţ before we enLered Lhe
LheaLerţ securlLy looked ln our purses and spoLLed my Canon ÞowerShoL C9Ŧ l was Lold LhaL l had Lo puL
LhaL camera back ln Lhe carŦ l was sad because lL Lakes greaL plcLures and vldeosţ buL alasţ l also had my
llLLle Canon Su4300lS plus my lphoneŦ l reslgned myself Lo Lhe facL LhaL plcLures and vldeos would be
sparse buL noL compleLely undoable! l puL my good camera ln Lhe car and smuggled ln my noLŴsoŴgoodŴ
buLŴlLŴwlllŴdoŴlnŴaŴplnch camera ln my pockeLţ hoplng Lhey wouldn'L paL me down!
We had flfLh row seaLsŦ noL badţ buL Lhe LheaLer was half empLy and l saw row 2 was empLy as wellŦ lL
would be sacrllege Lo leave LhaL 2
nd
row alsle seaL (wlLh no seaL ln fronL of lL) vacanLţ so uawn and l
moved down and were lucky enough Lo keep Lhose seaLs Lhrough Carollna Llar and Cavln ueCrawŦ
uurlng Lhe early acLsţ securlLy wasn'L leLLlng people sLand ln our alsle buL by Lhe Llme uavld came onţ l
suppose Lhey reallzed Lhey wouldn'L be able Lo hold back Lhe Llde and Lhey leL us congregaLe ln Lhe alsle
so l ended up fronL row sLandlng aL Lhe sLageŦ 1he sLage was noL as hlgh as many of Lhe sLages and Lhere
was no barrler so lL's Lhe closesL l've ever been Lo An? acLŦ And slnce Lhe sLage roLaLed 360
o
every 2 or 3
mlnuLesţ l had fronL row cenLer for uavld for aL leasL a mlnuLe on LvL8? song! Cn Lhe down slde lL also
meanL LhaL l looked aL Lhe back of Lhe equlpmenL for an equal amounL of Llmeţ buL lL was worLh lL
because LvL8?CnL goL fronL row cenLer and when does LhaL ever happen?! 8uL l'm geLLlng ahead of
myselfŦ LeL me sLarL aL Lhe beglnnlngŧ
Carollna Llar was up flrsLŦ l really llke Lhls bandŦ l had heard Lhelr couple of radlo hlLsţ buL preordered
Lhelr new Cu when l heard Lhey would be openlng for uavld so l could become famlllar wlLh Lhelr new
muslcŦ l love Lhe song Me and ?ouŦ lL's my favorlLe song on Wlld 8lessed lreedom and was slnglng along
wlLh lLŦ 8elng so close Lo Lhe sLage Lhe keyboardlsL saw me slnglng and acLually wlnked aL meţ whlch l
LhoughL was so cuLeŦ l guess belng Lhe openlng acL wlLh a new Cuţ Lhey may noL see a loL of people
slnglng along Lo Lhe new songsŦ Anywayţ Lhey rocked more llve Lhan Lhey do on Lhe Cu and l really
en[oyed LhemŦ l was vldeo shy aL Lhls polnLŦ As l menLlonedţ securlLy made me puL my good camera back
ln Lhe car so l wanLed Lo be sLealLh unLll uavld came on so l dldn'L lose anoLher camera premaLurelyŦ As
a resulLţ l Look no vldeo of Carollna Llar buL l dld caLch a few lphone plcLuresŦ noLeţ Lhese were Laken
Þage of 13

wlLhouL zoomŦ 1haL's how close l was from SLCCnu 8CW! noLlce Lhe speakers aL Lhe boLLom of Lhe full
band plcLureŤ LhaL's where l ended up sLandlng for uavld!!! Copsţ back Lo Carollna Llarŧ l don'L recall
Lhe compleLe seL llsL buL whaL l do remember ls Lhe openlng song urownţ a polgnanL solo performance
by Chad of 8eauLlful Þeopleţ Lhelr blggesL hlL Lo daLe Show Me WhaL l'm Looklng lorţ and my personal
favorlLe Me and ?ouŦ 1hey wlll conLlnue Lo open for uavld afLer Lhe coŴheadllnlng Lour wlLh Cavln comes
Lo an end and l hope Lo see anoLher show where l can pay Lhls band Lhe aLLenLlon Lhey deserveŦ lL had
been so long slnce l had seen uavld llve (had [usL seen Cavln lasL monLh) and LonlghL was reallyţ Lrulyţ all
abouL uavld Cook for meŦ
Cavln was up nexLŦ Agalnţ l knew Cavln's radlo songs and hls Cu released [usL one week prlor Lo Carollna
Llar's so l Look a chance and preordered lL as wellŦ 1he flrsL Llme l llsLened Lo lL sLralghL Lhrough Lwlceţ
and gave lL a 8ŴŦ lL has grown on me and l've slnce bumped lL Lo an AŴŦ l love Lhe slngleţ noL Cver ?ouţ lL's
such an earwormŦ CLher favorlLes of Lhe nlghL lncluded Where ?ou Are and 8un Lvery 1lmeŦ l was really
happy wlLh Cavln's seL and song cholces for Lhe showŦ Pe ls a greaL sLage performerţ knows when Lo
sLrlp lL down (Lhe plano acousLlc verslon of Spell lL CuL was beauLlful) and when Lo rock lL (l uon'L WanL
1o 8e) and when Lo geL a llLLle funky and dance whlle slnglng songs llke 8adlaLlon and SweeLerŦ l
Lhoroughly en[oyed hls performanceŦ
Þage of 13

l dld flnally break down and whlp ouL Lhe camera for one vldeo of CavlnŦ And l LoLally made up for Lhe
lack of Carollna Llar and Cavln vldeos from PousLon Lhe nexL nlghL ln AusLlnţ buLţ l'm geLLlng ahead of
myself agalnŦ
So flnallyţ lL was Llme for uavldŦ Aslde from sound checkţ Lhe lasL Llme l heard and saw hlm perform llve
was aL Lhe Cu 8elease shows aL 1he ÞaramounL and 8esL 8uy ln new ?ork ClLy four monLhs agoţ almosL
Lo Lhe dayŦ An eLernlLy! Llke all Cook fansţ l was looklng forward Lo hearlng more of Lhe new songs llve
and a few of Lhe favorlLes from uC18Ŧ And uavld dld noL dlsappolnLŦ Pls seL was 16 songsţ nlcely blended
wlLh newţ oldţ and a cover lnLerwoven lnLo a LoLally saLlsfylng seLŦ Pe sLarLed and ended wlLh Clrcadlan
and 8apld Lye MovemenLţ Lhe bookend songs (and Lwo of my favorlLes) from 1hls Loud MornlngŦ 1hls
has become sLandard pracLlce on 1hls Loud 1our when he closes Lhe show and when Lhere ls enough
LlmeŦ l was so happy LhaLţ on Lhls nlghLţ boLh of Lhose crlLerla were meLŦ
Ckayţ now for Lhe playŴby playŦ As soon as Lhe llghLs wenL downţ l goL up and sLood fronL row aL Lhe
sLageŦ 1hls was Lhe ll8S1 1lML LvL8 l would be fronL row (and cenLer as Lhe sLage roLaLed passed me)
for uavld Cook! And Lhere were no barrlers Lo Lhe sLageŦ l was llLerally Lwo feeL from Lhe sLage and lL
was noL very elevaLed! 1hls was more Lhan l could have posslbly hoped forŦ 1he LheaLer was sLlll dark as
Lhe men made Lhelr way down Lhrough Lhe audlence Lo Lhe sLageŦ 1he C|rcad|an lnLro Lrack was playlng
ln Lhe background and Lhen Lhe llghLs came up on Lhls roLaLlng sLageŦ uevln was lnlLlally dlrecLly ln fronL
of me and uavld was 90
o
lefL of my spoL aL Lhe sLage
buL Lhe sLage was roLaLlng ln M? dlrecLlonŦ Say whaL
you wlll able Lhls crazy roLaLlng sLageţ buL we goL
vlews LhaL you'll never geL from a sLaLlonary sLageŦ
1he acousLlcs ln Lhe LheaLer were very good as wellŦ
WlLh uevln rlghL ln fronL of meţ l could really hear
Lhe lnLrlcacles of Lhe lead gulLar LhaL l usually mlss as
l favor belng cenLer on Lhe Andy sldeŦ And l goL greaL
vlews of kyle who ls usually hldden ln Lhe backŦ
As Lhe song progressedţ so dld uavld's angle
Lowards me unLll suddenlyţ second chorusţ Lhere
he was dlrecLly ln fronL of me and my everŴpresenL
cameraţ rocklng ouL Lhrough Lhe brldge and Lhen
he was passed me agaln buL sLlll wlLhln 90
o
Lo my
rlghLŦ
8efore l could caLch my breaLhţ Clrcadlan became
neroesţ a senLlmenLal favorlLe LhaL l hope uavld
wlll never sLop slnglng llveţ even for one showŦ Slnce Lhls ls a roLaLlng sLageţ uavld was now roLaLlng
away and l had Andy fronL and cenLerŦ And for a few bars Lhere was Lhe shoL you [usL can'L posslbly geL
Þage 10 of 13

on a normal sLageţ Lhe buLL shoL! And Lhen he was
gone behlnd Lhe drums and equlpmenLŦ 1haL's Lhe
prlce you pay for Lhe roLaLlng sLage buL lL glves Lhe
oLher 99 of us Lhe chance Lo be fronL and cenLer for
awhlleŦ And because Lhe acousLlcs were so goodţ
LhaL volce sLlll came across crysLal clearŦ
nexL was MrŦ Sens|t|ve wlLh a new lnLroŦ l really llke
how he's Laken Lhe Llme Lo even rework Lhe older
songsŦ l lucked ouL agaln because uavld was
poslLloned on Lhe oLher slde of Lhe roLaLlng sLage aL
Lhe sLarLţ buL slnce he wasn'L glued Lo Lhe mlke yeL (Lhe lnLro ls over a mlnuLe long)ţ he declded Lo walk
around Lhe sLageţ encouraglng Lhe audlence Lo clap along and Laklng a few seconds Lo [am on Lhe lnLro
wlLh uevln and MonLyţ all whlle walklng ln a compleLe clrcle around Lhe sLageŦ Such a showman! Lnd
resulLţ l goL a few exLra mlnuLes of uavld face Llme even Lhough hls mlc sLand was on Lhe oLher sldeŦ
1hen all of a suddenţ Lhe sLage changed
dlrecLlon and he was comlng back around
from my rlghL slde Lhls LlmeŦ l Lhlnk l [usL
mlghL have had Lhe besL spoL ln Lhe LheaLer!
AbouL Lwo Lhlrds Lhrough MrŦ SenslLlve l had
a crappy camera fallŦ Slnce l don'L usually use
Lhls camera for vldeo l dldn'L reallze LhaL lL
auLomaLlcally sLops recordlng aL 10 mlnuLes
and slnce Clrcadlanţ Peroesţ and MrŦ
SenslLlve had no breaksţ l hadn'L sLopped
recordlngŦ
1lme for a llLLle banLer break and uavld sald
lL was good Lo be backţ and Lhen addressed
Lhe facL LhaL everyone was Lhe ºfronL of Lhe
audlenceŦ" Pe Lold everyone Lo geL upţ checked Lo make sure Lhe band wasn'L lll wlLh moLlon slckness
from Lhe roLaLlng sLage and Lhen launched lnLo Þaper neartŦ l love Þaper PearLŦ lL holds a speclal place
ln my own hearL because l was Lhere when lL debuLed aL
8usch Cardens ln Lhe summer of 2010Ŧ
nexL was Lhe flrsL of Lhe four slngles LhaLţ Lhus far Lhls Lourţ
uavld has played aL every sLopŦ lor Lhe flrsL Llme LhaL
evenlngţ l puL Lhe camera down and [usL sang along wlLh Lhe
audlenceŦ l love Come 8ack 1o Me aL llve showsŦ Cf all hls
songsţ lL ls Lhe one LhaL geLs Lhe mosL people slnglng alongŦ
8ecause of Lhe Lerrlflc radlo alrplay lL goL for slx monLhsţ even
Lhe casual fan knows C81MŦ And leL's face lLţ lL's easler Lo
slng Lhan LlghL Cnţ hls blggesL slngle from uC18Ŧ
Þage 11 of 13

And Lhen we goL a real LreaL ln a new cover! uavld had done lL several Llmes Lhls Lour buL slnce Lhls was
my flrsL show Lhls Lourţ lL was new Lo me (and slnce Lhls ls M? recapţ LhaL's whaL counLs)! Pe covered
nlne lnch nalls' 1he nand 1hat Ieeds and he rocked lL harder Lhan he does mosL of hls own songsŦ Pls
volce so flLs Lhls songŤ lL harkens back Lo Lhe preŴsolo arLlsL days of Axlumţ dropplng Lo Lhe lower end of
hls range [usL a blL more Lhan he does on mosL of hls currenL maLerlalŦ 1hls was one of Lhe few songs Lhls
nlghL where Lhe sLage kepL uavld from my dlrecL vlew for mosL of Lhe songŦ
8uL LhaL was acLually okay wlLh me because Lhe sLage roLaLlon
endlng where lL dld for Lhe nln cover seL up uavld Lo sLarL my new
favorlLe llve song Let Me Ia|| Ior ¥ou rlghL ln fronL of me! l love how
Lhls song sLarLs ouL so Lenderţ even more so llve Lhan on Lhe
recordlngţ and Lhen [usL when you Lhlnk lL's golng Lo be a sofL
balladţ he dropklcks lL lnLo full on rock modeŦ l [usL love LhaL sLyleŦ
And Lhenţ LhaL maglcal roLaLlng sLage sLopped roLaLlng mldŴsong
and damnţ lf lL dldn'L resLarLţ comlng back aL meŦ 8ecause of Lhe
swlLchţ l never losL slghL of uavld durlng Lhls song and Lhe song
sLarLed and ended wlLh uavld slnglng dlrecLly ln fronL of me! 1hen aL
Lhe end of Lhe songţ ln a mock gesLureţ he preLended he was Laklng
plcLures of all of usţ [usL as we were Laklng plcLures of hlmŦ Look for Lhe vldeos on ?ou1ubeŦ lL's [usL Loo
cuLe!
1he halfway polnL of Lhe seL llsL broughL us Lhe rocklfled l D|d
It Ior ¥ou from Lhe debuL uavld Cook albumŦ l dldn'L record lL
on Lhls nlghLţ buL never fearţ l capLured lL ln AusLln! l dldţ aL
leasLţ have Lhe presence of mlnd Lo swlLch on Lhe camera
whenţ aL Lhe very end of Lhe songţ uavld sLruck Lhe CulLar
Pero pose ln a rare vlslL off Lhe maln sLage Lo Lhe Lop of a
speaker!


Þage 1 of 13

nexL up was Lhe flrsL slngle from 1hls Loud Mornlngţ 1he Last GoodbyeŦ lL was also when l had Lo swlLch
Lo my lÞhoneŦ My crappy llLLle polnL and shooL camera had an even crappler baLLeryŦ l knew Lhls so l
boughL an exLra baLLeryŧ whlch was ln Lhe camera caseŧ whlch was ln Lhe carŧ wlLh my good freaklng
camera! ughţ besL lald plans and all LhaLŦ 8uL anywayţ where Lhere's a wlllŧ so l whlpped ouL Lhe lÞhone
and lL Look semlŴdecenL vldeoţ lf noL speclflcally of Lhe ºbeLLer Lhan noLhlng" naLureŦ Anywayţ uavld's
dad was ln Lhe audlence and he asked us all Lo say hlţ whlch of course we dldţ Lhen he launched lnLo 1he
LasL CoodbyeŦ 1hls ls anoLher song he has Lweaked for Lourţ addlng an lnLroţ whlch makes lL easler for
Lhe band Lo synch Lhe sLarLŦ 1oo bad Lhey dldn'L do Lhls for Lhe ldol performanceţ buL l'm dlgresslng
agalnŦ 1he audlence sang along durlng Lhe chorus Lo whlch uave Lold us we were fanLasLlcŦ And Lhen Lhe
sLage sLoppedţ and roLaLed back Lowards me agaln for a very rouslng
We 8e||eve! Pere's a plcLure for Lhe Andy fans from We 8elleveŦ
1hen uavld dld Lwo Lhlngs LhaL l don'L belleve he's done so far Lhls
LourŦ llrsLţ he sLrung LogeLher four songs from Lhe debuL selfŴLlLled
recordŦ l belleve Lhls seL llsL ls Lhe only one Lo daLe wlLh more old
songs Lhan new! l love LhaL record as much as Lhls one so l was
happy Lo geL 8 songs from uC18Ŧ lor Lhls four song subseLţ l only
recorded Dec|arat|on andţ of course L|e wlLh lLs ensulng banLer aL
Lhe close of Lleţ whlch was Lhe
second Lhlng LhaL he dld LhaL
was so uncharacLerlsLlc of
uaveŧ he broughL a bunch of
glrls up on Lhe sLage! lL began
wlLh a llLLle chaLLlng wlLh a
Cavln fan ln Lhe audlence who
sald she loved Cavln buL her frlends loved uavldŦ uavld [oked and
sald ºyou can leave now" and before she could come back wlLh
anyLhlng he called her ºuarlln" and lnvlLed her up on Lhe sLageŦ
Way Lo wln over a Cavln
fanţ dudeŦ nlcely played
Ŧ Cf course Lhere were
uavld fans all over Lhe
audlence aL Lhls polnL
saylng we haLe you Looţ Lo no avallŦ LCLŦ So anyway Lhe Cavln
glrl and her four uavld frlends all cllmbed up on Lhe sLage and
lL was a hugfesLŦ Co look for lL on my ?ou1ube channelţ
?ouCoL1weeLs because l can'L do lL [usLlce ln prose and unllke
Lhe vlÞţ l don'L have LoŤ lL's been recordedŦ Pe dld say she had
13 lbŦ brass ones so LhaL alone should make lL worLh your
whlle Lo check ouL Lhe vldeo Lo flnd ouL why! 8ack Lo Lhe
showŧ
Þage 13 of 13

l lnLenLlonally Lurned Lhe camera off for some audlence
parLlclpaLlonŴsLyle rocklng Lo Lhe doubleŴheader of 8arbasol
and LlghL CnŦ uurlng 8arbasolţ uave reached down lnLo Lhe
audlence and Look an lÞhone from a fan and Lhen Look a
closeŴup of kyleŦ l'd love Lo see LhaL plcLure! And he never
mlssed a beaLŦ Pe was slnglng Lhe whole LlmeŦ 1hen lL came
Llme for hls gulLar soloţ buL before uave's soloţ he walked
over Lo uevln and klnda head buLLed hlm and Lhen Lhey
were boLh klnda pushlng lnLo each oLher's headsŦ lL was
adorable and l was really klnda plssed aL Lhls polnL LhaL l had
Lurned Lhe camera off Lo [usL rock ouL Lo Lhe songŦ Luckllyţ l
found lL on ?1 and here's a screen cap of uevln and uavldŦ
And [usL llke LhaLţ lL was back Lo 1hls Loud Mornlng and Lhe currenL slngleţ Iade Into Meţ Lhe laLesL
slngle off 1hls Loud MornlngŦ Pe's glven lade lnLo Me Lhe full ºLle" LreaLmenL on LourŦ 8y LhaL l mean he
Look a mld Lempo balladţ sLrlpped lL downţ and slowed lL upŦ 8uL he's gone one sLep farLher Lhan Lle by
Lurnlng lL lnLo a crowdŴpleaslngţ swoonŴworLhy emoLlonal rlde wlLh [usL uave and Lhe rare acousLlc
gulLarŦ 8eauLlful! Pe says he does Lhls Lo glve Lhe guys a breakţ buL c'mon uaveţ we know why you
Lle'lfled lade lnLo Me and we're okay wlLh lL!
1hen Lhe unheard of happenedŦ My 32C8 lÞhone shuL off because l was ouL of sLorage space! Arghh!!
llrsLţ securlLy makes me leave my good camera ln Lhe carŦ 1hen Lhe crappy polnL and shooL camera dles
afLer llke 3 songsŦ now my lÞhone ls uselessŦ AL leasL uavld was on Lhe lasL songţ buLţ Lhe lasL song
LonlghL was kap|d Lye Movementţ whlch l soooo wanLed Lo hear llveŦ Wellţ l goL Lo hear lL llve and all l
have ls my memory of lLŦ l'm hoplng LhaL a good vldeo wlll surface on ?ou1ube oLherwlse l'll [usL have Lo
go back Lo see uavld Cook agalnŦ
1here was no encore Lhls evenlng because Lhey dld Lhe full 16
song seL and lL was very laLeŦ 8uL as Lhe llghLs came upţ whaL
dld l flnd buL an auLhenLlc uavld Cook gulLar plckŦ And as lf
LhaL were noL enoughţ when Lhe sLage flnally sLopped
roLaLlngţ l was sLandlng rlghL ln fronL of uavld's seL llsLţ so of
courseţ slnce Lhe sLage was so low and Lhere was no barrlerţ l
[usL reached ln and grabbed lLŦ lL's LrueŦ lronL row does have
lLs advanLagesŦ
My 1exas advenLure dld noL end ln PousLonŦ 1he nexL day l
drove Lo AusLln and dld lL all over agalnţ buL lL was a LoLally
dlfferenL experlence for so many reasonsŦ lf you wanL Lo know
whyţ you'll [usL have Lo read my AusLln recapŦ
36
aka [lLsMy11me on LwlLLer and ?ouCoL1weeLs on ?ou1ube