38 -- David Cook -- Saturday, March 28, 2009 -- William and Mary -- Williamsburg, VA

I love following American Idol. I recognize, and at times loathe, the fact that the show can be so shallow and cruel, but overall I find it worth it: for the watercooler moments, the live performances, the immediate reactions, and the possibility every season of an authentic rags-to-riches story.

The thing is, my Idol fandom never continues beyond the finale. I passionately support a contestant the whole season, but once the confetti falls, I’m done. I don’t follow the tour; I don’t buy his or her record; I move on.

David Cook changed that. He scheduled a William and Mary concert on his tour, and I had planned on spending a spring weekend in Williamsburg, so I went. I had more interest in seeing him than, say, Melinda Doolittle or Elliot Yamin – my two other Idol underdogs – because his style is closer to rock, a genre more appealing to me than Motown or R&B. I was also curious to see if he stayed true to his rock roots on his debut album and if he had as much stage presence live as he did on the show.]





The answer to the first question, the album question, was “sometimes.” “Bar-ba-sol” unquestionably rocks, incorporating grungy guitar, thumping bass, and an utter lack of Archuleta. “Kiss on the Neck” is not as ambitious, but does have some nice hard rock riffs. “Mr. Sensitive” is less soft that it title implies, driving through its chorus with remarkable force. The way he powers up at each “I” and each “one” is impressive. He uses a similar propulsion technique in “Declaration.” The weakest tracks are “Heroes,” “Life on the Moon,” “Time of My Life,” and “Avalanche.” They don’t quite drip with Idol goo (there are no “This is My Now” moments), but they are pretty processed. “Light On” is processed too, but it sure is catchy. ;)









The answer to the second question (which asked whether he could maintain the strong stage presence he had on the show), was an emphatic “yes.” The main reason he was able to command the stage was his voice. I’ve been surprised by how often I arrive at a concert and find that the vocal is nowhere near as good as on the record (White Stripes, Death Cab, Counting Crows, Foo Fighters). Sometimes, as with Foo Fighters, the band’s instrumentals and charisma make up for it, but it is a definite issue. Cook’s vocals, by contrast, seemed even stronger live. You could hear him subtly inflect all the melodies, swell up at every chorus – it was impressive. In this sense, Idol probably gave him an advantage over other rockers: a nine-week vocal boot camp before picking up an instrument on tour.

David Cook - Billie Jean - Top 10 American Idol 3/25/08
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The opening performer, Ryan Star, probably got similar training on his reality show Rock Star Supernova, but he could have benefitted more from kennel training. Initially he seemed interested in all the female fans, panting out brilliant lines like this one to a female English major: “You don’t know English? What did you get on your SATs?” It soon became clear, though, that his strongest object of desire was himself. He caressed each of his arms, made love to the mic stand, stopped and posed mid-song…it was embarrassing.

Cook, fortunately, did not remotely embarrass himself. He came across as confident, not conceited. And his interactions with the crowd were often genuinely funny. Introducing the bitter “Lie,” he asked how many couples were in the audience tonight. After loud applause, he explained, “Yeah, you guys should hang by the tables [outside], ‘cause this song is not for you.” He also described how the band had a lot of trouble playing catch in the muddy Sunken Gardens, insisting William and Mary would receive an invoice for “two ruined shoes.” (Thanks to the Flat Hat for reminding me of those specific anecdotes. ;))

Cook’s final winning p.r. move was arranging for a few lucky fans to meet with him after the show. Thanks to Mike Erickson and Andrew Schmadel, my UCAB connections, I was one of those lucky few! The abrasive production manager warned everyone that there was “no time to mess around” (he also told us to “behave ourselves”!), but I was able to get what I wanted. He took a picture, signed the concert sheet, and mostly importantly, chuckled at my Idol reference. I went up to him, shook his hands, and told him he was ok, but no Taylor Hicks. (Taylor Hicks was the scenery-chewing buffoon who won season five.) Without missing a beat, he replied, “Nope -- no one really is.” I then told him that he had been really good, especially the Van Halen “Hot For Teacher” cover. He graciously pointed to his band members and said, “It’s all them, man. Couldn’t do it without them.” What a guy...

Grade: A-