To help David Archuleta celebrate Pioneer Day even though he is far from home, we think of O Pioneer Day!
5 Music Questions for David Archuleta
I am so lucky! Not only did I meet David in Kansas City, I was "standing by him" for several minutes. I am so unlucky! For months I have had questions to ask David, questions many trained journalists fail to ask him. And there he was standing next to me when my brain froze.
I've been home for a week, but I can't stop thinking of things I wish I had asked him as he stood RIGHT THERE!!! Therefore, I am asking David to comment below and answer these five questions. I know, I got a lot of chutzpah when it's just me and my computer!
5 Music Questions
I know you type fast, David, so it shouldn't take too much of your valuable time. haha
Your vocal coach, Dean Kaelin, says you use cartoon voices when you warm-up. Which cartoon character do you sound like?
What do you think "down the waterfall" means in "Angels"?
Will you sing "I'll Be" in public or record it?
How will you perform "Crush" live with its many layers of your voice?
Do you think you will use more blue notes and guttural vocals in your own songs?
Thank you very much. If I have the opportunity to "stand by you" ever again, I will bring my notes.
Take care.
Minna (AKA min-ja)
David Archuleta in Kansas City, Missouri -- and we were there!
We weren't going to miss the last two-night concert of David's AI tour! Friday, August 29 & Saturday, August 30, 2008
The morning after
It was a jolt to wake up Sunday morn in Kansas City, Missouri, and know that David was no longer in town.
The AI buses were all gone from the Hilton President Hotel across the street. Still euphoric over the two concerts we saw, I felt a creeping sadness coming over me. My sister Caro & I decided to have breakfast at the Hilton's Walnut Room just to feel the 'David vibe'. Then we chatted up the friendly reservation agent at the front desk. She told us that David had asked where he could find a Sub sandwich. She also informed us that no one at the hotel knew the real names of the Idol people. Everyone was booked under an alias. So our request to see his room could not be fulfilled -- haha! The Hilton ought to cross-reference the aliases with the real names to find David's room so they can rename it the David Archuleta Room!
Arriving in K.C.
This trip was quickly arranged when my sister Caro's plans to attend the Atlanta concert fell through. She said she'd meet me in Kansas City -- I couldn't miss the chance to see David in two concerts WITH my sister who is also an avid fan! She drove several hours from Tennessee, while I flew from San Francisco. I arrived Wednesday afternoon and had all day Thursday to recover from the flight. Caro arrived Thursday afternoon.
Friday, August 29, 2008 Fan Greeting
Before noon Caro & I toured the jazz museum at 18th & Vine and bought a "Satchmo" T-shirt for Jeff Archuleta. ;-) We listened to jazz and blues -- the very styles that have influenced David -- from Kansas City's music heydays of the 1920s, '30s, and '40s.
At the hotel we gathered the essential fan paraphernalia -- photos of David, gift bag, cameras -- and walked down to the Sprint Center. It was very warm and we had forgotten sunscreen, so we waited in the shade for more than an hour. When we finally went to the line formed in front of a light barricade, we were at the end where a concrete wall provided a convenient surface for our stuff. We both got sunburned as we waited for an hour more. It was fun talking to fans. They were from far & wide -- Baltimore, Cincinnati, Iowa, Montana, Arizona, California, even Vancouver! I realized it wasn't such a crazy idea afterall to fly halfway across the country. Of course, I would have gone anyway even if it was a little crazy. We cannot know how long it will be before David is on tour again!!
At last the three silver tour buses came the short distance from the Hilton to the Sprint and the fans went wild! Jason & David were the first ones out to greet us. Jason walked directly to the end where we were, while David started at the front of the line. Jason was so sweet and those baby blues are gorgeous! (Click on the photo to see the LARGE version.) Kristy Lee Cook came out, passed by David coming & going. She was talking on her cell phone a lot while signing. She is a very beautiful young woman. Brooke came out to say she couldn't stay. She's gorgeous too! And by the way, so is Carly. We didn't see Carly in K.C., but I saw her in San Jose. Even without their stage makeup, these young ladies are stunning! Michael Johns made a brief appearance, cutting up a little. All this time, our David was still meeting his fans, signing his autograph on photos, posters, cell phones, whatever, and receiving many gifts. The security guard was holding the gifts for him, so David was free to write, hug fans, and pose for photos. We watched as he unhurriedly made his way down the line. He pays close attention to the fans and gives them his undivided attention.
Meeting David
We panicked. Caro & I began to think that David would have to go to the Meet & Greet inside the arena. I stayed at our spot, while she went to the middle of the line. Some time later she returned all smiles without the gift bag and with several signed photos! Mission: accomplished! I would be happy that we at least got to see David up close and give him gifts. (At the HP Pavilion in San Jose, I was only able to have a taller person hand things to David -- two photos to sign and the Top 10 Things to Love about Utah that I wrote for him to commemorate the Top 10 concerts in Salt Lake City.)
But David kept on coming down the line. And soon, there he was! A fan asked for a hug and I spontaneously exclaimed, "Can I have a hug too?" And smiling broadly, he says, "Sure!" Watch me get a David hug! Hugging David was such a thrill. He has a small frame, but his back and chest are strong. People don't realize how strong singers need to be! Something odd -- no, ODD! -- happened after the hug. My brain stopped functioning! And David made it worse by walking even closer to stand right beside me. He had walked past the barricade, past the concrete wall! I thought the security guard would stop him. For some reason, I backed up and almost stumbled over someone's bag on the floor behind me. I couldn't go any further, and David stayed there. I wouldn't take my eyes off him to look behind me, but I suspected there were fans that wanted time with him. Others asked for hugs and photos. I noticed David wiping sweat off his face, so I began to fan him from behind to cool him off. I had a handmade "David Archuleta Fan" which my husband & I had made at a San Jose crafts store while we waited for the show. Later, I made David laugh when I joked that he could hire me to "be his fan".
One of two young women behind me told David that he was helping her friend get over her divorce. David said, "ohhh". Moments later, remembering a conversation he must have already had with them, he asked, "I thought you said you have babies?" Standing right beside him, I could feel the pain David expressed. He seemed sad to think of the breakup of this young family. But then they told him the child was named "David Archuleta" and he laughed wholeheartedly.
David then shocked me! I told him I loved "Crush" and that we all were so excited about the music video. HE SAID he needed to go back in the arena to look at the first rushes of the video. Someone interrupted and I stood there in a panic, not sure what he had just told me. Then I asked, you mean you are going to look at the video right now in the arena? Yes, he said, and he was very excited about it!
I mumbled something about seeing him in San Jose. Honestly, my brain was not working. I recommend to all fans to write your comments & questions down, put it in your pocket, and don't be shy about referring to your notes. Today, I still think of things I wanted to say and ask.
David's hazel eyes were sparkling in the Kansas City sunshine. He gazes sweetly and intentionally at whoever is talking to him. He makes each fan feel very special.
Saturday, August 30, 2008 Fan Greeting
David wearing our tee!
The day before we had learned that the Idols were staying at the Hilton President Hotel -- across the street from OUR hotel. Rats! I had wanted to check out this 1920s historic hotel. If only we had stayed there instead.
We walked down to the Sprint and gathered with the fans near the front of the line. The buses were late arriving. But David kept to his promise yesterday that he would come out to greet fans today as well. Both Davids arrived together. From the back we couldn't tell what the commotion was when Cook hugged David, but later we saw the video of the fan saying she'd "give David more than a hug" and Cook defused the awkward moment with a big bear hug. But Caro & I were already GONE to Fan Heaven because we saw that David was WEARING one of the three t-shirts we had given him the day before!
Caro asked David about the t-shirt and he said, "Are you Shirley?" Well, this sent us flying even higher -- he remembered one of our names! On our greeting card we said we were three sisters who adore you...and we bought you three t-shirts. Then David repeated all three of our names! My sister Shirley has been in Italy all summer and was unable to attend.
NOTE: many thanks to the fan (r00bs) who videoed this because now we have it on tape! Also, on this tape, I asked if David has allergies and he said, "Yeah, that's why my eyes are red."
Fan vid of David wearing 'our' blue t-shirt
Buzzing about Hey! Nielsen
In our greeting card I included a list of the Honeybees who buzz for David Archuleta on the Hey! Nielsen web site. (The Honeybee is Utah's State Insect.) I told David & Jeff that David was #1 in Music. I hope they will check out the site when they have more time after the tour. The Nielsen Company, known for rating of TV programs, helped develop this online rating site. Fans of David can register and post an opinion once a day to keep David Archuleta #1 out of more than 2,400 Musicians! Join David's board on Hey! Nielsen.
Friendly Kansas Citians
Throughout our stay, we met many friendly locals. On the street if you just looked a little lost, someone would ask if you needed help. Neither of us had been to K.C. and we were impressed. The Power & Light District where the Sprint Center is located is newly developed with many restaurants, bars and hotels. Kansas City was wise to rescue the historic Hilton President Hotel from the demolition ball. The hotel had a $50 million restoration. Built in the 1920s, the President has had many famous guests, including Frank Sinatra. Maybe David slept in his room!
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David Archuleta: Great Singer with Great Character!
American Idol concert, San Jose, July 8, 2008
This photo is probably the closest I got to David Archuleta.
From where I was standing, there in the blue & white straw hat,
I could not even SEE David! My husband took this picture by climbing up on a tall trash bin. It was very frustrating to be so close
and not to see David or shake his hand. 
I just wanted to tell him how
much I love his voice. I also had prepared a 'Top 10 story' for his
homecoming in Salt Lake City the following week and wanted to give it to him. I
had put it in a large envelope addressed, "Please Hand-deliver to David
Archuleta, Thanks". A tall guy volunteered to pass it over to David,
along with two photos for him to sign. David signed them, I sorta saw
him doing it, and then passed the whole thing back to me. I asked the
tall guy to send the large envelope back and tell David that it was for
him to keep. I think I saw David accept the envelope, nod and say, "Oh,
OK." Or something like that. I managed to get his signature on two photos, one for me and one for
my sister. In all the confusion at the tall metal gate, I was happy to
get them. And happy to have seen David's glowing face and to have heard
his laugh. You know, the big explosive one that makes you laugh too.
The
next day I happened to see a photo on Fan Blast taken by a fan named Ida. (She gave me permission to use it.) 
There was David
standing at the metal gate signing his autograph. Look! What is that under
his right arm!? It's my envelope! I can see my return address label with
the little beehive icon. (Beehive is Utah's State emblem.) I was ecstatic! A few days later my sister emailed me a photo on a fan forum. From there I found several more of David and the famous white envelope! To me these photos reflect David's true character. If only I had given him a soccer ball too! But it warms my heart to see the way he holds onto a simple envelope from a fan he never met.
David and the White Envelope
David leaving with envelope
David & Jason leaving (envelope)
Jason opening gift bag, while David holds onto his envelope!
Gift paper littering, David exclaims! But holds onto envelope!
All clean. Don't you KNOW where the envelope is! Oh how I wish I were a great songwriter and that envelope contained the next platinum song just for David!
Thanks to IDA and v_williams_1231 on Photobucket for these photos!
###
Loma Prieta 17 years ago today
Seventeen years have passed since the Loma Prieta earthquake. Measuring 6.9 and named for the peak near its epicenter in the Santa Cruz Mountains, it may not have been "the Big One" that we've been expecting since 1906, but, at fifteen seconds, it was the longest quake I had experienced. Even though Loma Prieta lasted too long for anyone's comfort, at least it was a well-timed quake. It hit at 5:04 PM just as the World Series game between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants, called the Battle of the Bay, was about to start. If not for that game, many more people would have been on the roadways.
The quake shook up the San Francisco Bay Area in more ways than one. Many of the changes have been great. Gone is the unsightly Embarcadero Freeway, a double-decker which produced ugly shadows on the streets below. The Embarcadero today is a palm tree-lined boulevard that sets an appropriate stage for the historic Clock Tower and the Bay itself. The Clock Tower building is now one of my favorite places.
The City has completed many improvements, while other projects are still underway. The upper deck of the Bay Bridge collapsed during the quake; it was repaired in sixty days by a nonstop work schedule.
- The Embarcadero at the Ferry Building Info & Photos
- The new deYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park, re-opened in 2005
- The Mission Bay project
- The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
San Francisco after Loma Prieta:
I wish I could say that I'm ready for the next earthquake. True, I have read about being prepared, and I have stored food, blankets, and medicines in the garage, but no matter what I do, I'm probably going to be shocked by the next quake. Today I'm shocked that Loma Prieta was 17 years ago!
Opera under the stars at Civic Center Plaza
Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
Last Friday night we went to the opera -- a free simulcast of Verdi's Rigoletto. It was a perfect October night to hear opera under the stars. The video and sound quality on the huge projection screen was almost like being in the War Memorial Opera House across the street from the Civic Center's beautiful plaza. The opera was sung in Italian with English supertitles large enough to read quickly.
Our performers were in wonderful voice and costume. After the three-hour concert, the cast surprised all of us "freebies" by taking a short limo ride to the simulcast stage to say hello in person. This was greatly appreciated! We had sat for more than four hours in lawn chairs, on blankets, cuddled up in coats and hats against the night chill. Finally seeing the performers in person gave us all a thrill.
THE SCENE
The court of the Duke of Mantua during the Renaissance
THE STORY
The hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto is deeply bitter about his own deformity, which gives an edge to the continual barbs he hurls at party guests of his licentious boss, the Duke of Mantua. The only source of joy in Rigoletto’s life is his innocent daughter Gilda. When the jester finally goes too far, he provokes a curse from his victim, with Gilda paying the final price.
THE CAST
Rigoletto: Baritone Paolo Gavanelli
Gilda: Soprano Mary Dunleavy
The Duke of Mantua: Tenor Giuseppe Gipali
Count Monterone: Baritone Greer Grimsley
Director: Harry Silverstein
Conductor: Stephen Lord
Verdi and his librettist had a great deal of trouble with the Austrian censors when they were reworking Victor Hugo's play Le Roi s'amuse. They made many compromises. The scene was moved from the French royal palace to an Italian duchy. 
The hunchback, originally Triboulet, was changed to Rigoletto, from the French word 'rigolo', meaning 'funny'. As it was when Rigoletto was first performed in Venice in 1851, the Duke's cynical aria, La donna è mobile, was hugely popular. "Woman is fickle" is the Duke's general complaint heard throughout the final act. Un dì, se ben rammentomi ... Bella figlia dell'amore (Sweet daughter of love), a stunning quartet with tenor Duca, baritone Rigoletto, soprano Gilda, and contralto Maddalena, was performed to a sustained round of applause from the house audience and from the outdoor enthusiasts.
We admired Set Designer Michael Yeargan's stark Italian street scene, with its clever technique for opening room interiors and even moving houses out of the way. The dramatic lighting of the street added a dark element to the music and the plot. Costumes by Constance Hoffman were colorful, classical, and even comical, notably in the design of the hunchback's back.
To inspire you to see an opera, if you haven't yet, I've included the lyrics of the most famous aria from Rigoletto.
La donna è mobile Lyrics with English Translation
Translation by Randy Garrou in this Aria Database, edited for accuracy and clarity.
La donna è mobile, the Duke's aria from Rigoletto
- La donna è mobile, qual piùma al vento,
- The woman is unpredictable, like a feather in the wind,
- muta d'accento, e di pensiero.
- she changes her voice, and her thoughts
- Sempre un amabile, leggiadro viso,
- Always a sweet, pretty face,
- in pianto o in riso, è menzognero.
- in tears or in laughter, always lying
- La donna è mobile, qual piùma al vento,
- The woman is unpredictable, like a feather in the wind,
- muta d'accento, e di pensier
- she changes her voice, and her thoughts
- e di pensier, e di pensier
- and her thoughts, and her thoughts
- È sempre misero, chi a lei s'affida,
- Always miserable, he that trusts in her
- chi le confida, mal cauto il core!
- who confides in her, his unwary heart!
- Pur mai non sentesi felice appieno
- Yet nobody feels fully happy
- chi su quel seno non liba amore!
- who on that bosom doesn't drink love,
- La donna è mobil, qual piùma al vento,
- The woman is unpredictable, like a feather in the wind,
- muta d'accento e di pensier,
- she changes her voice, and her thoughts
- e di pensier, e di pensier!
- and her thoughts, and her thoughts!
And the complete libretto in Italian: The Libretto of Rigoletto
Brrr!
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Good Books
Thomas Mann: The Magic Mountain (*****)
