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Needless to say, I still can’t get over the fact that I actually met and shook hands with the one and only David Archuleta himself.

This isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about him. I’ve followed this kid ever since his American Idol days. I even wrote about my thoughts on his AI finale night last 2008.

I liked his first album but I still think that not releasing “My Hands” as a single is the biggest mistake they did with that album. My own biggest mistake is not seeing his first concert here in Manila with David Cook! To cope with the misery, I downloaded and burned to a CD his AOL Sessions performances. This kid sounds even better live! You really have to see and hear him to believe it. Check out “My Hands” and “A Little Too Not Over You” live performances from AOL Sessions.

I’ve been a bit late in hearing his new album “The Other Side of Down” which was released just last month. But in just a few weeks, I already managed to know all the words to his new songs. So yeah, I guess I’m one of the few guys at the Skydome who unashamedly sang along to each one of David’s songs as they blared out of the speakers.

David’s music is a gem. It’s positive, uplifting and often inspiring. It’s truly a breath of fresh air considering the kind of music we hear on the radio today. There’s not a single bad song in his new album. Each one has the potential to be a chart-topping pop hit. So it’s no wonder it’s been on repeat in my player for weeks now and my Last.fm profile would prove that!

This long-time fan of pop music and the 5-star reviewers can’t be all wrong. So if you like good pop music, give David’s new album a listen. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

I know a lot of fans already uploaded their own videos of the event. But I thought I’d still contribute mine for posterity’s sake. Here’s the complete and full live performance of David Archuleta at SM North EDSA Skydome last November 17, 2010. The whole concert is less than 15 minutes so I didn’t have to break it down into parts.

Performances:
“Elevator” (acoustic)
“Crush” (piano)
“Something ‘Bout Love” (acoustic)

What’s amazing about David is that he’s so versatile. He can sing just about any kind of song and he still sounds great. I love how he changes his singing of a song to make it different from the album version. There are times when I even prefer the live version more than the one on his CD.

Also, David’s one of the few pop acts today who doesn’t have to resort to gimmicks to get noticed. He has pure vocal talent which is the only thing that matters anyway.

Waiting for David Archuleta

Before the concert, they kept on announcing that only the first 400 buyers will get their CDs signed. I was still at work when my sister called and told me that they no longer had any VIP tickets available at 2 PM! Turns out that legions of Archie’s fans waited early in the morning.

After the concert, the VJ repeated that only 400 would be signed. But because we live just practically behind SM North, my sister and I weren’t in a hurry to leave. So we decided to wait. I just sat there watching my sister together with other fans pleading with the guards to let them in. Over thirty minutes probably had passed when I started thinking that it was getting hopeless.

So near yet so far…

Many people had already left too. And so I prayed. I told God, “Is it too much to ask Lord? David’s already here. So near and yet so far. Please let even just my sister in then I’d be happy already.”

In just a few minutes after saying my prayers, I saw a few fans running to the right side of the Skydome. They were letting all the remaining fans inside to get their CDs signed too! And contrary to previous rules, they will allow the first album to be signed as well.

I couldn’t get the plastic off the first album so in my exasperation I just tore it out using my teeth! My sister and I stood in line with bated breath as we await our turn.

At last!

No taking of pictures were allowed with David. That’s a huge bummer but we’ll take it. At least we’re meeting him in person.

My sister went first with the second album and she didn’t say anything to David. My turn came. David said “Hi!” with a smile and I returned the greeting. He signed the album and I didn’t say a thing while he was doing that because I know how difficult it is to get your attention divided when you’re writing something.

After signing it, David held out his hand and I shook it. Smiling I said my thanks and left. We were led out of the Skydome immediately so I didn’t have another chance to take more shots.

Maybe because we were both shocked at finally meeting an international superstar, the thought of waiting for David to see him leave never crossed our mind. We went to order some food first at Sandwich Guy then left for home. On the way, I took a picture of my sister with the huge David poster at the side of the old grocery building.

My camera’s battery got depleted right after taking this so it was the last shot of the day.

It’s been three days and I’ve had time to reflect on the positive effect this experience had on me. David is definitely an inspiration to many young people out there (including me). He’s a good guy who has great faith in God and who genuinely loves what he does. And he doesn’t fall short in showing his appreciation to all his fans. The 400-fan limit was probably announced only in case David gets tired of signing. But I applaud him for showing a sincere smile to every fan there even after signing the first 400. It’s hard to find popular people nowadays who are genuinely as good-hearted as David.

Got a free 2011 promo calendar for buying David’s first album

I didn’t say anything to David when I faced him. Something which I’m regretting now. Why? Compared to the number of girls who lined up for him, guys are a definite minority. And I would have liked to have told David what a guy thinks of his album since he’s one too anyway. So here’s what I would have said:

“Hi David. I like your second album even more. All the songs are great but I think you should consider releasing My Kind of Perfect as a single. Many guys would be able to relate to the message and it’s a really nice song.” *handshake* “Thanks for coming here and I hope you come back for a full concert.”

So why didn’t I say this? Well, the fact that I’m generally a shy person should probably be enough explanation. But the bigger reason was that I didn’t want to take any more of David’s time. I consider it a huge miracle to even get the opportunity to meet him. Imagine signing 400 CDs only to later find out that there’s more. It’s exhausting and he even hinted during the concert that it’s “hot” inside the Skydome. But of course, part of me still wishes I said the above words. It wouldn’t even take 15 seconds to say those anyway. *sigh*

Regardless, David has inspired me to work even harder for my dreams and trust more in God. And this experience only reinforced in me (again!) my sort of motto in life:

“Good things come to those who wait.”

This is a lesson people would do well to remember in our world today where everything believed to be good has to be “instant”. Heck, even plants need time to grow. But I digress.

Oh, and I never knew that David also has a book!

And because I’m The Bookish Pinoy, you can bet I’ll have this in my bookshelf soon or on my Kindle.

Meeting David Archuleta in person is definitely one of the best things to happen to me this year and an experience I will never forget. Keep up the great work Archie! I am definitely looking forward to your concert here next year (hopefully!).