I’m a big American Idol fan. I’ve watched every season. Even the first one when Ryan had that dorky sidekick host. Ugh. I’m so glad they put the kibosh on that.
In spite of all my watching, I’m not a big voter. Of the hundreds of contestants who’ve made it to the voting stage I’ve only cast votes for two of them: David Archuleta and Taylor Hicks.
A couple of years ago when my dialing fingers were frantically punching Taylor’s number into my keypad I never would have imagined that on February 25th, 2009 I’d be sitting in a shabby studio in downtown Tucson listening to him perform acoustically in an intimate setting.
It was cool. Uber cool even.
He was incredibly gracious and totally down to earth. While he maybe wasn’t as effervescent in studio as he was on AI, he was every bit as great a performer. And, needless to say, I’m every bit as big a fan as I was then. Maybe more.
How could I not be though? His voice is unique and soulful. His mannerisms, quirky and charming. And when it came time for him to take questions from the audience he totally wowed me by saying that God was his inspiration. Only he didn’t say it in that gratuitous Hollywood way. He humbly and sincerely gave God the glory before sheepishly giving nod to Ray Charles for teaching him the crazy dance moves. Totally endearing don’t you think?
After the performance he even took the time to sign autographs and pose for pictures. While I waited for my turn I worked hard on composure because I didn’t want to get up there and flail like the amateurs before me.
Watching them I learned a few things not to do.
#1. Don’t tell him that I voted for him hundreds of times.
#2. Don’t gush about “respecting his work” and “admiring so many things about him.”
#3. Don’t overstay my allotted time and force the handlers to shoosh me along.
#4. Don’t–under any circumstances–tell him to “keep on keepin’ on man.” Hello? 1970 calling.
When my turn came around I said a friendly, if not a little too enthusiastic, “hi.”
And then I gave him a copy of his CD and asked him to sign it.
He didn’t even have to ask who he should make it out to (Gram) because I was so well prepared.
We even had a little conversation about Gram and how old she was.
And then he graciously agreed to a photo.
Clearly he’s got his photo persona down because even when Jeff took forever to figure out the logistics of the camera he remained cool and collected.
I, on the other hand, was a tad mortified seeing as how I was inches from his face with his arm around my waist. Waiting. And waiting. And waiting a little more.
But then the camera clicked and voila, I’d made it through.
It wasn’t until we were walking away down the street that I wondered if I’d sounded gushy when I said, “It was very nice to meet you.”
I mean, I didn’t really meet him technically.
I more watched him play. And got an autograph. And a lengthy photo.
I don’t know. Maybe I gushed.
Whatever.
I totally have the chance to redeem myself on Saturday when we go see him in Grease. Not that I could do much gushing from our seats in the nosebleed section.
Sigh.
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Shut Up!
Oh girl he is handsome!!! Totally jealous. Looks like it was lots of fun!!!
You can totally add this to your Darcie and Famous people wall!!! Oh, and give Jeff a lesson on that camera. =)
Tell the truth now – you sabotaged the camera so you could spend more time with your star-crush, didn’t you? Oh, I’m on to you…
Yey! Sounds like a great time! I was able to do that one time, though it was with an artist I’d never heard of before I won the tickets, which made it somewhat less cool. Getting to see someone you love up close & personal is awesome!
Love the curls, too!
Awesome! I’m also a huge fan of Idol but rarely vote…in fact, Taylor is the only one I’ve ever voted for! I so enjoyed watching him on Idol. (Not feeling the same way about Nick Mitchell from CT though!)
I told you he’d treat you nice. He’s a true Southern gentleman. That’s one of the reasons I voted for him!!! Thanks for the report on his comment about God, though I’m not surprised, because he treats people with Christian generosity and kindness. But the thought of standing that close with his arm around my waist. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (Oops there comes that little green monster again) I congratulate you for maintaining your composure. kudos girl!
BTW, even though I don’t think you need redemption for your actions, you might get another encounter by waiting at the stage door after the Grease performance. I did 3 times in Baltimore, and unless he needs to rush off he will sign Playbills and anything you want. He works so hard to please his fans, and I think is disappointed when he can’t stay. He may recognize you, he often does remember people he’s met before.
Congratulations on having a great time. You’ll also love the play!Also that’s a great picture! Maybe he’d sign a copy of it for you by the stage door!
I totally enjoyed your blog and your pictures! Thanks so much!
What a fun night. He is really handsome. I’m partial to that salt & pepper look. Jeff took his time with the camera so you could have extra time with Taylor. Right Jeff?
I’m a big Taylor fan. This is awesome!!
Steph
I am so happy you got to have tour “moment” with Taylor. I had mind in Concord NH, when the Sharpie he was using died…and I rambled on and on about how beautiful NH was and I hope he had some time to visit the White Mountains.
How fun is that? He is definitely one of my favorites from Idol.
That picture came out great. You looked stylish and relaxed, though I am sure you were a wreck inside.
Hope you have a great time at the show!
That is so cool!! What a great night! Thanks for sharing the pictures, they are awesome!
Congratulations! Did the girls know where you and Jeff were off to?
Just another Taylor Hicks fan here. Can you please tell us what songs he sang?
How cool! And I’m pretty sure it’s okay to gush a little.
Awesome pictures! I miss Taylor, I’m on the east coast.
What a privilege you had-you found out what we’ve known for a while-how sweet, unassuming, humble and into the fans Taylor is!!
He’s “Keeping It Real” for everybody!!
And Praise the Lord that you mentioned that he gave God the glory for his success-he doesn’t mention his faith much-he’s private about that-so that lets all of us who constantly pray for him know that God is answering our prayers.
And the poster above is right-PLEASE don’t leave after the show-you’ll hear Taylor sing his new single-AND please go to the stage door afterwards-you JUST might get lucky and have him sign that gorgeous pic-he stays as long as he can to greet the fans-and I’ve never met a celebrity who goes the extra mileage he does to say thanks to the fans who helped put him where he is.
Can we adopt you as a Soul Patroller now?
Me and my little girl were also there at Studio C, it really was a great experience, and hope he’ll comes back and does it again. As for the nose bleed section… we went last night to see Grease, great show even from the nose bleed section! We were in row K, I would suggest bring binoculars! Sometimes we had a hard time figuring out who was talking, plus with binoculars, you would be able to see “him” better!
Great photos, Darcie! You were lucky to be part of it all!
Great pictures! It sounds like a great night! He is so handsome and I love your curls! He sounds like a great guy!
YOu are so fun! And really you win EVERYTHING!
What a fun experience!
I lived in Tucson for several years (and totally adored that radio station!) and always thought it would be awesome to attend one of their studio c shows, and now I’m thinking yeah, it really would be!
Oh my goodness Darcie I’m sure it was difficult keeping your composure next to that gorgeous creature. As others have stated above, Taylor is very kind and generous to his fans. Thanks for letting us share your fun experience and love your pictures.
In looking at the pic of you with him I realized why you had that glazed “I’ve been had” look in your eyes.
You suddenly realized that Taylor has a “broom guy” mask which he wears when he moonlights at Albertsons!
Darcie, sounds like you handled yourself really well. What a treat for you to see Taylor perform in that setting, and the pictures are superb.
I couldn’t help but to smile all the way through these posts. Isn’t Taylor uniquely amazing? He truly is a ‘southern gentleman’ in every sense of the term. I also met Taylor in May 2007, while he was on tour. I found him to be courteous, attentive & obliging. I had forgotten to get a picture & after I received permission to return to where he was, he graciously took the extra time for the picture. Of course, I wasn’t quite ‘prepared’ for the arm around the waist & little tug. Needless to say, I became a bit ‘fan-girly’ for a few seconds! This girl is Not complaining though!…lol
I was thrilled to read about giving God the glory for his talent & career. I remember so clearly how I saw that ‘sweet spirit’ within his eyes during his AI audition. A year later, I saw the same ‘sweet spirit’ within those eyes. Only this time, it was face to face.
Glad you had a great time Darcie & no doubt, Saturday will be just as exciting. Tucson will never be the same! ‘Soul Patrol’ indeed!?
Oh girl I have been waiting to see this photo! IT IS AWESOME! :)
Hey girl!!! I love the photos, his mention of God and your story is so much like mine. I was at his booksigning in Atlanta…got to have my photo with him and the camera would not operate for several minutes. I had him by the arm, close and tight as there were four of us ladies…smashed together. So, I get the scenario that the air begins to feel thick of which makes you a little breathless. Nothing happened of course, I didn’t thud…which is common around Soul Patrollers in his presense. LOL! Darn camera, oh well, I did enjoy it but was caught off guard at his charming demeanor and lovely musk. :) Guess I didn’t expect him to have such an aura. He does. Glad you had fun!
Thanks so much for sharing you great words and wonderful pictures!!
Very cool!! Have fun at Grease! =)
Cute picture. You look like you can’t believe you are standing next to him having your picture taken. Very fun.
Yeah I love those awkward moments when it takes just a minute too long for the camera to work! Have fun at the show, and make sure you post about it!
Great pictures (even though you had to endure all the awkwardness to get them!) :-) So cool that you got to do that – glad it was fun . . . .I never liked Taylor Hicks, but I also never watched that season on AI. But I would also like to say that I’ve been slightly disappointed in this season — we need more talent people!
Great recap and photos. You have the same approach that I will have when I meet him when I am over from England on holiday in Memphis in August. Down to earth and not over the top. I am sure he appreciated how you were with him…ie the fact that you treated him like a human being.
Wow. How did you win that? I have the worst luck with radio station giveaways. That’s pretty cool. Another famous person to add to the list of people you’ve met!
I tagged you for a meme if you’d like to play. But don’t feel like you have to or anything. Now that you’re friends with Taylor Hicks, and all. It’s cool if you don’t have time. :P
That’s so cool!
It’s quite OK to gush, hehe – I do so whenever I have the opportunity to meet this genuinely nice, sincere, talented man even for a brief second; I especially loved that you mentioned Taylor saying he gives God the glory and inspiration for his success and his talent; that meant so much to me!
It is so wonderful that you had the opportunity to watch Taylor perform in that type of intimate setting. I also recently had that chance, and it was an amazing performance!! I had a problem with my camera the first time I met him too, but it all finally worked out – speaking of pictures, those are just absolutely fantastic! As a few others have asked, can we now call you a member of the Soul Patrol? :)
Awwwwwwwwww, you’re so cute!!! And what fun!!
Awesome, he is as always sweet generous talented and handsome. Oh did I mention handsome? Yeah handsome :) Can’t wait to see him again, such withdrawals! lol thanks for a great post and photos!
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