American Idol Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta came, sang and conquered the hearts of his fans with ease, writes SUBHADRA DEVAN DAVID Archuleta, at a mere 173cm (the same height as kungfu exponent Donnie Yen), is a powerhouse when it comes to music.
At his first full concert here last Tuesday, the American Idol Season 7 runner-up delivered song after song, to the screams of girls.
The venue, Stadium Negara, was three-quarters filled and it was obvious that the tweens, teens and everyone else seemed happy just to hear Archuleta sing “live”.
Despite the deafening screams and a sound system that left a boom in my ears, there was a convivial family-like atmosphere at the stadium.
In slacks and wearing a shirt over a T-shirt, the 20-year-old from Utah bounced around the stage without the need of a backup dance group, singing his heart out for his fans.
He sat down at the keyboard a few times, including for the ballad, A Thousand Miles, giving the Vanessa Carlton hit an R&B twist.
He also performed another keyboard solo, this time for Crazy (a hit for hip-hop artiste Gnarls Barkley), turning it into a ballad.
He told the crowd that he did Crazy for Idol 7’s Hollywood Week. I remember he was 16 then, but four years later, his performance “live” is even more moving.
Archuleta also gave a rendition of a few new songs found on the repackaged 2011 The Other Side Of Down: Asia Tour Edition.
This tour is in part to promote the album and, of course, a response to his fans who called for a concert on Facebook. That’s girl power on the Internet!
The new songs he sang included the pop Stomping The Roses and pop-ballad Everything & More.
Dripping with sweat three-quarters into the 90-minute show, he took a break before returning to the stage for his encore songs which included the Bryan Adams’ hit, Heaven.
Archuleta’s Kuala Lumpur concert was the last on his Asian Tour showcase. He had performed in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam before he arrived here on Monday.
Before the concert, presented by his distribution label Sony Music Entertainment Malaysia, Archuleta also met fans who were winners of various contests.
He sang 17 songs. My favourites included the 1970s Elevator (despite the use of auto-tune) and Zero Gravity (for its pop-rock beat). Of course, there’s also his irresistible bouncing on stage.
The 1980s Tears For Fears hit Everybody Wants To Rule The World was a blast from my past! I enjoyed Archuleta’s impassioned rendition but I think the icing on the cake was the final encore, Crush. The band also had a good time, at times sounding like a metal group.
Yes, as Archuleta sang in another hit, Touch My Hand, “I can’t let the music stop, can’t let this feeling end”. We all felt it that Tuesday night, leaving the stadium — demurely — with smiles pasted on our faces.
His other side
AT the Monday Press conference, silky tenor David Archuleta whetted fans’ appetite for his concert when he sang a few bars of Stevie Wonder’s Lately.
It was in response to a query on who he’d like to collaborate with. His reply was: “Right now, at this moment, Stevie Wonder. It’s just him at the keyboard, and that’s just cool.”
He also thought Malaysian girls “are really cool”, adding that he remembered the large crowd of fans at his mini-concert in Sunway Lagoon back in 2009.
With oblique references to his own hit singles, Archuleta replied to queries about crushes with “I don’t have a crush lately” and that “I’m waiting for my kind of perfect”.
He also announced the Asian Tour Edition of The Other Side Of Down, which will have five new singles and karaoke versions of the original music videos of Crush, Touch My Hand and Something ‘Bout Love, among other songs.
Revealing another side to his character, Archuleta said he had visited leprosy camps in Chennai, as part of Rising Star Outreach, early this year. He told Life & Times: “It was a very humbling experience. It just makes you appreciate things more and gives you a different perspective.
New Straits Times
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