Here’s a summary of the epic archuweek from Tita D, aka JackRyan4DA that should tell you the wonderful journey the Pinoy Archangels went through for the few days David was here. Also, there are very important issues you might not have known yet, that she tackled below, and should enlighten everyone.

Have a blast reading, and TY TY TY TY Tita D, for this wonderful recap!

A WHOLE LOT OF LOVIN’; A WEEK-LONG OF WONDERIN’

The Davids rocked Manila for six days for their twin-bill concert held at the SM MOA Open Grounds last May 16, 2009. This was a concert of epic proportions – starting with how the millions of their respective fans worldwide tuned in Manila from the time the 2 Davids hit the NAIA tarmac; to the blow by blow account of their media rounds; building-up to the concert proper, not to mention the poignant moments as David left EDSA Shangri-la.

PRE-CONCERT:
TEE-HEE… MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

The Pinoy Archies or Arch Angels welcomed David not only with open arms but with the warmth and hospitality the country is known for. Whether it was for a flitting glimpse of him upon his arrival at the airport, or a See&Bye plugging of the concert at MOA, to a full blown TV or radio appearance, you can count on David’s Arch Angels to flock wherever he was!

This unbelievably gifted artist demonstrated his drawing power and his magnetic pull over his fans and the uninitiated.
A 15-minute customary clearing time at NAIA stretched to almost an hour as he got mobbed left and right. Airport employees, immigration officers, duty free staff, airline personnel and the press all wanted to be near him.

A 4-minute appearance at The Atrium in MOA drew a crowd of about 2,000.

SIS’ hour-long show tribute to David required the program to move to the new GMA-7 studio to accommodate more than a thousand people of all ages, 30-35% male – joyful at the prospect of seeing an 18-yo artist from Utah.

It was the same craziness over at Eat Bulaga as at least a thousand fans inside & outside the EB premises spazzed out for TheArchuleta – more than double the studio’s 450 seating capacity.

It may have taken the production outfit a lot of resources to bring the 2 Davids in Manila. But for sure, they got their money’s worth as they promoted the concert almost non-stop throughout the week.

This is especially true for our David who hit the ground running and was more visible than Cook, from the 12th to the 14th of May.

He remained cool through it all. David’s joyful demeanor, inspiring positivity and humility carved him a special place in people’s consciousness – adopting him as one of our own. The way he endeared himself to the public prompted DJ Mo Twister to declare Manila as Archuleta country – what a reversal!

I find the following points utterly interesting:

1. • Incredible security provided for David. He had as a slew of bodyguards around him everywhere he went. Their group was like an atom, where David was the glowing nucleus at its center and the guards were the electrons spinning around him. He was never alone! Cook and he even had guards stationed at their respective front doors – can you believe that?
2. • Jeff’s almost invisible presence. He was nowhere near David during his public appearances. It was Ray who was active here.
3. • The difference in the logistical arrangements between the 2 Davids for their M&Gs. DA’s M&G was held at SM MOA while Cook’s was held at SM North EDSA. Veedddy interesting… You see, MOA is located at the farthest section of the metro’s financial district. You go to MOA with measured intent. Very unlike SM North EDSA, which is located in a residential area, is connected to the MRT and has higher-traffic incidence from random passers-by.
4. • Promotional schedule David kept. The merry media rounds David went through from May 13-15 was simply insane. It wasn’t enough that he was doing press from morning till late afternoon. However, his evenings were even dedicated to parties and brushing elbows with politicians, sportsmen and glitterati who knew next to nothing about his work!
5. • Palpable change in David’s interaction with the press whenever he was around DC. On his own he was this confident and animated guest. But around DC, whether by choice or by design, he seemed inclined to defer to DC who really does not need it at all cos he is articulate already.
6. • The non-existence of Sony BMG Phils as a media partner in this endeavor – where were they throughout this period?
7. • The ties that bind. Even legit fans need connections to the inner sanctum to find out something or get access to activities
8. • The respectful bromance between the Davids was alive and well!

If you still have the patience to read through my ramblings, here are the novel-like versions of my pre-concert recaps:
Day01 – Day02 – Days03&04

CONCERT HIGHLIGHTS:
DAVID TO THE POWER OF TWO

D Day! And no dark clouds in sight! Woo-hoo!

Was on pins & needles the whole day. Thank goodness I had a fund raiser to attend to during the day – a golf tourney. That kept me lucid for most part of the day. Thinking back, I actually looked like a dork with a perma-grin and acted like a loony, singing along like the whole time at the golf course.

By 3:30PM, I was ready to leave for MOA! Our association’s admin assistant, CELINE turned out to be an Archie as well. So two super excited arch angels left for the concert with David’s songs blasting away from my car!

The Archies were to rendezvous at 1PM at StarBucks – a good meeting place as it was directly facing the entrance of the concert venue. I arrived shortly after 4PM with a bunch of excited Archies at the scene exchanging stories. I was pleasantly surprised to meet a number of the new Archies who knew me by my posts at ND/JD/TDC!

FEESH, another AP member brought shirts & pins for sale while fans provided by Team Archie International were very practical give-aways for the hot, hot night we were all looking forward to.

By 5PM, the lines to the VIP & Gold sections were considerably long already. So most of the Archies started putting on the Archie shirts or proceeded to line-up and distribute the fans to fans of whatever leanings – Archies, Cookies, ArchieCooks or clueless attendees.

Those in the Platinum & Titanium sections entered the gates at 6:30PM – after much plotting on how to bring at least two professional cameras into the concert venue LOL. Once inside, I met a number of international Archies: from Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan (a whole family!) and one from Europe, I think.

My original reservation was for a Titanium seat. Somewhere along the way, I lost my reservation and settled for a Platinum seat which was still good enough. Ten minutes before the program started, a friend texted me that his wife and 15yo daughter were there looking for me. Turned out they were front row Platinum-Left section. They invited me to join them as my friend was unable to come – woo-hoo! Can you believe my luck! 10 minutes before the show I relocated from the 9th row to the much-coveted front row seats 

8:15pm – The Magic Began

For those up to speed with anythingDavid, the organic wail of the guitars was oh-soooo familiar, yet it still sent shivers to my skin – marking the start of the much awaited event. Others unfamiliar to the sound suddenly whipped their heads asking: “I thought Archie would come 1st? What song is that?” I just smiled for the surprise awaiting the uninitiated. Meanwhile, CHER, my new 15yo buddy, clasped my left hand and we both started spazzing!

CHER: Tita, ayan na, ayan na! (Tita, here he comes, here he comes!).
ME: I know! I know!
BOTH: Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! (As her mother LOL at us)

As the band progressively pounded its instrumental intro, people from the entrance hall from my left rushed in, into the space between the stage and the front row seats. Wait! WHAH!!! I cannot see the stage! WT?!

Bugged by the security guard

Nothing left to do but to stand on our seats, right? WRONG. Not even a minute into the intro and this security guard came up to me & asked me to come down. The whole front row and he chose me! ME – a barely 5-foot tall fan to quit standing on my seat for safety reasons! (OK, this is SO déjà vu – here we go again with security personnel!) He was polite but I told him not to worry about me. After two more tries of asking me to come down, he gave up!

Like a roller coaster ride, David brought his audience from the joyful beat of TMH, MY HANDS, & SBM or from the angst-ridden & longing message of ALTNOY, WFY BARRIERS & DLG, or the playful rhythm of ATM & YEDL, to the glorious high of YOU CAN, TBWY, ANGELS before launching into the gravity-defying thumping of ZERO GRAVITY .

The crowd! The jumps! Heck I didn’t even care whether I would fall off my chair so when Alex exhorted us to jump before ZG’s final chorus, the only issue on hand was – how high??!! WOO-HOO!

The low-down of course was coming to the end of the David’s set. CRUSH got its much deserved appreciation from a crowd clearly not ready to let him go. Amidst the shrieks of MORRRRRE and DAAAAAAAAAAVID and I LOVE YOUs, the fireworks erupted signaling the start of the concert break.

David in-between songs talked to the audience like he was among friends. Not scripted or contrived. At times, he was simply overwhelmed by the response he got from the crowd. I wonder when he will fully embrace his star-power…

The break

Ooookay…. my phone’s battery went dead so I went out to recharge. Outside, I met more Archies. Actually, there were tons of people all around the peripheral of the concert venue, enjoying the jumbotrons. Thinking back, this was probably the reason why the crowd estimates went up to 115,000! Why pay Titanium and Platinum tickets when you can equally enjoy the sounds and sights for free! I went back inside the concert for DC’s last number. I felt it in my bones that something was up. I wasn’t disappointed.

A brotherhood of man

For a concert originally dubbed as David VS David, an obvious throw back to AI competition, the deportment of these two gentlemen showed quite the opposite.

The Archuleta in concert was nirvana. The premise of his performance seems to be that David, a shy, diffident, almost inarticulate young man during AI days, fortified his strength and charisma outside that Idol stage – as it should!
Cook on the other hand, lived up to people’s expectations and showed professionalism despite serious personal grief.
Together, they were formidable & fun.

A Daily AntheM was a fitting conclusion to this epic concert. When DA joined DC for the latter’s final number and left the stage with a bro-hug, I was again reminded of why I will always be glad it was these two Davids who won Idol S7.
David to the power of two, indeed!

POST CONCERT BLUES:
LOST IN TRANSLATION

It never fails… David would come and he would conquer, leaving more people aware of his magnificence not only as an artist but as a person. His week-long stay in Manila was peppered with shades of tumultuous glee and joyful celebration. I was one of those lucky enough to see him perform live front row! I will treasure that experience for a long time.

But it also never wavers… melancholy would follow joy. Whether here or abroad, fans react the same way– after he has gone, almost always too soon to most of his dedicated fans; and more so in the case of his visit in Manila.
David was in my home turf for 6D/5N, almost always within spitting distance. But I never got to meet him properly, never got to present him my gifts, never got to ask him to sign anything, never got to say ‘goodbye’ or ‘take care’ or personally thank him for the joy he brings. Nope, I wasn’t lucky enough to be gutted by the ArchuGaze (weak smile).
How come? In 6D/5N? Well, we have to go back from whence it began…

Early this year, the deal was for David to kick-start his Asian Tour in April. Manila was to be his 1st stop. This was confirmed by Sony BMG when it accepted the award for CRUSH as Best International Music Video during the 2009 Philippine MYX Awards, March 2009. The Pinoy Archies were thrilled no end. The plan for the big welcome commenced for the much awaited Manila Tour, April 2-4.

Towards the end of March, rumors started circulating that negotiations were underway to bring the two Davids here.
A promo tour in April and a concert in May? How lucky can we get?! But as the date drew near, the April promo tour became increasingly remote.

Concert in, promo tour out

Though never officially announced, the Manila leg of his promo tour was scrapped as David completed his Singapore and Malaysian stops. The Pinoy Archies did not complain. After all, we assumed we were getting a bigger event. Sure enough, the back-to-back concert was announced – WOO-HOO!

The road to MOA may have been paved with good intentions but….

Just by bragging rights alone, the production outfit made good by being able to bring the two Davids in Manila. ArchuMadness was at an all time high for the whole week. The concert was a rocking success!

But after 6 days and already on David’s 5th & last night in Manila, any hope for an orderly and legitimate meeting with him became slimmer by the hour. A good number of Archies still at the Shang were despondent and desperate over this dimming prospect.

David’s v-log right after the concert was met with misgivings. Though overwhelmed and glowing from all the loving and support he got from his Pinoy fans, a certain sadness was evident in his video. Something was off. Trying to console the Archies, I texted this message:

“Good am Archies! What a week eh? Felt heavy when I left Shang at 4 this am. Saw frustration in most of your faces cos we were not afforded a true M&G. Something’s fishy, you say? Why was DA not enthusiastic during his last vlog, you ask? Consider this: knowing how transparent he is and how much he loves spending time with his fans, perhaps it was exactly that – his toned down vlog was about not being able to do so… What I love the most of this experience was meeting you guys! We are at our best as Archies & the ArchUniverse saw that! They are humbled by our show of support for David – with or without a proper M&G. Thanks for a wonderful week! Palm2Heart always!

Not the target market

It is interesting to note how the week-long ArchuMadness unfolded. Things became clearer after coming down from the euphoria. The business of getting the two Davids in Manila was exactly that – a business enterprise. IMHO and contrary to expectations, the Pinoy Archies were not the primary target market for this business enterprise.

1. • Ticket prices were prohibitive. The prices of good seats were out of reach of the ordinary fans.
2. • Even to fans who can afford to buy the best seats for the concert, front row were all reserved for sponsors. Within 30 minutes of the concert ticket reservation going online, I could no longer get front row, much less buy Titanium seats.
3. • The after-concert M&G and all-access backstage passes were exclusive to sponsors.
4. • Nightcaps and after-party affairs were only open to sponsors, members of the glitterati, politicians and showbiz denizens – you know, people who cannot even ID more than one song from David’s album…
5. • The GP M&G held at the MOA Atrium on the 13th lasted four (4) minutes, tops. There was no album promo, no autograph session, no photo-opps, no gift-giving.
6. • Access to his TV/radio guestings and PressCon was only available to those with connections or ties with the inner sanctum.
7. • The FanCon was a phone patched affair which benefited not more than what, five fans?
8. • David moved with 6-12 bodyguards at any given time so randomly approaching him was out of the question.

I understand that some international fans became critical of Pinoy Archies who expressed dismay over the inability to meet David. It may be even be valid to say that David does not owe his fans anything, other than be the best artist that he can be. I may even agree that David is not accountable to his fans for autographs, photo-opps or face-to-face time.
But all of these points are easy to digest, in concept.

Archies elsewhere have to remember – the expectations of local Arch Angels are predicated by what other Archies were able to experience as showcased and immortalized in the thousands of David stories and videos online before Manila.

6D/5N, halfway across the globe, yet no legitimate face time with your much awaited idol? Is the disappointment too hard to understand?

Perhaps the April promo tour should not have been scrapped? Perhaps things would have been different had Sony BMG allowed participation? Actually, that really begged the question – where the heck was Sony BMG in all of this? Perhaps, Azoff or Jive could manage to include Sony BMG Phils., as a media partner in their talent’s next gig?

Perhaps instead of meeting politicians, sportsmen and high society, that they set aside time for David to meet actual fans, you know- real people who actually appreciate him? Perhaps David’s management could look into these points in their next foray?

Meanwhile, perhaps Pinoy Archies should not foist frustrations upon David, as if he was the one who caused such things to happen. Perhaps Pinoy Archies should get better at managing expectations or expressing their concerns.

4am Sun May 17, I left the Shang with this feeling gnawing at me: If the ONLY wish left of David’s internationally- recognized official fans club was for a mere group picture with him & that small wish remained unfulfilled after 6D/5N, wouldn’t you be left wondrin’ that something is not right – somewhere, somehow?

Can someone please translate this for me?

Jackryan4DA

PS:
7AM Sunday, David was able to attend Church and even sang “Be Still My Soul” during their congregational at the Bonifacio Ward, Guadalupe Chapel. Same time, the day before – he visited the Manila Philippines Temple. For full story & pics, see here.
Before leaving for the airport, David decided to hold an impromptu M&G with fans who patiently waited at the hotel lobby to bid him goodbye (feeshda for the vid!). Am glad cos every Archie knows how David loves spending time with his fans. David Archuleta left Manila for LA at 10pm Sunday.

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