Top Idol Goes to a David Cook Show: Part Une

In my never-ending quest for journalistic excellence coupled with sick curiosity, I traveled to Northampton, MA for the David Cook concert at the Pearl Street Nightclub on Saturday.

Granted, I actually like David Cook and he’s always struck me as someone who would put on a good live show, so I figured, hey, why not? And it was only $20.

So did Cook put on a good show? Definitely. Both Ryan Star and David Cook appear to thrive on playing live, and you can clearly see both them and their bands LOVE being up there.

Did I meet my fair share of rude David Cook fans?

Absofrakinglutely.

Did I meet some nice people? Of course, I met a few really cool people, however, there were a lot of rude people in attendance and I’ve just never encountered those kinds of attitudes at a live show.

Myself, Niftywench and Niftywench’s sister, whom I will just refer to has Mistress P for here on out because its easier, set off for Northampton around 2 or 3 yesterday afternoon. We arrived around 5, where there was already a line wrapped around the block.

I was a bit nervous as to whether or not it would be sold out. I had no idea the size of the venue or whether or not most of the people in line had already purchased tickets. I started checking with random security guys, they assured me yes, I would be able to buy a ticket at the door.

So I began meandering around this big long line. This is a bit of what I saw.

Proof the economy is shaky. Santy Claus spends the off-season working security in Northampton, MA. And Santy Claus was totally cool. He told me I should be in front of the camera, not behind it. SWEET!

Hey, I was somewhat flattered, plus, it totally beat the middle-aged gentleman in Los Angeles who told me:

You’re a good-looking girl. You should go on that Rock of Love Bus.

Of course, while everyone was lined up, I wandered around to see the crazy fan action. You guys know I love that shit. I especially wanted to see the infamous Front Row Crew who has caused so much controversy throughout the tour.

So I started talking to them. They were at the front of the line, they had been there since 5am. They said they slept there. I asked them what they slept in, since they appeared to be fairly cleaned up, i.e., did not look as if they slept in a gutter. They laughed and said pajamas, and they get hotel rooms at each stop which are basically used to shower and they sleep and clean up in shifts. In their defense, they were dressed more appropriately for a show than a great deal of the others there. (I was wearing jeans, a tank top and heels. Nothing spectacular, but there were people in line wearing Walmart sweatpants. Is this how you go out for the night to see a live show? Hell, and I live in jeans and Chucks, so trust me, I’m not some prima donna who dresses up…ever.)

They weren’t as obnoxious as I had always imagined them to be and dare I say, they were nice. They told me a bit more about changing clothes in random places, cleaning up in gas stations. I asked the if they ever used a shower at a truck stop but they said they hadn’t gone that far. I mentioned I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get a ticket and they replied that they had sold all of their extra ones, but I should probably be able to find one by asking down the line.

I didn’t see them shoving anyone outside the venue, but the women behind them had Flat Andy Skibs and Cheezits (Which I have since discovered is some David Cook Fan Thing because he loves Cheezits, which is documented on a fan video from that Pop Tarts Tour shit.)

On my way back to my people, as I had been walking around to get a fair gauge on the ticket situation more than anything else, I met some adorable teenagers who had homemade t-shirts. YES. I think it is okay for teenagers to do this, but NOT RIGHT when adults do it. They were really sweet kids, and they let me take a photo of them. I saw them a few times throughout the night and they were four of the biggest sweethearts ever. I’m glad they had a good time at the show.

I also met two awesome fans who had lost their spot in line because they had to go back to the car. I said, hey, come stand with us. So yes, I can definitely say there were cool people in attendance. These gals were a lot of fun, hell, the one even got me that killer photo later on.

The crowd is definitely all ages. There were children. And there were card-carrying AARP members. There were also a fair amount of men in the audience, who I assume were coming along with many of the women. So lets compare attendance by those in their 20s & 30s versus those in their 40s or 50s? No contest. The latter wins.

Niftywench, who is a few years older than me, commented upon arrival, Oh my god, I feel so young. To be honest, I did, too. At least where we were standing in line, we were definitely the youngest in our area.

Mistress P used to work for MTV and has even toured with a few bands. While driving to the show, she kind of disregarded Nifty and I’s tales of crazed-out Idol / Cook fans. She started changing her tune once we took our spots in line, but by the time Ryan Star opened the show, she pretty much sat there with her mouth agape at the general asshattery and complete twatiness we encountered.

So Mistress P has suffered from this rare disease which has screwed up her hip since she was a teenager. Sucks, right? Yeah, she can walk, but she uses a cane and frankly, she really shouldn’t be standing for 3 hours. Nifty had already called the venue in advance to make sure there was a section accessible to those with disabilities. When we got there, we found the section and Nifty just needed to ask for a seat.

You would think those sitting in the disabled section would be uh, disabled. And yes, most of them were. However, there were at least two women who had NOTHING wrong with them except for the fact they were both obese and lazy.

When Mistress P got settled in her seat, before the show began, there was a woman standing in front of us for no apparent reason. And she didn’t really seem like she wanted to move. So Mistress P nicely asked her if she would.

And she abruptly turned around, glared at us and shot off:

Why the hell do I need to move when there is nothing to see on stage?

My mouth kind of dropped open. We were both completely stunned by her reply. Who cares if the show had begun or not? This was an area for people who NEEDED to be seated and no one else was standing in front of the others who were seated.

This woman took off soon after, but I was seriously bullshit at her rudeness. Who the hell says such a thing? I decided then and there I would track her down and take her photo. Why? Because she was rude.

Yes, its horrible quality, but she is the one in the center. I guess she found a place to stand in the other elevated section.

I had already gotten myself a beer but because of the wristband thing, you could only get one drink at a time. So I went up to get Mistress P a cold beverage. As I was standing at the bar waiting for the bartender to make the guy next to me a Captain & Coke, I realized there was a five or six-year-old sitting next to me. Right atop the bar…now I know it was standing room only, but, trust me when I say it’s kind of strange to go order a drink while a little kid is sitting on the bar. And the little kid is talking about want she wants to be later on in life.

When I grow up, I want to be a bartender so I can see all concerts for free.

I’m totally biting my tongue at this point and telling myself we all have very amusing ideas of what to be when we grow up at that age.

Ryan Star came on not long after I got my beer and I roamed around taking a few photos. I was impressed by the audience’s involvement in the opening act, as often you can go to shows and people talk or completely ignore who goes on first while waiting for the main attraction, but most everyone there was totally digging Star. It was the first time I’ve seen him perform, and he was fun.

Niftywench, Mistress P and myself, however, were completely laughing our asses off at Star’s guitarist, who I believe is named Daniel. This dude gets WAYYY intense up there on stage and makes the funniest facial expressions.

Since I’ve already rambled on for long enough and I just love dragging my on-the-scene recaps out, let’s take a break, shall we?