it's a daily anthem
FINALLY MY RECAP IS HERE. faaaaaaaaaaaaaail.
note: i suck and have no photos/videos/anything. i do have an audio clip of cook doing abmb, though, so if that doesn't suck i will figure out how to up it to the internet! \o/ also, um. epic concert is epic, but there were still its crappy moments, so feel free to skip if you are looking for pure squee! (HA HA, HOW OFTEN DO I SAY THAT?)
so i am currently in cebu at my semi-relative's house - ha, my dad's known her forever and i still don't really know what to call her - but okay, there is no internet here (there is no anything, really, except architecture and food) so i figure i should sit down and talk about the concert before i forget it. If i'd had the energy to type this out yesterday, this would be WAY more capslockified, trust me. as it is i am nursing a sorethroat, so the squee might be slightly diminished /o\
so it basically kind of felt like two concerts mashed together, which, idk, i guess that's what they were gunning for? liza1131 and i went through like, all kinds of trials and tribulations trying to get our tickets for the show (which her magic 8 ball successfully navigated us through, dude, THAT THING IS THE MOST AWESOME BALL I HAVE EVER SEEN) so we only reached the concert grounds at, like, 20 minutes to 8? and man, i need to spend time talking about the concert venue because IT IS FAMAZING. like, it literally took my breath away when i saw it for the first time. YOU GUYS, THEY HAD BATMAN LIGHTS. TWO OF THEM. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THOSE IN MY LIFE, WTF. and the grounds were so huge when i stood up and turned around in my seat, i couldn't see where the crowd ended (i would not pay to stand at one of these concerts, jsyk. you wouldn't be able to see ANYTHING.)
liza got a couple of pictures of the venue, i'm pretty sure, and even if she doesn't, i'm sure there've been plenty posted by now, so i'll link to those when i find them. (ALSO! the weather was PERFECT for a concert, which probably made everything that much more awesome, asdkjasdsa, i love manila!) so okay basically there were a couple of seating categories, and liza and i were in category 2, and when we first got to the venue one of the ushers pointed us in the wrong direction and we thought we were much further from the stage than we actually were. and then our ACTUAL seats got pointed out to us, AND HELLO, DO I HAVE THE BEST TICKET MOJO OR WHAT, OKAY! we were, like, in the third row of the category 2 seats, AND WE HAD AISLE SEATS ALKJSDFJFIOKSJNFS. well, not aisle seats exactly, but the ones beside them, and the people who got the actual aisle seats didn't turn up all night, so! those pretty much had our names stamped all over it. BEST FUCKING SEATS OF MY LIFE, IDEK. i was freaking out so hard.
so we sat down for a while and watched some of the worst ads i have ever seen IN MY LIFE, and at 8ish, i was like, "dude, let's see how much of a diva little d's become," because he started late in singapore - idk, i guess you can blame that on the traffic - and i was banking on him starting late in pinoy, too. WHICH HE DID, so i was right, but not by much, so it's okay.
plus, he just bounded out on stage, BOUNDED, OKAY, and just launched right into touch my hand ASDLKJSFOISJDF and, i heart that song so fucking much, you guys, wtf. the vocals were a little rough but he was all bopping around on stage (OH BE STILL MY HEART) so really, you can't even hold it against him. AND! AND!!!!!!!!!111 DID I MENTION HE WAS IN A PLAID SHIRT AND A SKINNY TIE. SKINNY. TIE. MOTHERFUCK. I LOVE HIM SFM SFM SFM. IT IS LIKE HE WAS ALL,OH HEY, OKAY, LET ME BORROW MY BOYFRIEND'S SHIRT AND THEN ADD A TIE TO THE MIX AND MAYBE KILL NAT WITH MY HOTNESS SINCE THOSE ARE ALL THE THINGS SHE LOVES ON ME MOST. because seriously, oh my gosh, why is he SO HOT?! (and all this never even mind the fact that he is slightly tinier than i am! OH BB D.)
right after that he went on to do barriers, (rofl kim of course i spent the song thinking of you) and it did not sound that great live, idk, maybe it's the fact that the album is so overproduced? it doesn't sound the same onstage. at this point i was still freaking out inside about ACTUALLY SEEING BB D LIVE, so idk, i wasn't processing much. but then we got to altnoy? (the band totally started out with this little, like, rock-ish couple of bars before they got into the actual thing, WHICH I LOVED AND ADORED AND GIGGLED THROUGH) and mmmmmmm, that song. i am ashamed to say idk all the lyrics, but it's so much FUN! and i think archie was starting to warm up a bit by then, maybe, because the vocals got a lot better!
i think this is where he stopped to say hi, oh my gosh, ilu guys, haha, selamat po, etc etc, (HE IS THE ONLY PERSON I KNOW WHO PUNCTUATES SENTENCES WITH HA HA, AND EACH TIME HE DOES I JUST FALL MORE IN LOVE). at the end of it all, liza was all, "huh, so much for banter in between the songs, THEY SHOULD JUST GIVE HIM A SCRIPT," which ROTFL THIS IS PROBABLY TRUE, but archie was all "aw, shucks, haha, ilu, thank you" at the end of each song, and "so this next song is..." but, idk, THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BOY. i could listen to him ramble forever, jesus. HOW SO ADORABLE?
but okay, then he starts saying how he really loves this next song he's about to do, because the melody and the lyrics are so simple but they still mean so much, and how it's one of his favourite songs off the album, and i was like, "LIZA! LIZA!!!!!!!!!!!1111111 HE'S GOING TO DO YOU CAN!!!!!11" which HE DID, and fucking a, I LOVE THAT SONG SO MUCH. LIKE, MY LOVE FOR IT IS BOUNDLESS. BOUNDLESS. and the best part is now i think of shelter every time i hear that song (thanks to the lovely, amazing bubbleforest) so it was, like, DOUBLY AWESOME, never mind the fact that I thought archie sounded not quite as awesome as he did on the album.
my hands was up next, which i don't love as much as touch my hand (rofl i remember cracking up SO HARD when i first got the album and realized there were TWO SONGS ABOUT HANDS WTF) but liza hearts this song (ha, one of the rare ones), and archie sounded amazing! i think this is where he really started knocking it out of the ball park. mmmm. i'm getting all giddy just thinking about it. and the band totally broke into this acapella at the end, which FNS}AFSFLDSJFNNNNNNNNNNGH, HOW IS THIS KID SO TALENTED, IDEK. if i had heard the band before, i maybe would have been more interested in talking to them in the hotel, ha. or, idk, maybe not, but they are a freaking amazing band! \o/
so then i get a little fuzzy, but i think they did your eyes don't lie, which is not one of my favourite songs, ngl. every time i hear this song i imagine archie in like, a cowboy get up in this awful western production, like, with boots and the hat and chaps and EVERYTHING, whistling his way into a bar and making awful cheesy eyes with one of the bar maids roflmao. BUT OKAY, IDK, THIS LIVE THING, IT MAYBE CHANGED MY MIND, because he sounds SO GOOD on this song! wtf! i was not expecting that! plus the live whistling CRACKED MY SHIT UP, OH DAVID. ♥ ♥ ♥
AND THEN THIS IS WHEN IT GETS REALLY GOOD. archie finally gets behind the piano for to be with you! and also introduces kendra, the pianist - HA HA I DID NOT EVEN KNOW HE HAD A GIRL IN HIS BAND - who doubles up as the violinist (!!!!!) for the performance, and this is maybe my second favourite song off the album, (and hopefulgenius, baby, i was thinking about you through the whole thing, ilusfm) so i kind of got quietly misty-eyed in the middle. um. in my defence, bb sounded amazing, amazing, he fucking belongs behind that piano, you guys. i cannot wait for him to grow up and, like, do the john mayer-esque music he's been promising. except with his piano. AISFSDJFHS, excuse me, i just had to go have an orgasm.
ANYWAY, archie chose to do don't let go next, which, hi, i really don't like that song. i like it less than it deserves because jc wrote it, and, yeah, I KNOW YOU ARE BOTH CAPABLE OF MORE, KIDS. but then david goes and ninjas this awesome, "HOW TO SAVE A LIIIIIIIFE" IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING SONG, and now i am, um, i am thinking about maybe giving the track on the album another chance. oh, bb, I AM SO EASY WHEN IT COMES TO YOU.
BUT EVEN IF I WASN'T, YOU GUYS. YOU GUYS!!!1111 HE DID WAITING ON YESTERDAY. aJSRIOFEJFE MOTHERFUUUUUUUCK (and um, if i sound surprised at any of this, i am, because i don't watch media at all, pretty much, so i was completely unspoiled). i nearly fell over with GLEE. GOOD GOING ON KILLING ME, DAVID. it sounded better recorded, but oh my gosh, SUCH AN AWESOME SURPRISE. i think at this point i started figuring out that david needs to do the songs he really, really loves, because you can tell. even if he doesn't do a pitch-perfect job, he, idk, he glows. it is so amazing to see.
and also it was nice to figure that he was probably getting more input on his setlist now, because he did stand by me after that, YAYNESS. i love that song so hard, and in the middle of it he hit the most IMPRESSIVE note, nnnnnnngh, that voice, AURGH, but then when he segued into beautiful girls? SJKSFA:WJF CRACKED MY SHIT UP, YOU GUYS. YOU HAVE ME IN DENIAL, IN DENIAL~ AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH WORDS TO EXPRESS HOW AMAZINGLY HILARIOUS THAT WAS. and there you have, like, eli and mike and alex, and they are all, whatever, these big, macho-looking guys, going like in denial~ ROFLLLLLLL. in liza's words, archie's band IS SO PG-13.
but then, as if to make up for the hilarity of the situation, archie goes back behind the keyboard. CUE SQUEEFUL NAT. and he does a thousand miles, which, you know, i have never actually been fond of that song, even after i'd heard him do it live, idk, i think it's the vanessa carlton association? but it is such a pretty song, and no matter how many times i see/hear him do it live (TWICE NOW, SCORE) i am going to love it, i am pretty sure. david + keyboard/piano = PUDDLE OF GOO.
and then, AND THEN, ON TO THE BEST FUCKING PART OF THE EVENING, OKAY, THE BEST, BECAUSE ARCHIE DOES ANGELS RIGHT AFTER THAT, AND DUDE. DUDE. FULL FUCKING BODY CHILLS, OKAY. the hair on my KNEES was standing on end, wtf, IDEK anymore. THIS BOY. liza sat in protest, because she does not like archie doing this song (rotfl) and even i had to admit that while i liked this song the first time i heard him do it on idol, i liked it less when he recorded it for idol, and even less on the album (it's one of the songs i skip), BUT APPARENTLY DAVID FUCKING ARCHULETA HAS A BLACKBELT IN CHANGING PEOPLE'S MINDS, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE MOST AMAZING VERSION I HAVE HEARD EVER, AND HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THIS, FUCK. liza's aunt drove us to the venue, and she said that within a week, archie had pretty much gotten everyone in the philippines to fall in love with him, if they weren't already. MAGIC POWERS, YOU GUYS. THAT SMILE HAS MAGIC POWERS.
but okay, so after the amazingness to end all amazingness, archie breaks out zero gravity. and, okay, this is another song that i took a while to warm up to, and even after i did warm up to it, i thought, hmm, fun, but idk if i'd be able to get into it live. BUT I STAND CORRECTED, YOU GUYS. AGAIN. AND THIS IS MAYBE A SECRET TO ALL OF TWO PEOPLE BUT IT IS THE BEST SONG TO DO LIVE. THE BEST. david was bouncing ALL OVER THE STAGE, AND JUMPING AND GRINNING AND GIGGLING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE THING, ASFDLKJEWIUF. it doesn't even matter that the high notes weren't always perfect, HE WAS UP THERE HAVING SO MUCH FUN, IT WAS HARD NOT TO LOVE THAT. mike (I CAN TELL THEM APART NOW, SCORE) says they're looking to make this the next single, maybe some time in june, AND EEEEE, HOW EXCITING WILL THAT BE?! (VERY, XINFINITY, THAT IS HOW.)
and then david said he was going to do his last song, and i was like, wtf, that was not an hour! except apparently it had been? and then he was doing crush to close up, and liza kind of nudged me and went, "dude, that's cook in the wings!" and MY HEART. IT STOPPED FOR A SECOND, NGL, BECAUSE COOK WAS WATCHING HIS BOYFRIEND PERFORM CRUSH. ASDFOIJLSDK CONSIDERING CRUSH IS MY DAVID/DAVID SONG, AND I WILL NEVER NOT SEE THE IMAGE OF COOK SINGING IT IN ARCHIE'S EAR OUTSIDE THE TOUR BUSES, THIS MADE ME DIE A LITTLE ON THE INSIDE. i had to muffle my giggles in my hands (try to hold ooooon~). and then suddenly it was over and david was bouncing offstage, saying something about, "give it up for david cook", or whatever, and i was like, WHAT. BUT. WHERE IS THE GUSHING INTRODUCTION!? WHERE IS THE "LOVE YA, COOOOOOOOK"? WHERE IS THE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE?
but then they were moving stuff onstage and i resigned myself to an archie-less cook set, and i was going to mope about it for a couple of minutes, but then they started the fireworks display? which, idk, you guys, i am easily distracted by pretty things, AND THIS WAS MAYBE ONE OF THE PRETTIEST, MOST AMAZING THINGS I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. it was the one time in the concert (okay, one of the two times) i wished i had a camera with me. it felt like it was raining golden stars. there are honestly no words i can use to describe how incredible it was! i mean, it took maybe half an hour for them to set cook's equipment up and stuff, but i could've watched those fireworks all night.
BUT I DID NOT HAVE TO, HA HA. which, fuck, i am so glad, because COOK. DAVID FUCKING COOK. JESUS CHRIST. YOU GUYS, IDEK. david's set just, whatever, it became this big, sort of less-epic thing in the aftermath. which, it is totally not archie's fault, because his voice was AMAZING, and i probably liked listening to him better, but cook. like, okay, the way i see it, archie's concert is a group effort, and his band sounds amazing on their background vocals, which helps. but with cook? he's the star, and make no mistake about it. i mean, even the layout of the instruments and stuff, archie's band is spread out over the whole stage, whereas the bouh is more concentrated in the background. and really, i don't get how the bouh is the focus of so much attention when, like, all i could do was watch cook, like an addict. WHATEVER, HE IS A DRUG AND I NEVER WANT TO STOP.
fucking COOK, okay. THE MAN KNOWS HOW TO THROW A ROCK CONCERT, PERIOD. It was so fucking professional and, like, IDEK, how do i explain his except that the man is fucking amazing and talented and, just, EVERYTHING. AMAZING. right down to the stupid special effects videos and the smoke and the 80s/90s rock concert vibe, which i am guessing he was gunning for, and HE KILLED IT. motherfuck. his entrance? with the whole rising platform and everything? *SWOON* liza's face in that moment said it all, rotflmao. PLUS he came out rocking the world i know, which, idk, i was not a fan of when he performed it on the show? but nnnnnnnnnnngh. NNNNNNNNGH, BOY CAN SING. and then he went straight into heroes, and you guys, YOU GUYS, I HAVE SUCH A SOFT SPOT FOR THAT SONG, FUCK, I WAS DEAD FROM FLAILING.
and the energy, man, the energy was kind of INSANE. archie's set was all about screaming and bopping and yay, FUN! but then cook comes out and, like, half the people get on their feet (although, okay, admittedly half the people who were standing for archie's set also sat back down) but, like, YES. it was just screaming and flailing and awesome madness, idk.
side story: there was this chick in the row in front of us who was there with (we assume) her boyfriend, and he'd been sort of all, like, sprawled out in his chair and hanging on to the binoculars whenever his girlfriend got too tired to do it by herself, whatever, but he SPRANG OUT OF HIS SEAT FOR COOK. NO LIE. he was headbanging and, like, whatever, jumping and screaming and MAKING ROCKSTAR SIGNS. ROTFLMAO. funniest thing i saw ALL NIGHT.
so i think this is when cook did his whole, "hey guys" speech, and introduced himself, and thanked us for coming out, and also mentioned something about archie telling him backstage that he had no idea what he was in for, and that archie had been right, and the crowd was going NUTS, right, and i was so psyched by that point - even though the weird visual effects on the screens were seriously giving me the lulz - and then COOK DOES MR. SENSITIVE, AND, LIKE, OKAY, PART OF ME TOTALLY DIED BECAUSE THEY DID NOT USE THE MEDLEY FROM MY CONCERT!COOKLETA FIC, BUT THERE WAS THIS PAUSE IN THE MIDDLE, WHERE I HAD ENVISIONED ALTNOY WOULD'VE SEGUED INTO IT, AND I ABOUT DIED, NGL. MY SHIT-EATING GRIN, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WIPE IT OFF MY FACE.
and then, as if that was not already one of the most amazing highlights OF MY LIFE, cook launches into declaration, which, idek, SO MUCH LOVE FOR THAT SONG, i mean, i am not kidding when i say i adore his album, and it's kind of ridiculous because i was bopping to archie's entire concert, pretty much, but i was mouthing along to most of cook's songs since, um, i apparently know them better. i think at this point i was sort of going, like, fucking fuck i cannot believe i'm actually here, WATCHING DAVID FUCKING COOK LIVE. and, like, he is so fucking gorgeous, you guys, even with the awful hair right now. i was all, like, NOM NOM, BB.
and then he does life on the moon, and the only notes i have on this one are that liza pointed out that the special effects were the, um, green martian looking ones, which, ROFLLLLLLLL, THAT IS ALL. i wish i could be more, whatever, descriptive, but it's kind of hard because usually i take notes on my phone, and usually the banter/interaction comes back to me as i'm talking about the song, but since there was pretty much none of that D: D: D: in fact, i had to stop taking notes during cook's set because my phone was dying and i wanted to have enough battery to give pat a call during cook's set, so this might be all jumbled. i'm pretty sure liza's recap will be more comprehensive, and also include more about the bouh, ha, so i am not worried.
BUT ANYWAY, useless phone story is only there because this is where cook started talking about how he'd never done this song before as a band, and liza and i were going, like, what could it be? but i was getting all excited and turning my phone on because i figured whatever it is, THIS SHOULD BE THE ONE PAT HEARS, and then! THEN! THEY BREAK OUT MOTHERFUCKING ABMB, ABMB, YOU GUYS, IT IS PROBABLY ONLY MY FAVOURITEST SONG HE HAS EVER DONE, EVER, AND I FREAKED THE FUCK OUT, NGL, AND I WAS JUMPING AROUND TRYING TO CALL PAT WHILE COOK DOVE INTO THE FIRST VERSE AND SHE WAS NOT PICKING UP, AND THEN IT GOT TOO LOUD TO HEAR IF THE PHONE WAS EVEN FUCKING RINGING, but she texted to say the line kept getting cut off, so i called one more time, and i was like, FUCK IT, IF SHE DOES NOT PICK UP I WILL NOT BE ABL TO TELL, so i just held out the phone without checking. and she caught maybe three lines of it, YAY, and my phone did not die till the song was over and i had time to squeal, "DID YOU HEAR THAT? PAT OMG DID YOU? DID YOU?" and hear her giggle and say, "YES!" before it died on me. <3 and ohhhhhh, FACEMELTINGLY HOT REAL LIFE COOK + ABMB = NAT LOSING HER OVARIES, FUCK. and okay, yeah, it wasn't as good as the recorded version, but WHATEVER, OKAY, MY LIFE IS COMPLETE. even if i hadn't seen cook in the hotel that night, MY LIFE? COMPLETE.
so i am freaking out like a crazy person, right, which is i think when cook launches into kiss on the neck. there's a little banter about "who has my album?" and "who's heard it all the way through?" and liza goes, kiss on the neck, and obviously she's right, and this is where my recap starts to go downhill a little bit, because, okay, like, i love cook's album, right, but that's pretty much because it's not his kind of music at all (ie. a lot more mainstream/poprock/daughtry) than, say, analog heart. like, i am way more a bad 90s pop / jason mraz kind of girl, so honestly, i think that even though cook's set was way more comprehensive, if you're not a fan of cook's brand of music, you have to love him, A LOT, A LOT ("") (which luckily i do) to go for one of his concerts. it's really intense and loud and, like, high energy, all the way through, so it sucks enough when you don't enjoy one song, because then the whole vibe/effect is lost, but when you don't like 3 songs in a row? rofl. your high pretty much runs out.
that's kind of what happened to me during kiss on the neck, and then straight ahead (from analog heart, i believe?) and make me (which i guess is from an even earlier period that i do not know much about), and that was my turn to sit down in protest, (and also exhaustion, ha) but then cook redeemed himself and did avalanche, which put me back on my feet. but then he was all, okay, now we're going to do a cover, do you guys mind? which, hi, I NEVER MIND! and so they did little lies by fleetwood mac, which, idk, i guess he thought he'd do that instead of lies, which was a little disappointing, but i could deal with it. that song is brainwashingly awesome.
and then he does this little banter thing, where he was all, "neal! neal, c'mere!" and i was grinning already, because hi, liza's otp, even though i don't get the neal appeal (rofl) at all, and then cook pointed out this sign in the crowd, and was all, "dude, this girl wants to marry you," and neil, totally straight-faced and with barely any hesitation, goes, "okay." BAHAHAHAHAHA. ♥ so hard!! and cook starts laughing and dedicates the next song to "the newlyweds", which--
COME BACK TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~ i love this song sfm sfm sfm. on last.fm it is my top played track at, idk, less than 15 plays, but whatever, that is not the point. point is, i adore the song, and getting to hear cook do it live was, like, idk, it was surreal. TOO MUCH PRETTY TO HANDLE. and probably one of my favourite things about it is, like, we get to hear cook in his lower register, before he powers up on the chorus, and, fuck, that is my favourite way for him to sing, FAVOURITE. *INCOHERENCE* and i was having so much fun with the song that when, at the end, he was all, "thanks guys, you've been great!" and RAN OFFSTAGE, i was totally thrown. i think i must have gaped at liza for all of 5 seconds going, "is he SERIOUS?! WAIT, IS HE SERIOUS?!"
but then we figured, probably not, and the crowd was kind of going, quietly, "we want more!" and after maybe a minute, i looked at liza and said, "okay, he should come back out now, because it is getting kind of embarrassing?" and like, idk, half a minute after that, he did come back out, and he said something about, "i hope you guys didn't think we were leaving, 'cause we got nothing but tiiiiiiiime," which, YEAH RIGHT, I ONLY WISH THAT WAS TRUE, but i totally thought he was ACTUALLY going to do time of my life (BECAUSE HI, IT ONLY SHARES THE SAME NAME AS THE MOST EPICALLY FABULOUS COOKLETA STORY IN LIFE), and i was starting to giggle to myself a little bit, but then he did light on, instead, and mmmm. liza sat down again in protest, but she only managed to resist for like 0.2 seconds before she was on her feet again, and okay, maybe this is not everyone's choice song, especially for a single, but vocally? HE SOUNDED AMAZING. probably my favourite vocal from him of the night! (you know, ADAM aside.) (WHICH, COMPLETELY OTT, BUT I AM APPARENTLY A DOUCHE AND AN IDIOT BECAUSE I NEVER KNEW WHAT ADAM STOOD FOR UNTIL, OH, IDK, YESTERDAY. OH NAT, YOU FAIL SO HARD.)
and then he did a little introduction for bar-bar-sol, and said something about how it was probably the hardest song on the album, and how he wanted to see 40,000 heads banging (rofl, idk why that amuses me so much), and also i have to say that i really loved how he introduced his songs, because hi, worlds of different from archie, and yet, idk, i hope archie never takes any lessons, because unassuming charm doesn't work so well when you've got your entire script already planned. oh! also, i can't remember which song it was in that cook ACTUALLY GOT OFF THE STAGE - it was this gigantically raised platform) AND WENT DOWN TO SORT OF MINGLE WITH THE CROWD, AND FUCK I WOULD HAVE PAID THE EXTRA $200 TO SEE THAT UP CLOSE, TYVM. AND ALSO HAVE HIM TAKE MY CAMERA PHONE FROM ME AND FUCKING SNAP A COUPLE SHOTS OF HIMSELF, WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK. JEALOUSY FOREVER. idk how anyone could think cook was a snob, rofl, THE VERY IDEA IS LULZ-INDUCING.
but - okay, enough of putting this off, it's probably a good time to talk about the grand finale. because after that, cook said his time was up, but that he was going to go out with a bang, and then he went "selamat! … selamat po! selamat po!" which probably cracked EVERYONE up, because he'd just gotten that wrong during his last banter-y interlude with the crowd ("selamat! ...no, wait, that isn't right, selamat po? and i was this close to acing the test!") and then, LIKE THE COOK WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE, HE TURNS AROUND AND LAUNCHES INTO FUCKING ADAM. FUCKING ADAM, YOU GUYS, WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK, YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN LIZA'S FACE. FLAIL AND SHOCK LIKE YOU WOULD NOT EVEN BELIEVE. AND HE DEDICATED IT TO ADAM, OH GOD, COOK. YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU DO TO ME.
and then, as if that wasn't enough, HE. FUCKING. BROUGHT. ARCHIE. OUT!!!!!!!!111111111111 DO YOU EVEN KNOW. LIKE, AOIDUJSKNBQWDUEFIJSKNGD, WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK, I DON'T - I HAVE NEVER SCREAMED THAT HARD IN MY LIFE. OKAY. AND THAT IS SAYING A LOT. THERE IS NOTHING, NOTHING IN THE WORLD THAT WILL EVER, EVER, EVER BRING ON MY SQUEE LIKE THAT DID EXCEPT FOR MAYBE A DUET. OR THEM COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET, IDEK. DID NOT SEE THAT ONE COMING, WTF. and, okay, maybe it wasn't groundbreaking harmony, or even anything you could really hear, since archie only came out near the end during the "ooh-ing", BUT ASFKNDSHIJKFS HE WAS WAVING HIS ARMS. IN SYNCHRONY WITH COOK'S. AS HE "OOH-ED". THAT. JUST ABOUT MADE MY LIFE, JSYK. FUCKING, FUCKING FUCK.
i almost don't want to have to talk about the rest of the song because jesus FUCK, AMAZINGNESS, HIGH, SQUEEFUL, and idk, i was worried at the beginning of the song, and every time there was a close up of cook's face on screen i was like, BE STRONG, BB, YOU CAN DO THIS, YOU ARE FUCKING AMAZING, and he did, he FINISHED, he - motherfuck, you'd think i'd know better by now how well cook holds in his emotion when he's singing - but i was just thinking WELL DONE, BB, AND SO I DID NOT SEE THAT EMOTIONAL ENDING COMING, OKAY. THAT - FUCKING, when he sank into that crouch, and - and when he hid his face behind his hands, holy fucking shit, i don't even --
i am tearing up just thinking about it, you guys. fuck. and then, LIKE THE TROOPER HE IS, HE FUCKING GETS BACK ON HIS FEET, fuck, and just looks up and spends a couple of seconds talking to adam, and by then liza and i are standing there, the only two idiots in the crowd fucking sobbing, and then cook grabs archie in this hug and drops his arm around him and they pretty much hightail it offstage. which, whatever, by then we were just this weeping mess of emotion, idek, most bittersweet ending to a concert EVER.
just - epic concert is EPIC, you guys. I AM SO FUCKING GLAD I GOT TO GO. KARMA, I AM OWING YOU BIG TIME AND I KNOW IT.
COOKIES (HA HA) IF YOU MANAGED TO READ THE WHOLE THING THROUGH. i apologize for my inane rambling! this is kind of a shitty recap, so if there's anything else you want to know, um, i find my memory gets jogged when people ask questions, or just discuss stuff, or whatever. so feel free to do that! squee is also welcome! :D as is flaming/jealousy/disbelief/anger. right now i am so happy your negative emotion will just be reflected back at you. or something, idk.
ETA: i also wanted to add that something that really amused me? the drumming. because you could literally feel the floor pulsing, and it was the most amazing feeling, because, like, okay, during archie's set, the way eli was hitting the drums basically made you feel like your heart was fluttering in your chest, like falling in love, and with cook's set, it was all, THUMP THUMP THUMP, and my heart was JUMPING INTO MY THROAT AT EVERY BEAT. it was totally appropriate AND I HEARTED IT SFM.
ETA 2: liza1131's RECAP OF WIN, RIGHT HERE, COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS AND VIDEOS AND EVERYTHING. YOU GUYS, YOU NEED TO CHECK IT OUT, LIKE, YESTERDAY. she is so much more observant of things than me ROFL.
note: i suck and have no photos/videos/anything. i do have an audio clip of cook doing abmb, though, so if that doesn't suck i will figure out how to up it to the internet! \o/ also, um. epic concert is epic, but there were still its crappy moments, so feel free to skip if you are looking for pure squee! (HA HA, HOW OFTEN DO I SAY THAT?)
so i am currently in cebu at my semi-relative's house - ha, my dad's known her forever and i still don't really know what to call her - but okay, there is no internet here (there is no anything, really, except architecture and food) so i figure i should sit down and talk about the concert before i forget it. If i'd had the energy to type this out yesterday, this would be WAY more capslockified, trust me. as it is i am nursing a sorethroat, so the squee might be slightly diminished /o\
so it basically kind of felt like two concerts mashed together, which, idk, i guess that's what they were gunning for? liza1131 and i went through like, all kinds of trials and tribulations trying to get our tickets for the show (which her magic 8 ball successfully navigated us through, dude, THAT THING IS THE MOST AWESOME BALL I HAVE EVER SEEN) so we only reached the concert grounds at, like, 20 minutes to 8? and man, i need to spend time talking about the concert venue because IT IS FAMAZING. like, it literally took my breath away when i saw it for the first time. YOU GUYS, THEY HAD BATMAN LIGHTS. TWO OF THEM. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THOSE IN MY LIFE, WTF. and the grounds were so huge when i stood up and turned around in my seat, i couldn't see where the crowd ended (i would not pay to stand at one of these concerts, jsyk. you wouldn't be able to see ANYTHING.)
liza got a couple of pictures of the venue, i'm pretty sure, and even if she doesn't, i'm sure there've been plenty posted by now, so i'll link to those when i find them. (ALSO! the weather was PERFECT for a concert, which probably made everything that much more awesome, asdkjasdsa, i love manila!) so okay basically there were a couple of seating categories, and liza and i were in category 2, and when we first got to the venue one of the ushers pointed us in the wrong direction and we thought we were much further from the stage than we actually were. and then our ACTUAL seats got pointed out to us, AND HELLO, DO I HAVE THE BEST TICKET MOJO OR WHAT, OKAY! we were, like, in the third row of the category 2 seats, AND WE HAD AISLE SEATS ALKJSDFJFIOKSJNFS. well, not aisle seats exactly, but the ones beside them, and the people who got the actual aisle seats didn't turn up all night, so! those pretty much had our names stamped all over it. BEST FUCKING SEATS OF MY LIFE, IDEK. i was freaking out so hard.
so we sat down for a while and watched some of the worst ads i have ever seen IN MY LIFE, and at 8ish, i was like, "dude, let's see how much of a diva little d's become," because he started late in singapore - idk, i guess you can blame that on the traffic - and i was banking on him starting late in pinoy, too. WHICH HE DID, so i was right, but not by much, so it's okay.
plus, he just bounded out on stage, BOUNDED, OKAY, and just launched right into touch my hand ASDLKJSFOISJDF and, i heart that song so fucking much, you guys, wtf. the vocals were a little rough but he was all bopping around on stage (OH BE STILL MY HEART) so really, you can't even hold it against him. AND! AND!!!!!!!!!111 DID I MENTION HE WAS IN A PLAID SHIRT AND A SKINNY TIE. SKINNY. TIE. MOTHERFUCK. I LOVE HIM SFM SFM SFM. IT IS LIKE HE WAS ALL,OH HEY, OKAY, LET ME BORROW MY BOYFRIEND'S SHIRT AND THEN ADD A TIE TO THE MIX AND MAYBE KILL NAT WITH MY HOTNESS SINCE THOSE ARE ALL THE THINGS SHE LOVES ON ME MOST. because seriously, oh my gosh, why is he SO HOT?! (and all this never even mind the fact that he is slightly tinier than i am! OH BB D.)
right after that he went on to do barriers, (rofl kim of course i spent the song thinking of you) and it did not sound that great live, idk, maybe it's the fact that the album is so overproduced? it doesn't sound the same onstage. at this point i was still freaking out inside about ACTUALLY SEEING BB D LIVE, so idk, i wasn't processing much. but then we got to altnoy? (the band totally started out with this little, like, rock-ish couple of bars before they got into the actual thing, WHICH I LOVED AND ADORED AND GIGGLED THROUGH) and mmmmmmm, that song. i am ashamed to say idk all the lyrics, but it's so much FUN! and i think archie was starting to warm up a bit by then, maybe, because the vocals got a lot better!
i think this is where he stopped to say hi, oh my gosh, ilu guys, haha, selamat po, etc etc, (HE IS THE ONLY PERSON I KNOW WHO PUNCTUATES SENTENCES WITH HA HA, AND EACH TIME HE DOES I JUST FALL MORE IN LOVE). at the end of it all, liza was all, "huh, so much for banter in between the songs, THEY SHOULD JUST GIVE HIM A SCRIPT," which ROTFL THIS IS PROBABLY TRUE, but archie was all "aw, shucks, haha, ilu, thank you" at the end of each song, and "so this next song is..." but, idk, THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BOY. i could listen to him ramble forever, jesus. HOW SO ADORABLE?
but okay, then he starts saying how he really loves this next song he's about to do, because the melody and the lyrics are so simple but they still mean so much, and how it's one of his favourite songs off the album, and i was like, "LIZA! LIZA!!!!!!!!!!!1111111 HE'S GOING TO DO YOU CAN!!!!!11" which HE DID, and fucking a, I LOVE THAT SONG SO MUCH. LIKE, MY LOVE FOR IT IS BOUNDLESS. BOUNDLESS. and the best part is now i think of shelter every time i hear that song (thanks to the lovely, amazing bubbleforest) so it was, like, DOUBLY AWESOME, never mind the fact that I thought archie sounded not quite as awesome as he did on the album.
my hands was up next, which i don't love as much as touch my hand (rofl i remember cracking up SO HARD when i first got the album and realized there were TWO SONGS ABOUT HANDS WTF) but liza hearts this song (ha, one of the rare ones), and archie sounded amazing! i think this is where he really started knocking it out of the ball park. mmmm. i'm getting all giddy just thinking about it. and the band totally broke into this acapella at the end, which FNS}AFSFLDSJFNNNNNNNNNNGH, HOW IS THIS KID SO TALENTED, IDEK. if i had heard the band before, i maybe would have been more interested in talking to them in the hotel, ha. or, idk, maybe not, but they are a freaking amazing band! \o/
so then i get a little fuzzy, but i think they did your eyes don't lie, which is not one of my favourite songs, ngl. every time i hear this song i imagine archie in like, a cowboy get up in this awful western production, like, with boots and the hat and chaps and EVERYTHING, whistling his way into a bar and making awful cheesy eyes with one of the bar maids roflmao. BUT OKAY, IDK, THIS LIVE THING, IT MAYBE CHANGED MY MIND, because he sounds SO GOOD on this song! wtf! i was not expecting that! plus the live whistling CRACKED MY SHIT UP, OH DAVID. ♥ ♥ ♥
AND THEN THIS IS WHEN IT GETS REALLY GOOD. archie finally gets behind the piano for to be with you! and also introduces kendra, the pianist - HA HA I DID NOT EVEN KNOW HE HAD A GIRL IN HIS BAND - who doubles up as the violinist (!!!!!) for the performance, and this is maybe my second favourite song off the album, (and hopefulgenius, baby, i was thinking about you through the whole thing, ilusfm) so i kind of got quietly misty-eyed in the middle. um. in my defence, bb sounded amazing, amazing, he fucking belongs behind that piano, you guys. i cannot wait for him to grow up and, like, do the john mayer-esque music he's been promising. except with his piano. AISFSDJFHS, excuse me, i just had to go have an orgasm.
ANYWAY, archie chose to do don't let go next, which, hi, i really don't like that song. i like it less than it deserves because jc wrote it, and, yeah, I KNOW YOU ARE BOTH CAPABLE OF MORE, KIDS. but then david goes and ninjas this awesome, "HOW TO SAVE A LIIIIIIIFE" IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING SONG, and now i am, um, i am thinking about maybe giving the track on the album another chance. oh, bb, I AM SO EASY WHEN IT COMES TO YOU.
BUT EVEN IF I WASN'T, YOU GUYS. YOU GUYS!!!1111 HE DID WAITING ON YESTERDAY. aJSRIOFEJFE MOTHERFUUUUUUUCK (and um, if i sound surprised at any of this, i am, because i don't watch media at all, pretty much, so i was completely unspoiled). i nearly fell over with GLEE. GOOD GOING ON KILLING ME, DAVID. it sounded better recorded, but oh my gosh, SUCH AN AWESOME SURPRISE. i think at this point i started figuring out that david needs to do the songs he really, really loves, because you can tell. even if he doesn't do a pitch-perfect job, he, idk, he glows. it is so amazing to see.
and also it was nice to figure that he was probably getting more input on his setlist now, because he did stand by me after that, YAYNESS. i love that song so hard, and in the middle of it he hit the most IMPRESSIVE note, nnnnnnngh, that voice, AURGH, but then when he segued into beautiful girls? SJKSFA:WJF CRACKED MY SHIT UP, YOU GUYS. YOU HAVE ME IN DENIAL, IN DENIAL~ AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH WORDS TO EXPRESS HOW AMAZINGLY HILARIOUS THAT WAS. and there you have, like, eli and mike and alex, and they are all, whatever, these big, macho-looking guys, going like in denial~ ROFLLLLLLL. in liza's words, archie's band IS SO PG-13.
but then, as if to make up for the hilarity of the situation, archie goes back behind the keyboard. CUE SQUEEFUL NAT. and he does a thousand miles, which, you know, i have never actually been fond of that song, even after i'd heard him do it live, idk, i think it's the vanessa carlton association? but it is such a pretty song, and no matter how many times i see/hear him do it live (TWICE NOW, SCORE) i am going to love it, i am pretty sure. david + keyboard/piano = PUDDLE OF GOO.
and then, AND THEN, ON TO THE BEST FUCKING PART OF THE EVENING, OKAY, THE BEST, BECAUSE ARCHIE DOES ANGELS RIGHT AFTER THAT, AND DUDE. DUDE. FULL FUCKING BODY CHILLS, OKAY. the hair on my KNEES was standing on end, wtf, IDEK anymore. THIS BOY. liza sat in protest, because she does not like archie doing this song (rotfl) and even i had to admit that while i liked this song the first time i heard him do it on idol, i liked it less when he recorded it for idol, and even less on the album (it's one of the songs i skip), BUT APPARENTLY DAVID FUCKING ARCHULETA HAS A BLACKBELT IN CHANGING PEOPLE'S MINDS, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE MOST AMAZING VERSION I HAVE HEARD EVER, AND HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THIS, FUCK. liza's aunt drove us to the venue, and she said that within a week, archie had pretty much gotten everyone in the philippines to fall in love with him, if they weren't already. MAGIC POWERS, YOU GUYS. THAT SMILE HAS MAGIC POWERS.
but okay, so after the amazingness to end all amazingness, archie breaks out zero gravity. and, okay, this is another song that i took a while to warm up to, and even after i did warm up to it, i thought, hmm, fun, but idk if i'd be able to get into it live. BUT I STAND CORRECTED, YOU GUYS. AGAIN. AND THIS IS MAYBE A SECRET TO ALL OF TWO PEOPLE BUT IT IS THE BEST SONG TO DO LIVE. THE BEST. david was bouncing ALL OVER THE STAGE, AND JUMPING AND GRINNING AND GIGGLING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE THING, ASFDLKJEWIUF. it doesn't even matter that the high notes weren't always perfect, HE WAS UP THERE HAVING SO MUCH FUN, IT WAS HARD NOT TO LOVE THAT. mike (I CAN TELL THEM APART NOW, SCORE) says they're looking to make this the next single, maybe some time in june, AND EEEEE, HOW EXCITING WILL THAT BE?! (VERY, XINFINITY, THAT IS HOW.)
and then david said he was going to do his last song, and i was like, wtf, that was not an hour! except apparently it had been? and then he was doing crush to close up, and liza kind of nudged me and went, "dude, that's cook in the wings!" and MY HEART. IT STOPPED FOR A SECOND, NGL, BECAUSE COOK WAS WATCHING HIS BOYFRIEND PERFORM CRUSH. ASDFOIJLSDK CONSIDERING CRUSH IS MY DAVID/DAVID SONG, AND I WILL NEVER NOT SEE THE IMAGE OF COOK SINGING IT IN ARCHIE'S EAR OUTSIDE THE TOUR BUSES, THIS MADE ME DIE A LITTLE ON THE INSIDE. i had to muffle my giggles in my hands (try to hold ooooon~). and then suddenly it was over and david was bouncing offstage, saying something about, "give it up for david cook", or whatever, and i was like, WHAT. BUT. WHERE IS THE GUSHING INTRODUCTION!? WHERE IS THE "LOVE YA, COOOOOOOOK"? WHERE IS THE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE?
but then they were moving stuff onstage and i resigned myself to an archie-less cook set, and i was going to mope about it for a couple of minutes, but then they started the fireworks display? which, idk, you guys, i am easily distracted by pretty things, AND THIS WAS MAYBE ONE OF THE PRETTIEST, MOST AMAZING THINGS I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. it was the one time in the concert (okay, one of the two times) i wished i had a camera with me. it felt like it was raining golden stars. there are honestly no words i can use to describe how incredible it was! i mean, it took maybe half an hour for them to set cook's equipment up and stuff, but i could've watched those fireworks all night.
BUT I DID NOT HAVE TO, HA HA. which, fuck, i am so glad, because COOK. DAVID FUCKING COOK. JESUS CHRIST. YOU GUYS, IDEK. david's set just, whatever, it became this big, sort of less-epic thing in the aftermath. which, it is totally not archie's fault, because his voice was AMAZING, and i probably liked listening to him better, but cook. like, okay, the way i see it, archie's concert is a group effort, and his band sounds amazing on their background vocals, which helps. but with cook? he's the star, and make no mistake about it. i mean, even the layout of the instruments and stuff, archie's band is spread out over the whole stage, whereas the bouh is more concentrated in the background. and really, i don't get how the bouh is the focus of so much attention when, like, all i could do was watch cook, like an addict. WHATEVER, HE IS A DRUG AND I NEVER WANT TO STOP.
fucking COOK, okay. THE MAN KNOWS HOW TO THROW A ROCK CONCERT, PERIOD. It was so fucking professional and, like, IDEK, how do i explain his except that the man is fucking amazing and talented and, just, EVERYTHING. AMAZING. right down to the stupid special effects videos and the smoke and the 80s/90s rock concert vibe, which i am guessing he was gunning for, and HE KILLED IT. motherfuck. his entrance? with the whole rising platform and everything? *SWOON* liza's face in that moment said it all, rotflmao. PLUS he came out rocking the world i know, which, idk, i was not a fan of when he performed it on the show? but nnnnnnnnnnngh. NNNNNNNNGH, BOY CAN SING. and then he went straight into heroes, and you guys, YOU GUYS, I HAVE SUCH A SOFT SPOT FOR THAT SONG, FUCK, I WAS DEAD FROM FLAILING.
and the energy, man, the energy was kind of INSANE. archie's set was all about screaming and bopping and yay, FUN! but then cook comes out and, like, half the people get on their feet (although, okay, admittedly half the people who were standing for archie's set also sat back down) but, like, YES. it was just screaming and flailing and awesome madness, idk.
side story: there was this chick in the row in front of us who was there with (we assume) her boyfriend, and he'd been sort of all, like, sprawled out in his chair and hanging on to the binoculars whenever his girlfriend got too tired to do it by herself, whatever, but he SPRANG OUT OF HIS SEAT FOR COOK. NO LIE. he was headbanging and, like, whatever, jumping and screaming and MAKING ROCKSTAR SIGNS. ROTFLMAO. funniest thing i saw ALL NIGHT.
so i think this is when cook did his whole, "hey guys" speech, and introduced himself, and thanked us for coming out, and also mentioned something about archie telling him backstage that he had no idea what he was in for, and that archie had been right, and the crowd was going NUTS, right, and i was so psyched by that point - even though the weird visual effects on the screens were seriously giving me the lulz - and then COOK DOES MR. SENSITIVE, AND, LIKE, OKAY, PART OF ME TOTALLY DIED BECAUSE THEY DID NOT USE THE MEDLEY FROM MY CONCERT!COOKLETA FIC, BUT THERE WAS THIS PAUSE IN THE MIDDLE, WHERE I HAD ENVISIONED ALTNOY WOULD'VE SEGUED INTO IT, AND I ABOUT DIED, NGL. MY SHIT-EATING GRIN, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WIPE IT OFF MY FACE.
and then, as if that was not already one of the most amazing highlights OF MY LIFE, cook launches into declaration, which, idek, SO MUCH LOVE FOR THAT SONG, i mean, i am not kidding when i say i adore his album, and it's kind of ridiculous because i was bopping to archie's entire concert, pretty much, but i was mouthing along to most of cook's songs since, um, i apparently know them better. i think at this point i was sort of going, like, fucking fuck i cannot believe i'm actually here, WATCHING DAVID FUCKING COOK LIVE. and, like, he is so fucking gorgeous, you guys, even with the awful hair right now. i was all, like, NOM NOM, BB.
and then he does life on the moon, and the only notes i have on this one are that liza pointed out that the special effects were the, um, green martian looking ones, which, ROFLLLLLLLL, THAT IS ALL. i wish i could be more, whatever, descriptive, but it's kind of hard because usually i take notes on my phone, and usually the banter/interaction comes back to me as i'm talking about the song, but since there was pretty much none of that D: D: D: in fact, i had to stop taking notes during cook's set because my phone was dying and i wanted to have enough battery to give pat a call during cook's set, so this might be all jumbled. i'm pretty sure liza's recap will be more comprehensive, and also include more about the bouh, ha, so i am not worried.
BUT ANYWAY, useless phone story is only there because this is where cook started talking about how he'd never done this song before as a band, and liza and i were going, like, what could it be? but i was getting all excited and turning my phone on because i figured whatever it is, THIS SHOULD BE THE ONE PAT HEARS, and then! THEN! THEY BREAK OUT MOTHERFUCKING ABMB, ABMB, YOU GUYS, IT IS PROBABLY ONLY MY FAVOURITEST SONG HE HAS EVER DONE, EVER, AND I FREAKED THE FUCK OUT, NGL, AND I WAS JUMPING AROUND TRYING TO CALL PAT WHILE COOK DOVE INTO THE FIRST VERSE AND SHE WAS NOT PICKING UP, AND THEN IT GOT TOO LOUD TO HEAR IF THE PHONE WAS EVEN FUCKING RINGING, but she texted to say the line kept getting cut off, so i called one more time, and i was like, FUCK IT, IF SHE DOES NOT PICK UP I WILL NOT BE ABL TO TELL, so i just held out the phone without checking. and she caught maybe three lines of it, YAY, and my phone did not die till the song was over and i had time to squeal, "DID YOU HEAR THAT? PAT OMG DID YOU? DID YOU?" and hear her giggle and say, "YES!" before it died on me. <3 and ohhhhhh, FACEMELTINGLY HOT REAL LIFE COOK + ABMB = NAT LOSING HER OVARIES, FUCK. and okay, yeah, it wasn't as good as the recorded version, but WHATEVER, OKAY, MY LIFE IS COMPLETE. even if i hadn't seen cook in the hotel that night, MY LIFE? COMPLETE.
so i am freaking out like a crazy person, right, which is i think when cook launches into kiss on the neck. there's a little banter about "who has my album?" and "who's heard it all the way through?" and liza goes, kiss on the neck, and obviously she's right, and this is where my recap starts to go downhill a little bit, because, okay, like, i love cook's album, right, but that's pretty much because it's not his kind of music at all (ie. a lot more mainstream/poprock/daughtry) than, say, analog heart. like, i am way more a bad 90s pop / jason mraz kind of girl, so honestly, i think that even though cook's set was way more comprehensive, if you're not a fan of cook's brand of music, you have to love him, A LOT, A LOT ("") (which luckily i do) to go for one of his concerts. it's really intense and loud and, like, high energy, all the way through, so it sucks enough when you don't enjoy one song, because then the whole vibe/effect is lost, but when you don't like 3 songs in a row? rofl. your high pretty much runs out.
that's kind of what happened to me during kiss on the neck, and then straight ahead (from analog heart, i believe?) and make me (which i guess is from an even earlier period that i do not know much about), and that was my turn to sit down in protest, (and also exhaustion, ha) but then cook redeemed himself and did avalanche, which put me back on my feet. but then he was all, okay, now we're going to do a cover, do you guys mind? which, hi, I NEVER MIND! and so they did little lies by fleetwood mac, which, idk, i guess he thought he'd do that instead of lies, which was a little disappointing, but i could deal with it. that song is brainwashingly awesome.
and then he does this little banter thing, where he was all, "neal! neal, c'mere!" and i was grinning already, because hi, liza's otp, even though i don't get the neal appeal (rofl) at all, and then cook pointed out this sign in the crowd, and was all, "dude, this girl wants to marry you," and neil, totally straight-faced and with barely any hesitation, goes, "okay." BAHAHAHAHAHA. ♥ so hard!! and cook starts laughing and dedicates the next song to "the newlyweds", which--
COME BACK TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~ i love this song sfm sfm sfm. on last.fm it is my top played track at, idk, less than 15 plays, but whatever, that is not the point. point is, i adore the song, and getting to hear cook do it live was, like, idk, it was surreal. TOO MUCH PRETTY TO HANDLE. and probably one of my favourite things about it is, like, we get to hear cook in his lower register, before he powers up on the chorus, and, fuck, that is my favourite way for him to sing, FAVOURITE. *INCOHERENCE* and i was having so much fun with the song that when, at the end, he was all, "thanks guys, you've been great!" and RAN OFFSTAGE, i was totally thrown. i think i must have gaped at liza for all of 5 seconds going, "is he SERIOUS?! WAIT, IS HE SERIOUS?!"
but then we figured, probably not, and the crowd was kind of going, quietly, "we want more!" and after maybe a minute, i looked at liza and said, "okay, he should come back out now, because it is getting kind of embarrassing?" and like, idk, half a minute after that, he did come back out, and he said something about, "i hope you guys didn't think we were leaving, 'cause we got nothing but tiiiiiiiime," which, YEAH RIGHT, I ONLY WISH THAT WAS TRUE, but i totally thought he was ACTUALLY going to do time of my life (BECAUSE HI, IT ONLY SHARES THE SAME NAME AS THE MOST EPICALLY FABULOUS COOKLETA STORY IN LIFE), and i was starting to giggle to myself a little bit, but then he did light on, instead, and mmmm. liza sat down again in protest, but she only managed to resist for like 0.2 seconds before she was on her feet again, and okay, maybe this is not everyone's choice song, especially for a single, but vocally? HE SOUNDED AMAZING. probably my favourite vocal from him of the night! (you know, ADAM aside.) (WHICH, COMPLETELY OTT, BUT I AM APPARENTLY A DOUCHE AND AN IDIOT BECAUSE I NEVER KNEW WHAT ADAM STOOD FOR UNTIL, OH, IDK, YESTERDAY. OH NAT, YOU FAIL SO HARD.)
and then he did a little introduction for bar-bar-sol, and said something about how it was probably the hardest song on the album, and how he wanted to see 40,000 heads banging (rofl, idk why that amuses me so much), and also i have to say that i really loved how he introduced his songs, because hi, worlds of different from archie, and yet, idk, i hope archie never takes any lessons, because unassuming charm doesn't work so well when you've got your entire script already planned. oh! also, i can't remember which song it was in that cook ACTUALLY GOT OFF THE STAGE - it was this gigantically raised platform) AND WENT DOWN TO SORT OF MINGLE WITH THE CROWD, AND FUCK I WOULD HAVE PAID THE EXTRA $200 TO SEE THAT UP CLOSE, TYVM. AND ALSO HAVE HIM TAKE MY CAMERA PHONE FROM ME AND FUCKING SNAP A COUPLE SHOTS OF HIMSELF, WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK. JEALOUSY FOREVER. idk how anyone could think cook was a snob, rofl, THE VERY IDEA IS LULZ-INDUCING.
but - okay, enough of putting this off, it's probably a good time to talk about the grand finale. because after that, cook said his time was up, but that he was going to go out with a bang, and then he went "selamat! … selamat po! selamat po!" which probably cracked EVERYONE up, because he'd just gotten that wrong during his last banter-y interlude with the crowd ("selamat! ...no, wait, that isn't right, selamat po? and i was this close to acing the test!") and then, LIKE THE COOK WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE, HE TURNS AROUND AND LAUNCHES INTO FUCKING ADAM. FUCKING ADAM, YOU GUYS, WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK, YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN LIZA'S FACE. FLAIL AND SHOCK LIKE YOU WOULD NOT EVEN BELIEVE. AND HE DEDICATED IT TO ADAM, OH GOD, COOK. YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU DO TO ME.
and then, as if that wasn't enough, HE. FUCKING. BROUGHT. ARCHIE. OUT!!!!!!!!111111111111 DO YOU EVEN KNOW. LIKE, AOIDUJSKNBQWDUEFIJSKNGD, WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK, I DON'T - I HAVE NEVER SCREAMED THAT HARD IN MY LIFE. OKAY. AND THAT IS SAYING A LOT. THERE IS NOTHING, NOTHING IN THE WORLD THAT WILL EVER, EVER, EVER BRING ON MY SQUEE LIKE THAT DID EXCEPT FOR MAYBE A DUET. OR THEM COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET, IDEK. DID NOT SEE THAT ONE COMING, WTF. and, okay, maybe it wasn't groundbreaking harmony, or even anything you could really hear, since archie only came out near the end during the "ooh-ing", BUT ASFKNDSHIJKFS HE WAS WAVING HIS ARMS. IN SYNCHRONY WITH COOK'S. AS HE "OOH-ED". THAT. JUST ABOUT MADE MY LIFE, JSYK. FUCKING, FUCKING FUCK.
i almost don't want to have to talk about the rest of the song because jesus FUCK, AMAZINGNESS, HIGH, SQUEEFUL, and idk, i was worried at the beginning of the song, and every time there was a close up of cook's face on screen i was like, BE STRONG, BB, YOU CAN DO THIS, YOU ARE FUCKING AMAZING, and he did, he FINISHED, he - motherfuck, you'd think i'd know better by now how well cook holds in his emotion when he's singing - but i was just thinking WELL DONE, BB, AND SO I DID NOT SEE THAT EMOTIONAL ENDING COMING, OKAY. THAT - FUCKING, when he sank into that crouch, and - and when he hid his face behind his hands, holy fucking shit, i don't even --
i am tearing up just thinking about it, you guys. fuck. and then, LIKE THE TROOPER HE IS, HE FUCKING GETS BACK ON HIS FEET, fuck, and just looks up and spends a couple of seconds talking to adam, and by then liza and i are standing there, the only two idiots in the crowd fucking sobbing, and then cook grabs archie in this hug and drops his arm around him and they pretty much hightail it offstage. which, whatever, by then we were just this weeping mess of emotion, idek, most bittersweet ending to a concert EVER.
just - epic concert is EPIC, you guys. I AM SO FUCKING GLAD I GOT TO GO. KARMA, I AM OWING YOU BIG TIME AND I KNOW IT.
COOKIES (HA HA) IF YOU MANAGED TO READ THE WHOLE THING THROUGH. i apologize for my inane rambling! this is kind of a shitty recap, so if there's anything else you want to know, um, i find my memory gets jogged when people ask questions, or just discuss stuff, or whatever. so feel free to do that! squee is also welcome! :D as is flaming/jealousy/disbelief/anger. right now i am so happy your negative emotion will just be reflected back at you. or something, idk.
ETA: i also wanted to add that something that really amused me? the drumming. because you could literally feel the floor pulsing, and it was the most amazing feeling, because, like, okay, during archie's set, the way eli was hitting the drums basically made you feel like your heart was fluttering in your chest, like falling in love, and with cook's set, it was all, THUMP THUMP THUMP, and my heart was JUMPING INTO MY THROAT AT EVERY BEAT. it was totally appropriate AND I HEARTED IT SFM.
ETA 2: liza1131's RECAP OF WIN, RIGHT HERE, COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS AND VIDEOS AND EVERYTHING. YOU GUYS, YOU NEED TO CHECK IT OUT, LIKE, YESTERDAY. she is so much more observant of things than me ROFL.