When I left for Park City, Utah, to cover the Sundance Film Festival, it was with the bittersweet knowledge that this conclave of independent filmmaking was possibly the furthest point from Idol Nation on the map. Imagine the wave of relief that swept over me when I learned that this little mountaintop resort would play host Saturday night to none other than "American Idol's" Chosen One, Mr. David Archuleta. And imagine how my relief turned to wonder when I was invited to visit with David backstage before the concert.
Despite the cold, a crowd had formed outside the Stansfield Art Gallery hours before the concert. Archie fans came from leagues away on a moment's notice (news of the show went out Friday online). I met one from San Francisco and another — co-founder of the Snarky Archies fansite — from Indiana.
As David met with a TV crew, I chatted with his father (and manager), Jeff, who told me a bit about what's ahead for David: David's second single is out, and his labels are planning for the European and Japanese releases of his album; in the near future will be an announcement about David's first solo national tour — apparently about six weeks, in 1,000- to 2,000-seat venues, aiming for some areas the Idols Live tour bypassed. Then I followed David and Jeff up to the suite to await showtime, 11 p.m.
Suddenly I was in the midst of an Archuleta teen dance party. About a dozen Utah teens stomped to Lady Gaga and Flo Rida. They stage-bopped to elaborate dance moves, divvying up parts in the songs, dancing in unison and then in call-and-response.
Walking in, David was drawn to the dance as if by a supermagnet. Surrounded by family and friends who drove from his hometown of Murray City 40 minutes away, David seemed completely joyous on the dance floor, all traces of nervousness and awkwardness gone for a few minutes of musical abandon. "When my friends get together, we dance like crazy," David told me.
Jeff, watching with me, nodded and said: "This is how Mormons party. It's just like kids everywhere, just without the sex and drugs. But there's always lots of music." He credited the Mormon faith for encouraging this devotion to music. "It's about instilling in them a sense that there are no limits to what you can be."
If one wonders where a David Achuleta comes from — a prodigy who expresses himself more naturally in music than in words — this seemed a glimpse at the answer. Through the night, the wandering tribe of 9- to 19-year-olds rarely paused, breaking into song at every possible moment — even, as I soon learned, in extreme circumstances.
David and I talked between dance breaks, a wide-ranging conversation about all things "Idol," his incredible journey over the last year, and where the road would take him next. When I last spoke to David, it was in Tulsa, Okla., on the last night of the tour, a very emotional time as he prepared to leave the "Idol" nest and readied his solo album. Even then, at the close of his "Idol" days, David was still the giggling, slightly-fumbling-for-words, slightly nervous boy America fell in love with.
The David I talked to on Saturday — between frequent visits from his three sisters (Claudia, Jazzy and the adorable 9-year-old Amber) and his brother, Daniel — seemed comfortable and worry-free, as if he was at last fully enjoying all that was happening to him.
He spoke thoughtfully and maturely about all that had gone on, emphasizing that above all else, family, friends and music were the sustaining influences of his life.
After the jump, read some highlights from our conversation and the night's surprising epilogue.
At last, the long wait is over. "
