'American Idol' Tracker: Rock 'n' Roll night live from the mosh pit

In the course of  chronicling the full immensity of the most important show in entertainment history, this column has strived to take its readers deep inside the machine and the psyches that produce it.  From the editing bays to the makeup room to the Idoldome bleachers,  I have tried to provide fleeting glimpses into a few of the many mansions that make up house of "Idol."

Ultimately, however, if one truly wishes to get to the essential nature of a beast, one must take a long and lonely walk through a dark snowy wood in that beast’s footsteps. On Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night, this columnist ventured deeper into the core of "Idol" than any have dared penetrate before.  On Tuesday night, I became, provisionally, the first journalist in entertainment history to watch "American Idol" live from the mosh pit.

Although many of my colleagues in the "Idol" press bleachers chortled at my desire to leave the comfort of my seat and dive into the teen masses crushed before the stage, and as much as my faltering back and flat feet advised that this mosh pit truly was no country for old men, I knew that the only path to understanding the breathing, pulsing heart of "American Idol" lay through that pit. 

For months I have sat 10 rows high in the Idoldome stands and looked down on the bobbing blond heads lining the front of the stage, shrieking The Chosen One, David Archuleta, along his path to greatness.  Of all the tweaks to the "Idol" format this season, the addition of the mosh pit has seemed to have the most far-reaching effect.  Replacing the front wings of seats –- often reserved for celeb visitors –- with a standing room crushed against the stage seemingly reserved for the most young and jubilant has guaranteed that even the most tepid performances would have a bit of rock concert air, with screaming fans leaning into every word. The success this year of the instrument-bound contestants undoubtedly was made possible by their legions in the pit.

And so Tuesday, I crossed the floor and went down into the mosh pit, a place where no reporter had gone before.

First impression: The stage looks very different from its foot, looming above the Idoldome it looks fit for gladiator warfare.   I watched the faces of the young people as they entered and 10 at a time were "loaded” into the pit.  As they shuffled forward almost to a person, their jaws dropped and they gaped upon entering the room and looking up at that stage of legend.  As they came forward, I could not tell whether it was by natural selection or some coordinated effort, but I soon noticed most of the young and telegenic had somehow found their way to the front while in the mid-pit, I huddled with a mixed crowd of some youths and a few others of advanced ages like myself.

Loaded in to stage left, about 8 feet away from where Randy Jackson’s right arm would soon dangle, I learned my neighbors were a high school girls water polo team from Agoura Hills that had been gifted with tickets after participating in another TV-related event, the exact nature of which I wasn’t quite able to discern before the warm-up began.

As they entered the Idoldome, wading through the crowd to their desktop perch, the judges glimpsed over the heads of my pit-mates were at once clearly giants striding through the masses who parted before them, like royalty distributing alms amongst the peasants, and unnervingly near.  Seeing this troika take its place and ultimately deliver its judgments at a mere arm's length away gave one the bizarre feeling of having been teleported inside a television set; in a way that one could never feel from a distance of 10 rows up, I was inside this iconic scene –- like showing up suddenly alongside the table where Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock are lining up to take their quills to the Declaration of Independence.  This remarkable sense goes a long way toward accounting for the state of perpetual giddiness I found my neighbors in.

As the show started and the Idols took the stage, the rock concert feeling became all the clearer as the contestants loomed above us -- tantalizingly real and tantalizingly near, but by virtue of the fact that we gazed up at them from their feet, necessarily imposing, awe-inspiring figures.

Some other observations from the mosh pit:

• The acoustics are significantly worse in the pit than they are in the seats.  However, the stagecraft and presence of each contestant is significantly clearer.  What star power they generate radiates a thousand times more.  Likewise, the smaller sighs and grimaces are crystal clear.
• Archuleta Time.  They say that when you are near the center of a hurricane it sounds like a locomotive roaring straight toward you.  Well, when you are in the mosh pit during a David Archuleta performance it sounds like a hurricane about to level you to your foundations, break through your levee, flood your basements and render your neighborhood uninhabitable for generations.  The shrieking starts at the first mention of his name.  It increases when his face appears projected on the screen and explodes when The Chosen One steps onto the stage.  Girls jump up and down, bubble over in tears and scream, “I love you!” throughout his time on stage.  At the breaks, he waves to the screamers with his trademark “Aww, cut it out, you guys!" impossible-not-to-love embarrassed grin.  Being in the center of this whirlwind of ecstasy is not an experience a grownup should dive into unprepared, although many ladies of a certain age in the pit seemed to get pretty well carried away by it.
• The kids vote.  Monitoring this critical demographic, it must be said that more than a few of the children in the Idoldome are now carrying signs for David Cook.
• David Cook.  Even more so than in the stands, the rocker candidate appears by far the most comfortable and at home on the stage.  Most impressive is the effortless way he runs his hands along the pleading outstretched fingertips of my pit-mates while he sings, and the way he casually saunters offstage, giving only the briefest wave back.  However, up close he also seemed fairly exhausted, his energy between songs appearing not just low-key but at a very low ebb.  After months locked in the "Idol" bubble preparing for show after show, one can hardly blame him, but hope he manages to get some rest before next week’s crucial show.
• Jason Castro.  Whether this was the first time this side came out, or was only visible from the pit, the hippy crooner clearly lost his mellow  for a moment after his first judging and showed signs that his previously unruffled demeanor had actually been shaken by the poor notices. Watching from feet away as a contestant is fed to the lions is hard to see and not feel compassion for.
• Syesha Mercado.  Her version of "Proud Mary" provided the biggest bounce in the pit, where the stagecraft speaks loudest.  However, her tears after the second song seemed to provoke more confusion -- whether they were tears of joy or sorrow -- than pure empathy.

As the show ended, my back and feet said it was time to go but my heart was not ready to walk away. Being so close to these titans of our culture, stepping forth into this arena after so many weeks of battle and risking everything on one song, it was hard to not feel the immensity of the challenge they face, the grueling struggle this becomes this late in the competition and not be exhilarated by how each in their own way, with the best that they have in them, rise to face that challenge.  Seen at arm’s length, these flesh-and-blood mortals are fighting in an arena built for the gods, whatever strengths and faults are visible.

-Richard Rushfield
(photo courtesy of Fox)

Comments

[E.S.]

I was at the show yesterday and was mightily disappointed. The pre-contest hype about the most talented line-up ever is looking increasingly hollow. The most disappointing aspect about pretty much all the performers this year (with the possible exception of Carly) is their inability/refusal to connect with what they are singing about, or to pick appropriate songs. The results have made for some truly bizarre performances - a seventeen year old sing about "The Long and Winding Road" - what a joke. Even worse last night was Syeesha taking one of the truly great anthems of the civil rights movement and, in a move of breathtaking narcissism, reinterpreting it as a song about the changes in her own life.

The mark of a great artist is the ability to illuminate and deepen the material they're working with. This bunch are too self involved to risk doing that. The biggest shame is that the judges care even less.

[American Idol Closet Watcher]

Archuletta sucks, plain and simple. I think what people don't get is that when you look at social sites like youtube and facebook, David Cook's videos have nearly a 2x viewing than that little pip squeek Archuletta. Long live Cook.

[crabpaws]

Maybe the rumors are true and David C. is breaking curfew and partying at night. Or maybe he's taking beta blockers -- a nasty drug doctors hand out like candy for anxiety -- for his high blood pressure, and the side effects are taking a toll.

If David C., who is my favorite, wants an indie rather than a pop career, it would be better for him if he lost this competition. Lately I sense a certain lackadaisical attitude in his song, hair style, and wardrobe choices. Maybe he just always wanted to sing a Duran Duran song in an arena setting.

At this point, of the four competitors David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado are the only ones who really want to win. American Idol and David A. deserve each other. With his unreflective straight-to-Vegas style, poor dad-ridden David A. is the apotheosis of this cheesy, commercial pop enterprise. His winning will be the moment the show truly jumps the shark.

[Mary]

Love you, Richard. Your columns are always a delight.

[Angel]

It's hardly all teens in the standing-room section. The folks who do seating for American Idol try to get all the fans in from the line outside, as they've waited a year for their chance, stood several hours on the sidewalk, and inched closer and closer. A few weeks back, my son, his two friends and I were the last 4 people admitted before the 5 pm start time (by literally 30 seconds), and positioned in the pit. Then on the first commercial break, a few more folks were squeezed in.

It was spring break, and most of the teen groups were placed in the pit, but there were plenty of adults down there as well.

[Monelle]

I love David Archuleta... He will win American Idol. :)

[Xena]

Overall, fans of David Archuleta and Jason Castro have shown far more restraint when it comes to commenting on other contestants. That is because, aside from appreciating musical ability, they treasure the character of their Idols and would feel ashamed to look them in the eye had they sounded off in some ugly manner about another contestant. I'm going to spend my time cheering on David Archuleta rather than trashing his fellow contestants. I'll miss Jason. He is a sweet, gentle guy and his fans have exhibited class. They have my condolences.

[srec]

Xena, I agree with you 100%. Well put! I like both of the David's and I've enjoyed watching all of the top 10 contestants a lot. I think there are a lot of unhappy people in the world partly because they refuse to see anything but mud around them. Flinging that mud around seems to give them some sort of psychopathic thrill. Don't quite understand why myself.

[Hoss]

This has to be one of the worst seasons for Idol, I belive that the format has been wrong for years, the artists should pick what they want to sing every week, period. Forcing them to sing out of their element has always been absurd, and non-sensical. Roy Orbison probably wouldn't make it to the top 10.