An Oddly Amusing Tour Tale

I wasn't sure I would ever tell my "LA story" on here, since the outcome isn't the same as others, but reading all these threads makes me want to share. Now that enough time has gone by, I have chilled out and can pretty much laugh about how intense (o.k. angry) I got over wanting to get a autograph and/or picture. I am one of few, apparently, who failed in her quest, but that doesn't mean you will. Hopefully I can convey this as the amusing story it was, but, be warned, it will probably only appeal to those with a slightly twisted sense of humor. So anyway...

I am not too far from STAPLES, and happened to have Monday off, so I went over on a whim to greet the buses and have David sign a magazine article that a co-worker had modified by adding a photo of me as a joke on my birthday.

As everyone now knows, David didn't come out before the show in LA. Really too bad since there were so few Word Nerds compared to other fan groups that it probably would have been a slam-dunk if it had happened, but I digress. I hadn't gotten a ticket to the concert because of the strict budget I am trying to keep myself on at present, but as the night went on, after reading a few posts, I could not control the urge to get an autograph. So, I went BACK to STAPLES, using up more money in gas than the ticket probably would have ended up costing, and picked up a friend who was game to go with me and indulge my VERY out-of-character obsession.

When I got there, I realized I had timed it too late because the concert had already let out and people were already 4-6 deep at the gates and wrapped around the building. By the time David had worked his way around the LOOOONNNGGG line of fans to sign at the end of the line by the driveway (where I was), I had worked my way up to the third row, but it wasn't enough. He was signing fast and furious and chatted briefly with a little girl sitting on her mom's shoulder to my right, but I was too inhibited to yell, scream, shove my magazine in front of the 3-year-old, push teenagers out of my way, or engage in any other of the necessary behavior required as he flew by trying to sign as many things as possible before he was pulled.

The reason I got angry, was because of this big, hulking, 6'2"-ish, 250 lb-ish, overgrown, middle-aged, man-boy in a leather jacket who--this is the weirdest part--kept his 80-something-year-old parents waiting IN THEIR WHEELCHAIRS on the sidewalk by the curb with their care nurses so he could get autographs from the Idols. They seemed fine, especially given the late hour, but the dad kept saying "let's go" and the son kept yelling back at him to "wait one second".

At first, when I saw them sitting there, before I realized who they were with, I really did think that the American Idols' fanbase spanned the whole spectrum of the human age range. It was the weirdest thing ever--even for LA--especially when he started yelling back to them, over all the mass of fans, "What? You have to go to the bathroom? (to the nurse) Do you think they'll let him back inside? I can't leave this spot or people will come in here to take my place (he eventually switched with the nurse)!" while fans just looked at each other bewildered. Looking back, I now realize that they were characters straight out of Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm.

He also had yelled to the nurses, asking if they had paper. I happened to have a notepad with me and I offered him a piece in exchange for him making sure we both got an autograph (at that point he was in front of me). He agreed, but when the time came, even though he was behind me after stepping out of line to care for his parents, he shoved up against me and shoved his paper over my head to get it signed and then walked away without helping me. I was so irate that when I was able to get back out of the mass by the gate I walked up to him and informed him angrily that I didn't get an autograph. He just goes "what?" I repeated myself and then walked away with an escort from my friend.

If anyone was around me in LA from these boards and reads this, they can vouch for my story. While I am definitely too *ahem* mature (even for LA) to have acted that way over an autograph, looking back, it must have been pretty funny to behold. I'm a petite little 5'2". While I honestly don't know what possessed me to confront him like that, I suppose I just got caught up in the total excitement and chaos that permeates the area when the Idols come out, and was disappointed that my (2) trips had been for naught (that's my lame excuse and I'm sticking to it!).

BTW, my friend got a ton of pictures of David signing at the very end of the line, and joked he had enough pics to make a David Cook fansite, but without my face in any of them, it didn't make me feel much better at the time.

Good luck to all of you going out for signatures in upcoming cities. I do wish you the best of luck with getting your moment with David. He seems more than willing to accommodate as much as he is able, and if he ends up reading this, I hope he is amused.