http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.asp...17_DavidC446053

Cook heats up BOK Center
By CARY ASPINWALL World Scene Writer
9/14/2008
Last Modified: 9/14/2008 2:47 AM

Tulsa's own 'American Idol' champion thrills fans in the tour's final concert

David Cook's dream of rocking Tulsa's new BOK Center came true Saturday night.
Cook, this year's "American Idol" champ, stole the show on the "American Idols Live" tour final stop.
And fans turned out in droves for this year's top 10 finalists, waiting hours outside for autographs despite pouring rain.
But it was local favorite Cook who drew the loudest screams and had the audience on its feet for his entire set.
"It has been one of the most frustrating, unnerving and amazing years of my life," Cook told the crowd. "And to have it end here is pretty poetic."
A fan held up a sign: "Tulsa misses you!"
Cook was a fixture on Tulsa's music scene before auditioning for "American Idol," playing shows and tending bar at clubs such as the Blank Slate, Rehab Lounge and the Gray Snail. Saturday's gig was a bit bigger — a packed venue of screaming fans at the new downtown arena
Any Cook fans who didn't catch Saturday's show can take comfort: He'll be back.
"I'm really stoked about coming back to Tulsa for my solo tour," Cook said in a pre-concert interview. "I've spent the last year singing everyone else's songs, so now I really want to do my own music."
But first, he had to finish the "Idols Live" tour, much to the delight of those who turned out to hear Cook's guitar-shredding versions of "Hello" and "My Hero."
His thunderous voice resonated through the venue as he threw guitar picks to fans, thanked his family and friends in the audience and threw himself into the arms of fans while singing. Playing the final "Idols Live" show Saturday was bittersweet, Cook said, because he's going to miss spending time with the tour's other stars, finalists David Archuleta, Syesha Mercado, Jason Castro, Brooke White, Kristy Lee Cook, Carly Smithson, Michael Johns, Ramiele Malubay and Chikezie.
It was clear from the audience screams that Archuleta, this year's runner-up, has a nearly-as-rabid fanbase as Cook (if a bit younger). The teen singer was earnest and sweet during backstage interviews, and his melodic voice floated through the BOK Center during stirring performances of One Republic's "Apologize" and "Stand By Me" during Saturday's show.
Archuleta reached down from stage during his performance to touch one young girl's hand, and she immediately began kissing her treasured hand afterward. A fan's sign thrown on stage read: "David A. can I take you to dinner?"
Highlights from the other performers included Brooke White singing and playing piano on a soulful "Let It Be," Jason Castro strumming and singing on "Over the Rainbow (the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole version) and Michael Johns thrilling female fans with a spicy version of "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right."
Cook jokingly brought his pal Michael Johns a red rose at the end of his performance of the Dolly Parton classic.
Tulsa's "American Idol" spent Friday and Saturday in town, golfing and hanging out with friends (breakfast at Whataburger was a must, Cook said). Sunday he was headed to Kansas City (he grew up in Blue Springs, Mo.) to sing the national anthem at the Chiefs game with his younger brother, Andrew.
Fans anxious for new, original music from Cook will have to wait until November for the release of the album he's working on with rock producer Rob Cavallo, along with a few well-known Oklahoma names — his former Midwest Kings bandmates Neal Tiemann and Andy Skib, and Zac Maloy of the Nixons.
As for his post-Idol future, Cook might as well dream big. With the BOK Center conquered, what other pie-in-the-sky dreams does he have?
"If I could do what Garth Brooks did at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, and sell out nine straight nights of shows, that'd be pretty gnarly," he said.

Thanks for the article..

I love it!

Thanks for posting the article and I can't wait either until his solo tour when he can sing his own music!

Great article to close out the tour. He's undoubtedly feeling the love from his resident town. I wasn't aware that Andy was helping out on David's new album. Does anybody know what role he is taking to contribute to the album?

I thought I had read that Andy was doing some backup vocals (almost seems like a waste, but no more so than David's year of doing backup for him & MWK LOL!!), but I totally forgot about that. If I get a chance, I will ask Andy at the Whisky next week.
I think David just answered a question that occupied two long threads more than a month ago: he's going to headline. He referred to it as his solo tour. I guess he called it that when he announced the Philippines concert tentatively set for late January, but that concert really isn't part of the North American tour, it's sort of a stand alone event. But now it seems more certain than ever that he will headline his own tour, and it remains to be seen if he'll have an opening act or not. I think Neal sort of hinted that David would headline but no decision had been made on the size and type of venues.

Actually, he didn't even make the front page of Sundays Tulsa World. Hurricane Ike was the big news. Along with Ike was Gas Sipper/ eco car, A little Quixotic/ballet, Big Wins OU, and OSU will always be the main Topic here. Along with a couple of other boring articles. No David Cook? His article was in the LOCAL section of the paper. Maybe tomorrow they will have something in the main section?

Anyway, I went to the show with my wife last night. We were 4 rows behind his brother Andrew, and within spitting distance of the side catwalk of the stage. I came within whiskers of catching one his his picks that he was tossing into the crowd. The guitar player that they had for this show was truly talented. He was the guy behind the shredding chops of Billie Jean and My Hero. David should hire this guy for his band immediately. He truly knows his way on the guitar, and would give David the old classic guitar hero sound. This would put him head over heels above Daughtry in the lead guitar slot.

All in all my wife and I had a good time.

great article thanks for posting

Thanks for posting this--it was gnarly! YES! Now he can do his original music! Can't Wait! Countdown to the departure!!! WOOT!

Yay!! The summer tour has come to a glorious close. It sure gives the feel that the finalists have finally 'graduated'!!

Now time for David to move on to his own thing!!

Thanks to CookedinFL's quick thinking at the Tulsa airport we grabbed copies of this article for our scrapbooks. I LOVE the photo they chose for the article.