I'm sure by now most of us have read David's pre-idol blogs, listened to his pre-idol music, and looked at pre-idol pictures. I myself acquired a truckload of Axium songs via a file sharing website a few weeks ago, and I absolutely love them. Listening to them makes me wish I could have been a fan back when they were still together and making new music...back when almost no one knew who David Cook was.

Some of you may know that I'm a fan of David's pre-idol appearance. As such, I often dig through pre-idol photos looking for some great pics to add to my collection. As I was digging through someone's photobucket account yesterday, I came across this picture:

This appears to be from an Axium gig in 2003. As I looked at it, I wondered about the people in the photograph. Are they Axium fans who came out to support their favorite little-known band? Are they bar-goers who frequent that particular establishment regardless of who the nightly acts are? Or are they folks who are/were there to see a different band performing before or after Axium, and decided to stick around for Axium's set, too?

Did these people even realize that they were witnessing the early career of a future superstar? Were they thinking to themselves: "If this singer makes it big, I can say: I saw him in a nice, intimate setting back when no one even knew his name."? I highly doubt it. They were just rocking out as an unfamiliar band performed in front of them.

Little did they know.

Those of you reading this may wonder why I was so struck by such a regular-looking picture. Well..it's hard for me to explain how I feel about this, but I'm going to try:

I'm a fan of a little-known rock band from Vancouver, Canada called A Sheep at the Wheel. (In case you're wondering, they like puns. lol). Sometimes they like to joke that I'm their only fan. That's not really the case, but I'm more devoted to them than their other "fans." I became familiar with them and their music becasue I met their lead singer on a message board and we became internet friends. In the summer of 2006, I happened to go to Vancouver for a summer law program. While there, I went to three very intimate gigs similar to the one you see in the picture I posted. I also went to the recording studio with their lead singer and watched him record new songs and write new lyrics. The following summer, I went back to Vancouver and watched a practice session.

During each of these experiences, I told myself: What if? What if one day these guys make it big and have legions of fans? How incredibly awesome that would be. I'd be so insanely proud of them, and happy to call myself one of their first fans.

But at the same time...it probably comes with it's downsides, much like everything else does. David's fans from his Axium and Analog Heart days obviously don't see him every Thursday night at the bar like they used to. They can no longer simply pay the cover price at the bar to see him or his band perform. Instead, they'll have to fight with the rest of the country on TicketMaster...perhaps settling for nosebleed seats because it's all they can afford. I have to wonder how those fans must be feeling now. Happy for his success, I'm sure...but perhaps sad as well, that their former "intimate" relationship with David as an artist is officially over. I think I'd probably have the same mixed feelings if A Sheep at the Wheel ever made it big.

I also can't help but wonder what would have happened if Axium had still been together when David auditioned for AI. The lead singer of A Sheep at the Wheel auditioned for RockStar: Supernova in the hope that it would get exposure for the band. If he had become famous as a result, he would have stayed with the band so they could have become famous together. Would David have done the same thing? I'd like to think that he would have. And we'd all be on axiumrock.com eagerly anticipating the next Axium album, instead of on davidcookofficial.com awaiting the next David Cook album.

So when I look at that picture, I envy those people for being there when Axium and David were just regular guys in a sea of regular people, like I've been there for A Sheep at the Wheel. I wish I could say "I knew and saw David Cook when" like those people can. Instead, I'm just a regular fangirl in a sea of regular fans.

Not so with A Sheep at the Wheel. With them, I'm not just a regular fangirl...I'm the *only* fangirl. And if and when they ever make it big, I'll be able to say: I knew them when.

And that will be the greatest feeling in the world.