After 8 shows – 1 American Idol concert, one Jingle Ball concert, 1 Declaration Tour show out of state (Valparaiso, IN), and 5 additional shows in Ohio… it finally happened.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Perhaps I’ll backtrack a little and start at the beginning.

The day actually began with my nearly having a heart attack. I was gathering everything I would need for the evening’s concert – camera, tickets, maps. I found my camera and was getting ready to print out my tickets and found, to my horror, that I had made a serious mistake. I had bought my tickets at 3 different times – 1 balcony seat from LiveNation at the presale, 2 General Admission tickets from TicketMaster, also at the presale, and 1 additional balcony seat the next day from TicketMaster. For some reason I had thought, for the past several months, that I had chosen to print out all 3 sets of tickets.

But I was wrong. I had actually chosen to get my LiveNation ticket mailed to me, I discovered when I checked my e-mails for my purchases. And I then realized in horror that I had never received that ticket in the mail.

My heart was pounding in my ears, my stomach was churning with nausea, as I called LiveNation to explain the situation and throw myself upon their mercy. Thank God, the gentleman I spoke with was extremely nice and said he would simply change my ticket to “Will Call” and told me I would simply need to take my order confirmation number and my photo ID to the ticket office to pick up the ticket. WHEW.

Crisis averted, I finished preparing and watched the rest of the day alternate between flying and floating by. When my older daughter returned home from school I began a marathon session of driving – to Wadsworth to pick up my concert companion, Tracie (Silver on Yes.com, Silver42a on Twitter, Amaretto on DCO); to Wellington to drop off my girlios at my parents’ house for the evening; and then, finally, to Cleveland. We made excellent time and reached the House of Blues just before 6:30.

After I spent a few heartstopping moments at the will-call window of the box office (where I thankfully did indeed come away with a ticket, albeit one I’d have to present in conjunction with my driver’s license, not that I minded), Tracie and I headed around the side to see if we could get into the House of Blues restaurant. The wait was WAY too long, though, so we kept walking and wound up at Flannery’s Pub. Both of us had delicious meals, and I had a very nice glass of Riesling wine (for which I got carded, always a pleasure for a 35-year-old!). By the time we reached the House of Blues again, there were only about 15 minutes till the show started.

So we went inside and found our balcony seats and were THRILLED. The view was spectacular. We could very easily see the entire stage! My friend Coolshades tweeted me to let me know Monty had tweeted about throwing some picks earlier and having them hit the balcony, so I took a look around, hopefully I might find some of Monty’s Ammo. No such luck, sadly.

Shortly after we found our seats, out came Phil Marshall. One word: WOW. I had no idea he had such a fantastic voice or was such an outstanding guitar player! He played an acoustic set of about 8 songs or so. One of them I recognized – “Free,” a song that Andrew has frequently played on his Saturday show on kcradio.com. Overall I was left extremely impressed with Phil’s music. Once again, David Cook has has introduced me to a wonderful musician. Guess whose music I plan to buy this weekend? Thank you, David.

After a brief intermission, it started… HEROES. As much as I love The World I Know and Kiss on the Neck, there’s just something about Heroes that brings such an energy and excitement to the start of a David Cook & the Anthemic concert. (Brief interlude to add that I LOVE the band name, and more than that, I just love the band HAVING A NAME. The “EEB” was fun for a while, but I was so ready for a real name. Besides, it wasn’t the EEB to me anymore without Joey… but never mind that.)

I took most of my photos from the show during Heroes. Somehow I seem to do that a lot! I get so excited to see my guys again that I just start snapping photos and can’t seem to stop. I think I took a few more during Mr. Sensitive. During We’re Only Honest When We’re Sleeping, I took some video. I started taking video of Lie but stopped when the screaming meemies COMPLETELY took over the a cappella part of the song and rendered it indecipherable. I have to say I was totally embarrassed on the behalf of the intelligent and common sensical folks of the marvelous city of Cleveland at that point in the show.

That was really the only time I was (aside from perhaps the time when I heard some woman behind me shout “TAKE OFF YOUR HAT!” Really, lady? Really? I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that David should change his sartorial choices JUST FOR YOU. ). Cleveland represented *really* well during this show, I thought. We were loud and enthusiastic and excited, but I wouldn’t say “rowdy” or “out of control,” always a good thing.

So anyway, back to video: I started taking video of Declaration, but then about ¾ through it, the unthinkable happened: my memory card filled up. ACK. My Declaration video disappeared shortly thereafter. I started furiously deleting other photos that sucked, deleted the Lie video, and I think I also deleted the Honest video. I might have kept the short video I took later, I’m not sure. Anyway I wound up not taking many more photos because I was terrified of filling up my memory card again!

The whole show was incredible, of course, but I did have two particular highlights. First, Make Me. (Yeah, of course I had to say that, right?) When I saw it was on the setlist I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, because this is still to me Andy Skib’s song. So when David stepped back from the microphone and let Andy take the first verse? I. Freaked. OUT. I fumbled for my camera and tried to capture video, but I only managed to get maybe a minute or so. I thought it was so cool to see Andy take the first verse and David take the second. Tracie and I discussed it after the show and agreed that it was the perfect compromise. Would it be wrong of me to say that I want them to do this with all MWK songs from now on? Seriously, David and Andy sound SO good together.

Second, I Did It for You. This was the final song that the guys have in regular rotation (well, aside from Hot for Teacher, which I’d really long since given up on ever hearing or seeing live lol) that I hadn’t experienced live. So when I heard it was on the setlist I was thrilled. That song… you know, if there were some way RCA could release THAT song – the live version – as a single, I would not object. What David & TA have done with that song, turning it from a pleasant if inoffensive ballad to a hard-rocking song of romantic affirmation, is pretty amazing.

There was banter, but for some reason I don’t remember it well. I remember the part about TC coming out in the red Speedos with the black polka dots (Wha? Lol). I remember David talking about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and about his tour manager’s kimono. I don’t remember much else… hopefully others with better memories will remember more. I remember David was funny, relaxed, and happy, and that he sounded great and looked great too.

I also remember Andy smiling more at this show than I’d ever seen him, which was a wonderful sight. Andy has a beautiful smile, but he’s usually so intense on stage that I rarely see it. So it was great to see him smiling so much.

Monty was a joy to watch. In a couple of songs – I think they were Heroes and IDIFY – he did these adorable spins like a puppy chasing its tail. No one can replace Joey in my heart, obviously, but he’s really fit in well with this band, and I’m glad he’s staying till the tour ends.

Below are a couple sample photos from the show, along with a link to the rest.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34388&id=1465749134&l=108bf55259

So after the show Tracie & I had absolutely no clue where the buses were. We decided to walk a very, very, VERY long way around the block to the other side of the building. (We realized how stupid this was when some creepy guy mumbled to us as we walked by. I said to Tracie a little while later, “Are you starting to think that walking around downtown Cleveland late at night was a REALLY bad idea?” lol)

We finally found the buses and a very tiny group of people waiting. The buses were separated from the alley & sidewalk by some chains secured by poles. It seemed a perfectly safe place to wait, but for some reason the security guards would NOT shut up until we were completely away from the chains and were up on the sidewalk alongside the buses but separated by a high chain-link fence covered in vines. Peeking through a small gap in the fence made me feel like the world’s biggest, most idiotic Peeping Tom. Yeah, I was not happy with those security guards.

We waited for about an hour and a half, during which time I pretty much gave up on any chance the guys would come out to us, especially when one of the buses started up. I was determined that we wouldn’t leave till the buses left, but yeah, I was losing hope fast.

And then… out came Kyle, Monty, and Phil!

Like lemmings (see what I did there? Ha!), we rushed to the chains, and this time the security guards didn’t bother to stop us. What was annoying was that earlier in the evening, when it was just a small group of us, Tracie & I were right against the chains. But at this point we were separated from the chains by one to two rows of people. That was frustrating.

Fortunately it didn’t stop us from meeting most of the guys. First, Kyle. Kyle was so sweet. After I got a photo with him, I told him about my two Kyle fangirl friends, Guadalupe (azangel84 here) and Alli, who wanted to say “hi” to him. He said “tell them I said ‘hi’ back, and thank you for being fans.” I told him about Alli (alli23 here) and about how she had given him a bracelet way back when. Kyle shocked me with his impressive memory when he said, “We exchanged bracelets, right?” “Right!” I said. “I remember her! Obviously!” he responded. Folks, Alli met Kyle back in FEBRUARY. How’s that for an impressive memory?

Next came Monty & Phil. I tried to get a photo with Monty (he even said he’d take a photo with me), but he kind of got “pulled along” by the other fans, so I never really got a chance. I did, however, get a chance with Phil, which suited me fine because he completely stole my heart at this show. He is so adorable and charming in person. Tracie & I both got photos with him, and I asked for a hug and got one. We both gushed over how much we loved his set, too.

Afterwards, we glanced to our left and discovered, to our shock, that David was coming our way!

We had one frightening moment when, while waiting for David to get to us, some crazy woman managed to get behind the chained barricade and walked right up to David. Fortunately security got one thing right when they immediately caught up to her and restrained her so she couldn’t get too close to him. I don’t even remember what she was saying, but she was babbling something to him before they dragged her away. David looked really perturbed for a while, and I was thinking, “Crap. This is going to unnerve him enough to make him decide that staying out here isn’t worth it.”

But I underestimated David. A moment later he said, “I remember when I had my first beer…”

I nearly died laughing. It was the perfect tension-breaker.

By this time David was almost directly in front of me. I say “almost” because, unfortunately there were still two people in front of me. But… there was the tiniest of gaps between those two people.
So I thought, “What the h***, it’s now or never,” and I dove into that gap.

When I popped up in front of him and said “Hi David!” he looked a little startled. Unfailingly polite, though, he said, “Hi!” in return.

Looking into his eyes was surreal. I felt like I was looking at a unicorn, it was so bizarre. After 8 shows in which I tried (and failed) each time (except for the Ohio State Fair, where I didn’t even try) to meet David, to actually be in front of him and looking at him felt as if it couldn’t really be happening.

And so hopefully I can be forgiven for my complete lack of brain when it came to talking to him.
After saying hi, rather than saying my name or how he has reawakened my love of music or how thankful I am that he’s introduced me to so many wonderful new artists, I said:

“I’ve never met you before.”

I didn’t even say “This is my 8th show and…” No. Just “I’ve never met you before.” Not one of my proudest moments.

To David’s everlasting credit, his response was to extend a hand for me to shake and say, “Well, it’s very nice to meet you.”

I had nothing for him to sign (since I don’t usually seek autographs, although I’m still kind of kicking myself for not bringing my setlist for the Akron show like I meant to), and he wasn’t stopping for photos since he was obviously trying to get to everyone. So I asked for all I had left.

“Can I have a hug?”

He looked hesitant, like he was afraid that might take a little too long, but he quickly appeared to relent and say, “Sure,” and seemed genuinely happy to do so. It was a quick hug, but it was such a lovely gesture that I’ll always treasure it.

And that was that. After 8 shows, I had finally, FINALLY, met David Cook.

Last came Andy. Actually Andy didn’t really go down the line like the others. He was kind of hanging out near our side of the line without (at least to my eye) going down the line. (He may have done so after we left, because he seemed like he was mingling a little more with fans at that time.)

Andy was drawn to the line by someone near me asking for something – a signature or a photo, not sure which. So as soon as I could, I asked him for a photo. He happily obliged, and later I got one of him with Tracie. While Andy was signing a few things for fans to my left, I looked for an opening to tell him my traditional “Coolshades says hi.” After I got it, he told me , with a light of recognition in his eyes, “Tell her I said ‘hi’ back.”

Then Andy seemed to be ready to draw back from the fans. I realized I was running out of time for my one final mission. My friend Kendra (keahgirl8 here) had sent me a CD of her favorite band (and one of my favorites as well), Mothers Anthem. She wanted to give this CD to Neal, her favorite, though she was hoping he would share it with the other guys. I had the CD in my hand, and Neal was nowhere in sight. (I had seen him come out, but he did not come out to meet fans.) I had considered and passed on the possibility of giving the CD to Kyle, Monty, Phil, and David before now. Andy appeared to be my last chance.

Just before I had the chance to ask Andy, a lady to my right held a bag of some sort out to Andy and asked him if he could deliver it to David. Andy apologetically said “I can’t do that, sorry.”

I worried for a split-second before I blurted, “Andy… could you give something to *Neal*?”

Andy looked hesitant at first, but then his curiosity seemed to win out, and he tried to get a better look at what I was offering. “It’s a CD,” I told him.

He took a look at it, and his eyes widened as he said, “Oh, Mothers Anthem finally put out a CD!”

I nearly fell over. “You know Mothers Anthem?” I asked incredulously.

“Of course I do!” he responded.

“Oh! Well… it’s for Neal, but of course all of you can listen to it.”

He grinned as he took the CD and said, “I’ll burn it.” (I assume he meant he’d burn a *copy*, and I’m also assuming he’ll buy the CD for himself if he likes it!)

Just before we left, I was struck by inspiration one final time as I saw that Andy was now continuing to mingle with fans. I got his attention one final time and told him how much I loved hearing him sing Make Me. He grinned with appreciation and said “Thank you… that was a surprise!” I laughed and said “Well, I think you should do it that way every time!”

So after checking with Tracie, we finally began the trek back to my car and began the long journey back home. I dropped Tracie off in Wadsworth and returned home.

I’ll remember last night’s concert for many things. One, I’ll remember the joy of being in Cleveland – I really do love this crazy city, even though our sports teams suck and our lake is frequently polluted and I didn’t even grow up in or all that near here. There’s an energy and optimism in Cleveland that I feel every single time I’m there. Two, I’ll remember a fantastic concert filled with kick-a$$ music and great voices – Phil’s, David’s, Andy’s, even Kyle’s and Neal’s. I’ll remember seeing a crowd at the House of Blues cupped firmly in David’s most capable hand. And three, I’ll remember losing my heart to yet another musician – the delightful Phil Marshall – and finally meeting the musician who was the first to steal my heart and change my life. My unicorn finally caught, David Cook.

I think it’s a fitting end to my Declaration Tour.