I'm not sure why it is so hard for me to blog. I'm just thinking that words cannot express what I'm thinking and feeling.

So hubby and I went to the Jingle Ball last Thursday night in Columbus. I knew it would be amazing, but it was beyond amazing! We arrived around 4:00 pm and waited out in the cold for 3 hours for 35 minutes of David Cook! It. Was. So. Worth. It! I want to go back and experience the entire evening again. I would stand out in the cold again, even longer than the 3 hours.

When David Cook said he played 3 cards out of a 5 card hand on AI, he wasn't exaggerating. In fact I do believe he could be dealt a fresh hand, because really he has just begun his amazing career.

It was very interesting experiencing those three hours in line. We were standing behind and in front of Staind fans. DC's fans were squealing every time they got a glimpse of him. One Staind fan in front of us said he had never seen fans act this way at a concert before. I asked him to not hold DC's fans against DC. He said he wouldn't. I asked some others to consider the same thing and they said they wouldn't hold it against him either. My hubby said I was preaching the gospel of DC. LOL. I'm a salesperson at heart and if I believe in something, I can generally sell it. Well, I BELIEVE in David Cook! For some reason (and I think I understand some of this) AI has a stigma of not producing real artists. Not producing people that are worth paying to see. In the past, I never understood why people actually paid to go to the AI concerts. This year I didn't even wait until the end of the season to buy tickets. But this is a different story...

So I tried to stay cool and not squeal like the others while I was in line waiting. It really was fun! I love meeting new people and talking to them, so the time went by quickly. During this time I thought back to when I was a new freshman in college. (So very long ago and weird, huh?) On my first day of classes I didn't want to "appear" as if I was a freshman by the way I dressed. I was so very thrilled when an upper classman in my first psych class was surprised when I told her I was. I don't know if this makes any sense, but I didn't want to come off as an 'obsessed' DC fan because I didn't want to turn off the Staind fans from DC.

Moving on...getting to the venue at 4pm paid off! When we went in, we were only 5 rows back from the stage! The tension and anticipation grew and grew as we waited! I could hardly control myself now. The one Staind fan who was in front of us in line and who we talked to most was right next to us. As we waited I asked him if he had ever seen vids from the Beatles and of all of the fans just going crazy. He said yes. I said this is how we feel about DC! He said I like the atmosphere in here! WooHoo!!! (BTW, his girlfriend who was also there was both a DC and a Staind fan.) It was so much fun talking to her about the anticipation! She even called her mom who is a DC fan and was filling her in on this anticipation.

Next the DJ's came out and we knew we didn't have long to wait. (Oh, my wonderful husband held my heavy coat for me and offered to hold the camera. I love me some hubby! Hee hee!) The anticipation increased! They introduced the MC for the night. I don't know who she is...she was dressed like a hooker and said as much. LOL! I guess someone else dressed her that night. She introduced the band and the tension grew as they started coming out! The next thing we knew, there was David Cook! It was like a dream! They sang "Heroes" and I just sang along and cheered and yelled! Next was "Mr. Sensitive", have they sung this live before(?), I can't remember. Then "Declaration"! IT. ROCKED. Hubby and Staind fan were nodding at each other saying that ROCKED! Next the did LOTM. I lurve me some LOTM and it was just simply amazing! I'm thinking, is this really happening? Am I really watching DC and band live? (I turn to hubby and say, "You don't have to get it all on vid.") Could it get any better than this....?

YES. IT. DID! So David stops and says his dad is in the audience tonight. Huge cheer! Then he says, "We have never done this song live before." OMGosh, they're going to do, "Permanent", NO! Really? (Turn to hubby, "Make sure you get this!") DC says this is for my brother Adam and my dad. I didn't know how to act...I wanted quiet all around me...I just wrapped my arms around myself and listened, watched. Why were people yelling? Pause, they rocked out the next couple of lines! Okay, had to cheer, it was amazing! (I really need a better adjective here...) then it needed to get quiet again (please?), so he could finish the song. All I wanted to do after "Permanent" was over was run up on stage and hug DC. I wanted to say, "Thank you for allowing us to share this with you!" (I would never, ever do this.) I felt as if it was such a privilege to be able to hear this song for the first time live. I never DREAMED it would happen so soon! And I was there when it did? I can't express...

After "Permanent" the venue needed some lightening up. (I mean this guy knows how to handle ANY situation) So DC introduces the band. He skips Kyle (drummer). Then he says, "The reason I skipped Kyle (Not exact words I'm sure) is because he hit me in the nuts right before we came out." And then, "That's okay I hit him in the the nuts last night. Now we're going to do a cover." Several peeps start yelling, "Creep!" He turns back to the mic and says, "You think we're going to do 'Creep'? We're not. " Then, "I'm just hanging out with you guys tonight, after Staind is done go find a bar, because that's what we're going to do." (So my thoughts are, "I wish we had all of the time in the world. I would so love to sit down in a bar and hang out with David Cook and band. I don't mean to get an autograph or to get a pic with him, I mean to have a real live conversation. Who wouldn't? Be honest with yourselves.) So the band covers "Hunger Strike" by Temple Dogs(?) IDK. The only other time I saw heard this song was when MWK covered it and I saw the vid on the tube. It was...wait where's my thesaurus...oh never mind. DC was able to present both of his MWK band buds Andy Skib and Doktor during this song. And even though I want to sit down and have a real conversation with DC and band, I turned all fangirly and waved at DC at the beginning of this song. If you watch a video and catch a little mic wave from him, that was to ME!!! Yes it was! Really I'm a fairly normal person with a fairly normal life, but I'm sorry that was just cool!

After "Hunger Strike" (which again, I turned to hubby and asked him to get it on vid) he did Bar-
Ba-Sol which was electrifying live! DC and Neal together on the guitars, can't get much better than that. Needless to say, as with all of the others, I. LOVED. IT!!! After Bar-Ba-Sol, DC said they were going to do one more song. No, No!!! I didn't want it to end! Hubby's arm was tired and I took the camera for some pics. They performed LO and just WOW!

DC and band's set was over.

So, my camera can't take great pics and vids and I don't have anything to post right now. (I really need to figure out how to edit vids.)

If a DC concert comes to your neck of the woods, do not pass GO, do not collect $200. Simply go to ticketmaster and get your tickets NOW! You will not regret it! I would give just about anything to experience last Thursday night all over again!