First of all. I must begin this by saying that THIS was my VERY FIRST David Cook concert experience. Yes, my virgin voyage into the depths of the real live, up close, and personal version of the man that I've come to love through TV, radio, video, and recordings. I was beginning to think that I'd never get the opportunity. But, thanks to good timing, I did. My DC friend Di and I decided to meet for the first time and share this experience together. And I certainly am glad we did.

I don't honestly know if I can truly put this whole thing into words. It is everything and more than I could have imagined. I'm not going to describle the venue, the setlist, the three days of driving, hoteling, or getting lost in Bethlehem, PA...not important enough to mention. But what was important was that I got to put some faces to names. Patti, Frannie, and all of the other girls that Di and I met were wonderful, just as I knew they would be. And I'm so grateful for knowing such good people that I never would have met if it was not for David Cook.

But, it is my feelings about this whole adventure that I feel compelled to describe in depth. The second that the music started to play and you know the boys are coming on the stage, I felt the electricity and I became mesmerized. I tried to take pics...no....had to keep eyes on David. Tried to watch the band...no....had to keep eyes on David. Tried to watch big screen...no...had to keep eyes on David. Tried to talk....no....had to keep eyes on David. The beauty of the man, the beauty of the voice, the magic that is David Cook is real. He is breathtaking to watch. He commands the stage. He is every little gift you ever wanted rolled into one giant present. I could barely speak. The nearly 5000 people stood up the moment he entered the stage. My body barely moved. All I did was stare and listen and sometimes sing along, and bounce and raise my arms when he commanded me to do so. We had 10th row seats, but by the time he did CBTM Di and I had moved our little bodies up to the front of the stage and stood there for the rest of the set list. I was literally standing at the stage between David and Neal. (CBTM, TWIK, LO, ADAM) I was pinching myself....really standing AT the stage. I couldn't believe it....really standing AT the stage. A cappella "Lie" was a spiritual experience. "The World I Know" was a gift from the Master of Covers. "A Daily AntheM" was the perfect ending on a night with the full moon shining as a sea of swaying arms filled the air. The concert was too short. I didn't want it to end. It was remarkable. Girls have told me that when you see him, you will be on a high and then come crashing down the next day. Guess what? They are right. It's like I want to go see him again, right now and have him sing to me, not to anyone else, just me. Gawd. What a presence he is...his voice is amazing. It's gritty yet it's pure, if that makes sense. When he sings all of his oh so soft, gentle, beautiful songs....you feel them right into your soul.

We noticed when we entered the venue that the busses were parked directly up against the back of the outdoor venue, but were inside a large chain link fence. I knew there would be no way that we could go to them after the concert. So after the concert, we stood at the fence; I couldn't see anything because it was so dark back there. And then we saw movement. Di said "there's David in the baseball cap". I didn't see him at first. The guys were out of the bus and standing near the bus doors. I saw Andy, Neal, and Kyle. Then I finally realized that David was standing behind them talking to someone, and I believe had Dublin with him too. Girls started screaming and David came up to the fence to greet us quickly. Girls were so loud that I honestly don't know if he even spoke one word. We had our hands on the chain links of the fence....so he walked quickly along his side of the fence and ran his hands across it where our hands all were. Don't even think he actually touched mine, think I just missed his hands. But it felt like it to me. And that's OK. Just a little contact, but oh, so special. He figured out a way to say thank you to us without actual verbal communication. He truly is a special man. It was a night I will always remember, shared with a friend and it all transpired because of a man and his music.