Idol worship: Cook just the latest ‘AI’ hero to grace Starland

WOO-HOO! David is King of them all!!

From Examiner.com:

Idol worship: Cook just the latest ‘AI’ hero to grace Starland

With David Cook confirmed to perform at the Starland Ballroom on July 30th (tickets go on sale Friday at noon), we thought we’d take a look at the history of American Idol contestants and New Jersey’s most popular concert nightclub.

Constantine Maroulis: Before the TONY nominations and stints in regional Jesus Christ Superstar productions, Constantine Maroulis roared out of the fourth season of Idol and into the hearts of teenaged girls (and cougars) everywhere. His first Starland performance was a mega-event: fans tried to camp out at the venue, while others did everything they could to score backstage passes or coveted meet-and-greet opportunities. He held a CD signing at Freehold Raceway Mall in conjunction with the Starland event, much to the delight of the hundreds of fans who waited on line for hours. Constantine has returned to Starland several times since his inaugural performance; after all, he is a Jersey native.

Elliott Yamin: Idol’s fifth-season star is almost a household name at this point; his songs “Wait For You” and his recent smash “Fight For Love” are pop radio staples. But on May 19, 2007, less than 500 fans showed up for the singer’s Starland performance. Not to worry, though — online reviews of the show called it “outstanding,” and his latest release, Fight For Love, has proved Yamin has a few more tricks left up his sleeve.

Taylor Hicks. Over 1,000 people were on April 11, 2007 when “Gray Charles” himself took the Starland stage. Like Yamin, Hicks was a season five contestant; unlike Yamin, he hasn’t been able to return to the stardom bestowed upon him in the months following his win.He is currenntly performing in the touring version of Grease in the “Teen Angel” role.

David Archuleta. Without a doubt, the biggest Idol commotion ever created at Starland belonged to David Archuleta. “Archie” visited Starland earlier this year, following a general-public onsale that saw every last ticket gobbled up in minutes. In the scalping arena, some crooks demanded more than $800 a ticket. However, come show day, the gracious singer showed his appreciation to hundreds of fans by holding an hour-long meet and greet and photo session and performing onstage for more than two hours.

Author: Jon Vena

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