Agree! I just think he did a great job, looked good, sang a difficult a capella song very well and received good PR. Kudos to him.

“anytime one of these aspiring new artists (none of them have established careers yet from AI8) has a chance to the featured performer for a crowd of 10,000-20,000 peeps seems to me that’s a good thing.”

Also agree. He didn’t just sing the NA, he was the half time entertainment. Its great when any of the AI contestants get that kind of exposure.

I love how Danny hugs everyone, he really loves people and is not afraid to be close to them. I hope that doesn’t change as he progresses in his music career.

When I started my business career, I’d see people shaking in their shoes to even speak in front of a group, and I was glad I had that experience (as I’m sure Danny did) so early in life. And this is kind of an amusing one, when you go to a church like that, you get used to walking in the door and being hugged half to death by a nice lady who then passes you off to the next one, from one end of the place to the other. I have noticed that Danny is very comfortable engaging with his fans, seemingly more so than the others, and I suspect that this early experience helped him out there too!

That is kind of an amusing one. Coming from such a big family as one of the younger children may have helped Danny in that respect, too.

for this gig its strictly a ‘nice job’  and absolutely nothing earth shattering.

This was a nice appearance for Danny, he got some good promotion for it out of the Bucks machine, and he did well. But I wouldn’t characterize it as earth shattering either . I don’t think anyone has. (Nor do I recall the earth shattering in other AI8 NA performances this year, really. Just walked my dog, the earth really looked ok. lol.)

It was the Milwaukee Bucks hometown opening game, however, not just a random game during the season, and anytime one of these aspiring new artists (none of them have established careers yet from AI8) has a chance to the featured performer for a crowd of 10,000-20,000 peeps seems to me that’s a good thing.

In Danny’s case, they were keeping things pretty well locked down in the first month or so of his process recording with RCA Nashville. Last weekend’s appearance seems to be part of a strategy where Danny is now out and about for more public performances, interviews and other appearances that presumably will continue to ramp up building toward the release of his single in December. The report of an upcoming radio tour would seem to fit with that sort of strategy.

are the best I’ve heard from any Idol fortunate enough to sing at a major sporting event.

First, the NBA plays nearly 100 games per each team so the season is several thousand games long…major sporting event…nada…and the TV audience is basically just the team fans.This isn’t national territory by any stretch. Super bowl (Jordin), Pro Bowl (Archie), NBA playoffs (Kris)…these are major! Most of the time the NA is sung by “locals” as well as the half time intertainment (local drill teams, etc) during a regular NBA game….not much of a feather in Danny’s cap for this one.

When Danny is the next best thing since sliced bread on the country charts then I will give him tons of kudos…for this gig its strictly a “nice job” and absolutely nothing earth shattering.

Kara once said that Danny never sings a bad note. He is pitch perfect nearly ever time he sings…

She was way off when she said that. I remember it well, and I remember that there were several pitchy notes that night.

Gokey still needs the help of a stylist for a more appealing look. He said he watched Adam on the tour when performing…

And this is his main problem. He has tried to be David Cook, he has tried to be Adam, and he has tried to be Kris (remember when he stepped off the plane in Milwaukee carrying a GUITAR CASE?!!! ha). Danny needs to be Danny and quit trying to copy everyone else.

Maybe all that church singing background helped him with those areas.

I agree. The church background is often viewed as a detriment, but I think it helped prepare him for all this in a number of ways. I don’t go to church now, but I grew up going to a church that was not much different from the one that Danny goes to. One example is the emotional connection part, which his experience as a worship leader undoubtedly developed in him, and I think he really excels there. Another is just the comfort level performing for people. I know that I got used to performing in various ways in front of a congregation from the time I was a tiny kid. When I started my business career, I’d see people shaking in their shoes to even speak in front of a group, and I was glad I had that experience (as I’m sure Danny did) so early in life. And this is kind of an amusing one, when you go to a church like that, you get used to walking in the door and being hugged half to death by a nice lady who then passes you off to the next one, from one end of the place to the other. I have noticed that Danny is very comfortable engaging with his fans, seemingly more so than the others, and I suspect that this early experience helped him out there too!

Danny has been working very hard since the tour ended. He had a performance in NY singing 14 songs. Haven’t seen any other Season 8 Idols do a performance like that. He also sang at an NBA season opener. He has recorded 5 songs. He flew to LA to dedicate a Youth Center in his wife’s name and his foundation formed a partnership with LA Dream Center which feed thousands of homeless in LA. I would say that Danny has been working very hard.

I like the second one you posted too, from the JM conference. I’m not really into religious music but really enjoyed these. Especially the second half, when as someone said (maybe it was you?) that he basically did a duet with the audience. The way his voice soared over and around on the melody on that, to me was just stunningly beautiful.

JosieX, yes, that was me who had mentioned after seeing that JM video last month how it was very much like Danny doing a duet with the audience on that second song. That’s really how it struck me the first time I saw it. Still can’t think off hand of a performer I’ve seen do that just that way, although I’m sure there must be some. I wasn’t very familiar with either of the songs on the JM video, but the audio is very clear and you can hear both Danny and the audience quite well as their little ‘duet’ develops, especially with the very spare piano accompaniment.

I find it interesting how Danny is able to get audiences involved in his singing, and with songs of all different tempos and song styles. Life is a Highway this weekend or at the college show is at totally the other end of the spectrum from the two religious songs in the JM performance, but Danny gets the audience with him in both situations pretty comprehensively. My Wish is somewhere in the middle, and Danny certainly had audiences with him there waving their arms all across arenas at the Bucks game and the various AI tour stops. He was the only AI8 performer I saw at the AI Tour this year who was anything like that. (The audience was also really into Adam, Allison and Matt at my show, but not in the interactive way they had with Danny.)

One thing Danny does is extend some of his song performances so he’s not just running on a straight line through the song and stopping. That probably helps the audiences get into things more? Danny’s also pretty good at trying to get some eye contact with the audiences, even in big arena situations. Maybe all that church singing background helped him with those areas.

Does anyone know if any of the other Idols have done an acoustic radio tour? I know Miley Cyrus did for The Climb. I think that is smart move if the tweets are true that his label is planning that type of promotion for Danny’s single.

And I imagine they’ve sung it many more times for a huge crowd than Danny has performed it. He’s doing fine. Same people from the scary boards over here putting him down.

That is why I come here and not the scary boards. I hate the scary boards. I get to have an opinion here. Geezzzee! So maybe I should say that many previous idols that had the same experience as Danny have done better on the NA. Yes he will get better with more practice. I think Danny is a funny guy and I think he will do well with country music. FYI, I read all the post here, it’s a blog, I like to read, it doesn’t matter who it is about. I am addicted to idol and everything idol, lol, and reading is fun. It’s just one little opinion from some obscure person, so it shouldn’t effect Danny’s future. So maybe I should of lied and said that Danny did incredible on the NA? His “Life is a Highway” is pretty good.

I think he did a GREAT job and I wonder how many singers could get it 100% right without the lyrics in front of them.

Uh, it’s our national anthem. I’m not a professional singer and I know all the words. And I think the least we could expect from a singer is to know the words to a song he/she is performing. That said, I think Danny did a decent job. I think he has a nice soulful voice, but I think he still needs to work a bit on delivery. But he clearly has a lot of fans and as long as they enjoy his music that’s all that matters.