David Cook Flips on the Plaza Lights in Kansas City MO

This must have been special for David since he used to attend this as a child. Yet another thing to add to his list of special moments.

Glad he is getting to spend some quality time with his family.

I’m assuming David’s niece (I’m never going to be able to spell that name correctly) is the child of one of his half sisters? I seem to remember that Adam’s girl is named Grace. Just trying to get my facts straight.

Anyway, aww at him getting sick as soon as he went home, but at least he’ll have his family to take care of him during the holiday. I love how he does all the local KC stuff with Andrew (this and the NA after the tour). I love watching the brothers together.

How fun for David. Gets to go home and hopefully relax a bit. Gets to do something he watched as a child. Cute niece!

What great videos. This was something I didn’t think I’d get to see, so thanks to MJ.

How cool to light up that plaza, they never had anything that fun where I grew up. :biggrin_wp: The fireworks, and playing Canon in D, it’s impressive. I love the interactions between David and his niece and the host. Lots of good humor there.

I’m glad he got to do something meaningful for him for Thanksgiving, and look forward to him at the Rockefeller tree soon.

He said “when it’s all said and done, I’ll be back here.” Don’t know if it means he’ll be back there to live, and not Tulsa? Maybe he’ll have more than one “port in a storm.” I’m loving all these cookie videos. I’m sure things will die down at some point and there won’t be so many, so trying to appreciate them while they last.

i’m not sure what i was expecting, but this took me a little by surprise! it seems like such an amazing event!!
the lights were beautiful, the carols made me smile… and I’m glad David got to be a part of it
Thanks for sneaking in some videos MJ!

It’s really beginning to feel like Christmas already. Dave was certainly thrilled to be home.

I thought this might be a two-minute segment on the news. There’s so much footage. Is this a local tv special every year? I mean, the KC affiliate used their air time to broadcast the crowd, including David Cook (no special performance), singing Jingle Bells.

oceana, David packed up all his stuff here right after the tour & took it to KC. I wish he would come back to Tulsa tho. I still can’t believe he lived and played here and I never knew..

Lisa, I feel your pain.

Isn’t life strange.

I’m still trying to figure out David’s band history. Were Neal and Adam in Midwest Kings in Tulsa, and David moved there to join their band?

And prior to that, in Kansas City, David had his own band, Axium? After which he put out his solo cd, Analog Heart, before moving to Tulsa to join MWK?

So how long did he know Neal and Adam then?

Inquiring minds want to know. :cool1_tb:

It’s not every day that we get to hear both David and Andrew singing. It was great for David to get the time off so that he could share it with his family.

So cool. Hooray for the Cook brothers! All of them. hee. What cuties.

OK quickly, oceana — DC formed Axium in high school with Bobby Kerr and Jeff Shrout, about 1999. They played in Tulsa a bit too cause there are recordings from places in Tulsa. Then about 2006, they broke up for good. 5 years of college got in there somewhere…. AH was released in May 2006. DC joined MWK around then also, permanently. It was Neal T and Andy Skib who were the base of MWK. I’ve seen pics with Josh Center also, the drummer, and the other 3. JC also played drums on some of AH. When DC left to do AI, Andy had To Have Heroes too. Somewhere in there, between 2006 and the 2008 AI, DC made another solo album. Neal produced this album, which has not been released of course, and had A Daily AntheM on it.

AND now, they’re all back together again WOOHOO! In David Cook and the EEB or The Guys Who Make David Cook Look Good Right Now Band.

Sorry if OT, I couldn’t resist trying to answer that! Now to watch the commercial and these darling holiday vids some more.
:smile_wp:

ETA: Oh that is great from livehead16, Jolene! Hadn’t seen it. Thank you very much.

David said in the Hard Rock Cafe CD release video that he has known Neal for 6 years. I think he must have met Neal and Andy in Tulsa when he was touring or recording with Axium. Also Neal played Guitar on Let Go from AH. The most awesome Guitar solo I have heard in awhile.

oceana, THIS is a very cool and comprehensive resource post about all things Axium, made by the ever amazing Livehead16.
Her timeline has David leaving Axium, releasing Analog Heart and moving to Tulsa, all within 2006. I’m not sure if MWK has anything resembling (would love to see it if they do) but I do know he was with them for the “Incoherent with the Desire to Move On” EP singing back-up vocals and playing guitar. I’m not sure if he left MWK for Idol or to work on his 2nd album.
Some videos of Dave with MWK (There are no videos with Axium that I know of): Hunger Strike, Godspeed, My Big Break Contest.

Thank you SO MUCH ladies for the information and links! I am indebted. :thumbup_tb: I’ve never been quite able to put it all together but this helps a lot.

p.s. I love the pictures of David laughing in the resource post … and WOW I just watched those videos. How can I thank you enough? What a treat. Neal with long hair and beard, LOL. So cool to see the three of them together and now still together. What an amazing journey they’re on. And ahem, but with that voice, David wasn’t going to be singing back-up vocals for long hee hee … this is an early Christmas present, thanks again.

There’s one Axium (then Axiom) vid I’m aware of:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivlY6xuDHSA

DC doing a wicked version of Paradise Wild, bare-chested (yep) in a cowboy hat. He was SEVENTEEN. LOL!

It seemed like a very sweet evening, and very meaningful for him and his family. But, poor guy has a cold. I hope that he is resting a lot between now and when he has to hop on a plane this weekend….

Yes, that axium resource page is awesome. Livehead16 did a great job on it.

Suzanne –

I thought this might be a two-minute segment on the news. Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s so much footage. Is this a local tv special every year? I mean, the KC affiliate used their air time to broadcast the crowd, including David Cook (no special performance), singing Jingle Bells.

Yes, it’s on TV every year. It wasn’t always. When I was young they still had a live nativity down there and you could only see it if you went in person. They started televising it about 10-15 years ago. It’s a big deal here. People come from several surrounding states just to see it…not always on the night they are first lit…but throughout the holiday season. They stay lit until mid January usually. It encompasses about a 14 block area and pedestrians have the right-of-way. And there are people who have already made their hotel reservations for next year…or else you can forget it. haha!

And every kid wants to be the one to flip the switch. So I know David’s inner kid was probably squeeing. LOL!

I’m still laughing after watching David at 17 with no shirt and a cowboy hat. That is totally not how I pictured him at that age. I thought he’d be quiet and shy, working word puzzles. Not strutting around a stage half naked! He sure wasn’t shy was he? And he already had girls screaming for him. Hilarious.

And this:

And every kid wants to be the one to flip the switch. So I know Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s inner kid was probably squeeing. LOL!

Yeah I bet it was! :smile2_tb:

That is totally not how I pictured him at that age. I thought heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d be quiet and shy, working word puzzles. Not strutting around a stage half naked!

LOL. I actually think he was both… He was a theater geek at that age, along with being a lead singer in a rock band. I don’t know about shy, I think David always had confidence, but his highschool extra curricular activities are so diverse it’s schizo. David is a conundrum within a riddle, you really can’t pin him down as one thing or the other – he was many things. He still is.

Yup schizo is the word if you also factor in that he was a top rated pitcher, a nationally ranked debater. Everythng he did as a youth has come back to help him.

He is riveting on stage because of his natural love for performance and understanding of theatrics. He is so good with interviews because of those countless debating tournaments, with great repository of words thanks to crosswords and songwriting. He is such a natural with athletes, athletic events because he was one in high school.

NCC1991 from DC42 attended the Plaza Lighting and got some amazing, up close photos and video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cteoWUqLTXo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjRs1CUADUo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGk94azlcOQ

http://s361.photobucket.com/albums/oo59/Starlight_Bite_Cookie/Plaza Lighting -/

(One of these days, I need to figure out how to do pretty links!)

oceana, David packed up all his stuff here right after the tour & took it to KC. I wish he would come back to Tulsa tho. I still canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t believe he lived and played here and I never knew..

Lisa, I know how you feel. It makes me wish I had visited more bars and clubs in Tulsa. Also, I just found out that someone I used to know knows David, Andy, and Neal. He plays music too and he’s played with Andy before! He was invited to the cd release party in New York by Andy. I found this out by reading a blog on his myspace. Unfortunately I don’t keep in touch with this person anymore and haven’t seen him in about 5 or 6 years. Makes me wish I had kept in touch!!

CathyMK – Thanks for posting! Although the taking of the pictures during the video was seriously annoying…the resulting pics were great!

When the whirlwind dies down a little, I hope he does intend to come back here and stay (with trips to LA or wherever when needed), like DA intends to stay in Utah. I think it is important to be near friends and family on a regular basis. Keeps you real and out of the celebrity trap people tend to fall into. In my opinion, he’ll be better off and his music will be better off.

oceana, sorry I wrote the wrong thing yesterday. David moved right after AI was done. I have no idea why I said after the tour, ok I do I was harried and not feeling well, lol.

batgirl478 if you ever come back to Tulsa be sure to check out the music scene. There are alot of great bands here. You will find some of the best ones in hide away places.

It sounds like, from the new People interview, that he also has a house in L.A. And there is a nice picture of him and Kim with the interview.

While I liked the picture of him and Kim (they do make a cute couple), I REALLY liked the picture they had of him on the first page. The People photoshoot is still one of my favorites.