On May 20, 2008, Arts & Sciences freshman Mary Byrne watched the last performance episode of the popular singing reality show “American Idol” from her home in St. Charles, Mo. After the show, she proceeded to call in and send text messages for two hours to vote for one of the finalists of the competition – David Cook.
“My grandma loves ‘American Idol’ and she was like, ‘Mary do this with me because you can do the texting and I can do the phone calls,'” Byrne said.
Almost 500 miles away in Brainard, Neb., Arts & Sciences freshman Stephanie Coufal was doing the same thing: calling 1-866-IDOLS-01 (and texting VOTE to 5701) in hopes that Cook, the guitar-touting rocker, would defeat his innocent, boyish opponent David Archuleta. Coufal was a bit more steadfast in her voting. She doubled Byrne’s time, voting for aboutfour hours.
“I switched between texting and voting because my hand got tired,” Coufal said.
On the season finale the next day, the two “Idol” fans were pleased to see their voting had paid off. Their contestant, David Cook, had won.
That August, Byrne and Coufal arrived at Creighton. The two Cook supporters met for the first time – they had been paired up as roommates.
Little did the two know during their hours of voting that less than a year later, the “Idol” winner would play a show for their future college. And they would have free tickets.
David Cook started his journey to fame in Omaha, auditioning for American Idol at the Qwest Center in August of 2007. Cook originally went to support his brother, but ended up trying out also. Cook sang Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and with blessing from Randy, Paula and Simon, went on to Hollywood.
Now he’s returning to Omaha, where it all began. Cook is set to headline the 2009 Creighton Spring Fling concert at the Slowdown on April 24.
Creighton Students Union Program Board is continuing their familiar practice of booking rock acts for Creighton concerts. The last two Fallapalooza performers were rock bands Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World. Last year’s Spring Fling was headlined by alt-rock band The Spill Canvas.
Students’ response to the choice has generally been favorable, especially with his “Idol” background.
“I feel like [David Cook] is a pretty big name to bring to Creighton,” said Arts & Sciences sophomore Andrea Millea.
Millea thought Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World were well-known acts also, but weren’t as current as David Cook.
Arts & Sciences freshman Elizabeth Reese supported Cook during the finale.
“We wanted Cook to win because he lived really close to where we do,” Reese said. Cook was raised in Blue Springs, Mo.
Nursing freshman Ellie Lomax didn’t vote for “American Idol” but did root for Cook.
“I just wanted the older guy to win,” Lomax said.
Since the show ended, David Cook’s self-titled album has gone platinum and he has scored two top 20 singles: “The Time of My Life” and “Light On.”
Tickets are available in the Student Activities Office. Tickets are free for undergraduate students and $10 for professional and graduate students. Guest tickets go on sale April 20.