David Cook been on tour with his band for about a month now, and the behavior of some of his more, um, invested fans has been so inappropriate, that he felt the need to address it in a MySpace blog today:
ATTENTION!
Hey everyone,
First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who has been coming out to the shows since my last post. The vibe at these shows has been amazing.Secondly, I have to address some behavior that has become disturbing. We pride ourselves on being accessible to you as fans, but in contrast, we do enjoy what little privacy we can muster. To that end, the efforts by some fans to find our hotel rooms, call our hotel rooms, attach things to our bus, etc., is something I have to condemn. This relationship only works when it remains healthy for both parties, and should this behavior continue, the only thing we can do is take more preventative measures to maintain our privacy, which in turn makes us less accessible to you.
I hope this doesn’t come off as harsh. I merely want to nip this in the bud so we can continue to have a great experience with all of you at the shows we have coming up. Take care and see you at the next show.
There have been ongoing rumors of fans stalking the band’s tour bus, following them to rest stops, staking out their hotels, cornering and harassing them in public places…
Kudos to David for speaking up, but sadly, his friendly reminder is probably a waste of time. I doubt the delusional nutbars who are the guilty parties will come to see themselves in David’s message.
It’s too bad. The next step will be limiting access to all fans because there are a few who can’t behave.
But maybe that’s the way it should be. The Idols are now recording artists. They aren’t obligated to mix it up with fans after shows. I don’t expect to meet my favorite recording artists. My expectations end with getting my money’s worth from their recordings and performances. Why should it be different for an Idol?
Idol is a weird weird animal. The show’s success depends on viewers becoming super-invested in its cast members, and to that end, the kids are showcased in ways that give viewers the false impression that they “know” these Idols. Add on top of that, the sense of entitlement and ownership some fans feel after voting their favorites through to the next rounds, and its a recipe for creating over-invested fans who wouldn’t know a “healthy boundary” if it slapped them in the face.
Hence, nervous myspace messages from an Idol who likely doesn’t quite understand what hit him. Yet. During the lean years back in Tulsa, I’ll bet the band was used to hanging out with fans after their shows. But in this new, post-Idol world? Those days? Pretty much gone.
