David Cook @ Mystic Lake
Posted on July 25th, 2009 – 1:10 AMBy Jon Bream
Like Taylor Hicks, David Cook can entertain with a distinctive-sounding voice. He’s got powerful pipes and lots of passion. But, at Mystic Lake Casino on Friday, his songs sounded like uninspired attempts to revisit 1990s grunge-pop.
Of course, that didn’t seem to matter to the sellout crowd of 2,100. They probably came more to see a favorite TV idol than to hear his songs. In fact, they seemed to react more excitedly to his gestures than to his music. But Cook isn’t the first music hero who is a star first and foremost, with the songs being secondary.
After explaining he wasn’t good at patter, the wholesome 26-year-old from Tulsa showed his charm and spontaneity by saying the gift from a female fan of a chocolate rose and a box of Cheez-Its means, “Let’s get married.” Cute. Not so cute was making cracks about gambling when he’s playing a casino.
Predictably, the 75-minute set was heavy on ballads and midtempo tunes. The highlights, for me, were rockers: the rock stomp Bar Ba Sol and the aggressive Kiss on the Neck (dedicated to soundman Jason and wife JT, who were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary).
Here is what Cook and his four un-introduced sidemen played:
The World I Know (Collective Soul)/Mr. Sensitive/Heroes/I Did It for You/Lie/Avalanche/Bar Ba Sol/Straight Ahead/Little Lies (Fleetwood Mac)/Kiss on the Neck/Declaration/Come Back to Me/ ENCORE Light On/A Daily Anthem
27 Responses to "David Cook @ Mystic Lake"
The David Cook concert was a lot of fun. It was the first time that I experienced going to a concert of someone I “know”, or feel I know, after watching him for weeks on Idol. He is so darn cute and appealing…and oh ya, he has a great voice! I thought some of the songs were over the top rockers and his voice got kind of lost. Some of the songs were unrecognizable (Fleetwood Mac’s “Sweet Little Lies) and he put a different spin on Bar-ba-rol which was a little disappointing, because it’s one of my favortie songs on his album. The crowd was so interesting–lots of older couples, little kids, and middle-age women such as myself coming to see our Idol in person. The venue was great and intimate–I hadn’t been to the Mystic Showroom since the re-model when I took my mom to see Liza Minnelli for Mother’s Day. All-in-all a very fun and exciting concert. And winning a little afterwards helped fund the price of admission!
I couldn’t disagree with Jon more! David’s mass appeal is his music. He is a consumate performer. As for his unintroduced side men, anyone who is a fan of his knows who they are. He piled a lot of music into the time he played. From Kyle’s new drums, to Neal’s guitar playing and David’s vocals the whole night rocked. He even managed to get the high roller with the complimentary tickets off their feet. For anybody that wanted American Idol they hadn’t listed to his CD. This band is a rock band. The tickets were higher priced at the casino than a lot of his other shows including Duluth and Eau Claire. The venue is awesome and with the big screens there isn’t a bad seat in the place. There were tons of screaming girls in that audience, as well as fans of all ages. It was all and all a great time with a great band.
Thanks for the review Jon, although I have to disagree with you on one of your comments.
First off, I think it’s condescending to his fans to imply that we do not enjoy his music. Yes, he was a ’star’ first because of AI, but his music is what turned many of us into fans. I would not stick around and pay my hard earned money to see an artist unless I enjoyed the music. You may not like it, but again, to imply that others do not is not fair.
First off, I am a dedicated fan of this popular wordnerd turned AI winner turned rockstar. Second, I am not a reader of this paper nor do I live in the region. But because of 1st point and despite 2nd, I must express my disappointment in the conclusion that has been made by Mr. Bream. I sincerely think that David’s music is the “essence” of who he is and that the
people who are showing up at his shows are there for the music, which is supported by many of the other factors.
In conclusion: I agree with comments made by Donna.
I wasn’t there, but I watched some videos from last night on Youtube and I think the show was awesome, specially when he sang Lie, which for me has been one of his most stunning performances to date. I didn’t understand the Cook/Hicks comparison??? Cook’s voice and music are on another level!
David is an amazing singer songwritter that has been doing this since he was 15. The music is the most important thing. I don’t think that the fans getting into the show is a bad thing, He loves when the fans show how much the are enjoying themselves. And there are always new people there that have not been to a live show some might be casual fans from Idol and no you were not going to get and idol show so sorry if you were disapointed this is David Cook he was himself on the show and contiues to be himself to this date. No I was not at this show and not from the area but have been to two and will be attending my third & hopefully my fourth and fifth soon. I would go to everyone if I had the money & time. He changes things up everynight so you can expect something diffrent at every show. This wonderful Talent man & his band Neal, Andy, Joey, & Kyle will be around for a long long time. David, Neal & Andy have been friends for about 7 years now and were in the Band MWK together out of Tulsa before all this. They are solid and know how to put on a live show. And any real fan can attest to this. For all the new fans that went I hope you enjoyed yourselves and had an amazing time.
This review made me laugh. It is obvious the writer has no clue about Cook’s 15 years as a musician before Idol. he was a musician first before being a star. He still is, an incredible songwriter performer and human being. He has been successful in putting together a tight, talented band with old and new friends. Jon, I suggest attending a couple of more concerts with an open mind, without Idol lenses.
Well, I didn’t realize that David’s CD,which sold 1.2 million so far , came with a video so I could love his banter instead on his great music. Dave is an incredible songwriter and I love his MUSIC.
You sir, are obviously not listening with both ears open. If you had, you would have heard the rich sounds of a clearly gifted musician singing the songs he wrote, not wrote for him. The fact that he was on Idol is not the reason people follow him. It is his clear talent, sensitivity, and the fact that he has a real connection with his fans that makes him so popular and why his shows sell out. Maybe you should actually attend a show with both eyes open the next time and you would see this.
I think that David Cook’s appeal has extended way beyond the idol public. Taylor Hicks’ album plummeted after 2 months because he was unable to appeal to people outside idol. Cook’s album is still in the Billboard top 100 eight months after release and is selling better than a lot of the top acts who released their albums after him (e.g. U2, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, etc). You can’t do that if your music doesn’t appeal to the general population. His set also had a fairly even spread of hard-rocking songs, mid-tempo songs and ballads…. pretty cool to see that kind of versatility in a rocker, and I think that’s why he’s been able able to strike a cord with so many different people. My parting words of advice are this: Music appreciation is very personal and you are no more enlightened than the rest of us in that area. If I were you, I would stick to criticizing the artist rather than the people who like the artist, unless you want to alienate your readers by asserting some kind of superiority.
Although I went along with my girlfriend to this concert, I actually thought it was good. Not having watched Idol, I don’t think I was influenced by that tv show, I just liked the guy’s voice and the emotion in the songs. It didn’t hurt that he could rock it hard on Bar-ba-sol and Kiss On The Neck. It was a good time and I’ll probably go to another one, maybe get some friends to come along. So I don’t know what this critic is talking about but each to his own, I guess.
For me, it was good.
I went to this concert last night and was really surprised at how great it was. I don’t know what you are talking about with mainly ballads in the setlist. There were plenty of rocking songs and a highlight for me was the BALLAD Lie. This guy has a great voice and a relatable personality. I would go to another show if given the chance. Oh and I never have seen an episode of American Idol, yet I appreciated his music. How about you judge someone on something in the present rather than past participation in a reality show.
PREDICTABLY, like so many small-time “journalists” our reviewer here is working overtime to show how bored he is with life and how very far above David Cook he is. No matter that it is obvious he has never listened to Cook’s album. Or that he didn’t bother to do a 5 minute Google before holding forth with his hot air and completely ignorant and uninformed opinions. Alas, such is the state of “journalism” today.
But Jon does not seem to know that because of his ignorant abuse of his craft and trade that he is a dinosaur. He will doubtless be unemployed in a few years when his newspaper goes the way of dozens of other major dailies.
But I’m not happy about this. As one of a dwindling number of people who actually read a newspaper cover to cover every day, I wish he weren’t such a tool… or that he knew a litle bit about rock before he throws out cliches like grunge pop.
Cook deserves better, and he has received better from many writers better equipped to write about music. In A Daily AntheM, he says “break your neck for some substance, this is temporary sanity an exercise in vanity.” Cook HAS substance and substance wiil win out in the end. Our friend Jon does not, and probably does not understand what the lines mean.
Well, maybe 2100 people showing up at a casino makes Jon think it is only his “star” power and not his music but just the day before, Cook brought 13000 out to his concert in a corn field at the Washington County fair in Wisconsin. You know people came from far and wide to see him and I believe it is because of his music and his ability to deliver a solid, entertaining concert event appealing to a wide range of people. I don’t get the grunge pop stuff at all.
Comparing Cook to Taylor Hicks and saying Cook is “uninspired” - are you deaf?!
90s grunge pop? It’s statements like these without any clarification / analises that are a big clue when ‘critics’ are copping out without fully understanding or being well-informed about the subject of review. What exactly is grunge pop? And which 90s grunge pop act does he emulate? We know all about his previous 9 indie albums (Axium, solo, MidWestKings), and if it’s alright with Mr Beam some of us are also fans of Jeff Buckley, Kings of Leon, The Killers (the Hot Fuss album), et al. But of course, we must be those retarded American Idol fans right?! Your prejudices cloud your judgement, Mr Beam, and that makes your ‘review’ no better than one guy’s opinion after a few drinks at the bar. It’s ok to not like David’s music. Art (as opposed to science) is subjective. But it’s NOT ok to put a whole group of people into a box and label them.
Ditto to all of the above. Great concert, amazing artist, and I have been to three concerts and they were all different and appealing for same and different reasons.
Davie Cook rocks my socks. I Love Minnesota and I really love the minnesota twins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will not call you “mr”, you are a jerk! //// /// You don’t know a thing you are writing about. David Cook knows, writes, preforms and also is a collete grad aside from being the most fun, gifted songwriter, His bandmates Neal,Andy,Joey,and Kyle are also singers and songwriters, this is a very gifted band David has put together(gee, he must know something??!!). David Cook has been writing,singing and in bands since he was 15!!!!! So you better do some homework next time you try and write about a rock star. We fans not only love David Cook, We LOVE HIS MUSIC…
I just love David Cook’s vocals and songs. It is one of a kind, hope to hear more of him.
Jon,David Cook’s concerts have been selling at over 90% plus compacity for months. That’s not uninspired-that’s called successful with a capital “S”.
Thanks to the David Cook fansite for revealing this blog where Jon Bream shows his true ignorance, while feeding a different storyline to the general public in the StarTribune publication. I was actually surprised at the published article content, considering Bream is my last source for Mpls music scene reporting. I am from this area and sadly, I naively thought his “America got it right” comment in the Trib article meant he actually participated in the Mystic Lake concert - perhaps one of Cook’s best of the 90 concerts to date on his post-idol tour (although the Manila, Philipines concert in front of 115,000 fans has to be my favorite). And I have attended every concert, either in person or via cellcast. Mr. Bream should have interviewed some fans if he wanted to report what they thought of David Cook’s music. Cook is only 26 years old, and has written at least 80 songs, with sole writing credit on 35!(only a handful have not been recorded). Mr. Brean, what you saw (or more likely heard about)on AI and Mystic Lake was a fraction of the breadth of David Cook the songwriter/musician/entertainer.
I read the Hicks comparison as a compliment. If you don’t pay heed to the crap written on the net, you realize that THicks is really a good musician, and the best entertainer AI ever produced. I’d be more upset if he were compared to some of the other super star “musicians.”
Came across a link to your blog on Twitter. You just insulted 2,100 of your readers. Nice. While I certainly cannot speak for everyone who attended, I attended for the music and concert experience. I (along with 1.2 million other people) bought Mr. Cook’s album for the music. I’m a fan of Mr. Cook and of his band first and foremost because of the music. And since when has concert participation become a negative thing? If you have a charismatic and gifted performer on stage who elicits participation from an audience, why shouldn’t that audience respond? Isn’t that part of the reason you attend a live performance - to listen to great music and experience the crowd dynamic? It’s not a case of either/or here, but both. And had you done any research at all on Mr. Cook, you’d have realized he is not only a prolific songwriter, but a gifted one, who didn’t get to where he is now overnight, but has earned where he is at this point in what I predict will be a long and successful career. While American Idol certainly brought his talent to a wider audience in a shorter period of time than if he had continued doing what he was doing, the guy was writing and in bands since the age of 15, put out a several CDs, including a killer indie, has earned the respect of everyone he’s worked with along the way, and has since earned the respect from notable names in the industry. If what I saw was just small taste of what’s to come from this artist going forward, which I believe it is, then you’ll be hearing from him for many years to come. And as for his “four un-introduced sidemen”, I find it interesting that you had an opportunity to introduce them here in your article and yet did not. Those few extra minutes it would have taken for you to look it up apparently too much for you as a “journalist”? Many fans already know the band members (who ARE usually introduced) and those who do not and are interested may easily find information online. They are: Neal ‘the Dr’ Tiemann (lead guitar, backup vocals), Andy Skib (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backup vocals), Kyle Peek (drums, backup vocals) and Joey Clement (bass). P.S. The correct title of the final song is A Daily AntheM and NOT A Daily Anthem … the last letter is purposefully capitalized as the song was written back in 2006 by Cook in honor of his older brother Adam, who lost his battle with brain cancer back in May.
Ironic, isn’t it, when the comments section contains better research and information than the article it’s attached to? But it’s only an opinion, and the guy can’t seem to help that it’s a supercilious and remarkably ill informed opinion.
Never heard of this writer and his stereotypes before, have no reason to read him again; I pay attention to Dave Cook for the music - past, present, and future.
C’mon guys Davie Cook is the sweetest Piece of man meat i’ve ever laid my I’s on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hello, me llamo es karina weiss. im 5 feet tall and 175 lbs i like to dance and i relly like BPR’s plus I am a curly headed coneheaded freak
