So…let me start by saying that what they show on tv isn’t entirely what happens in real life (shocker).
In my experience, I can only speak for the initial round (there are many rounds to get to the 3 judges, but it doesn’t really show them all on tv). My last year to audition was ’07 due to the fact that I was turning 28 that year and that’s the cutoff to try out. They raised it from 24 a few years ago up to 28 (which is cool) so I knew it was my last shot. I also knew that I had hardly any chance of making it far, but I would’ve always wondered if I hadn’t tried.
So, I talked two of my friends from my current a cappella group in NYC to come try out with me. I really had to convince them, but they finally gave in. Of all the cities with auditions in ’07, Philly was the closest to NYC. It was the last of all the cities, in August 2007.
I called Sonia (one of my best friends from college) to see if we could stay with her in her apt in Philly so it was perfect! The three of us took the luxurious Greyhound (awww, yeahhh) to Philly on Friday night. The next morning, I had read online that we needed to be at the Wachovia center (where the Flyers and 76ers play) by 6am. Sonia got us up at 4:30am and we took the SEPTA (Philly subway) to the center. There wasn’t a soul at the station – kinda scary. We needed to get there to collect the sacred wristbands. They give out wristbands mostly to monitor how many people come to audition I think.
By the time we arrived (about 5am I think?), there were already thousands of people there, congregated in the parking lot. They assigned us various sections within the parking lot. All of the sections were surrounded by movable metal fences. I felt like cattle in a pen (one of many times I felt like this over the wknd). We basically waited for about 4-5 hrs until we started moving inside the center. All around me was the most diverse crowd I have ever ever seen. People of all sizes and shapes, every skin color, prim and proper, goth and pierced, athletic, preppy, etc. There were people there with a guardian (you had to bring one if you were under 18). Those poor, patient guardians. Wow. There were people sleeping on the asphalt, dancing, playing games, meeting friends, playing video games, reading books, etc. We didn’t know how long it was going to take. All we knew was that we were surrounded by thousands of people and everyone needed a wristband. There were news helicopters flying above, and news cameras around us interviewing us. It was a bit much for the morning. I was already for lunch and it was about 10am. A couple of smart vendors set up in the lot near us with hotdogs and stuff. I don’t think they were Idol-related or anything.
All around me all morning there were people practicing their songs (even though actual auditions were on Monday morning). Some quietly, and some at the top of their lungs. Over and over. The sun had not even COME UP yet and I was ready to throw my water bottle at them it was SO annoying. Some people had amazing voices, some horrible. It’s funny how literally everyone around me thought they were good enough to put all this time and energy into this audition. For some, I just wanted to turn around and say “Really? Yeahhh, let me just save you the time and you can go home.” Is that mean? Yeah, I know. It’s just some people are SO delusional!! I know I’m not the best singer ever but I’d like to think I’m not tone deaf. And some of these people are!!
Speaking of the effort people will go to, I heard people around me talking about how they came from Minnesota, Florida, Maine, and so on. Philly was the closest audition city for them that year (or they decided to come to more than one city for auditions). It’s amazing how much time and money people spend to travel to these auditions.
Anyways, once we FINALLY got inside, it was a fairly quick process of showing ID to prove age (you needed two forms so everyone had passports and birth certificates – serious stuff to be carrying around!). Once they checked IDs and you handed in your ‘sign your life away’ form, you were free to go. It used to be that you slept over at the auditions until the actual singing, but they changed the rules. THANK GOD. Oh and by the way, the “sign your life away” form’s small print was so disturbing. I wish I still had it. It said things along the lines of they could pretty much make stuff up about you and make fun of you and you couldn’t sue them.
So, we had a nice wknd visiting with Sonia and she dropped us off again at 4:30am on Monday morning for the actual audition. Again, we were in pens outside forever and then slowly, slowly marched inside. People went ALL OUT for this audition. I mean I saw tight sequined dresses and HUGE heels, guys in suits, many people in crazy wigs, etc. I’m sure you see all the costumes on the show. People with signs around there necks of how far they’ve come and stuff.
They filed us into the center and we each got a seat ticket. Pretty much the ENTIRE center was filled. By the time we got into the seats it was around 11am. Ryan Seacrest came onto the center of the floor and said that this was the biggest turnout of any city EVER. Great, just my luck. There were 17,000 people auditioning (and 2,000 chaperones).
Then, they swooped these huge cameras all over the center and made us chant silly thing like “We love American Idol, wooooooooo” and “The City of Brotherly Love, wooooooo” over and over and over and over. They kept saying, you guys weren’t loud enough. You guys didn’t enunciate enough (hi, there are 19k of us), we need to do another take, we need to do another take, and so on. Then when they FINALLY got those takes right, we were ordered to sing the chorus of “I Love Rock and Roll” literally 25 times until they got that take right too. I stopped singing that after the 2nd time. Why would I want to ruin my voice? So dumb. Later when I saw this televised, they showed our chanting and the song for like 5 seconds. Uggh.
Anyways, about a dozen tables were set up the floor and we slowly filed down to the floor to sing. Between each table was a black sheet. It’s a good thing we practiced singing in Sonia’s apt with the tv at full blast because it was SO distracting. Rows of four people auditioned at each table. So at any given moment, 48 people were lined up (in front of the 12 tables). You all took turns in your group of 4 singing for the judge behind the table. These were just random “music producers” we were told.
By the time we got down to the floor it was 5:20pm. Over 12 hrs since we arrived that morning!!!! The knots and anxiety in my stomach were at the worst levels of all time at that point. At about 2pm I just wanted the whole thing to be over!! I was BEYOND nervous. I’d never felt that before.
So, everyone in the seats can see and hear you auditioning on the floor. We noticed that a lot of girls did the Jennifer Hudson big solo from Dreamgirls. Actually, a lot of girls did screechy songs. Uggh. Once the judges hear you, you are either sent home or given a “golden ticket” – the yellow paper that means you made it to the next round. Only 250-300 golden tickets were given out that day. Great odds, huh?? The crowd started to notice that almost every person in a costume (good or bad singer) got a golden ticket. They were booed every time they were handed that ticket. That just confirmed that it’s not always about talent. It’s about gimmicks.
When I got to my judge she looked SO bored. She was literally falling asleep. They should’ve let the judges take breaks. They had sat there for hours (we could see when they switched out and it was not often). She looked like a librarian or something. Anyways, I intro’d myself and sang for 30 seconds (we were told that was our time limit and we should have multiple songs prepped if they ask for another). I later found out that the judges’ rules were all over the map. Some judges let you tell your life story, some permitted no talking at ALL, some judges let people sing their whole songs, and some for 30 seconds. So unfair! Idol definitely breaks their own rules whenever they want to. Ew.
I did what I thought was my best and then let the girl next to me sing. She did this weird wide legged stance with arms waving above her and sang this high piercing song that was awful. When she was done she gave the judge a long hurried speech about how she came from Poland, etc. and basically BEGGED for a golden ticket. The sleepy judge hesitated a lot and then was like ehh, okay. We all watched in horror and jealousy. When the three of us next to her walked away. This one guy said, “wow, she butchered Celine Dion.” I was like “that was Celine Dion!?!?”
We were told that the people with the golden tickets had to go sing for other random producers and then about half of them get to sing in front of the 3 judges the following wknd. (VERY unlike what they show on tv). When I watched the Philly auditions on tv, I was SO pissed to see the horrid people that made it past me. Just to make good tv!! Not fair. But Idol can do what they want. It’s their show, their rules. I mean, there were people shown on tv that were even over 28 years old!!! I don’t understand how they even got wristbands when we had to show ID? They both were wearing costume-y outfits though. Man, I should’ve dressed up I guess.
Anyways, I guess that’s it in a nutshell. It was like rolling the dice – such a crapshoot to audition. I just had to try…
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