Getting To Know Paul McDonald of American Idol

Paul, so you went to Auburn… What did you think of the national championship?

Man it was awesome!! I was actually doing all this American Idol stuff and I was the only one backstage watching the game. Everyone kept coming up to me asking who I was cheering for and what I was doing. To be honest I had to beg for them to put the game on for me in the green room. They wanted me to stay focused for my song, but I had to watch the game!

 If you could tour with any two artists who would they be?

That is a great question. Um, there are so many people to choose from. I love Mumford and Sons and Ray Lamontagne. I would really be happy touring with anyone who is one of the higher level shows at Bonnaroo or Coachella music festival.

When Katy Perry was here she said that she would rather have Chick-fil-A than In-N-Out Burger on the road. What is the one thing you would like to have on the tour?

Oh man, Chick-fil-A everyday would be awesome! We really don’t ever get to eat there on the road, but they just put the first one right down the road from my apartment in L.A. I would love to have that as much as I could! There chicken biscuits are awesome!

Getting To Know Lauren Alaina of American Idol

What is your favorite thing about touring?

It would definitely be being able to tour and pump up crowds across the country. I love to have my audience dance and jump up and down while I perform. I will let them know I want them to get up as soon as I get on stage.

What are the two things that that you have to have while you are touring?

My mom!!! My mom and sweet tea! There are not a lot of places that we tour that don’t have sweet tea so I have to make it myself while I am on tour.

 If you could tour with any two artists who would they be?

I would absolutely love to tour with Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. That would be incredible!

Who has been the most exciting celebrity that you have met? I see that Justin Bieber follows you on Twitter.

I know, I saw that two or three days ago and I thought how sweet is that [Lauren pumps her fist]. I have met a lot of great people since I have been on American idol. One of my favorites has probably been Keith Urban. He came up to me, knew my name right away and I was blow away.

What song are you most excited about singing tonight?

I would have to say my Carrie Underwood cover. I love singing her songs.

We know you and Scotty are really close, are you and the rest of the idols the same way?
Yes we are all really close. To be honest that guy over there [Points at Paul McDonald] are really close. I think of him like another big brother and love his Fiancé.

You seem to me very down to earth, I have seen interviews where you have said “Everything happens for a reason.” Is this your approach on life or is this something you have been taught by your family.

Well, it is something that I have been raised with. Everyone asks me about coming into second place on Idol, but God has a reason for that. I just go out and trust in God because he has a plan. My family has been very supportive throughout this and has taught me some great qualities.

 Here is a question from one of our Facebook Fans (Tiffany Braswell)- “Have you become more confident that you are a great singer now that you are on the road? I can’t wait for the show!”

I started becoming very confident in myself around the top 4 on the show. At first I started to read some of the negative things that I shouldn’t have and as a teenager you don’t want to hear all that kind of stuff. I am very confident now and I am just being myself.

 Here is a question from another Facebook Fan (Karen Pirkle)- “Where do you see yourself on down the road?”

I have a cd coming out in mid September-October ish… somewhere during then. Hopefully my CD will do really well and I can tour with Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood!!

 

American Idol Live

In a little over twenty-four hours The Arena at Gwinnett Center will be moving and grooving to the voices of our favorite contestants of season 10 American Idol. The concert will take place at 7:00pm and will showcase our favorite jazz, rock and roll, R&B, and country covers that made this season one of the best American Idol has ever had. The sold out arena is already setting up for what should be one of the best concerts of the summer.

We expect to see Scotty McCreery and our own Georgia native Lauren Alaina give a goose bump duet, rock out with James Durbin, and see unforgettable performances by  Casey, Haley, Jacob, Naima, Paul, Pia, Stefano, and Thia that we saw during season 10. This past season Georgia has seen the highs and lows of the contests, but have not experienced a live performance like this. Now everyone has their chance and those who do will get hear great new song mixes including Katy Perry (Sold out Gwinnett Arena in June) and Usher (Atlanta’s very own).

Check back after the show to see our blog of everything that happened.

Maná

Maná

Maná, a Latin rock band played our Arena last night. Weeks before the band played I did some research on Google to find out as much as I could about Maná. In this business it helps to know as much as you can about the shows that are performing at your arenas and I learned a lot about them. First off, I had no idea that Maná had won over 4 Latin Grammy Awards and over 4 MTV Music Video Awards. After reading that one sentence I knew that we were going to be in for a treat.


The first thing that pops into my head when I think about seeing a live show is how good or bad the band or artist might sound. I have been to many concerts who have not sounded well and we have all heard the errors and misfortunes on TV. Maná front man Fher Olvera was nothing short of incredible! Even though I cannot understand spanish, I could not help but relate to the rythem or tone of the songs Maná played. I quickly found myself nodding my head as Sergio Vallín ripped on his gutiar. I was loacted in the pit for the first threee songs and could feel the excitement and rush Maná gives to their fans. I will have to point out that Maná may have some of the most loyal and dedicated fans that I have seen.

Gwinnett Arena News

I wanted to take this time to point out some awesome shows that will be coming up at the Arena. Enrique and Pitbull will be performing October 20th- this should be a fantastic show! We have just announced two new shows that will be coming in November. We will have the Foo Fighters on November 7th and Reba with The Band Perry on November 12th. Go to our website at www.gwinnettcenter.com to check out all the information!