2002 flashback: Atlanta 'Idol' season 2 auditions include mile-long line

Blankets and chairs in tow, Pursell and her cousin Heidi Hill planted themselves on a sidewalk by AmericasMart, digging in for 37 hours of waiting until auditions started. Among the first 100 people in line, Pursell would eventually be joined by 3,500-plus "Idol" pursuers, friends and family by Sunday morning. Of the estimated 2,500 people who wanted to audition, 1,800 will get a chance through Tuesday.

Several early arrivals to the original round of auditions for "American Idol" in Atlanta in the spring became household names. The first to audition in May was R.J. Helton; the eighth was Tamyra Gray; the 12th, EJay Day. All three Atlantans finished in the final 10.

This whole concept of waiting in a massive line is a marketing contrivance. Fox TV could have easily given people first-come, first-served tickets and had them return at a specific audition time. Instead, TV cameras were able to luxuriate over a mile-long stretch of humanity that began at the Harris Street entrance of AmericasMart near Peachtree Street and snaked into the northwest reaches of Centennial Olympic Park.

"It's like a big block party, " said Crystal Bryant, 19, of Raleigh, N.C., eighth in line.

Hundreds huddled in sleeping bags and portable chairs Saturday night. Periodically, knots of people would break out in song, the sounds of "Lean on Me" and "Oh Happy Day" echoing down Harris Street. Papa John's hawked pizza, $10 each. Passers-by honked in support.

Daniel Silva, 21, of Snellville, who camped out to root for his girlfriend, Courtney Brame, spied an outdoor electrical plug. He went home to get a surge protector and a portable black-and-white TV to watch the World Series. Another person brought a microwave oven. They dubbed their small area "the village."

Pursell --- dressed in a tight white navel-baring tank top, hip-hugging jeans and a colorful vintage jacket with puffy cuffs --- stood nearby, smiling in nervous anticipation. This was not her idea --- she has minimal vocal training --- but her cousin nudged her to drive the six hours to Atlanta. On Friday night, she felt intimidated by her fellow "Idol" wannabes. "I couldn't believe how good everyone was, " Pursell said.

But after bonding with fellow auditioner Dara Queen of Sugar Hill, she grew more confident. By Saturday evening, Pursell was gleefully belting out "Greatest Love of All" and learning dance steps on the sidewalk with several newfound friends. "We're pretty much street bums now, " she joked.

Queen's mother, Hollie, like several parents, spent the first night by herself reserving a spot for Dara. "I wanted her to get her rest, " Hollie explained.

Smart move, because nippy weather wreaked havoc on some contestants' voices. Justin Carter, first in line with three of his University of North Carolina friends at 7 a.m. Friday, was hoarse by that evening. Carter played it low key, sucking on lozenges and speaking softly. Still, like most auditioners Sunday, he didn't get past the judges in the first round. But he and his friends left Atlanta on Sunday with plans to hit the next audition site in Nashville on Wednesday. (Austin and Miami are the last of six host cities.)

Sidewalk neighbor Nikky Williams, 21, of Atlanta lost her voice Sunday morning but drank enough hot tea to sing a decent version of Three Dog Night's "Never Been to Spain." The judges --- nine "Idol" producers, three to a room --- liked her spunk and her outfit: a blouse with an American-flag-stitched design knocked off from Meg Ryan in Harper's Bazaar. She received a callback --- again. In May, Williams, who had been first in line with R.J. Helton, made it into the final 120.

But though she made it out to Los Angeles last time, she'll need to get through two more elimination trials this week to do that again. By Wednesday, producers will have seen all 1,800 would-be idols. On Thursday, Simon Cowell and company will narrow a smaller pool to the 20 or so from Atlanta's auditions who will fly to the West Coast for the show's next season, which starts early next year.

A few minutes later, Pursell received her moment in time. In a spartan room at AmericasMart on Sunday morning before three show producers, she crooned a portion of Guns N' Roses classic "Sweet Child of Mine." "It's great to hear a rock song for a change, " one of the judges said. But, alas, no callback for Pursell.

Mildly chastened but still smiling, she came out into the waiting room and hugged her cousin. "Some people have been performing for so long, " she said. "I still haven't gotten the whole onstage presence yet. I'm working on that."