“American Idol” has been around so long, Alpharetta student Cullen Bohlinger was a toddler when Kelly Clarkson took home the season one crown in 2002.
On Sunday morning in Athens, the now 15-year-old Milton resident stood before “Idol” producer Jonathon Ridgard and sang an old-school folk song, “The Wayfaring Stranger,” followed by a Doors classic, “People Are Strange.” Ridgard was on the fence and asked him to do something more modern.
Bohlinger chose John Mayer’s “Gravity.” Bingo! Ridgard gave him a first-round pass. “I don’t get nervous,” Bohlinger said moments later. “I just clear my head and think about the music.”
He said he’s been a lifelong fan of “Idol” but skipped the past season to focus on learning his craft in his room. His mom, Kay, was proud and amazed by his progress: “I only learned a year ago that he could sing!”
“Idol” producers love stories like that but realistically, the chances of Bohlinger or any of the hundreds who showed up for the “Idol” bus tour auditions Sunday becoming the next Carrie Underwood or Adam Lambert are slim.
Still, even as “Idol” has shrunken into relative obsolescence in the pop culture world and is facing its 15th and final season in 2016, auditioners said any TV exposure in this day and age is a good thing.
“This is a shot in the dark that could get you ahead of the game, a jump-start,” said Cocoa Beach, Fla., resident Cordell Winter, who brought his dog Judah for good luck.
The Fox show used to solely focus its auditions on a handful of major cities in big arenas with Dunwoody native and host Ryan Seacrest cheerleading thousands. Over 15 seasons, “Idol” has stopped in metro Atlanta for auditions six times, most recently season 13 at the Gwinnett Arena.
But starting in 2012, producers added a bus tour, hitting mostly smaller cities in an attempt to expand the pool of potential contestants.
On Sunday, the “Idol”-embossed bus pulled into the relatively small town of Athens. But the city’s musical legacy is outsized, generating legends such as R.E.M. and the B-52s as well as acts ranging from Matthew Sweet to Drive-By Truckers to Widespread Panic.
The 90-plus temperatures of the past two weeks broke over the weekend, making for a pleasant Sunday morning for the 1,500 waiting in line, many holding guitars. Season 14 runner-up Clark Beckham hit a stage outside the bus to encourage the newest crew and sang a snippet of “Georgia on My Mind.”
The tryouts were held outside the entrance of the Classic Center, with minimal security, as two stern-looking producers sat under small canopies. Producer Ridgard wore sunglasses, making it difficult for those auditioning to read his opinion while they sang. About three-quarters of those trying out were female, which producers said is typical.
“Idol” producer Beau Dozier has heard thousands of auditioners over five years, including season 11 winner and Georgia native Phillip Phillips.
“You can tell by the way they engage you when they’re performing,” Dozier said. “Some people will be looking up to the sky. Some people will be twiddling with their hands. Others know what they’re doing. They know to perform and give me that emotion to make me believe they wrote that song.”
The bar to just get past the first round is high. Over a sample three hours and more than 150 people, fewer than 10 made the initial cut.
And their journey is far from over.
About the Author
