Cynthia Clark had been crying for hours. Holding a sign that read "I really am 25, just ask for ID," the under-five-feet-tall New York native stood in the downtown Wachovia Center with one goal in mind: landing a spot on American Idol.
Clark, along with over 20,000 others, had come to the arena to participate in the show's last round of preliminary auditions, which took place on Monday.
"I just want to share my passion with the world," she said, admitting that she was holding the sign to get more attention.
Any edge can help in the first round of auditions, which attracted the highest number of contestants than any other audition in the show's history.
Auditions for this round started off July 30 with 10,000 hopefuls San Diego, Calif.
About a dozen judges, none of whom were of the Cowell-Abdul-Jackson triumvirate, sat at booths while potential stars sang for about thirty seconds.
Contestants waited in the stadium until their section was called. There, they could check out the competition and see who made the cut in what was a palpably tense and circus-like environment.
It was "a fun experience to come down here," said Shaun Arndt, 20, of Bodin, Maine.
Idol host Ryan Seacrest told the crowd that it was the largest in Idol history.
But numbers can be deceiving.
Arndt, who planned on singing "Love Potion Number Nine," complained that "some people come here just to be goofs."
Two women stood out in Catwoman and Superwoman costumes. There was also Dan Cristelli, 22, of South Philadelphia, who wore a pink tuxedo with a bullet necklace.
"I came here to have some fun," Cristelli said.
He added that his ancestors came through Ellis Island as entertainers, a tradition seven generations strong in his family. He said he felt it was only right that he follow their footsteps.
Others more serious about the opportunity, said they had been encouraged by family and friends to go and prove they have what it takes to win Simon Cowell's approval.
Rebecca Ortega, who lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, said all of her family urged her to try out.
Ortega, 16, sings in her high school choir and was planning on singing "Killing Me Softly" because she likes soul music.
Of all the attendees, it was Denisse Zawala, 23, of Trenton, New Jersey, who put the crowd's general attitude most simply:
"It's a dream," she said.
