Updated - Katy Perry Breaks Down in Tears. "Our Country Has Failed Us!"

Ever since my daughter started musical theater 16 years ago (and really, a couple years before that), my wife and I started watching American Idol together. We’ve watched every season since season three. In case you’re unaware, the current season is their twenty-first. We have immensely enjoyed the show, especially as a family. It truly is the one show we pause to discuss, while it’s happening. We always have our favorite contestants and root loudly for them. We even vote on a weekly basis. It’s the rare show that brings us closer to one another.

I can understand that the complaints some may have of how mean some of the former judges comments have been (I’m looking at you Simon Cowell), but since the show ported from Fox to ABC, it has been so much better. The three judges, Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry are kind. They instruct and provide meaningful advice to those they are judging. They truly want the contestants to grow into better performers. One of the hallmarks of the show are the personal stories the contestants bring. The close relatives they’ve lost or personal breakdowns and crisis that they are trying to overcome. I guess I’m a sucker for that kind of thing. By the end of the season, you do really feel you know who they are.

Last night, something happened that I haven’t seen before. One of the contestants Trey Louis, a 21 year old mattress salesman from Santa Fe, TX struck a positive note with a heart rendering version of “Stone” by Whiskey Myers (video and lyrics below). Responding to Luke Bryan’s question, “Why are you doing Idol,” Louis responded by being influenced by being in “Art Room 1” at Santa Fe High School in 2018 when a young man came into Art Room 2 and shot and killed 8 of his classmates and 2 of the teachers, and then made his way to Art Room 1. It was the most emotional scene I’ve ever witnessed on the show.

As the judges were processing what Louis said, Katy Perry completely broke down. And then, through tears she shouted out, “Our country has (expletive) failed us! This is not OK! You should be singing here because you love music! Not because you had to go through that (expletive). You didn’t have to lose... friends. I hope that you remind people that we have to change, because, you know what? I’m scared too."

My daughter, now 24, was with us last night when this was aired. We were all crying. We ended up talking about it for about an hour. About how she also had active shooting drills in her school and how this is something we simply didn’t worry about when we were growing up. 

I post this here, today, because perhaps, in a tiny way, this may wake some people up to not love their guns so much. American Idol is amazingly popular in the southern states of this country and most often, the winner of the show hails from that region.  One can hope.

Watch the video:
 

Lyrics to “Stone” by Whiskey Myers

The night is my companion
And the highway is my home
Got me seeking for one last beacon
Every single place I roam
They say Jesus was a poor man
I guess I wish I had a little more him in me
Make it easier going on living
Heart ache and misery

Sweet, sweet heart of mine I'm going to break again a million times
Is this true or gone
Have you turned to stone?

Well I guess I got my bottle
I still hold it all the time
But it keeps me smiling and singing
Helps me fall asleep a little bit better at night
They say life is like a dagger
Backstage is full of parasites
They love you and drain of everything you own
Just to feel better about their life
Sweet, sweet heart of mine I'm going to break again a million times
Is this true or gone?
OR Have you turned to stone?

Sweet, sweet heart of mine I'm going to break again a million times
Is this true or gone?
Sweet, Sweet love of mine I'm going to break again a million times
Is it true or gone?
Have you turned to stone?

To find out more about the Santa Fe High School Shooting, click here.