On Wednesday, John Foster was happy to be home — and his family, friends, schools and community were just as happy to welcome him back.
He made the rounds — a morning visit to the elementary school where his 4-year-old sister, Presley, is a student. Then to Brusly High, where he was co-valedictorian just a year ago.
Students, teachers, faculty, family and friends gathered at the high school for a John Foster pep rally on the football field. The marching band played. The cheerleaders cheered.
And the sun was shining — oh, was it shining.
Even though the heat was oppressive, no one’s spirits seemed to wilt. The crowd shouted, “We love Brusly!” and “Geaux, John Foster!” despite the 90-degree Louisiana sun.
The day brought the full range of emotions.
“It’s nice to be in the news for something happy,” said school secretary, Aimee Rabalais. “We’ve had so much sorrow.”
Rabalais was referring to the tragic Dec. 30, 2022, deaths of Brusly High cheerleaders Maggie Dunn, 17, and Caroline Gill, 16.
On the field, Foster spoke to the students, urging them to listen to their teachers and doling out wisdom that went far beyond his 18 years.
“If you wish to lead a successful life, if you wish to leave a greater legacy, listen to your teachers,” Foster said.
Watch the video down below and don’t forget to share this beautiful song with your friends and family…
A capitol salute to a hometown star
From Brusly High, he headed back across the Mississippi River to the state capitol.
There, the state House of Representatives adopted a resolution honoring him.
Foster told state lawmakers in the House chamber that he is “truly proud of this great state.”
“I think sometimes they get tired about me talking about Louisiana so much,” he said.
But he added: “It’s who I am.”
The comment drew a round of applause from dozens of legislators gathered in the chamber.
From there, he and his multiple-officer-led motorcade returned to the west side of the Mississippi, to Addis, where on a sweltering afternoon, people from across Louisiana came out to show their support for Foster in a parade.
The prince of country music?
Foster rolled through around 6 p.m. in a massive crawfish float, tossing beads and holding onto his cowboy hat to keep it from flying off in the wind.
“John Foster! Number one!” paradegoers chanted.
Many came decked out in unofficial Foster merchandise and carried signs with slogans of their own creation.
“If George Strait is the King of Country, John Foster has to be the PRINCE!” read the sign of Foster superfan Dempsey Stassi, a Gonzales resident.
Stassi said he used to bring friends to hear the country singer perform around the state and in Mississippi, long before Foster found fame on “American Idol.” He said he was consistently impressed by the country crooner’s voice, charm, and Christian values.
He called the large silver van parked behind him the “John Foster bus.”
“It’s hard not to love him,” Stassi said.
Harold and Julie Prejean drove their 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air in the parade, flags flying and a John Foster sticker on the hood. Harold said he first heard the “Idol” finalist perform at a car show in Addis.
“I told him that day, ‘Boy, remember I told you so, you got the most beautiful voice I ever heard,’” he said.
After the parade, thousands joined Foster at the Bayou Plaquemine Waterfront Park, where the stage was decked out with a sign that read, “Congratulations to our hometown hero.”
The scene was close to picture-perfect. Families sat on blankets and in folding chairs that dotted the lawn, while others pulled wagons with a child or two in tow. The sno-cone stand stayed busy as the temperature hovered in the 80s.
A Louisiana flag, a U.S. flag, and one bearing the image of the man of the hour flapped in the evening breeze. Boats lined the banks of Bayou Plaquemine, many decorated with “Vote for John Foster” signs.
Plaquemine Board of Selectmen member Michael Carlin monitored the event throughout the day.
“Making sure everything’s secure, making sure, for the lack of a better word, nothing dumb goes on, “ Carlin said. “With over 20 million votes last week, we don’t want to have anything bad happen.”
Jaynee Hebert of Brusly accompanied her friend, Caroline Neumeyer, who had driven in from New Orleans just for the concert.
Both said they’re big fans of country music — and of Foster.
“I’m just really excited for him,” Hebert said, adding that she went to Brusly High, but several years ahead of the singer.
The women agreed their favorite song of Foster’s has to be the teary “Tell That Angel I Love Her.”
Songs, signs and a riverfront welcome
Meanwhile, Foster arrived at the boat launch near the Iberville Parish Jail around 7:15 p.m., where he met a small crowd of fans before boarding a boat to the concert, which was supposed to begin at 7:30.
Once he arrived at the park at 8:02 p.m., families crowded the dock and a line of kids chanted “John Foster!” as the “American Idol” finalist approached standing on the boat’s bow. Screams erupted.
Making it to the stage at 8:14 p.m., Foster told the crowd, “I’ve played many places, but nothing like this.”
A parade of dignitaries with remarks, proclamations and a key to the city then delayed the show a little longer.
Finally, at 8:26 p.m. Foster sang Alan Jackson’s “Don’t Rock the Jukebox.”
He moved quickly into the Elvis classic “Jailhouse Rock,” a song which helped him advance in the “Idol” competition.
He then said he was going to slow things down with another of his “Idol” songs, “I Told You So,” by country icon Randy Travis.
“Neon Moon” was up next, a tune he also performed on the ABC show. The song is by duo Brooks & Dunn. Kix Brooks is a fellow Louisiana native.
“I’m going to go back to my roots for a second,” he said, referencing all the little bar and restaurant shows which got him to his current success.
The next song, his original, “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” brought crowd noise down, with the chilling words written for his late friends, Dunn and Gill.
“Sorry about that,” he said afterward, drying tears and apologizing for being unable to finish the song. “There’s so many emotions.”
Turning things more upbeat, Then, as an indicator of how well he knows his audience, he rounded out the night with Garth Brooks’ local favorite, “Callin’ Baton Rouge.”
“I love y’all so much,” he said. “Thank you so much.”
He left as he arrived, but this time seated on the boat. Fans still waved and yelled to him. He responded by forming a heart shape with his hands, followed by a thumbs up.
Foster will appear in the finale of “American Idol,” which will air live Sunday on ABC.
You can vote up to 30 times — only during Sunday’s live show (from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) to help Foster win American Idol.
