Haley Reinhart – American Idol Homecoming – An Exclusive Look [PHOTOS]

This is the second year in a row Chicagoland has welcomed home a Top 3 American Idol finalist! Being a huge American Idol fan, I was not willing to miss out on this opportunity again. It took a little convincing my husband, swearing to him that this was the way we needed to spend our weekend. Well, since he loves his wife, he agreed to my impulsiveness. We packed our bags with almost every piece of technology we owned and headed to the ‘burbs for a daylong adventure of documenting Haley Reinhart’s Homecoming to Wheeling, Illinois! Keep on readin’ for the  details, pics, and video!

Photo by Josh Reed

We spent Friday night in Bolingbrook with my in-laws and headed off to Deer Park’s AT&T store early Saturday morning, where Haley would be making a small appearance and receiving that notorious text message from the judges with their song pick for her Wednesday night performance. We arrived to a small crowd of about seven people standing around a small platform stage that was barricaded around the front of the store. It was about 7:45, and Haley wasn’t supposed to arrive until around 8:45, so we easily nabbed a spot front and center. A group of American Idol staffers were making “We love Haley” signs and handing them out to the small crowd. Too bad for them, I brought my own sign. It said, “Does Randy have PMS? America wants to know.” (I won’t lie. I had a slight mission to get on TV.)

That sign quickly became soggy, as we all waited in the cold mist. 9:00 arrived, and still no Haley, who was apparently running late from a radio interview. I gotta’ give big props to the AT&T store for chipping in on Panera cookies for all of us. My feet and hands were frozen, but it didn’t matter. The crowd continued to grow, reaching about 200, as chants of “Haley, Haley” rang through the air. We sang and danced to all our Idol favorites, as they blared through the speakers. Every Haley song was acknowledged with extra cheering.

Photo by Colin Kelly

Thankfully, the crowd was a happy mix of parents, their kids, and some in-betweeners like myself (who apparently drive a long distance to crash another town’s Homecoming). Finally, around 10:20 Haley arrived in the back of the AT&T store but was not allowed to come to us through the front door until she was properly mobbed by the papparzzi.

Photo by Josh Reed

Finally, at 10:30, she made her way to the front. As the door opened, the crowd roared, but I couldn’t even see her for about the first five seconds. The cameramen were still surrounding her like vultures. As she climbed up the platform, I couldn’t even believe this girl, that I’ve been watching belt it out every week on TV, was standing only feet away from me. Let me tell you, Haley is absolutely stunning! Dressed in maroon jeggings and a matching floral top, her blonde curly locks were perfectly in place. Her sparkly brown eyes were overwhelmed with gratitude, and I swear I heard her say, “I think I’m gonna’ throw up.” She thanked us over and over, telling us how cool it was that we actually showed up to wait for her. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

As expected, Haley got a text from the judges, telling her what song they picked for her to sing Wednesday night: Alanis Morissette’s ‘You Oughta Know’. (Later in the day, I was standing next to a townie who thought Randy purposely chose that song because it’s kind of a screamer, and he “probably wants to make her look bad.”) The crowd asked Haley to sing a few notes, but she declined politely, explaining that she wasn’t allowed. Thanks a lot Fox! Then something remarkable happened. Haley read my sign out loud, “‘Does Randy have PMS? America wants to know.’ That’s a good question,” she chuckled. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to grab an autograph or a picture with her, but that made up for it. It seemed she left as quickly as she arrived… on to the next round!

By that time we were ready for lunch, so we decided to decline on Haley’s visit to Wheeling High School. That seemed like a more private, hometown moment, plus I was really hungry. I heard from others that Haley spent an hour at her alma mater, welcomed by 400 fans in the gymnasium. A $10 thousand donation was even made to the music department in her honor. Driving around Wheeling and its surrounding towns, you could feel an overwhelming sense of pride: “Vote for Haley” signs plastered all over the local shops, the Chicago radio stations pumped her Idol tunes, and it seemed every person you ran into had some story about how they knew her—not sure I believe all of them.

Photo by Josh Reed

After lunch, we headed over to the campus surrounding Wheeling Village Hall, which would be the end of the official Homecoming Parade route. Just as we arrived, the American Idol limo slowly made its way through the area. I ran over, and the window started to unroll. There was Haley, who had just made a surprise appearance at Wheeling’s Aquatic Center. She greeted her fans and personal friends as they swarmed the limo to talk to her. “Thanks for putting Wheeling on the map Haley. We’re proud of you,” one guy shouted. She didn’t even seem phased by her new found star power. All these people are just friends and family, and she just wants to catch up, even if her bodyguard is urging her to roll the window back up. She finally gave in, as she had to travel to the beginning of the parade route.

Photo by Josh Reed

The cold mist has picked up again. My hands were frozen. I couldn’t feel my toes, but it still didn’t matter. Tons of umbrellas lined the streets and gathered around the stage at Wheeling Village Hall, where Haley would eventually arrive to receive her key to the city and declaration that May 14th is now ‘Haley Reinhart Day’ in Wheeling. About another hour passed until we heard the police siren leading the Wheeling mascots and high school marching band, all decked out with ‘Vote for Haley’ shirts. The colorguard carried Haley heads on a stick and sang along with the crowd and band as they did a “Hey Haley” version of ‘Hey Baby.’ Haley even pre-recorded part of the track, so you could hear her singing along with the band too!

Photo by Jamie Reed

Then there she was… on the back of a convertible, in the rain, this time with a heavy coat, hood up, and scarf wrapped around her. Her proud parents Patti and Harry and younger sister Angie rode along in the front of the car. Haley didn’t even seem to notice the bad weather. She was too busy waving, dancing along, and shouting out to the people she knew. Fans swarmed the streets, running along with the car, paying no attention to the police officers telling them to, “Please get out of the road.” Yeah right!

Photo by Josh Reed

The car somehow made its way to the stage at Wheeling Village Hall, but it took another few minutes until the crowd could even catch a glimpse of Haley, thanks to another camera stampede. When we finally could see her, the Wheeling leader-type figures were too busy reading their written-out congratulatory speeches that no one was listening to, not even Haley, who was standing right next to them. At one point, President Judy Abruscato had to call her name about four times to get her attention. It was priceless!

We decided to ditch the ceremony early and head to Arlington Raceway for Haley’s free concert, the same place Idol’s previous winner, Lee Dewyze, performed last year. Apparently, we should have left earlier, because we got seats in the peanut gallery. There’s no doubt in my mind that fans had skipped out on the day’s earlier events so they could stand at the raceway all day for the best seats. Again, more cold rain. This time we were covered, but the seats were still very wet. Oh well. The concert was supposed to start at 6:30 p.m., but surprise, it didn’t start until 45 minutes later.

Photo by Josh Reed

The grand entrance began with the American Idol limo entering from the left and driving toward the stage at the center of the raceway. The sunroof opened, and out popped Haley, all smiles and waving to the 30,000 screaming fans that showed up to hear her sing. Yes, I could actually see her smile, as there was a personal television in front of the reserved seats I ended up stealing! Again, I got this sense that she was completely overwhelmed and grateful to the amount of support from her hometown. After all, this was her very first concert.

Before Haley actually started to sing, we all had to get another earful from the same speakers earlier in the day. Oh joy. Then Idol producers invited us all to scream as part of a part of a commercial for the show. That took three takes, and finally, some 15-20 minutes later, Haley belted out her first notes of ‘Benny and the Jets’. It was incredible! The acoustics in that place were not too great, but you could hear the passion and perfection of every note she hit. The girl is a powerhouse!

Photo by Josh Reed

Other songs on the set list included ‘House of the Rising Sun’, ‘Piece of My Heart’, ‘Oh Darlin,’ and of course she had to sing ‘Sweet Home Chicago’. Interesting fact: Haley’s family is full of musicians, and they all joined her on stage as her band. Her mom Patti took care of backup vocals and tambourine. Her dad Harry played a mean guitar, and her sis Angie slapped the bass. It was one of those moments that made you say, “Awwwww” out loud. I did many times.

Before I knew it, the concert ended, the crowd bellowed, and it was time to head home. It was probably one of the longest, coldest days of my life but definitely one of the best! It was moving to see just this normal, humble, everyday girl receive so much love and support from her hometown. There seems to be some sort of misconception out there that Haley is bratty or diva-like. I dare you to walk into Wheeling and express that to one of the locals. They’ll be happy to tell you how wrong you are and politely ask you to leave. I was already sold on her talent, but after this weekend, I truly appreciate her character. Haley Reinhart is the total package!