John Foster’s journey comes full circle as the American Idol finalist heads back to Plaquemine and Addis before the finale. ML

• Louisiana native and “American Idol” finalist John Foster returned home for a celebratory concert and parade.
• The event drew an estimated 10,000-15,000 attendees, the largest seen by “American Idol” organizers in years.
• Foster performed a mix of covers and an original song dedicated to his late friend.
• Local officials praised the event’s success and Foster’s talent.

Five days before one of the biggest days of his life, John Foster made a brief return home from Hollywood.

The singing sensation who earned a spot among the top three finalists in Season 23 “American Idol” came back to Addis and Plaquemine to greet a few fans — somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 of them.

The event brought together officials from Iberville and West Baton Rouge parishes to stage the event.

“American Idol proudly said our event was the largest they’d seen in years,” Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle said. “It was a great effort with the mayors’ office and all our employees and everything went well tonight.”

A busy 48 hours

The City of Plaquemine and Town of Addis both got word of the plans shortly after the May 11 episode of “American Idol” concluded. 

Plans for the concert moved when officials Iberville Parish Government and the City of Plaquemine got word Foster was among the three finalists. It led to an eventful extremely busy day for Foster.

He kicked off his day with a visit to his alma mater, Brusly High School. He headed back to Baton Rouge, where the House of Representatives adopted a resolution in his honor.

The whirlwind continued with a parade in downtown Addis and the concert in Plaquemine. 

Showtime 

Foster arrived by boat in Bayou Plaquemine, where officers and deputies helped guide the young entertainer through the massive crowd at the Mark A. “Tony” Gulotta Waterfront Park.

Prior to the show, he received enough keys to cities to make a locksmith proud.

He opened with solid rendition of the 1991 Alan Jackson smash hit “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” and followed with “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley, who was virtually unknown when he performed in 1955 at a barroom called “The Casino.”

Foster followed with “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” a song he dedicated to Maggie Dunn, his longtime friend and classmate who, along with classmate Caroline Gill, died in a collision when a police officer ran a red light and crashed into her car Dec. 31, 2022.

“This is the song that launched me into music as I know it,” Foster said. “I wasn’t a serious musician until I went through the worst day of my life, and I used music to express the things I couldn’t express with my words that day. 

“And I was sitting on the pier in Bayou Pigeon and just sobbing uncontrollably and something was created that day. This one goes out to Maggie Dunn and Caroline Gill.”A father’s legacy: Foundation launched by Randall Dunn aims to help parents through death of a child

He became teary-eyed by the time he finished the song. 

Foster apologized to the crowd after he struggled to maintain composure when he finished the song.

“I blame ‘American Idol’ — they made me such a mush,” he quipped. “I’ve never cried before in front of people; I’ve cried on stage once and cried again.

“When you have so many emotions going through you — gratitude, joy, peace, terror — so many things have been going through my head today. There’s so many emotions, and sometimes it just gets to you, so I’m sorry I couldn’t finish the song.”

Showing the signs of a seasoned professional entertainer, he took the approach “the show must go on,” and followed the miniconcert with the 1992 Brooks & Dunn hit “Neon Moon.

He chose an appropriate finale — “Calling Baton Rouge,” which had fans singing along as fireworks lit up the sky. 

Foster drew huge roar from the crowd when he asked spectators if he would win “American Idol.” 

“I can only do it if I have you behind me,” he said. “I can only do it if I have you all behind me.

“You’ll never know how grateful I am to have you all behind me,” Foster said. “Those tears just now weren’t just because I was singing that song … I fought back tears in the parade and fighting back tears when I walked up here because I’m so incredibly grateful for every one of you that I want to cry.”

Plaquemine Mayor J.B. Barker was particularly impressed by Foster.

“It was like watching Elvis in the raw before he became big,” he said. “Foster is special, and he is the real thing — he checks all the boxes.” 

A great day on the Westside

The festivities went smooth, despite the large crowd. 

“Considering everything we had to do in such a short time, it turned out perfectly,” Plaquemine Police Chief Stephen Engolio said. 

The cooperation between Iberville and West Baton Rouge parishes made all the difference for the event.

“It was a joint effort to promote to promote a local individual who has committed so much time and passion into what he loves, and now he’s in the Top 3.”

The large turnout on very short notice not only impressed the local officials, but also the crew from “American Idol.” Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle said the event was “the largest they’ve seen in years.”

“It was a great effort with the mayors’ office and all our employees and everything went well tonight — and it all came together in seven hours,” he said.