With a little help from her friends
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 14, 2014 1:46 PM
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Majesty Rose attends a meet-and-greet event prior to Sunday night's concert.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Majesty Rose performs during the opening number of the "American Idol Live!" concert tour Sunday night at DPAC in Durham.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
A group from The Bridge Church attended Sunday night's "American Idol Live!" concert featuring their friend, Majesty Rose, a Top 10 finalist on Season 13. From left, Amanda Grantham, wearing a floral headband Majesty made for her, June Brown and her husband, Rod Brown, Hal Veronee and wife, Kelli Veronee.ï¿¿
DURHAM -- It was the moment she'd been waiting for ever since the nationwide "American Idol" tour launched in late June.
Majesty Rose, the Top 10 finalist from Season 13 from Goldsboro, was at DPAC in Durham Sunday night, the lone stop in North Carolina.
"So glad to be home," she said, simply, before her solo, "Tightrope" by Janelle Monae.
The 22-year-old ninth-place finisher was also featured in group numbers throughout the two-hour show -- including "Wake Me Up" by Avicii and "Happy" by Pharrell Williams.
Several costume changes, the "big hair" she favors and the hard-to-miss Majesty fans in the audience wearing floral headbands -- the singer's signature accessory -- dominated the night for Goldsboro's beloved contestant and her fans.
Terry and Renee Bryson and their daughter, Ticia Daniels, arrived more than two hours early for the show.
"We could not wait!" Mrs. Daniels said.
"We're supporting Majesty with our flower headbands," Mrs. Bryson said.
The family has followed the show throughout, calling often to vote for their favorite singer from Wayne County.
"Our fingers are worn down to the nubs," Bryson joked.
But this was not their first "American Idol" concert experience.
"We have done this since Season 7. We've done this every year, almost every year that we could," Mrs. Bryson said. "We've supported all the tours."
Rick Sutton and his wife, Karen, from Pikeville, were newbies.
"We have been following the show, and we're just excited to see the Top 10," he said.
"Especially Majesty, we're here for her," his wife added.
A group from Majesty's former church, The Bridge, also turned out, including her former youth pastor, Jared Grantham and his wife, Amanda, Betty Grantham, June Williams Brown and husband, Rod, and Kellie and Hal Veronee.
"We're just excited because it's Majesty and we have supported her the whole time," Mrs. Brown said.
Mrs. Grantham, wearing a floral headband Majesty made for her, had also flown out to Los Angeles with her husband during the season to support her friend.
"She's made a positive impact on people," she said.
Deana Holland, disability services counselor at Wayne Community College, where Majesty was once a student, recalled meeting her on campus.
She and husband, Ellis, have become "Majesty followers," she said.
"We have been watching this season together. It's the first time he's ever watched it," she said.
Enjoying the show away from the fray were the Chapels, the Goldsboro family Majesty Rose lives with when she's not on tour.
Sandra Chapel, along with two of her three sons, Josh and Josiah, accompanied daughter Carla, Majesty's best friend for more than six years.
"I had to bring her some clothes," Carla said, gesturing to a bag on the floor by her feet. "She gets tired of wearing the same things."
A ring of flowers in her hair the two of them made together before Majesty Rose left a month ago, Carla said she was enjoying the show but was more excited about reconnecting with her friend afterward.
The concert generated a lot of enthusiasm, but in actuality only featured the Top 9. Since July 1, Dexter Roberts from Alabama, who finished in seventh place, has been missing from the lineup.
Internet rumors have been swirling -- between an "unknown illness" and conflicting reports that he is making appearances in his home state -- with show publicists confirming three days ago that both parties "mutually agreed" that he be released from contractual obligations.
No mention of his absence was made at Sunday night's concert, although he was featured in the video footage shown during the show.
Majesty, though, clearly enjoyed being back in her home state. In a post on her Facebook page earlier today, she wrote, "So glad I got to see all my friends from home tonight. I literally had tears in my eyes in so many pictures. Haha! Thank you for the refreshing Meet 'n Greet after the show. I love you, North Carolina!"