Thousands jump on the 'Idol' express in Salt Lake City

Several thousand young people got a chance to be part of "American Idol" on Tuesday — and for most of them it was short and bittersweet.

Out of the estimated 4,000-6,000 who showed up to audition at the EnergySolutions Arena, only about 200-400 were expected to make it to the second of three rounds. Those who did, however, could hardly contain their excitement.

"I was freaking out. I was so nervous. I started shaking like crazy," said 18-year-old Skyler Holman of Salt Lake City. "I was so happy, because I've dreamed about this forever. Ever since the show came on."

"It's intense — how fast everything happened," said Nicole Christensen, 25, of Midvale, a ventriloquist who performed with a "elderly" dummy on her arm. "It's Simon Cowell's grandmother," she joked.

At the other end of the spectrum were the vast majority who were told the show is "looking for something different" this year. There was a lot of disappointment and a few tears.

But that didn't mean the effort wasn't worth it.

"Yeah, absolutely, it was a good experience," said Chris Aaron, 27, of Orem. "Nerves got the best of me."

"It wasn't how I expected it to be, but it was still fun," said Jordann Gasser, 20, of Midvale — who's expecting a baby in September. "Just to come out here and try out was worth it. You're part of 'American Idol,"'

Which is the reason thousands turned out.

"This is their tangible way of touching the show. Being a part of the show," said "Idol" senior producer Patrick Lynn. "Whether or not they're coming out here to take it seriously, or whether they're coming out because they just love the show, they're coming out. And that's the most important thing."

He said there was no "quota" on Tuesday. "We usually send through anywhere from 200 to 400 people out of this crowd, but it's really whoever we think is good enough for the show."

Tuesday's auditions were the "cull." On the floor of the arena, 12 pairs of "Idol" staffers sat at tables. Four auditioners at a time stood before a pair of judges, who spent about four minutes with each group.

Those chosen few will return to sing for the executive producers, who will pick maybe 100 to sing for judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul.

The date and location of the next two rounds is a closely guarded secret for security reasons. "I've got a lot of people who are here today that probably want to be there that can't be there," Lynn said.

All we know for certain is that Rounds 2 and 3 will be in Salt Lake City sometime in September.

Some of the hopefuls apparently didn't entirely grasp the situation. One was holding a sign reading, "Simon, let's chat."