Dwight d'Eon performs in Canadian Idol's first Top 10 show of the season

By Tina Comeau

THE YARMOUTH VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

West Pubnico’s Dwight d’Eon was the first competitor up on stage last night as the Canadian Idol Top 10 performed for the first time.

Family, friends and supporters hope he won’t be the first to go when the results of last night’s voting are announced on tonight’s results show and the first competitor of the Top 10 is eliminated.

D’Eon performed Matchbox 20’s ‘Unwell’ on Tuesday during the Number One Hits theme show. It was his second Matchbox 20 song in as many weeks.

“I think it’s interesting you did two Matchbox 20 songs in a row,” commented judge Jake Gold, who suggested the performance could have been more exciting. Still, he said, “I thought you sang it quite well.”

Judge Farley Flex – who had given d’Eon an honourable mention the week before for what he felt had been the most improved effort among the final competitors – commented on the growth of the singer/songwriter.

“Perhaps you’re a little more ready for the Top 10 than you were for the Top 22,” Flex said. “It’s a matter of staying the course and growth. Good job.”

Again, judge Sass Jordan felt underwhelmed by d’Eon’s performance.

The phone system in this region, meanwhile, was overwhelmed with votes for d’Eon. A quick skim on some of the Dwight d’Eon sites on Facebook shows people voted, and voted often. One group said they were able to get more than 4,000 votes through using phones at the College de l’Acadie in Tusket. Other groups, using a combination of cell phones and landlines, said they were able to get in 3,800 votes and 4,800 votes on the toll-free line.

Given the volume of calls, having to wait for a dial tone remained an issue for many callers, and not just in the Pubnicos. Aliant has cautioned people that the absence of a dial tone does not mean the phones are dead. They just have to exercise patience and wait for the tone.

And it's not just a problem facing people voting for d'Eon, but also for those using the phones for other purposes. Which does lead to question of what could happen in an emergency situation if someone had to get a call out quickly when minutes can make a difference.

"My understanding is that Aliant was planning on either upgrading line speed or adding temporary circuits to alleviate the problem," says RCMP Sergeant Kevin Surette of the Yarmouth rural detachment. "Having said that, it is a concern but except for what I've mentioned, there isn't a whole lot that can be done if people chose to vote in excess."

People have been spreading out on voting nights to better their chances of getting through on landlines. On Tuesday night some local car dealerships – for instance Tusket Ford and Doug Thistle Hyundai in Dayton – opened their premises and phones for people to vote.

Tuesday’s Top 10 performance featured a segment on d’Eon filmed during a recent visit home to West Pubnico. The footage showed d’Eon fishing on a lobster vessel with his father Melvin. The segment also showed d’Eon and members of his band Never playing a backyard performance for family, friends and fans.