David Archuleta performs at the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009

This scene should have been expected but I must admit there was some shock to it.

If you have ever been to the beach and witnessed a bunch of sandpipers walking near the water and then seen how they scurry off in a pack when someone approaches … well, you kinda get the picture.

The opening act – Benton Paul – for David Archuleta had finished and he was out in the lobby signing autographs for a line of fans that had snaked its way around for about 250 feet. That line was composed almost entirely of teenaged females.

At about 7:55 p.m. the lobby lights flickered a couple of times indicating that the main event would commence shortly. Well, the sandpipers took off. They were orderly, but my oh my did they scurry.

During Archuleta’s performance the screeching was deafening at times. I was around when the Beatles emerged on the scene, but I only saw that love-fest on television, never in person. Of course, those Beatle throngs were much larger than Sunday night when about 3,000 Archie fans showed up. But I doubt that the Beatles’ followers were any more passionate.

The crowd was an interesting demographic – 95 percent teens; 5 percent boomer. Not much of anything in-between and very little diversity.

Maybe the most interesting scene was while Archuleta was in full jumping about on-stage mode, there was a gray-haired gentleman standing in the midst of a pack of teenagers rocking away to “Crush.”

Good for him.