America’s Got Talent fan favorite Richard Goodall has touched down in Los Angeles to prepare for next week’s much-anticipated semifinals, where he’ll be hoping to land a spot in the competition’s final.
The middle school janitor from Terre Haute, Indiana, spoke to MyWabashValley.com ahead of his return to LA, where he’ll be rehearsing for the live semi-finals that will air on NBC on September 11. Goodall told the outlet he’d returned to his regular job following his show-stealing performance in the AGT quarterfinals last month.
“I’ve signed so many tennis shoes, so many cell phone cases, and taken so many selfies,” Goodall said, noting how the students have been enjoying his newfound celebrity status. “The kids are just eating it up. They love it. Just an overwhelming beautiful, wonderful response.”
Goodall made it through to the semis after earning America’s votes on the August 14 quarterfinals episode. He joins country-rock band Ashes & Arrows, dog act Roni Sagi & Rhythm, Hakuna Matata Acrobats, singer Alex Sampson, South Korean magician Young-Min, drone group Sky Elements, dance group Airfootworks, singer Dee Dee Simon, 14-year-old singer Reid Wilson, comedian Learnmore Jonasi, and aerialist Kelsey Jane.
Eleven more acts will compete for a spot in the semis on tonight’s, Tuesday, September 3, edition of AGT. The results will be announced on Wednesday’s (September 4) episode, with four final acts moving onto the semis.
Goodall, who has previously wowed audiences with performances of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” is now focusing on his next song choice.
“Just paying attention to the music, making the right song choice. I mean song choice is the is probably the biggest thing in the competition and there is a lot that goes into it,” he told MyWabashValley.com.
Now in LA for final preparations, Goodall explained, “You don’t just stand up there and sing. There is so much prep work. They have screens behind you, screens your standing on. They have creative people, story people, and of course the music team.”
Goodall has been keeping his fans up to date on his Facebook page, including his work life and his AGT experience. Six days ago, he made a post about arriving at school at the crack of dawn, writing, “When you get to work a little early and realize you have to actually get out of the car to start your day! Going to be a crazy one.”
His more recent posts show him in LA preparing for next week’s AGT semi-finals. “Waiting on the music team to call me down! The last quart finals show is Tuesday night check out the competition for me!” he wrote on Sunday, September 1.
He also shared a photo hanging out with fellow semi-finalists Sky Elements, who he referred to as an “Awesome crew of people!”
