About 7,000 hopefuls gathered outside the Cow Palace in Daly City on Thursday for a chance to be ridiculed or revered on "American Idol," Season 8.

Mothers huddled in blankets while their anxious and excited sons and daughters waited for hours lined up in the vast parking lot. Many burst out in spontaneous song.

Once inside, they located their assigned seats. In groups, they walked up to the stage, each with just 20 seconds to make a first impression. R&B, country, gospel, pop and even Broadway show tunes were among their selections.

"She's wanted to do this for seven years," said a surprisingly calm Tina Napolitano of Austin, who spent $2,000 to get her 16-year-old daughter, Georgia, to the audition. "She saw the first 'Pop Idol' in England."

So many songs

A group of singers from San Jose - Steve Haddad, Danielle Najmeh and Auriana Shokrpour - came with two friends.

"Since the days of 'Star Search,' we haven't seen anything like this," said Najmeh, who grew up doing musical theater and is currently starring as Rizzo in West Valley Light Opera's production of "Grease" in Saratoga. She originally contemplated singing Oleta Adams' "Get Here," but changed her mind to an Aretha Franklin song once inside the Cow Palace.

"The more you sit here and see people sing, the more you rethink your choices," she said. "I want to sing something with a little variety."

In the end, she performed a tune from "Grease," and judges told her she made the wrong song choice.

Haddad, 24, of San Jose, sang Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" for this, his third "Idol" audition. He hoped that the unusual selection would make the difference this year, acknowledging that not many guys sing the Queen of Soul's classic.

"I felt awesome during the audition," Haddad said. "It looked like they were totally feeling it."

But after spending nine hours at the arena, neither he nor his friends was picked.

"It's definitely discouraging, but it's a phenomenal experience," he said. The trio is thinking about making the journey to Arizona later this month for another "Idol" audition.

Shawn Vasquez, 20, of Oakland was luckier. Vasquez, who had shaved his hair in the shape of a star and wore large white star-shaped earrings, a black vest and a bright red scarf, belted out "And I Am Telling You" by Jennifer Holliday from the Broadway show "Dreamgirls." The judges awarded him a ticket to the second round of auditions, where the notorious Simon Cowell is certain to let loose his honest opinions. (Cowell and the other front-line judges on the popular Fox show - Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson - do not participate in the first round of auditions.)

"I was still pretty nervous during the audition, but I'm going to work on that when I get home," Vasquez said.

'People suffer'

Others on the scene weren't as excited.

"The process is so long, and they make people suffer," said Kennesha Herron of Sacramento, who was waiting in line with her younger brother before his audition. "This is a gimmick."

"Half the time, you don't know if you're going to make it," she said. "I think if you go to L.A., you have a better chance of making it big there."

She and her friend bolted from the arena as soon as her brother was allowed to enter.

Inside, "American Idol" producers warmed up the crowd by teaching them to harmonize on two songs: The Temptations' "Get Ready" and Jefferson Starship's "We Built This City."

They were odd choices considering most of the hopefuls were too young to remember when the songs were popular. You must be under 29 to audition as part of this eight-city tour.

A producer also told the group, "There are no losers, only non-winners."

The contestants who wowed the judges in the first 20 seconds were given 20 seconds to perform another song.

Olivia Totten, a 26-year-old hairstylist from Fremont sang four songs, including a couple of tunes by rock band No Doubt. The more she sang, the more nervous she became.

In the end, she too was sent home.

Some aspiring Idols on Thursday were veteran auditioners.

"I've been singing all my life," said Jumoke Hill, 24, of Union City as he stood near the back of the long line in the early morning hours.

Hill said he has auditioned seven times before, and even made it to the second round in earlier auditions.

" 'American Idol' gives a chance to everybody," he said. "I may not look like a pop star, but it's equal opportunity here."

A few hours later, after singing a portion of "I Feel Good" by James Brown, a disappointed Hill exited the stadium.

"I thought my audition was great, and I feel like I should have made it through," he said.

"The feeling of 'dang, I didn't make it' will last for a week."