George Whitefield, Lance Bass of the 18th c.

Since the 18th century didn't have pop stars, they went gaga (no pun intended) over preachers instead. I love Nathan Cole's account of the excitement Whitefield generated when he came to town:

...there came a messenger and said Mr. Whitefield ... is to preach at Middletown this morning at ten of the Clock. I was in my field at Work. I dropt my tool that I had in my hand and went home to my wife telling her to make ready to go and hear Mr. Whitefield preach at Middletown, then run to my pasture for my horse. I with my wife soon mounted the horse and went forward as fast as I thought the horse could bear, ... we improved every moment to get along as if we were fleeing for our lives; all the while fearing we should be too late to hear the Sermon, for we had twelve miles to ride double in little more than an hour ...

And when we came within about half a mile or a mile of the Road that comes down from Hartford Weathersfield and Stepney to Middletown, on high land before me I saw a Cloud of fogg rising; ... I heard a noise something like a low rumbling thunder and presently found it was the noise of Horses feet coming down the Road and this Cloud was a Cloud of dust made by the Horses feet; ... it seemed like a steady Stream of horses and their riders, scarcely a horse more than his length behind another, all of a Lather and foam with sweat, their breath rolling out of their nostrils every Jump, every horse seemed to go with all his might to carry his rider to hear news from heaven for the saving of Souls. ...

We went down in the Stream but heard no man speak a word all the way for 3 miles but every one pressing forward in great haste and when we got to Middletown old meeting house there was a great Multitude it was said to be 3 or 4,000 of people Assembled together; we dismounted and shook off our Dust; and the ministers were then Coming to the meeting house. I turned and looked towards the Great River and saw the ferry boats Running swift backward and forward bringing over loads of people and the Oars Rowed nimble and quick, every thing, men horses and boats seemed to be Struggling for life. The land and banks over the river looked black with people and horses all along the twelve miles I saw no man at work in his field, but all seemed to be gone.

On another occasion there was a stampede at one of Whitefield's meetings when the sound of a breaking board triggered fears that the balcony was collapsing under the weight of so many people. Several were trampled, and some jumped from the balcony. Five were killed.

The most remarkable thing about all of this, probably, is that Whitefield didn't exactly look like a superstar. The following image and caption are from David Holmes's The Faiths of the Founding Fathers:

You can say that again!