American Idol Live! Tour 2012
After a long 11th Season, Your Top 10 Idols Are Embarking on a Big North American Tour!
by Derek J. Samms
In just a few days, the anticipated American Idol Live! tour has its opening performance in Detroit, Michigan. The tour, sponsored by Chips Ahoy! and Ritz, features the top ten finalists from this season singing a combination of hits from the show together with others not yet performed for their fans. With a handful of VIP packages (in which fans receive rare Idol gear and the opportunity to hang with their favorite finalists) and one dollar of each ticket sale going to The Heart Foundation, this tour packs a lot of promise. The idols gave a little preview of what we can expect from their live shows, and EnterTeenment was there to capture it.
While the performers could only say so much about the content of the tour, it sounds like the concerts will have everything you loved from the show this season with plenty of surprises thrown in.
Said Hollie Cavanagh, the adorable teen from Liverpool who placed fourth this season, “As you saw on the show, the top 10 of us are very different in our own way, so you’re just not gonna get the same thing every performance. You’re gonna get different things. I’m really excited. It’s gonna be a great show, so everyone should definitely come. You’re gonna miss out if you don’t!” While she couldn’t tell us the name of the song, Cavanagh did hint that at least one song she sang on Idol would be heard again on the tour, but she would also be singing a new number and perhaps a duet with another of the top ten.
Multi-voice performances are just one feature to look forward to. Elise Testone, the sixth-place winner, also teased a little as to what surprises were in store: “Heejun’s doing, like, some sort of strip thing, so I don’t know if you want to see that part, but besides that, there’s a lot of duets and group songs and trios. It’s long, maybe three hours or so. There’s intermission. And some surprises, so I don’t want to give it all away!”
Of course, the biggest highlight will likely be the new styles we didn’t see the singers explore on the show. “You finally get to see who we are as artists,” said DeAndre Brackensick, who mentioned the finalists were able to have a greater influence on song selections this time around. “I just think you get to see the sides of us that we didn’t get to show. There was a lot of stuff that wasn’t on the show. Certain artists like Erika—on the tour you’ll get to see the true beauty of her voice.”
The audience won’t be the only ones enjoying this tour. Many of the performers described the fun they have with each other backstage and how much they’re looking forward to seeing certain cities along the way.
“One place I’m really looking forward to is Manila, mostly cause it’s out of the country,” said Jessica Sanchez, the season’s runner-up. She had her reasons for wanting to see the Philippines specifically, though: “Hey, I’m half Filipino!”
Any of the shows will be exciting for Heejun Han, though, who said, “Actually, I’ve never been to a music concert before, and the first concert I’m going to attend is going to be my own.”
For most of the idols, the thought of visiting their home was especially appealing—not only to see friends and family, but also because that tends to be the fan base that gets a contestant through most of the season in Idol. DeAndre Brackensick didn’t even have to pause when asked where he was looking forward to visit. “San Jose, my hometown, July 22. They gave us all that love and appreciation. It’ll be really ncie to go back and give it back to them.” Like Brackensick, Han expressed his excitement about taking the tour to New York, and Colton Dixon mentioned how he was looking forward to seeing Nashville, which is a short drive from his home.
Sadly, not all the artists will be able to visit their old stomping grounds during the tour. Since Cavanagh’s relatives live in England, visiting them will have to wait, but it sounds like her cohorts will fill the void with plenty of love and high jinks. When asked if she was worried about any pranks that Joshua Ledet might be scheming, she said, “No, we are going to team up and do some serious damage.” One wonders if any of the other performers ought to beware. “Nobody,” Cavanagh said, then added with a smirk, “but Heejun. And if Phillip starts ganging up on us then Phillip too, because they double-team!”
Phillips encountered a small prank during the press conference, when a mischievous Han slipped in among reporters with the question, “Who do you get along with the most?” When asked if he and Han were still “best buds,” he answered, “No. I don’t like him at all!” But since he was smiling, we can rest assured that was a joke.
Pranks won’t be the only thing to fend off homesickness. Cavanagh mentioned that she always has her mascara, Brackensick will have his ukulele and a CD of his sister’s music, and Jessica plans to keep her phone and laptop close to keep in contact with home. According to winner Phillip Phillips, all he needs to stay happy are “guitar, food, bed.”
Of course, many of the idols also find consistency with their pre-performance rituals. Sanchez says she carries a rosary with her to say a quick prayer before mounting the stage. Erika Van Pelt, always the professional, mentioned that she warms up a half-hour before each performance—even if she sounds bizarre doing it. Then there’s Brackensick, who has his own method for warming up: “Scream. Just to get everything out.”
But what will really help these performers survive the long nights and tired roads of an international tour is the tight-knit friendships that have performed between them. According to Van Pelt, there are more inside jokes between them than can even be listed, and, “We have our own language, which no one understands. At all. I’m not even sure we understand it, but we use it anyway…We call each other ‘Boo-Boo,’ and I’m pretty sure Josh and Hollie started that movement. That happens a lot. We don’t even know why!”
For most, this tour will also be a time to work on upcoming projects while continuing to build their fan base on the road. As winner, Phillip Phillips will likely complete an album before 2012 is over, and several of the other finalists, like Cavanagh and Testone, expressed the hope of recording albums in the near future. Dixon in particular mentioned how inspiration struck him as soon as the Idol season ended, writing furiously in the first week.
“Right now I’ve got about thirty [songs],” he said. “Hopefully we’ll get a record by the end of the year.”
With the diversity of talent offered this season, fans should have plenty to look forward to from these new young stars. Their CDs will likely hit iTunes and record stores some time in the future. In the meantime, you can check out the tour when it comes to your area. Visit AmericanIdol.com for more info and how to purchase tickets, and as always, keep coming back to EnterTeenment for updates on all your favorite entertainment news!
Tour Dates
7/6 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
7/7 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
7/9 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
7/11 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
7/12 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
7/14 Broomfield, CO 1stBank Center
7/16 West Valley City, UT Maverik Center
7/18 Seattle, WA Key Arena at Seattle Center
7/19 Portland, OR Rose Garden
7/21 Sacramento, CA Power Balance Pavilion
7/22 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion at San Jose
7/23 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
7/25 Ontario, CA Citizens Business Bank Arena
7/26 San Diego, CA Valley View Casino Center
7/27 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena
7/29 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
7/30 Lafayette, LA Cajundome
7/31 Jackson, MS Mississippi Coliseum
8/2 Orlando, FL Amway Center
8/3 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center
8/5 Duluth, GA Arena at Gwinnett Center
8/6 N. Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum
8/8 Washington, DC Verizon Center
8/9 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Center
8/11 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
8/12 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
8/14 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
8/15 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
8/16 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
8/18 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
8/19 Worcester, MA DCU Center
8/21 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
8/22 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
8/25 Portland, ME Cumberland County Civic Center
8/26 Providence, RI Dunkin Donuts Center
8/28 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
8/30 Albany, NY Times Union Center
9/1 Bridgeport, CT Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard
9/2 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
9/4 Syracuse, NY War Memorial at OnCenter
9/6 Wilkes Barre, PA Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
9/7 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
9/8 Reading, PA Sovereign Center
9/10 Cincinnati, OH US Bank Arena
9/11 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center