In Touch Exclusive:
The Idols take on Kelly Clarkson
With their 51-city tour about to hit the road, there is no idle time for the 2010 American Idol top ten. In Touch found the gang hard at work last week rehearsing for a show that all are insisting will be nothing like Idol tours of the past.
“This was a very singer/songwriter season,” Didi Benami tells In Touch. “I am starting the show, so no pressure there! I have to pump everyone up. The tone of the show I am setting is showing that it’s something different and my first song will be something I guarantee no one will know.”
Click here to find out what the Idol tour has in store for its fans.
“All our sets are unique,” adds “Big” Mike Lynche. Now that the pressure of the show is off — and there are no judges around — everyone agrees it’s going to be fun to go out there and perform a whole song, instead being confined to abridged versions on the show. “We are all excited to do a whole song,” laughs Siobhan Magnus. “We’d squeeze every second we could out of a song on the show.”
One thing fans won’t be seeing on the tour, however, are those group dance numbers Idol is renowned for. “There are no cheesy numbers,” promises season nine favorite Crystal Bowersox. “They took it easy on us. There are group numbers, but they are not cheesy.” Katie Stevens is quick to agree. “Oh, these are good and not cheesy,” she laughs. “We have harmonies and it’s almost like Glee.”
One highlight of the show, which you can see in our exclusive video, is the gang’s rendition of Idol season one winner Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You.” “It shows the magnitude of Idol,” says Tim Urban. “The ninth season of the show is paying tribute to the first season winner, so it’s like Kelly is going on tour with us — kind of.”
Andrew Garcia won’t be disappointing fans, either. After wowing the judges in the Hollywood rounds with his interpretation of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up,” the song is going on the road with him. “I am doing ‘Straight Up,’ ” he tells In Touch. “I made a crazy impact with that rendition and to know that I’m remembered for that is amazing.”
Of the 51 cities the tour will be hitting, each Idol has one they are most looking forward to — and for this year’s winner, Lee DeWyze, it’s his hometown of Chicago. “When I did my hometown story, there were 40,000 people,” he says, “but it was a different feeling as it was outside with just my acoustic guitar. Rocking out in an arena on a big stage is going to be awesome.”
With so many musicians this year, the tour buses are going to be loaded with guitars. “We will all have our instruments, which is a given,” says Casey James, who also admits his shirt is staying on throughout the tour. “Aaron [Kelly] has the tear-away pants ready,” he jokes. But not according to Aaron: “That is not happening!” he says firmly.
The 2010 American Idol Live! Tour kicks off on July 1 in Detroit, Mich. Tickets are on sale now. Visit americanidol.com and livenation.com for more information.
