In Concert News

As contestants from American Idol took the stage once more in Florida last night, The Palm Beach Post had a review of a few of the performers...

Melinda Doolittle: I was worried in the beginning that Mindy Doo was holding back too much, allowing herself to be overshadowed by other singers, especially LaKisha. But the second half of the show was a large improvement, and featured a "Natural Woman" that politely walks Kelly Clarkson's version to the woods and leaves it there without breadcrumbs. (I love Kelly. But you had to see it.) And she looked HOT.

Jordin Sparks: One of my fellow reporters noted that, late into the second half, winner Jordin seemed to be a footnote in her own victory. Everybody else seemed to have a lot more stage time. But that was before the last 20 minutes, which became the Jordin Show. She has such a stage presence when seen live. and delivered a solid, incredibly effortless "I Who Have Nothing," a pretty good "Broken Wing" and a version of snore-happy winning single "This Is My Now" that at least kept you awake.

The kid is pretty good at the guitar, too. I will say that the choice of that icky treacle as the single let me know how much the producers wanted her to win, because it wasn't anywhere near the style of fellow finalist Blake Lewis' strength. Yes, it's a conspiracy theory. Talk amongst yourselves.

Blake Lewis: Speaking of my beloved beat box, he kept proving how well he sings, and not just how well he can turn his body into a stripey-haired percussion instrument. His take on Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity?" Priceless. He took up a lot of stage time, by the way, seeming to be in on so many people's segments. His buddy...

Chris Richardson: also got a heck of a lot of spotlight shone on his little buzz-cut noggin. He was the lyrical oomph to Blake's beat-box on "Geek In The Pink," which was competent on TV but flowed nearly perfectly on stage. He avoided a lot of the nasalness that Simon Cowell was always after him for. Nasal is a style of singing, like Chris told Simon. Just not one that works as well as what he did on stage.

Sanjaya Malakar: As his mom told me later "He can sing!" I didn't care for some of his Michael Jackson-esque choreography on "The Way You Make Me Feel," but he sounded great, moving around in front of a screen showing some of his greatest hair hits. One thing - why no faux-hawk? And he plays a mean tambourine.

Chris Sligh: OK, I gotta tell you something. This guy is the one that most shocked the biscuits out of me, because while the show proved that he has a solid voice, nothing hinted at its richness on stage, its range, or how confident and even sexy he becomes when behind a guitar. His version of Mute Math's "Typical" was fascinating, because with him playing, his voice sounded more edgy and rock-like. Drat. We didn't see half of what he could do on the show. We wuz robbed.

LaKisha Jones: I don't know what she's been doing in her time off, but something tells me it involves stage craft lessons. This girl came off as a consummate professional, and the cockiness that seemed to inform her decision to blow off all the guest mentors and always do her own thing, even when it backfired, seems to have become confidence.

Her best moment came when she once again acknowledged that she was ignoring the popular edict to never attempt "I Will Always Love You" and just blew that thing all over the ceiling. I got chills. When she ran up to the big glory note, she just attacked it like "Yeah I nailed it. You had doubts?" I did. But I won't get fooled again. I still think it wouldn't have killed her to at least listen to Tony Bennett a little bit, though.

Haley Scarnato: Like Melinda, she got better as the show went on. I think sometimes she was unable to hear herself in the monitor, so she appeared to be shouting. But her re-do of "When God-Fearing Women Get The Blues" was much stronger than it was earlier in the evening. And she owned her part on "Life Is A Highway." Good for her.

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Korina Lopez posted a review of a Daughtry concert in Washington on the USA Today American Idol blog. Here it is...

Chris Daughtry don’t need no stinkin’ Idol title.

His self-titled debut album, which sold 1 million copies in just five weeks, has far eclipsed the sales of last season’s winner, Taylor Hicks. And on Thursday night he was greeted by a sold-out crowd of fans from all over the spectrum, from kids with their parents to tweens to baby boomers.

His performance was solid and energetic. He sang candidly about past heartaches, dedicating tunes such as Used To to everyone “who’s had their heart broken.”

He finessed his rocker roar with enough pop melody to please both his rock-leaning fans as well as his pop-loving peeps with Over You and What I Want. Saving his best for last, he rounded out the evening with his hits Home and It’s Not Over, and the cheers shook the roof.

If there were a guide called How to Be a Rocker, Daughtry’s performance was flawless. He’s got a great voice; he’s good-looking in a Vin Diesel, muscle-bound sort of way, and his band played their instruments with aplomb.

So what was missing? While his performance was solid, it was also formulaic. He believably acted the part of rock god, wearing eyeliner, swaggering around the stage, reaching toward his fans' outstretched hands just far enough to brush their fingertips before he pulled back.

A couple of times per song, Daughtry hopped on what fellow concertgoer Alex Nicholson of Washington D.C., amusingly called “the awesome box” (a black box that he’d stand on throughout the show, like a mini-stage) as if to punctuate the highlights of each song. Sounds a little cheesy, right?

He also demonstrated a kind of arrogance that was off-putting, the sort of swaggering that works for the likes of Steve Tyler or Mick Jagger, and not (yet) for Chris Daughtry. He’s a long way from their rank.

What makes Daughtry so popular is his accessibility. His fans feel connected to him, having watched him rise from the ranks of everyman to rock star.

Let’s hope he remembers that as his success grows. And judging from the tattoo of DAUGHTRY across his back, he’s well on his way to becoming blinded by fame and forgetting the people who made him what he is today - his fans.

Don't worry, you can see Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson again soon.

The two may have been voted off American Idol last night, but the American Idols Live tour dates were released this week and should help to alleviate the fan depression that comes along with the show's looming finale.

The tour is slated to occur between July 6th and September 22nd and lands at 50 different locations across the country, including a stint in Canada.

If you happen to live in close proximity to one of these cities, this may be your only opportunity to see this year's top 10 in the flesh. Yes, Sanjaya Malakar will even be there.

Most tickets appear to be going on sale at the respective venues on Saturday, May the 19th in the early morning.

So if you yearn to see Sanjaya, Blake Lewis, Lakisha, Melinda, the Chris', Gina, Jordin, Haley Scarnato, and Phil sing in person, your chance to purchase tickets is fast approaching.

Martina McBride will grace the American Idol stage next week, as the show goes country for a night.

In honor of that theme, here's a list of tour dates/locations for past Idols that would mostly fall into the genre of country music.

BUCKY COVINGTON
April 12 — Council Bluffs, IA, Horseshoe Casino/Whiskey Roadhouse
April 13 — Chicago, IL, Joe’s Sports Bar
May 5 — Cherokee, NC, Harrah’s Cherokee Pavilion
May 6 — Hershey, PA, Hersheypark Amphitheatre
May 26 — Zellwood, FL, Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival
May 27 — San Bernardino, CA, Branding Iron
May 29 — Solana Beach, CA, Belly Up Tavern
July 12 — Afton, NY, Afton Fair
July 14 — Altamont, NY, WGNA Country Fest
July 28 — East Falmouth, MA, Barnstable County Fairgrounds
Aug. 10 — Belpre, OH, Belpre Homecoming
Aug. 29 — Hickory, NC, American Legion Fair
Aug. 31 — Anderson, SC, Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center
Oct. 1 — Coshocton, OH, Coshocton County Fair
Oct. 13 — Maryville, TN, venue TBA

CARRIE UNDERWOOD
July 15 — Craven, SK, Country Jamboree
Sept. 8 — York, PA, York Fair

KELLIE PICKLER (appearing with Brad Paisley)
April 26 — Chattanooga, TN, McKenzie Arena
April 27 — Statesboro, GA, Paulson Stadium
April 28 — Columbus, GA , Columbus Civic Center
May 3 — Evansville, IN, Roberts Stadium
May 4 — Moline, IL, Mark Of The Quad Cities
May 6 — Champaign, IL, Assembly Hall
May 10 — Maryland Heights, MO, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
May 11 — Bonner Springs, KS, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
May 12 — Dallas, TX, Smirnoff Music Centre
May 17 — Bakersfield, CA, Rabobank Arena
May 18 — Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre
May 19 — Marysville, CA, Sleep Train Amphitheatre
May 22 — Vancouver, BC, General Motors Place
May 24 — Spokane, WA, Spokane Arena
May 25 — Ridgefield, WA, The Amphitheater at Clark County
May 26 — Auburn, WA, White River Amphitheatre
June 7 — Noblesville, IN, Verizon Wireless Music Center
June 8 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Blossom Music Center
June 9 — Mansfield, MA, Tweeter Center
June 10 — Darien Center, NY, Darien Lake Six Flags P.A.C.
June 22 — Grand Junction, CO, Country Jam USA*
June 22 — Greeley, CO, Island Grove Park*
June 24 — Albuquerque, NM, Journal Pavilion
June 29 — Chula Vista, CA, Coors Amphitheatre
June 30 — Devore, CA, Hyundai Pavilion of Glen Helen
July 1 — Phoenix, AZ, Cricket Pavilion
July 19 — Morristown, OH, Jamboree in the Hills

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American Idol's winner won't be decided for two months, but last night's 10 survivors get a prize: a spot in the American Idols Live summer concert tour.

That accomplishment, which gets far less attention than making the top 24 or final 12, carries greater benefits: the chance to perform before arena audiences, develop fan bases and earn a six-figure payday.

That's why Stephanie Edwards - eliminated this week - may feel extra bummed, says Jessica Sierra (pictured here, alongside Kevin Covais), who finished 10th in Season 4.

"I think that was the most important thing on everybody's mind, making the top 10," she says. It means, " 'I get to go on tour.' It was bigger than making the Top 12."

The concert series has grown in popularity over its five seasons. Last year's 59-date, cross-country tour was the year's 12th biggest in box office gross, pulling in $35.2 million, according to Billboard Boxscore. Nearly 650,000 fans attended, filling 96% of available seats.

The first Idol tour featured Season 1's 10 finalists, and the number has remained the same as Idol's last grouping has grown to 12.

"Creatively, 10 feels like the right number. Twelve feels like too many. If Artist X is your favorite and you see them for less than two or three songs, you'd be disappointed," says 19 Entertainment's Iain Pirie.

The singers, who also perform in duets and groups, get a new experience when they perform before large arena crowds, Pirie says.

"These are big shows, potentially a bit daunting, standing on stage in front of 12,000 screaming fans," he says. "By the end, the contestants have learned so much about the art of stagecraft and performance."

At the same time, just missing the tour cut is "a tough pill to swallow," says Kevin Covais, who finished 11th last season. As one of the Top 12, he took part in the season finale and an Idol compilation CD.

"It would have meant the world to me" to make the tour, says Covais, now shooting a Lionsgate film, College. Singing on Idol's Top 12 stage was great, "but it would have been another thing to have the experience of going around the country and seeing the fans who loved you so much."

Sierra, who is talking to labels about her soon-to-be-completed album, says the tour gives singers the chance to meet large numbers of fans and to become better friends with former competitors.

"When we're on the show, everybody is worried about themselves," she says. "When (Idol) is over and we're all on the stage together, it's so much more fun."

That means all remaining competitors, such as Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato, have a lot to look forward to.

SOURCE: USA Today

Fourth-place American Idol finisher Chris Daughtry proved Sunday night to be a formidable concert draw. His band, simply known as Daughtry, played at a sold-out Slim's in San Francisco a few hours after the Super Bowl - an extremely difficult feat by anyone's measure.

Like the Indianapolis Colts, Daughtry put on a show that certainly connected with his exuberant fans. Artistically speaking, however, the singer still has a long way to go before he can be thought of as anything other than just the lucky beneficiary of all that television exposure.

As past Idol winners can attest, it's not how contestants do on TV that matters most. The competition begins when the show's season ends, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

The real chance for victory occurs when the alumni try their luck on the record charts. Just ask Ruben Studdard, the Season 2 champ who to this day fights comparisons to runner-up Clay Aiken, who has registered the more successful recording career.

Known as the rocker, Daughtry placed behind Elliott Yamin, Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks on last season's American Idol. That was a shocker to many, since he was widely considered to be the clear front-runner.

Yet, America had its say on the show, which is decided by votes from viewers, and Hicks was crowned the 2006 champ.

Now, the public is voting once again -- with its dollars -- and the winner appears to be Daughtry.

The 27-year-old North Carolina native is a major hit with record buyers. The self-titled debut CD from his band was released in November and went on to top the album charts. It's moved more than 1.3 million copies to date -- becoming one of the fastest debuts from any American Idol contestant to reach platinum certification.

"Daughtry'' sits at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Conversely, Taylor Hicks' eponymous debut, which was released less than two months ago, is down at No. 63.

Just like on Idol, the singer came across in concert more like someone trying to be a rock star than someone who actually is a rock star. And, without a doubt, he's trying too hard.

Opening with the new album's overwrought "Crashed,'' the vocalist filled the show with a staggering number of rock 'n' roll cliches - far more than should be allowed in a single 50-minute set.

He hit each number as if he were still trying to garner favor from the three-headed tribunal of Simon, Paula and Randy. He combined tired theatrics, such as continually hugging himself to illustrate just how much the lyrics meant to him, with an over-the-top, gut-wrenchingly earnest delivery that was straight out of Rock Star 101.

And it worked for him, at least in the crowd's eyes. His lightweight take on watered-down grunge rock, which seems modeled after that of Rob Thomas, had the crowd singing along at top volume to "Used To'' and "What I Want.''

"By looking out at the crowd, I can tell that most of you have the album,'' the star remarked early in the show. "You probably know the words better than I do.''

From there, Daughtry and the crowd continued to share vocals through the guitar-drenched rocker "Gone'' and the punchy power-ballad ``Breakdown.''

One of the night's better moments occurred when the singer played a solo acoustic-guitar version of a yet-unrecorded tune. The number - possibly called "My Hands'' - was penned with Thomas and should make Daughtry's next album.

The celeb had one surprise up his sleeve - a rendition of "Sunday Bloody Sunday.'' This American Idol vet, of course, is no stranger to cover material, and he delivered an admirable take on the U2 classic.

Daughtry closed his main set with the gooey-sweet original "Home'' and then returned for a two-song encore that included current radio hit "It's Not Over.''

In all, it was a moderately successful showing - just good enough to keep this critic interested until the next round.

Interested in seeing your favorite American Idol contestant live or on TV? Here's a look at various schedules for the week:

Tuesday, January 9
- Constantine Maroulis opens Off-Broadway in “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris”. For ticket information, check out the Jacques Brel website.
- Frenchie Davis co-hosts Good Day New York.

Wednesday, January 10
- Daughtry is the musical guest on the Late Late show with Craig Ferguson at 12:35/11:35c on CBS.
- Anthony Fedorov co-hosts Good Day New York.

Thursday, January 11
- Daughtry appears at the Viper Room in Los Angeles, CA.
- Kevin Covais co-hosts Good Day New York.

Friday, January 12
- Josh Strickland (S2 semi-finalist) co-hosts Good Day New York.

Sunday, January 14
- Jon Peter Lewis, Kimberly Caldwell, Lindsey Cardinale and Mikalah Gordon appear in a benefit for the Northwest Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center at the Civic Arena in St. Joseph, MO. Tickets are $10-$20 and are available through Ticketmaster or by calling the Civic Arena box office @ (816) 271-4717 or toll free at (800) 821-5052.

Monday, January 15
- Kellie Pickler appears in an outdoor concert at the Paddock Mall in Ocala, FL. The free 30 minute concert starts at 6 pm.
- Taylor Hicks plays golf with other celebrities during the Bob Hope Golf Classic. The 7-day tournament begins today.

Tuesday, January 16
- Diana DeGarmo co-hosts Good Day New York.

Apparently at universities in the south, geography is not widely taught, as southern gentleman Clay Aiken has yet to discover the Pacific Northwest is part of America. Hence, if you wish to hear Clay sing, and hail from that unfortunate corner of the U.S., pack your bags, check your boarding pass, and hop on the nearest plane for the East Coast.

Clay Aiken is currently singing with several symphony orchestras as a guest artist for this mini-Christmas tour, which kicked off December 1 in snowy Illinois - necessitating a last minute change of plans to leave his 28th birthday celebration and head to Chicago a day early.

The tour will finish in Greensboro, N.C. on the 23rd, just in time to celebrate Christmas at his new home in Raleigh.

I caught up with the tour in Baltimore after a lovely red-eye flight from the Pacific Northwest. Clay is touring without his usual back-up singers and band, though he is traveling with his music director, Jesse Vargas, from his first Joyful Noise tour in 2004.

In each city, the symphony plays anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, and then Clay sings the second half with the orchestra providing the musical accompaniment. The set list comprises songs from his first Christmas CD, Merry Christmas With Love, and four lovely additions from his Wal-Mart exclusive EP, All Is Well.

Clay is in a league of his own with Christmas carols, and this tour proves as much. His range has grown each year of his career, and the finale, "All Is Well" is a how-to primer on soft, low notes sung with passion up to the soaring, glory notes well above a tenor's range.

In each city, while Clay might have crossed his fingers and planted his feet for luck in hitting that final note, the audience shot to its feet and screamed in appreciation as he hit it. Even more impressive is that for the last week, Clay has been suffering from a debilitating inner ear infection that has given him vertigo and dizziness.

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Maybe you've got to be on American Idol before you get to Lambeau Field.

So Will Makar now realizes. The good-natured former contestant on the FOX reality show says he kept calling the Green Bay Packers for years, saying: "I want to sing for you guys!"

On Thursday night, he'll finally get his chance.

The pop-jazz vocalist will belt out the national anthem to open the Packers-Vikings game in Green Bay.

"I definitely am so excited for singing there," he said.

Makar's fans in Oshkosh couldn't be more proud.

"What's so funny is, Will was born and raised in Houston, but my brother's from Wisconsin and is a big Packers fan," his autn, Anna Sundet, said. "Will just thinks the world of Brett Favre."

Earlier this season, Kelly Clarkson sang the national anthem before a Dallas Cowboys home game.

The commercial verdict is in on this year's American Idol tour, and in a word, it would be "smash." Thanks to USA Today and Billboard, we have the official statistics for you, and here's the summary:

• Total gross: $35.2 million on 59 dates
• Total attendance: 645,782
• Total sellouts: 19 (32 percent of the shows)
• Percentage of seats sold, overall: 96 percent
• Top-grossing show: New York (East Rutherford, N.J.), about $890,000 each for two shows, July 13 and 14
• Top attendance: Greensboro, N.C., 15,337, July 30
• Lowest percentage of seats sold: Austin, 80 percent, September 10

Industry insiders predict that the tour, led by winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katherine McPhee, could be among the top 10 of the year, even without the high ticket prices that Madonna and other top individual acts command (the top ticket price for the American Idol tour was $72.50, but only at several venues).

We don't have the equivalent results for previous tours at our fingertips (please post them in a comment if you do), but we'd be surprised if this weren't the most successful American Idol tour yet. Which isn't that surprising, since it featured contestants such as Elliott Yamin and Chris Daughtry -- who weren't even among the final pairing.