'American Idols' hit the road this summer

April 24, 2008 10:04 AM
By Kym Kilgore
LiveDaily Contributor
Fans and critics who were shocked to see Carly Smithson voted off Fox-TV's "American Idol" competition last night can take heart in knowing the tattooed singer will return to the stage for this summer's "American Idols Live [ tickets ] Tour."

The arena outing will feature season seven's Top 10 contestants--Smithson, Brooke White, Syesha Mercado, David Archuleta, David Cook, Jason Castro, Chikezie Eze, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns and Ramiele Malubay. It is scheduled to kick off July 1 in Glendale, AZ, and visit nearly 50 cities all over the US, as well as Toronto, through mid-September. Details are listed below.

Tickets go on sale May 17 in all US markets, with the Toronto date going on sale the day before.

Shock rang through Idolville last night when the contestants who received the highest praise for their versions of Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes--Smithson and Mercado--landed in the bottom two. Smithson, the 24-year-old Irish bartender from San Diego, wowed the crowd and the judges (even Simon Cowell) by belting out "Superstar" from the Broadway musical "Jesus Christ Superstar." Onlookers took the news of her elimination as proof that "Idol" is as much a popularity contest as it is a singing competition.

White, who forgot the lyrics to "You Must Love Me" and had to start over, and Castro, whose version of "Memory" was dubbed a "trainwreck" by judge Randy Jackson, will be back next week along with Mercado, Archuleta and Cook.

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]
tour dates and tickets
July 2008
1 - Glendale, AZ - jobing.com Arena
2 - San Diego, CA - San Diego Sports Arena
3 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
5 - Las Vegas, NV - Thomas & Mack Center
7 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
8 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion at San Jose
9 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
11 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden
12 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
14 - West Valley City, UT - The E Center
18 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
19 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
20 - Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center
22 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
23 - Cincinnati, OH - US Bank Arena
24 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
26 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
27 - Rochester, NY - BlueCross Arena
29 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
30 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center

August 2008
2 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
4 - Long Island, NY - Nassau Coliseum
6 - Albany, NY - Times Union Center
8 - Hartford, CT - XL Center
9 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center
10 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Wireless Center
12 - Baltimore, MD - 1st Mariner Arena
13 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
14 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
16 - Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena
17 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Bobcats Arena
18 - Duluth, GA - Arena at Gwinnett Center
20 - Sunrise, FL - BankAtlantic Center
21 - Tampa, FL – St. Pete Times Forum
24 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
25 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
26 - Bossier City, LA - CenturyTel Center
28 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
29 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
31 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center

September 2008
2 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center
3 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
4 - Cleveland, OH - Wolstein Center
6 - Bridgeport, CT - Arena at Harbor Yard
7 - Providence, RI - Dunkin Donuts Center
8 - Wilkes Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena
10 - Ft. Wayne, IN - Allen County Memorial Coliseum
11 - Evansville, IN - Roberts Stadium
13 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center

tour dates and tickets

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