Like seven seasons of Idols before them, the season 8 Idols kicked off their summer tour July 5 in Portland. Before they took the stage, Idols Kris Allen and Adam Lambert expressed how they were feeling about hitting the road.
Pre-Tour Excitement
The recently crowned American Idol spoke about the tour with AP Television Writer, Lynn Elber on Seacoastonline.com before the first show on July 5.
“The energy is going to be better on tour,” Allen said. He continued to explain that he and the rest of the contestants will be able to feed off the crowd's energy, as well as not having to worry about being judged.
“I’ll be with my friends, have a good time. I’m really excited,” Allen said.
Runner-up, Adam Lambert spoke about why he chose not to address speculation about his sexuality during the show.
"I really wanted people to identify with my entertainment before my personal life. I wanted people to enjoy my performances and get on board," Lambert said.
First Night On Stage
Meredith Rosser in her review of the first show of Idol tour for TheExaminer.com said that, "Early standouts of the night included Anoop Desai, whose reprise of Bobby Brown's My Prerogative knocked it out of the park for hard-core fans, and Matt Giraud, who kicked up the energy with The Black Crowes' Hard to Handle.
Rosser said that contestants Michael Sarver, Megan Joy, and Lil Rounds all had solid performances of songs they performed during their time on Idol. Their performances "made many fans wish they'd power-texted a little bit faster," Rosser said in her review.
Adam Lambert Steals The Show
RollingStone.com reviewer, Susan Yudt described runner-up, Adam Lambert's entrance as making his presence known among the attendees in the audience.
Lambert hit his famous multiple octave notes, was glittered up and was definitely making the most of his five-song set, which included his popular duet with fourth place contestant, Allison Iraheta.
Lambert's tour set:
- Whole Lotta Love by Led Zepplin
- Starlight by Muse
- Mad World by Tears For Fears/Gary Jules
- Slow Ride by Foghat
- Life On Mars, Fame and Lets Dance by David Bowie
Kris Allen Gives Rob Thomas A Run For His Money
Kris Allen rose from under the stage, acoustic guitar in hand to play the song that sent him sailing into the American Idol top two, Kanye West's Heartless.
Rosser noted in her review that Allen had the crowd "entranced" during his opening number and they stuck with him throughout his five-song set. She also noted that during his performance of the Matchbox Twenty hit, Bright Lights, Allen could make lead singer Rob Thomas look over his shoulder.
Allen played both acoustic and electric guitar during his set, as well as piano.
Allen's tour set:
- Heartless by Kanye West
- Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers
- No Boundaries (American Idol coranation song)
- Bright Lights by Matchbox Twenty
- Hey Jude by The Beatles
American Idol LIVE! Summer Tour
The season 8 crop of Idols will continue their summer tour throughout the remainder of the summer. Fans can still buy tickets to see their favorite Idol through Ticketmaster.com. For the remainder of tour dates, visit AmericanIdol.com.
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