Were you looking forward to an American Idol Live 2019 tour this summer, starring favorite contestants such as Laine Hardy, Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon, Laci Kaye Booth, Alejandro Aranda and more?
Unfortunately, there is bad news.
According to American Idol 2018 winner Maddie Poppe, there will be no tour this summer. She revealed that tidbit in the comments section of American Idol’s official Instagram. You can troll through the comments below. But I’ve got a screen grab here:
I know! Dang it. Right? I’ve attended every tour since season 3. Yes the tour is cheesy! But hella fun. American Idol has mounted a tour every season the show has been on the air EXCEPT for the final season on FOX in 2016. When American Idol pulled in 30 million viewers a night back in the aughts, the tour hit arenas and made oodles of money. During those years, contestants hoped to make the Top 10, which translated to a sweet sweet payday.
Last summer, the Top 7 toured, with the addition of season 8 winner, Kris Allen. The show mostly travelled to 2000 or so seat venues in mid-sized cities. The tour came as a surprise, considering the season 15 crew, headed by Trent Harmon, did not hit the road after that final season. With American Idol ratings in decline year to year, a tour becomes less and less profitable.
The Voice attempted to mount tours as well. The last one was in 2014 when a combo of season 5 and 6 contestants embarked on a nationwide tour. Venues were half empty and The Voice never tried it again. (except for the aborted Las Vegas residency, but that’s a whole nother story).
Rip Idol tour!
The silver lining: Right after the confetti falls on the finale, alums can get right to work on their music careers.
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