Rolling Stone article regarding the tour

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/06/26/kris-allen-adam-lambert-reveal-plans-behind-american-idol-tour/

Quote :

American Idol kicks off its summer tour on July 5th, trekking Kris Allen and crew through 50 cities in just under two months. What can fans expect of Season Eight’s Top 10 on an arena stage? Adam Lambert promises a “post-apocalyptic-rocked-out-space-disco-funk” look to his ensemble, while Matt Giraud is gearing up for dance lessons courtesy of tour choreographer JaQuel Knight, who was the creative brain behind Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” video. Plenty of laughs are also in store, if a tour preview held yesterday morning (pre-Michael Jackson news) in Burbank is any indication. Blame Giraud, who all-too-enthusiastically led his fellow finalists in a group rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” complete with dueling pianos (Scott McIntyre), hoots and snickers (ahem, Megan Joy).

You could say that for the first time since these former hopefuls auditioned, they’re having fun with no consequences. “To not have to worry about where the camera’s gonna be or where you’re standing is so liberating,” says Anoop Desai, who’ll be reprising “My Prerogative” as one of his show numbers. Allen is also adjusting to a new Idol world, and the idea of building his own set list. “People want to see you do songs from the show, but it’s nice to be able to throw in something that you want to do and really mold your time onstage,” he says. (His list includes “Hey Jude,” “Heartless” and “No Boundaries.”) It’s a balancing act they’re all accustomed to, and for his part, Lambert chose tunes by a couple of his idols, Muse and David Bowie. “I like to be associated with Bowie in any way because he’s a huge inspiration for me,” he explains. “So I’m performing the song as a way to honor him as an artist.” Lambert’s set list includes “Life on Mars,” “Fame” and “Let’s Dance.” (Get all our essential Adam Lambert coverage — photos, video and more — here.)
Megan Joy is also taking on an artist that should be a natural fit — she’ll perform Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own,” while Giraud is sticking with a proven crowd-pleaser, his rendition of “Georgia On My Mind.” Danny Gokey won’t reveal which songs he chose, only that two are from the show and two are “nude songs,” he says with a slip of the tongue, no doubt triggered by exhaustion.
Indeed, there’s little rest for the Idol weary. Allen says it was two full post-finale weeks before he got his first decent night of sleep. “I was at home and just conked out,” he laughs. “I didn’t wake up until, like, two in the afternoon. It was incredible.” Lambert, on the other hand, took a quick break soon after his whirlwind press tour in New York. “I had four days off and spent it with a special somebody in Santa Barbara,” he coos. “It was a really relaxing mini-vacation and very helpful.” But since then, it’s been non-stop drama for the runner-up who’s currently embroiled in a battle with Hi Fi Records that could turn legal when the label releases an album of his pre-Idol demos. Asked if he feels like he’s constantly putting out fires, Lambert tells Rock Daily, “You could say that. I’m like a fireman… and a firestarter at the same time.”
Of course, fame also has its perks, like getting a little guidance from Madonna. “She gave me some really good advice on the downsides of all the notoriety,” says Lambert. “To stay positive, keep your eye on the prize, really inspirational stuff. She knew I was doing press and said, ‘It’s hard talking about yourself, isn’t it?’ ” The moment was “major,” Lambert acknowledges, but he admits that the queen of pop, who’s known to abstain from all things TV, didn’t know much about him — or anything at all. “My friend who introduced us gave her a little back story before we met,” he recalls. “I didn’t know what to expect. It’s the most star-struck I’ve ever been, my heart was beating really fast and I stammered a lot, but she was really cool.”
Pretty soon, these idols will be on the opposite side of stammering fans — and an adoring celebrity or two — an exciting prospect considering they spent the better part of 2009 in isolation. Allison Iraheta, for one, is just happy to have the girls around. “I missed them,” she says, “and it’s only three of us on the tour, so you know our bus will be the party bus.” She’s not referring to binge drinking or any such acts of debauchery — it’s all about the video game console. Now if she could only decide between Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Hmmm Matt must be dancing so obviously his 3rd song is something on the hip-hoppish side. Hope I like it but I really don't like hip-hop! But I do think it's a good idea for him to do this because it should be a real crowd pleasure and the young kids will love it!

Thank you for posting the RS article. I bet that Matt is the most energetic one of the group!
I was wondering why Matt was consulting with the professional choreographer. Ha-ha, I bet a lot of people who don't know Matt will assume he's going to do a Justin Timberlake song! No way!

It sounds like his third song is definitely uptempo, but I doubt it will be hip-hop. Matt hasn't really mentioned that he would like to record this kind of music. However, I think his third solo could be more R&B/pop. I don't think any songs by Gavin DeGraw, One Republic, Coldplay, etc. would require choreography. So I was trying to rack my brain and figure out which singer would be similar to Matt's style.

Maybe this is just my wishful thinking, but I'm hoping... ROBIN THICKE? Remember after Matt sang Human Nature, Randy said that Matt reminded him of both JT and Robin Thicke? That always stuck with me because I think Robin is very talented and current. If you check out some of Thicke's performances on YouTube, he does a little dancing on some songs, along with a few back-up dancers. The possible songs Matt would need to learn some dance moves are "When I Get You Alone", "Sidestep" and "Magic". It's interesting that in his video for "Magic", Thicke dances around and wears a fedora!

It would be cool to see Matt perform "Magic" (or some other Thicke song) because it would be completely different from Georgia and YFM. However, I don't know if this is even possible, since Thicke might not want to give clearance for his songs to be used on tour. More likely, Matt would choose a song by an artist that has already given permission to AI to use his songs. Maybe someone like Ne-Yo, but I think Anoop would try to claim the Ne-Yo songs first.

Any other ideas? Maybe Matt and the other guys will do a group performance of "Bye, bye, bye"!

Great suggestions, Riley! I would about faint if Matt sang up tempo and did some MOVES.

I keep fantasizing (no, not that!) about going to Matt's solo concert after the Idol concerts. I hope it comes through for him that he does a MI show like he mentioned a couple times. I plan on dragging all my fam/friends to turn them on to Matt!

I would love to see Matt shakin his cute lil bee-hind around the stage!! I know this is gonna sound corny but I actually LOVE watchin him in that First Impression Video.. Especially when he is walking and kinda dancin on the beach and when he is on that stage in that Red/Orangish colored shirt?? The guy has got some moves!! Doesn't anyone else just love this too?? Oh and has anyone noticed I can't stop talking about this man!!! (sigh)

CrAzY_4_MattyG wrote:

I would love to see Matt shakin his cute lil bee-hind around the stage!! I know this is gonna sound corny but I actually LOVE watchin him in that First Impression Video.. Especially when he is walking and kinda dancin on the beach and when he is on that stage in that Red/Orangish colored shirt?? The guy has got some moves!! Doesn't anyone else just love this too?? Oh and has anyone noticed I can't stop talking about this man!!! (sigh)

No need to be ashamed! I love watching that First Impression video, too! Okay, so the production value is cheesy, but the song itself is really good. Of course, Matt looked FIIIIINE! Ha-ha! I remember the first time I read the viewers' comments on YouTube, everyone was calling those back-up dancers "skanky" or something! Step away from our Matt, girls!

I thought he looked the best when he had on that black wool hat, and he was walking on the beach! I confess that I know the chorus to that song by now.