Crystal Bowersox and Season 9 American Idols: taking the show on the road

It’s just shy of 100 degrees, but the heat is nothing to fans already burning up with Idol fever outside the 1st Mariner Arena. Just before 3 o’clock Saturday, a scream sounds the alarm: The American Idols Live tour buses have been spotted. A fire evacuation at the Idols’ hotel has delayed them two hours. Upon arrival, bottled water makes the rounds, and buddies Lee DeWyze and Andrew Garcia begin a game of catch with them.

Katie Stevens shows off her new piercing (she and Siobhan Magnus got their cartilage pierced in Ontario). “I wanted to do something rebellious,” she says.

That’s not the only jewelry the group is sporting. Silly Bandz (the multicolored stretchy bracelets) are all the rage this summer, and fans are eager to adorn their Idols with them.

Katie has “accumulated an armful” since the tour started a month ago (they’ve got 26 shows to go before the tour wraps Aug. 31). Michael Lynche has his own rainbow of bracelets — shaped like a sun, a dog, a ring and a pig — stretched to the limit on his huge wrist. “I keep them until they break,” he says.

After media interviews (Casey James won the group’s bet on how many times Mike would be asked about his baby daughter), it’s time for soundcheck.

Amid a haze of white lights, the group (minus Crystal Bowersox) runs through group numbers. Siobhan, who is recovering from a cold, sits on the stage.

As they take their places, Lee announces: “The one, the only, Aaron Kelly! For his first trick, he will stand on his head and juggle.”

Mike gets down on one knee to serenade the empty seats during My Life Would Suck Without You. Lee serenades Andrew.

As the audience files into the arena, Crystal catches a moment to Skype backstage with her 18-month-old son, Tony. Didi Benami’s yoga mat is unrolled on the floor, “but I had no time today,” she says. Katie’s hair is in curlers, and she excuses herself to rush back to stylist Neil Wilson, “or I’m going to end up looking like Shirley Temple.”

Suddenly, it’s show time. The upper tiers of the arena are sparsely populated, with a few glow sticks standing out in the darkness. But those in the floor seats are soon on their feet.

After the concert ends at 10:30, a crowd is waiting for autographs and hugs outside. Didi gets red roses from a fan; Tim Urban gets a proposal.

“Tim, can we talk about getting married now?” asks Ashley Shaw, 15, before slipping him her phone number. “We’ll talk about it,” he tells her.

ARTICLE BY: Kristin McGrath and Haley Blum
SOURCE: www.usatoday.com
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