"American Idol" Season 8 winner Kris Allen performs during the American Idol! Live Tour 2009 at the TD Garden on August 18.
The Garden performance gave the Idols a chance to connect with fans who wore out phones and racked up telephone bills voting for them over the course of the talent competition television show's latest season. The Boston tour date also happened to be preceded by a day off in the tour itinerary, an opportunity for the Idols to connect with the city of Boston in general.
"If you come to Boston and don't tour the city, you'd better be sick in your hotel room," said Michael Sarver, one of "Idol"'s top 10, on Tuesday afternoon. Sarver was among a crew that was soaked by the Codzilla on Monday, part of a jampacked day that any Boston tourist knows well: harbor ride, Aquarium and a duck boat tour of Boston. Sarver said he was one of the many who fell under the spell of the amphibious vehicle.
"The tour was the best part, because you're seeing history. And the idea that a car, a truck turns into a boat is like the ultimate real life Transformers experience. That's about the closest I've ever come to Optimus Prime," Sarver said.
When informed of the role duck boats played in certain Boston championship parades, the avid sports fan (Houston Astros, New Orleans Saints and LSU Tigers) enthusiastically said he wants to come back to take in the spectacle.
For the record, Sarver was promptly advised to book his travel plans for early November of this year.
So how did your favorite Idol - don't pretend you didn't watch - spend time in our fair city? Of the five Idols with whom Bostonist spoke on Tuesday, two went the touristy route (Sarver and Matt Giraud), one slept in and then went shopping (Allison Iraheta, who said she was joined by Lil Rounds and Megan Joy at the Pru), one visited with Bostonian friends (Anoop Desai) and one searched the city high and low to find a hotel with a piano (Scott MacIntyre).
While they played on their own on Monday, Tuesday was all about getting back into playing for the "Idols" audience, some of whom stood in the broiling sun for hours prior to the evening show. The performers said that the chance to connect with their supporters was a highlight of the touring experience.
"It's cool. Especially when the ones I know have been there since the beginning, who have written on boards or whatever, will say, 'Oh, I'm this person,' and I recognize their names," said Desai. "Whenever I see someone I know who's been there since the beginning, it's nice."
Added bonus? There's the fact that the performers are less likely to hear criticism delivered with a clipped British accent.
"After our sets, we're not being judged or told how much we suck," Iraheta said with a laugh. "So that's pretty good."
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
