The American Idols LIVE! Tour 2010 was a summer concert tour in the United States and Canada that featured the Top 10 contestants of the ninth season of American Idol. The 44 date tour started in Auburn Hills, Michigan, on July 1, and ended in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 31.^[1][2]

The tour was sponsored by M&M'S Pretzel Chocolate Candies.^[3] The tour was promoted by Live Nation for the first time after a seven year stint with AEG Live.^[4] The show was produced and directed by Raj Kapoor who was also responsible for the 2008 and 2009 Idols tour shows.^[5]

Performers[link]

Setlist[link]

• Didi Benami - "Lay It On Me" (Kyler England) and "Terrified" (Katharine McPhee)
• Andrew Garcia - "Straight Up" (Paula Abdul) and "Sunday Morning" (Maroon 5)
• Katie Stevens - "Here We Go Again" (Demi Lovato) and "Fighter" (Christina Aguilera)
• Tim Urban - "Better Days" (Goo Goo Dolls) and "Viva la Vida" (Coldplay)
• Siobhan Magnus - "Paint It, Black" (The Rolling Stones), "Spiderwebs" (No Doubt) and "Stockholm Syndrome" (Muse)
• Aaron Kelly - "Somebody Like You" (Keith Urban), "Walking in Memphis" (Marc Cohn), and "Fast Cars and Freedom" (Rascal Flatts)
• Benami, Garcia, Stevens, Urban, Magnus, and Kelly - "The Climb" (Miley Cyrus)

Intermission

• Michael Lynche - "This Woman's Work" (Kate Bush), "Ready for Love" (India.Arie) and "My Love" (Justin Timberlake)
• Casey James - "I Got Mine" (The Black Keys), "Don't!" (Shania Twain) "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" (Bryan Adams) with Michael Lynche and "It's All Over Now" (The Rolling Stones)
• Crystal Bowersox - "What's Up?" (4 Non Blondes), "Come to My Window" (Melissa Etheridge), "Up to the Mountain" (Patty Griffin) and "Piece of My Heart" (Janis Joplin).
• Lee DeWyze - "Beautiful Day" (U2), "Rocket Man" (Elton John), "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen), "Treat Her Like a Lady" (Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose), and "Use Somebody" (Kings of Leon)
• Group song: It's My Life (Bon Jovi), "My Life Would Suck Without You" (Kelly Clarkson)

Additional notes[link]

• Crystal Bowersox sang "People Get Ready" by The Impressions in place of "Up to the Mountain" in Atlantic City.
• Crystal Bowersox sang "Holy Toledo" instead of "Up to The Mountain" in her home town show in Toledo, OH.

Tour dates[link]

Rescheduled and canceled shows[link]

Response[link]

The season 9 tour performed significantly worse than the last few years of the tour. Of the limited number of shows that reported their tour receipts to Billboard, the number of ticket sold averaged 6057 per show with an average revenue of $277,814 per show. While this average number of ticket sold is around two-third of the previous two seasons, the average revenue was less than half of those seasons due to ticket price reduction and special offers. The ticket price this year averaged $45.87, down by around 25% from the previous two seasons.

The total gross was reported by Pollstar to be $9.6 million,^[6] only around a third of the previous two seasons, making this tour the second lowest grossing tour after the first season tour which had only 30 shows.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Idol Stages

The Music Saved My Life Tour is the ninth concert tour by American recording artist, Mary J. Blige. Visiting North America, Europe, Asia and Australasia, the tour supports Blige's ninth studio album, Stronger with Each Tear.

Background[link]

Universal Music Group announced Blige's tour on September 1, 2010. The tour was described as Blige venturing back to her R&B roots from her previous festival performances, which focused on a heavy rock sound. Blige states the tour's title comes from her personal viewpoint of music after her battles with drug and alcohol abuse.^[1] She further commented:

"Music makes us want to live. You don't know how many times people have told me that they'd been down and depressed and just wanted to die. But then a special song caught their ear and that helped give them renewed strength. That's the power music has. I believe there are certain things that God uses to get us out of a bad situation, and I believe music was one of the things he used for me. The first time I heard 'Keep on Moving' by Soul II Soul, I felt like somebody pumped a new spirit in me that made me want to go on. [Without music] I honestly think I would be in a really bad situation. I don't take it for granted. I have no doubt I was born to do this.^[2][3]

During the October 10 concert at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Blige performed "I'm Goin' Down" with Katlyn Nichol, the newest artist to her record company.

Opening acts[link]

• Jazmine Sullivan (North America)^[4]
• El DeBarge (North America)^[4]
• Miguel (North America)^[5]
• Lemar (England)^[6]
• Gyptian (England)^[7]
• Beatbox Drase (Manchester)
• Minmi (Japan)^[8]
• Mye (Japan)^[8]

Setlist[link]

1. Music Saved My Life Intro
2. Medley:
   1. "MJB da MVP"
   2. "The One"
   3. "Enough Cryin"
   4. "You Bring Me Joy"
   5. "Be Happy"
   6. "You Remind Me"
   7. "Real Love"
   8. "Everyday It Rains"
   9. "I'm The Only Woman"
   10. "I Love U (Yes I Du)"
3. "Love Is All We Need"
4. "Reminisce"
5. "Love No Limit"
6. "Mary Jane (All Night Long)"
7. "Good Woman Down"
8. "Everything"
9. "All That I Can Say"
10. "I Never Wanna Live Without You"
11. "Seven Days"
12. "Your Child" (contains elements of "The Lady in My Life")
13. "Deep Inside"
14. "I Am"
15. "Sweet Thing"
16. "Not Gon' Cry"
17. "I'm Going Down"
18. "Take Me As I Am" (Acoustic)
19. "No More Drama"
20. "I Love You" (Instrumental Interlude)
21. "I Can Love You"
22. "Work That"
23. "Just Fine"
24. "Family Affair"

Encore

25. "Be Without You"

Source:^[9][10][11]

Additional notes[link]

• During the October 12th concert at the Radio City Music Hall (New York City, New York), Blige performed "Fancy" with rapper Swizz Beatz. At the same show, Blige and Swizz Beatz performed "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)" alongside Jazmine Sullivan. These performances were performed in lieu of "i Love You, "I Can Love You" and "Work That".
• "Family Affair" was not included in the performance at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord, California.
• "Stairway to Heaven" was performed in Basel, Switzerland.
• "One" was performed on select dates.

Tour dates[link]

Festivals and other miscellaneous performances

^A This concert was a part of Bayfest^[19]

^B These concerts are a part of the Raggamuffin Music Festival^[20]

Cancellations and rescheduled shows

Box office score data[link]

Critical reception[link]

Overall, the tour received praise from music critics and spectators alike. Blige was noted for her positive messages through her performances encouraging women to believe in themselves and know there is something "better" plan for them. Ines Min (The Korea Times) wrote, "A soulful train of songs, including 'Reminisce', was accompanied by her smooth dancing skills before breaking down the stage with the pique song 'Good Woman Down'. The performer shook, jumped and shimmied in perfect motion, spurring the crowd to rise in an emotional fervor."^[25] Anthony Langone (The Depaula) continued the praise for Blige noting, "Never have I seen such a venue this alive. The entire crowd was on its feet singing every word. This is a true testament of Blige's star power. The ability to not only command the stage, but all the people in a sold-out venue is no easy task. Blige did it with ease, making it look easy."^[26] Jon Pareles (The New York Times) stated, "In her songs Ms. Blige transmutes setbacks into determination; she confronts trouble, she cries, she wills herself to get over it, she finds the next love. Onstage she’s a pop star as life coach, preaching sermons in self-esteem with gospel cadences."^[9]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Blige's Official Website

Casey James
Casey James in July 2010
Background information
Birth name	Casey Everett James
Born	(1982-05-31) May 31, 1982 (age 30) Plano, Texas
Origin	Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Genres	Pop, country, rock, blues[1]
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, mandolin
Years active	2008–present
Labels	BNA Records/19 Recordings
Website	www.caseyejames.com

Casey Everett James (born May 31, 1982)^[2] is an American singer and guitarist from Fort Worth, Texas, who was the third-place finalist on the ninth season of American Idol.

Early life[link]

Born in Plano and raised in Cool, Texas,^[3] James had a bad reaction to his pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine when he was an infant, and his family feared brain damage.^[1][4][5] According to his mother, however, she realized that he would be all right and was going to be musical when he started humming before he talked.^[4]

James performing on the American Idol Live! tour in Denver, Colorado, on August 23, 2010

James started playing the guitar at 13 and within a year was playing on stage. James has played acoustic sets with his mother, Debra "Bybee" James, and blues with his older brother, Billy Cole. He has also played with country and rock bands.^[6][7] At the age of 21, he was in a serious motorcycle accident that nearly ended his life. He was told by his doctor that he would no longer be able to play guitar, a medical prediction that proved untrue.^[8] During the American Idol hometown visits, James returned to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries and presented an autographed guitar to his surgeon, Dr. Cory Collinge.^[9]

Before American Idol, he played with his band, The Casey James Band, consisting of James, his brother, Billy Cole (bass), and Jacy McCann (drums). They recorded four songs, including the first song that James ever wrote, "Freezing," back in 2002.

Casey also married in early 2005 but later divorced after two year.

Musical influences[link]

James cites blues guitarist Doyle Bramhall II as a major musical influence and whom he would most like to perform with in his Idol Q&A.^[1] Another major influence is Stevie Ray Vaughan; James named Vaughan's In the Beginning (1992) as a formative album in his early years.

I got an album called “In the Beginning” and I learned every note on it, which was easier to do because it was early on in his career [it was recorded in 1980]. I learned all those notes and it opened me up to the blues. When you look what he was doing, a lot of it was covers, and then you go back and start listening to those guys -- the originals Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins -- those influences changed me, too.

Other influences cited in the article are southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pearl Jam.^[10]

[edit] American Idol

James was a contestant on American Idol during its ninth season. He made it to the Top 3 before being eliminated on May 19, 2010. James had tried out for and been selected to compete in the ninth season of Idol in 2009 in spite of the fact that he had never seen the show.^[11] He was the oldest contestant to be selected for the Top 24 of the ninth season at the age of 27. James was voted off of the competition on May 19, 2010, and finished in third place. During the finale of American Idol, he performed a duet of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" with Bret Michaels.^[12]

USA Today music critic Brian Mansfield suggested that James was "the best guitar player the show [American Idol] has seen."^[13]

Performances[link]

• ^Note 1 Due to the judges using their one save to save Michael Lynche, the Top 9 remained intact for another week.
• ^Note 2 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, James was among the Bottom 3 but declared safe second, as Tim Urban was eliminated.
• ^Note 3 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, James was among the Bottom 3 but declared safe second, as Siobhan Magnus was eliminated.
• ^Note 4 Song selected by Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi.

[edit] Post-Idol

James joined the rest of the Top 10 on the American Idols LIVE! tour. His four-song set included "I Got Mine" by The Black Keys, "Don't" by Shania Twain, "It's All Over Now" by Bobby Womack, and "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" by Bryan Adams alongside fellow contestant Michael Lynche.

On August 17, 2010, it was announced that James had signed with Sony Music Nashville and his debut album will be released on 19 Recordings/BNA Records in 2011.^[14] Sony Music Nashville Chairman and CEO Gary Overton said: "We at Sony Music Nashville are incredibly excited about signing CASEY JAMES. I flew to NEW YORK to see him 'live' with the American Idol Tour and I was blown away with his voice, guitar playing and stage presence...and so were the thousands of fans in the amphitheatre. He has honed his skills as a showman with his years of performing live on stage! I can't wait to get him into the studio to begin recording his debut album."^[15] James is currently set to work with country songwriter Tom Douglas. Douglas has said of James that "he's the real deal. He's a great singer and great guitar player, so I'm looking forward to writing with him."^[16]

James has collaborated with some of country music's notable songwriters including Aimee Mayo,^[17] Alabama's Randy Owen, Sugarland's Kristian Bush, Delbert McClinton,^[18] and Grammy-winner Tom Douglas. He's also appeared before live audiences around the U.S.; in March 2011 he opened for Sugarland on their The Incredible Machine Tour^[19] and has been playing other solo and opening gigs including performing at the ACM Awards fan party^[20] and 2011 CMA Fest.^[21]

James first single, "Let's Don't Call It a Night", was released on August 15, 2011, and sold 5,000 copies in its debut week.^[22] James' self-titled debut CD was released on March 20, 2012 on 19 Recordings/BNA Records. James co-wrote nine of the CD's eleven tracks and co-produced the CD with Chris Lindsey. ^[23] James co-wrote "Let's Don't Call It a Night" with Brice Long and Terry McBride.^[24]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

• ^ATo be released June 18.^[29]

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Casey James on Twitter
• Casey James at American Idol
• Casey James Shares His 'Idol' Experience at The Ellen DeGeneres Show
• Casey James at the Internet Movie Database
• Casey James Band Official Website

Siobhan Magnus
Siobhan Magnus at her homecoming concert in Mansfield, MA during American Idol LIVE Tour 2010
Background information
Birth name	Siobhan Evelyn Magnus
Born	(1990-03-15) March 15, 1990 (age 22)
Origin	Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States
Genres	Pop, rock, blues, soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Snotface Records
Website	www.siobhanmagnus.com

Siobhan Evelyn Magnus (born March 15, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter from Barnstable, Massachusetts who was the sixth place finalist on the ninth season of American Idol.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Siobhan Magnus was born on March 15, 1990, to parents Alan and Colleen Magnus. She was raised in Barnstable, Massachusetts, along with her two older brothers Rory and Joe, her older sister Emily, and her younger sisters Ceili and Azora.^[1] Magnus' father is a singer-songwriter, her siblings play in various bands, and her brother Rory is in the film animation industry.^[2] She is the niece of Tracy Ferrie, former bassist for the Christian metal band Stryper and Alan Ware, drummer for Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra.^[3]

Magnus first started singing in a fourth grade choral concert when she sang "Tomorrow" from the play Annie.^[4]

She also previously fronted an alternative rock band called Lunar Valve, also consisting of Ralph Bousquet (lead guitar), Matthew Kohler (bass), and Jordan Bonina (drums).^[5]

Education[link]

Magnus is a 2008 graduate of Barnstable High School in Hyannis, Massachusetts.^[4][6][7] In school, she was a member of the Barnstable High School Drama Club.^[7] When the drama club was filmed for an internet reality show by Warner Brothers,^[8] she was featured as one of three Dorothys for the play The Wizard of Oz. Back in May 2008, in a local profile about Magnus's singing talent, the music department chair of her school district was quoted as saying "Hands down, I think she'd win 'American Idol'."^[9] During her senior year in high school, she was voted the most individual girl.^[10] She auditioned as a vocal major Berklee College of Music, but was not accepted.^[11] She attended Salem State College, but dropped out after one semester because she felt out of place as a non-partier.^[12] Magnus worked as an apprentice glassblower in Hyannis before taking part in American Idol.^[6]

[edit] American Idol

Magnus auditioned for American Idol in the summer of 2009 in Boston,^[13] and was one of two Massachusetts contestants to make the semi-finals of the show.^[14] Magnus emerged as an early contender after her interpretation of "Think" by Aretha Franklin and "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones. Magnus' vocal range and dramatic performances prompted judge Kara DioGuardi to compare her to Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert.^[15] Magnus' elimination during top 6 week came as a surprise to many Idol experts.^[16] It was reported that as a result, many fans of Magnus had vowed not to watch the rest of the American Idol season.^[17] The week after Magnus' dismissal, American Idol had its lowest ratings since 2002.^[18] Magnus is currently the only contestant from Massachusetts to become a finalist in American Idol history.

Siobhan Magnus performing in The Rose Garden, Portland on August 21, 2010

Performances[link]

^Note 1 Due to the judges using their one save to save Michael Lynche, the Top 9 remained intact for another week.