Ticket sales for the 2013 American Idol Live! Tour are down 347 percent, according to data compiled by ticket resaler StubHub. The news follows word of recent show cancellations, where nearly a quarter of the AEG trek's 40 U.S. dates have been called off.
Originally slated to kick off on June 29, the tour was pushed back to July 19 and some Idol observers are now wondering whether some of the venues, which include New York's Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Nashville's Bridgestone Arena (both with capacity of around 18,000), will have to be scaled down to smaller rooms. "Don't be surprised if they curtain the balconies off completely," says one Idol insider, who points to weaker outings, like season three's, where the stage was moved to the center of the venue -- or "half-house" -- to give the impression of a fuller space.
PHOTOS: 'American Idol' Season 12 Finale in Pictures
StubHub notes that the Idol tour peaked in 2011, when season 10 winner Scotty McCreery and his fellow finalists hit the road. But the following year, sales decreased nearly 10 percent, despite the fact that season 11 winner Phillip Phillips had a massive hit with the song "Home," which also received prime placement during the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Idol's most successful touring artist? Season five's Chris Daughtry, whose band outsells Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken, runners-up for seasons eight and two, respectively, at a ratio of 13 to one.
STORY: 'American Idol' on the Charts: Carrie Underwood Sees Second 'Voice' Bump
On the girls' side, season four winner Carrie Underwood sells nearly double the amount of tickets as Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Phillip Phillips, Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson, and Daughtry combined, according to StubHub.
With nearly the entire American Idol judging panel out the door (still nothing official about the fate of Keith Urban, though a source tells THR that the country singer is still in the picture), and rumors that Jennifer Hudson is all but signed, sealed and delivered as a season 13 judge, the powers-that-be might want to take this data into consideration.
Twitter: @MicheleAmabile, @Idol_Worship
