'American Idol' Season 15 Finalists Will Not Tour
When the American Idol finale airs next week, it really will be the final “moment like this” for fans. The show is forgoing the tradition of having a finalist tour.
“The American Idol Live tour has historically been an integral part of celebrating the seasons’ contestants and also garnering excitement for summer auditions for the upcoming season,” Core Media told ET in a statement. “This year’s Idol finale celebrates the past 15 seasons, the amazingly talented participants, and the millions of fans who’ve helped make American Idol the legendary program and brand it is today. It will be so memorable and meaningful and we’ve chosen to end it on that note.”
Finalists from the past 14 seasons have all participated in the annual tours, traveling around the country and performing their most memorable covers from the show. One finalist from this season isn’t upset by the news.
Mackenzie Bourg, who was eliminated during Wednesday night’s episode, said that he views not touring as an opportunity.
"I think it's gonna be, in a sense, great, because you can spend more time working on an album and putting the music out,” Bourg, who also competed on The Voice, told ET. “The tour is amazing for fans of the show, but I don't know if it's great for the actual artists. Now you can focus on being an artist first and that's what I am."
MORE: Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood to Perform in 'American Idol' Finale
The two-night finale will air on Wednesday and Thursday, April 6 and 7, and feature the Top 3, including La’Porsha Renae, Trent Harmon, and Dalton Rapattoni. Idol alums Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Carrie Underwood will all be performing.
There will also be group and solo performances from memorable Idol standouts, including, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Candice Glover, Caleb Johnson, Nick Fradiani, Ace Young, Allison Iraheta, Amber Holcomb, Blake Lewis, Bo Bice, Brandon Rogers, Bucky Covington, Carly Smithson, Casey James, Chris Daughtry, Clark Beckham, Clay Aiken, Colton Dixon, Constantine Maroulis, Danny Gokey, Diana DeGarmo, Elliott Yamin, George Huff, James Durbin, Jessica Sanchez, Josh Gracin, Joshua Ledet, Justin Guarini, Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Kimberley Locke, Kree Harrison, LaToya London, Lauren Alaina, Melinda Doolittle, Pia Toscano, Sanjaya, Skylar Laine, and Tamyra Gray.