‘American Idol’ winner Caleb Johnson on a pratfall of 2014 tour

We have made it clear a few times in the past that we have not agreed with everything that Caleb Johnson has said in interviews, but this is an occasion where we do appreciate his honesty. After all, we feel the same way about the “American Idol” tour not having a live band on it as he does.

This is something that shocked us when the tour started, mostly because the artists sing with bands on TV, and you would think that this would be replicated when you go out to see them. Not the case, even though these tickets are not exactly cheap. Caleb did make his opinion clear in a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, but he also took some responsibility for the fact that at the end of the day, you really have to be the one to shine despite the obstacles thrown at you:

“You have to create those moments on your own [without a band]. You really have to step outside your box and pull your energy from somewhere else. … It kind of sucks, but then again, you have to roll with it and make that magic happen regardless.”

We could go on and on here on this subject with varying opinions about having a live band on the tour, but the truth of the matter here is what matters most of all to the artists is having people in seats. If people are still showing up to the venues (albeit smaller than in past years), then the tour is still worth it. There is a part of us that wants to say to just get rid of this altogether and let the artists figure out their own touring futures, but for some of the contestants on the lower end of the top 10, we don’t want to take this away from them given that they may never have an opportunity like this again.

In the end, though, we do feel like the ideal environment for a performer like Caleb or Jena Irene is a live band behind them. Hopefully, they’ll have that on some individual tours in the future.

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Photo: Fox