Cruel Summer Claims 'Idol,' Jonas Brothers Shows

Tweet

American Idol's ratings slipped this past season, and now the show's annual summer tour is struggling too. American Idols Live has been forced to cancel eight shows and reschedule a handful of dates in markets like Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto and Kansas City. As Rolling Stone previously reported, it's been a harsh season for many of the industry's biggest tours: Lilith Fair recently cut 11 dates citing sluggish ticket sales, while artists like Rihanna and Christina Aguilera have nixed dates due to soft markets. The touring industry has also had to endure the postponement of U2's 360° Tour due to Bono's back surgery and Simon & Garfunkel's reunion trek because of Art Garfunkel's vocal woes.

Summer Tour Apocalypse: get a look at big acts falling victim to 2010's cruel summer.

This past season of Idol, its ninth, the show lost its time slot to Dancing With the Stars for the first time as fans drifted from the show that's produced blockbuster artists like Carrie Underwood and Daughtry. Possible reasons for show's ratings decline ranged from the loss of judge Paula Abdul to the crop of low-key contestants. The first singles for winner Lee DeWyze and runner-up Crystal Bowersox also failed to perform as well as the coronation songs for recent Idol finalists Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, as well as David Cook and David Archuleta.

The Jonas Brothers, who rocked the 110,000-capacity New Dallas Cowboys Stadium last year, also chopped 16 dates off their 2010 summer tour this week. The cancellations also forced the rescheduling of seven dates on their trek, and they postponed the tour's launch from July 27th in Dallas to August 7th in Tinsley Park, Illionis. It wasn't all bad news for the Jonas Brothers, however: Strong demand for tickets in Toronto, Boston and Long Island, New York led the trio to add more dates in those three markets, as well as fresh shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey and West Palm Beach, Florida.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'This Is the End' Brings the Goods
• 
  TV The Women of 'Mad Men'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Karma Chameleon”

Culture Club | 1983

Boy George has said this song was about standing by what you believe in. However, at the time, he was involved in a secret affair with Culture Club drummer Jon Moss. "Now people can understand the songs better," he said. "They were written about my relationship with Jon, and they were also written about being a gay man in a homophobic world." The lines "If I listen to your lies, would you say/I'm a man without conviction/I'm a man who doesn't know how to sell a contradiction," described his life at the time, he said. "I was selling this big lie."

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter