accessAtlanta

More than two months have passed since "American Idol" victor Taylor Hicks sang the treacly ballad "Do I Make You Proud?" and David Hasselhoff cried in the audience. But the savvy Idol marketers don't let their off-season slow down the Fox reality phenom. They bring the final 10 contestants on the show's annual victory lap across the continent, hitting the Arena at Gwinnett tonight.

This year's tour has been the most popular yet, reflecting the broad appeal of the contestants and the show's continued growth in its fifth incarnation. Virtually all 60 dates are packed to the rafters, and for the first time, the tour is coming to Atlanta twice, a second time on Sept. 12. (Just two years ago, the year Fantasia won, the tour played to half-filled arenas in many cities and failed to sell out Philips Arena.)

Peter Kramer/Getty Images (ENLARGE)
Katharine McPhee's hiatus seems to be over. Plus Taylor Hicks' band will perform at an after-party in Suwanee.
Fox (ENLARGE)
Paris Bennett will give tunes like "Midnight Train to Georgia" the soulful touch that kept her on the show week after week.
MOST POPULAR STORIES Police: Jeffrey Donovan arrested, suspected of DUI Report: Abdul's return to 'American Idol' doubtful Beastie Boy Adam Yauch has 'very treatable' cancer Fallon's '7th Floor West' is a silly, soapy treat Chris Brown apologizes for Rihanna beating
EMAIL THIS PRINT THIS MOST POPULAR
'AMERICAN IDOLS LIVE' 7 p.m. Aug. 3. Gwinnett Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. $35.50-$70.50. Ticketmaster. 404-249-6400. www.gwinnettcenter.com RELATED LINKS: Taylor's high school prom date will be there Paris, girrrl, take that off

In the past, the audiences have been heavily female, with packs of elementary school girls and middle-aged women. Don't expect the screaming masses to be any different tonight.

Inside, we offer answers to some questions about the tour.

Will Katharine McPhee be there?

Mostly likely. The runner-up, citing severe bronchitis and laryngitis, skipped the first 18 dates of the concert tour. But she returned last Friday in time to visit President Bush and sing during the Washington concert. She did "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and "Over the Rainbow." It's possible she might have a relapse, so Kat fans, keep your fingers crossed.

Are the two local shows sold out?

Not quite. Soon after tickets went on sale in the spring, Ticketmaster no longer had two seats together for either show. That equates to "sold out." But many seats are held back by "Idol" organizers for contestants, sponsors or other reasons. If they aren't claimed, seats are "freed up" for sale, often just days or hours before the concert. Indeed, in recent days, decent seats opened for tonight. As of Wednesday afternoon, tickets were only available through Ticketmaster at the side of the stage.

Of course, you also can always take your chances with eBay or a ticket broker, paying above face value and praying the tickets are legit.

What songs will we hear?

The finalists sing plenty of tunes they did on "Idol" as well as a few curveballs, though the playlist could change. On earlier dates, gray-hair champ Taylor Hicks tackled "Takin' It to the Streets." Chris Daughtry growled through "Wanted Dead or Alive." Paris Bennett, who lived briefly in Fayetteville, is certain to sashay through "Midnight Train to Georgia." Mandisa, who resides in Nashville but has family in metro Atlanta, said she had to sing "I'm Every Woman," which she did on the "Idol" compilation CD. But she'll also croon "If I Was Your Woman" in honor of her crush, second season winner Ruben Studdard.

Any chance of catching "Idol" contestants outside the concert venue?

We don't know which hotel they'll be staying at, but the Wild Wing Café at 3265 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road in Suwanee is holding an "American Idol" after-party with Hicks' pre-"Idol" band, the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra. John Jones, the director of operations, said the concert is free and for all ages. The band will start at 10 p.m. and play until 1:30 a.m.

Jones said he can't guarantee if Hicks will show up, but he heard Hicks did play for 90 minutes at a bar in Charlotte after Tuesday night's "Idols Live" concert. Just in case, Jones said Wild Wing will pull most of the tables so they can handle up to 800 people, and he's using two uniformed officers and eight security guys, up from two on a typical Thursday night.

Will there be any dreaded group songs?

Unfortunately, yes. But they come at the end of the concert and don't take up too much time. At least when they sing James Brown's "Living in America," Atlanta will get namechecked.

How loud will it get?

Very! It's a rock concert, so bring earplugs to save your hearing.

Here's a sampling of what critics have said so far:

Show: Hartford, Conn., July 9
Publication: Hartford Courant
Tone: Caustic
Excerpt: "Nine of the show's top finishers relied more on celebrity than style in a performance that exposed limitations without offering anything that might distract from those flaws."

Show: Hershey, Pa., July 12
Publication: Lancaster New Era
Tone: Kind
Excerpt: "Despite runner-up Katharine McPhee's absence due to laryngitis, (the show) was completely predictable, smooth and fantastically cheesy. I loved almost every minute of it."

Show: East Rutherford, N.J., July 13
Publication: The New York Times
Tone: Snide
Excerpt: "Mr. [Taylor] Hicks ... is dedicated to an oddly old-fashioned version of soul music; he often adds a few grunts and exclamations to prove he's feeling it. But ... he offered almost nothing but grunts and exclamations."

Show: Rochester, N.Y., July 21
Publication: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Tone: (Barely) grudging respect
Excerpt: "The American Idol tour is what it is: a mega-marketed, tightly scripted social event of inoffensive community-theater talent (expertly lit, we might add), preceded by Pop-Tart commercials."

Show: Washington, D.C., July 28
Publication: The Washington Post
Tone: Hostile
Excerpt: "McPhee stood at the front of the stage and teared up like a beauty queen while milking the stuffing out of an ovation that wasn't louder than that given any other Idol."