Tickets go on sale Saturday for this summer's "American Idols Live! Tour," and as of Wednesday, Megan Joy didn't know whether multitudes of her family spread throughout Utah should buy them yet.
She knows she'll get a limited number of tickets, but she's not sure how many she'll get at a reduced price. Joy, the 23-year-old Sandy resident and Taylorsville High graduate who finished in ninth place this season on "American Idol," the country's No. 1 TV show, will tour this summer with the other "Idol" finalists. The tour stops at the E Center in West Valley City on July 14.
Last year, the "American Idols Live! Tour," featuring Murray's David Archuleta, set a Utah box-office record. "Up until that point, it was our fastest sell-out ever," said Kevin Bruder, general manager of the E Center. (The fastest sell-out ever now? Archuleta's headlining show in March.)
Joy said she didn't feel any pressure to match the frenzy that accompanied last year's event, acknowledging that Archuleta finished second and accumulated a large fan base. If her fans don't fill the E Center this July, she hopes she'll be able to do it later in her career.
Joy, who will perform two solos in the July show, hopes to record an album after the tour wraps up. 19 Entertainment, the company that produces "American Idol," has an option to sign her to a contract after the tour. If the company declines, she'd still like to release an album of original material later this year, even if it is an independent release. Her genre, she says, will be "alternative jazz."
As for the tour, Joy is excited and a little nervous, saying her anxiety-catalyzed "corkscrew" dance will surely rear its head in front of thousands. She will miss her 2-year-old son, who will only be able to visit her several times on tour. "It's not really a good situation to have him on the bus," she said. Still, she's looking forward to the steady gig that she calls "a sacrifice that will better [our] lives."
With the money, Joy said, she has one immediate goal: to move out of her mother's house.
When » July 14 at 7 p.m.
Where » The E Center, 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City
Tickets » $37.50 to $66.50, not counting service charges, at all Ticketmaster outlets (801-325-SEAT) and E Center box office; on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.
