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'American Idol' Alumni Prepare For Tour

'The energy is going to be better on tour,' winner Kris Allen says. 'No one's judging you.'

After months performing in Los Angeles, [artist id="3188062"]Kris Allen[/artist], [artist id="3188063"]Adam Lambert[/artist] and the rest of the top 10 "American Idol" finalists are gearing up to kick off the 50-city [article id="1609356"]American Idols Live! tour[/article] beginning July 5 in Portland, Oregon, and wrapping up in the middle of September in Manchester, New Hampshire. With just weeks to go until the first show, the singers are busy rehearsing together and trying to recapture the magic that has made "Idol" the #1 show on television. But as The Associated Press learned during a recent visit to a practice session, falling back into the groove isn't always easy.

"I'm not feeling the backup vocals," Danny Gokey said while two of his fellow contestants -- Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre -- worked on a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."

Runner-up Adam Lambert chimed in that a transition in the new arrangement was less than perfect. Musical director Dave Kochanski welcomed all these suggestions, saying that the entire show was a "collaborative effort."

"The energy is going to be better on tour," Allen said. "No one's judging you."

Allen expects his wife to visit him in a few cities, though he said "She's not following me around." Lil Rounds anticipates her husband and three children accompanying her to some places and 17-year-old Allison Iraheta, who is required to have an adult with her, will travel alongside her mother or sister.

When they're not fine-tuning their musical performances, the "Idol" singers are attempting to adjust to life as celebrities. "It's weird when you're all of a sudden thrust into the public spotlight," said Lambert. "It's a hard road to navigate."

Between rehearsal sessions, Lambert and Iraheta have also been discussing recording a song together. "I'm definitely down for that ... that would be so much fun," Iraheta said.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' [article id="1486475"]"American Idol" page[/article], where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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