An ‘American’ love affair, on the road

If you’re thinking that all the TV ratings, telephone votes and fan mail had finally gotten to the head of the “aw, shucks,” dimple-sporting “American Idol” season 7 runner-up David Archuleta, think again.

Clockwise from left: Ramiele Malubay, Castro, Brooke White, Johns, Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook, Syesha Mercado, David Cook, Archuleta, center, and Chickezie, bottom center are now on tour. (Photo: )

“It’s neat to see that people are still supporting me after all this, because it’s just like, you kind of wonder [if the overwhelming fan reception] was just because I was on the show and they were watching it,” Archuleta says. “It’s pretty fun to see that they’re still paying attention.”

Fans are definitely still into Archuleta, “Idol” winner David Cook and the other eight singers featured on the “American Idols Live” tour — appropriately sponsored by Pop-Tarts — which enters its second month with a stop at Nassau Coliseum. The tour is the first real chance the new pop stars have had to see their adoring audience after escaping the bubble of a TV studio in Los Angeles.

Bluesy Australian rocker Michael Johns promises the difference in the energy between an arena show and the TV program is “about tenfold.”

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