By Josh Bell
Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip 7 p.m. doors, Feb. 9, $20-$50 plus tax and fee. 702.733.7625
With the latest season of American Idol just getting under way, a whole new crop of aspiring singers are pinning their hopes on four judges and millions of viewers to send them from obscurity to stardom.
One guy who knows all about that is Kris Allen, who won the show’s eighth season in 2009. Allen, a humble singer-songwriter, was something of a surprise winner over the flashier Adam Lambert, but both have gone on to successful careers. Allen released his second post-Idol album, Thank You Camellia, last May, featuring the single “The Vision of Love,” which was a hit on both the dance/electronic and adult pop charts.
Allen started 2013 with simultaneous good and bad news, first announcing that his wife was pregnant with their first child, and then breaking his wrist in a car accident. But he has maintained the same dedicated work ethic through ups and downs, and while he had to hold off on playing guitar for a little bit while his wrist healed, his appropriately named Out Alive tour has continued without a hitch. It appears that no matter what life throws at him, Allen remains humble and eager to entertain.
