Kelly Clarkson Is Coming to Town (But You Might Have to Sit Through The Fray Before Watching Her)

By Jason P. Woodbury Tue., Apr. 17 2012 at 7:00 AM

Categories: Announcements

http://www.kellyclarkson.com

See also: Kelly Clarkson Nails Super Bowl 2012 National Anthem

Maybe you're a Carrie Underwood fan, but for my money, Kelly Clarkson is the best American Idol the show has given us yet.

I should probably clarify -- I've never been a big Idol watcher. I've always yay or 'nayed contestants post-season, when they launch record careers and videos. And Clarkson, with her no-bullshit, talk-crap-about-her-label attitude and solid, rock-tinged pop cuts like "Since U Been Gone," "My Life Would Suck Without You," and "Stronger," just seems a cut above.

Clarkson rules, despite non-committal Ron Paul endorsements and writing with Evanescence, and judging from the YouTubes she can pull it off live, like she probably will on Wednesday, August 1, when she brings her show to US Airways Center. She's co-headlining with The Fray, who list Counting Crows, Better Than Ezra, and The Wallflowers as influences, but are really popular and dominate the radio even though it isn't 1996, which means you might have to sit through their set before hers (or she'll play before them, which doesn't seem likely).

Tickets go on sale on Friday, April 20, via all the normal outlets like Ticketmaster and Livenation.

We're excited to give Clarkson a proper review. The last thing we caught from her was a totally decent take on the national anthem at the Super Bowl:

"At first it looked like Clarkson would make good on our prediction and deliver an okay but underwhelming performance. In the end, she provided just enough flair for an approval from Up on the Sun to earn a "nailed it" nod."