Sync

Kris Allen performs on American Idol. + Enlarge

LITTLE ROCK — It's a handful of hours until showtime at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif., the ninth stop on the 50-city American Idols Live! Tour. But American Idol season eight winner and Arkansas native Kris Allen's Inland Empire afternoon includes a scheduled telephone interview - one of the J-O-B parts of being an American Idol winner.

Here's the full 10 minutes and change of Sync's conversation with the extremely affable Allen.

Sync: How you doing, man?

Kris: I'm doing good.

Sync: I guess we got 10 minutes so I guess we need to get down to business.

Kris: All righty.

Sync: How is it being shuffled through all these phone calls on a Friday afternoon?

Kris: Well, this is kind of the first one I've done. This is, this is kind of it so it's gone nice. I don't mind talking on the phone; it's kind of a good thing.

Sync: You're eight shows into a 50-show tour, playing tonight in Ontario, Calif. Have you gotten kind of comfortable with the way the show is going? Do you feel as though you are at a comfort level that you like?

Kris: Yeah. The first couple of shows you try to get used to everything, and get used to your set and all that. And then we actually had a change in my set so I had to get used to that for a couple of shows. I think now everything is kind of becoming clockwork a little bit so when you get on the stage you can worry about entertaining instead of like "Am I singing this right?" It's gone really, really well the past couple of shows.

Sync: Talk a little bit about the process of replacing "No Boundaries" with The Killers' "All These Things That I've Done"? Which is a great song, by the way. What was kind of the decision-making process behind that move?

Kris: You know we did the first show, and I think the tour director came up to me and was just like, he was like, "What if we changed the 'No Boundaries' to something else?" Because the set just kind of took a dive after the first song, you know? Which I didn't want that, and I don't think anyone else wanted that from me. So I thought of actually doing The Killers song. And they were like, "Okay, let's try it out." It just worked out great. It's a song everyone can sing-along with, and it's good. It's really good.

Sync: You're the last one on stage of a three-hour show. While the show is going what are you doing while the others are up there performing? Are you watching from the wings? Are you getting ready?

Kris: Sometimes I try to peek my head out there and watch the show, but a lot of times like when you peek your head out the fans will see you so they won't watch the actual show so I'll walk away because I don't want to be a distraction during someone else's thing. I try to sneak my way in to watch some people, but most of the time I'm just sitting backstage and I got my little guitar with me and I play it. And there's other people back there as well. Some of the other Idols and we're just joking around having a good time, most of the time.

Sync: It's a 50-show tour, taking tour buses all over the places. If you have any downtime, what's your downtime like? What are you doing?

Kris: I don't have downtime. [Laughter] No, if I have a little bit I usually have a little journal that I write in. I'm writing music as well. Talking to my family. Talking to my wife. Trying to keep in touch with people as well as much as I can. We get on the bus, and if we have a little bit of downtime we're watching DVDs and different stuff.

Sync: How many people are sharing a bus with you?

Kris: The buses are split up guys and girls, so it's seven guys and three girls. Our bus also has a security guard, like the hair guy and another guy so we have like 11 people on our bus. It's pretty packed. But it's good.

Sync: You talked about family members back home. You don't have any friends or family members accompanying you on tour?

Kris: No, my wife has come out. She came out for Sacramento and Oakland, Calif. That was nice. But she's working so she's kind of filling her time with that. She's not able to come out all the time or anything. I haven't had any other friends come out or anything. It'll be good to come home in like a week.

Sync: That leads me to my next question. The Verizon Arena show will be your homecoming show. What's your thought process now as you approach that show?

Kris: It's crazy. The day the tickets went on sale my brother called me and said, "You know what? The show sold out in like a couple of hours." And I was like, "Are you serious?" I know it's not just me, but we sold out Verizon Arena. That's crazy to think about. I'm so excited cause I'm just so excited to go home. It's going to be nice to be back in central Arkansas. Seeing family and friends. When you go back home you just feel that love. That'll be good.

Sync: Any hometown surprises for that show that you might be planning?

Kris: You know, we try to keep the show [the same] to make sure the band doesn't have to do too much so we'll see. I don't know of any right now, but we'll see.

Sync: The tour ends Sept. 15. Sept. 16 is circled on your calendar. What's going to be the first thing you're going to do when the tour ends?

Kris: Well, probably the day after we'll probably record. [Laughter] We're still figuring out album stuff so it's going to go to something else. We're working on the album stuff now, but it's going to move into that full force.

Sync: So really no downtime at all?

Kris: Nope. No days off. We got to get the album out in November so there's a lot of, lot of work to be done.

Sync: You're signed to 19 Recordings. What's the plan for the album? Who are some of the songwriters you're working with? What's the musical direction?

Kris: I feel like it's going to be kind of what I did on the show. Probably a little bit different, a little bit of a surprise. Definitely the pop rock genre, I guess. I don't know where to put it, but it'll be somewhere in there. I worked with a guy from The Fray, and I'm working with him again. And some different people as well. Just some different songwriters. And we're set up to work with some really cool people pretty soon. I'm really excited about it. Things are looking up and up.

Sync: You mentioned writing on the road; are you able to record on the road?

Kris: We'll be recording some stuff that we will do on the road. We'll be in different studios. I'll fly out to [Los Angeles] and do some different recording. There will definitely be some of that.

Sync: When you first auditioned for the show, did you fantasize about what life would be like if you won?

Kris: No, not at all. I never thought it was even possible. I was just trying to take it a day at a time. Winning wasn't even a thought in my head. So no, I never really thought about what life would be like.

Sync: You are the man in Arkansas right now. I think the Arkansas Razorbacks are second to you right now.

Kris: [Laughter] Oh, wow.

Sync: You're not ready to go that far?

Kris: I won't claim that cause I'm a big Razorback fan. I'm ready for football season.

Sync: Do you think you'll be able to sing the national anthem at a Razorbacks game this season?

Kris: Maybe so. If anything I just want to go, man. I know the first game is on [Sept. 5], and I would love to go to that, but I think we have - the game against Georgia I'm going to really try to make it out to that.

Sync: Any final word for the people of Arkansas?

Kris: Arkansas is the reason I'm in this position right now so I'm just always hoping that I'm a good role model for people from Arkansas, and that I'm a good representative of the state as well because I know Arkansans, we kind of cling to anything that comes from there. I hope I'm a good representative of the state. And just thank you to the fans. I appreciate you guys so much, and I know that you guys care so much. It's really nice.

Sync: Thanks. I appreciate it. Good luck tonight and hopefully good week. We'll see you next Saturday night at Verizon Arena.

Kris: Sounds great. I'm excited to come.