Idol 8 tour drawing slightly fewer people per city but earning the same as season 7 tour

Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, and the other American Idol 8 finalists who are currently touring are drawing fewer people but earning the same amount of money as David Cook, David Archuleta, and last season’s group did.

The show “is selling 82% of its tickets and has grossed $11.2 million — almost exactly the same as last year’s tour at the same point,” USA TODAY reports. “[T]he first 19 shows of 2009 averaged 9,456 attendees per city, almost even with the 9,771 for the same period last year. With ticket prices ranging from $40.50 to $69.50 — a dollar higher than last year — the tour gross is almost exactly equal.”

Only two shows have sold out, but of course, there’s also a recession, and the tour is doing better than most. Billboard’s Ray Wadell tells the paper that typically, “40% of tickets go unsold” for concerts, so the show is “doing better than average.”