‘American Idol’ is ending, but not before sending its stars to Wichita

We will wake up Friday in an “American Idol”-free world.

After 14 years, 15 seasons, 11 celebrity judges and one Simon Cowell, one of the most successful shows in television history is signing off for good, and singers with talent and a dream will have to resort to finding fame the old-fashioned way. Or try their luck on “The Voice.”

The three-night series finale on Fox starts Tuesday with a 90-minute retrospective at 7 p.m. that will include interviews with current and former judges and contestants. Starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Season 15 finalists will perform live, and viewers will place their final “Idol” votes. Then, starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, the finale episode will include performances by the show’s two most successful winners, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, as well as dozens of other notable winners and finalists.

It’ll be a nostalgic week, which got me feeling a little wistful for the early days of “American Idol,” when the show was so big, such a cultural phenomenon, that The Eagle had me writing live recaps after every show – and people read them.

Over the years, Wichita has been visited by many “Idol” contestants and winners, and was even able to claim a few. In honor of the final season, I’ve gathered this list of “American Idol” contestants who made a connection with Wichita over the years, providing concerts we’d never have seen had each of them not stood in a ridiculously long line hoping for a Golden Ticket to Hollywood or affirmation from the notoriously hard-to-please Cowell.

Here are Wichita’s 10 most cherished “Idols.”

10. Phil Stacey: His career hasn’t amounted to much in the long run, but for a while in 2007, Wichita was enamored with hometown boy Phil Stacey. Stacey, a 1997 Northwest High graduate, appeared on the sixth season of “American Idol” and made it all the way to the final six contestants before being eliminated. (That was the year Jordin Sparks was crowned the winner. It was also the year of the wacky Sanjaya Malakar, the contestant who couldn’t sing but was so beloved by preteen girls, he couldn’t get voted off.) Shortly after the finale, Stacey returned to Wichita and drew almost 3,000 fans to a benefit concert at Central Christian Church. A year later, the Wichita Riverfest booked him to open for country star Tracy Lawrence at its country concert. Stacey went on to release two albums, though he kind of dropped out of sight after 2010. But it was fun to claim one of the show’s stars during the height of its popularity. And at least he beat Sanjaya.

9. Ruben Studdard: In May 2004, “American Idol” was a big deal. Kelly Clarkson had been crowned, and season three – eventually won by Fantasia – was coming to a close. That year, the Wichita Riverfest somehow secured a last-minute concert by Ruben Studdard, the teddy bear of a singer who was crowned winner of the show’s second season a year earlier. People went nuts, and the crowd that gathered to see him was about 40,000 strong, filled with many people who’d camped out all afternoon for the best view. Alas, Studdard sang six songs in 25 minutes and was gone. Festivalgoers were not pleased. Still, Studdard’s “Idol” magic helped the festival draw a record-breaking crowd that year. He went on to a decent recording career and was nominated for a Grammy in 2005.

8. Clay Aiken: A few months later, the singer who finished runner-up to Studdard on “Idol’s” second season came to Kansas, headlining at the 2004 Kansas State Fair’s opening night concert. Nearly 5,000 people packed the Grandstand, and I was there to cover it. I’ve never forgotten that night. “Claymates,” as Aiken’s most devoted fans called themselves, were a special breed. Even a year after his defeat, they were angry, vocal and insisting the show was rigged. They carried posters declaring their love for Clay and cried in his presence. Aiken, who returned to Wichita to perform with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra in 2007, recorded several successful albums after that, and in 2014, he ran for Congress in North Carolina. He won the Democratic primary but lost in the general election.

7. Fantasia Barrino: She won “Idol” in the show’s third season, which aired in 2004, and a year later, she was on stage on a rainy Wichita Riverfest night performing for the crowds. She’s had a successful career as an R&B singer and actress and even played herself in a 2006 show about her life, titled “Life Is Not a Fairy Tale.”

6. Chris Daughtry: He didn’t win the fifth season of “Idol.” In fact, he finished fourth. But Chris Daughtry, considered Idol’s first ever rocker, would go on to find commercial success with his band Daughtry, and he was another alum who helped the Wichita River Festival win big crowds. His performance during the festival’s opening night in 2007 drew 40,000 fans to the West Bank Stage. The singer, whose biggest hit was “It’s Not Over,” returned to headline a show at Intrust Bank Arena in 2010. In 2013, he performed the opening concert for the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane.

5. Scotty McCreery: This country singer won the 10th season of “Idol” in 2011, and he’s been to Wichita twice since. In 2014, he performed at a Kansas Humane Society benefit at the Cotillion, and in 2012, he opened for Brad Paisley during his second appearance at Intrust Bank Arena.

4. Philip Phillips: He won “Idol’s” 11th season in 2012 and went on to record hits like “Home” and “Gone Gone Gone.” In 2014, Phillips performed those hits for Wichita audiences when he headlined a concert at Hartman Arena. The year before, he was the opening act for John Mayer’s concert at Intrust Bank Arena.

3. Adam Lambert: Frequently, the most dynamic singer on a given season of “American Idol” would not win his or her season of “American Idol.” Flamboyant singer Lambert, enjoying success now with his 2015 album “The Original High,” might be the best example of that. The singer, who was the second-place winner in the show’s eighth season, just headlined a concert at the Cotillion last week. He made his first appearance in Wichita at the Cotillion in 2010, and I was there for that show. It was full of energy and lights and screaming people, and I still consider it one of the most electric shows I’ve seen in Wichita. Lambert’s career since his 2009 “Idol” discovery has included touring as lead singer with classic rock band Queen and appearing as a character on the show “Glee.”

2. Kelly Clarkson: “American Idol’s” first and most successful winner has sadly been to Wichita only once – at least in the flesh. Clarkson, known for pop hits like “Stronger” and “Since U Been Gone” co-headlined the 2008 “2 Worlds 2 Voices” tour with Reba McEntire, and it made a stop at the Kansas Coliseum, drawing a crowd of 9,000 fans. (Clarkson went on to marry Reba’s then-stepson.) The closest we’ve come to seeing her again is when Clarkson has appeared via pre-recorded video to sing “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Jason Aldean during his many Intrust Bank Arena appearances.

1. Carrie Underwood: She’s one of “Idol’s” two most successful winners, so famous that it’s easy to forget we found her on “American Idol.” Carrie Underwood, who was crowned the winner of season four in 2005, has gone on to a mega-successful country recording career and has won every award in the book – repeatedly. She’s also appeared in Wichita many times over the years. Intrust Bank Arena just announced last week that she’d return in November for her third performance in six years. Underwood also appeared at the 2006 Kansas State Fair, then co-headlined a show at the Kansas Coliseum in 2008 with future “American Idol” judge Keith Urban.

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 3:56 PM with the headline "‘American Idol’ is ending, but not before sending its stars to Wichita."