26K Audition for 'Idol' in Nashville & Milwaukee; Next Stop is New Orleans, 7/26

AMERICAN IDOL, the No. 1 show on television, kicked off the auditions for its milestone 10th season with a bang as over 26,000 hopefuls came out for their shot at the coveted IDOL crown!

The first stop on the IDOL audition tour was Nashville on July 17, where an incredible 16,000 people swarmed Broadway, home of the world-famous Music City Honky Tonks. Days later, in Milwaukee, more than 10,000 showed up at the Bradley Center on July 21. Next stop will be the Crescent City, as the search for the next singing superstar heads to New Orleans on Monday, July 26.

"The numbers of people turning up to the AMERICAN IDOL auditions in Nashville and Milwaukee have been incredible," said Simon Fuller, creator of AMERICAN IDOL. "These attendance figures are significantly up on the last few years, and there is clearly renewed excitement and interest in the show, which is great to see."

The remaining AMERICAN IDOL auditions will be held as follows:

Cities Dates Venues

New Orleans, LA Monday, July 26 New Orleans Arena 1501 Girod St. New Orleans, LA 70113

East Rutherford, NJ Tuesday, Aug. 3 IZOD Center 50 Route 120 East Rutherford, NJ 07073

Austin, TX Wednesday, Aug. 11 Frank Erwin Center 1701 Red River St. Austin, TX 78701

San Francisco, CA Thursday, Aug. 19 AT&T Park 24 Willie Mays Plaza San Francisco, CA 94107

Audition information, including forms and requirements, will be available online at americanidol.com. Visit americanidol.com for exclusive videos, interviews and photos from auditions, as well as special behind-the-scenes information and all of your AMERICAN IDOL news.

AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America; and Ken Warwick, executive producer, FremantleMedia North America.