American Idol’s Carly Smithson among finalists to perform at Wachovia Arena

The hottest stars of last season’s highest-rated television program are headed this way.

“American Idols Live,” the highly successful touring version of the highly successful TV show, will stop at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza at 7 p.m. Monday.

All your favorites will be there, provided your favorite finished in the Top 10. Performers go on stage in the same order in which they were eliminated, so 10th-place finisher Chikezie sings first, with champion David Cook going on last. Somewhere in the middle will be sixth-place finisher Carly Smithson.

Smithson, the 24-year-old Dublin, Ireland, native who now lives in San Diego with her tattoo-artist husband, was voted out on April 23 after her performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar” on Andrew Lloyd Webber night.

But for a paperwork mixup with her working visa, she might have been shooting for the stars back in Season 5 instead.

“I was going to see Motley Crue in Las Vegas with some friends, and ‘American Idol’ was holding auditions across the street,” Smithson said. “And my friends told me I had to go.

Smithson had released the album “Ultimate High” on MCA Records in 2001 under her maiden name, Carly Hennessy. When the record company merged with another, most new artists, including Smithson, were lost in the shuffle, and she went to work at an Irish bar in Marietta, Ga.

Because she had recently moved from Georgia to California at the time of that first audition, her working papers did not get to the producers in time, and they were forced to drop her from Season 5.

“They were very good about it, they held on to me as long as they could,” she said. “And they encouraged me to audition again.”

After sitting out the following year because her husband had just opened his tattoo parlor, Smithson sang Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” at her second audition in San Diego. Then she did Heart’s “Alone” at the Hollywood audition to secure a spot on the 2008 version of the show.

To get from the Top 20 to the Top 16, she sang her favorite song, Heart’s “Crazy On You” (which she does on the tour). To get to the Top 11, she gave what she called her best performance on The Beatles’ “Come Together.”

“Everything kind of came together for that one,” she said. “Everything fell into place at the last minute, from what I wore down to the song.”

Six weeks and six songs later, she was eliminated after giving what notorious judge Simon had called “one of my favorite performances of the night.” After her ouster, the producers endured a backlash when her supporters questioned if the show was rigged.

“That was pretty awesome that people did that,” the singer said. “We don’t go out during the show’s run, so we don’t realize how famous you get.

“Everybody else seems miserable, and they’re crying when they are eliminated, but I was fine with it. It was the greatest opportunity I ever had, and I was content to finish sixth out of thousands.”

In addition to “Crazy On You,” Smithson will sing Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life” and Cyndi Lauper’s “I Drove All Night,” which she sang on ’80s night, at the Wilkes-Barre Township show.

Joining Smithson, Cook and Chikezie on Monday will be: David Archuleta (second place), Syesha Mercado (third), Jason Castro (fourth), Brooke White (fifth), Kristy Lee Cook (seventh), Michael Johns (eighth) and Ramiele Malubay (ninth).

Asked if she had any advice for someone thinking about auditioning, Smithson said, “Have a huge catalog of songs ready, and pay attention to everything the producers say.”

None of the Idols except the two Davids (winner Cook and runner-up Archuleta) have any firm plans for after the tour. Smithson has had some discussions with some songwriters and record companies about doing an album.