Blues Traveler & Gin Blossoms to Perform on ‘American Idol’ Season Finale May 11 on ABC

MULTI-PLATINUM ROCK LEGENDS
BLUES TRAVELER AND GIN BLOSSOMS
SET TO PERFORM ON
AMERICAN IDOL SEASON FINALE
MONDAY, MAY 11

RETURN TO THE ROAD THIS SUMMER FOR
CO-HEADLINING TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUEST SPIN DOCTORS

NASHVILLE, TN (May 6, 2026) — In the Monday, May 4 episode, American Idol announced the highly anticipated lineup of guest performers for its live three-hour season finale airing Monday, May 11 at 8:00 PM ET on ABC and Disney+, and in respective local time zones. Among the featured artists, multi-platinum rock legends Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms will take the stage with some of the American Idol finalists. The episode streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

On Monday, July 6, Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms will embark on their 36-date co-headlining summer tour. The run will hit iconic venues including the Hollywood Bowl and SummerStage in Central Park, featuring coast-to-coast performances of their signature hits, including “Run-Around” and “Hey Jealousy.”

VISIT THE BLUES TRAVELER WEBSITE OR THE GIN BLOSSOMS WEBSITE
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS. 

During the 2025 co-headlining tour, Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms took over Jimmy Kimmel Live! for an on-air collaboration, highlighting the chemistry and energy fueling their 2026 return.

WATCH: BLUES TRAVELER & GIN BLOSSOMS ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! (2025)

2026 CO-HEADLINING SUMMER TOUR DATES:

About Blues Traveler:
Nearly 4 decades ago, the four original members of Blues Traveler — John Popper, Chandler Kinchla, Brendan Hill, and the late Bobby Sheehan — gathered in their drummer’s parents’ basement in Princeton, NJ, to jam. From these high school sessions emerged a band that would go on to release a total of 14 studio albums, four of which have gone gold, three platinum, and one six-times platinum, selling more than 10 million combined units worldwide.

Over an illustrious career, Blues Traveler has played more than 2,000 live shows in front of over 30 million people and, with “Run-Around,” achieved the longest-charting radio single in Billboard history — earning the band a GRAMMY® for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. In 2021, Blues Traveler released the GRAMMY®-nominated Traveler’s Blues (Round Hill Records), a collection of reimagined and recharged classics from the American blues songbook and the group’s first official blues album. The second release in this series, 2023’s Traveler’s Soul, takes a similar approach, consisting of cover songs from a specific genre — this time classic R&B and soul.

Above: Blues Traveler
L-R: Tad Kinchla, Ben Wilson, John Popper, Chan Kinchla, Brendan Hill
Credit: Graham Fielder

https://bluestraveler.com/ 

About Gin Blossoms:
Formed in Tempe, Arizona in 1987, Gin Blossoms helped define alternative radio in the early ‘90s with their breakout major-label debut New Miserable Experience. Led by the gold-certified hit “Hey Jealousy,” the album went on to sell more than four million copies, delivering enduring singles like “Allison Road” and “Until I Fall Away” and cementing the band as power-pop mainstays. Their hometown legacy was officially recognized in October 2022, when Tempe unveiled an honorary street sign renaming a section of 8th Street between Rural Road and Una Avenue as “Allison Road Avenue,” celebrating both the beloved song and the album’s 30th anniversary.

They followed with the platinum-selling Congratulations I’m Sorry, featuring the Top 10 smash “Follow You Down” and the GRAMMY®-nominated “As Long as It Matters.” Decades later, their jangly guitars, sharp hooks, and emotionally resonant songwriting still hit with the same immediacy. Made up of Robin Wilson, Jesse Valenzuela, Bill Leen, and Scotty Johnson, Gin Blossoms continue to evolve without losing the sound that made them essential. Their latest album, Mixed Reality (produced by Don Dixon and engineered by Mitch Easter), delivers 15 new tracks packed with chiming melodies, wry lyricism, and undeniable heart, proving the band is as vital now as ever.

Inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2017, Gin Blossoms remain road-tested and fan-driven, touring relentlessly and sharing stages with Collective Soul, Barenaked Ladies, and Hootie & The Blowfish. Reuniting once again with Blues Traveler for this year’s tour, the longtime collaborators are building on the momentum of last summer, when they took over the Jimmy Kimmel Live! stage for an epic mashup, an electric reminder that Gin Blossoms continue to turn nostalgia into something unmistakably alive.

Above: Gin Blossoms
L-R: Scott Johnson, Robin Wilson, Jesse Valenzuela, Bill Leen
Credit: Shervin Lainez

https://www.ginblossoms.net/