More information HERE.

And a pretty good vid of  “It’s All Over Now” from Detroit.

Turns out Casey James doesn’t play five guitars on four songs. He plays six guitars on five songs, since he also plays on the American Idols Live show’s finale, a cover of Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life.

Here’s the rundown:

• a 1983 blue Fender Stratocaster for I Got Mine;
• a Paul Reed Smith acoustic and a white Fender Stratocaster for Don’t!;
• a Gibson nylon-string guitar for Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman;
• a PRS Starla for It’s All Over Now;
• and a PRS 513 for It’s My Life.

Why does he need six guitars for five songs? “Because they all sound different,” Casey said afterwards. “Big time. Like night and day.”

And for seriously gearheaded Casey James fans, apparently he uses Dunlop Tortex .88 mm guitar picks. Because I think he hit me on the shoulder with one when he threw it from the stage, and it landed in my shirt pocket. I say “apparently” because I didn’t actually see him throw it, and I didn’t find the pick until I got back to my hotel room — though I did spend a while after the show helping the people next to me look for it.

A longer vid of his set (not great quality)

The Top 10 “My Life Would Suck Without You”

Casey and Mike “HYERLAW”

The noise ratchets up another notch when Casey James takes the stage — not just because more of the audience jumps to its feet, but because Casey kicks off his set with a blues-rocking version of the Black Keys’ I Got Mine geared to let the crowd know just how much they missed on American Idol by not getting him to play guitar more.

Given the freedom of a full song — and the solos that come with it — Casey’s more animated tonight than he ever was on the show. It’s almost as if everything he couldn’t do on the show is coming out at once in a flurry of notes, as Casey bends his guitar neck and tortures the strings.

Casey trades in his electric guitar for an acoustic on Shania Twain’s Don’t! but he switches it out for a second electric in time for the solo.

Afterwards, Casey says, “I want to invite a good friend of mine back up on the stage right now — Mr. Mike Lynche.” Mike comes back out to do Bryan Adams’ Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman with the same black acoustic that he used during his set, but Casey has yet another acoustic — that’s four guitars for three songs, for those of you keeping score at home. Around the hall, the cellphones and glo-sticks begin to sway.

After Mike leaves the stage, Casey launches into a scorching version of It’s All Over Now, the old R&B hit done by everybody from the Rolling Stones to The Valentinos. It’s got a much sharper edge than it did on the show, especially with Casey’s slide-guitar licks. And, yes, he’s playing yet another guitar. He changes guitars the way Carrie Underwood changes costumes.

GRAND RAPIDS — Casey James doesn’t take anything for granted.

The 28-year-old, who will roll through town Saturday night along with his other “American Idol” season nine Top 10 compadres, including winner Lee DeWyze, knows it can all be gone in a second, and he’s not talking about something as fleeting as fame.

Seven years ago, the Cool, Texas native was rounding a corner on his motorcycle when he realized in a flash that he was about to be killed.

“The thought went through my mind, ‘He’s going to hit me,’ and I had this feeling of disappointment in myself. ‘I didn’t get the chance to be the person I wanted to be,’” the singer said in a phone interview from Los Angeles. “I woke up in the hospital, and my brother said, ‘You’re in the hospital, you’re not dead,’ and I said to myself ‘I’m going to do things right from now on.’”

After he healed from life-threatening injuries, James moved forward, armed with his Christian faith, a solid trade as a builder, keen guitar skills and a great voice.

“The accident changed my whole life, including who I am as an artist,” he said. “I appreciate life, just being around. Instead of complaining about something, you’re thankful you’re around to complain.”

After doing his time in hotel lounges and other small venues, James decided to try out for “American Idol,” a show he had never seen (James was raised without a TV and never got around to buying one when he became an adult).

His audition wowed the judges, in more ways than one. Though James said he felt uncomfortable performing shirtless — he shed his top at judge Kara DioGuardi’s request — the judges, including guest judge Shania Twain, unanimously passed him through to Hollywood for more than his pecks. His soulful, bluesy interpretation of John Mayer’s “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” set the pace for a season in which James would establish himself as arguably the best guitar player “Idol” had yet seen.

For the entire season, up until he was ejected just shy of the finals in third place, James was teased for being DioGuardi’s cougar crush, but he says the two rarely spoke outside of the live broadcasts.

“People got wrapped up in the wrong things,” he said of the constant references to DioGuardi. “I just wanted everyone to keep focused on the music.”

As he was about to embark on the live tour — whick kicks off tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills — James was coming to terms with the whirlwind of “Idol” fame and plotting next steps.

“I’m thinking country music, specifically Texas country music, which is a rocky, bluesy, country, “Red Dirt” band stuff like CCR,” he said. “(In that genre) I can do what I love, and what I want to do with a guitar and do some slower acoustic stuff too.”

Whether or not he hits the pinnacle of “Idol” fame and fortune, like Chris Daughtry or David Cook, for example, James’ accident taught him to hold close things that really matter.

“Family and friends became more important to me, things — worldly things — dropped off the face of the planet for me. I’ve never been the kind of guy who needed a lot of possessions.”

The same performer who used to go play in nursing homes “just to help out” will now be shredding and crooning for thousands in packed arenas around the country. He’s happy to share any limelight with his new friends, including Mike Lynche, Andrew Garcia, Tim Urban and Aaron Kelly.

“(This tour) will draw us together even more,” he said. “I’m proud of those people and proud to be sharing this with them.”

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