Thursday May 17, 2007
As American Idol’s top ten gear up to hit the road for the summer concert tour, Phil Stacey waited to find out if his commanding Naval officers would give him the OK to pack his bags. Now, a few short weeks after his elimination, Usmagazine.com has learned exclusively that the U.S. Navy has cleared the 29-year-old father of two to sing this summer.
Stacey’s approval comes on the heels of his May 2 elimination, after which the sixth place finisher remained steadfast in his dedication and obligation to serve. “My primary responsibility is to the United States Navy,” he explained the day after his ouster. “The possibility exists that they’ll need me for a mission. If that’s the case, I’m committed to following through with my commitment to the Navy.”
Reached for comment today, Bob Anderson, the Director of the Navy Office of Information, told Us that “[the Navy] "I think they felt that MU3 [musician third class] Stacey has done such a good job with the show and been very gracious in the defeat, and he was great in his interviews afterwards. He always stressed that he appreciated what the Navy did for him, so we wanted to see this thing through."
Today’s announcement is no doubt a relief for the Florida performer, who, while remaining dedicated to his duty, said it would “break [his] heart” if he could not tour.
“[The Navy] has been 100% flexible with me with American Idol, and they’ve been gems – a huge support base for me,” Stacey says. "I think he's looking forward to the tour, but he always stressed that his first responsibility was to the Navy," Anderson tells Us of the performer. "We think it's going to do things for the Navy on the tour. They'll see a Navy guy up there doing these things and he'll wear his uniform a lot and it'll be a positive role model for the Navy."
The American Idols Live! nationwide concert tour kicks off July 6 in Sunrise, Fla.
Talk to Us: Will you be attending the tour this summer?
Join Us on
Facebook and
Twitter for even more up to the minute celebrity news and photos!
Posted by Allison Corneau at 3:45 pm ET
