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Once 'American Idol' rivals, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken to share Fargo Theatre stage

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Once 'American Idol' rivals, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken to share Fargo Theatre stage

20 years after their historic finale, the singers will pair up for an 'Idol' encore in Fargo on Thursday, Jan. 4

 

 

Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken perform at the Fargo Theatre on Thursday.

Contributed

 

By John Lamb

Today at 7:20 AM

FARGO — In its 21 seasons, “American Idol” has lived up to its name, producing stars like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry, Fantasia Barrino and more.

Still, no year could match the down-to-the-wire competition of the second season in 2003, which saw Ruben Studdard squeak out a victory over Clay Aiken. That finale episode is still the single most-watched in the show’s history, attracting 38.1 million viewers, the biggest audiences for a regularly scheduled, live, non-sporting event in the 21st Century.

The singers hit the road last year celebrating the 20th anniversary of the show that made them household names. They’ll bring the tour to the Fargo Theatre on Thursday night, Jan. 4.

The concert includes songs the singers performed on “American Idol,” like “Superstar,” “Open Arms” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” as well as a medley inspired by “Idol” mentors, like Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson and Olivia Newton-John.

“There are songs we sang on ‘Idol’ and songs from ‘Idol’ that inspired us,” Studdard explains from his home in Alabama. “We want to give people that Ruben and Clay experience.”

While Studdrad has performed regularly over the last 20 years, Aiken spent much of the last decade unsuccessfully running for Congress in his home state of North Carolina. The tour marks Aiken’s return to the road for the first time since 2012.

“The only thing that’s changed in 20 years is that we’re older and now we have families,” Studdard says. “We just enjoy getting to do a job we love.”

Both singers were 24 when they were on “American Idol.” While Studdard studied music in college and had decided to focus on a career as a singer, he was not prepared for what an experience like “American Idol” could mean.

“I was really excited about the prospects, but didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t watch the first season. Every week was a new experience and opportunity,” he says.

A big part of that experience was performing before judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. By the second season, Cowell’s sometimes sharp criticism was almost as well known as the performances, but Studdard felt his opinions were in line.

“Listen, Simon was par for the course,” the singer says. “I was a music major and his critiques weren’t any different from voice teachers I had in school. You need that. The music industry is a lot tougher than Simon is on ‘Idol’ because they go over everything to make sure they’re getting a return on investment.”

While the judging created some tension in the episodes, Studdard says there was little drama behind the scenes. The performers lived together in a mansion and got along, making for a cohesive environment.

“The way we were in that house was all like a family because 75% of us were from the South,” he says. “It was hard to foster a spirit of competition until we were on the stage and even then it wasn’t really a competition with each other.”

In a November interview in The Washington Post about the tour, Aiken said the camaraderie was genuine among that season’s contestants.

“I think one of the reasons we became not only friends with each other, but friends with everyone in our group, is because we had no idea what we were getting into,” Aiken said. “In subsequent seasons, I happen to know for a fact ... the winner and runner-up had not spoken since their season ended. And we were both like, ‘What?’”

In that interview, Aiken also revealed that a staffer on that season of the show was his first boyfriend.

Studdard emerged victorious in the final episode, winning by 134,000 votes out of 24 million votes, a relatively slim margin that prompted some outrage from Aiken fans. Claymates, as they are known, may have felt vindicated when the singer’s first single, “This is the Night,” topped Studdard’s “Flying Without Wings” on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the best-selling single of 2003. Studdard didn’t mind. He released his full-length debut, “Soulful,” later that year and his version of “Superstar” was nominated for a Grammy. That honor put him in competition with his idol, Luther Vandross, who won the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance award for “Dance with My Father.”

“It was an adjustment going from obscurity to everyone knowing who you were,” Studdard says about the attention he received following his “Idol” win.

The singer has kept busy recording and touring and in 2018 released a very personal album, a tribute to Vandross who died in 2005. He’s been able to feature a couple of those songs in his tour with Aiken.

“He was my mother’s favorite artist so I grew up around his music and I became a fan. To have people compare me to him is a blessing,” Studdard says, adding that he’s excited to see the new documentary on Vandross.

If you go

What: Ruben Studard & Clay Aiken

When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4

Where: Fargo Theatre

Info: Tickets from $49.50 to $69.50

 

The publicity is starting for the third leg of the tour!

https://www.jamestownsun.com/lifestyle/arts-and-entertainment/once-american-idol-rivals-ruben-studdard-and-clay-aiken-to-share-fargo-theatre-stage

As per my tradition, here is the Clay Aiken timeline for 2023.  I'm afraid it's not quite as complete as I usually try to be, because keeping track of the interviews Clay and Ruben this year, that appeared online, was for some reason very hard for me.  If anyone wants to help fill that out, please let me know!

• February 1 -- Clay appears on "Celebrity Name That Tune!" (Fox). His opponent is Jordin Sparks, also of American Idol fame. He beat Jordin in the main game, but bombed spectacularly during the final round.  Still, he won $32,000 for the National Inclusion Project!

• February 2 -- Word gets out for a taping of "Tamron Hall" (syndicated) with Clay and Ruben scheduled for this date.

• February 6 -- The appearance on "Tamron Hall."  Clay and Ruben were both very animated as they talked about the tour and fatherhood.  They also sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" together!

• February 22 -- M&G packages for the summer tour are announced.  Included are attendance at the sound check (with a song that won't be in the show, but only for that venue -- lots of individuality there), a hoodie and a picture with Clay & Ruben.

• March 1 -- Clay does a radio interview with local Raleigh, NC station WPTF. He gave a preview of some of the stories he'll be telling with Ruben during the tour this year.

• March 6 -- Another radio interview is released, this time with G105 (Raleigh) morning show.  They played a few silly games, including one where Clay had to finish the song.  Nice to hear his voice!

• March 7 -- A snippet of an interview from Clay and Ruben released on South Coast Today.

• March 9 -- A YouTube short of Clay and Ruben publicizing the Nashua Center appears.  It shows their trademark humor.  Also, Clay attends an event called "Big Night in for the Arts," benefiting arts councils in the Triangle Area.

• March 10 -- This time, it's a Facebook Reel that shows up with Clay and Ruben ribbing each other.  It advertises for the Arcada Theater show.

• March 28 -- A video interview on Queen City News Charlotte (NC).  Cute video interview.

• March 30 -- The WNYT (TV station in the Capital area of New York) online show "Onorato & Company" hosts Clay and Ruben as they discuss the opening night's show!

• April 2 -- Clay, along with Justin Guarini, Jordin Sparks, David Archuleta, Caitie Turner, Noah Thompson, and Phillip Phillips (all other Idol finalists), mentor contestants for Hollywood week on "American Idol." Clay proves himself to be a caring and compassionate mentor as he helps them with their confidence.

• April 3 -- Another video interview for promotion of the tour.  This one is for WBTV in Charlotte, NC.

• April 5 -- And the Interviews keep coming!  Two released today:  "Soda City Live" (WIS 10 in Columbia, SC) and an interview released on Twitter from Nippertown, based in central New York.

• April 10 -- "The Pulse with Bill Anderson" (WTXF, Fox 29 in Philadelphia) has an interview with Clay and Ruben.  There's also a long radio interview on WAMC (NPR in Albany, NY).

• April 11 -- Can you tell the tour is almost here?  An interview on "New York Live!" (NBC 4 out of New York City), as well as PIX 11 from New York City as well.

• April 12 -- The opening night of Clay and Ruben Studdard with their "Twenty Years, One Night" tour (hereafter referred to as "20-1").  It starts at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (Troy, NY). Earlier in the day, two Facebook interviews appear, one from the Kokomo Press, the other B106.7.  Both fun interviews!

• April 13 -- 20-1 at the Nashua Center for the Arts (Nashua, NH).

• April 14 -- 20-1 at the Zeiterion Theatre (New Bedford, MA).

• April 16 -- 20-1 at the Fallsview Casino Resort (Niagara Fall, ON, Canada).

• April 17 -- 20-1 at the Fallsview Casino Resort (Niagara Fall, ON, Canada).

• April 18 -- 20-1 at the Fallsview Casino Resort (Niagara Fall, ON, Canada).

• April 20 -- 20-1 at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts (Patchogue, NY).

• April 21 -- An interview with Clay on WDBJ-7 out of Roanoke, VA, promoting the show on May 5.

• April 22 -- 20-1 at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts (Bronx, NY).

• April 24 -- 20-1 at the Wall Street Theater (Norwalk, CT). Also, a new video interview appears on FB with both Ruben and Clay, from NBC CT Live in Connecticut.

• April 26 -- 20-1 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts (Red Bank, NJ).  There's also a radio interview on "On Point with Juandolyn Stokes" (NewsTalk 1340 WAOK), publicizing the May 6 concert at Mableton, GA.  And then, an interview via Facebook from Mix 107.9 in Charlotte, NC.

• April 27 -- 20-1 at Penn's Peak (Jim Thorpe, PA).  There's also a really good interview with Clay on the "Open House Party" podcast with Kannon.  

• April 28 -- 20-1 at the Parx Casino (Bensalem, PA).

• April 29 -- 20-1 at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre (Cary, NC).

• April 30 -- 20-1 at the Newberry Opera House (Newberry, SC).

• May 2 -- 20-1 at the Midland Theatre (Newark, OH).

• May 4 -- 20-1 at the Knight Theater (Charloette, NC).

• May 5 -- 20-1 at the Jefferson Center (Roanoke, VA).

• May 6 -- 20-1 at the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre (Mableton, GA).

• May 7 -- 20-1 at the Oxford Performing Arts Centers (Oxford, AL).

• May 10 -- 20-1 at the Arcada Theatre (St. Charles, IL).

• May 11 -- 20-1 at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts (Carmel, IN).

• May 12 -- 20-1 at the Genesee Theatre (Waukegan, IL).

• May 13 -- 20-1 at the Honeywell Center (Waubash, IN).

• May 14 -- 20-1 at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (Bloomington, IL).

• May 16 -- 20-1 at the Grand Theater (Wausau, WI).

• May 18 -- Once again, Clay hosts the Triangle Rising Star Awards, for young performers in the area.

• May 21 -- Clay and Ruben celebrate 20 years to the day of the finale of the second season of "American Idol" by appearing on the finale of the current season.  They sing "The Impossible Dream" (the finale song from the 20-1).  Also on this date...new 20-1 dates appear on the website and via Instagram!  EEEEE!

• June 4 -- According to a tweet, Clay attended a fundraiser for NC Theater.

• June 9 -- An appearance on the Navarro-Miller podcast.

• June 21 -- Clay emceed at the Equality PAC Pride Gala, held at Union Station's East Hall in Washington, DC.

• September 19 -- Clay and Ruben do a radio interview on The Carney Show (KTRS, St. Louis).

• September 23 -- 20-1 at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center (Arcardia, CA).

• September 29 -- 20-1 at the Arts Commons (Calgary, Alberta, Canada).

• September 30 -- 20-1 at the River Cree Casino & Resort (Enoch, Alberta, Canada).

• October 4 -- 20-1 at the Alaska Airline Center (Anchorage, AK).

• October 7 -- The 20th Anniversary National Inclusion Project Gala. The day starts with many of the attendees going on a bus tour of Raleigh hosted by Clay, Dianne Bubel and Nick Leisey.  At the dinner, Ben Cohn and Sean McDaniel are given the Founder's Award.  Clay sings the entire "Measure of a Man" album in its entirety.

• October 8 -- 20-1 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center (Nashville, TN).

• October 9 -- 20-1 at Memorial Hall (Cincinnati, OH).

• October 10 -- 20-1 at the Otis A. Singletary Center for the Arts (Lexington, KY). On September 28, this show was cancelled.

• October 11 -- 20-1 at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center (Marion, IL).

• October 16 -- 20-1 at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts (San Antonio, TX).

• October 18 -- 20-1 at the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center (Midland, TX).

• October 19 -- 20-1 at the Celebrity Theatre (Phoenix, AZ).

• October 20 -- 20-1 at the Fox Tucson Theatre (Tucson, AZ).

• October 22 -- 20-1 at the McCain Auditorium (Manhattan, KS).

• October 23 -- 20-1 at the Uptown Theater (Kansas City, MO).

• October 24 -- 20-1 at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts (Springfield, MO).

• October 25 -- 20-1 at the Pulaski Technical College The Center for Humanities and Arts (North Little Rock, AR).

• October 27 -- 20-1 at the Family Arena (St. Charles, MO).

• October 28 -- 20-1 at the Astro Theater and Amphitheater (La Vista, NE).

• October 29 -- 20-1 at the Hutchinson Fox Theatre (Hutchinson, KS).

• October 31 -- 20-1 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center (Rapid City, SD). At this show, Clay appears on stage with an eye patch.  It seems he lost a fight with a sidewalk in Nebraska, leaving him with a nasty black eye.

• November 1 -- 20-1 at the Alberta Bair Theater (Billings, MT).

• November 3 -- 20-1 at the Shoshone Bannock Hotel (Fort Hall, ID).

• November 4 -- 20-1 at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort (Suquamish, WA).

• November 5 -- 20-1 at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino (Airway Heights, WA).  "Pirate Clay" is no more at this show; makeup can now cover his black eye.

• November 6 -- 20-1 at Portland's 5 Centers for the Arts (Portland, OR).

• November 7 -- 20-1 at the Craterian Theater at the Collier Center for the Performing Arts (Medford, OR).

• November 9 -- 20-1 at the Blue Note (Napa, CA).  Two shows that night.

• November 10 -- 20-1 at the Harris Center (Folsom, CA).

• November 16 -- 20-1 at the Gallo Center for the Arts (Modesto, CA).

• November 17 -- 20-1 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (Cerritos, CA).

• November 18 -- 20-1 at the McCallum Theatre (Palm Desert, CA).

• November 19 -- 20-1 at the Sycuan Casino Resort (El Cajon, CA).

• December 2 -- Clay and Ruben appear at a Gala for the David Foster Foundation, held at Cabo in Mexico.  From Facebook snippets, it looks as if they did some of the Boy Band Medley from 20-1.

• December 14 -- Holiday Pops with the Naples (Florida) Philharmonic.

• December 15 -- Holiday Pops with the Naples Philharmonic.

• December 16 -- 2 shows (afternoon and evening) of the Holiday Pops with the Naples Philharmonic.

• December 17 -- A final Holiday Pops with the Naples Philharmonic.

• December 31 -- Clay and Ruben appear on the NexStar/Fox New Year's Eve Celebration.  It was available streaming through several TV station's websites, including KTLA.  Ruben sang "Flying Without Wings," while Clay did "Bridge Over Troubled Water."  This was a pretaped segment.

Clay Aiken Timeline for 2024.  ldyj will try her darndest to keep this list up-to-date.  If you see anything missing/incorrect, please contact ldyjocelyn!

• January 4 -- Twenty the Tour (TTT) at the Fargo Theatre (Fargo, ND).
• January 5 -- TTT at The Dakota (Minneapolis, MN).  There's two shows that night.
• January 6 -- TTT at the Hoyt Sherman Place (Des Moines, IA).
• January 7 -- TTT at the Pabst Theater (Milwaukee, WI).
• January 11 -- TTT at the Mille Auditoriaum (Kalamazoo, MI).
• January 12 -- TTT at the Robins Theatre (Warren, OH).
• January 13 -- TTT at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts (Clinton Township, MI).
• January 14 -- TTT at the Edwin J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall (Akron, OH).
• January 15 -- TTT at the Carnegie of Homestead (Munhall, PA).
• January 17 -- TTT at Plymouth Memorial Hall (Plymouth, MA).
• January 18 -- TTT at the Isaac Harris Cary Memorial Building (Lexington, MA).
• January 19 -- TTT at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury (Westbury, NY).
• January 21 -- TTT at the Levoy Theatre (Millville, NJ).
• January 22 -- TTT at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club (Bethesda, MD).
• January 23 -- TTT at the Academy Center of the Arts (Lynchburg, VA).
• January 24 -- TTT in Atlanta, GA.
• January 25 -- TTT at the Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College (Irmo, SC).
• January 27 -- TTT at the Ritz Theatre and Museum (Jacksonville, FL).  There's two shows that night.
• January 28 -- TTT at the Central Park Performing Arts Center (Largo, FL).
• January 31 -- TTT at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center (Lady Lake, FL).  This is the last of the "full" show; the next few dates are the abbreviated version of the show, missing a few of the medleys.
• February 1 -- A private, members only TTT at the Ocean Reef Club (Key Largo, FL).
• February 3 -- TT at the Center for Performing Arts (Punta Gorda, FL). There's two shows on that date.
• February 24 — Clay attends a concert by David Foster and Kat McPhee at the Durham Performing Arts Center.  At some point, he ends up singing a bit of “Unchained Melody” to great applause!
• March 13 -- a mysterious duo of "The Beets" appears on "The Masked Singer" (Fox).  It sure seems like it's Clay and Ruben!
• March 29 — Clay’s in NYC! He attends “Back to the Future” on Broadway. 
• March 30 -- There's an Instagram Story and an Tweet from Clay, simply with "Clue Number 1."  Speculations begin.  Link to Instagram story here.
• April 1 -- "Clue Number 2" and "No. 3" appears on the InstaStory.  See the link above for what this picture looks like.
• April 2 -- "No. 4" arrives. 
• April 3 -- "Clue number 5" shows up.
• April 4 -- "Number 6" appears.  What will it be?
• April 5 -- More confusion as "number 7" shows up.
• April 6 -- Guess what?  Another clue, "number 8."
• April 7 -- To publicize his work with the DPAC on May 9, Clay appears on "ABC11 Together Perspectives" (WTVD Raleigh, NC). 
• April 8 -- After skipping a day, clue "number 9" appears.
• April 10 -- "Number 10" shows up, along with a gif of a heart and a message that says "watch The CV for more details."  Heh.
• April 12 -- Guess what?  "11" appears, along with a note that says "Check the CV before 8 pm this evening." At 8 pm -- well, there was information imparted to many Clay fans about something coming.  LOL. 
• May 9 -- As is his tradition, Clay hosts the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) "Rising Stars" Awards.
• May 11 -- Another hosting gig!  This time he's hosting "RYC's Got Talent," featuring the Raleigh Youth Choir. Clay was part of this choir back in the day. The event will be held at the Dorthea Dix Chapel.

Happy New Year FCA!

RIP keepingfaith.  If you read old posts on here from 2006-12, you'll see posts from her.  I went with her to several concerts -- Houston and Tulsa in 2007, Reno in 2010.  We had a blast.  I'm so sad to read of her passing.

I would love a residency in Las Vegas, but I bet Clay would hate living there. 
 

From Instagram stories, a picture. 

krqe.com

Reuben and Clay set to bring a taste of 2003 to the new year

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Reuben and Clay set to bring a taste of 2003 to the new year

by: Justin Walker

Posted: Dec 27, 2023 / 12:10 PM MST

Updated: Dec 27, 2023 / 12:16 PM MST

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Two decades ago, Clay Aiken and Reuben Studdard were the stars of the second season of American Idol. Together, they became the faces of that season, and in 2024, the duo plans to continue working as a team to bring joy to those who come to their Twenty Years, One Night tour.

“I think the show that we are doing right now is […] musically and artistically where Ruben and I enjoy being,” Aiken said, adding that he could see the duo taking on a Vegas residency. “One day, whenever Ruben’s ready to get off the road himself, […] Ruben loves traveling. When Reuben’s ready to get off the road and sit still, I’ll talk him into doing it.”

Studdard laughed in agreement at Aiken’s assessment of their tour, which has dates scheduled into 2024 up and down the East Coast. Aiken says the show is very similar to the American Idol tour, the series of concerts that followed the second season of the Fox show.

“We sing songs that we did when we were on Idol,” Aiken said. “We do medleys, sort of like we did when we were on Idol.”

Both of the artists look back on their Idol days fondly, saying that neither of them could have predicted what the competition would lead to.

“We didn’t know that this was going to turn into the rest of our lives,” Aiken said.

Studdard calls Idol a “little summer camp experience,” recalling the work that went into putting on the show.

“They were asking a lot of us, but now, when I look back on it, they weren’t asking enough,” Studdard said. “We really could have given them more for the amount of exposure that we were given.”

Still, the performers love to bring their 2003 American Idol sensibilities into the 2020s, delighting fans who take in their shows.

“Here we are putting 2023 behind us and heading into 2024, but Ruben and I are still in 2003 with this show,” Aiken said.

Get a glimpse into Reuben and Clay’s tour during Las Vegas Countdown to 2024, a live New Year’s Eve special on Sunday, December 31, 2023, with coverage from 8:58 p.m. to 12:35 a.m. PT. Other headliners include 98 Degrees, Bowling for Soup, the Texas rock band the Vandoliers, and Bri Bagwell; with appearances by Berlin, Air Supply, Foghat, Pauly Shore, and Micky Dolenz. For more information on how to watch, check out this page.

 

Merry Christmas to all here at FCA!  DH and I just got home from 3pm church, and now we are waiting for "A Christmas Story" on TV.  Tomorrow is a big breakfast and then I have a small ham along with Texas Potatoes and green beans almondine, with cookies from a local bakery for dessert.

I hope everyone has the celebration you want!  Love you all!

More promo for the upcoming shows!

West coast people, please take pity on those of us from the rest of the country and capture this for us!

Article about the New Year’s Eve TV show. Lists stations who will carry it, I think more will be added later. 

https://www.nexstar.tv/klas-to-host-30th-annual-las-vegas-countdown-to-2024-tv-special/

I just found the same thing, but on Twitter (or whatever it's called now...)

YouTube version:

A TikTok that has most of Clay singing "O Come All Ye Faithful/Hark the Herald Angels Sing"

More pics here:  https://www.facebook.com/nancywigdugan/posts/pfbid0Yef8ZuutEVCEJxBxFVBs5ZTgnFBKr4frhDLnUhBRieu8EPPynTvoYfPGBS8M7ppHl

Brief video from today's show:  https://www.facebook.com/1016484887/videos/732322218369643/

Recaps of the first two Naples concerts, used with permission, from sweet carolina girl at CV.  No idea why it's bolding, and I can't turn that off on these posts.

Night one:

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I tried last night to write a report on the Naples concert, but I kept falling asleep or whatever and losing it. I am glad washgirl was able to fill you in.

It was a wonderful event. The philharmonic was excellent, the adult choir was very good, and the young peoples choir was one of the best Ive ever heard.

Clay was welcomed and treated like the star he is. He bragged on the orchestra and asked how many were from the area and did they come to see them often. He commented how people sometimes applaud politely at this kind of music, but that he is a pop singer so it was ok to whoop and holler. So a lot of people did.

They said no video or audio recording, so I was afraid to visibly bring out the phone. I did, however, hide my phone in my lap under my program and recorded most of the audio. I didnt get it all because my phone is completely full, and it stopped. Im not sure what to do about that.

I lucked up and got a stray single seat right in the middle of the front row. I was right in front of him, maybe 10-12 feet. I could have gotten wonderful video.

He looks just wonderful. Great haircut and color. Beautiful blue suit with a subtle black or dark gray plaid. Very dapper. He was his old Christmas Clay.

He seemed to be enjoying himself very much. I did notice that he didnt hold some of the notes quite as long as usual, but I did not think much about it. His tone was perfect, and he slayed on everything from "Mary Did You Know?" to "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day". The youth choir backed him up on All Is Well. Beautiful. I noticed that the arrangement of Oh Holy Night was different from anything he had done before. It included a beautiful orchestra interlude of Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring. I loved it. He commented that they had never performed that arrangement live before. It was supposed to be on the MCWL album, but Clive Davis cut that part out. Boo.

Near the end, he said he had been to urgent care and gave a shout out to the woman who had attended to him. I saw no signs of illness. He was great.

The people behind me were talking during intermission about how they didnt know he had done anything since Idol, so naturally I had to be my usual self and interrupt. A fan named Donna from a few rows back joined in, saying she used to follow him around but now her job prevented her from traveling as much. So we were having a conversation over their heads. They were truly surprised to know he has done as much as he has. I overheard lots of conversations on the way out about how wonderful he was. It is a very large venue, and there were lots of people there. I heard people say they didnt know he was going to be there. Well, ok,

I am going back tonight. A birthday present to myself. Im going to try to solve the phone issue today and hopefully get the rest of the audio.

I know I am leaving a lot out. I am sure I will remember more. It was a fun concert. Great energetic maestro. Fantastic orchestra. Ben was there, and his piano was wonderful as usual. The orchestra ended the show with a great arrangement of Sleigh Ride that my excellent high school band played as a tradition every year for at least 50 years. Santa made the rounds, too, and the crowd loved it.

All in all, a festive evening well performed with lots of happy attendees.

The weather here is predicted to be really bad later this weekend. Heavy rain and strong winds supposed to start just as I am leaving in the I morning. Scary. Wish I could just camp out at the venue and listen to Clay over and over.

This post brought to you by the words beautiful and wonderful. Not my best writing, but what can I say? It was a wonderful concert with beautiful music. 🎵💗🎶

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I had to laugh last night when he sang Oh, Baby, thats a fact! and no one screamed. 😉

Night two:

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Intermission: The man is truly on it tonight. He said that last night he got his Tylenol and Tylenol PM mixed up but promised to do it right tonight.

Different suit. Its the same one he wore to the not a gala dinner. Very handsome.

There are several of us sitting together and he saw us immediately and pointed.

His nails are beautiful. Some say they are silver. Others say they are copper. They look gold to me. All I know is I need to step up my manicure game.

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Observations from act two:

The first time Clay was introduced to sing tonight, he joked about how someone had given him something backstage called a cough drop and that he was amazed at how much it helped. I, who consider myself normally to be a level headed and clear thinking person, acknowledge that I sometimes think really crazy stuff when it comes to Clay Aiken and actually considered (for about five seconds) getting one out of my bag and asking if he wanted another one. I quickly dismissed that thought and once again chalked it up to Clay insanity.
To be honest, I rather enjoy Clay insanity.

I forgot to mention that during the first part he said that yes indeed it had been 20 years since Idol and how people were probably saying that he looked good after all this time. Then he said that yes indeed he did look good because of the magic of stage lighting. It was cute and funny and charming. People laughed.

After Dont Save It All For Christmas Day, he did his usual Merry Christmas, Naples, sign off and waved.
The orchestra still needed to play Sleigh Ride, which I later found out is a long tradition with them, just like it was at my school, but people started to get up and leave!!!! I guess they thought it was a Clay Aiken concert and not Holliday Pops. It sure seemed like it in many ways.

He told the O Holy Night / Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring Story again and said Ben had made this arrangement.

At the end, the maestro once again acknowledged the orchestra and the choruses, and then he brought Clay back out for a final bow. It was great.

And I got the rest of the audio. Yay.

Another photo from last night!  https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10100335687203301&set=a.819026792931

Picture from last night, via FB.  https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10159954315681645&set=pcb.10159954315706645

I'm reading that Clay is getting over the flu...and still sounded wonderful.

Official program book for the Naples Irchestra.  Clay interview on pages 28 and 29.

https://artisnaples.org/events/program-book/12/

1 minute ago, jmh123 said:

Nowell? Have I missed something, ldyj, some correction that's taken hold? Noel is such a beautiful and Christmas-y word. 

CV had the same question...and I Googled.  Supposedly Noel is the French spelling, but Middle English spells it Nowell.

https://grammarist.com/spelling/noel-or-nowel/#:~:text=The Christmas carol The First,best to stay with noel.

I almost forgot — the Christmas concerts are this week!  Here’s the program, thanks to beanerknits!

https://artisnaples.org/uploads/files/resources/programs/12_14-17_23_Holiday_Pops_FINAL.pdf

Aha!  It's now been discovered why Clay was potentially in Mexico.  Actress Melissa Peterson posted this reel to Facebook, about an event benefitting the David Foster Foundation, held in Cabo.  (David is Parker's Uncle, and a world famous producer; also married to Katherine McPhee)  It looks as if Clay and Ruben performed there.  If you watch the entire reel, it has a brief clip and Clay and Ruben doing some of the Boy Band medley.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/322818693943822

Rumor has it that Clay and Ruben have recorded a song and a tidbit for the NexStar/Fox New Year's Eve Celebration.  It may be possibly on the CW network.

December 5