bonniemeadow

I really liked that interview in Fly Magazine. He sure comes up with the most interesting, colorful metaphors to illustrate his point. OT, but sort of related. I paid a visit to my ex-boyfriend this weekend, and I noticed that he kept using the word "whatnot" during our conversation. I found myself wondering if his frequent use of this term was a recent phenomenon, or if I am only just now noticing it because of my heightened awareness of anything Clay-related.

With Clay's soothing lullaby voice, I bet he could get enough milk out of a yak to fill an entire year's worth of all those bottles that he loves to line up so much. But with such a large supply, I guess he wouldn't have enough room to shift them around and adjust their positions and whatnot (I'm still talking about the bottles). Hey, at least he wouldn't have to worry about who's watching him buy milk at the store anymore! Anyway, I was doing my usual late night catch-up of the latest goings-on in the Clay Nation, and I was quite saddened to learn about what happened in Reading last night. And on his birthday, too. Hugs to Skatejoy -- I hope you have a wonderful time at your concerts. Congratulations to Couch Tomato on the new job! And bottlecap, yes, Sun is a lucky woman. Oh my.

bottlecap - Bwah! OMG, that's so clever. I especially loved this part: I can't wait for the next part! I love courtroom sagas.

Thanks everyone for your nice comments about my recap. Oh how I wish I could go to more shows! I actually have worried about this, heh. I live alone so I don't normally have to worry about shielding clack from loved ones, but I've sometimes wondered what would happen if I were in an accident, leaving my family to go through all of my possessions. I mean, what will they think when they discover nearly 80 gigs of Clay audio/video on my hard drive? Yikes. They have no idea.

I went back to work today in a post-concert glow after having seen the JN2005 in Oakland last night, and several of my co-workers remarked to me that I seemed like I was in much better spirits than usual. I guess I’ve been stressed out and rather grumpy at work lately, so my co-workers wanted to know if anything special happened to put me in such a great mood. So I told them the truth…I told them that I had a wonderful date last night. *g* And it was indeed full of wonder. Wonder and joy. So, for anyone who’s interested, here is how my date went… Pre-Concert Party I’ve been a “connected” internet fan for quite a while now, but I’ve remained mostly on the sidelines and never really became a part of any particular fan community. I’m also rather shy and introverted in real life, so it was a really big step for me to attend the pre-concert party where I did not know a single soul. I had decided that it was time I made an effort to step in from the sidelines a little bit and meet some of the people who made this fandom so special and unique. I don’t have any RL friends who share my, um, enthusiasm for the skinny white boy with the big voice, so I was excited about finally meeting some like-minded folks with the same hobby. I ended up having a really fun time at the party and got to chat at length with several other fans over dinner. It was so great to be able to share my Clay-related experiences (like seeing him live 8 times) without drawing looks of shock and bewilderment. I have to give props to Couch Tomato and the rest of the party planning committee for putting on such a great event. I can’t imagine the amount of time and effort it must have taken to organize and pull off the whole thing. By the way, the food at that place was delicious! I actually introduced myself to Couch Tomato towards the end of the party, but I have no idea if she remembers me. I’m sure she was quite the busy lady during the evening! Anyway, couchie, if you happen to recall a short Asian-American woman in a red top and long black skirt who approached you after the raffles were done, that was me! The Concert I can’t describe how excited I was to see Clay perform at the breathtakingly beautiful Paramount Theater in Oakland. I had been to the venue once before to see another show this past summer, and ever since then I have been dreaming of how awesome it would be if Clay appeared there. And what do you know, his agent books him at the Paramount for the JN2005. EEEEE! Once inside the venue, I made my way to the crowded merchandise stand where I stood seemingly forever in line until I got my program, mug, keychain, and limited edition ornament. The program is just...gah. After making my purhcases, I settled into my seat in the 12th row of the far left orchestra section. The show itself moved me so very much. It’s hard for me to know exactly what to say about it. I’m not much of a details person and tend to get into a Clay fog during live concert experiences, so I can only give my impressions of the show in its totality and of certain things that stood out to me. I hadn’t watched or heard any clack prior to my concert, so I was completely unspoiled. But I knew that the show was going to be special from the opening moments when Clay walked out in his gorgeous white suit and made the snow fall by lifting his hands to the sky. So much of the show made me feel like I was transported to another time and place – I almost felt as if I were watching a classic Hollywood film from the 40s or 50s. Old soul is right. There were so many special moments throughout the production. One of my favorites was the Christmas Serenade flashback dance sequence, during which I actually found myself placing my hand over my heart and choking back a tear. Yes, I’m sentimental. Another favorite scene and delightful surprise was the jazzy Jingle Bells number. Who knew Jingle Bells could be hot? I just loved the use of dancers in this number and in so many other numbers during the first act. And then there’s Celebrate Me Home. What can I say that hasn’t already been said? The many different elements of the whole show -- the music, the dialogue, the characters, the dancers, the lighting effects -- seemed to work together well. But at the center of all the production and activity was Clay in his ethereal beauty and golden voice. To me, it felt like his musical performances were actually the central focus of the show, with the scripted scenes serving to tie the songs together and illustrate their meaning, rather than the other way around. Now, this perception could be due to my fangirly inclination of being enraptured by Clay’s presence no matter what, but it definitely felt like Clay’s character and vocal performances were front and center over everything else throughout the show. And what incredible vocal performances they were. My goodness, his voice was amazing. One of the things I loved was the look of pride and paternal-like joy on Clay’s guardian angel character’s face as he watched over and guided the actions of Beverly, Tommy, and the other people in the story. It made me think about how much pride and joy that Clay himself must be feeling while watching his creation come to life on stage. The guardian angel and the artist are alike in many ways. I’m so glad that he went out on a limb like this to show us his heart.

Just wanted to drop in and say that I had a great time at the Oakland concert and pre-party tonight. I'll try to do an actual recap later when my mental faculties are in order and I'm not so tired, but for now I'll just say that the show was really magical. Clay was gorgeous, and his voice was incredible. I wish this weren't my one and only concert of this tour.

I will be going to the Oakland concert next week. Since the show is taking place relatively soon, I'm actually going to do try to avoid watching any clack until then. I'll be amazed if I can pull that off. I'll probably cave by Saturday. I'll also be attending the pre-concert party, so hopefully I will get to meet Couch Tomato there. Anyway, I'm one of those fans that tends to end up in a Clay-induced fog after experiencing the Aiken live, so I'm not sure how good of a recapper I would be. I'm always really impressed by the extraordinary detail and vivid imagery that characterize so many fans' concert recaps. I can't guarantee that a recap of mine would contain any content other than "Gah," lol.

bottlecap -- Bwah! to so many of your posts. Sorry about the penguins. This reminded me of the SNL skits with the Mummy and Frankenstein singing holiday classics. Anyone remember those? I LOVED those skits. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Were these the Frankenstein, Tonto, and Tarzan skits? I loved those too. Phil Hartman as Frankenstein was so classic.

It’s been great reading everyone’s MOAM memories. I really liked MOAM the very first time I listened to it, but I must confess that during the months and weeks leading up to its release, I was actually expecting not to like it all that much. I came to love Clay with the fiery heat of a thousand suns during the course of AI, but my musical tastes at the time tended to run towards alternative rock and maybe some of the Hot-AC style pop/rock. So while I couldn’t wait for MOAM to drop so that I could grab a copy and proceed to drown in the beauty of Clay’s voice, I wasn’t really expecting to like the actual songs very much. I guess I was thinking that it would mostly contain AI-style pop ballads. Well, upon first listening to the album I was quite pleasantly surprised at how much I liked many of the songs themselves. Even though they were mid-tempo, I thought a lot of the songs had a real rock vibe to them, some reminiscent of the Beatles and others reminiscent of 80s metal ballads. My absolute favorite was and always has been Perfect Day, and I agree with Couch Tomato and ldyjocelyn that none of the live versions measure up to the recorded version. The others I love are Shine, NMSS, ISY, and RTM. The rest I either like or don’t mind depending on my mood. Except for Touch. I never liked Touch. I was disappointed that Clay’s lower register wasn’t utilized very much and that the instrumentation seemed canned, but overall I loved MOAM and thought it was a good solid album. I listened to it almost daily for months after its release, and I still take it out from time to time. With everything that Clay has learned and experienced these past few years, I can’t wait to see what the sophomore album brings. This time, I think I will expect to like it!

I'll throw in two more emoticons for you, Couch Tomato. I loved Clay on The Insider today. And he looked incredibly hot on The Tonight Show.

How about: Is That an EpiPen in Your Pocket?: How to administer the all important shot during a severe allergic reaction. Attendance is mandatory for those who did not pass the "No Tree Nuts!" seminar. I'd also like to use this first post to EEEEEEEEEE! over the news that Clay is coming to the Paramount Theater in Oakland. As someone who did not get to attend any of the JBT shows, I'm so excited that he'll be coming within half an hour of me!