jmh123

Word jmh !

looking at their watches, tapping their feet, on January 1, 2008, saying "OK dude, where is it?"

And, of course, deriding everything else he does in that timeframe as unworthy when he has THAT CD TO WORK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!

And of course, I always go for the beeeg dreams instead. I'm thinking an album and summer TV show mutually supporting one another, like the old days, plus an appearance on AI this year, maybe as guest artist, and lemme seewhatelse I can dream up.

I think I've had good practice for not letting any fans spoil this next album for me. And, YAY, we have FCA!! Last time I wasn't here until after the fact.

It's a little girl in the front's mom he thought was going to kill him--he was really embarrassed, according to CH certer.

CH reporter said he's never looked so good--he's very smiley and happy tonight. He's on fire. He cracked himself up at the beginning of IWTKWLI because he guessed right who was starting. Lot of men there. Lots of young men, couples, teenagers. The orchestra is having fun. One guy in a ponytail in the orchestra is totally cracking up.

That's funny--I feel like I should like DMB too, but I just can't get into them. I like Dave Matthews the person a lot. I was a big Dead Head back in the day--didn't go on the road, but did listen to a lot of bootlegs that a friend who was a taper made. I love that kind of fan-generated experience, and to heck with the suit people. Most people have no idea that the Clay Aiken fandom is like that--course we're not "cool".

And I'll bet he's having a blast too! Has he ever been to a Clay concert? (heh--probably not)

CH is back--a little better.

I agree. It's easy to get spoiled tho' ain't it?

I gotta tell ya, my DMB fan son is still blown away by the idea of our board cellcerts. And they've sorta been pioneers in the whole internet fandom thingy. They do have concert threads and get some live reports (old school cellcerts) and the band posts a live set list as it happens and offers the whole concerts for download on their site.

Only too easy.

YAY for the DMB fan in the family. I've heard a lot about their fandom and how effective they are.

I can't understand the banter at all on the CH stream and CV's volume is too low to hear anything. Oh well, we've had some great cellcert sound this tour--can't be fantastic every night. Maybe it'll get better as the night goes on.

I'm here. Only two more concerts. :TourExcite:

From J4Clay, originally posted at the CB and copied over to CV here:

I also told him that I had heard he wouldn’t be doing a tour over the summer because he didn’t have an album out yet. He said he could possibly have the album out by then, but possibly not also. I asked him about doing a jukebox tour or something like that. Apparently they are working on some other things possibly for the summer and trying to work out all the details. Don’t know what they are, but I got the idea that maybe whatever he is working on would take the place of a tour. Only time will tell though.

It's a long report, and most has been reported already, but I don't recall anyone mentioning the possibility of an album by summer.

From a meet-and-greet report via cellstream tonight:

OMG..................M & G report:

he came in WET from the shower. looked like a waif off the street. 5230 shirt with ragged shorts. he asked everyone's name. he was comfortable, easy to be with. mary, jamie & jerome in room

CD coming out in early 2008 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

his part takes a week or two. it is the preproduction and the post production. artwork. takes the most time. if he had to, he could recrod the whole thing in a week.

she is sorry to ramble

he will not be summer touring unless he gets that CD out.

she is shook up !! he is like talking to your relative in your living room.

lots of men in the audience. 10 orchestra members on the stage. he will not come to FLA for xmas. quite a few more dates that will come out, not ready to announce them yet.

he was extremely chatty.

Christmas in the Heartland...they said NJ was hardly heartland. she told him he needed to learn georgraphy before he goes on Fifth Grader. He said...go ahead, just ask me anything !!

funny, wonderful, warm, welcoming, kind person

Hee...hair dripping wet!!!!!

Not coming to FL for Christmas but there are more dates that will be announced...just not ready to do so yet.

Bottlecap, you have really nailed the devil and the angel with those photos.

I hope all our travelers are there safely by now.

Here's another cute recap from CV's beenthinking:

Am I a concert virgin or a technical virgin? Why am I asking this question? It has been 2 years since I have seen Clay in concert (due to circumstances) but I have downloaded clack and watched it. That is why I am questioning my virginity...LOL

People have done a wonderful job of posting about the concert itself, so I won't go over that, except to say the beautiful boy has turned into a mighty fine looking man, who commands the stage and hold the audiance in the palm of his hand.

On to some of my personal experiences last night in Tampa. My hubby and I decided to have dinner at the TBPA center. It was a lovely buffet dinner, white linen table clothes and great food. Sitting at the table right next to us was Sean, his parents, and other family members and friends. They were celebrating his birthday. Because Sean was spending a private moment with his family I glanced over once. To be honest I would have liked to look more but I didn't...LOL

Up close Sean is a nice looking man, but very, very young looking. On stage Clay had some fun with Sean bringing him up to the front of the stage and then had a spotlight put on him. Clay then asked concert virgins to try and guess Sean's age. The lady Clay chose guessed 18 and a gentleman who was Clay's other choice said 30. Sean's actual age is 31. Clay paid the winner $100.

The next interesting thing that happened to me was where I sat, or rather who was sitting right next to me. It was a young man who seemed to be in his 30's and had his little boy with him. We started talking and I was told they had never seen Clay in concert before. The man then told me his little boy had a meet and greet with Clay. My mind went sort of blank, huh?

He proceeded to tell me that he was a DJ on magic 94.9 which is a local radio station in Tampa. He gave his business card to hope4clay who was sitting next to me. His name is Chadd Thomas. Here is a couple of things that I found interesting that took place in our conversation. Hope4clay asked if his station played Clay and he said unfortunately no. He continued on and said, that he would like to play Clay. My question to him was, is it up to the person who does the musical slections what is played at your station? This is what he replied, it is not that easy, a mixture of tests are applied to an artist and his music before the radio station will decide to play them. He started to explain what types of tests, but the concert started.

Enough of my conversation with the dad, and on to the little guy who had the meet and greet with Clay. During the concert, the part where, who is my favorite singer, Clay stopped the show, had the spotlight turned on the little guy, who by then was standing up on his chair. Clay pointed at him and asked, who is my favorite singer? I was watching the little man's face, he was so cute, he pointed his little finger at Angela and Quiana and said, THEM. He sat down with a big grin on his face and was, oh, so proud of himself. That little scenario must have been coached in the meet and greet...LOL I am assuming that dad must have interviewed Clay for the radio station. Dad and the little boy seemed to enjoy the concert, they stood and clapped and took part in all of the concert antics.

Now, on to the Sean posse that sat directly behind me. Some of you may not know about them. They are a group of 3 teen girls who love Sean. They have been to 7 concerts. They warned us that they were screamers and they didn't lie....LOL I must say this, to me they were not that distrubing because the screaming seemed to be done in apporiate places of the concert. How other people felt, I don't know. They had birthday hats, signs and those blow out whistles. They woofed and sang during the TV and Classics. Clay mentioned a couple of times about hearing barking coming from the audiance, well, it was them.

While chatting Clay mentioned that maybe at the very last concert they might auction off the stools they 3 of them sat on, and that the proceeds could go to TBAF and I believe he might have said UNICEF. The young ladies sitting behind me decided to have some fun with Clay by saying the wanted Quiana's stool, which brought a very funny reaction from Clay.

This is the last part of my recap. Something that touched my heart. The woman that was next to me in the bus line must have been in her 80's. She was there with her daughter and SIL. It was hard for her to stand, so she had a little camping folding chair that she was sitting on. She was so cute, her hair was just so, had a pretty blue dress on. In other words she was all dolled up for Clay and her concert.

I mentioned to her how Clay would just come by and briefly touch every one's had and to make sure she had her hand out. She said to me, I won't have time to introduce myself to him? I told her no not this time. She looked at her daughter and said, well then, I want you to help me stand up so I will get to shake his hand. Indeed she did. With the help of her daughter and SIL she was standing when Clay came by.

It doesn't matter what your age is, 8 like the little boy or 80, both of these people were made happy by attending a Clay concert.

wandacleo's recap for tonight (from CV):

We just got back from the Tampa Bay show (skipped the busline to get back early), and I’m crouched down in our motel room in case a stray bullet goes through the window. My friend CarolJean decided to help out and made reservations “only 5 miles from the venue” in the LOW rent district. The tub is leaking, the air conditioner is leaking, and there’s some major party going on with cars coming in and out constantly. I think they rent by the hour here. The Internet only works in the lobby, so I’m going to have to type this out and then run like hell around the building. This is true dedication to the Clay Nation, my friends.

I met a lot of people from CB, CV, and OFC at the preparty after we finally found it! We had a good time eating and visiting.

The TBPACenter is really lovely with balconies up to the sky and a large orchestra seating with seats that stretch about 48 or so across with no middle aisle. I asked the usher working our area how the crowd was, and she said that the whole place fills up for Broadway-type shows, but that this was a very good turnout for this type of show. There were, of course, lots of women, but also quite a lot of couples and all ages. OK, preliminaries out of the way. (Carol just tried to wipe a bug off the door and discovered it’s a hole—probably from a gunshot. If someone else doesn’t kill us tonight, I’m killing Carol tomorrow.) I talked to a couple before the show, and the woman said that they have been coming to all the shows for years, and they have NEVER seen so many people arriving early for the show. She was amazed.

On to the show—as per my usual disclaimer, I will try to be as accurate as possible, but I’m paraphrasing.

"Here You Come Again" started with Clay coming out to our left and sounding and looking mightly fine in a dark linen-looking jacket, dk. Blue shirt, and jeans. After the song, while we were standing and cheering liked crazed lunatics, he whispered something to Q who ran backstage for awhile. The orchestra seemed quite loud for the first song and seemed to tone down, but I don’t really know why she ran back.

During "Everything I Have", Clay kept wiggling his fingers on both hands. I think that’s some kind of signal about the sound as I recall—although he could have just been having spasms of some kindf.

During "I Want to Know What Love Is", Clay did his back and forth looking, trying to guess who was going to sing, and Q sang. They TORE IT UP!!! Clay did his falsetto and Q beckoned to him like BRING IT! He played around with the ending.

Clay looked up at the balcony and said, “What’s that torch in the balcony?” and they yelled that they were holding “hearts,” and Clay said they just looked like “big balls of light.” He commented on the smiling faces (little lit-up ones) and said “I appreciate that and Radio Shack appreciates it too.”

I just want to say that the camera police were out in force, but at the beginning, one of the ushers actually had the nerve to take a picture with her camera phone, right before she started yellilng at people to “Put that camera away.” I’m sure this is some kind of injustice.

Clay looked at the audience and said, “I would not want to be you people in the middle if someone yells FIRE!”

Clay talked a little about the types of songs he had sung “rock turned into yodeling.”

Then, he went into a spiel about how it was a special day and he couldn’t remember why, and then said it was Sean’s birthday (getting screams from a group of girls, whom Clay referred to as Sean’s groupies). Clay said he had to keep Sean “hermetically sealed” in plastic to protect him from the groupies. Then, he asked for a show of hands and people immediately started raising their hands before he asked the questions, and he said, “They don’t even wait!! What if I asked who has bad breath??” When he asked who had been and hadn’t been at the concerts, I think it was about half and half—lots of new blood. Then Clay said, “Some of you are lying!!” He talked about family of A, Q, and Sean in the audience, and talked about the audience, “I know your names,” and started naming off people he knew: Bob and Linda, Toni, ?Hill, He said Toni was from NY, but she corrected him and he said, “Well, you stalked us most in NY!”

He asked for a couple of people (Antonia and Gene) to stand up to guess how old Sean was and had Sean come out and stand in front. One guessed 18 but the guy guessed 30, and Clay said “THIRTY, How old do you think I am—45???” Sean was 31. (He honest-to-God looks about 14!! I should be so well-preserved!) Clay said they got Sean a cake that said “Happy 16th). He said the guy who guessed 30 won $100 and pulled it out of his pocket. Some lunatic, drunk, obnoxious woman who drove us nuts all evening yelled out “I LOVE YOUR HAIR!” while he was talking and he said, “It’s the same hair I’ve always had.”

After West Wing played, Clay suggested that Q put that on her phone as his ring, like the President, so she would know he was calling, but she said that she has "I Want to Know What Love Is" as his tone because she’s singing on it. He said something about her getting 1/2 cent of royalty for it. Then he said, “We get carried away and forget you are here!”

When he did the intro to the TV, Q mentioned Maury Povich show as one of her favorites and Clay said, “Who you baby’s daddy?” He divided the audience up and we all sang along while Clay pantomimed during the Brady bunch, rubbing his two index fingers together [censored] and then showing his fingers for all the kids. (It was VERY funny!) He talked about being a couch potato and watching too much TV and said people were saying, “I want my money back!”

When Angie did her pole dance, Clay took out the $100 and stuck it in her belt and yelled at the guy who “won” it, “that was your money! You can come and get it later!”

After the singing was over and he was chatting a bit more about TV and Maury Povich he did the “Who you baby’s daddy?” line again and Angie pretended she was a guest on the MP show, “It could be one of two. I think it’s him. I don’t know, look at the nose!” (I actually went to a MP taping once—he was interviewing people who were victims of Satanism. I about fell out of my chair laughing at Clay and Angela.)

Clay said, “Where’s Brendan” and an 8-year old boy stood up, and Clay introduced him and asked us to say “hey,” which we all dutifully did. The kid was the son of a disk jockey on one of the radio stations and had come to the M&G and asked Clay who his favorite singers were, and of course, people started yelling out the answer, and Clay said, “Trying to steal attention from a little child!!” scolding the audience.

Clay started clapping while Q was singing.

I talked to our usher during the break and she LOVED the show. She sat down in the empty seat beside me at the end of the row and was really watching (and completely ignoring the cameras!) One guy came by to chat and I asked him if he was enjoying the show, and he said, “My wife says I am,” but he was grinning.

Clay screwed up the words of 2 "A Thousand Days" and then "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (only noticeable to those who know every word) and said something like “Clap when I get the words right, not when I mess up 2 songs in a row!” When he was singing “sorry” he rubbed a circle on his chest to apologize. So cute. During MOAM as he started singing he sang, “Broken down, he’s forgotten the words.”

Q told him he’d been hyper. OH YES, when he was talking about the others having family and friends there, he said, “I don’t have anybody here, but you can be my family.”

Then he talked about how they had sat on the stools so much the padding was gone and said, “We should sign them and auction them off at the last concert for BAF and Unicef.” He said 2 for BAF and 1 for Unicef and said, “ Bring a checkbook because they aint gonna be cheap!” Someone called out “We love you” and Clay said “Thank you” but they said they were yelling for Jesse, so Clay said, “You don’t get to bid on my stool” then someone called out something (scatological, I’m sure) to which he replied, “Now that’s disgusting” followed by (I swear!) “Some of you are so nuts someone probably WOUILD bid on my stool!” (You can imagine the hilarity of THAT! The man was on a roll tonight! The end is in sight.)

[Oh, for the love of Pete, CarolJean just took her shower and put her clothes back on because she won’t let me go to the office to use the internet by myself. She apparently thinks there’s an advantage in BOTH of us being killed for Clay.]

Anyhow, to continue my stool story, Clay sang "Without You", and when he got to the line, “I can’t forget this evening” he shook his head vigorously for “YES!” He was trying very hard not to laugh and couldn’t look at A & Q who were in a state over his stool remarks, so he had to cover his eyes a couple of times.

Bob of Bob and Linda was apparently doing some barking (I’m not kidding) and Clay started talking about the fans and how Bob and Linda live in Santa Monica and “stalk” him and pointed out “Debbie” who stalked him. (I’m probably getting some of this out of order or becoming repetitive since I’m getting close to the time I have to put my life on the line to run my computer to the lobby.”

Clay talked about getting the same 4000 people to follow him from show to show.

He asked Q about her Spanx (spelling??) Angie said she took hers off but wouldn’t say why.

Clay asked some members of the orchestra to play solos—starting with the French horn, and yelled at him to “Be proud of your instrument!” You can, I’m sure, imagine the audience reaction to THAT! (Q was shaking her had and telling him to “stop it!” So Clay, all innocent, said, “I said something very benign and they took it a different way” and added something about “our minds are not in the gutter.” Honestly, it was flat out hilarious. The Oboe played and Clay yelled out, “Put your reed in,” which caused another wave of hysterical laughter. Clay talked about trying to learn the oboe for “about 10 minutes.” The viola played.

Clay did the introductions and kept calling Jesse, “Jesse Vargas” and said that some names just had to have two parts like “Jesse Vargas” and someone called out “Clay Aiken” and Clay added, “Jesus Christ” and then said, he wasn’t comparing them, but the names always go together.

Clay left out the “cool routine” altogether tonight and said he felt excited and needed more fast songs and kept yelling at Jesse to “Make it work.” (He was SO FUNNY!) He squatted WAY down for the beginning of 1999. He said he felt quite cool when he was done and said “I don’t want to hear that ballad crap or Clay Aiken crap, and if it don’t say ‘sexy back.’ I don’t want to hear it!”

He didn’t do the usual introduction for "Lover All Alone", but said, “You want to feel really bad?? Listen to the words of this song.” He sang beautifully and there was not a sound—even the [censored] screaming behind me shut up.

Clay said that at some point Q asked him if he had taken his medicine today and said A THREW down her phone and wanted to know where they were and how many he needed—“two or three?”

The audience was a blooming garden of lights waving. I heard one of the ushers say, “This must be a tradition” as she looked around. Another usher came and sat with me during the second half.

As we were leaving, the two ushers were on either side of the door and just beaming!!

Aw, it was a lovely night, my friends. There is some loud bass booming in a car radio outside, and if I get killed trying to get this to you, I just want you to know that I love the Clay Nation and I died for a good cause.

Not the Smurfs NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

What ever happened to Rocky or Bullwinkle? Boris Badinov? or even Wiley Coyote?

Too much symbolism.

Going to Fifth Grader!

You are? eeeeeeeeeee Neato. That's a show I'd like to be there for.

Hey guys! Are you guys here or in the concert thread?

I think we're here. (And there a little.) I heard you smutting on the cellcert, muski. (ie repeating Clay's exact words). KAndre, you were in fine form tonight. Your description of his hair (kind of round), accounts of all the jokes, responses to all the questions--thank you. I was entertained. I never heard so much laughing on the cellstream as I heard tonight. Lots of change-ups on the banter. Good stuff.

When he was trying to find someone for whom this was the first concert, I thought I heard him say to some fan, it's not your first concert, you were in XXX and XXX and I know your name is XXX, and you're from XXX, and so on. Did anyone else hear that?

Man this must be the funniest show yet. I've never heard so much laughter.

Hee...and the WISYS clack is pretty damn cute and funny too, esp. the ending.

Thanks huskerfalcon.

C'mon... somebody watch it and laugh with meeeee!!!

I'm laughing. I'm cackling. I'm hooting and hollering. That's some funny, funny stuff there. Ho's "review" was really just a list of the jokes he liked the best.

Banter-PreWISYS_Clay Takes Clack_ huskerfalcon

BWAH!!! Funniest shit evah! Almost as good as "Yeah, I know your words". That was priceless in it's own way. This??... is another level altogether.

Oh, and it's an interesting peek up Clay's shirt in the beginning :eusa_whistle: part...

Um, yeah.

Sorry to be so hard on Sabra, but she was pushed too hard by Nigel for me to like her. I never could get what they were saying about her. I liked Neil the best, on the basis of personality, and I thought they all had strengths, and clearly also some of the eliminated dancers were equally excellent, judging from their performances tonight. The final show was really good, except I could've done with a couple more dance numbers instead of the guest performers. I enjoyed the group numbers, and some of the appearances like the clogger and the kid who danced to Xtina.

Best of travel vibes to everyone.

According to a post at the CH, the lovely KAndre's flight was cancelled and she's still working on getting to FL. So good travel vibes to KAndre!!!!

ETA: OMG - keepingfaith, flying out in stormy weather. Extra good travel vibes to keepingfaith!!!

M&G report from CV:

Atlanta August 15, 2007

I just realized it's a terrifying process to write a Meet and Greet recap! I want to be accurate! But my memories are filtered through a happy haze of meeting Clay and may be incomplete.

I had a fanclub meet and greet at Atlanta. There were six OFC winners and four auction winners. We stood outside of the box office in the 100 degree heat until it opened around 6 pm and picked up our "tractor badges". So funny, no one put them on, we just wanted to save them unused. Jerome literally appeared a few moments later and checked the numbers in the group and led us down some steps to a lower parking lot where the tour bus was parked. There we were told the "rules" of no cameras, one signed item, no touching Clay. Jerome was really cute-he told us that he couldn't name all of the body parts we couldn't touch and that "He is going to hug you."

Then thank goodness, we went inside to an air-conditioned room. Jerome even asked if anyone needed to go to the bathroom! The room had a couch, loveseat and several folding chairs in a semi-circle plus a coffee table, end tables and another kind of sofa table. Food was out and there were coolers with beverages and Jerome offered us a bottled water. He told us to put any presents on an end table and then left. We sat grinning a bit nervously and waited just a few minutes.

The door opened and in walked Clay! Looking mighty fine! Parted hair, little bit of makeup, clean-shaven (my personal favorite!), slim and tall, tan 5230 polo (maybe tucked in? pictures will have to confirm), dark not-ratty (!) cargo pants, and the criss-cross sandals. Jerome, Mary and Jamie were also there. A warm "hi" and then he went around the room and shook everyone's hand and asked us our name.

When he sat down, he commented that one of the ladies in a folding chair was slightly behind him and she told him she had been kicked off the couch (not really!) and he asked why. I told him we were hot and sweaty and that there were indoor venues in the South.

Then Clay went into a story of how hot it was in Cary and that Asheville was better but the bugs were bad. Now sadly, I must confess that I am "batwoman". I didn't bring any presents but I had printed off a page about Chimney swift (slang chimney sweep) birds and addressed it to Quiana and Angela telling them they were birds, not bats and GOOD birds that ate bugs! I picked up the page off the gift table and told Clay that the things at Biltmore were birds, not bats. He adamantly disagreed! And asked everyome else "Who thinks they were bats" and EVERYONE raised their hand. Then he asked "Who thinks they were birds" and I was the only one! He smirked that everyone agreed with him and I smirked right back that would he rather be agreed with or be right!! I told him he needed to be right on the fifth grader show!

Now the rest of my account may be out of order. I told my husband that Clay was a great politician but he said no, Clay was a great teacher, engaging the whole "class". Most people asked a question and if someone hadn't talked much, he talked to them. I am not sure if we had a shorter meet and greet than some others or whether it was because Clay talked alot and was comprehensive in his answers but it seemed like the time flew!

In no particular order:

Someone asked how he and Jimmy Kimmel became such good friends and he said that he had heard that Jimmy had made jokes about him and when he was asked to be on the show that he was such a good sport about the fight scene that they became friends right away. He said other shows had asked him to do a fight scene and mentioned Conan O'Brien by name and said other celebrities had asked Jimmy to do a similar skit but they both would not. One of my fellow Georgia Claymates told him that we had just gotten Jimmy's show in Atlanta and that Jimmy had given Clay the credit. Clay said they just got it in Charlotte recently, too, and that he had told people to watch the show before and had been told it wasn't on.

One young, very pretty girl told him how much she admired him to which he replied "that's not a question". But "thank you".

One of the meet and greeters was a nurse and asked him about socialized medicine and further explained that he had had something about his experience in Europe when he was so sick. He didn't give any details but did say the doctor didn't speak English. Most Europeans speak some English but he said this doctor was German and they were too good to speak English! He was trying to tell them he was allergic to erythromycin but they gave it to him anyway. Someone asked what kind of reaction he had but he said there were so many things wrong that he couldn't tell!

Someone asked what he did to get ready before shows and he said nothing! And went into a story about how it was like a runner who ran a mile everyday so that soon it would take two miles to make him winded. Singing the same show every night was like that for him. He was fine but if he had to sing a song he hadn't sung for a while, he might have trouble. I told him that they did change up the tour as it went along and he said he liked to do that and said that as much as he liked the JNTII with the play, he hated having to do exactly the same thing over and over each night. In this same answer he said that he, Ruben and Kimberly never did anything before singing while on Idol and that he ate grilled cheese sandwiches and other supposed bad things. What he DID do before songs was hang out with Angela and Quiana who chattered like birds (with hand motion!) and try to get something on them for the show and that they hadn't learned not to talk in front of him if they didn't want it repeated.

Another lady was a teacher and one of her students asked if MacDonald quarter-pounders were called that in other countries. He liked that and engaged Mary in the answer and mentioned other countries had their own "special" names and products but that quarter-pounders didn't have a metric name he thought.

He asked us where we were from, pointing to my friend in her Ga Claymate shirt and saying "Georgia" and asking who had come the farthest. I said I was from Georgia but also from North Carolina a long time ago. He went into a story about how "everyone is from NC-I drove thru NC once, my cousin's aunt twice removed is from NC." Really funny! Everyone seems to think NC gives them a connection to him! Well, it does!

Now sometime during the session,he said he needed to start signing things but that he would still answer questions. This was when someone asked why it took so long for a new CD. I "remember" him saying he could have a new CD tomorrow but that it would be covers because that what "they" wanted. But that he believed "they" had agreed to let them make the album they wanted and that he and Jaymes had just heard today that two songs they submitted had been accepted. So no time frame was mentioned but it looks to be the album he wants so far.

Also sometime during this time, Jerome's phone rang and he left the room and Clay said if we wanted to jump him, now was the time!

I had him sign my tour poster and asked him to sign it "Make a Joyful Noise" (a family joke since I can't carry a tune in a bucket!) One lady had a beautiful picture mosaic of his moustache. Others had books and the Rolling Stone cover. Funniest thing was an autograph stuffed dog with very little space left on it. He said he could sign the crotch but ended up signing the butt!

Another lady asked what historical figure he would want to meet but he drew a blank on that one. Said he would think about it but all he could come up with was Mr. Rogers who wasn't really a

"historical" figure.

I am at a loss for other tidbits right this minute. Hopefully others will add their recaps "soon". Mary called our names individually and we went out in the hall for our pictures. I may have hugged him! Clay stuck his head back in and said goodbye. Jerome escorted him wherever he went and then came back and escorted us out.

Great memory! Love the new meet and greet format. Chitchatting with a friend who is interested in what you have to say. I'm still grinning!

HippoGA

Recap from CV's wandacleo:

It was unbelievably hot at the venue--I'm not kidding. I swear, there was no air moving. I don't think I've ever seen trees where NO LEAVES were moving at all.

The concert started about 20 minutes late but people continued to come in after the concert started. I swear they were waiting for dark to see if it got cooler. I heard someone say they had sold 4000 seats, which, I believe, is pretty good for the symphony--especially considering it was hotter than hades and no one in his/her right mind should have been outside.

Clay was in fine voice tonight. The whole front and center part of the audience were sitting at tables and eating and drinking (and some even brought vases of flowers for the tables--this must be a Southern thing. We couldn't believe our eyes!) Anyhow, the central audience seemed plastered into their seats in the beginning, and I know that's hard for Clay, but we had as BIG group of Claymates on the right and we were prepared with bubbles for his entry, big lip fans for "When I see you smile" and glow sticks at the end, so we gave him a rousing welcome.

Highpoints: (keep in mind I'm paraphrasing)

He told about how a bug got in Angela's "bra" and she said it might still be there and was happy. Clay said, "It smothered!" and was so pleased with himself.

One young girl had a sign that she chose Clay over a car for her birthday, and he read the sign and asked about that, and the girl had to choose between going to see him and getting a car for her 16th or 17th birthday, so he made the mother stand up and asked her if she thought that was fair because he was so much cheaper. Then, he tried to convince her that she should give the girl the car anyway and described her, "the woman in the gray sweater" so we'd know who she was to pick on her. Then when he sang "Without You", he sang, "Without a car, I can't go anywhere" or something to that affect. He dedicated the song to the girl for her birthday. Some guy called out, "What about the Volvo?" and Clay said, "What about the Volvo? That sounds dirty. You can't say that to a woman. You need to enunciate." Then he looked at A & Q and said, "I'm going to get into trouble for that, aren't I" and they were shaking their heads and agreeing.

<snip>

There were quite a lot of men, and I paid attention. At the beginning of the concert, most were just looking or not paying to much attention, but they started walking up with the TV medley and were having a good time and really getting into the classics for the most part.

The classics were classic. He was in FINE form--just milking it for all he was worth. No whip (sad to say as I was looking foward to that!) but he did made a good whipping motion, and when he did the "Party all night" he REALLY did good.

Oh, yes, he remarked about the heat a number of times and said how HOT it was on stage and that he was dying. He was so happy after the TV medley when he whipped the jacket off. He said he had been waiting to do that all night and then proceded to unbutton his sleeves and roll them up. (Hubba hubba!)

During TWYMMF, Clay came off the stage and down the small aisle right in front of all of us frantically happy Claymates on the right side. He ended right in front of my little group--Maggie and Fran are heading back to NZ tomorrow, so they were beside themselves with joy that they got to see him so close.

Clay did say that they had gone to see M. Buble last night and that Atlanta must like Buble better because he got to sing inside and Clay had to sing out in the heat.

MOAM, "Without You", "Lover All Alone" all were just beautiful. Amazing.

"Because You Loved Me"--there were glow sticks all over the place and he and his "ladies" seemed very pleased.

We didn't have to wait too long for the handshake line. HE HAS NEW SHORTS!!!!! Dark ones (navy? black?) They fit his butt very nicely, I might add.

I must go to bed now as we have to go to the airport to fly to FL very early, so I'm sorry I can't give more report. I hope this tides you over.

OH YES, Bangs, couldn't tell about stubble, jeans, white striped shirt, that grey jacket.

Specially for Artquest, but fun for everyone, in this thread at the CB are a bunch of pics of Clay singing to flat Clay, plus a few of the three of them singing to it as well. You can't see flat Clay in the pics, but the angles are great to capture the feeling.

The best one, IMO:

We don't do much production in our shows, because I don't want to spend money on it.

Snarking on the boards again - BWAH!!

I'm watching SYTYCD too.

CG, how is your dad?

Love that meet-and-greet report. Some new questions and topics.