jmh123

I saw the E! thing too, and didn't think it was bad at all. They had a tight shot onto his face most of the time, and he looked pretty hot, actually.

ETA: From the CB, Lycos thread, Clay is #16 this week and the description is "Heartthrob". Heh.

I never recap, well rarely, so I always try to sneak back in like I never left. I'm going to try to recap a bit, but maybe not linear-like.

I've been to five concerts this tour--Asheville, Cary, and the NY 3fer. I think this might be my favorite tour so far, although the current or most recent is always my favorite.

I especially loved Asheville, Canandaigua, and Chautauqua, but all were wonderful. Having a good seat was a major factor in my preferences. I loved all of them in terms of singing and banter, really--each one had special funny/poignant/amazing moments. I loved his shirts in Canandaigua and Cary best. The hair seemed fine, still kind of Beatlesque. Maybe not my favorite, but not that bad.

I'll start with Asheville and go backwards. I went with a new Clay friend, Barbara, whom I met initially on the OFC and then in a WalMart looking for AIW when I had recently moved from PA. We chatted, and I found out she didn't even have a single copy, so I gave her the one in my pocketbook, since the store had none. It wasn't til later that I realized she was someone I had PMed with at the OFC before, hoping to meet her when I moved. That's the Clay fandom for ya. The OFC is her only board. She's been a Clay fan for a long time, but is newer to the message boards and intense board fandom than most of us. Among her friends and family, though, she's always been thought of as intense. When I went to the Christmas concert with her and the friends she usually goes with, I think they thought I was pretty scary. To them Clay's the guy they go to see in concert when he's in town or nearby, and whose albums they buy. Catch him on TV whenever they can. Been doing it since the beginning. Were P-I-S-S-E-D when they couldn't get tickets to Dort-narena at all.

She and I have been getting together at my place or hers to watch clack and moan (you know how it is) since that time, and have had dinners together, but hadn't been on a real concert adventure together before. We got along really well on this trip, got to know each other better as people (you know how that is too), had a wonderful time. I saw Lisa & Co. lots, also Divayenta, playbiller and Fear, sassafras, cha cha trusty, and many more. Almost forgot institches, whom I've never met, but recognized immediately. Kewl!! The package was really a nice deal, and the whole event made a pleasant vacation weekend. Those Biltmore people were not fools. I do think they're learning that it can be intense having hoards of fans appear, especially us, but they and the town made some good money that weekend. The people at the Crowne Plaza were very welcoming, if somewhat exhausted.

Getting around in Asheville and in and out of the Biltmore House was interesting to say the least, and not the highlight of the trip, but we did it. It wasn't what I expected at all, in that the town surrounding the house is kind of industrial and strip mall-y--the House is really downtown, not out in some remote area. We got to the concert after it was supposed to have started, but it hadn't. There was a long line of us. That road out after the buslines seemed even more interminable. In the daytime, the land is gorgeous. The House was hot inside, but interesting, and there was some stuff there I really wanted to see more closely, some Chinese and Japanese art, especially the figures on the mantel in the 2nd floor Oak sitting room, and the celedon vases there too. But I digress.

First half we were on row M, off to the right side. Not bad seats, we could see Clay. I had binoculars. During the intermission, when I came back from smoking, Barbara came and dragged me off to these seats on the fourth row that were behind her OFC friend and had been unoccupied for the first half, so we got to see the second half really well. Those were right next to Quiana's family. A CVer behind me told me that when the concert began Chamberlain reached out his arms to Clay. If true, awwwwwww. Quiana did mention that night that he responded more to Clay's voice than hers. I wonder if Clay sings to him a lot. I was good and didn't stare, and I gave them their space, but we all smiled and agreed that he hangs the moon. He has such a joy about him, and was so obviously loved and protected by the people he was with. He's really still a baby--what, a year old now?--still small and mostly cradled in someone's arms all the time. He was getting a lot of attention at the intermission and handling it well, but wasn't that into it. He never cried or got unhappy once during the concert that I was aware of, although most of the time my attention was on Clay. He fell asleep by the end, was out like a log when I saw him at the end of the concert. He and Quiana's family were like this sweet, sweet presence that, as I look back at the concerts, stands out for me. Her friends were just a few rows back, and they were all smiley too. Lots and lots and lots of LOVE all around.

To me, Asheville was the best of the concerts. It's become surrounded by that Aiken fog for the moment, so I can't tell you why exactly. It was a combination of things. The venue was gorgeous, and had a sort of a spell to it. Very gothic and romantic. He was in top form, really on his game. Clay can make me laugh so hard tears are streaming, and he did so that night.

I don't think that kind of talent can easily be contained. The irrepressibility is at the heart of it. It can be honed, and I think he's been honing and directing it for some time now. I love that way he makes me laugh, and that devilish spirit of his.

My Cary recap:

I was excited all over again, like a first date, even though I'd just seen Clay a few weeks before. This was the first concert ever that I'd gotten in my car and driven to see Clay all by myself. Musikfest was probably closer, in terms of miles, and I saw Clay three times in Raleigh while I was living in PA, but this felt really different to me.

I was supposed to meet the FCA'ers at 3, but my mom had worn me out the day before with her hot, hot house, and I felt almost sick when I first got up. I drank lots of water and ate a bit, and eventually started to perk up. I decided to go the long way over country roads so as not to challenge my old car too much in the heat, and for the fun of driving off the Interstate. I also hoped to find an N&O with a poster at some little store along the way, but the one I bought didn't have a poster in it.

I arrived at Lucky32 around 4, and there were lickiest, NCDonna, and mandmlady, and they'd even saved me a seat. Crimsonice and DisneyKid were off getting tattoos. I was right next to sassafras from CH, who was at the next table with a couple of NJU friends. After we ordered I went and introduced myself to playbiller and FearofH20, and playbiller gave me a pack of glowsticks for later. Dreamlarge from PA was there too!! I also went over and spoke to Divayenta, CantGoADayWithoutClay, and Salamander, and waved at geekette, but there were so many more I didn't get to meet. Usually parties kind of freak me out, so I was pleased with my ability to be as social as I was, but sorry not to have met more people. We had a delicious dinner and I talked lickiest1 into getting grits so I could have some. She wasn't impressed, but I thought they were great.

Here's some stuff I wrote the next morning:

The concert was amazing--major Aiken fog took over. Was feeling bad for lickiest that he didn't sing RHW--haha--and ran into her after the concert where she said DUH, he did, where were you? Heh. ATD was hawt--I'm glad he did it again. The banter was hilarious, as always. I think the classics was the best I've seen--live or on clack. He really did become "cool." He played everything but SexyBack pretty straight once Angela had taught him to dance during "Bills," and the later numbers were amazing. The "I'm cool" walk was across the full stage, and fantastic to see as he was headed our way.

I saw Cindilu at the venue--*waves*--and crimsonice and DisneyKid. Sat with lyndolphin from CH, who was excellent company. Went off smoking with Brandilyne, goatlady, and crew. (Apologies for forgetting sns.) Goatlady was a few seats down from me at the venue too.

It was hot, but honestly, not that bad considering. It seems like the temperature went up 10 degrees as soon as the concert was over. Clay is cool, y'all.

Hope someone got a picture of that cello Clay was admiring. The spotlight guys weren't doing so well. They couldn't manage to light Clay on our side of the stage at all. Quiana got two spots. Heh.

It was hot, but it was bearable. I had one of those frozen strawberry lemonades between sets, and that was yummy. Sorry you didn't get to keep yours KAndre.

After the concert I hung around for awhile till the crowd cleared and then headed back to my car. Getting home was funny; I don't drive much after dark and my only correct prescription is my sunglasses, so I thought I was lost briefly. I drive that road every week and I didn't recognize it, but apparently the directions took me the opposite way past my mom's house in Raleigh on US1N and then back again on 40W, so that was confusing, but I wasn't lost, so it was all good. I did much better after I took the bad glasses off.

It wasn't til I got home that I heard about the drama, and I learned in Asheville that I was apparently very near the creepy one--same row, next section. Like I posted earlier, the situation was mentioned to me that night (isn't xx supposed to be here?) but I chose to immediately forget about it. So I guess in retrospect I probably saw the creepy one, as I can now picture the people in those seats in my mind's eye, but it didn't register with me at all. Clay didn't come to our side much, but I assumed it was because when he tried at the beginning, the spotlight didn't follow him over there so he was in complete darkness. I watched jojoct gathering clack, and I have to say it was really impressive. She was very relaxed and steady, and was in full view of Jerome and venue security the whole time. I was way off to the side where I could see the backstage area. There was one security guy I didn't recognize, and he and Jerome were vigilant as always, but I got absolutely no sense that there was anything unusual, from them, or from Clay, or from anyone around me. Well, except that his family was there and he was happy about that. He loves his pappa, and it was cute when he filled in the "hell" for Clay, and I also recognized Faye, of course, and his grandmother from the Martha show, and Jerry Aiken from the recent TV appearance. They were all front and center, which was cool for them and him, even if he did joke about how they wouldn't stand up. All this "he was so brave" stuff seems a bit OTT to me; the man's a consummate performer under any circumstances and from my own brief experiences, you pretty much forget everything else once you're on stage. He definitely didn't seem at all vulnerable to me. I do congratulate the fans for not engaging in any way.

Somehow I never seem to see KAndre or Scarlett, missed them in Asheville and Cary, and I was looking for them too. Sigh.

On the Cary venue survey, I told them the best thing about the venue was the bathrooms. The woman's bathroom was huge with many stalls, so there was hardly any waiting. Asheville, on the other hand, had a much smaller bathroom in the next county, so there would be no drinking of any beverage during that concert.

I want to meet you too, keepingfaith, but I've been to my last concert of the tour. Sigh. Have a blast in Fla. Are you going to the last show? It'll be schmoopie. It was so cool when Clay said "Good night America" at the end of the last AC JBT show, since so many were listening via cellcert. I used to be scared of flying, and still don't love it, but I immerse myself in a mystery novel and pretend flying isn't happening.

ETA: OMGosh, I've been promoted. Dog walker no more!!

Working backwards, my Cary recap:

I was excited all over again, like a first date, even though I'd just seen Clay a few weeks before. This was the first concert ever that I'd gotten in my car and driven to see Clay all by myself. Musikfest was probably closer, in terms of miles, and I saw Clay three times in Raleigh while I was living in PA, but this felt really different to me.

I was supposed to meet the FCA'ers at 3, but my mom had worn me out the day before with her hot, hot house, and I felt almost sick when I first got up. I drank lots of water and ate a bit, and eventually started to perk up. I decided to go the long way over country roads so as not to challenge my old car too much in the heat, and for the fun of driving off the Interstate. I also hoped to find an N&O with a poster at some little store along the way, but the one I bought didn't have a poster in it.

I arrived at Lucky32 around 4, and there were lickiest, NCDonna, and mandmlady, and they'd even saved me a seat. Crimsonice and DisneyKid were off getting tattoos. I was right next to sassafras from CH, who was at the next table with a couple of NJU friends. After we ordered I went and introduced myself to playbiller and FearofH20, and playbiller gave me a pack of glowsticks for later. Dreamlarge from PA was there too!! I also went over and spoke to Divayenta, CantGoADayWithoutClay, and Salamander, and waved at geekette, but there were so many more I didn't get to meet. Usually parties kind of freak me out, so I was pleased with my ability to be as social as I was, but sorry not to have met more people. We had a delicious dinner and I talked lickiest1 into getting grits so I could have some. She wasn't impressed, but I thought they were great.

Here's some stuff I wrote the next morning:

The concert was amazing--major Aiken fog took over. Was feeling bad for lickiest that he didn't sing RHW--haha--and ran into her after the concert where she said DUH, he did, where were you? Heh. ATD was hawt--I'm glad he did it again. The banter was hilarious, as always. I think the classics was the best I've seen--live or on clack. He really did become "cool." He played everything but SexyBack pretty straight once Angela had taught him to dance during "Bills," and the later numbers were amazing. The "I'm cool" walk was across the full stage, and fantastic to see as he was headed our way.

I saw Cindilu at the venue--*waves*--and crimsonice and DisneyKid. Sat with lyndolphin from CH, who was excellent company. Went off smoking with Brandilyne, goatlady, and crew. (Apologies for forgetting sns.) Goatlady was a few seats down from me at the venue too.

It was hot, but honestly, not that bad considering. It seems like the temperature went up 10 degrees as soon as the concert was over. Clay is cool, y'all.

Hope someone got a picture of that cello Clay was admiring. The spotlight guys weren't doing so well. They couldn't manage to light Clay on our side of the stage at all. Quiana got two spots. Heh.

It was hot, but it was bearable. I had one of those frozen strawberry lemonades between sets, and that was yummy. Sorry you didn't get to keep yours KAndre.

After the concert I hung around for awhile till the crowd cleared and then headed back to my car. Getting home was funny; I don't drive much after dark and my only correct prescription is my sunglasses, so I thought I was lost briefly. I drive that road every week and I didn't recognize it, but apparently the directions took me the opposite way past my mom's house in Raleigh on US1N and then back again on 40W, so that was confusing, but I wasn't lost, so it was all good. I did much better after I took the bad glasses off.

It wasn't til I got home that I heard about the drama, and I learned in Asheville that I was apparently very near the creepy one--same row, next section. Like I posted earlier, the situation was mentioned to me that night (isn't xx supposed to be here?) but I chose to immediately forget about it. So I guess in retrospect I probably saw the creepy one, as I can now picture the people in those seats in my mind's eye, but it didn't register with me at all. Clay didn't come to our side much, but I assumed it was because when he tried at the beginning, the spotlight didn't follow him over there so he was in complete darkness. I watched jojoct gathering clack, and I have to say it was really impressive. She was very relaxed and steady, and was in full view of Jerome and venue security the whole time. I was way off to the side where I could see the backstage area. There was one security guy I didn't recognize, and he and Jerome were vigilant as always, but I got absolutely no sense that there was anything unusual, from them, or from Clay, or from anyone around me. Well, except that his family was there and he was happy about that. He loves his pappa, and it was cute when he filled in the "hell" for Clay, and I also recognized Faye, of course, and his grandmother from the Martha show, and Jerry Aiken from the recent TV appearance. They were all front and center, which was cool for them and him, even if he did joke about how they wouldn't stand up. All this "he was so brave" stuff seems a bit OTT to me; the man's a consummate performer under any circumstances and from my own brief experiences, you pretty much forget everything else once you're on stage. He definitely didn't seem at all vulnerable to me. I do congratulate the fans for not engaging in any way.

Somehow I never seem to see KAndre or Scarlett, missed them in Asheville and Cary, and I was looking for them too. Sigh.

On the Cary venue survey, I told them the best thing about the venue was the bathrooms. The woman's bathroom was huge with many stalls, so there was hardly any waiting. Asheville, on the other hand, had a much smaller bathroom in the next county, so there would be no drinking of any beverage during that concert.

No, this one is right off the coast of Texas - fellow eHPers are bailing out of town tonight but I have family obligations. I'm gonna try and leave, but I don't know if I can - I'm hoping the bastard magically disappears.

Hope you get out in time, if you need to!! And especially hope you don't need to.

ETA: Those frozen strawberry lemonade thingies were great!!!

I never got google alerts, but I used to google Clay every day. Not anymore, and I'm much happier for it!

I think this is the crux of the situation, and I think it's been what he's been telling us in every concert. He's not cool. He sings slooooow songs. He's cheesy enough to love TV show theme songs. For those who want him to be Justin Timberlake, he's going to show how absurd that notion is (which why I think he camps it up). I can see why we may long for the kind of broad, mainstream acceptance that Justin has, why we'd want Clay to win Grammys, and be played on the radio with the frequency of Kelly or Carrie. Yeah, it would be cool, if Clay were actually, well...cool.

But I think this matters more to us than to him. And quite frankly, he may never be "cool" in the sense that Jimmy Hendrix, Nirvana or even Kanye West are "cool." But you know what? I think Clay can be very, very popular. He's talented. He's funny. He's sexy, smart, big-hearted, and extraordinarily and unusually complex. But I believe that if superstardom happens, it will be on his terms, in his own unique style, for better or worse.

Wow, thank you Jenna. Now I can just go to work knowing what I wanted to say has already been said. What's amazing to me, and I added this question to our chat thread, how there is such diverse opinion in the fandom on who Clay is or wants (speculatively speaking) and how everyone thinks they are right. heee.

Anyway I agree with your sentiment but the most popular interpretation I've read is that CLay is saying all these songs are trash and he can sing them all better than the original but he has been boxed in by his label..This is what I read in NOT FAN sites by fans spreading the word. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they are wrong. But whatever Clay is trying to say it surely is getting interpreted a thousand different ways.

Just want to see that wonderful JennaZ quote again, and to laugh with Couchie about the most popular interpretation. Mine is pretty close to Jenna's--that he's saying, 'don't ever expect me to be cool like this'. I bolded one more line that I think is important.

My thoughts: Clay is who he is. He has effeminate qualities IMO. Some people never see them and that's fine. A lot of people take those qualities and say well then he must be gay. Well that's really on them and how the world turns and there's nothing we can do about it. Clay knows how he is perceived by some. And what I love about him is that he hasn't stopped giggling, stopped being silly, stopped being him. I actually don't see flaming, I see silly. I know people think he should just sing the songs straight -- well I think it would be a long time, if ever, before Clay Aiken stood there and did a straight rendition of a song called sexyback. Of course he has the voice. But hip hop and rock n roll is more than a voice - it is an attitude... and he may be able to mimic Usher/Justin T but he is not them. It's why while I enjoy the classic medleys, I prefer the ATDW songs. Out of his own mouth he is not even enamored with that type of music. So he has fun with it. And he has seen clack and these are choices he makes. <snip>

Maybe they'll laugh with him. Maybe they will laugh at him. Maybe they will go in seach of more. But it will never be the only thing they see about Clay Aiken.

Word! Whether you call it flaming or not, he does it now and then, people have been saying it for four years. But he also can be--whew--quite hawt and very masculine. People like us who watch him a lot have been saying that for four years now too. I've lost the quote about men appreciating the goofy stuff, but I agree. He's mocking his own lack of coolness, and fearlessly.

I'm totally with couchie and jamar on this. The first time I saw the classics medley in Houston (my first real experience with it), I said to myself "the man has no fear." He seems to be a person who is not afraid of who he is -- and what people think of him is of no real consequence to him either.

And it's hawt to me that he does that. It's like walking on the precipice all the time--the Fool, the Joker (Tarot), the edginess, the going on stage without a net is part of what makes him appealing. Sometimes he goes over a little too far for some, but, like Couchie said, he obviously knows and doesn't care.

What makes Usher cool? What made Jackson cool? And can any of it rub off on Clay? Ask Barry Manilow.

Really, Aiken could care less. And that's the point. He knows who he is, who his fans are, and most importantly, he can have a little laugh and not take himself too seriously.

And that's pretty cool, don't you think?

Really, this is the Cary paper asking/answering the same question we're discussing. And the same thing the Insider said. He's not afraid to laugh at himself, or of people laughing at him. Some find that admirable.

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

That's all I got really, but I wanted to pop in. I can't catch up as fast as ya'll are posting and I have to go back to bed now. I've been a sick puppy and it ain't over yet, demmit!

:F_05BL17blowkiss: Feel better.

I think what we see here is the great divide between people who see Clay as sexy and those who see him as entertaining. I am never a person to see Clay as my pretend boyfriend, so his playfulness is appealing in a friend kind of way to me. I can see where he is attractive and would be a nice partner, but not for me, no fantasies here. I don't look for him to be sexy, therefore, I am amused when he is being silly. I think this is the different kinds of attractions he has to people and probably why he has a diverse fan group.

good insight!

I also want him to have a diverse career. I thought Clay's Kenny sorting trays was his best acting to date, it was very touching on the prelude to his firing.

I so agree. He was really good in that scene, and also the final scene. He's often demonstrated some very good acting moments on stage (as well as a whole lot of ham and cheese). He's a natural mimic.

While I was writing this,

I don't think that kind of talent can easily be contained. The irrepressibility is at the heart of it.

KAndre was writing this:

To me, the SexyBack schtick is so - forgive me - flaming, as was the Frsico LAV that it will only reinforce that opinion if one is leaning that way. As I said, should it matter? Hell no. Does it matter in the real world? Hell yes.

Yeah, it matters - just like being black was a "bad" thing back in the day - but you can't ask people not to be black - you work on changing things. Not saying it's easy or fun or not tiring and can't be frustrating and will really make people mad - but some battles you fight because you have no alternative. Clay is who he is and some of who Clay is is really inappropriate/annoying/stereotypical/human. Suppressing that in whatever way I think would, for me, be worse. I get the feeling Clay knows perfectly well how he coming across in 'SexyBack' - just like he knows how some really hate/hated the TV theme - and he does deal.

and this:

Y'all watch 30 Rock? And how it was said that Tina Fey based the intern character on Clay? And I assume he worked with them a bit the week he was there. I watch it sporadically and frankly she seems to have captured a real essence of Clay with the character - he's not cool, he's doesn't really care how he perceived by anyone - you just can't squish him. Most don't try cause he's so frickin' cute, but for those who do try, they find him unsquishable.

Deletes all reference to the demonpedia. I've always thought the same about that character--he's very Clay. When she said she'd based that character on him, and it turned out to be a guy like this, I was really pleased. She gets Clay, I thought. It's a gift Clay has, this unsquishable-ness, this irrepressibility.

ETA: fixed misattribution--those multiple quotes within quotes can get confusing.

I never recap, well rarely, so I always try to sneak back in like I never left. I'm going to try to recap a bit, but maybe not linear-like.

I've been to five concerts this tour--Asheville, Cary, and the NY 3fer. I think this might be my favorite tour so far, although the current or most recent is always my favorite.

I especially loved Asheville, Canandaigua, and Chautauqua, but all were wonderful. Having a good seat was a major factor in my preferences. I loved all of them in terms of singing and banter, really--each one had special funny/poignant/amazing moments. I loved his shirts in Canandaigua and Cary best. The hair seemed fine, still kind of Beatlesque. Maybe not my favorite, but not that bad.

I'll start with Asheville and go backwards. I went with a new Clay friend, Barbara, whom I met initially on the OFC and then in a WalMart looking for AIW when I had recently moved from PA. We chatted, and I found out she didn't even have a single copy, so I gave her the one in my pocketbook, since the store had none. It wasn't til later that I realized she was someone I had PMed with at the OFC before, hoping to meet her when I moved. That's the Clay fandom for ya. The OFC is her only board. She's been a Clay fan for a long time, but is newer to the message boards and intense board fandom than most of us. Among her friends and family, though, she's always been thought of as intense. When I went to the Christmas concert with her and the friends she usually goes with, I think they thought I was pretty scary. To them Clay's the guy they go to see in concert when he's in town or nearby, and whose albums they buy. Catch him on TV whenever they can. Been doing it since the beginning. Were P-I-S-S-E-D when they couldn't get tickets to Dort-narena at all.

She and I have been getting together at my place or hers to watch clack and moan (you know how it is) since that time, and have had dinners together, but hadn't been on a real concert adventure together before. We got along really well on this trip, got to know each other better as people (you know how that is too), had a wonderful time. I saw Lisa & Co. lots, also Divayenta, playbiller and Fear, sassafras, cha cha trusty, and many more. Almost forgot institches, whom I've never met, but recognized immediately. Kewl!! The package was really a nice deal, and the whole event made a pleasant vacation weekend. Those Biltmore people were not fools. I do think they're learning that it can be intense having hoards of fans appear, especially us, but they and the town made some good money that weekend. The people at the Crowne Plaza were very welcoming, if somewhat exhausted.

Getting around in Asheville and in and out of the Biltmore House was interesting to say the least, and not the highlight of the trip, but we did it. It wasn't what I expected at all, in that the town surrounding the house is kind of industrial and strip mall-y--the House is really downtown, not out in some remote area. We got to the concert after it was supposed to have started, but it hadn't. There was a long line of us. That road out after the buslines seemed even more interminable. In the daytime, the land is gorgeous. The House was hot inside, but interesting, and there was some stuff there I really wanted to see more closely, some Chinese and Japanese art, especially the figures on the mantel in the 2nd floor Oak sitting room, and the celedon vases there too. But I digress.

First half we were on row M, off to the right side. Not bad seats, we could see Clay. I had binoculars. During the intermission, when I came back from smoking, Barbara came and dragged me off to these seats on the fourth row that were behind her OFC friend and had been unoccupied for the first half, so we got to see the second half really well. Those were right next to Quiana's family. A CVer behind me told me that when the concert began Chamberlain reached out his arms to Clay. If true, awwwwwww. Quiana did mention that night that he responded more to Clay's voice than hers. I wonder if Clay sings to him a lot. I was good and didn't stare, and I gave them their space, but we all smiled and agreed that he hangs the moon. He has such a joy about him, and was so obviously loved and protected by the people he was with. He's really still a baby--what, a year old now?--still small and mostly cradled in someone's arms all the time. He was getting a lot of attention at the intermission and handling it well, but wasn't that into it. He never cried or got unhappy once during the concert that I was aware of, although most of the time my attention was on Clay. He fell asleep by the end, was out like a log when I saw him at the end of the concert. He and Quiana's family were like this sweet, sweet presence that, as I look back at the concerts, stands out for me. Her friends were just a few rows back, and they were all smiley too. Lots and lots and lots of LOVE all around.

To me, Asheville was the best of the concerts. It's become surrounded by that Aiken fog for the moment, so I can't tell you why exactly. It was a combination of things. The venue was gorgeous, and had a sort of a spell to it. Very gothic and romantic. He was in top form, really on his game. Clay can make me laugh so hard tears are streaming, and he did so that night.

I don't think that kind of talent can easily be contained. The irrepressibility is at the heart of it. It can be honed, and I think he's been honing and directing it for some time now. I love that way he makes me laugh, and that devilish spirit of his.

Meanwhile, y'all are having a great discussion, and it's longer than the preview. Damn. Off to catch up.

Yoo hoo, bottlecap, this one's for you....

Yoohoo!!

Sorry about that. It was showing for me when I first posted it. No torture intended. You'll forget your pain quick now.

The most adorable, lovable, huggable almost devilish creature that melts my heart .

thread title?

lol... she has it bad.

Just bringing this over cause I agree!

Jumping in randomly with some goodies I found at CB before I recap or pretend that I did when I never did.

From WRAL:

WRAL photos from Cary

My favorite:

Shine is being used in another Korean TV commercial. Bloomingclay says (here's the link to the post):

It's a joint TV commercial of Samsung Finance Group Companies(Samsung insurance company+Samsung credit card company+Samsung securities finance company+Samsung investment company) and 'Shine' was used AGAIN!!!

(first time the song was used in TV commercial of Fuji FinePix digital camera)

The commercial is about Chul-woo Shin ,a training partner of famous Korean marathoner Bong-joo Lee.

(I heard marathoner's training partner runs together with the marathoner in order to make him/her feel competition and run faster)

It's really huge because Samsung commercial is aired tons of times a day especially before/after major news time.(I saw that commercial 5 times today)

Here's the translation of narration in commercial

I'm Bong-joo's training partner

Sometimes I run slower than him

and sometimes faster than him

When he runs through the winds,

I can feel it

that he becomes faster and faster

We are a team

*and the caption 'Samsung Finance will be your team'

Always supporting behind you

Samsung Finance

Last time Shine was in a commercial, the Korean fan club was started and gained 2,000 members in a week--just from hearing him sing part of one song. Now there are 10,000+ members. Wonder what this'll do? Last time, IIRC the commercial used a pretty long single segment, whereas this is a few short clips. There's a sendspace link in the CB post.

ETA a interesting recap from the CB, San Diego concert:

08/03/07 : "First Ever Clay Concert SAN DIEGO"

Having been a celebrity myself, I was a former beauty queen,I represented my county in the miss World contest in London, England and Linda Carter(Wonder Woman) was the representative of the USA

we were both competing for the same title , I was an international model and a former actress in my own country and yes I even did international movies ,all in the leading role, It will take a very extraordinary person for me to be a fan of.Never watch American Idol , I thought it was a waste of time.I consider myself having a very high standard' okay sometimes a snob'. I heard of Clay just in the last A15 finale as I am not really into watching TV to much. But when I first saw him there, it grab my attention for reasons I really cannot explain , I have never been a fan of any one in my life. So I research him and became fascinated expecially with his work with children and his voice, So I decided to have my very frist Clay concert experienced. Here is my first impression.

I attended the preparty

first- I said I might as well go all the way.In the beggining i was judgging everything , questioning my self , What the heck am I doing here in San Diego with all this people I have never met,the place was crowded

from people around the world, beautiful women from Japan dress in their native costume , I spoke to them and one girl in particular said she was so nervous from excitement,I met a woman who traveled from London

all by herself and she said she also just knew of Clay from A5 finale, we both just screamed.

Then here is the concert

it was a very good crowd

I did not realize that Clay can bring in that much people.Qiana and Angela walked in first ,and when the music started playing Here you come again , I heard Clay's voice, but no Clay

people started looking around to see where he is coming from. Then , there he is OH My God, He is much more better looking in person, tall , slim which I like , what I was most shocked about is his voice seems to be coming out from an other place singing so effortless when the songs that he sings are hard to sing. His vocal is much better live than his CD. And the most amazing part is as I looked at him, has this magnetism that pulls you in with him just being there. The most adorable, lovable, huggable almost devilish creature that melts my heart . So that's what it is, Now I know why women around the world come to see him, He is the man that women wants to love,because he won't hurt us by loving him. Not intentionally . He is very witty, quick and very present.He is a very confident young man, fearless , vulnerable and so authentic-His charisma is very enduring. I have met a lot of celebrity throughout my career and I have never seen this quality all in one person.A lot of people can sing, can act, can model, can crack a joke , but Clay for me has it all.And i think all of this is because he emotes from within, this you cannot learn .It is either you have it or you don't

I also got to meet his mother- such poise and a graceful lady.Almost holy ,angelic looking - a perfect mother to Clay.

"Clay is an enlightened SOUL"

So there it is, I am now off to Pala for my second concert and tomorrow to the Greek theatre for my third, Wow I am now gone to another adventure of my life. Looking forward to more.

Yoo hoo lickiest--just saw y'all a few minutes ago. We had a gourmet meal from the vending machine. Yum. Fabulous, very special concert tonight. Totally pooped. My friend Barbara has crashed. I'm right behind her. Tomorrow we're touring Biltmore House and then heading back to the Triangle satisfied, or as close to it as possible, under the circumstances (that would be, because we can't actually, you know, do Clay Aiken and he is hawt, funny, and cool). MUAH to all.

Waves at lickiest!! My brain doesn't work this early, and I've got to go get ready. I was oblivious to the drama til I got home and read the boards--someone introduced the topic and I hit the ignore button and promptly forgot. The concert was amazing--major Aiken fog took over. Was feeling bad for lickiest that he didn't sing RHW--haha--and ran into her after the concert where she said DUH, he did, where were you? Heh. ATD was hawt--I'm glad he did it again. We had a lovely pre-concert gathering and lots of funny--I was even social enough to go around and talk to some folks. Yay me. Besides lickiest, NCDonna and mandmlady I also got to see Divayenta, playbiller, and FearofH2O from FCA, as well as some CHers. Gotta go get ready. Later!!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

ETA: My ride is going to be late, so I have a little more time. I'm burning more CDs for the road. The ignore button above is metaphorical--in other words, I didn't know while I was there because I didn't want to know--I didn't want to made the concert about that, and I can tell you it was blissfully wonderful and one could easily experience the whole thing without a clue as to the subtext. Only strange part was the "how dare you be happy" look that I got on the way out, which I now understand. Frankly, I prefer my approach, 100%.

The banter was hilarious, as always. I think the classics was the best I've seen--live or on clack. He really did become "cool." He played everything but SexyBack pretty straight once Angela had taught him to dance during "Bills," and the later numbers were amazing. The "I'm cool" walk was across the full stage, and fantastic to see as he was headed our way.

I saw Cindilu at the venue--*waves*--and crimsonice and DisneyKid. Sat with lyndolphin from CH, who was excellent company. Went off smoking with Brandilyne, goatlady, and crew. (Apologies for forgetting sns.) Goatlady was a few seats down from me at the venue too.

It was hot, but honestly, not that bad considering. It seems like the temperature went up 10 degrees as soon as the concert was over. Clay is cool, y'all.

Hope someone got a picture of that cello Clay was admiring. The spotlight guys weren't doing so well. They couldn't manage to light Clay on our side of the stage at all. Quiana got two spots. Heh.

I'll second that about the booze. And really all sodas and the like too. Just plain water is the best.

I'm drained from my practice day in the heat yesterday, and still dehydrated although I sucked up the water all day. Off to get ready and pack for tomorrow.

Great recap Couchie!!

Oh, God... more pictures with the yummy hair!! And I guess I'm the only one who likes those shorts and pretty much wears my favorite clothes until they are threads. Plus, we've already discussed ironing. LOL!

Nope, you're not the only one. I love the fact that Clay does this too.

I seem to have much less time on the computer these days... Did I mention my sister is here?

I love her to death, but... I cannot wait for a mood shift. Oy.

Hang in there....been there, done that, but mine was out in two weeks. Not sure yours is going to be that fiercely ready to move on.

The People magazine thing CMSU. Probably very surreal for him too. (But then, I think him singing to Flat!Clay! was probably OTT surreal for him...and I mean that as no offense artquest...)

Real Clay, in his persona as Performing Clay, acknowledges and then dances with Flat Clay. Not only surreal but post-modernist as well.

PS: Remind me to never, ever, ride with KAndre. Not that it wouldn't be fun, no siree Bob, but I'm looking forward to grandchildren some day and would like to live that long. Waves. Loved your recap.

PPS: Mr. Artquest was thrilled to meet some of the FCA posse. He would wave back too, if I let him near the boards.

Why Mr. Artquest would find the FCA totally harmless, I'm sure. No smutting here.

(This just means that we would like to do his hair.)

I wish someone could've gotten Clay and flat Clay in the same shot--maybe someone will do some video magic. I'd love to see that.

I'm seeing Clay tomorrow. EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! :Tour3: :Tour3:

Just got back from my mom's. Today's her birthday--she's officially 94 today. She's in Raleigh, where it's like, hot y'all. I get there and the AC's not on. Oh, I just turned it off, she says. I turn it on, and she doesn't like it, she says, it blows on her. She wraps up in a blanket and whines. So I turn it down and turn on the AC in another room and we compromised on something like high 80's where she and I were. I think of it as physical conditioning for tomorrow. Lickiest, we did not get that storm over this way, unfortunately. We need the rain, and the cooling.

Tomorrow I'll be with y'all and my boyfriend, and the next day, Asheville. WAH HOO. See y'all at Lucky32. Diva, hope you can get a plane out.

Clay is the Weekly Reader's featured celebrity of the month, just in time for back-to-school:

http://www.weeklyreader.com/

If you click on his picture on the front page, it takes you to a page about Clay:

Clay Aiken: An American Idol on a Mission

And at the end of that piece, there's a link that takes you to an interview:

Interview

Another coaster cutie:

ETA: bigger version and a new one (HQ at CH):

More from my favorite CB college fan thread:

I'm in senior year in my college and interestingly I feel a little old in Clay's fandom in Korea because at least 70% of them are teenagers and college students who are younger than me

In response to the Facebook post:

definitely.. I was surprised to find Claydawgs that go to my university through facebook. the clay fans are out there... they just haven't come forward online.

And here's a long one:

Yup, folks!! There's a big group of UW-Madison Clay fans! My oldest daughter, Sara, being one of them! They are all 21 years old now, and have been totally, completely IN LOVE with CLAY since they first saw him at the IT in St. Paul in '04. Walking to the car afterwards, while all of us were in the Aiken Fog, their comments were just a scream. My fav being "Hey, guys, wouldn't it be fantastic if we could take our college tuition money and just follow Clay's tours??!!!" (we did see him two more times that wonderful summer in A ppleton and Milwaukee!)

They've also seen all of the Christmas Tours and we are seeing him again in Waukegan the day before his birthday!

Clay's appeal stretches far and wide ~~ I know of many, many college age kids (male and female) in various colleges in the Big Ten schools that love him, his music and the person that he is! They listen to all kinds of other music as well, but are only really passionate about Clay.

Oh yeah, another favorite memory (of which there are many!) was the finale of AI5. These girls were all gathered at Sara's condo watching and when CLAY walked out on stage, OMG!!! I think all of the roofs were blown off from their screams that went on forever!!!! I live about 40 miles away, and my windows shook!! They kept calling me and calling..."DID YOU SEE HIM.......GAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH..."... then they'd call me and ask why I wasn't calling them in between their calls to me!! Just priceless!

Fun recap, couchie. I felt like I was there. Can't wait for more.

FCA fundraiser - KAndre reads her recaps!!!

Yay--saved by muskifest and YSRN. I couldn't tell what he was saying there, but he sure was cute. I'll listen again tomorrow. Dang but he looked hot though.

This is cute. From my new favorite CB poster, snitchseeker, in the "How many college Clay fans are out there?" thread:

There are lots of college Clay fans on facebook as well, there's lots of Clay groups on there including "College Claymates", "Clay Aiken Has the Voice of an Angel", "I Wish I Could Quit School to Follow Clay Aiken Around the Country", and so many more. They all have around 100-300 members...and that's just on facebook.

Oh, and this one, first page:

I will be a freshman in a couple weeks as well. Clay is doing one of his Christmas shows a couple feet off of my Campus next year, Rutgers in New Brunswick. My girlfriend already promised me the tickets as a birthday/christmas gift. Wow, college age clay fan and a guy. Do I win?

And from the recaps of the Greek:

We were sitting directly behind Angela's mom and dad and they were so sweet and nice. Angela's mom talked to us throughout the show. She told us that the first time she ever heard Angela sing was when she was about 6 years old and she was in her mother's closet trying on her mother's clothes and shoes and she heard this glorious voice come out of the closet. So, she said "Angela, baby, come out here and sing that for mommy again." But Angela wouldn't do it. They would try to get her to sing at church and she would just get up there and cry, lol. So, Angela spent all her time singing in the closet, lol. (Thank goodness she overcame her stage fright at a later age, lol.)

ETA:Muski, I keep getting distracted and forget to focus. I'm mean I see the lips, I see that they're moving and stuff. He's so freaking hot.