First show...Genesee Theatre, Waukegan, IL

[JennaZ]

From LuvClay26 at CB: http://p071.ezboard.com/ftheclayboardfrm42...icID=3299.topic

I am here so quick because I didn't want to wait around. The roads are like ice rinks now, so I opted to come back to the hotel. So here I am.

Clack report... There were people taking pix and all, but they were really STRICT tonight. The person next to me had her camera taken away and it is the breaks I guess. I got him singing one song and a couple stills that are a lil blurry (2nd row center pit seat, but my camera looks like it isn't super great). You may have seen reports that he was wearing blue (cute on him) shirt, a tie (blanking what color it was and too lazy to pull out the camera), greyish vest, grey and blue striped jacket, black boots, and grey and blue (VERY CUTE!!!) pants. He even showed us he had striped socks. One was blue striped and the other is a different color which my mind is in a haze now.

He was a real stitch tonight. I think he even commented that we were thinking he was too funny or something. I knew a couple moments I was dying of laughter and I'm glad too. I was freaking out the entire time so it calmed me down to enjoy the concert more.

He made not one, but TWO jokes about the boards tonight. I forget the first one at the moment, but the second one he joked that (paraphrasing) we were going to post and say he was so horrible. *sigh* What will we ever do with this dude?

He also joked about his birthday. (It is funny I am commenting on the banter before the music btw.) He said someone said he looked 29. Then said someone texted him saying the weight looks good on him. So he is a, in words something like, heavy 29 year old now. Oh man. He did comment on Ripagate and we all cheered. Said he was being stopped a couple times so people can have their picture taken with him with his hand on their mouth. All I can say is I would like that anytime...picture optional. *shifty eyes*

Midway through the set he took off his jacket and there were MANY catcalls. It was hottness. He said he was kinda rolling his eyes at our reaction. Doesn't get why he is so cute I guess.

He did some speech on Wednesday night church and went on about how he was only 7 and didn't want to go. "Now you are going to say I'm not a good Catholic boy" or something like that he said. He also talked about UNICEF and BAF. I cheered when he said KC (I saw my old crew there! I miss it there) for the camps. He then said good to give this time of year or (good segway) anytime of the year. This was for DSIAFCD. It was awesome.

This review will be more complete when I get my full recap done Sunday. There have been many adventures in "LUV-land." Speaking of which, I think there is a new vocab word. An Enclaybaler.

One memory that sticks out in my mind is in "Sleigh Ride" he did the giddy up reins move thingy. If you are reading, thank you Clay. If not, well, to my fellow fans, it was HOTTNESS!!!

MDYK made me cry because I just a ball of nerves tonight. I had several BAD anxiety moments today and was in tears part of the day. I was smiling until that song. I felt better after it. "O Emmanuel" was GREAT! He struggled at the end durring AIW. Poor thing. I am praying hard his voice holds up for the tour. He is a great singer beacuse he messed the end of the OCYOF medley thingy. I noticed, but I swear to god if you didn't know the song how he does it normally you would not notice. He of course called himself out. *sigh* It was fine.

So, that was my main impressions so far. In summary, he looked hott when the jacket came off. The new hair was great. he semed to have shaved (Thanks), and just was great. Mic stand action galore during some of the songs too. I will write more in my full recap, but I hope this glimpse was entertaining...

He was awesome. Now tomorrow night is Merrilville. Then that will be it for a lil while.

laters

LUV

edited to add - WAIT I remember the first message board comment now! He made some comment that after he mentioned Alison Lawrence that we all knew all about him from doing background checks on him. Then said we knew info in the message boads and I think that is how the topic of him pulling up his pants showing his striped socks came about. That was funny.

[Ansamcw]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

audio clack from Deborah760 is coming...so those waiting for clack...we are getting rewarded!!!!

[Claygasm]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

audio clack from Deborah760 is coming...so those waiting for clack...we are getting rewarded!!!!

YAY!!! It will be there when I wake up in the morning!

Along with more clack I hope!

I must go to bed. I am so tired.

It just feels good to have Clay back again.

'Night all.

[Ansamcw]

Recap from Dolcepienza of CH

I'm sure y'all are sick of recaps by now ....

I flew to Chicago in a fucking blizzard to see Clay for the first time in a year, and I'm so glad I did! I missed him, and it was so great to see him again!

I'm sure you heard a cellcert so I'll start with the visuals. He looked gorgeous. The hair was fucking perfect. The length and style are so much more my taste in hair styles than the old spikes and it looks great on him. The color and highlights and cut were just great. At one point there was a little strand of hair that was lying across his cheekbone -- very niiice through my binoculars. The hair style and color now really makes his beautiful eyes even look better.

The clothes were a nice pin stripe light gray suit with stripes of a turquoise blue and a paler gray. Gray vneck sweater, looked cashmere, blue shirt, gray tie. I did not notice the pants too much as I used binocs from row H for most of the concert. Black shoes and he showed his socks at one point but I could not really see them. Very flattering outfit, and I usually hate gray but I liked it on him.

Did I mention how fucking awesome his hair looked? All righty then. The highlights were a work of art.

The banter was hilarious, really worked well in person. He fed off the crowd and the crowd loved it. I've really missed the banter since the JBT. Last Christmas we did nit get much because of the play and I missed it. He got big laughs for his bit about putting his hand over people's mouths, but it as all just adorable and funny.

The singing was gorgeous overall. It was great to hear him sing live again! He skipped OHN but I think it was because the songs he did were a very challenging set. I'm glad he did TFN and the Medley. There were a couple of rough spots where he missed a note -- particularly in AIW. He also had to adjust things in DSIAFCD and the Medley (but covered well). I think not having backups to help is tough when the set is so challenging, and he will adjust his pacing so he does not have problems. Most of the singing was awesome.

The orchestra was good and I really enjoyed the middle of their set where they played tow of my favorite carols Greensleeves and the Holly and the Ivy -- I wish Clay would sing those and Er ist ein Rose -- and did some Vivaldi with great violin solos. That was really nice and they worked well with Clay.

It's cold as hell here, but it was great to hear Clay sing live again. And to see him. And his hair.

[Ansamcw]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

audio clack now available form Deborah760...

it must be up at clackunlimited

Ok listening to it now...

I can't believe how noisy some people were during the first song...some people were shouting birthday greeting to him.

TFN is so beautiful...so soft and gentle...

really quite surprised how rowdy the audience was even during the songs...ok...the quieted down as TFN continued.

OMG...TFN...was beautifully...the notes were just flowing so beautifully.

some great pictures here from Zippy ...CB

[Couch Tomato]

I made it home!! Thanks Muski.

Clay looks beautiful!! Thanks for the pictures.

[muskifest]

sigh, drool, pant, sob, laugh, snicker, roll eyes...My God! That man causes me to run the gamut of emotions...He's a...he's a..

little shit. That's what he is. :glare: I love that man. He's so real. So very sincere. And real.

And that's rare.

Not too bad to look at, either.

By the way. I haven't listened to or watched anything other than the cellcert, but I gotta warn ya. I'm already in fightin' mode after reading a couple of posts about how his voice cracked on the notes in DSIAFCD and AIW. How he might've been using this first concert as a practice run, etc.

Man. I cannot express to you what such commentary does to my usually low blood pressure. Yeah, I know...we all have a right to our opinion. But I know something else. That man has a gift. A voice that transcends musical notes. His heart and soul somehow get transmitted when he sings. That combined with his titanium parts make for an entertainer unequaled.

So I say to those who, sitting in their warm homes, listening to a scratchy cellcert or even those who WERE THERE..and want to talk about how he did NOT make those notes, did NOT look good with straight instead of wavy hair...did NOT sing that long so should NOT have had trouble hitting and sustaining every freaking note, no matter where it falls in his range...

I say to them....

No, I'll let Clay tell you in his words borrowed from Prince...

"Maybe you're just like my mother....you're never satisfi--i--i--ied." Reminds me of my stepfather. I'd bring home a report card with five A's and one B. Guess what I heard all about?

Clay Aiken spreads joy wherever he goes. If someone finds something negative, it's because they're looking for it. Self-fulfilling prophecy and all that.

I love him--and what he is and promises to be to this often sad, sad world. I figure when I can get up on a stage in front of all those people, AND the thousands more via cellcert! and sing even half as well as he does, then MAYBE I can offer some musical criticism of his vocal performance.

Until then?

All Is Well, baby.

Night, all...and Couchie, so glad you could be here with me tonight to catch the first Aiken concert of this holiday season. MWAH!

[strummer6]

muski --

I think I love you. So much word to that post.

Looking around at comments tonight reminded of a Bono interview I read a while back -- I think it was Rolling Stone, but not sure. So I'm going to have to paraphrase. He said that the live experience might include his voice cracking, that he might miss notes and show other vocal flaws. He's a man, not a machine and he would never lip synch to take that element away. He also said that the concert stage was not a studio. It's about the crowd, the energy of the music, and the live experience that everyone shares for the night. That if people wanted studio quality, buy the CD. He'd be fine if they preferred that over a U2 concert. Because he'd be nothing but human, always, while on stage. And he'd be damned if he would ever do anything to hide or cover up the his own voice while performing, flaws included.

I listened to the cellcert tonight and Clay was so on. Almost 90 minutes of beautiful singing and lots of laughter in between. A couple of bad notes or whatever you want to call them at the end doesn't take away from that, not for me.

I dunno -- maybe people were bugged because it was the end, and it was the last thing that happened. But I don't understand how that would color the entire experience. But again, that's me.

The big thing and a reason for celebration -- Clay was back on stage tonight, a place I think he was born to be. That makes me so freaking happy! Thank you, Clay! Though, hon, you almost killed me with Emanuel. I think I stopped breathing, it was just so beautiful.

It was so nice to have this tonight -- work has been a nightmare. I missed the first 20 minutes of the concert because my boss called. Ten o'clock on a Friday night! WTH? Me thinks I'll be screening the calls this weekend ...

[ldyjocelyn]

I'm just going to add that I really love muski and strummer and those who simply enjoyed the entire experience of last night. Because that's what it was really -- an experience. I've never been fond of those people who cannot see the forrest for the trees, and it's always struck me that many Clay fans are like that, IMO. One little teensy tiny element that goes wrong colors the entire experience for them. Meanwhile, I'm bouncing in my chair with the "OMG, did you hear that gorgeous MDYK?!?!?!?!"

Thank you Clay, for giving your all. I'll be there tonight to show you some love in return.

Editing to add my favorite picture I've seen so far this morning:

Now THAT'S Happy! I can see it in his eyes.

[Ansamcw]

FCA Waukegan Page

if anybody wants to submit their recaps, pictures or share any special memories...just pm me or couchie.

same with any corrections.

We would like to thank all the clack gatherers and fans that have been so generous in sharing their experiences, talent and resources with the rest of the world.