# 12 An Evening With His Royal Highness Fantasy Fodder

[Couch Tomato]

Beagle3's meet and greet report...wanted to bring it to main for discussion after the concert

Meet and Greet report from Beagle3

Tan pants that he had cut off at the knee-ragged

Purple Fifty2thirty shirt, lots of stubble, can't remember hair.

one girl asked him if he would like to do more work with Steven Curtis Chapman and he joked that SCC won't return his phone calls. SCC had written a song based on a sentence that Brett had said to Faye after he got back from Iraq, it is amazing and it may be on SCC's next CD. (October) -doesn't fit on Clay's CD.

Clay said he puts one out ever year and it takes me five years.

Asked if he would do a Christian CD and he said he would like to do it someday but label would not support it.

Asked about Kimmel and they each have a poster of each other over each other's bed. Kimmel is going to be doing something for BAF at the end of the year.

Asked him if BAF galas would be in Raleigh, he said No, they will look at other cities. Talked to him about the 100 camps goal. Yes, but look how much money we raised at Raleigh Gala when all I had to do is whore myself out.

Asked if fans could help with label, he said good question....No, just buy it even if is crap.

He said that things are going very well right now, they are on the same page with the CD.

He kept BFM in the JBT because fans liked it.

He answered questions about his leg and arm hair but swore them to secrecy.

She said it is what people are speculating about. He turned to Mary and said "do you have all their real names, screen names and addresses?"

[YSRN]

Just adding that she also said that Clay said he didn't really like BFM. He kept it in the JBT because of the fans, but he thought it was cheesy.

And that things are going very well with the CD; they are all on the same page about it so far.

[Claygasm]

oh Lord....if the girls keep playing like this, I might not make it to the Greek after all...and I really, REALLY want to...

Did they have pick NOW to get hot???

Re: the stiletto admin note in lovely teal, word. And I'd like to add that as someone who has left two boards previously because some posters struggle with strong, opinionated comments---and I'm talking (as KAndre did) of posters writing the comments and posters reading (and interpreting) them. What I LOVE about THIS board, though, is that a misplaced word or reflexive reaction doesn't mean that the entire flow of conversation gets derailed, nor does it become the 'beginning of the end' of fun and sense of humor and mutual respect.

Thank you, all, for contributing to that phenomenon of mature social intercourse.

heh.

Word!

[artquest]

Muski, you must be so proud! Is it too early to start thinking about athletic scholarships to college? That could free up money to spend on Clay tickets!

[Claygasm]

I just saw this posted by Scarlett over at the CH.

(We are watching at the Buckeye cafe - the clip of him wiggling his behind is soo worth it!!!)

Now that looks like something to look forward to!

[bottlecap]

August 16, 2005. That was the date of my last (and only to date) Clay concert before today's (well, yesterday's now) trip to Columbus.

Wooo HOOOO!!!! Columbus was great!!!! I didn't hear a bad note, a crack, a waver or anything. The VOICE, after 4 concerts in a row, seemed to be in fabulous shape.

I'm too tired to do much of a recap right now (it's 2:40 in the morning for me), but I will note a couple of things. Houston cream-colored jacket, untucked white shirt, tan suede loafers, and jeans with no visible rivet. However, the jeans did make up for that omission by being very nicely fitted in the thigh area, and by being just the right length - no dragging on the ground for those babies.

Numbered posters - I don't know how exactly I lucked out, but the poster numbered 1/3000 is right now propped up on my loveseat, smirking back at me.

I can't say enough "Thank You's" to laughn for making all the travel arrangements for this trip and procuring the tickets. We had some great conversations in the car, including all things Clay, Harry Potter theories, and even local politics. The ride home was spent listening to and singing along to the mp3's from Philly. All in all, it was a darn near perfect concert experience.

More in the morning. Maybe. If the Clay fog hasn't wiped away any relevant comments I might have to make, and I can decipher the notes I scribbled during intermission. And YSRN, stop giving me _____ because I didn't want stay and do the bus line!

[YSRN]

Hee!

Glad you had fun, bottlecap. I can't believe you didn't stay though! Clay was looking for you!

:medium-smiley-070:

[playbiller]

OOOOOH 1/3000 I am so envious of you, BC. I wanted that one - I asked for it at the venues andthey told me it was gone - so cool.

[ldyjocelyn]

Very cool bottlecap about the poster. It confirms my theory, though, that they 3000 posters per venue, not total. Either way, still very cool.

And I'm glad you had a faboo time. Please tell us more...especially about the jeans and how they fit on the thighs. (Forget the butt, I'm in love with the thighs....)

But I do want to see him wiggle his butt too....after church maybe?

[bottlecap]

But I do want to see him wiggle his butt too....after church maybe?

Well, I don't know about that, but I can confirm that I saw Clay plant his big paw firmly on Angie's butt (not her waist or her hip) when they were doing when of their arms-wrapped-around-each-other dance moves while Quiana was singing.

And this wormy move thing?

Clay stood very close to Angela and definitely looks to her for direction on doing it. And he gets such a big kick out of being able to do it, that he and Angela do it several times during the snippet of the songs. (Bills, Bills, Bills - I think).

"Party All Night" now has some flailing overhead arm movements that go along with it, so I don't think it's quite as dramatic as the pulsating pelvis is isolation, but it probably plays better to the seats farther away.

Yeah, I had about five hours of sleep, but the sun is shining, my stomach's growling, and my internal clock is hard to override. Off to start my day, which includes catching up on what the boards had to say about last night's cellcert and whatnot.

[Clayzorback]

Hee!

You need the Internet for pictures, of course!

Bwahaaaa.............This just CMSU.....I always tell people there is nothing you can't find on the internet. Look how tall Jerome is standing next to that girl.

August 16, 2005. That was the date of my last (and only to date) Clay concert before today's (well, yesterday's now) trip to Columbus.

Wooo HOOOO!!!! Columbus was great!!!! I didn't hear a bad note, a crack, a waver or anything. The VOICE, after 4 concerts in a row, seemed to be in fabulous shape.

I'm too tired to do much of a recap right now (it's 2:40 in the morning for me), but I will note a couple of things. Houston cream-colored jacket, untucked white shirt, tan suede loafers, and jeans with no visible rivet. However, the jeans did make up for that omission by being very nicely fitted in the thigh area, and by being just the right length - no dragging on the ground for those babies.

Numbered posters - I don't know how exactly I lucked out, but the poster numbered 1/3000 is right now propped up on my loveseat, smirking back at me.

I can't say enough "Thank You's" to laughn for making all the travel arrangements for this trip and procuring the tickets. We had some great conversations in the car, including all things Clay, Harry Potter theories, and even local politics. The ride home was spent listening to and singing along to the mp3's from Philly. All in all, it was a darn near perfect concert experience.

More in the morning. Maybe. If the Clay fog hasn't wiped away any relevant comments I might have to make, and I can decipher the notes I scribbled during intermission. And YSRN, stop giving me _____ because I didn't want stay and do the bus line!

1/3000? I am so jealous of you, but yet, happy for you too. If it had to go to someone else, I'm glad it was a member from here. Speaking of which, thanks again to lickiest ( I have a hard time saying lickiest, hee) for procuring me a poster. I didn't realize they would be numbered when I attended my contest and did not buy one. Check your email, lucky, I sent money last night. Let me know if you got it. I hope you got a low number for yourself as well. I'm glad you and laughn had a great time bottlecap. Can't wait to hear your recap.

I just want to say that I don't think I could love Clay any better than I do right now. In fact I am liking his meet and greet recaps better than the show itself. The discussion he had with them last night just made me want to cry for joy. For so many obvious reasons. Clay honey If you are reading here, please keep it up. You have done me proud.

Playbiller your comment about too many mother's who don't own the baby, cracked me up. I suggest it for thread title.

Edited July 22, 2007 by Clayzorback

[Carolina Clay]

Good Morning, FCA! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Love the recaps -- WOOHOO for you, Bottlecap! Poster #3000, no less!

YSRN, the girl with Jerome is ClaysBabyGurl333 from Clayversity. A high school grad this spring, she was very excited to meet Jerome at Walmart.

My blog can't keep up with all these concerts. I think I'll stay with the New York 3-Fer for another day. Love the video from Chautauqua and just located a few more pictures. Meanwhile, reports are coming in from Columbus, so I'm off to read. :Tour3:

Have a great day, all! Breathe -- I think we need the break as much as Clay & Co.!

Caro

[jamar1700]

*yawn*

What a couple of days.

The HP Party was a'frickin' blast ya'll! The best thing about the night was that no child who wanted to check out a copy of the book left without one. There were only a finite number and it appears to have worked out just right. Kids started lining up shortly after the branch closed at 6 and we didn't open the doors until 10. The other best thing was we had PLENTY of staff/volunteers to help. I could tell these people are used to pulling off events. Everyone worked together like a well oiled machine, smiling and enthusiastic. The people that were in charge, were in charge. The people that weren't, didn't try to be. I was proud to be a part of it.

I haven't been able to read much of the actual book yet as DD has had some drama that needed tending to. Broke up with her much loved BF. The one she thought she would marry. Decided she needed to have some life experience first. Gadz sometimes when they act all mature and stuff it gets me all verklempt.

Soooo...being who we are, we plan to shop all day. The elixir of all ills ... in our world anyway.

Also the friggin' lawn will NOT BE IGNORED any longer. *sigh* I hatessss being a homeowner-all-alone.

Which reminds me ... the Twins are having an interesting series.

When I sign on to MLB.com I keep seeing LAA @ MIN. Going back and forth from the cellcert threads to the baseball threads I'm always in my mind reading Lover All Alone at Minnesota...which then makes me giggle to myself which then makes me think I may just be a bit off.

Can you tell I'm sleep-deprived?

---

muski Good for Carri. It can be so exciting to watch your kids compete. And also heartbreaking. Sorry to say.

---

OMIGOSH....I've probably watched more Clack from this show than any other. He looks so good and sounds even better. I love the M&G tidbits. I can.not.wait. until CALI!!!!!

:TourExcite: :TourExcite: :TourExcite: :TourExcite:

Edited July 22, 2007 by jamar1700

[playbiller]

When I asked for the low numbered poster number, I was told that they get them randomly from the box - they did not have #1 in their box - not that they are randomly numbered, they were sequentially numbered, it was just that they did not get the box with the early numbers in it.

Wouldn't producing them with the same sets of nmbers be - like - cheatig. When they redo a series of anything (from someone who checks collectible numbers) they have to indicate it is not the first series.

Great concert for great fans - each concert seems to get better!

The concert received a great review with two less than perfect comments - now, you know I haveto commnet on the less than perfect comments because they cracked me up.

First complaint, the band was drowned out by thier voices - OOOOOOH, poor lwiddle orchestra - I guess the reviewer expected special solos by the band - Oh, well, we don't always get what we want.

The second Complaint was that the show was like all pop shows - "lacks compelling originality" - because we all know that all pop shows include a lot of comedy and medleys of baby got back. Cracks me up.

Now they did say he had a polished voice, they acknowledged that people had fun and they opened with a joke, so it must have been somewhat memorale. They certainly made me want to go, so it is all pretty good.

Aiken's appearance thrills female crowd

And best part yet, nothing about the age ofthe females that Clay Aiken thrilled!

Go give them a hit, they deserve it, I would be hitting them a lot for the lack of originality. Perhaps if he kept the easel, he would have been more compelling - hee.

Edited July 22, 2007 by playbiller

[laughn]

I love me some bottlecap...she was able to get poster number 2/3000 for me as well

I posted a mini-halfasleep,'I'm going back to bed,' recap in the concert thread.

It was a fantastic night. I'm one happy woman.

I really don't think I could have survived the bus line...lol...Holy Crap! That was one long line!

Now, to get some rest so I can do it all again Monday. :TourExcite:

[bottlecap]

Okay, here goes... Semi-random Columbus ravings from an insane woman still trying to recover from her Clay-induced brain fog. And what a great state that is to be in....

laughn did all the work to put this roadtrip together, so I basically just had to show up and ride along. We hit the car rental place in the morning, and the check-in chick casually asked what we needed the car for. I wanted to tell her it was for running over an ex and then disposing of the body, but we copped to our Clay road trip. She was suitably polite, and we got to discretely squeal a little bit about what a great a show Clay puts on. I wandered around in a state for a bit, tried to take a nap, and ending up running around my house like crazy chicken, finding stuff to throw into my concert backpack.

Finally, it was time to meet up with laughn, and we hit the road. She is funny, very knowledgeable about all kinds of Clay and board stuff, and is just generally a very fun person to hang around with. The two and a half hour drive just seemed to fly by, and I was having so much fun that I forgot at times who was waiting for us at our destination. Despite some rather cryptic directions from Yahoo, we found the venue with little problem, and got into line around 5:40.

The venue was on the massive lawn of the Chemical Abstract Services campus. (As I understand it, they publish science-related papers, and I don't think we were actually on a chemical dumping ground... HA!) There were several entrances, and when security opened the gates, we could see a mad dash going on down the way for people who were vying for lawn seats. It was quite a scene.

laughn had gotten us tickets at a Clackhouse table, so we didn't have to push for a place. The round tables were set up for groups of 10, and covered with white linen tablecloths. Maneuvering around got tricky, because the tables were pretty close together, and the number of coolers and picnic baskets added to the obstacles. As laughn pointed out, it looked like many of the tables around us were maybe used for corporate groups and whatnot - some of them had beautiful flower arrangements, the wine was flowing, and the catered food was delivered tableside by the venue waitstaff. Again, this mix of what were probably venue "regulars" besides the Clay fans meant the audience really had a ton of guys. I didn't see a lot of kids in the table section, but I assume there were many families out on the lawn which weren't really visible from where we were.

I have to give credit to the CAS venue staff and volunteers. The ones we encountered we unfailing polite and helpful, and seemed pretty experienced at handling the crowds. It was kind of a hoot to see a whole line of waitstaff magically appear at intermission, carrying huge trays on their shoulders, serving coffee and desserts to the catered tables. Even the dreaded potta-potties weren't so bad, and there were a ton of them. One of the volunteers very kindly directed me to the merchandise table, where I snagged my t-shirt and my 1/3000 poster. EEEEEE!!! I took the opportunity to scan the lawn at that point, which already had a a huge number of people sitting on it, and that was still pretty early. I have no clue if the 12,000 attendance estimate I read in the cellstream thread is correct or not, but the venue's lawn could certainly hold that many people.

The lovely Brandilynne provided the munchies for the CH tables, and I got a chance to taste one of her divine lemon squares. I'm drooling just think about it. Other tablemates were enjoying the wine and beer. We also got Brandi-supplied nametags. I don't think I'll be showing mine to my family, as it has the OPP pants grab on it, and I don't really want to have to explain that. HA! The husband at our table got a name tag with a photoshopped picture of Clay wrapped in ropes - an extremely funny illustration of the "Poor husband, dragged to the Clay Aiken concert."

Another unique thing about the venue is that it is apparently right underneath the flight path of the airport. The planes weren't yet low enough to be loud, but they were frequent and very visible, especially as the sky got darker and the airplane lights shone brightly.

The venue had a small jumbotron set off to the side, and pre-concert, the Columbus version of Ryan Seacreast talked to some concert goers, including some cute twenty-somethings.

I kept my eyes peeled on the band shell - looking for members of Team Clay. The orchestra members trickled in, and the technical people were wandering around. I spotted Mary coming down the ramp behind the stage, and began to bounce in my seat a little bit. She must have done the set list taping a little earlier, as she didn't end up going on stage, but instead hung around off to the side talking to the techies.

Finally, Jesse and Sean were announced and took their places. Angela and Quiana made their entrances to loud applause and waved to the crowd. At this point, my heart was about to beat out of my chest. How would Clay make his appearance? I could hear him, but not see him yet. I thought I was watching, but I missed when he came up the steps to the stage, because suddenly, there he was, casually strolling out from behind the orchestra. You know, Clack is fantastic, but to actually see the man in the flesh? Gives me a jolt, and reminds me that he's really real, ya know?

As I noted in an earlier post, Clay was wearing the cream-colored blazer from Houston, a white untucked shirt, tan suede loafers, and jeans that were nicely fitted around the thighs and that were just the right length. I thought the hair looked great, and although my binoculars weren't that strong, I could see what looked like some light stubble. That is, when I could get my hands to stop shaking long enough to focus on his face - hee. The pictures I've looked at since confirmed that. Q & A had colcrful tops and their funky ruffled skirts on, and they looked fantastic as always.

I won't try to give a song by song recap, other than to say Clay's voice was in great shape, and I didn't hear a bad note come out of his mouth all night. He just gave one fantastic performance after another. The only small fly in the ointment was the head of the blond guy sitting directly in my sightline - I had to do a little weaving around to see past him from time to time depending on where Clay was on the stage. I didn't watch the jumbotron too much, but the camera guys and director seemed to be showing a nice variety of shots, and I'm sure the lawn people appreciated it.

Tons of fun and very energetic: The TV medley, the Classics, and The Way You Make Me Feel. As laughn pointed out ahead of time, the tight table setup, combined with the folding chairs that weren't that easy to move mostly meant the crowd stayed sitting. Everybody was on their feet, singing and clapping along to TWYMMF, though. Clay and Q&A all left the stage for that, followed by the jumbotron cameras and a set of lights. As far as I could tell, Clay mainly worked the front line of tables and did get around the side of the tables a bit, but again, maneuverability was an issue. Overall, I think the crowd around us had a blast, and I hope Clay felt the love and made some new fans.

One comment I didn't see in the cellstream thread was when Clay was talking about trying out for some reality show when he was leading into the TV medley shtick. Jesse piped in with "The Bachelor." Hee.

Oh, I have to comment on Lover All Alone. It is just gorgeous, and to see it live is just indescribable. I give Jesse mad props on his piano playing and his scoring of the whole concert, but I think this song really gives him a chance to shine, right along with Clay. The arrangement is spectacular, and the "duet" with the cello just resonates down to your toes. What a beautiful, rich, and warm tone the combination of Clay's voice and the cello achieve.

When it was over, laughn and I staggered out to the car, she called YSRN (who couldn't believe I didn't want to go to the buses - It's just not my thing and we have a long drive home!) and another board friend and got the M&G scoop. Some like some interesting tidbits, once again.

The drive home was blessedly uneventful, and I staggered back into my house eleven and a half hours after we had left in the afternoon. I got some sleep (eventually!), rolled out of bed this morning at some point, and here I am.

I'm ready to go again on Monday! :TourExcite:

[institches]

Good morning! I love the joy in this place! All the concert stories and meeting friends stories!!! So happy!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Re: the stiletto admin note in lovely teal, word. And I'd like to add that as someone who has left two boards previously because some posters struggle with strong, opinionated comments---and I'm talking (as KAndre did) of posters writing the comments and posters reading (and interpreting) them. What I LOVE about THIS board, though, is that a misplaced word or reflexive reaction doesn't mean that the entire flow of conversation gets derailed, nor does it become the 'beginning of the end' of fun and sense of humor and mutual respect.

Add me to the "WORD" list on this one. I've read every page of this thread, and I didn't even notice anything that seemed to be getting out of hand! Perhaps it is because the last time I was really involved in the Clay boards it was *cough*elsewhere*cough* and the tension and adversarial nature almost gave me ulcers. So again, thanks for being here, and being "grownups."

Muski, you must be so proud! Is it too early to start thinking about athletic scholarships to college? That could free up money to spend on Clay tickets!

Muski...I'm so excited for you and your daughter! My DD plays softball too, and is a pitcher, but she is only 11, and the league she's in has rules about only playing two innings at a time...so no stats like your daughter yet! I have my fingers crossed, since I was a pitcher myself (a hundred years ago)! Hee! artquest -- to my DH, it's never too soon to think about scholarships...when my son was born and the nurse said he was 10 lbs, 3 oz, my husband shouted "scholarship!"

Oh, I have to comment on Lover All Alone. It is just gorgeous, and to see it live is just indescribable.

Yup. Exactly.

[playbiller]

Waiing patiently for more stories

Can never get enough Clay stories, it is addictive, Y'all!!

[ldyjocelyn]

jamar, sounds like your library had it's HP party planned quite, quite well. Good job! To reward yourself, go watch some clack -- and then get some sleep! Oh, and give DD a hug from me.

Which reminds me ... the Twins are having an interesting series.

When I sign on to MLB.com I keep seeing LAA @ MIN. Going back and forth from the cellcert threads to the baseball threads I'm always in my mind reading Lover All Alone at Minnesota...which then makes me giggle to myself which then makes me think I may just be a bit off.

This is one of those instance where you could see the joke coming from a mile away...and yet I still Hee.

Congrats to muskidaughter!!!!

playbiller, thanks for providing a link to that review. I think "pop" shows, as a general rule, tend to be reviewed badly because most "pop" shows aren't "cool." Therefore, I think this review came out pretty darn well.

The venue was on the massive lawn of the Chemical Abstract Services campus. (As I understand it, they publish science-related papers, and I don't think we were actually on a chemical dumping ground... HA!)

You're right! I remember when this venue was announced, and the librarian in me was saying "CAS? The Science Publishers?" So I had to check it out. I probably should have tried my best to get there just because of that location! Hee.

We also got Brandi-supplied nametags. I don't think I'll be showing mine to my family, as it has the OPP pants grab on it, and I don't really want to have to explain that. HA!

Aw, c'mon....what's a little embarrassment between family and friends, right? [/jk] Actually, I understand totally.

The husband at our table got a name tag with a photoshopped picture of Clay wrapped in ropes - an extremely funny illustration of the "Poor husband, dragged to the Clay Aiken concert."

HEE!

You know, Clack is fantastic, but to actually see the man in the flesh? Gives me a jolt, and reminds me that he's really real, ya know?

Isn't it the most amazing feeling in the world? Unfortunately, it's very addictive. I've got the credit card bills to prove it.

One comment I didn't see in the cellstream thread was when Clay was talking about trying out for some reality show when he was leading into the TV medley shtick. Jesse piped in with "The Bachelor." Hee.

:F_05BL17blowkiss: Jesse!

I just watched the pre-WISYS clack, and it is comedy gold, as usual. Picking on Ethel, picking on drunk guys, picking on late-comers, picking on people who didn't buy tickets -- in other words, a typical Clay Aiken show. Gotta love it.

MWAH institches! I know what you mean about the ulcers, but I think I'm better now that I'm here.

[Claygasm]

Bottle - GREAT recap! I love it when Bottle gets all fangirly!

I still have to read laughn's too.

As to the Kelly comment - some watch clack much closer than I do. I saw this posted by GBB at the CH:

Okay, that's too adorable. I watched xxx4clay's Pre-"When I See You Smile" banter a few minutes ago and it ended on the empty table / "they must have thought this was a Kelly Clarkson concert" line and Clay realizing it came out sounding like an insult. Toni7babe's "When I See You Smile" vid picks up right where xxx4clay's ends and Clay sputtering "I love Kelly" as the music starts and then talks right over the opening lines to Quiana:

Clay: (singing)--how I ever make it through... "I love Kelly." (to Quiana) "She finally called me back too, btw."

Quiana: "She did?"

Clay: "Yeah, today. I'll tell you about it later---(singing) just wouldn't have a clue."

And here is a pretty from last nigh!

P.S. How come when I see people post about an HP party, I think of Houston Posse, not Harry Potter????

[laughn]

Agh, bottlecap, I knew your recap would be great. I knew you would remember stuff like the airplanes and all that. Thanks

I did remember one more thing (your mention of the airplanes reminded me. hee) ...We were dead center of stage and far enough back that just as it was getting dark we could see all the stars above start to come out and twinkle over the band shell...only there weren't many stars...in fact, for the longest time there was only one...directly above Clay. That's it...one shining star in the sky sitting directly over his head. It was the only time of the evening I really missed my camera...but then I figured even if I could have gotten it, people would have thought it was a PhotoShop.

[YSRN]

YSRN, the girl with Jerome is ClaysBabyGurl333 from Clayversity. A high school grad this spring, she was very excited to meet Jerome at Walmart.

Heh, yeah, that's where I got the picture from... I probably should have said that, huh?

Which reminds me ... the Twins are having an interesting series.

When I sign on to MLB.com I keep seeing LAA @ MIN. Going back and forth from the cellcert threads to the baseball threads I'm always in my mind reading Lover All Alone at Minnesota...which then makes me giggle to myself which then makes me think I may just be a bit off.

I hate those Angels, btw. *cough*2002*cough*

Great recap, bottle!! I still think you shoulda.

I always think Hewlett Packard, so what does that say? Hee.

RIP Pete Wilson

[ldyjocelyn]

Cool blog post about last night's show from a "dragged" husband, found by notacanuck at the CH:

The Coolest Concert I Have Ever Been To

First of all, I have been to many concerts in my day. I have seen Run DMC, Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, the Beastie Boys, Technotronic, Tone Loc, Ice T, NWA, Biz Markie, Whodini, Tech N9ne and many others. On the rock side, I have seen Duran Duran, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Queensryche, Dream Theater and probably some others that I have forgotten.

I have pretty much enjoyed, to a greater or lesser degree, every concert that I have been to. The thing is...nothing exciting really happened at any of them. That changed last night.

Last night I took my wife to see Clay Aiken down in Columbus. I was looking forward to spending the night with my wife and seeing her happy at being able to see her idol (no pun intended). I must admit that I wasn't all that hyped at the thought of seeing the show. Now, don't get me wrong, it isn't that I didn't want to go, it's just that I wasn't enthusiastic about it. I actually think Clay is a great singer, but he isn't really my cup of tea. My wife, however, was very excited about going.

Clay came out to perform, right on time, at 8:15. He started to sing some of his regular fare and I was thinking it was sorta boring. After a couple of songs, he took a break from singing and started talking and making jokes. He joked with the crowd and made fun of the venue and I started to really get into it. He was very funny and extremely likable. No wonder my wife likes him. Anyway, I began to really get into the show at that point and I was very glad I went. Later, he made fun of himself for "not being cool enough" and playfully attempted to remedy it by singing covers of Baby Got Back, Bringing Sexy Back and, believe it or not...You Down with OPP! If you weren't there, it might sound corny, but it wasn't. It was done to be funny and it was very entertaining. He also has one hell of a voice.

After the show, Lynda and I went over to wait by the tour bus. We were simply hoping to catch a glimpse of him before he left. We had no idea what we were in for.

We found out that Clay actually likes to personally meet the fans that take the time to wait for him after his shows. What other major artist does that? The problem is that there were a lot of fans waiting for him. Apparently, a lot more than they are accustomed to dealing with. The security guards spent nearly thirty minutes discussing the logistics of the problem of how to arrange it to allow so many people to meet Clay in person. They finally had the entire crowd of remaining fans (about 2,500 people) line up single-file around the entire facility. We were lined up through the parking lots, sidewalks, lawn...everywhere! I had never seen anything like it before. All done just to make his fans happy. Wow! This alone was one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed. Please tell me one other artist to do such a thing for so many people?

Clay finally arrived, about an hour later, at the front of the line and proceeded to walk down the line of fans and shook every single person's hand. Lynda not only got to see and hear her favorite performer, but she got to shake his hand too. My wife was so happy you should have seen the look on her face. That was the coolest thing that ever happened at any concert I have been to!

[Couch Tomato]

My God, y'all need to stop posting so much. Seriously, it's taken me a couple of hours of sitting here to catch up on main alone. But hey, what else am I supposed to do while I am downloading 99 videos? Hee, I queued 'em up in GetRight and that was the count. Holy shit. Thank God for George, John and Paul! (my three external hard drives)

If it is true that Clay said he may have to fight to get what he wants on his next album, that doesn't surprise me one bit. I never expected that he wouldn't.

Welcome home Lickiest1 - First of all I want to say..DAMN YOU'RE good. I enjoyed everyone inch of this post but the thing that gets me is that you're home and you're already finished all of your recaps..and damn fine recaps they are too. I'll be using your Rochester one if that's ok.

I love that you have named your extra drives!!

And yep while I have always hoped he negotiated something better for himself the next time around (because he's clear he negotiated something for himself this time with getting some original songs) I've said on more than one occassion it might be more of the same, we have no clue. There is too much money involved, now that I think of it for there not to be a struggle each time. Anyway I was already thrilled to learn his chosen producer was accepted by the label and NOW he is saying he and the label are on the same page. I will miss these updates when the tour is over. That one little updates puts to a stop speculation running amuck. Still doesn't mean everythign is perfect or that he will win every battle with this CD. I've never cared about when he blogged but now I really understand the importance of keeping the fans fed with some info. I hope he keeps it up. This year will be ok between the rest of this tour, the fifth grader thing, the ice show and the Xmas tour. Hopefully some things pop up for the calendar next year.

Anyway, welcome home Lick heee.

oh Lord....if the girls keep playing like this, I might not make it to the Greek after all...and I really, REALLY want to...

Re: the stiletto admin note in lovely teal, word. And I'd like to add that as someone who has left two boards previously because some posters struggle with strong, opinionated comments---and I'm talking (as KAndre did) of posters writing the comments and posters reading (and interpreting) them. What I LOVE about THIS board, though, is that a misplaced word or reflexive reaction doesn't mean that the entire flow of conversation gets derailed, nor does it become the 'beginning of the end' of fun and sense of humor and mutual respect.

Thank you, all, for contributing to that phenomenon of mature social intercourse.

heh.

Bwah - first of all congrats to Carrie. Glad they pulled it together.I've seen the girl pitch and she is impressive when she wasn't staring off into space and getting bored between pitches. heee. Damn it feels as if I haven't seen you in forever... we must get together for coffee... or whatever. I've given you enough time to settle back into mommy and family duties. What about meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee? LOL.

As for your intercourse about the board Muski- thanks for that. That's all we want. (perhaps what you and KAndre wrote will go into our guidelines as GOALS for the board. And you know what I will add that it's easier for the boards that start well into the fandom I think because in the beginning all you needed in common was I love Clay Aiken. Boards that start later are I love Clay Aiken and then there may be 2 or 3 or 4 other commonalities which leaves a thousand and one other things to fight about. But communication in this medium is still not easy and it just takes effort ffrom everyone. So thank you KAndre for caring enought to bring out the stilleto.

About Clay's latest meet and greet coments...Yay for everybody being on the same page. Looking forward to seeing how this develops and very interesting in seeing what he chooses. He just cracks me up. BFM is cheesy? LOL..and he hated the radio radio radio part. BWAH. And he sang it for us. Ahhhhhh.I love him. I find that SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO amusing. I just do. But it does appear he is looking for a mix of songs and that's great.

Not suprised that he would like to to a CCM album... not surprised that RCA would never go for it. Hopefully he can do it as a side project one day -- but I hope gospel is included in that definition. I have to admit that there is that commercial that comes on court tv all the time, mostly late at night for a compilation ccm album... and it's really rocking and melodious and I've loved every ccm sone he's ever introduced to me.

Yay for Kimmel doing something for the TBAF at the end of the year. Wonder what that is? Can't wait to find out.

Just buy it... yep. That's how you help Clay stay in this business. The better he does, the better the chances he will get to do something you love.

As for the arm hair... heee have to admit it's one thing I don't care about. I just find the whole tanning thing curious. heee

BOTTLE! yay sounds like you had a fantastic time. Isn't it amazing how you can get with a Clay fan and just chat chat chat for hours? Thanks Laughn for getting our girl to multiples. heee.

Jamar - LOL at your yawn --- indeed go get some sleep.

Thanks Play - another great review!!

Bottle: again...wow great recap..which I will steal for FCA if that's ok. I'm so happy you had a great time and I think I'm more jealous that you got to taste a Brandi lemonbar. heee.

P.S. How come when I see people post about an HP party, I think of Houston Posse, not Harry Potter????

Because they are more fascinating? heee

Heh, yeah, that's where I got the picture from... I probably should have said that, huh?

bwah

RIP Pete Wilson

Yeah OMG I was so shocked. Seems like I have been watching that man do the news my whole life. RIP indeed.

And yep to the 2002 angels..geeze. Not a Giants fan but Dusty is family so that one hurt like hell. But my worst ngihtmare sports moment that gets repeating over and over --well I have two... one is Kirk Gibson of the Dogers hitting that homerun off Eckersley then limping and fistpumping his way around the bases to win the game...UGH I think I have seen that clip a million times... and the other is Jeremy Giambi NOT SLIDING..Jesus... even though I am a Yankee Hater to my core I can never ever ever hate Derek Jeter..have too much respect for the way he shines in the big moments. ARGH! heee

Am I caught up

Was up until 3 am getting my hair braided. Now I won't have to worry about it during my Clay trip. whoo hooo.

ETA: do we have any expert makeup artists coming to next sunday's little shindig at YSRN's?

[YSRN]

But my worst ngihtmare sports moment that gets repeating over and over --well I have two... one is Kirk Gibson of the Dogers hitting that homerun off Eckersley then limping and fistpumping his way around the bases to win the game...UGH I think I have seen that clip a million times...

OHMYGOD... Worst sports moment of my whole life!!!!!!!!

I am still so pissed off about it. I hate that man!!! UGH!!

LOL!

Although I think I feel about the 2002 World Series (which I attended thankyouverymuch) about the same way many fans feel about "the anomoly". I have all those games on tape and I can't bear to watch them. ______ing Angels. Argh.

Dusty's not really your family, right? Just, ya know... family. I love me some Dusty. I have my World Series autographed baseball from Dusty.

Oh, I bet we have a sports thread, huh?

*watches out for teal stiletto*

BWAH!

from here:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07203/802901-37.stm

Edited July 22, 2007 by YSRN