#13 The Aiken Experience. There's nothing else like it.

[jmh123]

Dontcha just lurve those knuckles.

Here's a great recap from an LA concert/meet-and-greet that I found in the CB recap and reviews thread, from bulldog:

So in walks Clay.. Never have I seen him so close.. so full of joy!! He went and shook each persons hand asking their names and where they were from.. all I could think of was how dang good looking he was!!! The room was surrounded with those traveling with Clay..Jaimes Foster was sitting in the corner..Clay acknowledged her..she truely is beautiful in person. then Jaime,Mary, another cousin and his friend..Clay said this was their first tour and that they were seeing what this was like.. Clay asked for questions..One lady had hers written down..very smart.. but if you asked me to remember all of them I can't..you know that Clay fog that settles over your brain.. well thats me!!! I do remember a geographical question..Clay answered it quickly.. Another question about the producer to the next album..Clay said he handed that over to Jaymes Foster.. and he seemed quite happy about her choice..even said the music this producer sent back to them was good.. After hearing this from the man himself..My heart is at peace. and I trust Clay.

So after Clay had us busting up laughing with his funny comebacks and gorgeous smile!!! It was time to get our items signed..I handed my tee shirt to Jaime..in her southern voice she said front or back.. I said the front.. now I had something I wanted Clay to write but I swear my mouth wouldn't move..so I settled for Becky, use your voice( what I had in mind was Yeah, I'm cool!!! ) anyway picture time, and we were called one by one into the hall..You would think I could remember those long extended arms around me..but I can't. after all was said and done I headed out to find my friend and my daughter!!! The gates were opened to go get our seats..and what seats they were.. It was at this time I started to look at how full the venue was getting.. not even 1/2 full..until it got closer..then the venue began to fill up more..and more and even more..even after the show began people were still taking their seats.. The only seats I could see kind of empty was way in the keck in the upper upper balcony.. I would deffinately say the venue was 2/3rds full.. and 1,500 or more waited afterwards in the bus line..

WHAT A SHOW!!! WHAT AN AWESOME NIGHT!!! Clay's vocals and banter was spot on!!! He had me cracking up.. He loves that word crap..used it quite often in the meet and greet and the show itself!

What can I say ..the night was magical..the meet and greet a dream come true!! My daughter can't wait to do it again.. I'm gonna let her say a little something about her experience once I finish..she's dying to..

anyway following our quick handshake at the bus lines we leave for our motel and to the cafe for a quick bite to eat. Later I head up to my room where two Korean ladies are staying.. and what an absolute delight they were.. One was a huge Groban fan until she found Clay 2 yrs ago,the other Marilyn Manson and Mettalica fan.. hard acid rock is what she was into..until Clay appeared on the AI season 5 finale..He won her heart that night..she said all other music now is crap.. but Clays move her on the inside! Both girls said there Korean Clay fan site now has 10,000.. we talked about radio..and how most of whats on it is crap..

I was so pumped after hearing their stories I couldn't much sleep!!! In the morning after maybe 2 hrs sleep I said goodbye to these ladies after sending them off with my e-mail address.

Before checking out we went to the cafe for breakfast and back to our rooms for our luggage.. time now was a factor my friend had to catch a flight for Raleigh and we needed to get to the union station in downtown LA..ick the traffic.. so we ended up lost and by the metro..not where I was suppose to be.. so she stopped by a curb where a man and woman was and asked if they could help us get where we needed to go..They not only told us where it was they walked us over there..but you guys will never believe our conversation on the way there!!! She saw my daughter and my tee shirt from this tour..and asked if we had seen Clay and where he was playing.. We told her last night and at the Greek..She said he was great and that she was best friends with Micheal Orland..the pianist from AI.. She said Clay gets alot of ideas from him.. they are good friends. What an awesome moment.. I believe it was fate.. anyway we got on the subway..to the union station and headed home..

Many say with the good comes the bad.. and I have to say the good far out weighed the bad.

[laughn]

Wanna blowpop?

*waves* Hi sun!!

:fest30: Happy Birthday! and pass the :3:

*eyes the iGallop with interest*

[Claygasm]

I am finally at MY home with MY Mac!!!!

I missed my Mac.....

OMG!! Its YSRN's birthday?????

:bier:

:bday2:

Wish you could have come to the CA4-fer, but I am so glad we got to meet if only for a short while! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Now I need to go back and snag pictures, read about this avatar war, and start downloading some clack.

Oh, and figure out my finances and pay some bills......

[cindilu2]

Happy Birthday YSRN!

Love the M&G stories. GAH I want one so bad!

FYI, IneedaClaybotomy's son was on SYTYCD last season (Ben).

ETA: Lord have mercy. This man is just... gahh... no words...

(bless you, toni7babe)

Edited August 7, 2007 by cindilu2

[laughn]

Crap! my memory is so screwed...if this has already been posted here then just keep moving, k?

I just thought this was neat.

I read a recap from the Greek by drmchaser614 (CV) the other day...

Remember the FSN clip about Coach Paul Westphal and his wife around the time of the JBT? He was the one who said about Clay, "That guy is a tireless touring machine." We were two rows behind the Westphals at the Greek. I might not have recognized them, but their son was with them this time and that is one good looking family.

...and then toni7babe posted this, and you can see the coach just a row or so behind Faye. He looks like he's having a good time.

[Couch Tomato]

oh yeah I definitely saw him... I recognized him right away being the basketball geek that I am. Didn't even think to whip out my camera LOL.

[YSRN]

Mmm, blowpops!

Thanks all!! Hee. I like birthdays!

Welcome Home, Claygasm!!! I'm so glad I got to meet you. Even if I couldn't follow you all to SoCal!

Lordy, toni7babe's pictures from The Greek are fantabulous! Seriously really, really hi quality photographs!!!

Clay and Faye have the same hair. Heh.

Edited August 7, 2007 by YSRN

[bottlecap]

Clay and Faye have the same hair. Heh.

Maybe Jamie gives them a volume discount, along with the Friends and Family rate.

[ldyjocelyn]

The Desert Local News

Clay Aiken and His Orchestra: an Exciting Evening at Fantasy Springs

Clay Aiken And His Orchestra: An Exciting Evening At Fantasy Springs

Leslie Andrews 07.AUG.07

Clay Aiken, best known from his American Idol fame, performed a knock-out show with his orchestra behind him at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino Sunday evening.

Aiken wowed crowds with mostly covers, but of recognizable tunes, like Paul Young’s “Every Time You Go Away”, Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel”, Badfinger’s “Without You”, Foreigner’s “I Want To Know How Love Is”, and other well-known ballads. Between acts, Aiken told a few jokes that made the audience laugh. He and his backup singers even paid tribute to the Golden Age of Television with a medley of television theme songs.

Fans from all over California and all over the world came to see Aiken perform. Thirteen women from Japan flew out here just to see him, and then follow him all across the United States. “We love Clay,” said Mariko, one of the lucky 13. “He is very popular in Japan. We’re going to see him in North Carolina next.”

“He is hilarious, he is entertaining,” said Carrie Salensner from Los Angeles. “If people would come to one of his concerts, they will instantly love him.” Barbara White of San Diego agreed. “He is amazing, and a wonderful singer,” she says.

Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, Aiken began singing with the Raleigh Boychoir in his early teens. He studied at University of North Carolina in Charlotte, and while working part-time as a tutor for a boy with autism, he was encouraged to audition for American Idol.

Although he came in second place during the second season of Idol in 2003, Aiken was signed to RCA records and then released three albums, including “Measure of a Man”, “Merry Christmas With Love” and “A Thousand Different Ways”. Although most of his songs include covers, he has had a few original tunes that he had lyrically written.

Aiken was appointed to the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities in September, 2006. He also is an ambassador of the Ronald McDonald House, and is also a dedicated advocate for education and for children's causes.

There's also a photo gallery (located here). My favorite, by far, is this one. Such an imp!

Finally, some pictures from mydesert.com

Keep posting the fan pictures please!!! And if anyone could capture Mr. Imp, I'd appreciate it. Take that any way you want to.

[muskifest]

Wanna blowpop?

depends.....

Who's "Pop"?

[Claygasm]

Some purdy pics from jtgranny.....

Just trying to catch up. Where are the pictures???????????????????

See below....edited out bad links....ldyj

[Couch Tomato]

ahhh that's my muski. heee

[laughn]

An Indio M&G recap from 12stringbabe at the OFC, with permission

Hi, I have to preface this by saying (confessing) that I don't read any message boards, and I'm not active in any of the fan groups. I belong to one very small private group of long-time fans, and that's pretty much it. I only come over here to the OFC when someone tells me that Clay has blogged, and that's about it. This is my first time posting here.

When I received the notification that I had won the Meet and Greet for Indio, I was very surprised and I didn't really know what to expect. I had been in on a meet and greet once before when a friend won a contest through a radio station and brought me along for the ride during the 2005 Christmas tour. That one was pretty much a cattle call, and even though I did get to shake Clay's hand and talk with him for a moment, it was a really unnatural atmosphere. As the time approached and I learned more about how the whole M&G system had changed I got more excited about meeting Clay. I mean, this would be like actually meeting him this time; not just being part of a receiving line there to receive the obligatory handshake, autograph, and photo op.

By the way, I read INeedAClaybotomy's report that was posted earlier, and that was nice to read someone else's impressions of the experience It was nice meeting all the other ladies in attendance there - everyone was great. If you want to read her report first, I'll try to fill in my impressions and anything else I remember.

Yes, Jerome sized us up first. He is looking very fit these days, and just based on the times I've run across him in the past he seems to have mellowed. I think he's finally started to figure us out, which is cool. Yes, there are some weird, crazy fans out there, but most of us are fairly normal. We just love our guy. Jerome was friendly and funny, and finally he walked us down a hallway to a door. He told us to wait there for 3 minutes (we synchronized watches - hehe) and then go outside and walk down to another door where he would be waiting for us. It was ungodly hot and he wanted to save us having to stand outside in the sun waiting for him.

I was the first to walk in. There were boxes stacked around the room. We walked past those and there were some couches around the corner... I saw the cargo shorts first and the knees, and there was Clay sitting on the couch. He told us to come on in - he was so welcoming. Stood up to shake everyone's hand. Two guys were there with him and he introduced them both. I remember he said one of them was a cousin, but I don't remember if the other was a cousin or a friend... I guess my mind was elsewhere at that exact moment, though I did say hello to them also and shook their hands. We all sat on the couches... the rest all kind of runs together in my mind, so things will be out of sequence from here on.

Clay is a very welcoming host. He made a point of seeing that everyone was seated comfortably, he looks right at you when he speaks to you - definitely an eye-contact person, which is very nice. He does fidget when he talks and played with his ring a lot. He did say that the ring was a gift from a fan and that he likes having it on, that he tends to mess with it to keep his hands busy. Of course he commented on the heat - said it was 107 degrees that day, and of course he said this with a look of complete disbelief and astonishment, like he had no idea it was even possible for it to be that hot without being on the surface of the sun We were ALL happy to be inside in the air conditioning.

The two fellas who were with him are helping with the t-shirts on the tour. Clay said that they had worked very hard to break down a whole pile of t-shirt boxes, and then discovered that those boxes were still needed. So they had spent the entire day putting the boxes back together - lol!! Clay made occasional attempts to include them in the conversation, but they were both pretty shy and quiet.

He went around the room and asked each of us where we were from. I'm from a small coastal town north of Los Angeles, and I didn't expect he would be familiar with it at all. So when he asked me, I told him the name of my town and added, "Which you have never heard of," but he jumped right in and said that he had indeed heard of it, and had even been there. He then went on to tell me what county it was in, and the fact that PCH runs right up to it and ends there, and that it's very confusing, which is all true I suggested to him that the next time he gets lost here, he should just give me a call and I would come and help him out

When asked about Boo, Clay really did seem concerned, and said that now he felt guilty for not knowing what had become of him. But he also pointed out that Boo wasn't in an area where you could just kind of drop in and check up on him.

My main curiosity had to do with the direction of the next CD and future tours. I do like the symphony concerts, but I love the band (yes, I am a guitar player, singer/songwriter type - that's where my screen name comes from), so I asked Clay if he could foresee touring with the "rock band" again. He kind of took exception to the term "rock band" and just preferred to call it a "band," but he did say that the new album was kind of leaning in that direction and that he could see that in the future. I specifically asked him if he thought he would use some of the same players as before, adding that I am in love with Daniel Pearson (sigh - ever since I saw him in Dallas at the Not-A-Tour - I just love him). Clay said that obviously these guys aren't just sitting around waiting for him, they stay busy, so it would all depend on their availability, but of course he would love to work with people he already knows and with whom he'd worked before. And he added that Daniel just got engaged (I tried to look happy for him - lol!!) So all you Daniel lovers out there - we waited too long But I'm heartbroken now that Daniel didn't wait for me; the fact that I'm already married notwithstanding, of course - hehe.

One of the other ladies asked if there were any plans to record a duet with Quiana or Angela, and that was when Clay told us that IWTKWLI (Lord, I hate all these acronyms!!!) was recorded first as a duet with Quiana, and that she was amazing on it (no surprise there). He said that if he had his laptop with him he would play it for us, but alas he did not have it. But it was RCA that jumped in and said no, they wanted someone else... so basically, any future duets would also be at the whim of the execs at RCA.

Someone asked him what was the least favorite book he'd ever read and his immediate response was "Learning to Sing," with his perfect comic timing of course Then he said probably something they made him read for school. He said he really hated Charles ****ens, specifically "Great Expectations." He threw out a few others I think, but then settled on Siddhartha. That was when he attempted to engage one of the other fellows sitting there and asked him his opinion of Siddhartha, to which he responded that he never liked Hemingway, and Clay and all of us chimed in that Siddhartha was by Herman Hesse anyway, not Hemingway - lol! Since I am a huge fan of literature I asked Clay if he liked any foreign authors, like Dostoyevsky for example (who I think was the greatest writer who ever lived - but that's just my humble opinion). I thought Clay was going to spit - lol!! He said that he doesn't want to read anything that makes him have to think - he reads for his own enjoyment. And that was when he reiterated that his least favorite would have to be Siddhartha. (I think some of that was a front, because The Kite Runner was a novel that definitely makes you think...)

Oh boy, what else?? One of the ladies there was originally from Brazil and asked him what he thought of it there. He said he did not like it - that the whole place smelled of urine (ewwww!!). He was in Rio (hope I remember that correctly), and it was just after Carnival when he was there, so he did concede that maybe it was a little worse than usual thanks to that... but it clearly was not his favorite place. And yes, he did say that people are allowed to pee in the street there, and he thought that was completely disgusting (well, me too!!).

Oh yes, someone asked him if he was studying for his appearance on 5th Grader and his immediate response was something to the effect of, “Why, do you think I’m stupid?” hehe – but he said no, he plans to just go and have fun with it. He said he feels confident with his geography, but not so much with math or science.

He signed our things. I had been involved with a small group of women who made Clay a quilt for his 25th birthday, and I had a fabric scrap from that project for him to sign. When he got it, I told him what it was from and he said, “That was a long time ago,” to which I had to agree… He had to ask me several times how to spell my name – he got flustered with it for some reason (distracted because he was overcome with love for me?? who knows – lol!) – but then he signed everyone’s memorabilia, and we took our pictures. By that time I just felt like I was with a friend – it was that sweet, warm a feeling that I think we all had – so when I went up to get my picture with him I called him Sweetie, just like he was one of my kids - got my prom pose pic – he is so tall (gahhh!!)… and then it was over.

During the concert I was sitting in the third row on Quiana’s side, and the venue was so great and small and intimate – it was wonderful and Clay was in perfect voice. Maybe I was still in the glow, but during “When I See You Smile,” I swear he looked over and sang right to me – like a thank you.

The thing is, I just love him. It isn’t an all gushy thing – I don’t want to maul him or anything like that – I just think he is a wonderful man. I have loved his voice from that very first note. I love the work he does for children, especially children with disabilities since I have a daughter who is blind. I love his sense of humor and the way he balances that with his sense of responsibility... and he knows we love him ... and he loves us back. It’s a sweet feeling, and I hope every single one of his fans has the opportunity to meet him and talk to him one day.

It was lovely. Thank you, Clay.

[muskifest]

That was a great recap, although clearly by this quote, the lady is a bit 'off'....

I don’t want to maul him or anything like that

So glad more people are getting the chance to 'get to know' Clay, you know? I've always believed that he is exactly who he seems to be....

and just in case there's any doubt....

I DO want to maul him and everything!

[Claygasm]

When asked about Boo, Clay really did seem concerned, and said that now he felt guilty for not knowing what had become of him. But he also pointed out that Boo wasn't in an area where you could just kind of drop in and check up on him.

Ok, I feel like I SHOULD know, but as I dfound out this past week, there is so much I don't know about the history of Clay and the fandom, but, who is "Boo"??????

Got all caught up with the thread and saved oodles of delectable pictures. Still have tons of clack downloading to do, but I have time.

And I even paid some bills!

Now more laundry to do. I am tired. I miss Clay.

[PuddinsJoy]

An Indio M&G recap from 12stringbabe at the OFC, with permission

Hi, I have to preface this by saying (confessing) that I don't read any message boards, and I'm not active in any of the fan groups. I belong to one very small private group of long-time fans, and that's pretty much it. I only come over here to the OFC when someone tells me that Clay has blogged, and that's about it. This is my first time posting here . . . .

The thing is, I just love him. It isn’t an all gushy thing – I don’t want to maul him or anything like that – I just think he is a wonderful man. I have loved his voice from that very first note. I love the work he does for children, especially children with disabilities since I have a daughter who is blind. I love his sense of humor and the way he balances that with his sense of responsibility... and he knows we love him ... and he loves us back. It’s a sweet feeling, and I hope every single one of his fans has the opportunity to meet him and talk to him one day.

It was lovely. Thank you, Clay.

Thanks for bringing this over laughn - I have had the pleasure of knowing this wonderful lady quite well and for quite awhile. I'm also a member of the small private group she mentions and we're pretty tight-knit - we've been through a lot together in and out of Clay Nation. Her recap is as lovely as she is - she did us proud.

eta - in case anyone is wondering, I'm standing next to muski on the wanting to maul him thing - not near enough of that goes on at the private board - one reason I love coming here so much

Edited August 7, 2007 by PuddinsJoy

[Clayzorback]

That was a great recap, although clearly by this quote, the lady is a bit 'off'....

I don’t want to maul him or anything like that

So glad more people are getting the chance to 'get to know' Clay, you know? I've always believed that he is exactly who he seems to be....

and just in case there's any doubt....

I DO want to maul him and everything!

I guess he is lucky that he doesn't have fans like Tim McGraw. One of his fans groped him recently and Faith Hill had to go off on her. Cracked me up. Then at another concert he was shaking hands and a fan slipped his ring right off his finger. He had to get security to come over but he got it back.

I keep hearing about a small private board but no one says what or where it is. Is it a secret private board? I know a lady here locally that keeps saying she belongs to one to but never mentions the name. LOL Of course I've never asked her.

[Couch Tomato]

I keep hearing about a small private board but no one says what or where it is. Is it a secret private board? I know a lady here locally that keeps saying she belongs to one to but never mentions the name. LOL Of course I've never asked her.

I was very VERY active when this fandom started and there are lots of small yahoo/msn groups/email groups out there that people post on and have been posting on for years. I would hazard a guess that they are just friends now and have shared the clay journey for a very long time. I know of Puddins group only because I was a member when I began FCA and they were who I would run to to share all my excitement. I would think most private emails groups want to remain just that -- otherwise people feel the need to know what athey are up to as if this whole thing isn't about a cute pop star but life and death itself. oh the DRAMA! LOL. Your friend is smart Clayzor

Great recap. I met another young woman who had a meet and greet at Indio..looking forward to her recap. She was a PYT with a screen name of DesperateClaymate and Clay signed her pretty red high heeled shoes. She said she had total recall LOL.

[muskifest]

I keep hearing about a small private board but no one says what or where it is. Is it a secret private board? I know a lady here locally that keeps saying she belongs to one to but never mentions the name

Well, of course she doesn't mention the name; otherwise, it wouldn't be a 'secret private' board...heh. I'm quite happy with FCA's SooperSekrit Thread....it satisfies all my longing to belong, ya' know?

I think the universe got it all wrong when "WORK" was invented.

[bottlecap]

I think this is what is know in the internet biz as a "Scrolldown"....

Whoa, bay-bee! Say "hello" to my lettle friend.

[cindilu2]

When asked about Boo, Clay really did seem concerned, and said that now he felt guilty for not knowing what had become of him. But he also pointed out that Boo wasn't in an area where you could just kind of drop in and check up on him.

Ok, I feel like I SHOULD know, but as I dfound out this past week, there is so much I don't know about the history of Clay and the fandom, but, who is "Boo"??????

Got all caught up with the thread and saved oodles of delectable pictures. Still have tons of clack downloading to do, but I have time.

And I even paid some bills!

Now more laundry to do. I am tired. I miss Clay.

Somebody will probably answer this more accurately while I'm typing, lol - but I think Boo was the boy at the YMCA camp who was difficult in the beginning, but ended up giving his prize to another boy in the group? Gawd, can I get more vague?

[muskifest]

Say "hello" to my lettle friend.

Hmmm....well, actually, bottlecap, dear....I can understand why you might make such an inaccurate assessment of our...er...friend there if you're using this picture as a reference.

However, I have a number of other pictures and video clips I could direct you to that would disprove such an adjectival choice in the quote above...

oh yes, I do....

BTW, bottle...when the hell are YOU going to a concert that I'M going to, too?!?!?!??! :TourExcite:

[playbiller]

I did a survey once of yahoo groups and MSN groups last year and there were still a lot of active groups. There are tons of EZboard groups but that has reduced lately. There are private boards all over the place, not to mention little groups on the general TV boards.

When I was getting deperessed about all the negativeity, I was sent to two boards specifically - Simply Clay and Best of Clay. Rocknrollmom's daughter's site is pleasant but pretty much not many visitors. Someone on IDF was asking for a teen Clay board. I didn't know if I should list it. The teens there have different assumptions about Clay that most of regular Clay boards allow.

Edited August 7, 2007 by playbiller

[Couch Tomato]

hmmmm Play... I need to somehow suck you in to help me update the links page at FCA LOL. And you know what, I'm all for people of like minds sharing their own space. I've always said there is a place out there for every Clay fan. So nope, don't list the link...let them have their fun - whatever it may be heee.

[bottlecap]

Say "hello" to my lettle friend.

Hmmm....well, actually, bottlecap, dear....I can understand why you might make such an inaccurate assessment of our...er...friend there if you're using this picture as a reference.

Well, I was trying to quote Tony Montana, and his lettle friend wasn't really so lettle....

You know, speak softly but carry a big gun and all that.