#56: Clay's going to sing. Life is good.

[keepingfaith]

My point is that usually we have experiences like this, and within a few hours, the first few pieces of clack appear. Knowing that it's not going to happen for a while now...well, it just FEELS weird. The downloading of clack after a show is usually part of the experience!

I agree with you that we all understand why this is a different situation, and that it feels weird because something is missing that we feel we should be experiencing NOW, but we intellectually realize that fulfillment is delayed. However, it does.not.compute. Feels like a whole new world now, for Clay and the fans too. Hope we have to get used to this with many more PBS Specials in the coming years.

It stands to reason that many many more people watch PBS programming than pledge, and those multitudes only need go to Amazon and order what they've seen for a fraction of the cost. Or iTunes to download the music. When the David Foster: Hit Man show was being played so extensively, Amazon was selling the very same CD and DVD. In my experience, though I'm certainly no inside expert, I have always been able to get the identical CDs and DVDs for street prices that PBS offers during a pledge drive. These items are, after all, offered as a "premium" for membership, not the cost of membership, because the cost of membership is a donation. And people who have pledged for one program, aren't normally going to be spending a bundle on another, unless they are feeling exceedingly philanthropic. So, going at this in reverse, I've also purchased a good number of CDs and DVDs at retail and later saw those very concerts on PBS; and it was easy to determine that the retail item was identical to the pledge item. The televised portion always functions as THE HOOK and portions are deliberately edited out of the broadcast so viewers will feel compelled to actually purchase the DVD and not merely DVR/tape the show for free.

We all want the total package, don't we?

There's so much to be excited about. I checked at OFC and my renewal is June 11. I've finally caught up after joining on June 2, 2006, and I've been on that exact renewal date ever since. Original members have had renewal extensions each year, IIRC. Beginning this year, I'll be on the same schedule, YIPPEE! A June renewal indicates to me that we'll be getting Tried & True merchandise with our memberships. And hopefully the Clay Store will be stocked with 2010 goodies ere long. OMG, this man is going to clean me out this year, but what a happy way to go broke.

[bottlecap]

OMG, this man is going to clean me out this year, but what a happy way to go

Clay Aiken = Prune Juice?

[keepingfaith]

OMG, this man is going to clean me out this year, but what a happy way to go

Clay Aiken = Prune Juice?

Yes! Proof it wasn't kool-aid we've we drinking, AHA!

[FearofH2O]

You got me ldyj. Repeat after me IE, IE, IE.

Hear is my disjointed recap but I'm still a little excited and I am definitely not a very excitable person. Crossing my fingers that you don't find too many typos. Grammatical errors galore though.

Recap

Five of us went to the concert: playbiller, Running Free, my husband and my friend Diana and I. Diana has never been to a Clay concert but liked him on AI. We all squeezed into the Prius for our two hour ride to Raleigh. I used the Garmin to help us find our way there as I always get lost when going to Raleigh.

The weather was miserable but there was a little break in the rain when we got out of the car. So we leisurely strolled over to the Auditorium. The crowd was mixed with various ages and sexes. It seemed similar to a group going to a symphony concert: well dressed. A PBS type crowd for sure. Talked and hugged a few people on my way to my seat.

We sat for at least 15 minutes as the concert started late. The producer, who was quite bouncy, came out and explained that PBS wanted a Clay special because of all the things he has done- no elaboration about what it was he did. As others have already said, he asked us to cheer and clap in anticipation of what we were to see. What an understatement. He should have provided oxygen for when I lost my breath and gasped.

Finally he left and the curtain went up. We heard big band style music for the opening number Mack the Knife. Clay started out in silhouette, but as the lights went up we could see him from the back. He turned around and sauntered to the front of the stage to cheers and clapping. When I heard this amazing, fantastic voice, I could hardly breathe. He appeared to be leading the band with his arm pumps. I thought, Holy moley, what are we in for?

Song after song I couldnt believe his voice. I clapped until my hands were sore. I stood up at the end of almost every song. Each was sung to perfection.

I loved that he sang a Latin style song: Eso Besso. He moved with the beat as he stepped to the side of the stage letting the dancers have stage front. I wanted to get up and dance. The dancers were very good.

He introduced a sung that Rubin had sung on AI and said he thought he could sing it better. Clay started singing it and then someone started singing over his voice and Rubin came out. Rubin sounded really good and he received a wonderful reception. Afterwards Clay introduced Quiana who then showed off her shoes turning her feet individually from side to side. She had on pumps with heels and a rose or bow on the front. It cracked me up as I remembered all the comments on shoes and sore feet from the various concerts with her and Angela. Suddenly I heard big band music and Clay singing about big butts. The three of them alternately sang lead and backup for each other, while translating hip hop, rap and other type songs into big band songs. Very funny and cute.

Several more wonderful songs. I didnt take notes so I dont remember the order of each.

I got excited when he introduced his duet with Linda Eder. Although I dont know much about her I did hear some fans raving about her voice. Perhaps Im prejudiced but I thought Clay sounded better than she did. He is just so good doing duets. I think I could listen to an entire concert of duets. Fabulous is all I could think of. My friend was really getting into the show and despite her bad back was standing and applauding after the songs.

Suspicious minds. I truly think Clay sounds better than Elvis. Sorry Elvis fans. Build me Up Buttercup: what a range he has. This song is a real concert get up and dance song. Misty, whoa, those deep notes. Move over Johnny Mathis.

All of a sudden a white drape comes down as a backdrop. I was curious as to what song could be coming up next. It was Unchained Melody. He was singing it beautifully when all of a sudden there was a change in it. Clay hit the most stirring, heart pumping, breathtaking, note of all notes. I wanted to jump up and down screaming, but instead only stood and clapped.

I have been to a lot of Clay concerts in the last seven years but never have I heard him sing as well as he did Friday night nor did I ever have the physical reaction that I had that evening. Wow, wow ,wow!

My friend loved the concert, loved Clays voice, loved Quianas voice, enjoyed Rubin and made me vow to tell her when the concert is on in our area. Shes just not quite ready to become a groupie. My husband, who has been to several Clay concerts, said this was the best by far.

Next stop Asheville!

PS I really enjoyed meeting so many fans. I did ask Scarlett to come home (FCA) and visit once in a while when she has time.

[bottlecap]

All of a sudden a white drape comes down as a backdrop. I was curious as to what song could be coming up next. It was “Unchained Melody”. He was singing it beautifully when all of a sudden there was a change in it. Clay hit the most stirring, heart pumping, breathtaking, note of all notes. I wanted to jump up and down screaming, but instead only stood and clapped.

The final standing ovation went on and on, and should make a terrific ending to the show. It was well deserved, and I'm glad Clay got to stand there and listen to it instead of slipping away at end.

PS I really enjoyed meeting so many fans. I did ask Scarlett to come home (FCA) and visit once in a while when she has time.

Scatters some tractors and cows and whatnot around as a lure for the Farmville peeps.

[Carolina Clay]

All of a sudden a white drape comes down as a backdrop. I was curious as to what song could be coming up next. It was “Unchained Melody”. He was singing it beautifully when all of a sudden there was a change in it. Clay hit the most stirring, heart pumping, breathtaking, note of all notes. I wanted to jump up and down screaming, but instead only stood and clapped.

The final standing ovation went on and on, and should make a terrific ending to the show. It was well deserved, and I'm glad Clay got to stand there and listen to it instead of slipping away at end.

PS I really enjoyed meeting so many fans. I did ask Scarlett to come home (FCA) and visit once in a while when she has time.

Scatters some tractors and cows and whatnot around as a lure for the Farmville peeps.

Thnx for all the great recaps, Fear, et al!

LOL, bottle, I wonder if Scarlett and other farmers will take the bait.

Caro

[ausdon]

Loving the recaps guys, thank you!

Anyone seen Muskifest lately? Hope all is well with her.

[Thankful4Clay]

Loving the recaps guys, thank you!

Anyone seen Muskifest lately? Hope all is well with her.

I roomed with her in Raleigh. She went to the concert and then went on to visit some other friends in the NC area.

[Couch Tomato]

oh I didn't know muski went. Hope she is having a good time in her old stomping grounds.

Thanks everybody for the recaps. I feel like I was there. Merrieeee I know exactly what you mean about just being happy for a successful show. I feel the same. Honestly I've been smiling since the first reports came in. It will be interesting to see how all of this is presented and what else is in store. And it goes without saying I look forward to the show on tv, the DVD, the concert and the album LOL.

And before Clay Madness gets truly underway (I know, too late), how about a little March Madness! I know this isn't probably a huge hotbed for sports but this tournament is kinda like the superbowl in that people often fill out a brackets at work. So if you're interested go to the: http://findingclayai...ts.com/brackets

You'd have to register and then you can participate in our little group for bragging rights. Winner gets a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate. And if you know nothing about college basketball...dont' worry. I saw an article where guessing gave you just as good of offs as the experts heee. I'll post the information in the sports thread along with the password for our Clay Aiken NCAA tournament brackets. Never thought you'd see Clay side by side with that did ya! Lurkers welcome.

Im just praying that we get a tour schedule by April 6 - if its' a tour. If not..Ashville here I come.

Oh and FYI - we are aiming to get the new FCA up by April 2nd. It won't be absolutely ready but we'll continue to add things after it's up. All subject to change but definitely want it up before Clay's promotion is on full throttle.

[luckiest1]

Does it feel really weird to anyone else that, while I'm enjoying immensely the recaps, there's no clack to download? I TOTALLY understand why, and full well expect to not find any. That's not my point. My point is that usually we have experiences like this, and within a few hours, the first few pieces of clack appear. Knowing that it's not going to happen for a while now...well, it just FEELS weird. The downloading of clack after a show is usually part of the experience!

I totally agree.

All of a sudden a white drape comes down as a backdrop. I was curious as to what song could be coming up next. It was “Unchained Melody”. He was singing it beautifully when all of a sudden there was a change in it. Clay hit the most stirring, heart pumping, breathtaking, note of all notes. I wanted to jump up and down screaming, but instead only stood and clapped.

Hee, is it wrong that I did exactly that (jumped up and down and screamed)? I am sure the people who sit beside, behind, and in front of me at a concert get annoyed, but I swear I have no control over it. Clay just does strange things to me, y'all.

So sorry to hear about all the flight delays and travel complications happening to my travel buddies! We spent a nice afternoon in Wilson, but when we got back to our hotel this evening, we discovered we'd been locked out of our room. Ack, all our stuff was in there, including this laptop! So we had a momentary panic until we straightened things out with the front desk. They got the rooms mixed up and thought we should have checked out this morning. So we will check out tomorrow and cross our fingers that the flight delay problems at RDU have been resolved.

[luckiest1]

Bringing this recap from jeni4d over from CH because it may be the best recap I've ever read.

We decided to DRIVE the distance to Raleigh from Florida....about a nine hour trip each way; my travel pal, Deedle had a bunch of hotel bonus points from previous Clay trips so we were really able to make this excursion on a shoestring budget. I have not been working for a while now, I'm broke and having some real health problems so the prospect of this trip had really lifted my spirits. We had scored pretty good seats in the pre-sale; we almost never get any of the primo ones, but we were satisfied with our side front orchestra tix.

We left Florida right in front of one of the worst rain storms the state has seen in years; the day was cold, gray and rainy, but we left the worst of it behind us in Florida. We arrived early enough to freshen up and make our way downtown (we stayed out by the beltline...beltway..whatthehellever, the first night) and met many of our Clackhouse friends at Cafe Luna; it was so great so see the Chicago peeps, Pink Armchair, Hensey and Beagle3, and a new addition, Gaymarie, plus Acclaymed, Gingergirl, and a few friends from other boards. We were saddend that Lyndolphin had opted not to make the trip due to health issues and we missed her wry take on life and shared gay boyfriends.

Good food, good wine, good friends and a good boyfriend made it a delightful evening. After dinner, we made our way down to the Marriott to await reports from the VIP dress rehearsal and Q & A from another couple of friends who had won auctions.

As soon as we arrived, we heard about the injury and delays, so settled into the bar to people watch and snark about the attention whores in the lobby. We waited for what seemed like forever, and eventually road weariness set in, so we decided to pack it in said goodnight to our pals and headed back to our hotel a mere three miles away.

Now, I have heard stories about the navigation challenges in Raleigh, but since I have a pretty good sense of direction and am an instinctive driver, I was never concerned. We got directons from the Marriot front desk and set out.

OMFG!!!!! What a clusterfuck!!!!

There are intersections with no signs!!!! There are curved exits off the main drag which are unlit, unmarked gateways into hell. I'm so sorry, I don't mean to insult the Raleigh residents here, but what the hell??? After an exasperating half hour we pulled over, called our hotel and got another set of directions. Go to Glenwood, go under the RR, turn at a hotdog stand....etc. Still lost. We called again, dazed and lost and laughing hysterically and got a new set of directions. Another half hour of "Look, there are lots of lights up there...it must be the interstate, shopping center, hospital, some kind of civilization." We'd drive toward the light and end up at yet another unmarked intersection.

Finally we pulled into a BP station and convenience mart in a scary section of town to ask for directions. Naturally, the guy did not speak English; all we really wanted was to find our way to I-440 and NO ONE WOULD TELL US!! I knew if we found 440 we could get back; unfortunately we learned the following day that no one in town EVER refers to it as 440 but calls it the beltline...way...whatever.

Finally after 90 minutes, a bad case of that great cleansing , hiccup-inducing hysterical belly laughter, and some pure, dumb luck, we found our way back.

It had been a long day, with a tension filled ending. We went to bed a giggled a lot more and finally went to sleep.

Friday we moved into the Marriot City Center. More rain.....met a lot of the same friends from the previous night for lunch and a birthday party for our VIP M & G celebrity. We went back to our room and got all dolled up for our date with Clay.

The rain had subsided so we walked the short distance. We stopped to chat up a couple of people along the way and then approached the entrance. Deedle was stopped by a well-dressed man and woman wearing badges and looking very official. First she was asked if she was alone, "no" and then what age demographic we belonged to. "fiftyish.."

You're perfect. We would like to seat you in the orchestra pit seating....right in front of the cameras.

These people were from International Media, and were casting the audience and they freaking chose US!!!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

I have never been so happy to be fiftyish in my life.!!!!!

We surrendered our old tickets and accepted the new tickets from her. Now, we never even looked at the tickets, or even considered that we might be taken for a ride. Hell, all common sense went right out the window. We were stunned, shaking and speechless.

We went on in; Deedle ordered a vodka tonic and we both sipped it and tried to calm down. THEN, realizing that we would probably be ON CAMERA a bit, went into the ladies room and got all glammed up. then we stood.....and stood....it got very hot in that lobby area and we were crammed in like sardines. Our lipstick dissolved. I had about a gallon of sweat dripping down my face. FINALLY the line began to move.

Deedle handed our tickets to the usher and she pointed us in the WRONG FREAKIN' DIRECTION. We said NO, NO, NO we have seats down there....and the usher says NO, you have seats up there....pointing all the way to the back.

We held in our hands tickets which were worse than the ones we had surrendered.!!!!

I just knew we had been scammed, but Deedle was confident that this person was legit. So after a minute of confusion, we made a plan...I went over and staked out our orchestra seats, even though we no longer held tickets for them and went to find out what the hell was going on. She went to the box office and, of course, they claimed no knowledge of what INT'l Media was doing and bore no responsibility for our plight. They WERE able to look up our original tickets and reprinted them for us, so at least we could legitimately sit in the ones we had purchased.

Just as Deedle concluded the transaction, she turned and there, across the lobby, was the International Media lady. Imagine finding her again in that mass of people. Deedle shrieked ..

"YOU!!!!!"

and got her attention. The woman immediately realized her error and rushed over and hugged Deedle and apologized profusely. She had been juggling tickets picked up and tickets to be distributed in several envelopes and had handed us the wrong ones.

Talking about the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away, and sometimes, if you are a good girl, he gives it back. So once again we were back in, courtesy of central casting.

In the meantime, I am standing over our original legitimate seats and wondering what the hell we were going to do? Where the hell was Deedle? How totally like my fortune in life to grasp the brass ring and then lose it!!! I am such a loser!!!! Yea, I was a having a real doozy of a pity party. How was I going to save face with the people I had already called and bragged to?

Suddenly I saw Deedle on the opposite side of the auditorium waving frantically and motioning for me to

GET.OVER.HERE.NOW!!!!

Now I had to make my way right in front of the section where Faye was meeting fans..what a gaggle of humanity THAT was. I finally got past them all, and Deedle was positively GLOWING!!! We had the tickets back!!

We made our way down to the pit; along the way we had to maneuver past some fans who have been particularly obnoxious about their limitless ability to go to ALL OF THE SHOWS and ALWAYS HAVE GREAT TICKETS. I SO wanted to pull their hair and tell them to eat shit and die..neener, neener..but I held my tongue.

DO NOT WANT TO MESS WITH OUR GOD-GIVEN GOOD FORTUNE.

Once there, a sweet young woman escorted us to our seats.....just to the left of

_________________________________________DEAD CENTER!!!!!! _______________________________

She gave us our instructions for the evening. If you need to go to the bathroom, DO IT NOW!!! Didn't need to, didn't care. Do you really have to pee in heaven cause I am in heaven right then.

Now, I am not going to recap the performance song by song; many others have done it well. I DO have some impressions and random memories about the night.

First....how did he look? Slim....pale....luminous. Strawberry blonde hair and brows...why did I notice the brows. I don't know...but the color was so perfect..so natural. I could see a hint of freckles on his face and hands....

His HANDS.....are sheer beauty....like finely sculpted marble..expressive, delicate and yet masculine.

The suit...the suit, seemed to be a synthetic fabric with a lot of sheen. Upclose, the fabric looked kind of tacky IMO; it looked at first like velvet or perhaps leather. I just got rid of a jacket which was made of a similar material. I am certain it will photograph beautifully. The tailoring and details on the suit were exquisite, however.

Someone in my group later commented that he looked as if he might be watering up during "Unchained Melody" and in reality, he got all yammy faced a couple of times in the beginning. I think his emotions were pretty raw. His eyes were all sparkly and he swallowed hard a couple of times. I imagine it would be impossible for him NOT to be caught up in the "swell" of the orchestra, the significance of the night, his triumphant return, the presence of family, friends and teachers and the love that was actually palpable in that room.

I would imagine that everyone there had their "breaking point" emotionally, when the feelings were just too overpowering. For me, it was when Ruben walked on stage. First of all, his appearance in that point of the show was SO unexpected: the rumors had been flying hot and heavy that he was the duet on "Cryin" so when he walked out after the clever Neil Sedaka intro I was just thunderstruck. I was just SO happy to see him; it was so poignant that he is the one person who has stuck with Clay since their AI miracle. Ruben, the winner who had every right to be jealous of all the attention on the runner-up. The two of them who have had such ups and downs, mostly downs with record labels, press, criticism, etc. were still the closest and most unlikely of friends.

I don't know, perhaps it was disbelief over our incredible good fortune in being selected for those seats; my incredible good fortune in having such a kind and compassionate friend who made it possible for me to attend this special show or the sight of Ruben strolling out on stage (and the power, control and subtlety of his voice which was out of this world) but I just burst into tears from pure happiness. I was literally a mess for the rest of the evening. I hope the wing camera (the one that would have captured the "pit crew" as we started calling ourselves) did not capture me frantically dabbing at my eyes and nose.

I loved, loved, loved the medley....snappy arrangements, a witty blend of some of the best and worst of pop radio, the sight of Ruben pa, pa, pa, pa, pa, pa, pa, ppppppoker face-ing (and we had listened to Gaga in the car for several hours, so the minute we heard the line Texas Hold'em we recognized the song). the camaraderie of Clay, Quiana and Ruben....has Q ever sung with Ruben before???

And yes, Clay, we still think your tractor is sexy. What a goofball....a gorgeous, uber-talented goofball.

When Clay started to talk about Jekyll and Hyde, I instantly knew that the next surprise was going to be Linda Eder.

Love her

I don't think this duet showcases her pure soprano voice, or that it will win any new fans for her..but it is lovely and Clay sings harmony like no one else. And perhaps HER fans will come on over and join the Clay team. or at least understand the Clay phenom.

OK, so we had heard that there was this amazing new arrangement of UM. Now, I like UM when Clay sings it, but it's kind of like been there...done that...let's move on. I am cynical about UM.

So, I get prepared to be WOWED...by it.....

not happening..

OK,, so I am hearing some nuances in the accompaniment..that's nice...not earth shattering...but there is this underlying rhythm and urgency driving the lyric which is nice, quite lovely, in fact.

THEN...he pauses.....gathers his breath, and starts out low, DEEP-voice Clay and rolls right up approximately two octaves

IT WAS LIKE A FREAKING JET AIRPLANE TAKING OFF!!!!!

the power and purity of that glissando is other worldly...like nothing I have ever heard him do before.....You could feel that note penetrating your chest. I only hope the TV audio can do this justice. This is not just another version of UM. This is a tour de force!!!! words don't even begin to capture the physical sensation of HEARING and FEELING that wall of sound.

And then he just WAILS.

Wails it and nails it.

And as much as many of you would disagree, hell even I disagree....this really startling version of UM would be a spectacular single..it would, however, be a danger to hear it played on the radio during rush hour.

The audience was on their feet before the song even ended. It was wild

I think I wet my pants just a little when he hit those glory notes.

I loved that there had to be retakes....only one due to a Clay error..the Aiken Random (and out of order) Lyric Generator struck during MTK, but his second performance of MTK was spot on and he was much more relaxed. The SM retake was a mix up on a vocal cue...either Q or Clay had started too early and the Who's Sorry Now retake was a messed up lighting cue; there were supposed to be these white lights, kind of like those icicle lights at Christmas, drop down and it didn't happen in the first take.

the lighting and staging were fantastic. Very elegant and classy....just like our boyfriend.

OH, and Francois, the director dude.....left his fly completely open when he came on stage at the end (I almost wrote came out)

God I love being able, for once, to report little details.

There were lots of men there and everyone of them we heard commenting were WOWed.

Oh, and did I mention what those gorgeous hands were doing to the mic stand?

OMG.................dies

[Couch Tomato]

Great recap -Thanks Luckiest

http://findingclayaiken.mayhem.cbssports.com/e

correct link for our march madness group - I've added a thread here if you need help.

[aikim]

6 Days until The First Day of Spring!:glasses:

77 Days until June 1 and The New CD! :04:

Clay addresses The Key Club in July!

Happy Birthday to all celebrating!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[luckiest1]

From diamondjake2001 at CH, a recap of the dress rehearsal and Q&A.

March 11th was my 50th birthday & my present from my dh was sharing one of the VIP packages thanks to a great friend who actually won an auction.

I'm currently on my iPhone on my flight to San Fran so this will be fairly brief until I can get to a computer tomorrow.

It was such an amazing experience. I will try to write a more complete recap. We got to hear UM twice during the rehearsal. The first time Clay sang it sitting on a stool facing the orchestra and when he hit that part my first thought was woah what was that cause it really wasn't human sounding. Then a few minutes later he sang it again standing facing the audience and it totally blew my mind. I was thrilled to note I had the same reaction on Friday night. Jeni is right it was like. Jet engine taking off. Wow, just wow!

The rehearsal we watched appeared to be the first rehearsal with the orchestral musicians and it started around 8:15.

We were supposed to be at a full dress rehearsal at 6:30. When we got there Kristy met us with "The good news is aclay didn't break his leg, the bad news is someone very important did". It had happened in the afternoon and had thrown everything into a bit of chaos. The plan at that point was for Kristy to take us back to the Marriott for a drink and dessert and to come back when they were ready for us.

Kristy was a wonderful host and even though the Marriott restaurant is slow as molasses the 1 1/2 hrs passed fairly quickly.

When Kristy got the call we headed back to the theater. Jerome met us and said he was making us sit up in the balcony because he didn't want Clay distracted and he pointed out a couple of people known to Clay as distractions

They show was not put together at all. The lighting guys were literally testing all if the lights. The backdrop wasn't set up. The only things on the stage were the areas for the musicians. Clay did the majority of the rehearsal sitting on a stool facing the musicians.

It was a wonderful chance to watch a group of immensely talented artists working together. I was very impressed with how well they tuned out all the activity going on around them on the stage whole everyone was trying to catch up from all of the hours lost from the accident.

For me it worked out well because the actual show was as big a surprise as it was for everyone who had not seen the rehearsal.

I was sure that Ben had done the arranging for um because when they got to that song he gave instructions that only a pro could follow. It was actually kind of funny because as he wad going through which bars they were doing when and how many beats in thus bar or that one a 'know-it-all' behind me said "He can't do that". Ben ran through those instructions twice and they had it perfect the first time through.

During the Q&A which took place from about 11-11:30 Clay did say that he was thrilled with what Nen had done for him with that song.

Clay did say that BMUB was not on the album. I don't remember him saying sm was not. He also said there are going to be iTunes and other extras. He did say Crying was just recorded on Monday and that it will be on the album.

During the Q&A Dave Novik was on the stage leaning against the side wall. Clay was sitting on the edge of the stage. Clay talked about some of the songs and how Dave had chosen a coulple that Clay did think he would like and they ended up being some of his favorites. He said he fell in love with Moon River when the London Symphony Orchestra recorded it and he videoed it with his iPhone. (So now he really has his own clack.)

We asked about international promotion and Clay turned to Dave and asked him. Dave said yes they were planning on taking it international.

You all heard about the tour or nat. Clay told us what he was doing with Ruben was just a few shows and that it would not be a tour like a bus tour. He said he didn't even know what they were going to do but that they had wanted to do something together for the last few years. Clay said we will know more about a tour when they see how the album does.

Simon Renshaw was there durin the rehearsal on Thursday night. I know I saw somewhere that someone saw him at RDU on Friday was either mistaken or he was picking someone up.

It was so great seeing both Dave & Simon there for Clay.

Several times when Clay referred to Decca he put his hands to his chest and said it was just such a joy working with them because they get him. He said he no longer feels like everyone is trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

And then these tidbits brought to CH by Quiet1ne from elsewhere:

I found this in a recap over at the OC:

I only had one "friend of a friend" tidbit to share. Clay's manager Simon Renshaw said that he and Ruben would be touring for 3 weeks and Asheville would be the first show.

And from CC:

This is unconfirmed information, at best, but flying home I sat beside a young man who had been at the concert and hung out with the band afterward. He asked them if they were going to tour with Clay and they said they hope to, but that they didn't expect Clay to do a full tour until January, next year. They seem to think that the concerts with Ruben will just be a few dates. Please don't kill the messenger! I'm just passing on the info, for what it's worth.

[cindilu2]

From diamondjake2001 at CH, a recap of the dress rehearsal and Q&A.

The rehearsal we watched appeared to be the first rehearsal with the orchestral musicians and it started around 8:15.

We were supposed to be at a full dress rehearsal at 6:30. When we got there Kristy met us with "The good news is aclay didn't break his leg, the bad news is someone very important did". It had happened in the afternoon and had thrown everything into a bit of chaos. The plan at that point was for Kristy to take us back to the Marriott for a drink and dessert and to come back when they were ready for us.

After the longest day in recorded history, I'm hoooooooome. Eyeballs are like two peeholes in the snow but I did make it to work. I'm reading backwards (first chance since Friday) and just need to know... accident? WHAT ACCIDENT??? ETA: and now that I'm a little more awake and re-read that - I realize it wasn't Clay who was injured. *breathes* Do we know who was? And are they okay?

My review/recap would not be much beyond Best Show Ever. Clay has never sounded better - it was the first time in seven years I actually said (and meant) 'who IS this guy?' because holymoly. Thankfully I travel with the queen of all recappers (waves to luckiest1) so I will limit my comments to these: Crying... I think Clay invented a whole new musical scale on this one. He made sounds I've never heard before and they were magnificent. Unchained Melody - I can't even describe what this song did to me. When it started out I thought (after I picked myself back up off the floor that he was even singing it) 'Oh, he's going to do the demo version - and was mildly let down - for about 10 seconds. And then.... oh, and then. The man is a star and we saw him go super-nova. I have tried to verbalize what it made me feel and the closest I can come is that I really didn't want him to sing it again. I just can't imagine that what he did could be duplicated (even though I've read that he did indeed duplicate it). It just couldn't be any better than that. I mean that as the highest compliment I can think of. I'm sorry if that doesn't make sense - I'm both sleep deprived and still gob-smacked by it all.

One more - I loved Who's Sorry Now. It just tickles me to hear Clay sing this song. FLOVED.

[bottlecap]

I have by no means read all the recaps from the various boards, but I did remember one small thing that I wanted to share.

While we were standing (and standing and standing and standing some more) in the lobby before the show, a camera man came through and went outside. I didn’t notice him doing anything then, so I thought perhaps he had been inside to tape Clay before the concert, and was leaving. I think it was shortly before the doors finally opened (and my timeline could be off as I got distracted by drooling over Reed), I heard some cheers and shouting from parts of the lobby crowd over to my right. The camera man had come back in, and as far as I could tell was filming. I assume the crowd was cheering on his instructions. Did any of you other guys see that?

Otherwise, from my perspective, I didn’t see a lot of filming of the audience in the theater itself. The camera that was across the aisle from looked like it was fixed in place and would have been focused over the heads of the audience members in that section. Maybe some of the folks closer to the stage would have been on camera. jmh123, what could you see when you looked at the camera shots from your perspective?

[cindilu2]

I have by no means read all the recaps from the various boards, but I did remember one small thing that I wanted to share.

While we were standing (and standing and standing and standing some more) in the lobby before the show, a camera man came through and went outside. I didn't notice him doing anything then, so I thought perhaps he had been inside to tape Clay before the concert, and was leaving. I think it was shortly before the doors finally opened (and my timeline could be off as I got distracted by drooling over Reed), I heard some cheers and shouting from parts of the lobby crowd over to my right. The camera man had come back in, and as far as I could tell was filming. I assume the crowd was cheering on his instructions. Did any of you other guys see that?

Otherwise, from my perspective, I didn't see a lot of filming of the audience in the theater itself. The camera that was across the aisle from looked like it was fixed in place and would have been focused over the heads of the audience members in that section. Maybe some of the folks closer to the stage would have been on camera. jmh123, what could you see when you looked at the camera shots from your perspective?

Not jmh123, but I did see the cameraman in the lobby and yes, he was filming the crowd. Also, I could see the fixed camera in the center aisle (between sections G (mine) and H and directly behind the dress circle. It was a lot of close ups from what I could tell - both Clay and band/orchestra members. Interestingly (to me) the monitor was in black and white.

[cindilu2]

from jeni4d's recap

Now, I have heard stories about the navigation challenges in Raleigh, but since I have a pretty good sense of direction and am an instinctive driver, I was never concerned. We got directons from the Marriot front desk and set out.

OMFG!!!!! What a clusterfuck!!!!

There are intersections with no signs!!!! There are curved exits off the main drag which are unlit, unmarked gateways into hell. I'm so sorry, I don't mean to insult the Raleigh residents here, but what the hell??? After an exasperating half hour we pulled over, called our hotel and got another set of directions. Go to Glenwood, go under the RR, turn at a hotdog stand....etc. Still lost. We called again, dazed and lost and laughing hysterically and got a new set of directions. Another half hour of "Look, there are lots of lights up there...it must be the interstate, shopping center, hospital, some kind of civilization." We'd drive toward the light and end up at yet another unmarked intersection.

Finally we pulled into a BP station and convenience mart in a scary section of town to ask for directions. Naturally, the guy did not speak English; all we really wanted was to find our way to I-440 and NO ONE WOULD TELL US!! I knew if we found 440 we could get back; unfortunately we learned the following day that no one in town EVER refers to it as 440 but calls it the beltline...way...whatever.

Finally after 90 minutes, a bad case of that great cleansing , hiccup-inducing hysterical belly laughter, and some pure, dumb luck, we found our way back.

O.M.G. How I laughed (and cried) reading this. I've been to and driven in lots of cities and have never had the trouble navigating that Raleigh presents. It's like the roadway version of freaking Hogwarts - the road seems to change as you're driving on them. GACK!

[jmh123]

Otherwise, from my perspective, I didnt see a lot of filming of the audience in the theater itself. The camera that was across the aisle from looked like it was fixed in place and would have been focused over the heads of the audience members in that section. Maybe some of the folks closer to the stage would have been on camera. jmh123, what could you see when you looked at the camera shots from your perspective?

I don't think the cameras associated with the two monitors I had in view were doing crowd shots. Before the show started there were stills of the crowd on both, but once the show started, all I noticed were various views of Clay and the stage. Now I didn't spend all that much time looking at the monitors, to be sure, just now and then tried to catch a close-up of Clay. Unfortunately, the one monitor that seemed to have most of these was often blocked from my view by the head of one of the tech guys.

[jmh123]

from jeni4d's recap

Now, I have heard stories about the navigation challenges in Raleigh, but since I have a pretty good sense of direction and am an instinctive driver, I was never concerned. We got directons from the Marriot front desk and set out.

OMFG!!!!! What a clusterfuck!!!!

There are intersections with no signs!!!! There are curved exits off the main drag which are unlit, unmarked gateways into hell. I'm so sorry, I don't mean to insult the Raleigh residents here, but what the hell??? After an exasperating half hour we pulled over, called our hotel and got another set of directions. Go to Glenwood, go under the RR, turn at a hotdog stand....etc. Still lost. We called again, dazed and lost and laughing hysterically and got a new set of directions. Another half hour of "Look, there are lots of lights up there...it must be the interstate, shopping center, hospital, some kind of civilization." We'd drive toward the light and end up at yet another unmarked intersection.

Finally we pulled into a BP station and convenience mart in a scary section of town to ask for directions. Naturally, the guy did not speak English; all we really wanted was to find our way to I-440 and NO ONE WOULD TELL US!! I knew if we found 440 we could get back; unfortunately we learned the following day that no one in town EVER refers to it as 440 but calls it the beltline...way...whatever.

Finally after 90 minutes, a bad case of that great cleansing , hiccup-inducing hysterical belly laughter, and some pure, dumb luck, we found our way back.

O.M.G. How I laughed (and cried) reading this. I've been to and driven in lots of cities and have never had the trouble navigating that Raleigh presents. It's like the roadway version of freaking Hogwarts - the road seems to change as you're driving on them. GACK!

I laughed and cried too! Lordy, the day I went to take a look at the new-to-me old car I ended up buying, I went to Knightdale (not by choice), I found my way back, I drove around some more, I ended up where I started, I tried again, and finally I got there. And this was in daylight. And I grew up in Raleigh and spent a lot of time there in recent years while my mom was alive. I love your description, and hers too!

[ldyjocelyn]

Something I just thought of this morning, that kind of makes me chuckle...

After reading the reports, it sounds like the song I personally am most looking forward to seeing is Mack the Knife. Clay blew me away when he did that song on AI, and it sounds like he's really made it his own now, even more so.

Therefore...

I've gotta thank Paula Abdul for suggesting the song in the first place on AI. Now, Clay may have been wanting to sing the song before that point, but at the time, good old Pauler was derided on the boards for picking such a "cheesy song" for Clay as Judge's Choice.

Well, maybe not so "cheesy" now. Heh.

Just some ramblings on a slow day. It's spring break at my college, so it's VERY quiet. Thankfully.

[Clayzy]

I liked Paula in the early days of AI. Then she went... odd... :^(

And, EEEEEEEEEEEE just from reading all these recaps! I can't wait for the special to be on TV!

ETA: Also, a quick question. I haven't been around much lately, so I was just wondering if the GFI and Gala clack had been rec'd yet...

[ldyjocelyn]

Clayzy, there's been all kinds of clack from the GFI and the Gala (both Project stuff from October and the other gala this past Feb.) posted. You can find it in the normal spots.

Haven't seen this posted yet. From Shamrock at the CH, in regards to Clay's jaw:

I was at the VIP rehearsal. During the question and answer session someone asked him about his jaw. He told us the surgery did not work.

Too bad...he went through all that pain, probably for nothing. Poor baby!

[ldyjocelyn]

Another section of recap from the Q&A, via diamondjake2001:

More from the Q&A: Someone asked Clay why songs from the 50's & 60's. He said there wasn't really anything special for him other than the songs that just kept resonating with him seemed to fit in the 50's & 60's. He talked about Dave finding the songs & they decided to commit to the 50's & 60's. He said there was one song that they were going to do but found it was done in the early/mid 70's so they dropped it. He said that there was another song that became a hit in 1970, It's Impossible, but Dave chimed in that it was recorded in 1969 so they let that one slip in.

While trying to explain how Clay felt about Decca he told us that last week when he was in NY rehearsing with the band he went to the Decca offices for a fitting. He talked about how much he HATES fittings. He said he usually walks in for a fitting and starts pointing at each set saying "No, No, No, No, No." This time he walked in and looked around and saw only one thing he was a bit iffy on. He put both hands on his heart & said that the people at Decca get him. They aren't trying to make him something he's not & he finally feels like he's home. While telling this story he did tell Dave to close his ears so as not to embarrass him.

[Clayzy]

Clayzy, there's been all kinds of clack from the GFI and the Gala (both Project stuff from October and the other gala this past Feb.) posted. You can find it in the normal spots.

Haven't seen this posted yet. From Shamrock at the CH, in regards to Clay's jaw:

I was at the VIP rehearsal. During the question and answer session someone asked him about his jaw. He told us the surgery did not work.

Too bad...he went through all that pain, probably for nothing. Poor baby!

Oh, poor Clay indeed! I've heard that success rates for TMJ surgeries are indeed very low (I have a case of it myself), but it stinks that it didn't work for him.