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

[bottlecap]

[aikim]

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

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

Clay addresses The Key Club Convention in July!

Happy Birthday to those celebrating!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[Couch Tomato]

I always loved that photo Bottle.

And by the way, I can still feel your giddiness LOL. I can't believe we haven't met YET! Maybe one of these days in the Clay Aiken rest home. heee.

[bottlecap]

LOL! St. Patrick’s Day snuck up on me, and I had to recycle last year’s graphics instead of putting together something new.

I just told my mom over the phone that I’m still tired from my trip, but since I’ve been home for four days I don’t think she was buying it. I don’t think she gets the whole idea of post-concert giddiness.

[ldyjocelyn]

LOL! St. Patrick's Day snuck up on me, and I had to recycle last year's graphics instead of putting together something new.

When you get home this evening, if you'd make a new graphic with that picture in that article posted last night (when I couldn't sleep), I'd be a very happy camper! (You can also do it with red lips...just sayin'...)

I just told my mom over the phone that I'm still tired from my trip, but since I've been home for four days I don't think she was buying it. I don't think she gets the whole idea of post-concert giddiness.

Shoot, I'm still suffering from post-concert giddiness, and I wasn't even freakin' there!

*practices for TM tango tomorrow*

[Lotus]

Guess what came in the mail yesterday...finally..yep the concert tickets. Let's see... guaranteed to come 24 hours before the concert and arriving 5 days after the concert? Great service Ticketbastard!

There is blue sky out there, the daffodils on my deck are blooming, the flowering red currant bush is in full pink bloom and I'm off to the doctor's to have my knee checked out...something has happened that makes it very painful to walk.

Thursday I'll try for tickets and I can put off making a decision to go until later.

[Carolina Clay]

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Carolina On My Mind blog!

Besides St. Patrick's Day, today's entry incorporates Irish traditions, the GFI story and pix [edited to show some freckles ], a "Spamalot" Sir Robin green interlude, the President's 3% Irish heritage (I just love that video!), and a cute story about Kai, who is 2.5 years old today. The Kai graphic was created by Ashes in 2009.

Hope you enjoy! Thnx for your visits (144 countries represented!) and especially your comments. On the way out, there's an Irish blessing-Clay graphic by Sally.

Lotus, so glad your concert tickets have arrived!

Have a wonderful day, all!

Caro

[treenuts]

Guess what came in the mail yesterday...finally..yep the concert tickets. Let's see... guaranteed to come 24 hours before the concert and arriving 5 days after the concert? Great service Ticketbastard!

That would be funny if it weren't so damn sad! What a hot mess (tm some hot singer guy) they are

[ldyjocelyn]

Pulled this from getclayaiken...what a great story:

from Claymatron at CV:

I sat by myself at the concert because my ticket was a gift from a lovely, generous lady who upgraded. My seat was central but closer to the back of the orchestra section. Actually, it was perfect. I was able to see the entire stage and use my binocs when I wanted to focus on Clay's face, or whatever, (of course, I'm referring to his feet!).

Anyway, it turned out that I sitting beside a couple from Texas who had never seen Clay in concert but they'd driven 1600 miles for the show because they had found his music on YouTube. They remembered him from AI, but then lost track until a year or so ago when the woman (in her 40's, I'd say) was hospitalized with a very serious medical problem and nearly died. When she came back to her hospital room after one of her many surgeries she looked over at her hubby who was fast asleep from exhaustion in the chair beside the bed and said she felt overwhelmed with love for him. She picked up her laptop and checked YouTube for Celine Dion's version of "Because You Loved Me", which was their song, and found Clay's instead, played it, hubby woke up and the two of them sobbed in each other's arms over his beautiful rendition. They were both hooked and searched YouTube for every song he ever sang, and checked out the internet to find out when he'd next be in concert and found the announcement for the PBS taping. They both loved the show and held hands all the way through it. It was truly a special time for them and I know we have another couple of devoted fans. I have no doubt that Clay will find his way into many new hearts with this album and it will be wonderful that they will love and accept him for who he is and for his amazing talent. It truly warmed my heart and made me realize that because we have followed this man so faithfully over the years, disecting and analyzing his every move, riding the roller-coaster with all it's highs and lows, and being there through it all that we have lost sight of the wonder and beauty of his sheer talent.

It truly made me feel we all need to get back to that - put all the crap behind us, and just enjoy, because that's exactly what he's doing!

[claycherie]

idyjocelyn. What an absolutely lovely story!

[ldyjocelyn]

Just going through the archives around here, and found this, from the Tavern on the Green presentation to Clay last year:

Those who attended the show last week should recognize the lady...Linda Eder. Pretty cool, eh?

[cindilu2]

Just going through the archives around here, and found this, from the Tavern on the Green presentation to Clay last year:

Those who attended the show last week should recognize the lady...Linda Eder. Pretty cool, eh?

Speaking of Linda Eder... am I the only one who didn't know that she was a former Star Search champion (in the 80's) before finding success on Broadway? Hee! Wonder if they compared notes?

I really can't wait to hear the recorded version of their duet (and to hear the live version again. and again. and again).

[FearofH2O]

Clay looked so much better last week without that swollen jaw although he is always cute. I got chills when he introduced Linda Eder remembering that they had met in NYC. I really hope that their version of Crying is the single from this album. There were some incredible sounds on this song from Clay also.

[claylove]

Just going through the archives around here, and found this, from the Tavern on the Green presentation to Clay last year:

Those who attended the show last week should recognize the lady...Linda Eder. Pretty cool, eh?

Speaking of Linda Eder... am I the only one who didn't know that she was a former Star Search champion (in the 80's) before finding success on Broadway? Hee! Wonder if they compared notes?

I really can't wait to hear the recorded version of their duet (and to hear the live version again. and again. and again).

I watched her on Star Search when I was a teen!! I can remember the whole family watching and my Dad loved her voice. We were all cheering for her :-)

[treenuts]

I'm looking for someone(s) to go to the RENO Concert with. I would be happy to drive. I live between the bay area and Sacramento. I am not dangerous and I do not smoke, if that helps.

Please PM me if you are interested. *bats lashes innocently*

[Thankful4Clay]

I'm looking for someone(s) to go to the RENO Concert with. I would be happy to drive. I live between the bay area and Sacramento. I am not dangerous and I do not smoke, if that helps.

Please PM me if you are interested. *bats lashes innocently*

I'm pretty sure that Lisa and I are going. But, we'll be flying in.

[Couch Tomato]

Good luck with ticketmaster tango tomorrow. Fortunately all I have to do is sit back and wait for the email to see where I'm sitting heee.

If anyone else want to join the march madness contest.. you have until noon tomorrow to finish your brakcets. That could be eastern time..not sure so do it early!

[luckiest1]

Another wonderful recap, this time from Oldmoviegal of the CH. I love reading all the different perspectives!

I’m still all goofy and happy after the concert – and, as I’ve been thinking about it today, I realized that I spent a lot of time yesterday writing about things I couldn’t remember, but didn’t give adequate coverage to those things about the weekend that were simply unforgettable. So here’s my counterpoint to my earlier non-recappy recap!

My weekend began on Friday at lunchtime when my taxi pulled up in front of the Marriott. I rolled my suitcase through the door, and was confronted by a lobby filled with women, on the sofas, in the restaurant, in Starbucks, at the registration desk, everywhere – every face a friendly one. I felt that I could have plunked myself down in any group and still belonged. There was a steady hum in the air, a sound that I recognized as the very specific, Clay-only brand of pre-concert excitement.

I met up with goatlady to take the local bus to dinner (thanks to ProcFreq for the tip, and for making the dinner plans -- and sorry for the crossed wires. . .); we hopped on the bus with great excitement, only to realize that neither one of us had thought to bring along the restaurant’s address or had any idea where we were headed! Eventually, through a series of goofy misadventures and wrong stops, we found our way to Mo’s Diner – as delightful a spot as Clay-fan legend made it out to be. The food was delicious (I can definitely vouch for the banana napoleon!), and the dinner companions were four-star! It was a joy to see familiar faces and put names to new ones, and to share that pre-concert buzz with others who knew exactly how it felt.

Once we got to the Performing Arts Center, and the doors to the auditorium finally opened, I rushed to my seat, only to find that. . .it wasn’t there. I was seat number seven in a row that only had six! Some people had their seats moved because of production needs, and everyone was crowding around one poor woman who had an envelope full of reassigned tickets. So I got in line, and found myself next to Jerome, who was also trying to straighten out Faye’s tickets! No tickets for me, though, so I ran back out to the box office (swimming against the tide of eager fans pouring into the theatre), got a new seat off to the side in the dress circle, and ran back in to get seated. At that point, ushers and producers were telling people to take any closer/better seats they could find (to fill in the dress circle for the cameras), which set off a rush that was like the Oklahoma land race – I eventually moved to a nice seat that was more centrally located, and decided to stick with it. As luck would have it, I was also directly in front of Pink Armchair – it was great fun to experience the thrill of the concert with her (via some spontaneous hand-squeezing and slack-jawed, “can-you-BELIEVE-this” astonishment). It was so nice to have someone to share that excitement with, because otherwise I might have thought it was all a dream.

Some random things that I recall about the concert itself (an incomplete list, but some things that stand out in the tumble of memories):

When the curtain went up, there was so much on stage to take in, and the lights were shining directly into the audience, so it took my eyes a few seconds to adjust to what I was seeing. And then I realized that Clay was standing there, his back to us, in a most provocative and sexy pose. At that moment, it all became real to me. I nearly swooned.

The band was great – rocking and swinging. I liked the groovy rockabilly hairdo on the guy who was playing the standing bass, but I found myself mostly watching the two saxophone players. They were in the front row, so I had a clear view, and you could just tell that they loved playing this music – they kept exchanging smiles and glances, and occasionally low-fiving each other after a solo or other big moment. One of them was young and very cute (think Titanic-era Leonardo DiCaprio, with perfect cheekbones and floppy blond hair), and he didn’t take his eyes off of Clay the whole night. He stared at him in wonder throughout the concert, often shaking his head in amazement at a particular note, and I was particularly pleased to see that the musicians themselves understood that they were playing for a rare talent. They appreciated great music, thus they appreciated Clay.

The medley that Clay sang with Ruben and Quiana was HI-larious. It was executed so perfectly, and with such perfectly straight faces, too. And damned if it didn’t all work, from Lady Gaga to Sir Mix-a-Lot to Hall and Oates. I hope this is part of the PBS show, because it shows Clay’s range and sense of humor and his camaraderie with his talented friends. I found the whole thing unexpected and delightful.

I still can’t remember the musical details of Unchained Melody, but I keep thinking back to the staging, which worked so well to underscore the super-amazing-ness of the song. There was a single, gauzy white curtain that descended behind Clay as the song began, and then, as he hit the crescendo, one huge, bright beam of white light from behind the curtain that pierced the darkness, straight out into the audience. It was so effective, because in that moment something complicated would have distracted from the sheer power and wonder of Clay’s voice – it was just one light, one curtain, one blast of sound, and all of our attention focused on that single moment. It was magic (and, apparently, enough to cause a case of mass amnesia!).

The post-show excitement in the lobby of the theatre took the pre-show buzz and ramped it up about 1000 times – just ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmyGOD, everywhere you turned. And the lobby of the Marriott was quite a scene: I ran up to my room to drop off my coat, and as I was coming back down in the elevator, I could hear the roar of happy voices from the fourth floor! (To make the scene even more vivid, the hotel was also hosting a big Indian wedding, so many guests were milling about the lobby in gorgeous ornamental saris – and a children’s dance competition had just ended, so there were little girls in spangly tutus scampering about. It looked like the backlot of a very surreal Hollywood/Bollywood movie! The perfect touch to end an evening that already felt like an elaborate dream.)

On Saturday, I took what I thought would be a short, solitary, perfectly fun trip to Crabtree Mall -- but I was there about 30 seconds when I ran into my ever-stylish state-mates Pink Armchair, Beagle3, and hensey, and my lovely new friend gaymarie. They were kind enough to invite me to join them for lunch and shopping, and as they say in the society pages, a good time was had by all. What a lucky encounter, and an excellent postscript to an already pretty swell weekend!

Throughout the weekend, and late into the night on Friday, I found myself obsessively logging in to the CH to read all of the news and impressions. I got the fun of anticipating the concert with other fans, then watching it surrounded by them, and then rehashing it afterward in the lobby with them, and finally ended the night reading reports from those very same people, and those who were playing along at home – all of whom brought their own unique perspectives and memories to it. And it hit me: Truly, the unexamined concert experience is not worth having! So, to all who shared it, in real and virtual ways, thanx for making it a legendary night.

[aikim]

3 Days until The First Day of Spring!

:glasses:

74 Days until June 1st and The New CD!

:04:

Clay addresses The Key Club Convention in July!

Happy Birthday to all celebrating!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[KAndre]

Screw Ticketbastard!

[ldyjocelyn]

I got my tickets -- center section, about 13 rows back. Definitely not front row, but I'd rather be "centered" that close to the front and off to the side!

RENO here I come!

[wandacleo]

I gave up on TM and called the hotel directly (1-800-687-8733) and got section E, row 4 tickets.

WAY better than what was coming up with TM.

[keepingfaith]

I got my tickets -- center section, about 13 rows back. Definitely not front row, but I'd rather be "centered" that close to the front and off to the side!

RENO here I come!

I got a couple of tickets in Section C, 9 rows back. Now I've got to worry about how to GET to Reno. I so so so hate to fly, and this will be a 2-plane job, minimum, each way. I'd consider a road-trip vacation doing The Grand Canyon (which I've never seen), and Las Vegas (where I've never been), were it not for the stretch from Houston to El Paso - I've vowed never to suffer through that desolate drive ever AGAIN!

Now a day of lazing around with the house to myself. The rest of the household is going to see the Black Eyed Peas at the Rodeo, with stops this afternoon at the Livestock Show and the Midway (the Pedophile Rodeo, IMO), and I opted out. Love the Peas, but not the Rodeo (except the food, especially the Mexican corn on the cob which is to DIE for). I haven't loved the Rodeo since back in the day when we had cowboy stars who not only entertained at the show, but rode in the parade -- and we got out of school for the parade. As a kid I was in heaven to see Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Pat Brady and Gabby Hayes. I remember when Gene Autry fell off his horse ... drunk, and I remember seeing The Rifleman Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford -- I was in love with Johnny Crawford until I saw that he was a foot shorter than me, and I was 10 or 11. I was the most self-conscious tall skinny girl in school, and they called me Olive Oyl. I wish there were ANY reasons to call me that now! Ah, memories.

[Lotus]

I just got off the phone.

Definitely call the casino...I gave up on Ticketmaster and wish I had called the casino right away. Mind you the operator had huge trouble entering my address. She transferred me to the showroom (775-329-4777) and I have centre section row 7. eeee!

The operator asked me how I knew about the concert and when I said that I am a fan she said "He's very popular".....oh yes I replied.

[luckiest1]

Congrats to everyone who scored tickets! I wish the OFC would hurry up and make their not-a-tour announcement.....