#58: The man is made of awesome!

[merrieeee]

I love Clay Aiken!!!! That is all!

Well not all....Tasapio...you are wonderful! The pics are great and I will love re-living this weekend through them.

[Lotus]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's a Canadian thing. Oh well... somebody let us know if it's different than the preview clip, please!

Thanks, ldyj! I would like to give it (Disney) some hits, but alas.... I'm just grateful the video stream works. That clip made me smile hard (as my avi attests to).

Have you been able to get it to play yet?

When I first went to the site the song would not play for me so, thinking that it may indeed be "a Canadian thing" I closed down my browser, launched HotSpot Shield, re-opened my browser, Firefox, logged back into the site and the song played for me.

Hotspot Shield disguises the fact that we do not live in the States.

[bottlecap]

OMFG! This concert kicked ass!

And?....

From Clearwater:

[aikim]

We're home! Had a great time; loved the concert; FearofH20and her hubby were much fun and so enjoyed spending the week-end with them. Wish I could have met more FCA'ers. So now I have clack to watch, laundry, clack to watch, grocery shopping, clack to watch...please advise on any must see clack...sounds like the show is getting better and better!

No internet in the mountains but Fearand I did manage to keep caught up on her droid...big old raspberry to the complainers and whiners and nit-pickers..just chill out and enjoy the show (no one here...as usual other boards).

Kim

[luckiest1]

Does anyone know if Don't Go Breaking My Heart is in any of the available clack yet? I can't seem to find it. TIA!

[merrieeee]

Oh and in case I forget.........I love Clay Aiken!

[luckiest1]

A bunch of recaps and stuff I found over at CV for your enjoyment.

Marilyn at CV says she got this from someone in the Claynation group on Facebook

For those of you who may have missed nelia's post regarding a message from scarlett posted at clayversity, following is a copy of it. the dvd of the little mermaid that quiana tweeted about and a "meet & greet pass & a Clay Aiken autograph t-shirt" that was offered is to replace scarlett's copy that apparently was left behind in her ...room. how sweet is that. it's wonderful to see clay and his team make such a wonderful gesture for scarlett after her horrendous ordeal. we at the fb ClayNation group are so happy to know that she is ok

annie2053 at CV

I just got back from the Clearwater concert. I was seated 18 rows back from the stage in the center. Great seats!

I absolutely LOVED this show!! This is the only one I will be attending, but I feel extremely fortunate to have attended this particular one tonight! The energy level, and the charisma projected by both Clay and Ruben was fantastic. You could tell that the guys were feeling the energy from the audience and they gave it right back.

I've seen some of the videos from past venues, and I think tonight everything was tightened up, polished, and more concise. They're getting it the way they want.

I have to say, I usually am kind of on edge about Clay maybe cracking on a high note every once in a while, but tonight???? OMG!!!! Clay was in wonderful voice tonight. I can tell it's gettting stronger from just this past week. His voice sounded very powerful to me. Every note sounded perfect.

Ruben's voice is very powerful also. The songs he sings really showcased the richness in his voice. His personality on stage is really warm and personable. I love the interaction between Clay and Ruben. It is really enjoyable. All of the banter, and leading in skit stuff is getting polished and fine-tuned.

I do think that the band and whole sound system in general was up several notches too high. Clay briefly complained about getting feedback when he was speaking to Ruben.

Here's the best part. My husband is more or less a 'drag-along'. He was kind of bored with JNT 2005. But tonight..... OMG! He was applauding after songs before I was and laughing his face off. We attend a lot of these types of concerts here at Ruth Eckerd Hall, so we can compare reactions of audiences of other shows. This is one of the more enthusiastic and energetic shows we've seen here. And by that I mean the performers and the audience. The crowd reaction was similar to when we saw Frankie Valli.

My husband thought this was a very entertaining show. Believe me, he is very critical and picky. If he is smiling and hootin' and laughin' and clapping along and boppin' his head, then it IS an entertaining show! He loved Clay's vocal range and thought Clay was more of an actor type that Ruben. He was very impressed with Ruben's voice also.

My husband thought that Ruben's highlight was Superstar. He loved it. He kept asking me why isn't Clay singing Solitaire? He thought Clay should have sung that to have that same kind of moment that Ruben has when he sings Superstar. I agree, but it is what it is. Clay really sounded good on TITN and Alone, and others, but I do wish he could have an Unchained Melody moment.

But, I still LOVE THIS SHOW!!!! The comedy and timing was fantastic!

I was looking forward to seeing Clay slide across the floor during Footloose. I used to teach dance, and I was kind of worried about how Clay was executing this slide.

There is a certain way of doing it without hurting your knees. Well, I'm happy to report, that the Choreographer obviously taught him the correct way to do it. Yay!

I saw Jerome every once in a while on the sides of the house. I didn't see anyone get hauled away or admonished for taking clack or anything. I did see several flashes.

The lady in front of me kept taking flash photography.

Clay had trouble ripping the Hammer Pants off. The velcrose stuck together on one leg. He had to yank extra times to get it off and just aimed for the audience instead of on stage. Wander who caught it? He was standing on stage right at the time.

Well, that's all I can think of now.

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!

It was very entertaining. I'm very proud of both of them! I hope they get more legs of this tour. It's really something I think NJU types would enjoy seeing.

deemer at CV

Clearwater recap part 1:

First of all, when we were allowed to enter to get our seats, the ushers handed out Ruth Eckerd Hall fliers to each of us with guess who on the flyer?? Yes, Kathy Griffin. So much for them being up on Clay Nation. When the show was about to begin, a lady from the venue came out to mention upcoming events, such as Cyndi Lauper and Natalie Merchant, and when she mentioned KG there was booing and she said something like "well I guess that one didn't go over too well" dah!

The venue had very long rows -- we entered from the sides and there were maybe 70 seats in the rows but NO center or middle aisles, only the ends. After it filled though, it looked really full. I don't know if it was sold out, but it looked completely full.

Clay's suit was a very nice black, not really shiny. It had 4 buttons on the cuffs (OK, you really need that, but I was so close I was trying to see everything!!). He had only his top button buttoned on the jacket. It was very neat and no wrinkles and I noticed that when they did arm moves and his suit rode up, he pulled it back down, staying neat. His shirt was white, but not plain. It had narrow white stripes patterned in the fabric. You could no way see through it, I tried to see if he had an undershirt peaking out but never did spot it. He had the same socks I lovingly photographed in Melbourne -- yellow and purple and offwhite stripes. I also noticed that Casey had the same two outfits (both all-black) she had in both Jacksonville and Melbourne. Quianna's hair was very flattering for her -- she had tight braiding at the top maybe 3 inches and then it opened into wavy kinky curls down to her shoulders. Clay's hair looked like he must have gotten a trim. Maybe a coloring too? It was brown with golden highlights. Definitely golden, not reddish at all. I tried to see if it was the yellow lights, but really in white spotlight it was golden, not reddish. His spikes did not seem as long as the last two nights. It was very neat around the ears, again perhaps he just got it trimmed.

I could see the had little mark lights on the stage floor, these were like right angles or small line segments. There were two the marked the edges of where the stool should be on the right side and then a series in the middle marking where they would stand. The middle ones (their marks were pink line segments) and the end marks on either side were green (right angles). The cabling on the stage was marked with white X's in places it seems those helped them see it so they didn't trip over the cables.

Clearwater recap part 2:

other tidbits:

I don't know if you'll see it in the clack, but when Ruben had the spotlight and mentioned KISS, Clay was over on the stool and stuck his tongue out Gene Simmons-style.

He did a bit of teasing of fans tonight: He teased the men in the audience, asking how many came of their own free will and then how many were dragged. He focused in on some of the men in the front rows. One was separated from his wife -- he was on the end and she was closer to the middle. He teased and told his joke about them getting their reward later tonight... Ruben joined in to the jokes (I hope Clack will show all!). He was also teasing the couple that was in front row center. They were locals and were dancing or grooving in their seats the whole time. Ruben and Clay were watching them, said they were tiring them out and then said they were doing the concert for them...at the very end of the concert this couple put a tshirt and CD on the stage (!!!!) and Ruben did go and sign the CD. Clay backed up and made some joke about they couldn't create their own M&G.... it did seem he wasn't going to encourage but they were in too good a mood tonight to be upset by this. This was before they actually finished saying goodnight to the audience!

Another new item was that when Ruben talked about his early exposure to records, he talked about his Uncle Fred, said he didn't get mad when he scratched his records and that he had so much patience with children. He stopped himself from going on longer though (it sounded like he could have talked more on Uncle Fred)...

When Ruben was telling Clay about the 70's (since of course he lived through more of the 70's than Clay), he said people wore platform shoes. I don't know if any video has captured this, but in response to this, Clay went up on his tiptoes. When Ruben mentioned non-medical recreation, Clay guessed "checkers?" (I don't know if the jokes in this part will change, but I record this for posterity).

Ruben also was talking about how in the 70's people danced, including their parents. Clay indicated his mom could NOT dance, but Ruben insisted that she did in the 70's but it was Clay that messed up her rhythm! I don't know if this was scripted -- but at the time, it seemed like Ruben was going off script and teasing Clay.

As I think you figured out, the song where Clay makes googoo eyes at Casey is "Don't go breaking my heart" (Elton John duet). I couldn't recall for the life of me yesterday but I made note today! Speaking of Casey, her solo was very strong and perfectly delivered tonight. Scarlett got the whole thing, so you will be able to see why Clay is so proud of her.

Clearwater recap, part 3:

While Ruben is in the spotlight singing Marvin Gaye songs with Q & C, Clay was over to the left side on the stool. He was still in character, though, as it were, pretending to practice trying to learn rhythm from Rube. He was pretending to have trouble getting the rhythm, he'd start moving his arms with the music and then get off and make a face. It was funny to watch.

Now when Ruben was on the stool and Clay was singing More Than a Feeling, Ruben was playing air guitar

When Clay was joking on how Quianna was trying to get him drunk in a bar the night he met Ruben, she was making faces and started making rotating gun shooting jestures -- like shooting him with two invisible pistols. She didn't say anything and when Clay joked why she didn't retort she said something and was surprised that her mic was actually on. They had her mic off during this at Melbourne so she could not retort.

I loved being on the side at the front, since I could see offstage on the one side. Once when Clay was offstage on that side, he kept moving around. He wasn't taking a rest! He was watching it seemed.

I took some further notes on Quianna's outfit: She had on shoes that had sparkles on them (black with sparkles). They were flats (hey, I forgot to look at Casey's shoes, sorry). She had on a number of silver bracelets (both arms, I could see them separate, so it was bracelets, not just one). She had rhinestones on her straps and belt, so they sparkled too.

Ruben also had a black expensive suit with no wrinkles at all. He had the top 2 buttons buttoned (Clay only one). He had dark shoes, but later when he changed to jeans, he had on blindingly white tennis shoes.

Clay did a lousy job of putting on the "hammer pants" today -- you could see the jeans at the bottom sticking out on one side! He had trouble getting the hammer pants to rip off today, got a little frustrated and when he got them off threw them into the audience. I heard that some males in the audience did catch them (how'd that happen?). They did later retrieve them I heard so we probably haven't seen the last of them. He actually made some exclamation about how he can't get his pants off! I am sure if the clack shows this is it will be much viewed and in need of a short gif that can be seen again and again (hint hint hint to those who know how to do this!). Perhaps a thread title can be constructed about how Clay can't get his pants off fast enough by some of our talented thread namers?? After throwing the pants out, he said some things to Ruben when we couldn't hear.

About Clay's jeans: the backs of the bottoms of both legs were torn on both cuffs. They didn't look that worn otherwise, but they were not apparently brand new. I am sure there are a few of you *cough* who have already examined them quite a bit, but really the cuffs were ripped at the back. I didn't get a picture of it, though.

During the Pastor Studdard sequence, some guy in the audience came up the side by us and to the front and took a video of it in its entirety. He wasn't stopped by security. I don't know who it was, but someone later had said about it perhaps being Casey's husband???? I don't know but he had an Iphone or very flat camera and was holding it out and moved right in front of the first row to take it. He wasn't rude, he did seem polite (but on a mission). He only filmed that part.

Oh, well. I think that is all my little tidbits for now. I did get a close up of his arm though, for those of you who need at least one fuzz thrill in the clack (below).

[aikim]

Ashville Recap:

I know this is late and perhaps people have moved on to other concerts and are not interested but here goes anyway, LOL!

Sound Check: We got the venue at 5:30 and to my surprise and delight were in time to catch soundcheck. As soon as I saw what was going on I grabbed my binoculars...watched Ruben and the girls going through the songs and chatted with ncwannabe and mercedes who were standing next to me. Clay was hiding behind a speaker but we could hear him talking with Jerome. Finally the little stinker graced us with his presence...blue jeans rolled up as if he had planned on going wading somewhere, blue and white striped shirt. He spent most of the time pacing back and forth and looked like he was really feeling the heat, face was red. He started to sing and then there was feedback from the mic and that is when he let out with "you guys need to check this shit!" Big "oooh" from the crowd and he told us to hush!

After he left the stage, I called Nancy (momof3boys) to tell her all about it and as I was talking to her Ruben walked by...I kind of waved to him, not sure if he noticed but people were talking to him and asking for pictures and he was telling them to come on. I was standing against a back wall...we were actually on a balcony over looking the stage and seating area when who came up beside me but Casey and someone else from the show. I was so shocked to see her! I whispered to Nancy she was there and she kept telling me to say hello, but I am so shy in those situations so I just couldn't get up the nerve. She is very cute and tiny.

The show: We had great seats, row L right in the center! There were three ladies sitting next to me from Minnesota...not on the boards, but they keep up with Clay. This was the only show they were going to. They thoroughly enjoyed it!

From the beginning when they came out dressed in their dark suits and singing their coronation songs, I realized they were going for the American Idol audience. It seemed to me they were re-creating the finale night (somewhat...I almost expected Ryan to come out!). I really do think this tour was created with that in mind; singing the type of songs they sang on the show. I was never much of a Ruben fan and really wondered how he was going to pull this off since my frame of reference has always been Idol and the interviews after the show and he never seemed to show much of a personality. I was amazed at how funny he was and to see him move and dance. On Idol it seemed he just stood on the stage and sung. He and Clay have great chemistry and play off each other well. It really was like an old time variety show and I think these two would be great on TV if someone was willing to give them a chance.

I like Casey...being the first show I think they were all feeling their way around, so their wasn't much interplay and the background singers really were much in the background, but it sounds like they are loosening things up a bit and I look forward to seeing more interaction from her and Clay. She is a great singer and I think compliments Quiana well. My husband really liked Quiana. Sadly he is not Clayverted yet, but he really didn't like the venue..too hot and packed in like sardines...I am hoping he will enjoy Hammond more.

I saw there was a lot of analyzing after the show and some had concerns, but I think you just have to take it for what it is...two hours of enjoyable music and 4 people have a great time on stage. The band is great and it is just a fun evening. I am so glad I made the decision to go to the show...it was fun not knowing what to expect and being surprised by the dancing and the comedy. Preacher Ruben was a hoot!

Kim

[bottlecap]

I almost expected Ryan to come out!

I know you didn’t mean it that way, Kim, but BWAH!!!

Glad you had a good time!

[ldyjocelyn]

Great recaps! aikim, I'm glad you had a fantastic first show! Less than a week for me, I can't wait!

More great pictures from Invisible926 at the CH. Love the ones of the Cluben...

And this one is lethal...

[aikim]

I almost expected Ryan to come out!

I know you didn’t mean it that way, Kim, but BWAH!!!

Glad you had a good time!

Oopsy..really have to watch the way you phrase things around here!

Kim

[ldyjocelyn]

Oh dear.

It's KAndre's birthday!

Hope you have a great day!

*off to find some bling in order to celebrate*

[cindilu2]

Lookie what I found in my photobucket...

[ldyjocelyn]

What a couple of goofballs!

LOOK BOTTLECAP -- TONGUE!

[ldyjocelyn]

From canuck at CV:

Tampa Airport - Yay for free internet again! Waves to merieeeeeee wherever you are here. Ha! I am glad that we got back to our hotel eventually last night so invisible could load up her photos for y'all to see. It was amazing that was accomplished since, at one point, I thought we'd still be driving around in search of our room. Hahaha!!!

I'm out of practice with recaps and I see that many wonderful ones have been posted so I'm just going to go with impressions.

Good sized crowds for all the shows - a big relief after worries for these venues. This cast is OTT fabulous. A few of us last night, after the show, mentioned that we liked Ruben before this tour and now we love him. OMG. It's impossible to leave the venue without having the warmest feelings for everyone and without having the biggest smile on your face.

Clay was in top form last night, great voice, comic timing that would be the envy of any comedian out there - all the banter bits are becoming second nature and ad libbing hysterical. Ruben, Casey and Quiana all have incredibly powerful voices as well.

The difference in last nights show from the first two here in Florida was the energy. I think we owe a lot of that to Ruben since he basically said, "If you're having fun, show it Damn it" but not in those words. He encourage the crowd to get up and dance - or rather he ordered it - rofl_2.gif The shy Clay crowd resisted at first a bit but after another song, the jumping up and dancing was the thing and the Clay and Ruben LOVED it. The energy level skyrocketed and the fun increased by leaps and bounds.

If I can give any advice to the future crowds it is - jump up and dance - have fun. I hope it becomes a staple of Clay pop concerts because it was wonderful.

When Clay picked up the lighter last night and waved it back and forth = can't remember which song - it was absolutely hysterical and a new touch.

Both Clay and Ruben adlib masterfully and Ruben cracks Clay up but not to the detriment of the banter - just to the point of adding to it so that you must remember to visit the loo before the concert. It's THAT funny.

I swear up and down that Clay and Casey were playing up "Don't go breakin my heart" because of the stir caused by the posting of the pics from the night before. They never started laughing but they came nearer to the front of the stage and played it for all it was worth. It was very Hot,_hot,_hot.gif in there. I told invisible that, if there was any doubt they had seen those particular photos, the doubt was gone for me. What hams and what fun!

A professional photographer took a ton of photos for the first half hour or so. I hope we see them but I doubt they'll be any better than what we've seen but it would be nice if they accompanied a nice review of the show. People NEED to know what they're missing and get out and see it.

I'm very pleased that I booked more than one show. I think it's more important than any other tour if you can manage it because it's so chock full of entertainment bits that's impossible to take it all in the first time. I do believe it's my favourite tour ever. Ever! All I could think of to compare it to was Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis but better.

I'm more in love than ever.

[ldyjocelyn]

You know, I'm really supposed to be working. I've got a ton to do before I leave tomorrow afternoon...and yet, I'm glued to the boards. Sigh. I'm hopeless.

Radio Disney "Summer Belongs to You" link

You can listen to Clay and Chaka's song to your hearts content (unless you're in Canada -- still not sure about that).

[ldyjocelyn]

See. Told you. Still not working. Think maybe it has something to do with a trip I have this weekend?

A great recap from GBB at the CH:

So I still can't get over last night's show. I don't have time this morning to do a proper recap but I just wanted to share a few impressions. I can't stress how much better this show was than I expected it to be. Don't get me wrong; I didn't expect it to suck. It's Clay after all, and I've never been to a Clay show that I didn't enjoy (but then I didn't make it to any of the Christmas with Death shows).

I knew I'd enjoy the show but I have to confess I was a little disappointed the other day when I heard the set list. There were just so many songs he'd done before. It seemed so much like a repeat of the JBT. And listening to the cellcert, the concert seemed a little like a "mishmash." Like one song led to another without any real cohesion. So I expected to just "like" the show.

Let me tell you, hearing the setlist or listening to the cellcert does NOT do this show justice. It's not at all a rehash or a mishmash. It's a well-conceived, well-executed SHOW.

From the opening song/shoving match, there are two concepts set up for the audience: Clay and Ruben in competition and Clay lack of ... soul/hipness. Those two ideas are woven throughout the whole show and played with, both in song and in the comedy bits. There's a reason the songs don't seem to flow into each other well. They don't. They're not supposed to.

They lay out their musical roots in the opening statements. For Ruben, it's Tina Turner and The Temptations. For Clay, Bette Midler and Perry Como. For Ruben, Isaac Hayes and Al Green. For Clay, Andy Williams.

As Clay says, "What the hell are we doing putting on a music show together?"

And so when they start singing, you'll have Ruben singing "his" music and Clay singing "his" -- with little crossover, of course, because there are not hard and fast lines when it comes to music.

Clay opens with Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds." Ruben follows with Sam Cooke's "Bring it on Home to Me." The 60s medley swaps back and forth with "Midnight Hour" (Ruben), "Up on the Roof" (Clay), "Someday We'll Be Together" (Ruben), "Out of My Head" (Clay), "You Can't Hurry Love" (Ruben), "So Happy Together" (Clay), "Sugar Pie Honeybunch" (Ruben), "Crying" (Clay), "Soul Man" (Ruben), "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" (Clay), "Shotgun" (Ruben), "Sugar, Sugar" (Clay), "Just One Look" (Ruben), "Harper Valley PTA" (Casey), "Ain't To Proud to Beg" (Ruben), "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Clay and Ruben).

And so it goes for the whole show. Each man singing the best of "his' music, with the two of them joining together on some songs and the girls picking up a number here and there. What appeared to be a mishmash of songs by listening to the cellstream or seeing bits of clack became this cohesive SHOW when you add in the physicality of the performances (smiles, grimaces, rolled eyes, shoving matches, bits of oneupsmanship, "dancing," and DANCING).

And really, I can't say enough about the physicality and physical comedy both men brought to the show. From the opening shoving match to the schtick with the stools (made so funny, not by the punch lines but by the expressions on their faces and their body language) to the absolutely hilarious "dance" Clay did at one point before Ruben grabbed him by the jacket (another bit of perfect physical comedy) and made him sit down, to Pastor Ruben "healing" Clay of his lack-of-rhythmitis, to hammer-pants Clay... these guys are very, very good at physical comedy.

They're also very good at comedy period. I know much of the show was scripted (and they do a great job delivering the jokes) but some of the best moments were the unscripted ones.

When Clay's mic echoed:

Clay: "There's a lot of feedback on this mic."

Ruben: "Soundcheck was at 4, Clay."

When Clay messed up the steps on a dance:

Ruben: "And it made me sad 'cause I had just healed you."

Clay: "Maybe your powers aren't as strong as you thought they were."

Ruben: "Maybe your mama didn't send enough money."

Audience member: "I love you Clay!"

Clay: "I love you too."

Another audience member: "I love you more!"

Clay: "Well, you two fight it out. We'll wait."

I wonder if we'll be getting more off-script moments from now on. Last night, when Clay stopped to chat with the audience and did his bit teasing the husbands for their wives having better seats, Ruben jumped right in and played along: (woman's voice) "I'll buy MY ticket today and I'll just get your ticket later."

One scripted but hilarious moment:

Ruben: Peaches and Herb. One was a fruit, one was an herb.

Clay: Kind of like us.

The look on Ruben's face totally sold this bit. Could NOT stop laughing. Especially when Ruben just stood up and walked away.

Another fun moment: Clay screaming "I can't get these pants off!" (Maybe that's just me *g*)

I had no idea I'd think this, but I'd really, really love to see this show (or some version of it) on television. I think it would be a fantastically funny and entertaining special. The guys are just that good. Maybe "somebody" will see the show when they're in NY or LA.

Can't finish this recap without mentioning the audience. Last night's audience ROCKED. We were a little slow getting started, but once we got to our feet the first time, we were up all night, dancing, clapping, singing and just having a blast. You could tell Ruben and Clay were feeding off the energy and loving it.

In short, yeah, cheesy as it sounds, I had the time of my life

[Carolina Clay]

The new Carolina On My Mind blog includes recaps/photos from Clearwater, the show's ever-evolving set list (thnx to many of you!), Melbourne photos, the "loyalty to Clay" site, and the Disney Radio premiere with cindilu2's super screen cap.

The blog, which just hit Google, quotes the following fans: Outback, kbdm, Annie2053, and Canuck2010. Many thnx for their insight into the Clearwater show. Photographers featured include Invisible926 and deemer.

Thank you for your visits/comments/support of the Internet Clay blogs. I always need retweets if you can catch me in "All Friends."

A very Happy Birthday to KAndre! :04:

I enjoyed listening to the Clearwater Concert with y'all last night. Awesome recap by GBB you just quoted, Idyj!

This is a traveling day for me, so I am running. Have a great day, all!

Caro

[aikim]

So I just listened to I Believe We Can...is that the full song or partial...seems like it was mostly Clay singing...I liked it!

Kim

[luckiest1]

Loved the GBB recap! (except for the reference to the Christmas tour but I'm starting to develop a thick skin over stuff like that out of necessity).

I can't wait to see the whole show in context...I knew it must flow but it's hard to get that from the clack sometimes. I wish I could convince more locals to make the trek to Windsor to see it!

ETA this from CH:

From CV:

NEWS FLASH...concert date for 2011 TnT TOUR.......

Feb.19, 2011...Palace Theatre, Cleveland, OH!!!!!

PLEASE...don't call the venue...yet!! This info was secured thru a dear friend of mine and TPTB are not ready to field any calls and questions yet!!! There MAY be tix available as a pledge premium when the OMG concert airs next Monday night at 730pm/edt on WVIZ tv.

ETA: Moonhead has started a list of the shows we know about so far:

Cleveland OH- Feb. 19, 2011 Palace Theatre

Long Island, NY - Feb. 26, 2011 Westbury Theater

Greenville

Memphis, TN

Miami, FL

Orlando, FL

Atlanta, GA

ETAA:

WUFT in Gainesville will air THe PBS Special Monday 8/2 at 8pm.

Oooh, I wonder where he'll be on Feb 17th? I'd love to spend my birthday with Clay!!!!

[KAndre]

Thank you for the shiny birthday wishes! Clay and Ruben gave me mine early. But the concert last night finally fulfilled my expectations - not because of the artists (because Clay has always brought it for me) - but the audience did it's part of the bargain - show the love instead of sitting welded to your seat. I've been to too many Clay concerts where Clay was rockin' and the audience acted like if they bopped their head to the music, it would cause Armaggedon. And Lord, you can tell when Clay and Ruben have a good audience - it lights a fire under them (and in Clay's case literally - someone should have told the boy - small lighter flames don't burn your fingers as you wave!). The show is scripted, but of the shows I've seen, it's a very loose script - I wouldn't call it "polished", but oddly professional in a really good way - it's like they have a outline and they fill in the blanks on the fly - of the three nights, Ruben told a different account of his childhood and exposure to Marvin Gaye, Clay is giving us various bits and pieces of when he and Ruben met, and Clay has an equal on stage with him, in talent and cleverness and naughtiness. I really think Clay has told Ruben for years about the crazy that is his fandom, and each night he points out the specialness - videographers on the front row on Saturday, binoculars on the 2nd row on Sunday, the wives and their friends with the better seats on Monday, and Ruben is rolling right along (on the binoculars, Ruben was making them "3-D" and Clay made sure he clipped his nose hairs. C/R are more obviously incorporating the band in the opening hijinks - they steal each other lines, leave segments out because they get totally distracted and crack each other up. They are both making a serious run for James Brown's vacant title, "Hardest Working Man in Show Business", and I love it. See you boys in Washington!

And I have LOTS and LOTS of punctuation in this one!

[justclay12]

luckiest, not sure if you found it yet, but I think canfly's 70's medley has Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

The more clack I'm watching, the more I'm enjoying the show. I'd love to see a full performance of it. Right now, it feels kind of disjointed because of where the clack gatherers are snipping the clips. I can't wait until my shows. I knew I'd be impressed with Clay, but Ruben surprised me, especially on the medleys. Those are the kinds of songs that I'd like to hear him record. Now Superstar, I still would rather hear Clay sing it because it's so slow with Ruben, plus I've wanted to hear Clay sing the full song since we saw the clip on AI Rewind.

And happy birthday KAndre.

[bottlecap]

Cleveland? In freakin’ February? Clay’s bookers know that Cleveland’s smack in the middle of the Great Lakes snowbelt, right? At least it’s on a Saturday and it actually is on my birthday, so HA HA to luckiest1! Clay lurves me more than you!

[keepingfaith]

I have to comment about Clay's 60's vs. Ruben's 60's:

I'm sure Ruben's 60's would have been Clay's 60's if Clay were in my age group. This is anecdotally stereotypical, but what the hell. I'll never forget my friend Spencer in high school. Senior year Spencer sat next to me in Latin class and we got in trouble regularly for talking -- and mostly about The Supremes. He idolized the Supremes more than anybody I had ever known be a fan of anybody EVER! He drew them on his notebook covers. Nothing mattered but the music of The Supremes. And he was a very pale, blond, and also gay kid. Almost all of my lily-white city-kid friends were insane for R&B in the 60's. The Temptations? Oh how I remember my friend David Brown, who died in Vietnam. He could dance to The Temps (and the Four Tops ... and The Wicked Pickett) and he was good enough to be on stage, with every slick move down cold. He'd hear the music and go into another world. He was the best, and could entertain me for hours on end with his moves.

I wasn't an Elvis fan because he sang hillbilly music. In fact, Big Mama Thornton not only had a #1 Billboard hit with Hound Dog before Elvis, the woman wrote and sang Ball & Chain years before Janis Joplin founded her career upon it at Monterey, and she was Janis's favorite singer. Ball & Chain may be one of the finest songs ever written. Please don't tell me Clay continues to make cracks about Big Mama Thornton, even in jest! Say, whoa, whoa, whoa, honey, it can't BE!

Most of that stuff Clay sings this tour, I don't remember liking even one of those songs back then, except maybe Happy Together by The Turtles just a little bit, and The Turtles was the original name for a couple of guys later known as "The Phlorescent Leech and Eddie" - shortened to Flo & Eddie, who became a mainstay with Frank Zappa, who was anything but whitebread. Now I love almost all of the songs Ruben sings, with the exception of ..... Superstar. Sorry, but The Carpenters made me cringe.

I preferred Blues, R&B, British Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Hard-core Folk. Never liked the MOR rock bands or the hair bands. But I have made an exception for Clay to sing More Than A Feeling because he sings it like it should have been his song all along.

Okay, I guess I got that out of my system. The premise is flawed because there were no Yours and Mine 60's -- just OUR 60's, and we ain't giving them back, or dividing 'em up. And, I am privileged and lucky to have begun the journey of living through the 60's TWICE in one lifetime!

And speaking of age, which I try to avoid, I'll never avoid sending all best wishes to my girl KAndre!

[luckiest1]

Cleveland? In freakin’ February? Clay’s bookers know that Cleveland’s smack in the middle of the Great Lakes snowbelt, right? At least it’s on a Saturday and it actually is on my birthday, so HA HA to luckiest1! Clay lurves me more than you!

Hey, not until we know the whole schedule he doesn't! For all we know, he could be coming to my home town that day.

So apparently In My Life is not on the TnT DVD? But it was shown on the Chicago station? Hmmmm, maybe I'd better invest in a DVR before Sunday...I still can't believe there is (apparently) no video of the medley that Clay, Ruben & Quiana did that night either.