ClayManiacs

Just thinking back about Clay's performance...I had the pleasure of seeing him once in Melbourne.  The whole concert was excellent but there was one song that really stands out in my mind....

O Holy Night--Ethereal, gave me chills, took my breath away....

You could literally hear my girlfriend (who was a Clay virgin) having her breath taken away. (She's Clayverted now!)

Aaabsolutely beautiful!

Funniest moment was Angela's resolution not to eat beans and the band director stating his resolution was not to stand behind Angela. :bouncy

I was able to attend 1 concert in Connecticut.

Favorite "smiley" moment:
Clay did an early, really neat "soft-shoe" dance!!

Favorite "where is my Claynex" moment:
O Holy Night and Silent Night!!

Favorite "set the stopwatch" moment:
Don't Save It All For Christmas Day!!!

Sounds like you had a marvelous Clay experience, Jane!



They should consider providing oxygen masks at Clay's concerts.....like they do on air planes.....you could press a button on your arm rest and a mask would drop down out of the ceiling.    :lol  

His performance of OHN was breath taking.  My favorite of the "long coat songs" was Hark The Herald Angels Sing/O' Come All Ye Faithful.  The ending, the way he sings...."The Lord".....just about kills me every time.

My favorite concert moment was watching him sing "Good News".  I sat in the back and had to use binoculars the entire concert, so I pretty much focused on Clay's face and upper body the entire evening.  Just watching his face and expressions singing that song was awesome.  The lighting made him look heavenly and the conviction with which he was singing blew me away.  I'm still affected by it.....one of the most vivid memories I have from the night.  Given the appropriate opportunity, Clay would be awesome at theater.



 :laugh   That is funny!  I hadn't heard that one before.  

I loved all the snarky banter.  It really made the concert more intimate.  Hope he continues to work the auidence that way.

I didn't get to attend any of the JNT concerts, but I have to say that I love how he sang "Good News". It is such a great song with a great message and Clay sounded awesome!

Oh this is a good question.

I have to agree with mummy on the soft shoe at our concert since it was the cutest thing ever.

As for songs....

I really loved I'll be Home for Christmas.

There's just something about the way he sings that song.  He sounds so smoky and breathless.  It makes me quiver.

The other moment... Don't Save it All for Christmas Day.  I was okay through the whole concert.  Didn't cry, didn't shout anything out, except the occassional whispered "Package" and "Tushy" to Deanna... but then, then, Clay hit that note.... and I was lost.

I doubled over in my seat, clenched Deanna's hand, put my fist to my forehead and just chanted OMG, OMG, OMG, under my breath.  I was bowled over... just bowled over by the power his voice holds.

It was simply incredible..

Great question, but oh so hard to choose!!! I had the pleasure of attending the Detroit concert at the Masonic Temple (beautiful!!) I had waited to hear DSIAFCD since first hearing it, and it soared and was truly amazing, those glory notes send a chill up my spine!!!, but to my surprise after all was done, I came away loving TMOC and GOOD NEWS more than any other songs, the first and last songs, and I've figured out why, he had no microphone in his hands so was so expressive with them, and quynn I'm with you, the man was meant to try theatre, broadway, he was so natural, arms extended, hands just feeling the music, what an amazing opening and closing!!!

I saw him just once in Baltimore and my favorite song and moment has got to be when he sang, DSIAFCD. After he did the amazing glory note which I always get chills from everytime I see it, everyone in the audience stood up, clapped and cheered for him til the end of the song. It was so awesume and Clay was so touched by it too.

Also he was so cute during his piano story, everyone said awwwww that he wasn't going to play but he did a little something for us anyway.

Funny moment was when he thought Maryland should be in the south or something to that effect and some people shouted out, noooooooo. It was so funny.

I didn't cry til after he sang, Oh Holy Night. I was sitting there shaken and amazed how beautiful he sang that song. He was wonderful the whole night and the concert was the best concert I"ve ever seen. Thank you Clay.

Thanks Her for making a DVD so we can remember the memories of this tour. I'll never forget it.

Fun question.

I WAS FORTUNEATE TO BE AT 3 CONCERTS AND THERE WERE FAVORITE MOMENTS FROM ALL 3, BUT TIFFANY IS RIGHT.  THE ABSOLUTE BEST WAS DSIAFCD IN BALTIMORE.  HE WAS SO TOUCHED BY THE AUDIENCE REACTION TO HIM.  IT WAS TRULY WONDERFUL.  ALMOST REMINDED ME OF THE FEELING WE HAD IN WILKES-BARRE.  NOT QUITE BUT ALMOST.

I ALSO WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZED AT THE BEAUTY OF HIS VOICE IN MSG DURING SN.  PURE PERFECTION.  EVERY NOTE.  BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES.

AND IN SEWELL, WHEN HE CAME OUT TO SING GN, I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THAT SONG AND HAD ABSOLUTELY NO EXPECTATIONS.  THE WAY THE LIGHT HIT HIS FACE AS HE SANG  WAS NOTHING SHORT OF HEAVENLY.  BESIDES HIS VOICE, HE LOOKED STUNNING.  I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT.

AND I THINK ANYTHING HE SAYS BEING SNARKY IS GREAT.  HE MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE HE IS TALKING TO YOU IN YOUR OWN LIVINGROOM.  LIKE YOU ARE SHARING PRIVATE JOKES.  CUTE.

GWENN

i will have to say my alltime favorite moment was in raleigh on the 12th of dec, when i was in 3rd row he came to my side of the stage and sang "what are you doing new years eve" looking deeply into my eyes and not even blinking,and of course all the opportunities ive gotten to meet him personally.this whole year has been a wonderful one and i have no regrets and i hope for another one just like it.

Definitely O Holy Night.  The part at the end that isn't on the CD.  It kills me!

"You can HEAR the angel voices ... O Holy Niiiiiiight"

 :smack

This is a hard one...I sat there breathless almost the entire evening.

Couldn't breathe moments:  the minute he walked through the curtains onto the stage OMGosh!!; during the beautiful rendition of Oh Holy Night; when he teased us by starting down the stairs to the audience during WAYDNYE and then finally came down and sang to a young lady and then knelt down with an older lady and kissed her...OMGosh!!; but I'd have to say...the most couldn't breathe even if I wanted to moment was the glory note in DSIAFCD...he was so animated in that song...and the deep knee bend OMGosh, OMGosh, OMGosh!!!

Funniest moment was when he sat down on the stool and got his heel stuck in the stool!!  He became his usual chatty Clay and brought the place to laughter...too funny!!

The most inspirational moments were when he sang OHN, SN, MDYK, and Good News.  I thought Clay really conveyed the message he wanted us all to hear that night in those song.

He is truly awesome.

Tami

Ditto!  Quynn don't you wish he'd have done it like that on the CD?  It seems each time, after the CD's come out, he decides to change them up ...added growls, hums, etc. and the songs come out better.

Loving the input here...DSIAFCD I knew would blow me away as I'd watched downloads.

I LOVED HTHAS/OCAYF...it was beautiful.  And powerful...really powerful.  Like, it would start out peacful and quiet and then get really loud and deep.  It was fabulous.

Also...of course... Don't Save it all for Christmas Day.  Ohhhh....this song, and I'm not kidding, made me cry. Now, I, being a huge sap and very easily star struck, always cry every time I see Clay live.  But during this song, I sobbbbed.  As soon as the song started, I started to cry a little bit, but at that note....I bawled.  I'm sure the people sitting around us were like, "Ok, he's fabulous, but you're going to flood the room, Girlie."

Then my other favorite was Good News.  I wish I could see him sing it live again.  I really really do.  It was peacful and perfect and quiet and really got me in the Christmas mood.  People don't talk about it very much, but I think that was my second favorite to DSIAFCD.  But you also have to keep in mind...my face was sopping wet becasue of my crying earlier, so I was a mascara runny, snotty mess.

Thank the good Lord that those songs were last.

-Kat

the whole show was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! but I have to say when he sang DSIAFCD and when he got down on his knees and did that high note .. I almost fell out of my chair!!!! :smack and then when he did ''good news'' I was glued to him and the stage!!!!!!! he is soooooo awesome!!!!!!!!

Mary did you Know, my new all time fave Xmas song, so ethereal. the glory note in DSIAFC left me breathless tho, and I loved Good News.

Jane:

I went to both the Melbourne and the Atlanta Friday night concert.  I don't know if anybody shared this with you, but on Friday night, when Clay asked Angela if she had a new years resolution, she told him she didn't have one.  They all laughed and Clay said something like "there was an inside joke" about Angela's response.  Given what she had said the night before in Melbourne, which was hilarious, I guess she decided to quiet up the next night in Atlanta.  We felt like we were insiders, since we knew what had happend the night before.  It was really funny.

Sorry I didn't get to see you in Melbourne.  I knew you were getting into the venue late.  We did get to meet Bocaqueen and Bozena.

I fell in love with WAYDNYE on the CD.  With first row seats in Pasadena and Clay making eye contact and being able to stare into those green eyes while listening to this song I love anyway, there could be no other choice for me.

I go along with Tami J.  Getting his foot stuck in the stool in San Jose and figuring out he'd better resolve to get out of the stool was priceless!

Good questions!!

"Silent Night" is still the song that brings tears to my eyes when I hear Clay singing it.  It happened when I first listened to the album and at the JNT concert in Phoenix.

Of course, my favorite Christmas song is "I'll Be Home For Christmas."  It was good in Phoenix, but there was a little humor going on between Clay and the pianist, and I don't think he was as serious with it as he was at other concerts.  Also, the pianist, excellent by the way, added a little of the PEANUTS theme "Christmas Time is Here" to the ending.

For those of you commenting on "O Holy Night," another of my favorites, the orchestra at the end of the song was playing "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," which is not on the CD.  That gave it an interesting flavor.

Now, when Clay sang "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve," he just exuded a sexy sensuousness that went on the whole song; when he eyed the ladies on the first row, walked down the steps and knelt and kissed a lady on her hand, and then kissed another on her cheek.  He knows what he does to the ladies!!!!!!

I loved his humor, too.

Prissy

The entire concert was breathtaking. But when he sang the hymns - all of them - it was like hearing them for the first time ever. Can't choose just one.

His chatting is always fun. He knows how to keep the show moving and everyone smiling.

Favorite moment is easy. DSIAFCD, when my spouse had a big smile and gave OMC a big time ovation. That made my evening. It was important to me that he liked Clay.

If Clay did two tours a year; another NaT and another Christmas concert, life would be wonderful. Because his CDs are great, but Clay in person is just awesome.