AIKEN NEWS NETWORK AUG 31

[clayMaine-iac]

Good Morning, everyone!!

Concert Reviews for Clay Aiken

4.8400 out of 5.0000
User Comments and Reviews for this Show
The man can sing anything. He's an excellent singer, a great entertainer who appears to have been entertaining for years. He's cute too. 

The Jukebox Tour was marvelous...Clay Aiken did a great job putting this show together. A walk down memory lane, he was able to shift his personna and voice effortlessly into each decade. Very entertaining.

If you attend a show named "The Jukebox Tour" you expect a stroll through pop music and that is what Clay delivered beautifully. 

 
Was lucky enough to attend a fabulous concert. Clay Aiken is an awesome talent. He brought it all to Boston. Oh what a night!!! The huge crowd loved him as well. 

This guy is not only a fabulous sing he is also a terrific entertainer. As someone else noted, simply by the name of the tour one should realize that they are going to get a variety of songs. The man can sing ANYTHING !!!

I flew up to Boston to see Clay perform in both NH and Boston and it was worth every penny. Clay is an engaging and funny man as well as an amazing performer. I am posting what I posted for NH because it apples to the Boston show too. Clay Aiken is a singer and Clay Aiken is an entertainer! He has an incredible voice and was able to flavor each song on his 'jukebox' with the sound of the era/singer but never let you forget it was Clay Aiken singing. Oh and can he dance! Yes! Gosh he is so charming and good-looking and yes sexy! My kind of sexy. He is an amazing vocalist. The show is just so much fun. The crowd loved him. They were entertained. Clay makes you feel the music whether he's singing 'Happy Together' or 'I Can't Make You Love Me'. And just think he does it LIVE. From Great Balls of Fire to Elvis to his own songs - Clay showed his vocal versatility - his intepretive skills - his amazing command of the music. This was a great great concert.

I had the BEST time at the Pavilion...my first time there. What a GREAT crowd in Boston. Thank you Bank of America Pavilion for a great experience....but mostly, THANK YOU, CLAY AIKEN and your "AWESOME band and back-ups"......for doing your own thing and being FABULOUS at it! Clay had the crowd on their feet dancing and singing along. Can't wait for the Christmas Tour and the new cd and Tour in 2006!!! HOPE YOU COME BACK TO BOSTON, CLAY!!

I had the time of my life at the Pavillion. It was a wonderful trip back in time and he did it so wonderfully, from Elvis to the Goo Goo Dolls. I can't wait for his new CD to come out and his Joyful Noise Tour.

Fabulous concert!

Despite what critics say about clay, this man is the most entertaining siner to come along in a long time. These critics would probably rate 50cent higher than Clay. y husband who is not necessarily a clay fan, saids he so enjoyed the show , he would see him again. You come to be entertained and that's just what clay did. The format may seem cheesy to some. but so what. He has a great voice and the show was so much classier than some of thos loud rock shows that most of you critics would prefer. 

The man can sing! He is wonderful entertainer with that voice, that personality, and the ability to make you have a smile on your face when you leave his concert.

Clay never disappoints! This concert was a blast! I loved everything about it.did i mention that i find clay absolutely fabulous in every single way imaginable? I can't wait until he comes back this way!

I was at NH and Boston....clay is like no siniger out there right now. He is UNIQUE. In my book he is more than a singer but a true Entertainer. Critics be damned. Clay rock on! Do your thing! I will be a loyal fan forever. I harbor no prejudice for types of fans or qualifications of fans as musically aware or unaware....that is why it's called POP music....what is Popular by the masses....and Clay brings it.

Despite some so-called critics and their acid comments, Clay Aiken, his band, his great back-up singers , put on a tremendously nentertaining performance each night they perform!! Clay has great singing range and beautiful voice, is sexy and good-looking too!

Saw Clay in Toronto, Canada - great performer, great with the audience. Loved his kibitizing with his back-up singers ! - the audience loved it ! What a talented singer with a great voice!! Good looking too! and comical! 

Someday Clay Aiken will be known as one of the greats...he's not just a great singer but an entertainer of the highest order. If you want to have fun and be wowed...go to a Clay Aiken Concert.

Saw Clay Aiken Clio, Michigan. This is a small venue - the crowd loved his interaction with them. The show moved along quickly from decade to decade - the crowd loved It, and when he sang his new song Back For More" - everyone was singing along with this talented, good-looking guy - the place was rocking!!!!!!!! Great talent! 

His Jukebox Tour is great! He and his band and back-up singers are extremely talented, Clay Aiken has a superb voice with a great range! He interacts well with his audience too - everyone in the place had a great time. That's what I call entertainment - Nice-looking as well 

Male critics have their heads up their you know what! Clay's the only singer out there who not only REALLY sings, but he can sing anything. He doesn't put on airs, either. He is sweet, natural, and soooooo talented. Every single concert has won him more and more fans, including the hard to please brother of mine! This tour in NOT to be missed. 

We are so glad to have been able to go to a Clay Aiken concert. We all were really impressed with his talent, his generous sharing with his back-up singers, his rapport with all three of them and his musicians, and his audience. What a fabulous talent and wonderful man. As you can tell, we loved the show.

Clay sings with soul, heart and effortlessly. I hadn't listened to music much until I heard this voice. This tour shows what a wide range of music he can sing. A lot of your "today" pop stars wouldn't even come close to singing this wide range of music. I will be attending a lot more of this man's concerts and I know there will be many more in the years to come. I don't pay any attention to so-called "critics" who must be tone-deaf when they say Clay can't sing. Listen to the musicians who have made millions and they will tell you Clay can sing. 

Fantastic concert!!! Clay continues to impress me more and more. The jukebox Tour is so much fun and the talent is incredible. We loved every bit of it.

CONCERTFAN

[clayMaine-iac]

From the Ideal Idol site:

THEN CAME THE MAN

[Her]

M.B....missed ya'!  Have a wonderful Wednesday and thanks for the news!

[clayMaine-iac]

Artist Schedule: Clay Aiken

A DAY RUNS FROM 6 AM TO 5:59 AM. ALL TIMES ARE EST.
DATE/TIME  NETWORK  SHOW  FEATURED ARTISTS  INFO

Thu 09.08
09:00 PM ET   NBC  Scrubs:
"My Life In Four Cameras"   Clay Aiken 

Wed 09.14
12:00 PM ET   ETV  Saturday Night Live (E!):
(#1338) Megan Mullally / Clay Aiken   Clay Aiken 

Thu 09.15
01:00 AM ET   ETV  Saturday Night Live (E!):
(#1338) Megan Mullally / Clay Aiken   Clay Aiken   

Thu 09.15
09:00 PM ET   NBC  Scrubs:
"My Life In Four Cameras"   Clay Aiken   

ROCKONTV

Looks like the Scrubs episode is going to be replayed.   

[clayMaine-iac]

Good Morning, Buddy!!!

Have a great day, everyone!!

Here ya go:

[Pamela]

Good morning all!  Thanks for the news Deanna!
 


In yesterday's ANN, there was a weird little paragraph that sounded like it was supposed to be a review, but it ended very abruptly and sort of left us hanging.  Well, that's because it was just a teaser for the real review, which was printed today in the Burlington (VT) Free Press.  It went a little something like this...

ESSEX JUNCTION -- I ran into my first Claymates on Monday night as I walked past the green wooden doors that separated a Champlain Valley Fair parking lot from the backstage area at the grandstand.

Two women had waited outside the doors, trying for a glimpse of the night's headliner, Clay Aiken, a runner-up from reality show "American Idol." A third woman, 25-year-old Angel Smith of Baltimore stood off to the side holding a purse bearing Aiken's image and ticked off the states where she had seen the singer perform since the end of July. New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and, now, Vermont.

"I never used to travel before he came along," Smith said. "I've flown for my second time the other day because of Clay."

It was then, a scant 30 minutes before the spiky-haired singer took to the stage, that I realized that I had been living a lie.

Here now, the review in it's entirety:

After Dark: At play with Clay

Published: Wednesday, August 31, 2005
By Erica Jacobson
Free Press Staff Writer

ESSEX JUNCTION -- I ran into my first Claymates on Monday night as I walked past the green wooden doors that separated a Champlain Valley Fair parking lot from the backstage area at the grandstand.

Two women had waited outside the doors, trying for a glimpse of the night's headliner, Clay Aiken, a runner-up from reality show "American Idol." A third woman, 25-year-old Angel Smith of Baltimore stood off to the side holding a purse bearing Aiken's image and ticked off the states where she had seen the singer perform since the end of July. New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and, now, Vermont.

"I never used to travel before he came along," Smith said. "I've flown for my second time the other day because of Clay."

It was then, a scant 30 minutes before the spiky-haired singer took to the stage, that I realized that I had been living a lie.

Contrary to everything in my musical past and my planned future purchases (the "La Dolce Vita" soundtrack, the new Franz Ferdinand album), I really, really like Clay Aiken.

"It's his voice, his looks," Smith said, explaining her Aiken fascination. "He just gives you a look out in the crowd and your heart just stops.

"It's like a high school crush."

Aiken, I sense, knows this all too well. His truly enamored fans wear rhinestone pins proclaiming "I luv Clay" and carry cell phones that chirp Aiken's hit "Invisible" with every call. They follow him from venue to venue, crossing continents and, in some cases, oceans to swoon as Aiken croons for a few hours on stage.

What I discovered Monday night is it's hard to blame them, really.

Aiken is an entertainer. Whether he's playing to a half-full fairgrounds show in Vermont or sold-out casino shows in New Jersey, he's out to please. His voice skipped across the decades, at home belting out everything from a few lines of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin" to Prince's "When Doves Cry" in its entirety. As Aiken approached the '70s portion of his multi-decade review, he admitted things were about to get a little messy " 'cos this skinny white boy can't dance so well."

"These feet are too big to dance around so much," Aiken said in his North Carolinian drawl.

Unlike other personalities born out of the reality TV revolution, Aiken seems down-to-earth. A trio of North Carolina women who had won tickets -- both plane and concert -- to see Aiken fanned themselves with $6 souvenir Aiken fans and gushed about his down-home charm before the show. During the concert, Aiken didn't demand adulation from the crowd, it just happened.

He also acknowledged Monday night that there might be a few nonfans in the stands.

"There are also gentlemen in the audience who did not want to be here," Aiken told the crowd, asking women to point out the boyfriends, husbands and dates who had begrudgingly tagged along. "They would much rather be eating a corn dog."

Now, as a no-frills concert purist, I thought the jukebox format of the show was a little risky.

Make it too choppy and the songs become unrecognizable. Make it too drawn-out and it turns into little more than spending a night at a karaoke bar watching friends belt out drunken versions of Elton John's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." Aiken managed a nice mix of hits, slow ballads as well as the occasional song sung entirely by one of his three back-up singers. And even Aiken's costume changes through the decades -- skinny tie with suit for the '60s, white leisure suit for the '70s -- weren't too excessive or frequent enough to confuse Aiken with a Ken doll.

As the last notes of "Invisible" echoed off the grandstand, I folded up my notebook and walked out to my car.

It wasn't supposed to be like this, I thought. I was supposed to see Aiken in concert, exorcise my infatuation and move on. Don't get me wrong, I'm not rushing out to buy his "Measure of a Man" CD. Whatever music of Aiken's I come to own will be between me and my iPod. I will say that I'm still wondering just where to get one of those handbags ... .

©BURLINGTON (VT) FREE PRESS

She gets it, she really gets it!    If you would like to give Erica a little love for her very nice review, her contact info is at the end of the online article.  Hit the link to show the Burlington VT Free Press we care!


 

[lorraine]

GOOD MORNING DEANNA AND FRIENDS.

LOVE READING SOME GOOD REVIEWS.  I WAS FEELING A LITTLE DOWN ABOUT THEM AND I UNDERSTAND NOT EVERYONE LOVES OUR HONEY AND I KNOW FOR SURE HE ISN'T PERFECT BUT PERFORMANCE WISE HE WAS TERRIFIC.

WILL BE CHECKING BACK FOR UPDATES.  ONLY TWO MORE CONCERTS AND OUR HONEY WILL BE LEAVING US FOR A LITTLE WHILE.   CRY! CRY! CRY!

PAM - THAT REVIEW MADE MY DAY.  I WILL DEFINITELY RESPOND TO HER.

HUGS
RAINEY AIKEN

[lorraine]

PAM - TOOK CARE OF THAT.  I HOPE EVERYONE TAKES THE TIME TO EMAIL HER. 

[sjlogghe]

What I discovered Monday night is it's hard to blame them, really.

Wow, some of the "outsiders" are finally getting it.   

Can't believe there's only 2 concerts left.  Wow, how time flies!!!  We will miss him, but it's been a great ride!!!  (And thankfully it won't be too long until he appears again)

Thanks for the news, have a great day everyone!!

[Marilyn]

COULDNT HELP IT, HAD TO POST MY REVIEW AT THAT CONCERTFAN WEBSITE THAT DEANNA POSTED FIRST ON THIS THREAD- HERE IT IS.

I have been privileged to see Clay in Concert at the Jukebox tour four times this summer- and each time he has not disappointed me or the myriad fans The critics put down the karaoke- people, this is a JUKEBOX tour- Clay didnt have a new album out yet, but his fans were clamoring to see him, so they put together this incredibly entertaining show. Touching on 5 decades of Billboard top 100 songs, Clay easily tackled any type song you could imagine- from Elvis to Buddy Holly to Rick Astley (who??) the songs flowed effortlessly from his golden throat. "I cant make you love me" is sung with passion and intensity- the audience is dead silent during the delivery of this song- and Clays voice ranges up and down the scale and sends chills down your spine. And not only does he sing, he gives us a history lesson, including the crowd in the seventies segment to see what major events happened during that decade. His sense of humor is undeniable, and the audience is made to feel part of the show One of the great segments is "Stump the Band" which he unfortunately has not done at every show - the audience gives them songs to do without prior knowledge, and the deed gets done very nicely. His band and his backup singers are wonderful, but Clay Aiken shines- and will for many years to come.

[ILClaymate]

LISTEN TO RADIOMAX ON SUNDAY!
From totlak at CV:

...found a message that Radio Max will be running a one hour special at 12:00 noon est. on Sunday and through out the day. They will celebrate Clay's final shows of the Jukebox tour and will have some surprise songs as well.

[IndyClayFan]

Good Morning! 

Yay a repeat of scrubs!! 


Thanks for the news! 

[Pamela]

Marilyn, that was an outstanding review of Clay and the JBT!  Good job!   

If anyone graces them with an opinion, please feel free to post it here! 

[wvclayfan]

...found a message that Radio Max will be running a one hour special at 12:00 noon est. on Sunday and through out the day. They will celebrate Clay's final shows of the Jukebox tour and will have some surprise songs as well.

Surprise songs?? Woohoo!

It wasn't supposed to be like this, I thought. I was supposed to see Aiken in concert, exorcise my infatuation and move on. Don't get me wrong, I'm not rushing out to buy his "Measure of a Man" CD. Whatever music of Aiken's I come to own will be between me and my iPod. I will say that I'm still wondering just where to get one of those handbags ... .

Ahhh ... a closet fan! That's okay, they all make an appearance sooner or later! And, I think she could check eBay for those purses!

Thanks for the news ladies! I definetly gave Erica some love!

[JoJo]

From the CH

"Of course the god of joy and leisure did not travel on his own. He was accompanied by a noisy crowd. Among them were women who danced in an energetic way...."
"He helped people forget about their concerns and put a smile on the faces. Wherever he went celebrations would break out and nothing else could be heard but the merry sounds of the musical instruments and lively songs. How is it possible then that these people couldn't worship this god?"
"The festivals that would take place in honor of him were a never ending celebration, where everybody got drunk and sang. In this way they tried to communicate with their favorite god."
" The sum of what he has to teach his followers is that they cannot really experience reality unless their basic emotional characteristics are allowed to guide them. The world cannot be seen as it truly is unless one becomes mad in society's eyes, because a sane mind has closed eyes."

Such was the effect of Dionysus. But if you thought of Clay, who could blame you? *g*

[CLAYMATEFL]

Great news day today.  Thanks for keeping us up to date.

[heater]

Thanks ladies!

Can't wait to listen to RadioMax on Sunday...that sounds awesome! 

[WilsonClaymate]

Thanks to everyone for the reviews, news and info on Radiomax.  That's why we love ANN--we want to know everything we can about Clay.

It was great to read the reviews today.  If only more people would just give in and admit the man is amazing.

[ANGELA]

THANKS FOR THE NEWS ON "OUR GUY".

I wrote a nice e-mail to Erica for the positive review

ANGELA