Thankful Measure Tour: AMEN!!

[SweetHGirl]

Ok I felt like I needed to post a bit of positivity to those who are extremely one-sided, closed-minded and hate the idea of this tour. I've seen members from several boards bash the snot out of either Clay or Kelly, and is that really necessary? What good comes out of that? What will change when you say things like that?? I am tired of hearing how one or the other is a better singer, better performer, better person. You know what, they BOTH have redeeming qualities about them..and not every fan of one will like the other. I understand that..I have actually been one of those fans. Many of you here will not know who I am, mostly because I am a dedicated fan of Kelly's. Truthfully, on AI2 I thought Clay was a good guy and he has one of the biggest hearts. He is a true example of a celebrity doing what he loves, and giving back to the people..I admire him for that. As far as his singing and stage presence, I was not a fan. NOW before you guys jump on me (LOL), let me tell you that this was not my intention..coming over here and preaching about Kelly. That's not at all what I will get to..  :

I was watching the Billboard Music Awards several weeks ago, to mainly see Kelly, of course. I knew Clay was going to be there, and I thought nothing of it. However, I gained a lot of respect for him because he showed nothing but professionalism and he was one of the best perfomers that night, if not THE best. That surprised me, because as I've said, I was never a big fan of his live. Yet, I'm glad seeing him that night opened my eyes..because I had been one of those people who was closed-minded, unfortunately. Then, I saw him with Kelly and their interaction..how adorable! They seem to be good friends, and are completely supportive of each other. That says a lot about both of them. That was the first night that I said..you know what, I could like Clay. Why not give him a chance?? He didn't have to turn into my favorite singer ever, but why not see what he has to offer? So yesterday, I went out and bought Measure of a Man. My honest opinion? GREAT CD..wonderful choice of writers! There is only one song on that CD that I don't care for at all, but the others rule that one dislike out. I popped the CD in my CD player right when I bought it (it's been on repeat ever since), and I was very pleasantly surprised to hear how mature, rich, and different Clay's voice can sound on a variety of songs! This was the Clay that I liked to hear..  :D  I went into buying the CD, not planning on hating it, but not planning on having any of the songs stick in my head. But boy was I wrong..I am absolutely in LOVE with a few tracks on there: When You Say You Love Me, Touch, The Way, and Measure of a Man is just beautiful. Period. I am highly impressed..

So, to sum up this rather lengthy post (Yes, thank you LOL), I am extremely excited to see this joint co-headlining tour! Of course I will be going there first and foremost to see Kelly..but I am anxiously awaiting to hear Clay's songs live as well. I can't wait for the little surprises we will get from both of them. I think this tour will bring MANY good things for Clay & Kelly, namely critical acclaim! I think the critics will realize how special and wonderful these two people are..as people in general, as singers/performers. I see many magazine covers..seperately, and together. Mostly, I am hoping that the fans of Kelly will see how great Clay is and will be shocked to be moved and taping their feet to his songs..same goes for fans, such as yourselves, with Kelly. Bring on the tour! Cheers for your man and kudos for my girl! I am PUMPED!!

Much love,
~Heather~

PS--If any of you want to get in touch with me, feel free to hop on over to the KCExpress because I might miss something here and there, as I will be posting this on several boards. Take care!

[lorilovesgolf]

SweetHGirl - you are going to have to repost that with your font in white - it is unreadable.

[SweetHGirl]

Sorry about that..I did not know the purple color would be that dark against the background! It is fixed!

Much love,
~Heather~

[caramel131]

Sweetgirl - I agree with you regarding this tour.  As fans, we need to be supportive of both artists.  It is my hope that the tours goes really well for the both of them.  They are both great singers.

[houstonclayfan]

Heather, you made my day  :P  :   Thank you so much for opening your heart to Clay and for picking our site to share your wonderful news. There are a lot of Kelly and Clay fans out there, including myself. I own both CDs as well. Its great to hear that Clay has a new fan and spread the word to your Kelly fanatics that having Clay tour with her isnt so bad :P  :   Just remember to save a concert ticket for me  :P  :   Welcome to our home and come back and visit often.

[Leveland]

Heather I agree with my Texas Buddy.. Welcome to our Home.  I can honestly tell you that I have not seen Kelly bashing on this board.  I do post at other boards that have been awful to her.  And I have read some really ugly Clay Bashing on Kellys boards.  I was really hurt when I read that Some Kelly fans wrote a petition to not have this concert.  But they seem to be happy about it, So I will be too.  I voted for Kelly on AI1 and I think she has a lot of talent.  Of course I am first and formost a Clay Fan.  

We hope many fans open their minds to both of these great Artists.  You have shown what a REAL Fan should be.  

Thanks for posting, and come back anytime.  

Love Terry

[Pamela]

Heather, thanks for reaching out.  

You didn't see any bashing on this board, because it's not allowed.  However, people here are free to speak their minds about Clay and Kelly both as long as they stay on a non personal level, and they won't be censored for that.  Most people here are able to state their opinions in a mature fashion.

I too have read some disturbing things on several boards. All it serves to do is reinforce the perception that some fans of AI alums are nut cases.  Not good for either fan base, or fandoms in general.  I doubt very seriously if Kelly or Clay find this amusing or appropriate.

This tour is not a competition.  It's a joint collaborative effort by two wonderful singers with strong and loyal fan bases.  It would behoove everyone to do everything possible to insure that this tour is a success.

Because that may be the only way to insure that there is another tour.

[SweetHGirl]

Thank you guys for your wonderful comments..I just wish everyone would open their eyes, ears, and hearts to figure out what truly talented and wonderful people we are blessed to have in our lives! Two very generous individuals who share their many talents with us..makes me proud.



You are right, I have NOT seen any Kelly bashing here, and that's probably the main reason I posted what I did at this board first.  : And thank you for the warm welcome..I might just have to visit often!

Much love,
~Heather~

[Misha]

Hello Heather.

My name is Misha and I'll take this moment to share with you my lil story.  I was browsing through the stations and I saw this "American Idol" show on FOX.  I skipped right past it, because I hadn't a clue what it was all about, but I saw it on again the next night and thought, oh what the heck, why not take a looksee.

It was the final show of the first season of American Idol where they announced the winners.  Now, I didn't have the "luck" of being able to watch the entire season, but from the one performance I saw, I went out when Kelly Clarkson's CD came out and bought it.  (same with Justin Guarini, though I did think Kelly was better than Justin)

Now, I am the first to admit that I do like most of Kelly's songs on her CD and have even bought some of her songs on Karaoke and sang them at one of my friends wedding.  And I decided, I wonder if they will have talent like that at the second American Idol.  That is when that thief of hearts (Clay) stole mine.  But though he has my heart and fanship forever, I still very much appreciate good music.  And so I am hoping beyond hope that they announce a concert somewhere (anywhere) near me, because Kelly got me into AI and Clay is the reason I am, well... truth be told, almost always on the floor with my heart thudding.  I'm very much looking forward to the concert.

With that said, glad to meet you!

Misha

P.S.  If anybody tries to bash Kelly here, you just let me know and I'll sic Simon on them.  *winks*

[ANGELA]

HEATHER,

I AM GLAD YOU POSTED WITH US---I MYSELF WANTED KELLY TO WIN FOR AI I,  AND I ALSO LOVE HER CD---ALL HER SONGS ARE JUST GREAT---
ALSO THANKS FOR GIVING CLAY A CHANCE AND FOR SAYING ALL THOSE NICE THINGS ABOUT HIM--EVERYONE HERE LOVES CLAY.   SO IT WAS SO NICE OF YOU TO HAVE SUCH KIND WORDS.  I HONESTLY THINK KELLY AND CLAY WILL COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER VERY WELL.

I AM JUST PRAYING THEY COME TO MASSACHUSETTS.

THANKS AGAIN HEATHER FOR YOUR KIND WORDS.

ANGELA

[Clayton Clayniac]

Hi, Heather!    Welcome to Claymaniacs!  I too got hooked on AI toward the end of the first series because I happened to be flipping channels looking for something - anything - decent to watch and stopped at AI when I heard her voice!  She was mezmerizing!  So I thank Kelly for that!!  Her album is wonderful, and I'm looking forward to the next one.  I think she and Clay together on tour will be incredible.  We are so lucky to have found those two!  Good, decent music has finally come back!  Thank the Lord!!

[mackncsu]

Welcome Heather!
Thanks for the post. I hope that you will continue to visit our home!!

[ClayBuf]

It is actually quite refreshing to be on a board with people who have such a great attitude about the tour being a joint tour with Clay & Kelly. So -- thank you all for that.

A few people on one of the email groups I belong to, just went ballistic over this back when the rumors began to surface. Some of them were even starting petitions for Clay do a solo tour. All I could think was "oh come on, people - get a grip!" The "powers that be" certainly knew what they doing when they put this together - and obviously Clay & Kelly agreed to it.

It actually makes sense when you think about it. They both have similar audiences in the pop world and, as was mentioned, a solid loyal fan base, and both can sell albums.

But, each of them are still unproven in the business as far as being a concert draw. (although Clay seemed to be the crowd favorite at most of the AI dates last summer) It makes sense to put them together to ensure a successful tour. A succesful tour will give each of them more credibility. Anything that turns attention to both of them as artists and begins to take them on their own path away from American Idol is a good thing. There are a lot of music acts out there that can sell records, but that doesn't always translate into successful tours to back the record sales.

I'm particularly glad that it isn't Clay and Ruben on tour together. As much as I like Ruben, the "Clay & Ruben" thing is getting beat to death. They each want to carve their own path for their careers, and the longer they keep getting put together, the longer it will take each of them to break the AI mold and have success on their own.

Unfortunately, there are too many fans of music artists that get so carried away with things sometimes, that it actually can hurt an artist's reputation. I'd hate to see that happen for Clay or Kelly.

Anyway - (guess I should have posted this in the "Soap Box" thread, huh?)I just wanted to say that I appreciate the healthy attitude that a lot of you have for the "Co-Tour". It can do nothing but help both Clay and Kelly in the long run. I'm really looking forward to seeing Kelly live, and I'm going NUTS waiting to be able to see Clay live and in person!!

Thanks for "listening" if you made it this far!

~Buffi .....
..... who let out a scream of sheer joy when she saw the tour dates and saw that Clay was coming to Omaha, and right after my birthday, no less!!
WOO HOO!!

[Pamela]

Buffi, congratulations on the Omaha concert, what a grand birthday present for you.   :)

I'm not about to tell people who to support or who to be a fan of; but  treating both Clay and Kelly with respect is the right thing to do; showing kindness is always the right thing to do.  

They obviously agreed to tour together, and that's all that matters.  These venues are mostly the same size as the stops on the AI tours.  I believe Kelly has mostly played smaller venues when solo, and Clay hasn't toured solo at all.  I hope all the concert dates sell out!  That would be a nice statement to the music establishment.   8)

[lorilovesgolf]

I am very excited to see Kelly and Clay together - two for the price of one.  Clay is still my favorite but when I heard they were going on tour together - I bought Kelly's CD - I just love her newest song that is out.

[ClayBuf]

Thanks , Pamela! We have been so concert starved here in Omaha because our old venue didn't hold enouh people to get good shows. Our brand new Qwest Center just opened a few months ago, and now we are getting good concerts again, the BEST of which will be on March 24th! LOL

You are absolutely right - respect and kindness is what it is all about. And it can do nothing but shed an even better light on both Clay and Kelly if that's where the fans are coming from. Even if I didn't care for Kelly, I would still be respectful of the fact that this is how they have decided to do the tour, and would want to do nothing other than support their decision.

By the way, thank you for all the great work you do on this site. All of you do a great job. It is awesome all of the great info and goodies you come up with to share with us. It is truly appreciated!

~Buffi

[CFCF]

Heather, you are now, what is formally called by all us Claymaniacs:
a CLAYVERT :D  HOORAY for you and us! This is so much fun, eh? My DH is slowly turning. Kelly, I think is the reason he is actualy agreeing to go to the concert, he loves her album, but I'm hoping when he sees OMC, he'll be clayverted too :