INDEPENDENT TOUR MEDIA REVIEWS

[BlownAway]

CLAY SHINES IN CITY HE CALLS 'HOME'

Even tour partner Kelly Clarkson gets in on the fans' adulation of
Aiken

COURTNEY DEVORES

"It's pretty close to a perfect day if I do say so myself," Clay Aiken
beamed, as he finished singing "A Perfect Day" two songs into his set at Charlotte Coliseum Tuesday. "My first concert tour and I get to open it here, at home."

Aiken's appearance Tuesday in Charlotte wasn't just another concert. It
was opening night of his co-headlining tour with "American Idol" first-year winner Kelly Clarkson.

For many area fans, the homecoming of last year's Idol runner-up and
UNC Charlotte grad was an event. Two local fan groups, Charlotte
Claymates and M'Aiken a Difference, gathered late Tuesday afternoon at area restaurants to share the anticipation.

For many the Charlotte date is just the first in a string of stops on
the tour.

Lily Elkins, 14, of Durham and her mother plan on catching Aiken in
Raleigh and Winston-Salem as well.

"I didn't watch the first `American Idol,' " Lily said shortly after Clarkson's set. "But I started watching the second one the night they showed Clay's tryout. I liked both Ruben and Clay, then Clay did `Grease' and I saw him sing in Raleigh and I was a Clay fan from there."

Clarkson, whose fiery voice rivals today's top pop divas, looked ever the down-to-earth country girl in baggy, ripped jeans, a vintage "Love That Country Music" baby T-shirt, and bare feet. The only hint of diva from the Texas native was her glitter eye shadow and the blue bustier and crop pants she later sported through Reba McEntire's "Why Haven't I Heard From You?"

Clarkson didn't seem to mind handing over the spotlight to Aiken. She
even made her own "I Love Clay" tee. While she belted out gospel, jazz
and pop numbers with energetic vigor, she saved the one-two punch of "A
Moment Like This," her "American Idol" winner, and her No. 1 hit "Miss
Independent" for last.

"I wasn't a big Kelly fan, but she was wonderful," said Amanda Garrett, 24, of Asheville, who wore a pair of homemade Clay earrings with two
Clay faces hovering above her shoulders.

Spurred on by chants of "We Want Clay," Aiken surprised everyone by
entering from the audience. His backup singers sang the first few bars of
Mr. Mister's '80s hit "Kyrie," as Aiken joined in from the back of the arena followed by a swarm of security guards. Wearing a pin-striped blue shirt and tie, gray, striped slacks and white Nikes, Aiken soared through songs like "No More Sad Songs," and "Without You," a duet with backup singer Kiana Parlor, whom he met during his Idol tryout here in Charlotte. The duet is a new one, which Aiken recorded with former Idol contestant and roommate Kimberly Locke for her upcoming debut album.

When Aiken sang the lyrics "When you say you love me do you mean it" he was met with deafening cheers. Aiken played up his heartthrob image by pulling on his button-down shirt as if he'd tear it off during his current hit "Invisible."

Despite Aiken's local celebrity, the Coliseum was far from sold out. The top tier balcony was blacked out and second-row seats were made
available the day of the show.

 
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

[outthereforclay]

According to some people who were at the concert, the concert was sold out per the seats made available for sale. The nosebleed section was never offered for sale, as is common in a really big arena. The other thing to remember is that venues often have primo seats that they don't offer for sale until a week before or even the same day as the concert. I remember Pamela saying that's how she was in the front row at last summer's Raleigh AI tour concert. She got that ticket the day of the concert!

This reporter obviously was in a hurry to make a deadline...needed a "fact checker" :  :

[claydefender]

You're right, that guy does need a "Fak Chicker" (I loved it when he said that on Jimmi Kimmell).  
I live in the Annapolis, MD area and am attending the concert on March 5th at the MCI Center in Wash, DC.  I was able to get my tickets the day before they actually went on sale (back in January).  I thought we had gotten pretty good tickets until I checked yesterday, just for the heck of it, to see what was available.  NOT FAIR!!!    I found GREAT seats, 4 sections closer to the stage than where our group is sitting.  
I'm sure people think that there are no good tickets left at this point, and therefore don't even try.  That's why some of these concerts don't sell out.  
They blackout good sections until the week before the show.  
That's how I attained good seats a week before the AI 2 concert back in July.  I went online one week before the show just for grins, and  guess what, I got great seats overlooking the stage (of course I broke my foot 5 days before the show and had to turn in my tickets for handicapp seats, but they were still very good.)
No matter what the newspaper articles say, the shows will be a big success. Anything, with Clay involved will be a HUGE success!
One more thing, don't you all find it funny that Simon is comparing AI contestants this year to Clay??  Guess what Simon, not one of the "Measures Up"!

[shaikeninseattle]

Right on, Claydefender!  Simon keeps saying that YODER guy has a voice like Clay and I want to slap him silly! He can hit a note now and then, but sound like CLAY?? :  : That's probably one of the stupidest things I've ever heard! :evil:  :evil:  :roll:  :roll:

[Leveland]

TAMPA TRIBUNE LINK

TAMPA - If crowd reaction is any measure of who is the real ``American Idol,'' give the crown to Clay Aiken.
The spiked-hair crooner who looks like a younger version of Barry Manilow was greeted with screams from adoring fans, known as ``Claymates,'' on Friday night at the St. Pete Times Forum.

The audience of 10,823 was predominantly female and of all ages - from grandmothers to preteens.

Appearing with first ``American Idol'' winner Kelly Clarkson, Aiken, the runner-up on the last ``American Idol'' series, brought the women to their feet when he made a dramatic entrance from the back of the arena and walked down through the crowd surrounded by body guards.

Although Clarkson and Aiken share equal billing and are alternating as headliners on this 30-city tour, Aiken clearly was the crowd favorite.

The 25-year-old from Raleigh, N.C., played to the faithful with little endearing touches such as picking up a cell phone from a woman near the stage and singing into it, signing autographs and performing ``Happy Birthday'' to an ecstatic girl named Stephanie.

The duo have said this tour would focus on their music and there would be no fireworks, exotic costumes, big dance numbers or lip-syncing.

From a low-tech setting, Aiken breezed through ``No More Sad Songs,'' ``I Survived You,'' ``Perfect Day'' and ``When You Say You Love Me.''

His ``Measure of a Man'' brought screams with almost every line.

His cover of Leo Sayer's ``When I Need You'' and Prince's ``When Doves Cry'' were crowd pleasers.

He also performed ``Without You,'' a new duet with backup singer Kiana Parlor, a friend he met during his ``Idol'' tryout in Charlotte, N.C.

Aiken has recorded the song with former ``Idol'' contestant Kimberly Locke for her upcoming debut album.

Clarkson opened. The 21- year-old from Texas seemed to speed through a no-frills performance of about a dozen songs off her albums.

Blame it on the sound system, but the distortion was so bad that only those who knew the lyrics could decipher what she was singing.

Clarkson had little interplay with the audience, which seemed subdued between her sets and came to life briefly when she did numbers such as ``A Moment Like This.''

[clayfannj]

Thanks for the article, Terry... I've been anxious to see reviews... Love your new AVIE..

[LiftClayUp]

Thanks Terry.   21 days until it is our turn.

[dudley5]

This was a fantastic review for CLAY but poor Kelly - if she reads this  :

[lorraine]

Great review.  It seems as each concert happens we hear they same good things.  People screaming as he melts all of us through his wonderful music.  I know the countdown to March 8th is right around the corner.  I will be one of those screaming and melting as he sings.  How can you not .  I was much younger when Barry Manilow sang and he still didn't have the same effect that Clay has had on me.  No way, no how.  I can't wait.
Right Linda, Angela & Deanna?



Lorraine

[rainbow231]

: I just wanted to tell everyone that the show here in tampa was absolutley phenomenal. Clay ROCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! His vocals were fantastic and he even did a little dancing. as for the Barry manilow comment I saw Barry a long time ago and he did not come close to clay. He is on his way to being a superstar for sure. It really showed me who really one American Idol,and it wasn't Rueben!!! He was completly at home on stage. not to mention he was absolutly gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!

[Char]

Thanks for posting that review :) I have been anxiously checking to see what has happened so far on the tour . Can't wait to see Clay in St. Louis now- I have bumped my tickets from top tier seating to floor- 13th row now! And hearing that Clay make walk in through the crowd makes me even more anxious for the show!!

- Char

[LiL CrAzZy ClAyMaTe 144]

: Clay Aiken is mah idol and im one of his biggest fans. Somepeople i've talked 2 say that his concert was abomb  :roll: but i will and am looking foward to his concert anyway{i am going to see his cancert in New York} Clay's performance will shine any way it can and if the seats arent filled in down infront.....what these are mah seats!

[Pamela]

I decided to put all the concert media reviews into one thread for easy reference.  Feel free to add any general media reviews you may find!

If you would like to discuss any of the reviews, they are still posted in the individual concert threads.

This thread will be archived in the library at the end of the tour.

[Pamela]

CHARLOTTE

CLAY SHINES IN CITY HE CALLS 'HOME'

Even tour partner Kelly Clarkson gets in on the fans' adulation of
Aiken
By Courtney Devores

"It's pretty close to a perfect day if I do say so myself," Clay Aiken
beamed, as he finished singing "A Perfect Day" two songs into his set at Charlotte Coliseum Tuesday. "My first concert tour and I get to open it here, at home."

Aiken's appearance Tuesday in Charlotte wasn't just another concert. It
was opening night of his co-headlining tour with "American Idol" first-year winner Kelly Clarkson.

For many area fans, the homecoming of last year's Idol runner-up and
UNC Charlotte grad was an event. Two local fan groups, Charlotte
Claymates and M'Aiken a Difference, gathered late Tuesday afternoon at area restaurants to share the anticipation.

For many the Charlotte date is just the first in a string of stops on
the tour.

Lily Elkins, 14, of Durham and her mother plan on catching Aiken in
Raleigh and Winston-Salem as well.

"I didn't watch the first `American Idol,' " Lily said shortly after Clarkson's set. "But I started watching the second one the night they showed Clay's tryout. I liked both Ruben and Clay, then Clay did `Grease' and I saw him sing in Raleigh and I was a Clay fan from there."

Clarkson, whose fiery voice rivals today's top pop divas, looked ever the down-to-earth country girl in baggy, ripped jeans, a vintage "Love That Country Music" baby T-shirt, and bare feet. The only hint of diva from the Texas native was her glitter eye shadow and the blue bustier and crop pants she later sported through Reba McEntire's "Why Haven't I Heard From You?"

Clarkson didn't seem to mind handing over the spotlight to Aiken. She
even made her own "I Love Clay" tee. While she belted out gospel, jazz
and pop numbers with energetic vigor, she saved the one-two punch of "A
Moment Like This," her "American Idol" winner, and her No. 1 hit "Miss
Independent" for last.

"I wasn't a big Kelly fan, but she was wonderful," said Amanda Garrett, 24, of Asheville, who wore a pair of homemade Clay earrings with two
Clay faces hovering above her shoulders.

Spurred on by chants of "We Want Clay," Aiken surprised everyone by
entering from the audience. His backup singers sang the first few bars of
Mr. Mister's '80s hit "Kyrie," as Aiken joined in from the back of the arena followed by a swarm of security guards. Wearing a pin-striped blue shirt and tie, gray, striped slacks and white Nikes, Aiken soared through songs like "No More Sad Songs," and "Without You," a duet with backup singer Kiana Parlor, whom he met during his Idol tryout here in Charlotte. The duet is a new one, which Aiken recorded with former Idol contestant and roommate Kimberly Locke for her upcoming debut album.

When Aiken sang the lyrics "When you say you love me do you mean it" he was met with deafening cheers. Aiken played up his heartthrob image by pulling on his button-down shirt as if he'd tear it off during his current hit "Invisible."

Despite Aiken's local celebrity, the Coliseum was far from sold out. The top tier balcony was blacked out and second-row seats were made
available the day of the show.

 
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

[Pamela]

ATLANTA

CONCERT: 'Idols' appearance at Arena a wild success

Not a seat was left at the Arena at Gwinnett Center for the Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken show Wednesday night.

"The show was sold out, totally," said Arena booking manager Jerry Goldman.

The crowd? More diverse than expected. A mix of children, teens and adults came to see the former "American Idol" contestants perform.

ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION

[Pamela]

TAMPA

CLAY SOARS KELLY RUSHES

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published February 28, 2004

TAMPA - Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken followed starmaking turns on American Idol with top-selling singles and albums. Friday at the St. Pete Times Forum, they tested whether their talents could resonate beyond the confines of the TV screen.

It wasn't presented to be a competition, but come on - these two got their careers from a competition. And while Clarkson was the first American Idol champion, Aiken - the second-season runnerup - easily stole the show.

The co-headliners followed opening act The Neu Sisters with separate sets, except for a show-capping duet of Journey's Open Arms. They alternate the opening and closing slots each night.

Clarkson was first up Friday, and her set played nothing like a true headlining gig. Instead, it was largely rushed and graceless.

A ponytailed Clarkson, while in good voice, sang with little passion and even seemed distracted. She steamrolled through most of her album Thankful like she was in a Fear Factor challenge, with barely a breath between songs.

Her delivery was largely uninspired, improving only a little with her set closers: The Idol signature A Moment Like This and her hit single Miss Independent. She sang them in a T-shirt that read "Clay Rocks" - ultimately her one resonating statement of the night.

Aiken ran right off with the show, dramatically appearing from the back of the arena to lead the band through a cover of Mr. Mister's 1980s hit Kyrie, rousing the crowd of 19,823. All night, he was charismatic and assured. Unlike Clarkson, he seemed completely at home onstage.

True, Aiken's smaller-than-life appearance was only magnified - or is that minimized - by the arena around him.

When Aiken sang I Will Carry You off his album Measure of a Man, one had to wonder: Clay, just exactly whom could you possibly carry? Mini Me? Whitney Houston?

It's too bad some of Aiken's material isn't better: The cheesy verses of I Survived You were indistinguishable from a Jack Black parody. But darned if Aiken - no doubt a fan of the word "darned" - didn't preach it like it was gospel, and darned if the crowd didn't buy every syllable.

Aiken closed by aping Prince - come to think of it, there's a guy he could carry - with a cover of When Doves Cry.

Few sights on earth could be stranger than Aiken dancing amorously with a lovely backup singer, crooning to her "the sweat of your body covers me . . . can you picture this?"

She's can't, we can't and Clay can't, but he knows it, and that makes him immensely appealing.

He's in on the joke, but his talent is serious, and Friday he seemed every inch the star. As for Clarkson - how about From Justin to Kelly II?

ST PETE TIMES

Vocal Fans Idolize Aiken's Endearing Touches

By Walt Belcher
wbelcher@tampatrib.com
Published: Feb 28, 2004

TAMPA - If crowd reaction is any measure of who is the real "American Idol,'' give the crown to Clay Aiken. The spiked-hair crooner who looks like a younger version of Barry Manilow was greeted with screams from adoring fans, known as "Claymates,'' on Friday night at the St. Pete Times Forum.

The audience of 10,823 was predominantly female and of all ages - from grandmothers to preteens.

Appearing with first "American Idol'' winner Kelly Clarkson, Aiken, the runner-up on the last "American Idol'' series, brought the women to their feet when he made a dramatic entrance from the back of the arena and walked down through the crowd surrounded by body guards.

Although Clarkson and Aiken share equal billing and are alternating as headliners on this 30-city tour, Aiken clearly was the crowd favorite.

The 25-year-old from Raleigh, N.C., played to the faithful with little endearing touches such as picking up a cell phone from a woman near the stage and singing into it, signing autographs and performing "Happy Birthday'' to an ecstatic girl named Stephanie.

The duo have said this tour would focus on their music and there would be no fireworks, exotic costumes, big dance numbers or lip-syncing.

From a low-tech setting, Aiken breezed through "No More Sad Songs,'' "I Survived You,'' "Perfect Day'' and "When You Say You Love Me.''

His "Measure of a Man'' brought screams with almost every line.

His cover of Leo Sayer's "When I Need You'' and Prince's "When Doves Cry'' were crowd pleasers.

He also performed "Without You,'' a new duet with backup singer Kiana Parlor, a friend he met during his "Idol'' tryout in Charlotte, N.C.

Aiken has recorded the song with former "Idol'' contestant Kimberly Locke for her upcoming debut album.

Clarkson opened. The 21- year-old from Texas seemed to speed through a no-frills performance of about a dozen songs off her albums.

Blame it on the sound system, but the distortion was so bad that only those who knew the lyrics could decipher what she was singing.

Clarkson had little interplay with the audience, which seemed subdued between her sets and came to life briefly when she did numbers such as "A Moment Like This.''

TAMPA TRIBUNE

[Pamela]

MIAMI

'American Idols' lack independence

By Charles Passy, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 1, 2004

MIAMI -- If there was any doubt that Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson are trying to distance themselves from their American Idol success, it ended soon after their respective arrivals at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Saturday night.

And one needed to look no farther than the pants they wore.

Aiken, who placed second to Ruben Studdard on last year's Idol, sported a scruffy pair of jeans that were a little too down-and-dirty for his clean-cut image. Clarkson, who was the 2002 Idol victor, went to greater extremes: Her jeans were cut, ripped, shredded and torn. Granted, she's got a wilder side than Aiken, but Courtney Love, she's not.

In the end, however, clothes couldn't make the man -- or woman. Aiken and Clarkson's strengths remain what they were during each of their Idol runs. He's a big-hearted belter in a pure pop vein. She's a soul sister with a country-gal streak.

But even then, neither is a fully formed star. Oh, they both tried during their respective hourlong performances in the double-bill, dubbed the Independent tour, but they never quite hit the glittering mark.

Aiken went first, opening with a headstrong, declarative cover of Mr. Mister's '80s favorite, Kyrie, a song well-suited to his more-is-more artistic approach. He soon followed with a set drawn largely from his debut album, Measure of a Man. But the tunes were all painted in bright primary colors, leaving no room for subtlety. And Aiken pushed so hard, his voice began to grate -- or worse yet, teeter-totter and crack.

Indeed, what was missing from his music-making was the kind of easy grace he demonstrated when he spoke directly to the crowd. At one point, he grabbed a cellphone from a female fan and talked to the person -- in this case, the fan's mother -- on the line. He's not the first to try such an attention-getting device, but his affection for his fan base is clearly genuine. (And of the thousands in the audience, the Aiken contingent -- or "Claymates" -- was the loudest.)

Clarkson, on the other hand, demonstrated a much more varied artistry, but came up slightly short in the personality department. At heart, she's something of a roots rocker, a singer who's at home in styles that are, at turns, funky, swampy, sassy and occasionally lyrical. She did a fine cover of Reba McEntire's Why Haven't I Heard from You -- all twang and attitude -- but was just as quick on the draw with Anytime, a "big old mother of a ballad" as she called it.

But what Clarkson couldn't offer was a sense of emotional connection. She didn't necessarily rush through her set, but she didn't slow it down, either. (Three costume changes in the space of an hour didn't help.) In the process, she sang soul without revealing a hint of her own soul.

Clarkson and Aiken teamed up for one final number, a predictable, play-it-safe rendition of Journey's Open Arms. (As Simon might have said, "That was American Idol: The Musical.") For this pair to take it to the next level, they'll each have to find a stronger path to independence.

PALM BEACH POST

Aiken and Clarkson show off Idol mettle

By Jennifer Peltz
Staff Writer
Posted March 1 2004

MIAMI - Clay Aiken isn't the type of heartthrob who gets women's underwear thrown at him. He's the type who gets women's cell phones thrust at him, with their mothers on the line.

And he is the type who talks to their mothers, as about 7,100 people learned Saturday at the AmericanAirlines Arena.
 
Even if it was a stunt -- and it didn't appear to be -- it's this sort of accessibility that helped make the careers of Aiken and tour mate Kelly Clarkson, two of the most successful graduates of TV's American Idol. Ask fans what they see in the two, and most will marvel that the populist-pop stars started out as unknowns. Never mind that so did most other stars. The Idols, explained Kami Churba of Plantation, "don't seem to forget it."

They made sure to send that message Saturday, whether by means of Clarkson's frayed jeans and bare feet or Aiken's confession that he wasn't quite sure how to look smooth while navigating his set's stairs.

But Aiken was more than able to sound smooth while reproducing Perfect Day, Invisible and much of the rest of his double-platinum debut album, Measure of a Man.

He managed to look mildly convincing making eyes at a backup singer during a cover of Prince's When Doves Cry, but the self-professed nerd's specialty is a squeaky-clean sincerity. With his loose-limbed walk, jacket-and-jeans wardrobe and half-shy stage moves, Aiken comes off like a John Cusack character, and it's impossible not to be won over by him. The average member of his audience didn't just like him -- she'd like to have him for a son-in-law.

Clarkson may not inspire whatever it is that makes grown women call themselves "Claymates," but she's a punchier performer with a wider-ranging repertoire. And she plays a bit of guitar -- if with a feather boa for a strap -- and shares writing credit on some of her own double-platinum disc, Thankful.

Clarkson proved equally at home with the r&b-flavored title song, Miss Independent's strut and the country-style takedown of Reba McEntire's Why Haven't I Heard From You. A piano-only version of her own album's Beautiful Disaster proved she has an ear for mood as well as music.

For all their ability, the Idols do little to harness music's power to challenge, advance the cause of human creativity or even stop listeners in their tracks. And the armchair democracy that creates them does little to promote it. As Aiken fan Carolann Bailey of Daytona Beach put it, she likes his record because you can turn it on while you're doing whatever you want to do around the house.

But to take issue with these duly elected celebrities is virtually to be branded unpatriotic. They are officially idols (despite coming in second on the TV show, in Aiken's case), and who's to say they shouldn't be? When ordinary people go on reality shows to prove they can be stars while stars go on reality shows to prove they can be ordinary people, the vanishing point where the sidelines meet the stage can't be far off. In the future, everyone will be obscure for 15 minutes.

SUN SENTINEL

'American Idol' stars show strong signs of development

Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken display growth and vocal chops Saturday at Miami's AmericanAirlines Arena making for an appealing post-Idol concert.

By Howard Cohen
hcohen@herald.com

It's always gratifying to watch an artist display growth. In this regard, this first coheadlining tour from American Idol stars Kelly Clarkson, season one winner, and Clay Aiken, season two runner-up, proved the TV reality show just may be capable of unleashing genuine artists after all.

Need proof? Aiken sang Prince's 1984 classic When Doves Cry. It would seem impossible to find two people with less in common than wholesome Aiken, a singer some have called ''vanilla,'' and randy Prince, who used to perform in bikini underwear while simulating copulation.

True, both have spoken of spirituality, but Prince has always merged sex into the equation. ''Animals strike curious poses / They feel the heat, the heat between me and you,'' Aiken sang, grinding a bit against his background singer.

The display was probably sexy only to Aiken's devoted fans who run all ages, but that's beside the point. He sang his unlikely selection extremely well, revealing the gospel roots of the tune by opening it as a ballad amid hearty piano chords, and then taking it to a rousing finish.

The performance Saturday night showed that the poised, charismatic and confident Aiken can handle more than the unchallenging, overproduced pop mush of The Way and When You Say You Love Me that his producers have saddled him with so far.

Clarkson, however, earned her headlining status in Miami with her energetic hour. (The two are swapping opening and closing slots on the tour and end together with a grandiose duet on Journey's 1981 power ballad, Open Arms).

Clarkson's set wasn't perfect. She rushed it, seldom pausing except to introduce a song. She lacks Aiken's assurance and personality -- he was clearly the sparse crowd's favorite -- but she proved more musically inclined. She played guitar on a few songs (not well but, hey, she's trying) and offered more stylistic departures from pop/R&B into rock (a rearrangment of her single, Low), country-blues (a spot-on sassy cover of Reba McEntire's Why Haven't I Heard From You) and the convincing big-band strut of Stuff Like That There.

Best of all, Clarkson seems to have listened to her critics who have knocked her for her melismatic oversinging. This time she replaced trills for soul and it made the previously unlistenable songs from her Thankful CD bearable.

MIAMI HERALD

[Pamela]

RALEIGH

Aiken was best of two 'Idol' stars

By David Menconi, Staff Writer

RALEIGH -- Sooner or later, all the "American Idol" stars are going to have to prove they can thrive outside the show's safe harbor.
On Monday night, Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson tried to do just that, bringing their "Independent" tour to the RBC Center.
 
It was a homecoming show for the prodigal idol Aiken, a Raleigh native. Maybe it was playing to a sympathetic hometown crowd, but Aiken came across as the vastly superior performer.

Clarkson seemed to be going out of her way to come off as down-home, coming onstage in torn jeans, ponytail and a red T-shirt that read, "DIRRTY SOUTH" (which later gave way to one that read, "I [heart] Clay"). She also strummed guitar on a couple of songs.

Clarkson can wail, and she competently handled everything from ballads to big-band-style belters. But she has yet to develop much vocal personality, and sounded very much like a poor woman's Christina Aguilera. In terms of voice, charisma and overall presence, Aiken pretty much left her in the dust.

Aiken made a splashy entrance with a cover of the 1985 Mr. Mister hit "Kyrie," walking to the stage from the back of the arena and singing as he went. The sold-out, overwhelmingly female, crowd went completely bonkers. This was a show where you could sense the audience as a living, breathing organism, and it reacted with hysteria to all the right cues -- the opening acts' references to Aiken, or nearly anything he did onstage.

There weren't many cigarette lighters in the air, but a steady pulse of camera flashes going off and a forest of raised cell phones. About halfway through the set, Aiken took one such phone from a young woman in the crowd, and had a brief conversation with a woman named Jody listening in from Syracuse, N.Y.:

"Hi, this is Clay Aiken. ... Who's this? ... Jody from Syracuse? ... Breathe, honey."

Then he sang the first verse of "When You Say You Love Me" into the phone before handing it back, probably triggering a heart attack in upstate New York.

Aiken sang most of the songs on his album, last year's "Measure of a Man." Since he only has one album, he had to do some covers to fill out his 70-minute set -- a positive thing, given the blandness of that album.

But not all the covers worked. He butchered Prince's "When Doves Cry" with a lounge-lizard introduction, followed by a semi-lewd thrusting behind one of his backup singers (a shocking move for such a rigorously clean-cut young man).

Faring better was an acoustic medley that included Sting's "Fields of Gold," Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" and James Taylor's "Carolina in My Mind." The latter song drew the loudest howls of the night. But all over the arena, clusters of girls took advantage of the quiet parts of the medley to yell out marriage proposals or vows of undying love.

If he plays his cards right, Aiken could be the next Tom Jones -- or the next Barry Manilow.

NEWS OBSERVER

[Pamela]

PHILADELPHIA

Crowd is Clay's in Idols show

By David Hiltbrand
Inquirer Staff Writer

American Idol alumni Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken have been taking turns headlining on their current tour. Tuesday at the Liacouras Center, it was Clarkson's night to top the bill, and that resulted in a topsy-turvy show because the predominantly female crowd was clearly composed of Clay devotees.

The ladies began to scream as Aiken emerged from the back of the hall, singing Mr. Mister's 1985 hit "Kyrie" as he walked through the audience. And they continued to scream all the way through his final number and latest single, "The Way."

Whatever X factor makes an Idol an idol, Aiken obviously has it - this despite the fact that he's a one-man Andy of Mayberry reunion: He looks like Opie, moves like Barney Fife, and sings like Gomer Pyle.

He certainly didn't bother dressing for the show. In an untucked blue dress shirt, baggy gray slacks, and running shoes, he appeared to be headed for a shift at Kinko's.

As always, Aiken's clear and limber voice was impressive. The best showcase for his soaring instrument was the simplest: an acoustic medley of his "Measure of a Man," Sting's "Fields of Gold," Leo Sayer's "When I Need You," and James Taylor's "Carolina on My Mind."

Unfortunately, he had to wade through the sappy songs on his debut CD to get there. With the exception of "Invisible," the anthemic material sounded like flea-bitten Three Dog Night.

The high and low points of Aiken's set was Prince's "When Doves Cry." His slow, melismatic, a cappella preface to the song was sensational. Then the music began to jerk and throb, and it became painfully clear that Aiken doing funk is like Yanni attempting Metallica. It's just wrong.

Clarkson proved to be the more engaging and natural performer, though her reception was not nearly as enthusiastic. Like Aiken, she has a phenomenal voice, but there is greater passion and depth to her delivery.

On a stage covered with area rugs, so she could scamper barefoot, Clarkson moved a bit too hastily through songs that ranged from nostalgic ("Stuff Like That There") to soulful ("What's Up Lonely").

Her voice combines the earthiness of Bonnie Raitt with the dynamic coloratura of Christina Aguilera. But she possesses an extra gear that most singers don't: Like fellow Texan Janis Joplin, she's an elemental belter.

Until she learns to harness that power, Clarkson risks overwhelming her material, as she did on a cover of Reba McEntire's "Why Haven't I Heard From You." But she's capable of bravura moments, such as her stark and stunning rendition of "Beautiful Disaster."

Since her season on American Idol, Clarkson has grown into her voice so much that she has trouble doing a convincing rendering of paint-by-numbers pop ditties like her first single, "A Moment Like This."

Maybe she should turn it over to Aiken. In his hands, it would be a showstopper.

PHILLY.COM

Review: Kelly Clarkson/Clay Aiken

March 6, 2004

Fox TV's ''American Idol'' offers the illusion that there are loads of just plain folks who could be stars if only they were given a chance.

Former ''American Idol'' stars Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken, who are being given a chance to establish themselves with a national tour, took full advantage of their opportunity Tuesday night in Philadelphia, performing for roughly 10,000 people at a nearly full Liacouras Center.

And though neither Clarkson's or Aiken's show would convince a skeptic that either had anything special to offer other than an ability to hold notes for long periods of time, their rapport with the crowd was indeed remarkable.

During her one-hour headlining set, Clarkson, the Texan who won the first ''American Idol'' competition two years ago, presented herself as a down-home diva in torn low-rise jeans, studded belt and a variety of tops.

Her material was a little bit country and a little bit R&B, with some bellicose boogie woogie and bombastic balladeering thrown in.

If the crowd liked Kelly, it loved Clay. Aiken, runner-up on the second ''American Idol,'' had women swooning and screaming shrilly as he sang romantic pop songs in a blue shirt and open-knotted tie and charcoal gray slacks.

And when the North Carolina native joined Clarkson on stage for a concert-ending duet, Journey's ''Open Arms,'' the place exploded.

Overall, though, it was enough to make a skeptic long for the subtlety of, say, Michael Bolton or Patti Labelle.

NYC's Beu Sisters opened with a politely received 20-minute set, dancing around in low-rise jeans and tank tops as they sang material, in the words of one concertgoer, more suited to a country crowd.

THE MORNING CALL

[FAITH]

NEW YORK

AIKEN NOT FAKIN': HE'S THE REAL DEAL
By DAN AQUILANTE
   
March 6, 2004 -- A POST reader - a devoted "American Idol" fan - has been calling me a jerk for months.  All because I said the debut album by runner-up Clay Aiken was a limp, sappy, mealy-mouthed exercise in bombast by a crooner whose only hope was the hype garnered as he was force-fed to America.

In other words, the album was a stinker.

She will be elated to learn that at the Nassau Coliseum Thursday night, Aiken, on a double bill with his "Idol" cohort Kelly Clarkson, played a concert that was startlingly good.

There's never been a question whether or not Aiken can sing. What this concert showed was that, when placed under the lights on a concert stage, the lanky Southerner is an entertainer.

Wearing jeans, a rugby shirt and a sports coat, Aiken was completely unpretentious.

His aw-shucks, between-song banter was natural and the program had a wide reach - from Sting's "Fields of Gold" to his own "Invisible."

While his album was a geezer-pleaser, the stage show's program was more well-rounded, catering to an intergenerational house packed with kids.

Take Aiken's concert version of "Perfect Day." In the live rendering, the singer infused the song with unexpected grit and power that was completely missing from the bland, milquetoast studio take.

Aiken complained that he's been suffering from a sore throat, but there was no evidence of it during the show.

Still, the show was far from perfect: The bass and drums were cranked way too high, and the bottom beats overpowered at times, especially in the latter half of his set.

Aiken used his hit-the-back-wall superpower sparingly, but he couldn't help but inject a full measure of ballad bombast and histrionics into his power ballad "I Survived You."

Still, he didn't rely on those tricks to melt the crowd and unglue them from their seats. Instead, the show's real signature was tunes with upbeat tempos delivered by Aiken's rock band, which was propulsive in its attack.

Where Aiken did wow with slower material was when he stripped the instrumentation down to classical guitar, piano and voice arrangements. That was how he set up an unusual cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" and James Taylor's pretty country/rock ballad "In My Mind I'm Going To Carolina."

Kelly Clarkson, who won the "American Idol" talent show in its debut year, opened the concert, but she was only OK during her hour-long set.

Clarkson's set depended on too may pop ballads fueled with vocal runs and acrobatics. The crowd lent her strong applause to "Beautiful Disaster," "Some Kind Of Miracle" and "Anytime," but the lack of variety was snore-inducing.

She did get the crowd out of the seats when she asked them to do so, but they were soon sitting again. The rule in rock is: If ya gotta ask, it doesn't count.

Where she did hit all the right buttons with the house was on the fast-break number "What's Up Lonely" and her big hit "Thankful."

The latter was her final tune in her set, and for it she made a quick costume change into a T-shirt that said "Clay Rocks" across her chest.

Who would have thought a T-shirt and TV show could be so right?

NY POST

Edited to add link. Thanks! -P