INDEPENDENT TOUR FAN REVIEWS

[sjlogghe]

Wow, thanks for all of the pics and stuff Pamela.  As everyone else has said, you are truly awesome!!  The concert sounds amazing, I can't wait to go.  Sadly mine is the last on the tour, I don't know if I can wait that long!  And I think I've decided to take the floor seats (row 33) that I have, instead of the ones on the side in the middle (row 5).  Sounds like being on the floor is worth it!!
I have a friend in CA who has an extra 16th row (?) floor seat to the Anaheim concert, and would love to go.  And I guess by the way it sounds, it would be well worth my money to fly out for the weekend.  Right??  Would you guys recommend spending $200 on a plane ticket to go see the concert?  I am a poor college student, but maybe I can borrow from my daddy!  Sounds like it would be well worth it to me!!!
Thanks again for the pics and videos, we all owe you big time Pamela!!!

[CT loves Clay]

I also want to thank you for your generousity.  For always trying to make us happy to the point of feeling weightless and floating on a cloud.  Yes, that is what you do for us by sending all the news, pictures and videos.
We are forever indebted to you.  I didn't think cameras were allowed.
Don't they check your pocketbooks?  Also, Lorraine and I were thinking of maybe upgrading our tickets too.  So, you upgraded then sold your extra tickets.  Right?  We would love to be closer to him.  For now, though, like I said, you have saved us.  Although, the sanity question still remains to be answered.  LOL  Love your stories of Clay.

Linda

[Pamela]

Linda, they did check our bags, but regular cameras are allowed.  Professional cameras with detachable lenses are not usually allowed, nor are professional video cameras. Be sure to check with your venue to make sure though!  The thing about all the video that's been taken is that many digital cameras will also record several minutes of video as well.  Good for us!

[hnl97]

Ok, If I don't hurry up with this, ya'll will be tired of reading about Charlotte........

I went to Charlotte and Duluth, and I guess I'll just post Charlotte here and move Duluth over to that thread. I'm not going to make too many comments here since everyone else has done such a good job.....

I have to give a little bit of background first.....I went to the Charlotte concert with my mama. I didn't go to bed at all the night before because I had to finish grades for school, and everyone was calling, PMing, IMing, etc. Anyway, since I had no sleep the night before, I tried to sleep a little on the way. After I woke up, I was talking with Mama and for some reason asked her what she was wearing to the concert (we still had to change). She said she was wearing......get this.....BLACK LEATHER PANTS!!!!!! I about died laughing!!!!! So then I had to explain to her why that was so funny and why I had to tell those who called......

About the concert --  I was lucky enough to get to move down on the floor right when the lights went back down for Kelly to come on (I'd been watching these 3 seats), and Mama joined me in a little bit. They were sooo much better -- about 15 rows back. Oh, it was heaven when Clay came on. He came down through the audience!! About 5 minutes before he came on, the crowd started buzzing with this rumor.....everyone faced the side of the arena.....and in no time, there he was!!!!! He was surrounded by a gazillion body guards, but he walked right down the section where I had been sitting. He was walking towards me! Everyone was frantically trying to get in the aisles.......I just knew he would walk right past me, but he turned instead and headed towards the stage. I won't go into detail about the songs because ya'll know that already. I did think his voice was strained and crackly and hoarse (mostly when he talked), but he still sounded great!! Like the others, "When Doves Cry" was definitely one of my favorites!! Whoa, baby!! Holy cow, Aunt Jemima!! Talk about hot and bothered........ :  :  :  : That was the sexiest thing I've seen........being pulled by that tie, dancing sooooo closely (Mama said she didn't like that  : ).........definitely got my motor running!!!!! I also got to share the concert with Karen (huckleberry), and that was a ton of fun!!!!!

Ok, my supposed-to-be short post ended up being long. Sorry about that. The Duluth review will be a little more detailed since there aren't many of those yet.........

[sueanne17]

Hello Everyone,
I am new in this group-2 hrs. new!
Pamela wrote me a welcoming letter and I replied back to her. I assumed the letter just went to her, but if it went to the group, I said that would be fine, too.
Here is most of the letter about Charlotte Concert:
Thanks for welcoming me, Pamela,
Oh my gosh, Pamela. My first concert with Clay--Charlotte!!! (I lived an
hour away from Charlotte for many years-so, it was like going home).
We live near Sunset Beach, NC now and have a huge, multi-faceted photography business that we run out of our home.
We left for home from Charlotte,after the concert (where I stood up the entire time
Clay was on and sang, danced, screamed, clapped, did his movements, etc.!!
LOL)-wonderful seats, to drive east, home to the beach. Of course, I did not want to leave!!! It is 2 1/2 hrs away and it seemed like 10 min------I played Clay's MOAM the entire way home. I could not sleep and wrote the
ChristiansforClay people in email for 2 hours and posted the first report, which was not very good because I did not even have a list of the songs or anything like that--just pure emotions!
I slept from 5:00 am until 9:00 am and was awake watching the videos out on the net (which surprised me), scanning our photos and fixing them (I am a professional in PhotoShop) and was up for 36 hours on the computer!! I watched all the videos, of course--over and over again! LOL
That is how excited I was. I finally slept a good 9 hours last night.

I have told the gals in the ChristiansforClay group that it is beautiful to have that connection to a singer you love. You hopefully get front row seats or really close,and even far away-  what the singer gives to you, you give back and you do everything to make sure the concert is the best it can be.
It is a beautiful thing. Clay gives to us, we give to him---------what a
blessing that I love a singer who is so moral and good, etc.-besides a
gorgeous voice, too. We need him, he needs us.
I have very strong emotions and feelings for this beautiful singer, but will  just go to his concerts, vote all the time, buy more than one of his CD's to support him, do all that I can for him, etc.
I have already supported the Bubel/Aiken Foundation and will continue.

CLAY----amazing that he has gotten so professional---so excellent!!
 He has learned so much-how to move, dance, etc. Of course, his voice was always there.
I am so proud of Clay!! I just feel so much for him and also the fact of who
he is--such a wonderful role model in this world of such filthy singing and
singers with hardly any clothes on. And----he is Reborn, as I am, and even
mentioned church at Charlotte, which he did not do in Atlanta-and everyone screamed when he mentioned it, too. All the photos I have of him, his black cloth bracelet is always turned around so you cannot see WWJD and at Charlotte--it was out!!! Even people of other religions, I am sure, respect and love Clay, the singer, the person...it does not matter.
What a beautiful soul -Clay.
I was amazed when I bought his MOAM CD and read the back letter of thanks.
So beautiful, so beautiful. And, he taught me The Alpha and The Omega and I know the WWJD has been around awhile, but I did not know what it was. I now wear a nice ring with those letters on it and a butterfly in between two of the letters. Of course, the butterfly represents the Resurrection.
The fact that he started the foundation is wonderful. He also is not  just
going crazy, "blowing" his money away, etc.
What a most beautiful soul.
God chose Clay.
God was with Clay in Charlotte. Clay is spreading the word, that it is good
and okay to be a Christian, and
God is there, right with Clay, every step of the way! I felt it--at the
concert.
I cannot wait to go to church this Sunday.
I am going to be one of your oldest fan club members.  But, I made
sure to look around the concert and there were many, many of us older ones there-including many sitting around me. Many with their husbands.
So happy for Clay and we must all keep him on top----and we will!
Thanks for welcoming me.
Love to you, and God Bless Clay Aiken, Sue Anne

[iluvred]

Welcome SueAnne,

All I can say is ditto.  I, too, fell in love with Clay's voice, but once learning about him as a person, and discovering the moral side of Clay, I fell really hard.  

He is a great role model and I pray that he continues to be and that the Hollywood lifestyle does not change him.

You are in great company here because we all love Clay, the entire Clay.  Glad you had such a great experience at the concert.  I live in Southern CA and will not be attending a concert until April.  

Thank you for posting.

[AdoringClay]

:D Hi sueanne17...Welcome to our group of Claymaniacs!  Many, many of us here are "older", so don't feel anything about that...We come here to find the latest news and talk about our favorite, clean cut rising star with the voice straight from heaven!  Your letter really moved me!

Please be sure to tell us about yourself in the "New Members - Tell Us About Yourself" thread.  I always go there to find the bios on all of the new members.  Also, if you have questions on any of the terms and jargon we use here, you can look it up in the Claytionary.

Lots of Clay Love to You!  Welcome!  

Sue G. (aka AdoringClay)

P.S. - I'm older and that's how I feel about him - I truly "adore" everything he does in addition to THAT VOICE!  My concert isn't until Aprl 8th in Seattle, Washington - I can't wait!

[totoclark]

It was WONDERFUL!!  Kelly came on first and did an excellent job.  Then Clay.  When he came on it was DEAFENING!!!  I felt bad for both Kelly and Clay.  Their voices were very strained.  Clay had the hardest time.  He kept apoligizing and even missed a few words that would not come out.  I loved it and thought he was great...  He even talked on some fan's cell phone while he was singing...really surprising the girl at the other end.  She just kept screaming.  He also sang happy birthday to a Stephanie in the audience.  Gots lots of teddy bears and yes, of course, underpants.  He made no refererence to them.

[totoclark]

Had fantastic seats and just got them yesterday. Concert was not sold out but the St. Pete's Forum is huge hockey rink. Clay wore same outfit all the way, no breaks, just sang his heart out.  So cute!!!

[gcramsey]

Well my story starts like this...My mom is a Clay fan and I am a Kelly fan. We went to the Duluth concert to see our respective stars.  Not that we weren't there to see the opposites either, but you get my drift. I just have to say that Clay really out sang Kelly so much. He really seemed to put it all out there and hold noting back. Kelly's performance was good, don't get me wrong, but you should have been there when Open arms was sung. Kelly started it off and then Clay came out, the arena erupted. It was truly an experience I'll never forget!

[claylady]

I'm glad you enjoyed the concert and got to witness the MAGIC OF CLAY.
In my opinion, this was such a good thing having Clay and Kelly tour together.  Both fan groups are getting to enjoy and appreciate the other artists.

[cassms]

Well, I obviously am a Clay fan and was not really a Kelly fan (and not so much because of her voice but because of her style and choice in music).  I totally agree Clay has the magic but I am happy to say that I left the concert impressed with Kelly too!  She has a great voice, which really showed when she sang a simple version of "Beautiful Disaster".  It's amazing when truly good singers sing, simpler is better (and vice versa--some singers have to depend on background and studio "help").  And she had a joy and lightness on stage that was fun to watch.  And I thought, though the crowd was predominated by Clay fans, the crowd was enthusiastic for both.  I was so glad people were respectful; and I saw only a couple of people leave before the end (and boy, I'll bet they were sorry, since they missed the Clay/Kelly Open Arms at the very end)!  It was an amazing night.

[houstonclayfan]

I totally agree Clay has the magic but I am happy to say that I left the concert impressed with Kelly too! She has a great voice, which really showed when she sang a simple version of "Beautiful Disaster". It's amazing when truly good singers sing, simpler is better (and vice versa--some singers have to depend on background and studio "help"). And she had a joy and lightness on stage that was fun to watch.

Thank you for your positive review of Kelly ! I am so excited to see them BOTH (on March 11 - as everyone knows !)

[Pamela]

She has a great voice, which really showed when she sang a simple version of "Beautiful Disaster".  It's amazing when truly good singers sing, simpler is better (and vice versa--some singers have to depend on background and studio "help").  And she had a joy and lightness on stage that was fun to watch.

I agree - Beautiful Disaster is a great song, and I enjoyed Thankful as well.  Kelly did a bang up job on Stuff Like That There, what fun that was!

[lorraine]

The more I read on the concerts the more I can't wait for March 8th to come.  I know I am going to come away with nothing less than a complete desire to have more and more of Clay.  Pam, I am sure you are feeling a little like you need a Clay fix since the concert was over unless you are going again to Raleigh.  I know I am wishing time way but come on March 8th.


Lorraine

[Pamela]

Please put all reviews of your Independent Tour concerts here!

Thanks.

[yankeette]

Last night I had the thrill of seeing Clay Aiken perform in his hometown, Raleigh.  The RBC was packed.  The opening band was ok.  It was 4 sisters.  Kelly Clarkson was fabulous.  She kept teasing the audience by saying Clay's name.  They would scream each time it was mentioned.  She even put on a shirt that read I love Clay.  It was funny how she joined the Raleigh audience in their admiration for Clay.

Well after 1 1/2 hours he came onto the stage.  Everyone went wild.  He sang most of the songs off his album.  However we were lucky to hear some other songs as well.  He mentioned he has an album coming out in the spring.  On this album will be a duet with Kim Locke.  He sang some songs with only a guitarist.  This was probably my favorite part of the show.  The sound for this concert was too loud.  It was hard to make out words when Kelly Clarkson was singing.  

He took a cell fan out of the hand of a woman who was standing up near the stage.  Apparently the lady on the other end couldn't attend but wanted to hear him sing.  He sang to her.  It was so funny.  I don't think at first she believed it was him.  He also serenaded a young fan on stage.  It was a show that fans of all ages could and did throughly enjoy.

I loved watching all the fans.  Some of the teenagers wore jeans with pictures of Clay ironed on them.  Some lady had a tee shirt she made with Clay spelled out in pom poms.  There was a 5 year old girl sitting next to us.  She kept screaming out I love you Clay.  At one point she yelled I want to marry you Clay.  It was so cute.  The creativity of the tee shirts and signs was so cool.  

He sang his heart out.  It was well worth the trip to see him.  Everyone really enjoyed seeing their idol.  I know my niece and I did!

[CT loves Clay]

Oh, that just warmed my racing heart.  LOL  I would have given anything to be able to be at that concert last night.  You have to know that would be one of the best concerts since he was in his home town.  Not to say that all of them aren't absolutely fantastic, but I am sure you know what I mean.  You were one lucky girl!  I will be seeing him on March 8 in Worcester, Ma, but I am getting a thrill just from hearing these concert reports.  I can hardly stand it.  I just love our guy, Clay.

[Bocaqueen]

Hi Yankeete....guess you're a Yankee fan or is that yankette a
southern conotation?

I was at the Niami concert and it is not a new album for Clay...it is Kim Lockes new album that he sings the duet on...just thought you might like to know so you don't go crazy trying to find his new album.  His single of The Way will be out on March 16th.

[lorraine]

I just realized I should have just taken a week vacation until after I went to Clay's concert.  After reading all of these reviews I can't concentrate on anything but the concert on March 8th.  He is just so wonderful that after each review I want more and more of him.  These pictures just melt me and make my heart flutter.


Lorraine