AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MARCH 12

[Pamela]

Move over, Kelly, Clay is America's "Idol"

A Telegraph Column By Stacy Milbouer
Published: Thursday, Mar. 11, 2004

I shaved my legs for Clay Aiken on Monday night, and I was not alone.

The hordes of women (there was barely a man in sight) who crammed the Centrum in Worcester, Mass., for the Clay Aiken/Kelly Clarkson concert not only shaved, but shampooed, perfumed and as the Fab Five would put it tszujed like crazy, just to be in the presence of the unofficial winner of last year's "American Idol" contest.

Yes, I know, Kelly Clarkson was on the bill, too, and she was good. But no one, not anyone should follow Aiken on stage. It's like eating Jell-O for dessert after feasting on Duck a l'Orange.

And trust me, this Duck a l'Orange had them swooning in the aisles.

After the concert, two of my five companions admitted the thought had crossed their minds, that Aiken was the messiah who had come to Earth to lift us up in these depressing times.

OK, that might be going too far, but there is no doubt that Aiken has "It" with a capital "I", and the age range this guy appeals to is almost as wide as his vocal range. Infants held by postpartum Claymates seemed lulled to sleep by Aiken's "This is the Night". Teen girls traveling in packs with spotlights reflecting off their braces carried signs imploring someone to "Get Me Back Stage". And let us not forget those among us who have reached middle age and last remember feeling this hypnotized when we polished our go-go boots while listening to the new "Beatles "65" album.

Yes, the same people who pulled their hair out when Paul McCartney sang "Yesterday" on "The Ed Sullivan Show" 40 years ago were swooning when Aiken belted out his No. 1 "Invisible". It's hard to believe the live New England debut of that song took place a mere seven months ago when Aiken, Ruben Studdard and the other Idolites took to the Centrum stage last summer for a schlocked-up "American Idol" tour.

Talk about meteoric rises: Aiken's spiky little head must be spinning. But you'd never know it watching him perform. If there is one thing better than his voice, it's his stage presence. This guy sang his guts out, signed autographs, ducked beach balls and never broke a sweat. In fact, he was so comfortable with the screaming throngs of estrogen-emitting females that he seemed to want to clone himself, sit down and watch the show right along with them.

Instead, he did the next best thing. He dished with them, at one point plucking a cell phone held up by a fan who was ?sharing? the concert with her at-home buddy. And, as if he were talking to his best friend in Raleigh, N.C., he said ?hi? in the cutest southern accent this side of the Mason Dixon.

"That's right," he said. "It's me, it's Clay. Whatch y'all doing? What's your name? Debbie? Hi, Debbie . . ."

Debbie went wild. Her friend went wild. The audience was on its feet as it was when Aiken brought to the stage a 5-year-old girl who held up a sign that read "Please Let Me Sing with Clay." The two did an impromptu duet of "When You Say You Love Me", and as Aiken himself put it, the 5-year-old "knew the lyrics better than I did."

Life is a strange when you become off-the-charts jealous of a kindergartner.

What's there to say? He can sing the sparkly eyeshadow off a teenybopper and curl the thinning hair of a grandmother with just one note of "Carry You". It's about his voice, of course. But it's also about his Southern drawl, his paintbrush eyelashes and the fact that he actually seems as nice and innocent as his press package makes him out to be.

And let's face it: For some reason, this gawky boy-man with a sea-urchin hairdo, giant feet and 6-foot-plus frame is downright sexy. He knows this and appears to be embarrassed by this and that makes him even more appealing. The audience nearly dropped dead when he did a little bump and grind with one of his background vocalists, then blushed a deep shade of red.

As for Clarkson, who followed on stage after Aiken's hourlong performance . . . whatever. One teenage girl behind me summed it all up: "I was, like, so falling asleep with Kelly. I was feeling a little depressed. Then Clay showed up again, and I was, like, all excited again."

Sad, but true.

The highlight of Clarkson's performance was her closing duet of "Open Arms" with? you guessed it Clay Aiken.

Stacy Milbouer can be reached at news@telegraph-nh.com.

NASHUA TELEGRAPH

[Pamela]

New Summer Solo Tour Dates Announced!  
Nothing in Canada, yet…I know you want him!  
Here’s what we have so far:

Aug 6 7:00 pm Bethlehem, PA
MUSIKFEST

Clay Aiken to take top spot at Musikfest
'American Idol' runner-up to perform on first day of festival.

By Manuel Gamiz Jr.
Of The Morning Call

Clay Aiken may have come in second on Fox TV's ''American Idol'' a year ago, but he will be No. 1 at Musikfest this year, festival officials said Thursday.

Aiken, known for his quirky facial expressions, down-home personality and powerful voice, will perform on the first day of the Bethlehem festival — Aug. 6 — at the RiverPlace venue on Sand Island. Tickets will go on sale in May.

Festival officials also announced that Huey Lewis and the News, the Grammy-winning '80s band with hits like ''The Heart of Rock 'N' Roll'' and ''The Power of Love,'' will perform Aug. 15, the final night of Musikfest.

Aiken's star has risen swiftly since his No. 2 ''Idol'' finish behind Ruben Studdard. His debut album, ''Measure of a Man,'' released in October, has sold more than 2 million copies.

''We are thrilled to have someone who has captured the hearts of fans of many ages with his powerful voice and his boy-next-door looks,'' said Sharon McCarthy, director of marketing and public relations for ArtsQuest, which organizes Musikfest. ''It's not just young girls, but also women in their 40s and 50s.''

Aiken is now touring with Kelly Clarkson, who won the first ''American Idol'' competition two years ago. They performed Monday at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre and last week in Philadelphia's Liacouras Center.

Aiken, a 25-year-old former camp counselor from North Carolina, became a fan favorite as he evolved from awkward to adroit during his ''American Idol'' contest. Aiken lost by a slim 134,400 of the 24 million votes cast.

However, losing the competition didn't hurt him. Aiken's compact disc was released before Studdard's, and he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone a month before Studdard. His first single holds the record for the second-highest sales week ever and his first two videos have hit the top spot on MTV's ''Total Request Live.''

McCarthy said she hopes the show will attract the legions of Aiken fans, known as ''Claymates.'' Previous Musikfest acts catering to teens have been successful, including a 2001 Aaron Carter show that sold out in two hours. Other recent successful teen-friendly acts have been Savage Garden and O-Town.

Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert at RiverPlace, which seats 6,500, will range in price from $22-$36.

ANOTHER MUSIKFEST ARTICLE

Musikfest to open with Aiken
Friday, March 12, 2004

Musikfest set up the bookends for this year's festival with the announcement of who will play the opening and closing nights at RiverPlace.

American Idol sensation Clay Aiken and pop-rock band Huey Lewis and the News are the first acts announced to perform at Musikfest 2004's Straub Chrysler Jeep RiverPlace, festival officials announced in a release Thursday.

Aiken, who wowed television audiences during Fox TV's 2003 American Idol competition, opens the festival 7 p.m. Aug. 6. The opening act for the concert will be announced in the near future, according to the release.

Since appearing on the television show, the Charlotte, N.C., native has climbed the chart, earning a People's Choice Award nomination before he had even released a full-length album. The Idol runner-up's "Measure of a Man" was released this fall and quickly climbed to the top of the charts, selling more than 2 million copies. Aiken's latest single, "Invisible," has made the Top 10 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts.

Tickets for the Clay Aiken show will be $22-$36. The date the tickets will go on sale has not been released.

(snip)

For information about Musikfest, celebrating its 21st year, call 610-332-FEST or visit www.fest.org.

Musikfest takes place Aug. 6-15 in downtown Bethlehem. The event is presented by ArtsQuest and showcases more than 300 performers on 13 indoor and outdoor stages throughout the city. In addition to nonstop music, the festival also features a wealth of foods, children's activities, visual arts and crafts displays and a closing-night fireworks celebration.

Proceeds from Musikfest go to support the programs of the Banana Factory, the community arts center and gallery in Bethlehem that's owned and operated by ArtsQuest.

PENN LIVE

Also, the following venue in Clio, MI lists an appearance on August 14.

CLIO AREA AMPHITHEATER

[Pamela]

Winston Salem radio station WKZL auctions concert and backstage passes for charity!

EBAY

(Auction ends at 7:00 am EST 3/12 - sorry, I just found out about it!)

[Pamela]

Clay & Kelly will be in the new issue of People magazine (with Martha Stewart on the cover).  See the pictures HERE!

[Her]

Thanks Pamela!  Stacy sure has a way with words...

Paintbrush eyelashes

I love that simile!

[Pamela]

Clay is also in In Touch Magazine this week (again, Martha is on the cover.)  On page 85, a half page segment with a couple of pictures.

And yes, it's true, Clay is in the Globe tabloid as well.  He is also on the cover.  The article is not entirely negative, referring back to some of his comments in the Diane Sawyer interview on Primetime last fall.

[lorraine]

Pam you have just made my day with the new concert info on Clay.  You can't realize what Linda and I have been going through to get tickets for N.C.  Now I think I can wait a few months for August.  YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY AND MY LIFE SO MUCH BETTER.  I WAS GETTING DEPRESSED.
HAVE A GOOD TIME AT THE CONCERT AND GIVE HIM A HUG FOR ME. HAHA

LORRAINE

[cjrmax]

LOVE  that article by Stacey Milbouer!  I can so identify!

So happy Clay will be touring by himself this summer, but Bethlehem? At a music festival with Huey Lewis and the News? Bethlehem? No one comes to Bethlehem voluntarily!  I on the other hand will be there! I HAVE to be if Clay is there!  Can't wait to see where else he will be.

[GWENN]

FABULOUS ARTICLE.  SHE GETS IT.  SHE KNOWS THAT CLAY HAS IT

GWENN

[cjrmax]

People's Choice Award nomination before he had even released a full-length album.

Fact checker please!  If I am not mistaken, it was an American Music Award (2!) nomination that he received before his album was released!

And a quick double take:

Infants held by postpartum Claymates seemed lulled to sleep by Aiken's "This is the Night".

When did he start singing TITN at his concerts???

[Pamela]

People's Choice Award nomination before he had even released a full-length album.

Fact checker please!  If I am not mistaken, it was an American Music Award (2!) nomination that he received before his album was released!

And a quick double take:

Infants held by postpartum Claymates seemed lulled to sleep by Aiken's "This is the Night".

When did he start singing TITN at his concerts???

I believe she is misinformed.  Or, just dazed and under the influence of Mr. Aiken.

:mrgreen:

Also, she wasn't very complimentary to Kelly.  Some of those comments weren't really necessary in my opinion.  And although her review is cute, she sounds like a Claymate more than a journalist.  A good writer can be critical without being rude.  

I know I'm an idealist, but why can't people just be nice?*sigh*

[sjmcdona]

I agree Pam, but unfortunately controversy "sells," and that is why most reviewers are called "critics." :(

[lovinclay]

BETHLEHEM, PA.....YEAH, I'LL BE RIGHT THERE WITH YOU, CHRISTIE!

[quynn]

BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania?   Sign me up now!

[Claymate16]

YAY!!! Another concert in Michigan!

[ANGELA]

CROSSING MY FINGERS THAT I CAN SCORE SOME TICKETS TO SEE OBC IN PA.

ANGELA

[AdoringClay]

I wrote a short note to Stacy Milbouer and told her that she really GOT IT!  I thanked her for not making us fans sound any crazier than we already know we are.  Sue G.

I also told her "Either you already were a Clay fan (or one of the closet ones) or he got you bad that night.  You expressed exactly the feelings millions of us middle-aged women across the country are having for OBC (Our Boy Clay).  We have been under his spell since we first saw him audition on AI2 (when he was a nerd with red Bozo hair) and our OCD (Obsessive Claypulsive Disorder) has gotten worse by the day since."