CRAZY AS A FOX CITIES CLAY FAN

[LuvMyClay]

Thank you Angela... :D

[Misha]

And now... back to work for me.  *grins*  Night everyone!

[LuvMyClay]

Thanks Pamela and Misha and everyone for sharing this night with me.  It's been so much fun!!!! :D Until the next one.... :D

[Glory]

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR US PAMELA AND MISHA AND THANK YOU GRAMMA TO< CANNOT WAIT TO HEAR FROM YA<

[songbird457]

Glory,
I love your signature! Looking forward to meeting you (and everyone) in FW!

I talked to Thea a couple times tonight but our phones kept cutting out so I couldn't provide a very good cellcert, but Misha and Pamela and everyone else did a great job. I am soo excited for Clio (in like 40 days) and FW (in like 50 days!!).

Did everyone hear about Raleigh? Jerome came out and asked if anyone was a veterinarian?  : Hope she's ok. Clay's poor little girl. (sniff, sniff)

[ILClaymate]

Did everyone hear about Raleigh? Jerome came out and asked if anyone was a veterinarian?  Hope she's ok. Clay's poor little girl. (sniff, sniff)

I didn't hear about this...what happened??  Is she ok??  The only thing I read was that they brought her out in a Packers jersey but I didn't know something was wrong..... :(

[houstonclayfan]

From Misha and the Clayboard

 
OH NO!!! Jumping in to bring you this important update from the Clayboard!

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sigi just called me back.... She said that while she was waiting in the HUGE crowd at the buses.. JEROME came out quieted everyone down and said "IS THERE A VETERINARIAN HERE".... they didn't say anything else.. but that OH NO!!! I hope RALEIGH IS OKAY!!!!

She said that one person walked over to Jerome.. they checked their ID and Jerome took them in.. She said she would call me if she finds out any more Let pray for Raleigh and that Clay doesn't have too much worry..


I hope nothings wrong wtih Raleigh!

 

Okay... heres the latest.. the "vet" came back out pretty quickly and She is going to see what she can find out... Angela, Quiana, and Jacob came out to sign autographs.... Jerome was also walking out with the "vet" too.. she said she would call me back.. but that it probably was nothing cuz it was so quick..

not sure.. but don't worry... I am sure Raleigh will be fine  

[ILClaymate]

Thanks for the update Colleen.  I hope poor Raleigh is ok and that Clay is ok as well....I know Raleigh is his baby and it must make him sick to have something happen to her.

[tiff]

Thanks for the updates on Raleigh! I hope she'll be ok.  :

[ACcountryFan]

that is sad to hear about Raleigh! she may have been suffering from stage fright. i finished reading all the posts and i echo the thoughts of many people too...as he goes forward on his own, he's getting more and more comfortable.

i was reading parts of the cell-cert where the audience seemed to burst out laughing...i told you all that Clay was a comedian!

the cheeseheads as it was explained are people in that state...during football season the camera always shows the audience and you can see many people at Packers games wearing cheese hats and green shirts : well, there's nothing wrong with having team spirit you know!

yes, up until last season Cincinnati fans team spirit was displayed with a bengals mouth over top of their head where they couldn't watch the game {that was joke, i loved the Bengals through the bad and not so bad times}.

i just hope when he comes to this area the radio stations will at least promote it with commercials or a contest! WLQT, WVMX, WRRM, and WMMX are the four AC-driven stations in the Cincinnati-Dayton area. i believe WMMX and WVMX are a Hot AC format?? i don't usually listen to them because the DJs are loud and obnoxious with loud music blasting in the background as they talk! come to think of it, they might just be "top-40" stations afterall!! i don't get why some of those DJs feel they have to literally shout at the listener! ever noticed those kind of DJs who are in front of a microphone but they're speaking like your thousands of miles away?? i think they have a little touch of the Johnny Fever running through them: "it is time for this town to get down! i'm burnin' up in here, babies! you got the fever...you got Doctor Johnny Fever...coming at you babies from the 50,000 watt power strangler, the carp, yes the WKRP in Cincinnati, babies!".

even though that's funny on WKRP, in real life i'd find a DJ like that to be annoying :  

i'm still not holding my breath for Top-40 support :

i'll hopefully be on the cell-certs through much of the 2 weeks i'm home on vacation. So, on Monday he's in Lexington! right now i'm listening to the Midnight Jamboree on WSM radio.

[wordsmith1223]

Hello
Missed the cellcert again but went back and read everything. Also downloaded Sioux Falls' footage.

Thanks again for all you do Pamela, other helpers, and all the Claymaniacs who make these adventures so entertaining.

I am so excited about the James Taylor set. Jacob, Angela and Quiana were great. I'm so happy Clay is showcasing them. And I'm practically delirious over the U2 opener (my fave band next to Beatles).

Maybe most of you know this, but in my constant desire to inform people the back stories to things, I thought I'd explain some of the cover songs' background Clay is singing.
(For those of you who don't know me, I'm a huge James Taylor and U2 fan. The OCDers have heard all about my 20-year love affair with Bono and the boys, so I won't bore you with it now.
I'm just so excited Clay's singing a U2 song because I've always felt his voice was perfect for it -- he has that same passion and emotion that Bono has, plus the booming pipes. I could go on and on...and did)

BTW, that is the song that U2 played at the February 2002 Super Bowl Half-Time Show where they scrolled down all the victims' names from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"Where the Streets Have No Name" is on the landmark "The Joshua Tree" album, which won the Grammy for Best Album of the Year for 1987. The song's video is very famous, generally regarded as one of the best performance videos ever. U2 was on top of a building in downtown LA singing the song, and such a crowd gathered that the police had to come shut it down. It was a very Beatle-esque concept, like "Get Back" on the top of the Abbey Road studio.

OK, here's what Bono said in 1987 about "Where the Streets Have No Name":

'Where the Streets Have No Name' is more like the U2 of old than any of the other songs on the LP, because it’s a sketch - I was just trying to sketch a location, maybe a spiritual location, maybe a romantic location. I was trying to sketch a feeling. I often feel very claustrophic in a city, a feeling of wanting to break out of that city and a feeling of wanting to go somewhere where the values of the city and the values of our society don’t hold you down.
‘An interesting story that someone told me once is that in Belfast, by what street someone lives on you can tell not only their religion but tell how much money they’re making - literally by which side of the road they live on, because the further up the hill the more expensive the houses become. You can almost tell what the people are earning by the name of the street they live on and what side ot that street they live on. That said something to me, and so I started writing about a place where the streets have no name....’"

The song fits Clay, doesn't it?
And man, does he look like a big-time rock star opening up the show with it!!!
Ooooohhh, baby!!

Here's some James Taylor background. BTW, Taylor is a Massachusetts native. He later made whatever Carolina his home (Thus, Carolina In My Mind.)

James Taylor's "Sweet Baby James" was written for his nephew, who was named for him. It's a lullaby. I used to sing it to my sons when I rocked them.

James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" is based on a personal account staying in an institution/facility. I can't remember the real story as to why he was in there. He had some substance abuse problems as a young man, but I'm not sure if that was it, or if he had some mental breakdown. Anyway, this young woman, Suzanne, who he became friends with, killed herself.
So the line "Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you" refers to her funeral. And that line, "But I always thought that I'd see you again" is about finding out she died.
I know, deep. But that's still one of the most poignant songs ever written.
That line about "Flying Machines in pieces on the ground" refers to his first band, James Taylor and The Flying Machine.

"You've Got a Friend" is actually written by Carole King, one of the legendary songwriters of the '60s and '70s. Taylor recorded it for his "Sweet Baby James" follow-up, "Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon." Reportedly, they were more than "friends." But have since been close friends.

The other songs, "Smiling Face" and "How Sweet It Is" are pretty self-explanatory.

Y'all know that he was married to Carly Simon and they have two children, Ben and Sally, who are also singers. You can check out Ben's music at Amazon if you want to hear him. He's also done some music with dad and mom. I'm not all that familiar with Sally's stuff.

Oh, and more trivia. When "Sweet Baby James" came out in 1970, James Taylor was the first pop/rock star to make the cover of Time Magazine. It was a huge deal. It also ushered in the singer/songwriter era.


As for "Cheeseheads," correct me Wisconsinites if I'm wrong, but I believe they've been around at least 10 years. My brother, a Dallas Cowboys season-ticket holder, took my sons to a Cowboys-Packers matchup Thanksgiving Day 1994 and they talked about all the people wearing cheeseheads around them.
That's when Packers fans started being referred to as "Cheeseheads."
I had cousins who ran a dairy farm in Wisconsin for years.

Well, that's enough minutiae for this morning.

CHeers,
Lynn aka The Wordy One

[breezy]

PERSONALLY I LOVE CLAY'S PAISLEY JACKET ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER WILD THINGS HE'S WEARING ON
THIS CONCERT.  HE IS A VERY CREATIVE GUY WITH A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR.  I SUSPECT HE IS HAVING A BLAST DIPPING INTO THE WORLD OF AVANT-GARDE FASHION.  IT'S ALL PART OF THE JOURNEY. :D

[grammaof6]

Good morning everyone,
Well, I think I've sufficiently recovered from severe "CLAY AWE" to report a few things. MISHA and PAMELA did a great job keeping everyone informed. MISHA, O gosh, I never thought you could hear my crappy voice singing along with the 7000 other voices. : YIPE!

First of all, the description of cheesheads is right. The nickname started off with the wearing of large yellow cheese wedges on heads and stuck. When Clay first came out on the stage and said, "Hello Wisconsin" the crowd went nuts. Then he mentioned being abit disappointed with the response and energy of the Sioux Falls, SD crowd. The crowd erupted again. We heard that the concert was almost SOLD OUT! The capacity at the ball park is 8000 and the number of tickets sold was 7300. Don't know how accurate that is, but in looking back over the crowd the only empty seats were in the far back, far extreme sides.

A fan brought a cheesehead and placed it on the stage. Of course, Clay immediatly put it on his head. The facial expressions were a stitch and the crowd exploded again. :

WISCONSIN found us row 4 seats right in front of the stage. The catwalk was directly to our left. Lisa, Julie, Wisconinsin and my daughter Paulette sat with me. They were great seats and as I read Lisa's comment "close enough to see the veins on his hand" !

The man is amazing! His voice was incredible last night. He was pumped!!!I had such a #10 experience in Chicago for the Independent Tour that I never thought anything could top it. Last night did it!!!!!!!!!

A couple things that were fun. Clay asked if someone in the crowd would like to come up and dance. Some babe with tight jeans and a very short tight, cropped sleeveless pink shirt came up. The shirt looked like she took a scissors and cut horizontal stripes in the front - pretty revealing ! : She writhed and squirmed to the music. I think Clay was just abit embarrassed, so he gave her a T-shirt and said, "You better put this on. This is a family show!"

Then the singing debut came. Another gal came up and sang Invisible. She said she was doing summer stock in Cabaret, but personally I didn't think her voice was great and she forgot the words! : She was an attractive young blonde that was wearing a fitting cropped shirt that blazoned "hug me Clay" - so he did! :

Right before intermission he told the crowd, "Hey Bret Favre is the quarterback around here, right? Ya all didn't think I would know that did ya?" "Bret couldn't come tonight, so I have another special guest here." He went backstage and walked out Raleigh! It was priceless. Raleigh strutted her stuff with a Green Bay Packer shirt, collar and leash. Clay said "This is the first time Raleigh's done this before." :P

It was hard talking to Misha and describing the events because the crowd was crazy loud and exuberant! It was obvious that Clay was feeding off the crowd energy and loving every minute of it. I know I kept repeating myself over and over - incredible, amazing, beautiful, unbelievable. I ran out of supertatives to describe each song, his look, his charisma, his charm. He was right on all night. The voice was perfect - never a break, a scratch. He hit every high note and held more notes than I've ever heard before. Didn't forget any words either. :

The multi-media presentations were fabulous and brought even more insight into the man Clay Aiken. There was a Disney preview of "Proud Of Your Boy" that evolved into a slide presentation of Clay and his work with BAF and other charitable projects involving kids.

Another slide presentation had pictures of Clay as a kid. Very cute! The song "Were You There" was unbelievable. I still don't understand the negativity I read here about that song. It was ONE song out of 15-20 songs! The staging was incredible. Clay in a white suit very thud worthy. The song and the multi-media presentation awe inspiring. I literally stood with tears running down my face. As I looked around I saw that HUGE crowd experiencing the same emotion! Clay is a risk taker and this one worked big time!

Of course, the encore was Solitarie. He sang it from the highest point on his staging. INCREDIBLE!

And then he said goodbye to us.  :(  :(  :(  :(
Outside the venue a HUGE crowd was forming at the stage door where the buses were parked. Word quickly spread thru the crowd that a veterinarian had been called. O NO not Raleigh! :  What would Clay do if something happened to his beloved Raleigh? One vet came out of the crowd with her credentials and was taken in to the building. A few minutes later she came out. The word then spread that they had an emergency and called another more experienced vet from the area. He pulled up shortly after and went into the building. A hush descended on the crowd. About 10 minutes later Clay and Jerome came out. We found out the dog emergency was for Clay's hairdresser's dog. Still not good, but at least not precious Raleigh! The crowd was massive by this time. Jerome tried to steer Clay straight to the bus, but Clay was having none of that and immediately walked over to the security fence and started shaking hands. He was in his element, totally enjoying the joy and love still flowing from Wisconsin! Finally he walked into the bus and the bus pulled out. There was Clay in the front window holding Raleigh and waving goodbye to us.
It was a great climax to a great Clay day.

[quynn]

Wordsmith, thank you for the background on the U2 and James Taylor songs.  Having that knowledge will make my concert experiences even more special when I get to hear those songs live.  

Gramma, thanks for the concert reacap.  Sounds like you had a stupendous time.  And, thanks also, for the update on the vet situation.  Hopefully the little pooch will quickly recover from whatever is ailing him/her.  I'm sure that pup will have many thoughts and prayers sent her way.

[LJB]

So much to say, but have to go work out to burn off all the crap I ate yesterday!  I'll give you the bottom line.......THE INDEPENDENT TOUR PALES IN COMPARISON TO LAST NIGHT!!  If you don't have a ticket to a concert this summer, GET ONE ASAP!!!  I have incredible, amazing, unbelieveable pics from last night.  The only problem is that I have to go to my parent's house to pick up the cords to connect the camera to my computer (my mom was nice enough to let me borrow her digital camera). And before I go, I'm addicted to the Roseanna downloads from last night.....he was SMOKIN'.....his moves...his voice!!  One more thing, WISCONSINMANIAC I LOVE YOU FOR GETTING US SUCH FABULOUS TICKETS!!!!!!!

[grammaof6]

WISCONSINMANIAC I LOVE YOU FOR GETTING US SUCH FABULOUS TICKETS!!!!!!!

AMEN! Around these parts we call WISCONSINMANIAC the Master Ticket Broker! She's gotten us seats in rows 2-4 for every concert this summer! Gotta be the charm, the incredible good looks, the zany personality, the lovable charm - whatever she has - IT WORKS! :

I also agree with Lisa: This tour is NOTHING like the Independent Tour. This man of ours is 'smoking' alone.
 

If you don't have a ticket to a concert this summer, GET ONE ASAP!!!

My opinion but: I think Clay looked happier last night than I've ever seen him. Would any of the rest of you Grand Chute concert goers agree?

[grammaof6]

IDOL TALK


AIKEN GROWS COMFORTABLE IN HIS CELEBRITY STATUS
Steven Hyden
Appleton Post Crescent staff writer

Clay Aiken is enjoying the ride. The ride has taken the 25 year-old singer from college student to pop stardom in just over a yaer. He took second on the second season of "American Idol", but arguably has emerged as the show's most popular graduate. His debut album, "Measure Of A Man" has sold three million copies. Many critics noted that Aiken was the bigger draw during a spring tour with fellow "Idol" alum Kelly Clarkson.

That ride now includes a first-ever solo tour that comes tonight to Fox Cities Stadium in GRAND CHUTE. Stadium official expect about 7,000 people to turn out for the concert.

Aiken's rise has been so rapid that he admits he hasn't processed it all yet. He's just trying to live in the moment and enjoy it while it lasts.

"I don't want to become one of those celebrity people who is trying to squeeze as much out of their 15 minutes as possible. Aiken said, "I'd like to allow that to last as long as it can. If God decides to make it last 20 minutes, I'm ready for it to happen."

In a phone interview with The Post Crescent, Aiken discussed the new tour, media coverage of his personal life and taking control of his career after "Idol".
Q.What should fans expect from this tour?
A.It's a family-oriented show. That's been our focus. I don't like doing things that I would be ashamed of or wouldn't want kids of my own, if I had kids, to see. There's a lot of songs from the album, "Measure Of A man." We have some cover songs of stuff that I've liked throughout the years .... It's a good mix of new stuff and some old stuff as well.
Q. You have an incredibly devoted fan base. Have you gotten used to being famous?
A.Used to it? Yes. Have I come to terms with the fact that it might be around for awhile? That's what's diffacult. It's crazy to think that it's not one of those things you're not going to wake up from and it will be over. Which is nice, I don't want it to be over.
Q.Do you feel like you have had ample time to process everything that has happened to you?
A.Occasionally I do have a moment where I'm like, 'Look at where I am. Look at what I'm doing. Look at the opportunities in front of me.' But to look at it and process it, and realize it's a completely different place, I haven't really done that because I still try to live in the moment and realize, you know what, this is fun. I like to tell myself this is still not normal. Because on many fronts it helps me remember that it all could be over soon.
Q.Obviously you are under much more scrutiny now that when you were just a college student. Do you read what the media writes about you?
A. When I wake up in the morning, I'll read the newspaper, and most of the time that's about current events instead of celebrities. I don't really have much time to read the tabloid magazines and I don't really have any desire to. People have jobs to do, and unfortunately some people pick a career that focuses on slander and smut and whatever. That's their thing to do and I just don't need to have anything to do with it.
Q.After "American Idol", it seemd like you were able to wrest control of your music and the image you project. How did you do that?
A.I did not plan on having sucess in anyway. I didn't plan on even auditioning for that show, for "Idol", ahead of time. It was kind of a last-minute decision. I think that a lot of times artists go into the industry wanting so badly to be a star that they take the advice of those who have been able to help others. For me, since it wasn't my own design and since it wasn't necessarily a dream I had all along, I kinda didn't care. It wasn't so important to me that I was willing to change the way people look at me or the way I look at myself.

[wisconsinmaniac]

Webster Dictionary -  please help give us new adjectives!!!!!

I am an admittedly overboard fan.   In my eyes, everything Clay does is amazing and awesome.

THen - Being at the Grand Chute Concert for his performance.   He takes everything that is good about life and presents it to his audience.  He makes you stop breathing, he makes you laugh, he brings tears to your eyes.   He has a love affair with his fans and it is genuine.  He is the ultimate performer.  His voice was perfection.   He was very emotional.

His joy is evident in his voice, facial expressions and his body language.

THe show is completely his.   . . . .  .  and he then shares that show with each and every fan.   [/b]

To share something this awesome with friends cannot be described in words.   I was lucky enough to spend a beautiful sunny Wisconsin day with family and the best Claymaniacs in captivity:   gramma, LJB, Dev, Julie, Claytime, Invisible Touch, Sjlogghe, as well as gramma's daughter, Paulette, and LJB's friend Nancy.    We met hours before the concert.   We gawked at the parked tour buses, went to Walmart, gathered for a wonderful time for lunch at the Olive Garden.  I brought my "Claymaniac" poster which we was in full view during lunch.   All met for a pre-concert party and had about 3 hours to laugh and talk and hug and talk and laugh and hug.  Met Clay fans from other "boards".  

Then off to our seats for the concert.

If I could "freeze" a day in time to re-live, that day would be July 10, 2004!

[Pamela]

Thank you LJB, wisconsin and gramma for sharing your Claying with us!

Also, a personal thanks from me to juls and LJB for audibly sharing their Claying with me!

Since I'm 'saving myself' for Greensboro Friday night, I haven't watched any actual downloads of the performances.  I know I heard parts of them last night, but with all the screaming and no visuals I still feel somewhat pure.   :

But someone sent me a link to a video of the dancing girl, and she was cute!  What Clay said was 'put this shirt on' when he handed her a tshirt with 'his mug' on it.  Then he said 'over that shirt, this is a family show!' as if she was going to take her shirt off!  :

He's a born comedian.  Oh, and he sings pretty ding dang good too.   8)

[wordsmith1223]

Thanks for the great first-person accounts! It sounded tremendous!

Here's another tidbit:

As for "Rosanna," one of the Toto members wrote it for his then-girlfriend, actress Rosanna Arquette. She is also reportedly the subject for Peter Gabriel's song "In Your Eyes." So what is with this chick that she had two famous songs written about her?
"Rosanna" was the Best Record of the Year at the Grammies back in '81 or '82, I believe.

There you have it. I also posted these in the summer of Clay thread, on the topic on set list and lyrics, FYI.

Lynn