DEC 20 CHICAGO CHICAGO THEATER FAN REVIEWS

[Pamela]

OFFICIAL THREAD!

[woodstock854]

WHERE'S ALL THE REST OF THE REVIEWS?????????  I THOUGHT I WOULD BE THE LAST ONE HERE!!!!!!   PLEASE JOIN IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi, everyone!!!!!

I was fortunate and priveleged to see Mr. Clay Aiken in concert last night in Chicago.  I will NEVER remember all I wanted to say, but I will do my best. I am still existing on 3 hours sleep and a full day of work, so forgive typos and anything that doesn't make sense.   (Thanks!!!)

Before I talk about the concert itself, I want to tell you about who I met and saw there.  Meeting other claymaniacs is so special.

LJB (Lisa) got the tickets that I purchased. Thank you so much for that.  I sat with JULS (Julie) and her family.  I came to the concert with my daughter and my sister, my two best friends in the world, but not TOTAL Clay fans.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM?????   My daughter has been to all the concerts together with me, and will be my Clay buddy forever, I hope.  She thinks he is good, but does NOT think he is great, like the rest of us. My sister is still kind of new to all this, although she did go to one concert with us in the summer.  So it was great to share with them, but not the same as sitting next to someone who REALLY gets it.  

I think I was sitting next to JULS Mom; forgive me if I am wrong, JULS.  She was very nice.  I asked her if she had seen Clay before, and she said no. Then she asked me if I had seen Clay before.  I told her this was my 4th time this year.  She said that I was kind of like Julie, that she thought Julie was obsessed or something.  I told her he was very good, and there were a LOT of people like us.  (Did someone say OCD???)  She did enjoy the concert, and told me that she thought Clay should have won Season 2.  Not a complete Clayversion, but I do think she enjoyed the concert.

My group got there very late, as we ran into horrible traffic going into Chicago.  I just wanted to close my eyes and have someone tell me when we were there.  (NOOOOOO, I wasn't driving...)  We got there with about 15 minutes to spare, so I was able to run around and meet some of the other claymaniacs before the concert started.  I saw 2 people waving to me from across the aisles, and it was ILClaymate, who I have met several times and is a good friend, and Mama  Dev, who is the first claymaniac I ever talked to on the phone, and had never met til last night.  I finally made my way over to the group, thanks to JULS' help.  And I got a wonderful hug from our own Mama Dev.  What a TERRIFIC pleasure to finally meet her.  JUST great!!!!!  Then I had the pleasure of meeting wisconsinmaniac, gramma0f6, and LJB very quickly, TOO quickly.  I WAVED wildly to LiftClayUp (Carol), but we didn't get time to talk.  We met in Indy last summer.  Then it was time for the show to start, so I had to find my way back to my seat.

During intermission, I found my way to my friend, ILClaymate, and I got to meet her hubby and son.  She told me about her book signing, and I was just so thrilled for her.  It was VERY cold in CHicago that morning, so it was only TRUE fans waiting outside.  She helped me find the others.  I got to meet sjlogghe (Sarah), and Invisible Touch (Molly) who drove down together.  They were both lovely people, as were they all.  The only person I did not get to meet was  Fantasy.  I saw her, but time was short.  Fantasy, we will meet again at another concert.

It was very special meeting all of you.  JULS said I would have to meet up with them again when I have more time, and I would LOVE to.  She was SO very nice.

I have to tell you all, that I NEVER read the order of songs before my concert.  I wanted to be surprised, so I really didn't know what to expect.  All I knew was that the 1st half was the more "light-hearted" half, from the reviews I had read.  And it was so.  Our seats were good, the whole place seemed very intimate.  It was a very good decision to play the smaller venues.  He was very close.  It was wonderful.

I thought his voice was SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!!  Very right on!!!!!   NOw I think it was a good decision to cancel his first 3 concerts if that is what it took to get him well, because his voice was flawless.  

He was funny, and we enjoyed laughing with him, as always.  As you ALREADY know, I am sure, her wore an argyle sweater with the orange polo underneath.  I guess he still needs layers.  But he looked GREAT, and so relaxed, and having a good time.  The first half was very good.  I don't think he missed a note.  He made the traditional "fun" carols sound so much more special.

Not knowing the order of the songs, I speculated that O Holy Night might be the song he ended the evening with.  When the second half started and he opened with it, I was surprised. It was TRUELY beautiful.  For those of you that have not seen the Joyful Noise Tour, he adds SO MUCH MORE to his songs in concert, like always.  O Holy NIght was nothing less than SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!!!!  I was in awe.  His glory notes all night were unbelivable.  I don't think he hit as many glory notes in any of the tours before.  It just kept coming.

Then I thought Silent NIght would be the closing, but NOPE, it was the next song, and flawless.  JUST beautiful.  

It went on from there.  I thought I couldn't possibly hear anything better, but it just got better.  He sang all the tradtional songs from the album, as you know. And they were wonderful.  

My daughter liked Mary, Did You Know? the best, as you don't hear it every day.  It was great.

But just when I thought it couldn't get better, and he had hit every glory note there was, he sang Don't Save it All For Christmas Day, after he and the back-ups talked about not making resolutions, and trying to share love everyday.  Unfortunately, during this song, Jerome and security caught someone trying to take pictures, and they kept flashing their flashlights on them, and it was very distracting.  BUt that song was SPECTACULAR, along with knee-bending notes, just GREAT.  

Nick and Jerome were hanging around our end of the theater a good part of the night.  I did not recognize Nick at first, my daughter told me it was him.  He really looks young in person.  But he was very gracious, as a LOT of people asked him for autographs and hugs.  I think he was enjoying it!!!  GOOD for him!!!!  

Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, he came back on for the last song.  I knew he would be back, they hadn't turned the house lights on.  But since I didn't read much ahead of time, the song was a complete surprise to me.  I sat there in AWE as he sang Good News ( I guess that is the name.)  I, for one, love that he gets his Christian message across.  It was SOOOOOOoooooo good, I can't wait to hear the download.

I don't even know how to summarize it, but I must agree with lorraine, you just miss Clay afterwards.  He is getting better by the minute.  Our collective honey was right on last night.  How could someone not understand this all???????????

Just two other things I want to say, (I told you it would be long)... I was not crazy about Angela's solo.  (Dodging tomatoes......)  There was a little "screaming" in my opinion.  

The other thing is, that although I LOVE my sister and daughter with all my heart, it is NOT the same as  sharing the concert with someone else who GETS what we LOVE about this guy.  I said before, there were MANY glory notes, which were amazing.  I was thudding by myself.  I would have LOVED to squeeze a hand of a fellow claymaniac who would have probably been uttering OMG at the same time as I was, along with others collectively.

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
That is the best I can come up with.  For all of you still to go to a concert, I am SO happy for you.  For those  of you that have already experienced it, you know what I am talking about.  

I know there won't be another concert series til next summer, but we will all enjoy it together.  S*rry for the LONG review!!!!!   I WARNED you!!!!!!

CLAY, WE LOVE YOU AND YOU ARE JUST GIVING US MORE REASONS TO LOVE YOU ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for letting me share it here!!!!!
Love,
Woodstock

[Pamela]

Ah Debbie, that was wonderful.  I'm so happy you got to meet all those warm and wonderful people, some of whom I've also met so I can concur!
I love that the Chicago show sold out, because I don't think Clay gets much support on the radio or in the media there.  But the fans give him all they can!  And he gives back, and we love him.  
I love that you didn't know the set list before you went, such willpower!
I didn't watch any downloads before my show, so though I read all the cellcerts I didn't know all the little details they never talk about much during the cellcerts, such as the staging or the lighting.
Besides, every show really is different.  The Raleigh show for example really was very subdued based on what I was hearing about the other shows, but I think it's because 1-we all knew he got ticked off about the cameras at the previous shows, and 2-it was like an Aiken friends and family reunion, and somehow I don't see former teachers and current aunts and cousins being the screamin fangirlies that we can be....
Each show is special.  (Especially the ones we attend!)  
I took my two sisters in law to the concert; one of which is a closet fangirl and the other of which is a rock n roller.  Both of them loved the show, but I don't think they crossed over to the dark side. Or should that be, the 'light' side?  
Yikes, I wrote a book, sorry!  Thanks for your review!

[LJB]

Oh Debbie, thanks for that wonderful review!  It was great meeting you, even if it was only for a few minutes!  

I want to take this opportunity to thank Thea (on hands and knees) for sharing her incredible tickets!!!  Wow, we had the most amazing seats!!!  We sat in the pit, 4th row center.  We were so close that I could count the veins on Clay's hands!  The people sitting in the first row (in the pit) were so close that they were practically on stage.  Clay even commented about how close they were, and if he fell off the stage, they would be able to catch him.  

To be honest, I wasn't very excited about this concert.  I'm not a big fan of Christmas music and didn't think I'd enjoy it.  But, to my surprise, I ended up enjoying this concert more than the 6 others I've attended!! He was so "on" last night; every note was perfect!!!  Every move was perfect. Every time he turned around and I got a view of his tush was perfect.  Both choirs were great!  The kids in the elementary school choir were adorable.  My heart was swelling because he chose inner-city schools to participate (I taught in the inner-city for 3 years)....minority children from low income areas.  I just love Clay!

I had a hard time listening to MCWL today.  A lump formed in my throat each time I played the CD.  I don't want to believe that the concert is over!

Even more special was being with (and meeting new)  Claymaniacs.....Juls, Wisconsinmaniac, grammaof6 (and Paulette), claydevotee, sjlogghe, Invisible Touch, LiftClayUp, ILClaymate, Alli_Aiken, fantasy, ClayBuf, and Woodstock.  I really enjoyed sharing this experience with y'all.  Both Julie and I had a slumber party at our houses on Sunday night.  What a blast!!  Can't wait for the next concert in Chicago....I want to do it all over again now!!!

[Invisible Touch]

In my experience, a Clay concert is not just a concert, it is an event!  There is always the anticipation.  Most times there is the reuniting with old Clay friends and the meeting of new friends too!  There are preparties, postparties and all kinds of activities surrounding the actual concert, this time is filled with Clay talk and enough laughter to make your sides hurt!  My trip to Chicago included each of these and more.  

Sjlogghe and I arrived on Sunday night, literally, to the open arms of familiar Claymaniacs.  We met some new maniacs too!  That was a wonderful way to start my Chicago Clay Trip!  Thanks JULS for the hospitality!!

On Monday as we were wandering around Chicago, we found ourselves in front of the Chicago Theater with the CLAY AIKEN SOLD OUT sign!  Looking across the street, we saw that we were also right in front of the Borders where he was signing books.  After realizing that he was scheduled to be in THAT VERY STORE, at THAT VERY MOMENT, we couldn’t resist the temptation to go check things out.  The next thing I knew, I was actually seeing him not more than 20 feet away! (Of course, I was peering between two book shelves).  You have all seen the pictures, I think he may have just rolled out of bed, slapped his glasses on and grabbed the first clothes he saw.  All in all, a great Clay look!!  Hopefully, that means he is getting the rest that he needs to keep up his brutal schedule.  My overall perception of what I saw, was that Clay was really enjoying himself.  WOW!  That was such an unexpected bonus and so much fun!!

The Concert  .  .  .  Wow! Awesome! Incredible! GGGGAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!  
I have never been so close to the stage!!! (Thank you Wisconsinmaniac for your work in getting this seat!)  The third row was less than 10 feet from the stage.  I could see his eyelashes, the veins in his neck and hands, the tiny little cuts on his neck, the manicured nails on his beautiful hands, even the zipper on his pants.  He seemed very tall to me and very much a man, not a boy.  His hair good, but had a section that was kind of swoopy!!  His voice was phenomenal!  He was very chatty and seemed to be in a very good mood and just totally in his element up on stage, doing what he loves to do in an intimate and beautiful setting.

We all know it, but he just absolutely loves kids!  To see him walking through the rows of children during TMOC, is fun.  He loves this interaction with the kids.  It is hard to explain other than to just say that he looked soooooo happy.  He seemed to look at each one and I even saw one get the eye brow lift look (you know which one I mean).  Also, he looks so proud of and thrilled for the kids who do the readings in the last half of the concert.  I love that he was able to include these children and high school choirs.  I think it gives him the interaction with kids that he craves.  I would guess that it rejuvenates him.  

During WAYDNYE I am pretty sure that at one point he was looking at the person right behind me, but it still made my stomach feel like it dropped about a foot.  GAH!!

This next tidbit is something that my fellow Claymaniacs couldn’t believe I did and thought that I should share.  3 teenage girls in front of me were jabbering away during Jacob’s solo, which I thought was very rude and distracting, so I squeezed (not hard!) the girl’s shoulder who was directly in front of me and told them to shut up.  Thank goodness they were well behaved after that.  I’m usually pretty quiet, but when people are being rude and disrespectful, I will let them know.  Plus, I’m not going to let anything ruin any part of my Clay concert time.

Clay’s glory notes are to die for, but there is a huge difference between the Solitaire one and the DSIAFCD one.  During Solitare, it just seems to beautifully flow out of his mouth, but the one for DSIAFCD is very different.  He really gears up for it and BELTED that thing out, complete with a very deep knee bend.  Man was that awesome!!!!

He sang Good News directly in front of me! OMG!! His voice and the delivery of this song was simply perfect.  I couldn’t take my eyes off his hands! The way they formed meaningful gestures at times and then other times when they were at his sides, I watched as he ever so gently played with his thumb.  

I didn’t want the concert or this trip to end, but of course it had to.  Clay had to move on to the next city to enthrall yet another willing audience.

To top off the trip, as we were leaving Chicago, we saw a Michigan license plate with IDOCLAY on it!     Somehow I don’t think they were referring to Clay Aiken!

Clay – please take some well deserved time off, but know that I am ready and waiting for your next tour!

(Wow! That got really long! Congratulations if you made it this far!)

OK Chicago Concert goers, Next!!
(Mine got too long so someone still has to tell about the “excitement” at Bennigans after the concert!)

[alli_aiken]

Wow...over 24 hours later and I still can't get over last night...

As LBJ said up top there, I didn't think I would enjoy this concert as much as the Independent or the summer tour, but once again, Clay proved me wrong.  He was absolutely STUNNING last night.  Mouth agape, I sat on the edge of my seat the entire show.  Given, my seat was 4 rows from the back, I can't complain the seats we're that bad at all.  

The little boy who opened the show was adorable.  I have never heard Hark the Herald Angels sing being sung that fast!!  He seemed so nervous, but adorable.  Then the little kids came out and with each curtain that pulled back was another suprise.  I loved "Music of Christmas".  The kids were adorable and I'm a sucker for children as it is.  I thought Clay sang "Sleigh Ride" VERY fast also.  Seemed like he couldn't get the words out fast enough!  I loved the rest of the first half although I am sad to say that since my seats were so far up, I didn't get to see Clay sing WAYDNYE to the girls.  

INTERMISSION-I ran and got my new Clay shorts!! woo!!

Then it started...O Holy Night.  I couldn't believe my ears.  It was the most outstanding performance I have ever heard.  He was so on.  Perfect.  My friend had to pick my mouth up from the floor and remind me to clap at the end.  Absolutely magnificent.  I really liked Jacob's performance and Quianna's version of GUCL, but I don't know if I was really "feeling" Angela's song.  She sounded awesome at parts, but then she screeched a little here and yelled a little there and I got Fantasia flashbacks.  (which aren't good)  I also really liked DSIAFCD...really good with all 4 of them singing together.  And of course I loved the glory note when it went dark and just had the spotlight on the beautiful man beltin it out with the knee bend and all.  

All in all, it was awesome.  I brought a friend and on our drive home she called her sister and some of our friends to tell them how nice of a show it was.  Her only complaint.....his outfit during the first half of the show.  But we both loved his tie during the second half.    I also was SO very excited to meet other Clay fans.  That was a first for me and I was pretty nervous, so I aplogize if I came off in any sort of bad way!!  Kudos to LBJ for her mathematical skills at the end of dinner!

All in all, a wonderful day and an even better night!!  Very happy that I decided to go!  Thank you Clay and everyone involved for such a beautiful, classy Christmas show, you never cease to amaze me!

[STLClaycrazy]

I don't think that I can even write the words yet to describe my experience in Chicago.  My sister and I stood outside for the book signing at Borders starting around 4am.  We ended up being 98th & 99th in line.  After many hours of cold and waiting we got to meet Clay.  I had all sorts of witty things to say but I expressed none of them as I was totally totally without words.  Peep the pictures.  This is a link to just one of them featuring the back of my head and Clay, you can peruse the rest.  
http://images8.fotki.com/v127/photos/7/76812/1640846/frick24R10061A-vi.swampthing

The cool thing is my name is Audra, so when he shook my hand and asked my name I said, "Audra" and he said, "Is it really? That's awesome!" and I said, "Yeah it is, I thought it was pretty cool [in the book he talks about a friend named Audra]"  He replied, "Now you can tell everyone I was talking about you!"

Then I started crying like an idiot!  Ha.  It was totally great.  He is awesome, he looked great, he smiled great.  It was hard for me not to reach up and lick his face.  Ha.  

Fastforward to the concert  - PHENOM!  I was so overcome by emotions that I just cried again.  I had no idea I was such a crier, let me tell you.  During the second half I expected him to grow wings like an angel - it was so moving.  

We were sitting in row KK, 10 from the stage, so when he sang, 'What are you doing, New Year's Eve?" and walked down the aisle I though I would totally die.  The people to our center stage right never showed so we moved to their aisle seats and could nearly touch him when he walked down the aisle.  

I didn't want the experience to end but alas, the real world is upon me again!  This was the best Christmas present ever.

[lorraine]

THANKS EVERYONE FOR THOSE WONDERFUL REVIEWS.  I KNOW WE WILL ALL BE CLAYLESS IN A WEEK OR SO AND THEN WE WILL ALL NEED TO HELP ONE ANOTHER THROUGH THE LONELINESS OF NOT HAVING OUR CLAY.

[ILClaymate]

*My Chicago once-in-a-lifetime experience*

Excitement #1: The Book Signing

December 20, 2004 was one of the most awesome days of my life and one I hope I will never forget! Fantasy and I had made plans to meet in the hotel lobby at 6:30am. We met and had a quick breakfast (I was too nervous to eat too much!) and then we walked about 4 blocks to Borders. We arrived at around 7am and there was already over 300 people in line. Fantasy was trying to count the people as we walked down the line so we had some idea that we weren't in the first group and we were just hoping he wouldn't stop at the first 300. It was VERY cold out even at that time of day. There were several at the front of the line that had stayed all night and the temps got down to around ZERO degrees. It was probably around 10 degrees while we were standing in line and we were outside a little over an hour before they did let us in when they opened at 8am. My toes were frozen by the time we went in. We were behind another Claymaniac (4Aiken) and her daughter. It was nice getting to know them while we were waiting. They were very nice. Once inside, we were put on the 2nd floor of the store to wait in the Children's department until the signing started at noon. Clay was about 20-30 minutes late so we began to get a little concerned on whether he would stop signing at 1:30 as was scheduled or if he would sign over the time. Once the line started moving it went fairly quickly especially when we got up to the 3rd floor where Clay was. I took a couple pictures while in line but most of the were blurry because my hands were shaking SO much! I couldn't believe it was actually going to happen! I did get one decent one thankfully! I got up to the table and handed my books to the girl helping and she handed them to Clay. He signed his name on one book and then asked my name and I was actually able to remember that. Then he asked where I was from and it kinda threw me a bit on that question (didn't know if I should say my little bitty town or what!) and I stumbled a little and said Illinois. Then he closed the books, shook my hand, SMILED a beautiful smile and said Merry Christmas and handed my books back. I had been thinking all week what I should say to him when I had the chance and I had a couple of different things I had thought of possibly saying but I was in such a state of SHOCK and AWE that I think I lost all brain function! He was so handsome and looked so happy and natural with his glasses on and his hair so soft with not a lot of product in it! It went by SO fast. I'm am truly thankful that it worked out and I was able to finally meet MY boyfriend face to face.  

[wisconsinmaniac]

What can I add???    I just read all of the previous reviews and I laughed and then I cried.  

I was one of the lucky fans at the Chicago concert.  grammaof6 and her daugher Paulette were my travel buddies from N.E. Wisconsin on our journey to Clay.  The vehicle was filled with Clay music, conversation and laughter!

Thanks to Claydevotee, my ticket was in the 4th row.   (It is one of those times when the word "thanks" doesn't even begin to describe gratitude)!  I could look right into Clay's face and I didn't miss a blink of those gorgeously lashed eyes!  Saw every facial expression and did the "what a beautiful man" thought over and over!   4th row center!  Dream come true!

I was also one of the lucky ones to share the warmth on Sunday evening at the home of juls.   Old friends and new.  Renewed friendships with juls, LJB, Dev, Invisible Touch. sjlogghe, grammaof6 and her daughter, PJ.  Then got to meet LiftClayUP and her friend Claudia.   Claymaniacs do a lot of laughing, talking and hugging!!!  So special.   LJB and juls provided "pajama party" opportunities at their homes.  Once again, so sweet and loving and fun-filled!   We started the next morning meeting again for breakfast and then off to do the "tourist thing"!

OK - Its the Windy City, but we are taking downtown Chicago by storm!  gramma, Paulette, sjlogge, Invisible Touch and I took a commuter train downtown!!!  We walked in the wind, went to Marshall Fields where we rode the escalater to the 8th floor to view the large tree.  Moved in rhythm with the busy shoppers in the crowd.   We got on a trolley which was packed with holiday shoppers and we announced we were Clay Aiken fans.  The trolley driver then kept mentioning Clay's name over the microphone and the five of us would cheer shamelessly!  (The rest of the people on the trolley with all their packages needed to be cheered up).  Then we saw the marquee at the Chicago Theater with the CLAY AIKEN - SOLD OUT message.   Invisible Touch gave a great description of our little group peering between book shelves at Borders Book Store to catch a glimpse of Clay.   (We were trying to pretend we were shopping for books because we weren't part of the book signing group).   Took a few pictures - but we were very well behaved).  So we got to see the "flat haired, brown rimmed glasses, green sweater Clay".   He looked at each person in the "book signing" line and he smiled!   Clay is marvelous no matter which way he slept on his hair!!

Then off to the Hyatt Regency where we had reservations for our 2nd night of fun and frolic.  We actually got a decent discount because when we were asked if we were members of the "Clay Nation", we said YES!
Got in touch with Dev immediately and made plans for our Evening of Clay.  Got ourselves upgraded a bit for the concert!  Then got Chicago cab rides to a beautiful restaurant that LJB had gotten reservations for.  
New Claymaniacs:  at the door we met alli_aiken and her friend.  Then met Fantasy and her Mom, IlClaymate with her adorable son and fine looking husband.  Good food, great wine, wonderful companions!

Off to the Chicago Theater!  Met Woodstock.  Met Carol V.H. who lurks on Claymanaics.  She is from Michigan and we e-mailed each other for tickets for the Ind. Tour and for this one!   I met others, too, but my brain can't remember every name.    

Clay's performance has been described so eloquently by the previous postings, so I just won't even try.   The children, the choirs, the back-ups, the piano, the orchestra, the lights, the acoustics of the building - the perfect setting for the most awesome performer in the world.   Clay's voice, stage presence and passion cannot be described because the Webster Dictionary just won't help me find the words.   A Joyful Noise Indeed!!

Then the concert is over and you have to deal with that fact.   So a bunch of us dealt with it at Bennigans, a bar & grill somewhere between the theater and our hotel.   Met up with some nice Clay Board people.   Had some beverages and some food.   Laughed and Clay-talked for a couple of hours.   Someone looked up just as a couple of Clay's tour buses rolled past the bar and of course, the whole group of us were on our feet screaming and clapping!   (And all of these things seem so normal).   Finally, walked in the winter night of Chicago, gaping at the skyscrapers and Christmas lights and got ourselves into the Hyatt.  Because we still hated to see the evening end, we went to read the entire Chicago Concert Cellcert thread on sjlogge's laptop.   You guys were really good!!!   We enjoyed your responses to the concert!    Really a neat perspective.   When the clock was working its way to 2 AM, we called it a night! Whatta night!

We packed up on Tuesday morning and started our trek toward the Metra commuter train to get back to our vehicles in the burbs and we ran smack into Dev once more.  Hugs and Giggles on tap again as we shared the train ride in our Claymaniac world.  The other commuters were more subdued!!   Evidently, they weren't feeling the Clay-love!    (Poor dears)!   Then hugs to Dev as the train ride ended.   More group hugging and good-byes when LJB picked us up at the station so we could crawl into our vehicles and travel the highway back to reality!  

Clay Aiken is the reason for all of the above.   I will treasure these memories for the rest of my life.  

Merry Christmas With Love,

Barbara

[grammaof6]

This Chicago Concert experience tops all others. It started on Sunday night when JULS hosted a wonderful holiday party at her home. It was great to enjoy the beauty of JULS' warm and cosy home with old friends (Sjlogge, Invisible, Dev, Wisconsin, & LJB). My daughter Paulette also joined us. We had the privilege to also meet LiftUpClay and her friend Claudia. It was a moment to remember sitting in front of the fire, listening to MCWL and laughing together.

Everything has been said. What more can I add?  I found this review on the ClayBoard written by ananka1. It beautifully expresses my thoughts, feelings and heart also.

To say this man is beautiful is an extreme understatement. In fact, I would venture to say that to my misty eyes he was not of this world. I have always believed there were 'angels unaware' so I swear when he sang “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” I could hear the faint flutter of delicate wings and see a golden light surrounding the stage. Maybe it was just the seraphim sneaking in to try to take him back from us. I would fight them if they tried.

The mother in me wanted to take him home and feed him lots of fattening Italian food and peach pie with ice cream and whipped cream on top and sing him a lullaby while he falls into a well deserved long and peaceful sleep.

The woman in me wanted to take him home and nuzzle my face into that long elegant neck and kiss each one of those magnificent long fingers. Needless to say there would be rose petals on the 800 count bed sheets, candles, incense and…………………..well…………..ecstasy.

The child in me wanted to play with him, laughing, skipping and jumping around while he made fun of my curly hair and I made fun of his big flipper-like feet, that I would learn to appreciate later in life.

The healer in me wanted to infuse him with divine energy so that he no longer would have to worry about ever getting sick and losing his voice, or needing those glasses. And most of all he would be able to enjoy the two secrets to long and everlasting life….coffee and chocolate.

The teacher in me wanted to impart to him all that I have learned in my full life about truth, humanity and the divine, maybe using the Vulcan mind meld technique and maybe even lingering too long with my fingers on his porcelain skin.

Yes, he brought out in me so many emotions and feelings, some I thought had long ago died. I cried through IBHFC, remembering my mother and how she longed to have me with her on these holidays while I traveled the world. I marveled at DSIAFCD and understood Randy Jackson when he said “where is that voice coming from?” I was exalted to other realms of existence by HTHAS/OCAYF with energy tingling up and down my spine and exploding in my chest.

Loving Clay is a double edged sword. On one hand you want to rip loving him out of your heart because sometimes it hurts too much and you know you will never be loved in return in a personal way. But on the other hand, the sublime joy you feel when you see him and hear him sing is worth the pain for as he sings his songs of faith, whether you believe as he or not, you just want to take his hand and ascend to some heavenly realm with him and be eternally blissful.

That says it all!
Gramma Barb

[grammaof6]

top row from left to right...Juls, LJB, Claydevotee, Wisconsinmaniac, InvisibleTouch. bottom row from left to right...LiftClayUp, sjlogghe, gramma's daughter, grammaof6

[Pamela]

Man.  Y'all give good recap.
Chi-Town fans, you guys rock!
Thanks so much; I had great fun reading these!

[ILClaymate]

Experience #2: The Pre-Concert dinner and the Main Event!

LJB (Lisa) had arranged for us to meet and eat at a restaurant near the Chicago Theatre.  It was a great restaurant and it was wonderful to finally be able to put more faces to names and get to know other Claymaniacs!  At the restaurant, I met LJB, Juls, Alli_Aiken, Wisconsinmaniac, Grammaof6, ClayBuf for the first time!  It was really great to meet all these sweet gals!  Also there was Fantasy, Claydevotee (MamaDev), LiftClayUp (Carol) and sjlogge (Sarah) which I had already met but it was great to see them again!!  We had a great dinner.  Thank you Lisa for arranging all that for us and the dessert was yummy!

This concert was my 5th one this year and I have to say I think it was the best.  I had the best seats at the concert which was wonderful and one of the reasons I enjoyed this concert so well.  I was 10 rows from the stage on the center aisle.  The venue was small and very nice.  The front row of the pit area was just inches from the stage.  Clay was very happy and his voice of course was right on all evening.  When he sang TMOC you could tell he loved to be up there singing with the kids.  Mr. Clandy and son, who is 5, went to the concert with me.  OHN is my hubby’s favorite song and he really enjoyed hearing Clay sing it.  The highlight of the evening was during WAYDNYE.  He walked across the front of the stage singing and walking very slowly and looking and singing to each and every person in the front row.  Then he went down the stairs which were on the center aisle that I was sitting on.  He stops and sings to a little girl 3 rows directly in front of me.  He sang to her for quite awhile and I thought that may be the only one he sings to but then he moves on and sings to the gal across the aisle in the row in front of mine.  Then he moves to the gal right across the aisle and finishes the song there!  He was so close while he was singing it was unbelievable.  I could have touched him but I didn’t since Jerome was right there.  It was heaven just to be so close while he was singing even though it wasn’t me he was singing to.  I did notice that the 3 he chose to sing to were very still and just sitting and watching without making much movement.  The girl in front of me was real excited and was wiggling around and bouncing around more (which I think I was too!) which may have been why he chose the other ladies.

During intermission I was able to chat with Woodstock and her daughter Ellen which was great!  We had already been to 2 other concerts together and it was wonderful seeing them again.  The second half of the show was great because I loved the more spiritual feel of it.  I enjoyed watching Clay put all his emotions and feelings into each and every song, especially MDYK which I love too.  My favorite song of the evening and from the album is DSIAFCD.  I enjoyed it on the album but it is SO much better live in person.  That song is truly a performance.  The glory note and the spotlight makes it all that much more exciting.  It is a great song to end the show on (before the encore).  Good News was very moving.  He puts so much devotion into it.  I had only heard the song through a couple cellcerts I had before and I wasn’t able to hear all the words to the song before.  That is a wonderful song with a wonderful message.

Mr. Clandy and son had a great time at the concert and both enjoyed it very well.  Mr. Clandy told me that if he does a yearly Christmas concert he would like to go.  I think this concert helped him to like Clay more.  He never was a big Clay fan and used to tease me a lot about it.  He just thought he had a good voice but I think by going to the concert helped him get to know Clay as a person too.

It was an unforgettable day and a wonderful way to end my first year of Clay!

[fantasy]

I'll work my way backwards.

Everyone's reviews have been spot on. It was the best concert I have attended. Clay's voice was on and beautiful, especially during the string of OHN, TFN, OCAYF, and SN. He puts so much of himself in each song that you really feel it. I also enjoyed hearing Jacob's, Quiana's, and Angela's solos.

Our seats were so close, you could see every detail on that man. (Thanks Dev for getting the tickets). It was amazing. On our side of the stage, when he sang WAYDNY he started by singing to a girl to our left who has Down's syndrome. She was so excited. His interactions with the crowds and the kid's choirs just shows what a giving man he is.

The dinner was wonderful. Getting to meet so many Maniacs was great. Everyone was so welcoming and warm. I highly enjoyed it and hope to be able to do it again.

As far for the book signing, what can I say. It was so worth the 7 hour wait and cold. Granted we weren't out as long as others (and I applaud those who did) but still quite a wait. The bookstore played Clay and Kelly Clarkson songs and we talked and got to know each other. The time really passed quickly. Clay was wonderful. I have met other celebrities in similar situations, and they are not all that giving. He really tried to make everyone feel a part of it and that they actually got to meet him. By asking for our names and where we are from was thoughtful and looking us in the eyes and shaking our hands just put it over the top. I was so nervous; just tried to make sure that I didn't say or do something stupid. Clandy, I will never forget our day together.

[claysjoy]

Here is some Fantasy Clandy

[juls]

Forgive me for being so late to report in!  It's Thursday now and I am just now winding down from all the excitement of this past week.  I so enjoyed reading what all of you shared about your experiences.  It was so nice to re-live the memories!  Our Chicago "event" as Molly (Invisible Touch) so appropriately dubbed it, was magnificent.  I absolutely loved having my concert buddies who have now become dear, dear friends to my home on Sunday and I was so happy to have Molly and Sarah stay over.  It was also so great that Carol (liftclayup) and her friend were able to join us.  What can I say - LJB, Wisconsinmaniac, Grammaof6, Paulette, Dev, Sjlogge, Invisible touch, and now the many more wonderful members of our community who I met - you guys truly hold a special place in my heart.  I adore you and treasure the time we spend together.  Can't wait to do it again!  LiftClayUP, Woodstock, IL Claymate, Alli Aiken, Fantasy & Claybuff (even if we met ever so briefly) - I am so very glad to have met you.  You are all so kind and warm and I sincerely hope that our paths cross again so that we will have more time to visit.  Alli - don't you worry -you made a great impression and you are a sweet and adorbale girl.  To the others of you who were in Chicago who I missed meeting, I hope there will be another opportunity to connect at concerts next year!  Now, for the concert, there is truly nothing more I can add that hasn't already been said.  It was a glorious evening and our guy was nothing short of magnificent.  As Woodstock told you, I brought my step-mom, my sister, my sister in law and my best friend.  My friend and my sister in law are also Clay fans (though I must admit they are not quite as enthusiastic as me) so we were mouthing "OMG" together throughout the show and that was fun.  I kept looking over at my sister and my step-mom to gauge their reactions - I was really hoping they would walk away from the evening understanding why I adore and appreciate Clay the way I do.  I prefer to think of myself as an ardent supporter rather than an obsessed fan - despite what my family thinks!    While they did roll their eyes at the screams of "Clay I love you" and at some of the more "extreme" fans who were on display, they admitted to me that yes, Clay has a phenomenal voice, a charming personality and his show was "extremely entertaining."  So, it was all I could have hoped for.  Woodstock, thanks for sharing your Clay appreciation with my step-mom - I think it helped!  I, like Woodstock, was very annoyed by the distraction of the camera nazis during DSIAFCD at our end of the theater.    I understand the need to enforce the rules but it really did ruin the experience of the song for me and I so wanted my family to hear the glory note which was overshadowed by the camera fiasco.  Oh well.  That is my only complaint.  And of course that he didn't swagger over to me singing WAYDNYE (are those ladies lucky, or what?).  Other than that - Sunday and Monday were absolutely perfect.  I also want to say thanks for the rousing rendition of happy b-day outside the theater (Dev, you harmonized beautifully!). What could have been a better way to celebrate my b-day than to have the company of wonderful friends and the luscious sights and sounds of our man Clay?  I am just now starting to recover!  Thanks to all who made our Chicago event so very special and memorable.  I look forward to sharing many more wonderful experiences together!

Love to all,
Juls

[CT loves Clay]

The woman in me wanted to take him home and nuzzle my face into that long elegant neck and kiss each one of those magnificent long fingers. Needless to say there would be rose petals on the 800 count bed sheets, candles, incense and…………………..well…………..ecstasy.

DITTO, DITTO, DITTO  AND ALL OF THE REST OF THE THINGS MENTIONED!!

COULD WE LOVE THIS MAN MORE?  COULD HE GET ANY BETTER??

I THINK NOT!

LOVED ALL OF YOUR REVIEWS.  A LITTLE LATE READING THEM, BUT I ENJOYED THEM ALL!

[alli_aiken]

I love reading everyone's reviews from the concert even if i was there!!

since i was a good girl and didn't take any pictures INSIDE the theatre...this is all i got


gotta love seein the name in lights!

[ClayBuf]

Wow ...... I'm like a week late getting this written - but it kinda fits right in with my arrival in Chicago.    This is the first time since getting back home from Chicago that I've actually had more than 5 minutes to spend on my computer, so it's now or never!

On Monday morning, I got way-laid back here in Omaha, so I finally hit the road almost 3 hours later than I had planned. I was going to get to Chicago and have plenty of time to relax from the drive and get ready for the evening, starting with dinner at Petterino's with fellow Claymaniacs.
Dinner was planned for 5 o'clock. I pulled up to the hotel at 5:10. Don't think I'm going to have time to eat AND get ready for the concert.

The restaurant is only 3 blocks from my hotel, so after I checked in and got a beer on ice in my room, I decided to go for a little walk. I wanted to at least let Lisa (LJB) know that I wasn't really a "no show" after all her work putting the dinner together. Also, not having met any other Maniacs before, I didn't want to let the opportunity pass me by to put faces to names that I have become so familiar with this past year. So, I bundled up and off I went.

The restaurant host knew where everyone was sitting, and took me back to their tables. Lisa hopped up right away and asked if I was Buffi. Then she did a really sweet thing - she took me to each table and introduced me to everyone. I really appreciated this, especially since I was feeling a little sheepish about showing up so late and then not planning on staying once I got there. Thank you, Lisa! You did a great job putting the dinner together, and you were a great "hostess"!


Hello to Wisconsinmaniac (Barb), grammaof6 (Barb) and daughter Paulette, claydevotee (Mama dev), sjlogghe (Sarah/shloggy), Alli_Aiken (Allison) and her "not-a-Clay-fan" friend , Fantasy and her mom, ILClaymate and her hubby and son, Juls, and LiftClayUp (Carol), and InvisibleTouch (Molly). It was so much fun to meet all of you. I wish time would have allowed me to stay and visit with all of you.

Under normal circumstances, I would be in Chicago the night before a concert, but it wasn't possible this time. I didn't even know for sure if I was going to make this trip at all until Sunday night. So, even though I missed out on dinner, I'm glad I at least got to meet everyone, if only so briefly.

Everyone summed up Clay's show so well, I won't go over it again. There are just no adequate words to describe how I feel when I hear Clay sing live. It's truly an emotional experience. I found myself shedding tears on the very songs that I did when I heard the CD for the first time. That voice just moves my soul. I love him for being himself on stage and making me laugh, too. I just love him.

I loved hearing all the comments from different people as we were leaving the theater after the show. When you are shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other people all heading for the same door, you can pick up a lot of chatter. There was the boyfriend who admitted to his girlfriend that he was glad he came because she was right - Clay is really good. There was the mother and daughter talking about how special Clay is. There was the elderly oriental couple who love Christmas music, and heard about the show and decided to come "see what all the fuss is about" over Clay. They got it - and had "a most enjoyable evening". There was the mother telling anyone who would listen about how glad she was that her teenage daughter was hooked on Clay instead of some "over-sexed idiot" who doesn't care about his image or his fans. There were the parents discussing how they wished there was more entertainment the quality of Clay's show that their whole family could go to together like they did tonight. Awesome. He makes a difference in so many ways - he'll just never know.

I met up with the gang who went to Bennigan's after the show. There were some members of the ClayBoard from Kansas City, St. Louis and Wichita sitting to my right. To the left were Carol (LiftClayUp), Mama Dev, grammaof6 and Paulette, Wisconsinmaniac, "Shloggy", Molly (InvisibleTouch) and some friends of theirs. I was intrigued by the fact that the main topic of conversation amongst the ClayBoard members was about "Waldo" and exactly where he was during the show. But that is a topic best left for the BLPT. Hmmmmmmm.......

At one point, everyone was chatting away, and in a split second everyone went silent, and in another split second EVERY one of us let out a collective yelp because everyone saw, at exactly the same time - two tour buses pull up to the stoplight right outside of Bennigan's. HIS bus wasn't one of them, but that didn't stop us from yelling and waving at the two that were there. It was hilarious. Each one of us reacted exactly the same at exactly the same time. It was priceless.

I can not wait until the next time Clay hits Chicago. I hope that there will be another get-together for ClayManiacs and that I will actually be able to spend some time with everyone next time. It was a lot of fun this time, but the time I had was way too short to spend with such a great group of people. I'm so glad that I am a part of this site. It is like no other out there. Thanks, everyone!

~Buffi