WVCLAYFAN:
Greensburg Recap!
Long time, no see! Real life has been keeping me extremely busy, but sometimes you just have to stop and go see Clay Aiken. Although I write for a living, I make no promises as to the quality of this recap because … well, because I can really only think one thing – Holy sh*t!
I’ve waited almost nine years to experience what I did last night. And it was nothing short of amazing.
Scorpionlady, ljparismama and I had tickets to Shippensburg; however, as the concert grew closer we realized our schedules weren’t conducive to a three-hour drive and an overnight stay. While we were trying to make a final decision via e-mail, I just happened to pull up The Palace Theatre website.
What did I see on the screen? Three front row tickets!
I swear. We were meant to have them because I have NEVER been that lucky when buying Clay tickets. Never. Although I wanted to wait for everyone to agree, I kinda.sorta.maybe made an executive decision and purchased the seats. I couldn’t let them get away though! After I got over the initial excitement of finally sitting in the front row, it dawned on me that I’ll finally be close enough to use my camera for pictures. Holy sh*t!
Fast forward to us being seated last night. I couldn’t stop giggling – and it was like a domino effect from me to ljparismama to s-lady. But then the lights dimmed and it became real and wonderful! He sounded amazing. He was hilarious (I even snorted a few times!). He looked divine. I may or may not have studied the fly of his pants for the second outfit at one point. I swear instead of a zipper it was snaps/buttons.
After talking to the men in the front row – and their wives who “needed to get their stories straight” – Clay made a crack about adding this song ("What Are You Doing New Year's Eve") in hopes that the men could go home and get laid. As the opening notes of the song began to play, I started giggling again. I swear I thought he was going to start singing “chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” Odd choice to dedicate to men, I thought. And it was all over.
I’m not sure where this fits into the timeline (Clay fog, ya know), but Clay did ask ljparismama to look up the lyrics to Hark The Hearld on her phone.
The woman called up on stage to sing mentioned she’d seen Clay in concert four times. I heard people around us say, “Only four?” Haha! She mentioned her daughter being the singer in the family, but she wasn’t at the concert tonight (she was performing in one of her own) … and that she had already seen Justin Bieber. After singing, she picked the pocket with a Massachusetts lottery ticket.
And then it was time to try and pronounce the band member’s last name. He walked back and forth on the stage trying to decide who to call upon.
He stopped in front of me and said, “You.” I pointed to myself and responded, “Me?” He quickly replied, “Yes, you. I’m looking at you aren’t I?” I replied, “Well, I didn’t know. You could have been looking at the woman right behind me!” So I walked up to the edge of the stage (Holy sh*t!). He asked my name, where I was from and then … I don’t know. I remember asking if the last name was Polish, but didn’t get a response. He said something about giving me a prize if I could pronounce it. I cheekily replied, “A lottery ticket?”
When he came out for the encore – and sat on the stairs right beside us – I had to turn away. And, yes, I said, “Holy sh*t!” The women in the row behind us busted out laughing. Then I remembered I had a camera. I was able to capture two of my favorite pictures. Yay! While we had our moments during the show, nothing made me happier than seeing a woman across from us overwhelmed and crying when Clay stood in front of her for the final bit of the encore. I have no doubt that made her whole month!
Side note: I went to the dentist this morning and I’m friends with one of the technicians on FB. Not knowing I was in the office, she came up to several co-workers and said (breathlessly), “Did you all see Clay Aiken was here last night??” All three of the women were so excited – and couldn’t believe they missed him. I interjected that he was actually in Greensburg and I was there. The technician started laughing and said she saw my pictures on FB and was so excited for me. I’ve often thought Clay could sell well in one of the two small theatres in Morgantown – and this morning reaffirmed that. I hope one day he might consider it.
Final note: I know this isn’t something new, but Clay really appreciates his fans. Those true emotions are always welcome in my (fangirl) world!