I posted most of this on another thread, but wanted to share it here too. This was my 2nd Clay concert - the first being in Philadelphia - and all I can say is WOW! Well, actually, that's not all I can say..... Its almost 4am and I just got home a little while ago. No one is around, but that's ok. I didn't think I would post when I got home. I just drove well over 300 miles today, left Wilkes-Barre in a driving sudden snow storm that was so bad I had the illusion that my car was going backwards, not forward! We were travelling at a whopping 25 miles per hour over dark, unfamiliar roads late at night, barely able to see where the road was. But I would do it all again in a heart beat!They seemed much more on the ball in Wilkes-Barre than they were in Philly. Yes, they wouldn't let us take in the presents we had for Clay, but I felt confident that the very nice, sweet, 50-ish woman who took them would make sure they would get to Clay. She promised, and I believe her! They did look in bags, but had a more relaxed camera policy than the Liacouras Center. NO videos were allowed, naturally - AND THEY SEEMED TO ENFORCE IT! I hope someone succesfully snuck one in so we can have some downloads, but a woman in front of us was hauled away by Jerome and Arena Security and we heard it was because they found out she had a video camera with her! She returned later but without her bag! Anyway, they said no "professional" type cameras with removable lenses, but any other kind was ok. In Philly, they TRIED to prevent ALL photography, but soon after Clay made his entrance they gave up and we were told it was ok to take pictures! No problem at all in Wilkes-Barre.They were also very good at getting people to put down signs if they held them up. This was great, because there were a few people in front of us (we were in the 7th row this time, near the catwalk) with signs and they blocked our views! IMO, signs should NOT be allowed in at a concert! Anyway, they also stopped people from standing on chairs. The event staff actually looked like they were doing their jobs!The reception for Kelly was good, but not enthusiastic. I think the crowd was more enthusiastic with Kelly in Philly. She did wear her "I heart Clay" t-shirt here, which she didn't in Philly. But from the moment her set was over, you could feel the excitement and the electricity building. From time to time chants of "WE WANT CLAY" or "CLAY! CLAY! CLAY!" would spring up. And then when the lights went down and the music for Kyrie started the place went wild! And it never stopped.I truly don't think Clay was feeling well. His hair looked as if he just got out of bed. When he first entered, he didn't have the same pep in his step he had had in Philly. He looked tired. But you could tell he was giving it everything he had. He started out saying he wasn't going to talk much, but you know Clay! That just isn't possible! I think the crowd energized him. He looked around and commented on how packed the house was (it was filled to the rafters!) and how loud the crowd was and it was as if suddenly he was able to reach down deep inside himself and somehow, some way pull that extra something out! He said to the crowd "You guys are making this fun!" I have this feeling that before the show there was a big part of him just wishing he didn't have to put on a happy face and go out there. But once on stage, seeing these masses of people looking up at him with adoring eyes, it was if he was fueled by their love! Maybe even more so than in Philly, this crowd looked at him with such love in their eyes! Looking around at the people you could just see it. And it was a very different crowd than in Philly. Lots more men - several wearing Clay concert t-shirts! Many more families. But it was still a predominantly female audience. Anyway, I almost felt as if the crowd sensed Clay wasn't feeling his best and loved him all the more (if that's possible!) because there he was, giving it is all for them!Once Clay got started, he joked (talked about the WDC dance in DC - saying he knew we all knew what happened! Ah, the power of the internet!), and laughed. He was hysterical at times! His singing voice sounded strong. His "screeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaammmmmm" during WDC was long and strong! His speaking voice sounded deeper than usual, but not really hoarce. Actually, it was sort of sexy! He hit some phenominally low notes in some of his songs that I didn't think he could hit! He changed up a few songs, but nothing dramatic.His WDC was the most fun ever! He had a hard time not giggling during the slow part, I think because he could feel the crowd wondering what new , um, shall we say dance move, he would do tonight! And when the "dance" part came, they were really into it tonight!!! I swear it is getting sexier and sexier (although I bet he tones it down in Winston-Salem if his Mom is there!). But the best part was when Angela went down on him - OK, shimmied down on him! It caught him totally by surprise and he just lost it! He broke out laughing so hard I thought he was going to fall over! Once he regained his composure, the "dance" continued til the end! It was almost as if Angela figured that Clay had surprised her in DC, so she was going to surprise him in Wilkes-Barre! And she did! It was truly one of the highlights of the show! Pray for a download!!At the end, when he went to sing "The Way" they were having some technical difficulties, and he tried to sing through it but gave up, and asked the audience if he could start over. Of course we said sure! He laughed about it, but I think the perfectionist in him was a teeney bit annoyed!Open Arms was great. Kelly wore a very flattering black dress and she looked beautiful. It was only at the end of this song that I noticed him struggling a little bit with his voice.But to me, the highlight of the show BY FAR was the moment Clay didn't sing. It was during the acoustic set - which was definitely better than in Philly. They seemed to do more of each song than in Philly. (There were slight techinical difficulties here too. The guitarist must have broken a string because suddenly there was no guitar and a new one was brought out to him!) But, when he started MOAM and he noticed the audience singing along, he just held the mike out and we all sang every word perfectly (actually, it did sound pretty good!). The emotion on his face! Angela was crying. Quinana was crying. Clay put his hand on her knee as if to comfort her and to steady himself. I looked through my telephoto lens briefly and he was crying! He definitely wiped away tears. I think it totally caught him off guard. This song that means so much to him - every word was being sung TO him with such love and respect and admiration! It clearly overwhelmed him! And the songs that followed seemed the richer for it! He was so moved it made me a little misty eyed! It just took my breath away. We just were all so caught up in the moment. We were singing this song FOR CLay! And he felt our love. It was almost as if there were 10,000 pairs of arms embracing him in the world's largest group hug! I don't know if any of what I have written can come close to conveying the emotion of that moment. It was very intimate and very personal.And that's what this concert was that the Philly concert - for all its indescribable joy - wasn't. It just felt more intimate and personal. It left us feeling so full, so amazingly full! Maybe it was the crowd. Maybe it was that he clearly was not feeling well. Maybe it was the full moon. I don't know. All I know is that I didn't want it to end! Never in my life have I experienced what I felt tonight. I know I won't forget it as long as I live.I only wish I could afford a 3rd concert!
