7/8/04 STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!

[Marilyn]

STEPHANIE1130
Guest
  STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!
« Reply #750 on: July 09, 2004, 01:14:04 AM » 

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Oh I had to go to my sisters house & watch my nephew..... I missed everything....BOOHOO       !Sounds like everyone had a great night..........I am sad now LOLOLOLOL!

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!
« Reply #751 on: July 09, 2004, 01:43:55 AM » 

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Clayboard

What a night! WOW! That man is truly talented. What can he not do?

Please remember when reading this that I am not nor do I claim to be any kind of a writer. I'm just writing what I saw. So please bare with me.

First I'll state with the facts. It was not a full house even at half, but who really cares. The stage was once again silver in color with stairs that had lights on them. And two upper platforms on each end.There were screens on each platform side and a big screen behind the stage setup.

Cherie started the show at 7:30 and sang I think 5 or 6 songs.Cherie is indeed a young Celine. Great voice. It was hard hearing her though.

On to the show. He comes up from under the stair case. It raises and there he is in jeans, a red striped shirt and a red tie. Looking gorgeous as we all know he does. There were 4 costume changes. Woo hoo!

The first song, I'm not familiar with I think its called " Streets have no name" Got the crowd going. Then "Shine" and WYSYLM. On the later song he wanted to pick the best dancer from the audience and give her a lai. So he found his dancer and brought her up on stage and let her dance for him and then hugged and kissed her (on the cheek)and sent her on her way. Lucky girl.

Next he was up on the right side of the platform and was singing IWCY. Beautifully done.

Then a treat. We get Kryie again. Love that song and he does it so dang good. Then NMSS is done on the stairs again. I have to say this and will say it many times during this review,
man can this guy act! Wow such emotion he puts into these song. It just blows your mind.

Ok this is where it gets alittle different for me. The new acoustic set. Clay doing BACKUP? Oh well any Clay is better then no Clay.This was the James Taylor set. I'm not that up on James Taylor so please forgive me on the song titles, but I'll do my best.

Rockabye Sweet Baby James. Sung by Clay.
How sweet it is to be loved by you. This was sung by Angela and backed up by Clay. Interesting notion!
See you again. Sung by Jacob
Whenever I see your smiling face. Sung by Quiana
Then everyone joins in to sing " Just call out my name"

Then the mic is returned to the one we wanted to hear. He does one of the most beautiful renditions on MOAM that I have heard to date. Jacob joined in with either an Oboe or a Clarinet. Very nicely done. I only pray the someone got vids from tonight. They were really cracking down on the cameras.

Then the infamous song "Run to Me " returns to reclaim it's spot on Clay's song list. On of my favs. Again Jacob joins him with the instrument. Gorgeous! So much emotion. Man can this guy act! There I told you I say it again.

Intermission time. Then we come back to clips from the taping of "Proud of you boy" and many other things that Clay has done in the past year.

ISY, what can I say that hasn't already been said? The BEST I've seen him do this one. Man can this guy act! So much attitude and anger. I can't even describe what watching him perform that was like. It is something that has to be seen.
It really is a shame that MOAM was done so quickly. Clay really has grown into his songs now. They are so much more him. He's simply amazing with a capital A. The note was held for what seemed like an eternity and apparently there is some competition between him and Jacob about holding that note. Clay says that maybe by the end of the tour Jacob will be able to hold that note.

He did the cell phone bit again. Which I'm really glad he didn't abandon. They are always funny.

He bought "All about Love" back again. Then we were treated a fav of mine from the 80's "Rosanna" by Toto. I played that 45 to death back in the day. He did a great job with that one. But of course when does he not to a great job on a cover?

Costume change again while the band continues with "Rosanna" the crew leaves.

They returned all decked out in white. Clay is in a white suit, looking rather heavenly. I could not see him very well from where I was sitting because the backup singers were blocking my view. I don't know what song he sang and couldn't really hear it all that well, but it was beautiful and very spiritual. Hopefully some knows the name of the song.

Another costume change and here comes "This is the Night". He's dressed this time in jeans, a blue or gray shirt under a colorful striped jacket.

At this point his voice starts giving out on him just a little. Then it's time for "Invisible" , he's lovin every minute of this, and so are we. We never want it to end. But sadly it does, but not before we get Solitaire as our encore. Words once again CANNOT describe how he performed this one. AMAZING! SO MUCH PAIN! The man can act!

I did get to see him wave goodbye on the bus. Great way to end a great night after a very rocky start.

I LOVE YOU CLAY!

I'm very very proud to be a Claymate and I'm very proud of Clay.

Great job Clay! We will always be here for you as long as you need us. 

[Marilyn]

cjrmax
Guest
  STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!
« Reply #752 on: July 09, 2004, 01:53:18 AM » 

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I just want to apologize if I upset anyone by saying that if Clay didn't sing "Touch" because he felt it was too suggestive then he is a hypocrite.  IF, and I do mean if, that is the reason, then he is because he did do WDC, and he sang it in a very suggestive manner - far more suggestive than "Touch".

However, it has been suggested that maybe the reason he didn't do "Touch" was because of Disney and their influence on the show's content.  It has been suggested that they told him he couldn't do anything that even hints of suggestive lyrics - or dances.  From all reports he did NOTHING that came close to his WDC performance.  He knew how crazy we all went over WDC and I think he would have replaced that number with something equally, shall we say fun.  But he didn't.  When you look at the songs he sang from MOAM, other than "Touch" the only song he didn't sing this time round was "The Way".  We know this is one of his favorites, but you can, if you want, read as much suggestiveness in that song as you can in "Touch".  Is it just a coincidence that he didn't sing "The Way"?  Perhaps. But the whole Disney influence does make sense. 

So I am going to give Clay the benefit of the doubt and say he didn't do "Touch" because of Disney.  I will assume that, even though it is not one of his favorite songs, he would have sung it if not for Disney because he KNOWS how much his fans love it and he KNOWS how much his fans loved WDC and this could have filled the hole left by WDC.  I am also going to believe that he will sing it in concert one day.  Am I deluding myself?  Maybe, but then again, in our obsession about Clay, isn't much of what we do delusional?   

So Clay, I still love you and I am still looking forward to going to your concerts.  I'm not too happy about "You Were There" either - a little too "Christian" for my taste, but what the heck.  I don't have to listen to the lyrics.  I can just watch Clay's eyes and mouth and lips and hands and... feet.

Its all Clay.  Its all good.
 
 

[Marilyn]

aikenismyidol
STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!
« Reply #753 on: July 09, 2004, 03:18:33 AM » 

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2:20 am and I just got done reading it all. WOWSA! Sounds like a good concert!  : 

[Marilyn]

woodstock854
Global Moderator
« Reply #754 on: July 09, 2004, 06:10:56 AM » 

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Thanks again to Pamela, Dudley and everyone else for the cellcert.  Such fun.  I didn't make it through the whole thing, but woke up in the middle of the night and read all 51 pages!!!  I will be worthless tomorrow (today).

 from: claydevotee

OK, I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT HE DIDN'T SING TOUCH, BUT NOT SURPRISED.  CLAY IS A MAN OF HIS CONVICTIONS...HE MADE THE DECISION A LONG TIME AGO THAT HE WASN'T COMFORTABLE WITH "TOUCH".AND IS STICKING WITH IT.  UNDERSTANDABLE AND COMMENDABLE I WOULD SAY,...SO I GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT....AND LOOK, WE CAN ALWAYS LISTEN TO IT ON THE MOAM CD...

Ditto.  I am not surprised at all.

I love James Taylor and look forward to those songs at the concert.  I am very happy that Solitaire is the encore.  I have really wanted to hear that song live, as I listen to it many times a day.  I was hoping he would bring back BOTW, but I guess not this time. 

It was fun gathering with all of you. Oh, and Susan(aikenseeker), I meant to mention it earlier, but I LOVE your avie.  I could stare at that face for awhile...

Some of us don't "see" each other that often because we all hang out at different threads.  It was really special to be altogether tonite.  This is what it is all about.  Our love,compassion, lust... all for our favorite guy.
Yes, lust exists outside BLPT, just ask Philly.  Looking forward to this many more times.... can we take it??
And looking forward to meeting all of you at the convention.
Woodstock  

[Marilyn]

BOZENA
STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!
« Reply #755 on: July 09, 2004, 06:17:56 AM » 

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Good morning all...
I am so dissappointed I missed this cellcert
my cousin came over at 9:30PM and left at 2AM 
yes 2AM...

[Marilyn]

Her
STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!
« Reply #756 on: July 09, 2004, 06:20:29 AM » 

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Hi Woody and Bozena....so sorry Bozena, this was my first cellcert and I had a blast.....tired this morning, but worth it!

[Marilyn]

BOZENA
STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!
« Reply #757 on: July 09, 2004, 06:21:27 AM » 

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I have been reading for over an hour ..dialup...

THANKS TO ALL THAT CONTRIBUTED... AND
PAMELA  YOU'RE THE BEST
WHAT A GREAT IDEA TO HAVE CREATED THIS THREAD...

[Marilyn]

BOZENA
STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!
« Reply #758 on: July 09, 2004, 06:26:26 AM » 

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Hello  Her.(Jayne).
I never went to my bedroom ..
just dozed off inmy easy chair..
and here I am with the early birds...
*********************************
we simply must get front row for Raleigh and Tessie is serious
she will come east

[Marilyn]

Her
STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!
« Reply #759 on: July 09, 2004, 06:29:15 AM » 

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Yeah, I'm getting ready to burn another video copy and then do some, UGH, laundry....I've got to be out early, need to get the oil changed...HAVE A CLAYLICIOUS KINDA DAY!!!! :  :  :

[Marilyn]

ACcountryFan
« Reply #760 on: July 09, 2004, 08:07:56 AM » 

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from: claydevotee

HE MADE THE DECISION A LONG TIME AGO THAT HE WASN'T COMFORTABLE WITH "TOUCH". AND IS STICKING WITH IT.  UNDERSTANDABLE AND COMMENDABLE I WOULD SAY

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from: misha

maybe he doesn't have a problem with a song LIKE Touch...maybe he just really doesn't like the song itself

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finally, i read through all the pages that i missed after leaving for work and i'm not surprised the thread would get heated toward the end.

claydevotee and misha pretty much summed up the entire scenario in a nut-shell.

even though Clay was laughing during an interview, he was serious when he said that if he had more control over MOAM, "Touch" wouldn't have been put on the CD.

i was going along, reading the pages when i was : stunned by the initial words of cjrmax toward the end of the concert. i continued reading the other posts...then i got to the one where she apologized for making anyone upset.

Well, from what i read from the responses, the people at his concert were taken in by him and what he does to them. 90% of the re-caps were gushing about his stellar voice and how he uses it differently on each song...they were all happy and thrilled with the new songs he performed and the James Taylor tribute. by all accounts, they enjoyed the concert...

i didn't see any re-caps that brought up why he didn't sing Touch...i just can't understand why him not singing the song is that big a deal. i don't think Clay not wanting to sing Touch makes him a hypocrite simply because he did WDC.

Clay does have personal taste too...let's not forget. I look at it like it's a personal preference. He chose to do WDC but he chose not to do Touch. well, in my opinion, it's that simple.

as of now, i have no concrete evidence if Clay has ever said he hated Touch or not. He has said it's suggestive...BUT since Clay viewed WDC as a joke, based on the comments he has made, i don't call his action of not singing Touch as a result of hypocrisy...i see it as i stated, a personal preference.

now, to make my commentary on the concert itself:

based on the re-caps and the excitement, i'll say that the show was a success. i know that he wasn't in a market that's filled with ClayFans, but at least this venue didn't cancel.

of course, all of you know i hope, that i base my opinion of concerts on how the fans reacted to it...not a stuffy music critic with an axe to grind and a hatred of cheese and vanilla :

well, they always say that everytime they review a Clay concert or CD so i'll take Lorraine's advice and ignore them this time! {i hope i can, i hope i can!}

i'll flush the overly critical critics criticisms down the toilet with my messy toilet paper! : flush, flush... "howdy Tidy Bowl man, how are you today?" "oh, i've had better days!". "Hey, I know you! You're a music critic? What's you doin' in my toilet bowl?" "believe it or not, Ripley, i'm joining my crappy review! so could you please jiggle the handle so i can make my entrance down the porcelain palace for the grand tour?? Thanks!"

back to the posts. i was mezmerized by the cell-cert and so i vote to have them at most of the concerts throughout the tour.

oh, remember, Clay is copyrighted now and i recall at the time many of you were asking if this would effect the on-line downloads and all that other hi-tech jazz stuff. well, as it's been revealed, for the most part, nobody can do as they did during the tour with Kelly.

i'm glad to hear that he kept the quirkiness the same...like the cell-phone bit!

i also applaud Clay for resting his voice a little bit and letting his band sing and play some songs and take some of the strain/load off him for awhile. i was surprised he did Solitaire for an encore. But as it was mentioned, that glory note and the overall somber feel of the song is the perfect way to end a concert.

now, i hope no one got upset by how i took the success of the concert; and cjrmax, you aleady know that we almost always disagree on several topics : and i hope you don't read too much into his personal preference of WDC over Touch and just continue to love him like you said you would.

who knows? maybe one day he'll sing Touch in concert like you hope he does. but in the short term, i don't see the song getting added to the set list anytime soon and why don't we just forget about Touch for now seeing that he won't perform it and enjoy the success with his music and TV appearances? [/size]
 
 
 

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
« Reply #761 on: July 09, 2004, 08:15:45 AM » 

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Clackhouse

Cherie is talented and sings well. She is an excellent opening act. I don't remember the names of any of her songs.

Clay, Clay, Clay. Well, on the last thread, a meer posted about how she missed that spiky head rising through the floor? Well, it's baaaaaack! The smoke streams out, the second flight of stairs (which are lined in white lights) lifts, and this supremely confident man appears to claim the place that is his - in front of an audience of his fans. Striped shirt based in red. Red ties. Jeans. Baby mullet. So gorgeous. He starts singing. The meers around me go insane. I don't go insane, because I've never cared for U2 and so don't know the song. I now love Clay's version. He is incandescent. Honestly, he is just lit up with the joy of performing. He lights us up too. He swings into Shine. The crowd is screaming hysterically.
He walks to the catwalk and mentions the leis he receives for every concert. He has decided to give one to a fan at each concert. There will be different criteria for each concert. He has decided tonight is for the best dancer. The meers all stare at each other and as he begins singing WYSYLM, begin dancing our asses off. Everyone is dancing. He points to the girl right in front of me, young, shapely, dances almost as well as I. He selects her. She goes on stage and demonstrates her dancing. He gives her the lei, hugs her, sings a little to her, kisses her on the cheek. She is THRILLED. We take pictures of her and get permission to post. He sings IWCY. He sounds ..... FANTASTIC. Just totally FANTASTIC. He is totally into it. He mentions that he sang the next song in the Independent Tour and swings into Kyrie. He rocks the house with that.

And then with NMSS. All the while flirting with the audience......and dancing in joy. Mentions the acoustic set. Says he's gonna do something similiar with one of his favorite artists. Mentions his great backup singers. Says he will do some backup for them. Says backup is hard and if there are any missed notes, they are his. Starts out on a stool at the end of the catwalk near the main stage softly singing Sweet Baby James. He sounds so good. Then he moves to audiences' attention to Angela, who's about three feet to the right of him and she just kills on How Sweet It Is and Clay does beautiful backup. Jacob, who is maybe 5 feet to the left and behind Clay on another stool, rips into Fire and Rain and the man is mad talented - and Clay is still adding beautiful harmonies in the background; Quiana takes on Smiling Face from the top of the stairs and is just wow;

Clay and Angela then approach each other singing You've Got a Friend and eventually Clay holds Angela's hand; Quiana and Jacob take on the second verse while Quiana comes downstairs to join Jacob. The final harmonies in the end are incredible. He then sings MOAM and it is clear that he just loves this song. Loves it. Loves singing it. To close out the set, he does RTM because he loves us. He explains that there is gonna be a 15 minute intermission and not to leave. We laugh at him. During the intermission, while the client is dissecting the results of the high-grade clack hit we just got, the video screen starts to show the commercial of POYB, and Disney Hands and the BAF. It is so obviously professional and good! The audience screams at that too. We see the musicians returning so we know Clay will soon be back and he comes out belting PD. In a different outfit too! PD is perfect.

This is the best part of the concert. He sings the most beautifully impassioned version of ISY I have seen. I loved every second of it. I also notice Jacob holding the long note with Clay. I wave at Jacob. Clay finished the song and says it is his favorite (this is clearly a sign that we have a connection). He comes to the catwalk says, a little something has been going on with me and Jacob AND POINTS TO ME. EEEEEEE! HE SAYS, THIS YOUNG LADY NOTICED IT. C'MON UP TO THE FRONT HERE. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT IT IS? I delicately commented that there seemed to be a little competion on the held note. CLAY SAID TO ME, YOU'RE RIGHT, WHAT'S YOUR NAME? I said Karen. . CLAY SAID TO ME, WHERE'RE YOU FROM? I said Houston and smiled and only adjusted my cleavage because it was uncomfortable. . CLAY SAID TO ME, YOU CAME ALL THE WAY FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS TO SEE ME IN CONCERT? I said, yes, it was worth it. . CLAY SAID TO ME, THANK YOU. I smiled, HE SMILED AT ME.

Parenthetical comment: Clay Looked Me In the Eye and Said My Name. The Next Step is for Clay To Shut His Eyes While Screaming My Name. Baby Steps.

Clay told us he hadn't planned on singing this one but to join in and swung into AAL. He did introduced the band members and kicked into Rosanna, and let the band show their skills while he changed.

This gets into to only possibly iffy part of the concert. I didn’t have a problem with it, but there’s a possibility some people are. The song, You Were There, is typical contemporary Christian, and especially toward the end, he was rocking it out. The staging was, IMO, over the top when everything was put together. The backups changed outfits to all white, Angela and Quiana were at the top of the second flight, to the left and right and Jacob was centered lower down, making a frame for Clay as he was raised through the top of the flight of stair with a gorgeous white suit and tie, and a bright spot behind him. He was broadly gesturing but not moving much. The video screens on either side of the stage were showing at fairly neutral images that became Christian images and then strongly Christian images. I liked the song, the staging really didn’t thrill me, but most of the audience strongly liked it.

He changed outfits again and appeared at the top of the stairs to comment on what an amazing year this has been and how it was all due to us. And to the strains of TITN, a montage rolled across the video screens, started with baby pictures of Clay, then his audition in Atlanta, the Anomaly, the talk shows, the entertainment shows, the awards, the magazine covers and the last video was of the Fans’ Choice Award.

He said the last song we knew, talked about how we made Invisible popular and told us to sing along. At the end, they turned off the stage lights. We screamed for Clay. He appeared at the top of the stairs and sang Solitaire. Then the house lights came up.

I am happy but tired. Am going to bed. Will post the tales of my travels on Saturday when I finally get hom

[Marilyn]

dudley5
« Reply #762 on: July 09, 2004, 11:07:20 AM » 


To the seats we go...my mom and I had third row on the right side of the floor--great seats. We met Clayanna and her son  Hi Anna!! and had a great time chatting with them. Cherie started a little early, and we thought her instrumentals were too loud--it was hard to hear her sing. Also noticed she didn't work the stage much at all, but then I looked at her feet--she had to have been wearing 6feet tall stiletto heels--then I understood why she stood in the middle of the stage the whole time! Anyway, she was alright, good enough voice, but it's tough because everyone's there to see Clay, not Cherie. Anyway, after she does a few songs we decide to go up to the staircase where we're meeting to go see Clay...

They took us down after Cherie had finished and we went back to the same hallway...stood there for a good 5-10 minutes chit chatting with each other and talking about what we'd have him sign (my little brother had a popcorn box that he "autographed" then had Miss North Dakota and me sign--he was going to have Clay sign that...which we all laughed about!). Then the open the door and tell us to come on in...but no Clay. So we stand around, then they tell us to stand together for a picture, the assistant goes and gets Clay.

He walked (very briskly I might add!) through the door and the first thing I thought was "wow, he's got a lot of makeup on!!"--but I didn't have much time to think...he came over to us, talking really fast saying "I wish I had time to get to know all your names and talk, but I gotta get on stage so we'll just have to do this picture quick!" Smile, click click, move outta the way so Clay can take a picture with the UND hockey jersey, click click click, and "Thanks guys, have fun! 7 minutes till showtime!" Whoosh! He's out the door again before we even knew he was there! It was crazy--but once we got back to our seats we realized we had just been thisclose to Clay right before, and I mean RIGHT before he took the stage--very cool...very quick, but very cool!

Ok, now that's out of the way...on to the concert!!
The music started, we started searching for Clay, and suddenly the stairs went all Star Trek and there was Clay--like he was walking out of the mothership! Of course, we screamed--you just can't help it when he's there right in front of you!! 
The set...
Where the streets have no name: Sounded great on this, and as cool as the Star Trek thing was, it's tough to top Kyrie as an opener--him walking by me bopping down the aisle to that song is just such a great memory!
Shine: I was so excited he sang this one since it's one of my favorites. And wouldn't ya know, he sang it almost all right in front of where we sat...and because of the hawkish security, I didn't get any pictures of it! :wallbanging One note--during the last chorus, Clay sang what on the CD is the echo part (as in...everything you--"Everything you arrrrre....Everywhere you've beeeeen....ohhh, fight the battle within" etc.) which was great...but he stole MY part since that's the part I sing in the car! 
WYSYLM: Love, love, love this song! He's giving away the leis the Hawaiian fan sends to every venue this tour, tonight he gave it away to the best dancer during this song. Brought her up on stage and sang to her, then kissed her on the cheek! 
IWCY: Sat on the top tier of the steps for this one most of the song...then at the end he jumped off and nearly bit the dust--in the process he knocked his earpiece/receiver out of his ear/pocket, so he said afterward he finished the song without hearing a single note he sang! You would never have known of course!
Kyrie: This just takes me back to the grand entrance last tour...! Honestly this one is a little lost in my memory of tonight at the moment...but as I remember he sounded great!
NMSS: Great!
James Taylor medley: Clay said he wanted to try his hand at singing back-up, thought it'd be easy, but he was wrong. He said he was going to try a little though, and if we heard wrong notes, it was definitely him (my dad says he did hear one sour one during one of the songs!)  It was very cool--nice change of pace to quiet it down a bit, and Clay really has a great voice for this style of music. We thought it was nice to hear the backup singers really shine too--they all are very talented individuals.
MOAM: WOW. Just WOW! Such a great song, such a great voice, such a great performance! He sat on a stool on the catwalk and sang with so much feeling--this really is a song that should be released, in my opinion, because it's just a beautiful, wonderful song. He botched the last note, but it was still just superb.
Run to Me: Another one I was glad to hear since I really like this song too. He sang it on the end of the catwalk with a mic stand, and the lighting during this number was really neat--I snuck a picture and I'll try to get it up sometime soon! Also missed some of the high notes here, but somehow it doesn't seem to matter!

Intermission!!

Perfect Day: Costume change (striped pants and blue shirt)...came in at the top of the stairs. At one point his mic cut out, so what we heard was "It's gonna be a _____ day!!" Jacob laughed and my mom says she read his lips perfectly and he said "I told you that was going to happen!" Clay shook his head and laughed--it was pretty funny.
I Survived You: He sings this one with an awful lot of angst! Really spits out the "hae to have a conscience baby, good luck, I wish you well" part!!
All About Love: He started talking about the song on the Independent tour that turned into a big favorite and I thought for sure we were going to see WDC again! But I was glad to hear this one, it was one of my favorite numbers when I saw him in St. Paul a few months ago, and he did a great job with it again.
Rosanna: I loved this one! Recognized it right away--and what a great song to showcase Clay's voice. He really lets loose on the "All I wanna tell you is now you'll never ever have to compromise/Rosanna, Rosanna!" Had the band intros in this song and then Clay sprinted off the stage to let them play the rest of the song. It's funny, but we really missed Clay when he wasn't on stage!  He has such a captivating presence that it's like when he left, he took the fun with him! But, I figured, he went to change clothes--and I was right!
NEXT SONG: The quiet music started, backup singers walked out in white (costume change!) and then Clay rose up on a platform on the very top of the stairs in a white tux. However...I don't think it was this Five Candles song I've seen listed--I looked at the lyrics and it's missing some of the words I know I heard...said something towards the end about a cross, and you'd rather die...? Not sure what it was...but whatever it was, it was absolutely beautiful. Gave me goosebumps when he got to the end of the song where his voice just soared, and I thought good for him that he's incorporating a song like this that he must just want to be singing. It was beautiful, and it looked like he wasn't really performing that one for us  After it was over he went back down on the platform for another costume change.
TITN: Before this song we saw a taped little intro about how much has happened to him in the last year, etc...then said he wanted to highlight some of the memories. He came out again, top of the stairs and sang TITN--I was so glad to hear it again, since I really always have loved this song...and after all, it's kind of his signiture song. His voice sounded great--cracked some towards the end with the high parts, but still great.
Invisible: Great, as always! Lots of energy, I don't know how he does it.

And then he was gone.
...but wait, he was back!!

Encore: He was up at the top of the staircases again with a mic stand as the music started. I'm not sure if I've seen anything about this yet, but something went really wrong with the beginning of the song. He started singing, but it was like he was lost and didn't know what was coming next. He turned his head to the side and started singing real quiet, almost mumbling the verses, and for a split second, I thought he was going to just stop them and have them start it over. Insteat, he ripped out his earpiece and kept looking to the side, singing quietly. He made it to the chorus, and after that point everything went just fine--but it was very bizarre at the beginning. After talking about it after the concert with my dad, we've come to think that the musical director didn't hear Clay sing the first line of the song, so when he was ready to go to the "and solitaire's the only game in town" part, they were still wanting to play one more line of the verse. It was very strange, and I'm sure there were some words after the show about that number, since the encore is one you just want to absolutely nail. I felt bad for Clay a bit--he looked tired at this point of the night and I think this song is tough to do--especially after 2 hours on stage. Hopefully they can get the kinks worked out for the rest of the tour!

Whew, and there you have it. My LONGEST post ever, by far, but I wanted to share everything! A few notes, the staging was different, bigger this time--lots of steps, more cameras, more lights. Seemed a little more like a big concert. One cool thing was the addition of a camera on a big crane-like arm that did American Idol-like swoops and pans. The only bad news is that it must have been in the line of sight for people on the left side of the stage (as you look at it)--and it did seem like Clay worked the right side more this time around, probably because of that camera in the way.
They were STRICT about cameras...that was no good. I did manage to sneak my digital out whenever the security man went to go chastise someone for using a non-disposable camera, so I got a couple pics, but nowhere near what I was wishing--especially considering he was RIGHT in front of us a lot of the time. I just hope we can get videos still--they were very, VERY tight with this.
One more thing...I sure hope Clay is taking care of his voice! My mom commented that he looks like he is putting every ounce of what he is into his singing--and he doesn't have all that many ounces to give! He did look tired when he came out for th encore, and I hope he will be extra careful with his voice these next few months.

Overall it was a wonderful concert and Clay, as always, was absolutely captivating...it was a great night, and he was in excellent form. We had a blast (even my dad and brother...my dad's comment: "That boy can sure sing!"--quite the compliment coming from him!), and I can't wait to hear about all the other stops on the tour! 
 
 
 

[Marilyn]

cjrmax
Guest
  STICK A GRAND FORK IN ME, I'M DONE!
« Reply #763 on: July 09, 2004, 11:17:40 AM » 

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This gets into to only possibly iffy part of the concert. I didn’t have a problem with it, but there’s a possibility some people are. The song, You Were There, is typical contemporary Christian, and especially toward the end, he was rocking it out. The staging was, IMO, over the top when everything was put together. The backups changed outfits to all white, Angela and Quiana were at the top of the second flight, to the left and right and Jacob was centered lower down, making a frame for Clay as he was raised through the top of the flight of stair with a gorgeous white suit and tie, and a bright spot behind him. He was broadly gesturing but not moving much. The video screens on either side of the stage were showing at fairly neutral images that became Christian images and then strongly Christian images. I liked the song, the staging really didn’t thrill me, but most of the audience strongly liked it.

I really don't think this is a good idea.  Its one thing to sing a Christian song, but quite another to project Christian images up on the screens.  This isn't a revival meeting! He must realize not everyone in his audience shares his religious beliefs, nor wants to.  I feel as if this is very inappropriate and could easily offend some, or at the very least make some feel very uncomfortable. Bad move, Clay (in my opinion)!
 
 
 

[Marilyn]

Pamela
Assistant Webmaster
 Reply #764 on: July 09, 2004, 11:52:31 AM » 

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from: cjrmax

Its one thing to sing a Christian song, but quite another to project Christian images up on the screens.  He must realize not everyone in his audience shares his religious beliefs.  I feel as if this is very inappropriate and could easily offend some, or at the very least make some feel very uncomfortable. Bad move, Clay (in my opinion)!

I hear you Christie. But lest we forget, there were many who thought it was inappropriate as well as a bad move for Clay to grind (or portray grinding, your choice) on one of his back up dancers as well!  :

During the previous tour, he chose to express himself in one way; on this tour, he is choosing to express himself in another way (due to Disney sponsorship? Perhaps.  Or perhaps not).  I don't feel he is excluding any of his fans by giving tribute to his spiritual side.  It's always been there.  He has a right to personal and artistic expression, just as we all do.

I remember many cries during the Indie Tour of 'just because he's a Christian he can still be sexy!'  Well, just because he's sexy doesn't make him any less of a Christian...

Clay is a person with many textures.  It's what makes him who he is.
He probably lost fans over the grindage, and he may lose fans over the
'religious' set as well.  Life goes on.

From the descriptions, the video actually sounds kind of cheesy.  I'll reserve judgement until I actually see it with my own eyes.  Which will be in one week - eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Besides, if I don't like the video I'll just scrunch my eyes closed and listen to the VOX.   :