TIMELESS TOUR FAN REVIEWS AND RECAPS

[Marilyn]

jax5230 wrote:

Hi everyone! Posting on behalf of Jess and I (we're sitting here together) and Conehead who I'm sure will vouch for everything we say once she gets a chance to come on the board and post. Clay actually asked us to post on here to give an explanation about what happened at buses tonight!

Conehead and I had a meet and greet yesterday (Jess did too, but was in a different one) and he mentioned that he was done watching The Little Mermaid and they had moved on to looking for Beauty and The Beast. Luckily, Conehead had it and brought it to the Lancaster venue today. When they were originally were looking for the Little Mermaid DVD, Quiana said whoever won would get meet and greet passes, which I'm sure all of you read. Obviously we weren't going to part with the DVD without making some kind of bargain!

Jerome called us back during the period where people were waiting for Clay to come out and shake hands and we sort of bargained back and forth a few times about the worth of the DVD, what we wanted in return, etc. We finally came to an agreement and he would get the DVD if we could take a picture with him at the bus. He said we could get in the luggage compartment with him if we went to the Cracker Barrel across the street and convinced the manager to sign a menu in 10 minutes. Sounds easy until we realized the second they told us about the challenge, it was closed. Luckily we were totally up for the challenge and got the menu in time. Most of the crew came outside and Ben took the pictures for us...thanks Ben! So much fun!

Clayphan76
Yep!!! I'll vouch for ya!!!  It did sound like an easy challenge until Jerome called us back and told us we had to run....not drive. They wanted us to run past the back of the venue where they were waiting by the windows to watch and record the whole thing. Jerome kept calling every other minute to check on our progress. We made it in 7 minutes!!!! Anyway, there's a pic from the luggage compartment, taken by Ben Cohn.

[Marilyn]

cagney1950 FROM CV
Lancaster Recap
I have attempted, half-heartedly and not very successfully I might add, to avoid a lot of clack of the concert and that includes the recaps. Now that I have seen my one and only show, I look forward to going back and catching up on all of your recaps.

I have been waiting for a long time to have a Clay concert to come to the AMT in Lancaster. I had heard that we were very close to getting one of the Christmas tours but negotiations with an orchestra fell through. Given that the show sold all but twenty seats (according to a sales person last night) out of 1607, I would consider this show a rousing success from their point of view. I have seen numerous shows in this venue and I don’t believe I have seen the level of enthusiasm by the audience. I must add that I was in the 5th row to the side and never looked behind me-so perhaps my vantage point skewed my perceptions.

As this was my only show, I tried to be hyper alert to remember as many details as possible. But then the Aiken fog creeps in. It’s a battle, I tell you.

The introduction owes a lot to Star Wars but Spamalot as well. The orchestra backing is full of discordant sound just like in the beginning of Spamalot. It made me chuckle and as some of you have mentioned, Clay’s role in developing this show was evident right from the beginning. I love the premise of joining differing musical styles-it worked well.

Some overall thoughts before I get into specifics. Vocals: Ruben sounds great. Clear, warm tone. I found myself getting a bit bored with his first solo-not sure what that was. My impression was that Ruben used the back-up singers more than Clay-just an impression. But as good as Ruben’s vocals are, he just doesn’t make the sounds that Clay does. Clay has a layered richness to his tone, and when you least expect it, he provides an inflection, and emphasis which I could just listen to on repeat. Very, very few vocalists do that to me. Clay’s speaking voice was hoarse but that did not seem to impact his singing voice. A few wonky notes but generally, he sounded terrific
From the clack I did listen to, my immediate impression was that I preferred Ruben’s songs in the 60s to Clay’s. I love Sam Cook and Marvin Gaye. I would kill to hear Clay sing those songs. But then Clay began to sing “Going out of my head over you…..” one of my favorite 60s tunes and I was happy. Actually when it comes to Clay, the bar is sooo low, it doesn’t take much to get me grinning and purring.

I thought the humor and interplay between Clay and Ruben was just right-not forced at all. Some of my favorites including the “Peaches and Herb” interchange where Clay talked about embracing his inner fruit and Ruben his inner herb. Cute. Also I enjoyed the interchange about the macho 80’s with Clay and Ruben playing against type a bit-Clay talking about macho influences and Ruben bringing in the softer side of the decade including Teddy Ruxpin, my buddy (his singing the theme song for that was adorable). I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Reverend Studdard bit-he really sold it. Having Faye in the audience must have made it more fun to deliver.

Rubin is polished and solid. Clay oozes confidence and charisma. He looked absolutely wonderful. I love the hair, including the exaggerated spikes. It works for all the songs in the set, IMO. I don’t always see sexy when I see Clay but man oh man, he oozed a lot of that for me last night. LTVL-wow, the moves were sensual. His pushed up sleeves on his blazer for the 80’s worked for me too. He sold and delivered the ballads like MTAF-wow the taste was just too brief. Clay’s versatility astounds me-he can do pop, green-eyed soul, and then the standards on TnT. I don’t believe we have seen the last of pop Clay-at least in concert.

Quiana and Casey-very solid too. But I’m Every Woman goes on way too long. I kept thinking, Clay, come back! For those who picked up a brochure for AMT, do you think that is Casey on the cover? She has been in some of AMT’s reviews over the years. DGBMH-Clay did a shimmy instead of a kiss, reminding me of the shimmy with Angela when Clay and friends were watching a KLO concert way back when. Clay could dance back then.

After the show I ran into a vice president at the university where I teach. She is a stunning, African American woman there with her daughters. She, I discovered, is a huge Ruben fan but loved the whole show. At work, I say very little about my clay obsession fandom, I have sort of a reputation for being calm, cool, and collected but I couldn’t contain my fangirliness “I’m a claymate” I gurgled, “but don’t tell anybody.” Smooth.

I went with several friends, one of them being one of the first people I met in the fandom. We had traveled to over twenty concerts together. Real life had intervened for her, and in a good way, being blessed with two baby boys, and she had lost much of her interest in Clay. She doesn’t enjoy TnT and I really wondered what she would think about Timeless. Well, it didn’t take long (pretty much as soon as we entered the theatre) for the feelings to come flooding back for her and she absolutely loved, loved the show. At the end she was asking about the Tnt tour. I told her that it would be the songs she doesn’t care very much but she just said, “I don’t care, it’s Clay.” Yeah, that sort of sums it up.

I had fun running into queemsmum, claytheleena and njrp4clay and wished I knew the other CVers who attended. I am sorry I missed saying hi to Craving Clay and molino79 among others.

About the busses and the McV girls opportunity. I hung out at the busses. Didn’t expect Clay to come out but it was a beautiful night and it was fun to catch up with local clay fans that are not on this board but have been so much fun to know over these last 7 years. At one point it seemed like a bus line might be possible as Jerome came out, surveyed the scene, and went back in. The buzz began. Then I saw a lot of activity from fans at the front of the bus, taking picas and what not. When I walked over, I saw several girls with clay and several others talking, laughing, and getting into poses in the luggage well of the bus while the rest of the us were separated by a yellow security tape but looking on none the less. I assumed that these women had won a type of meet and greet-how cool for them. I admit when I found out the spontaneous nature of this privilege I felt a bit of the green coming on. That emotion is kinda rare for me and I don’t like it! That being said, I don’t begrudge Clay or fans for creating these kind of happenings. More power to them. But I certainly felt wistful watching it firsthand.

This show is so special. I would watch it again in a heartbeat! 

[Marilyn]

Southern Belle AT CV
Stopping by to say that a non Clay friend attended the Cluben concert with me last night in Lancaster. She doesn't watch AI but is aware of it and knows of Clay through me and has caught him singing a time or two on TV but nothing extensive. She loved the show and thought it was wonderful. As soon as it was over, she said "wow", I didn't know either of them were that good. She said they could sing anything and thought they were really funny. She said this was more of a "show" than a concert. She also thought the singers and dancers were great although she thought at times, the band was somewhat loud and overpowered the singers. She likes to be able to hear the lyrics but again on the way home - the ride from hell actually - she mentioned how she was so glad I asked her to go and that it was great.

I thought Clay looked very slender especially in his suit. I also thought his face looked thinner than it has in a long time. His cheekbones were very prominent and I thought his profile looked different most likely because his face is thinnner. His face seemed pale to me but I loved his hair color and I like the hair. It reflects his time on AI and seems appropriate for what he and Ruben are trying to convey. My friend even said that he is recognizable due to the hair. Oh and one more thing, yes, he looked quite nice in his jeans. Last time I saw a singer look that good in jeans was Fabian and that's been a long time ago.

I was very, very impressed with Ruben. His voice is rich and soothing. I even forgive him his wonderful rendition of EIDIDIFY. He sounded great on it even though I am still not over my disappointment that it isn't Clay singing it and I can't for the life of me figure out why. It is a head scratcher. I also thought Ruben has come a long way with his stage presence. Perhaps Clay brings out the best in Ruben in that regard. And, despite what the one with the golden lungs says, he can dance.

We saw the fans waiting in front of the bus and another group over by what I assume was the door to the venue. We did not stay but I was hoping for their sakes, that he would greet all of them.
 

[Marilyn]

CravingClay AT cv
 
 My Lancaster Recap:

Since we only live about an hour from Lancaster, my DH and I left home mid-afternoon and arrived about 4:15. We found the venue and took a drive around the parking lot which completely circled the building. The 3 buses were parked in the rear with only one person visible. I thought he might be security, but now I think it was Ruben's keyboard player. Didn't stop to take a picture but DH waved at the guy. 

We really like Texas Roadhouse and don't have one near us, so had planned to go there even before I saw the recommendation here. We were seated immediately at a table for 6, even though it was just the 2 of us. The food there is really good and the service was also great. After a short drive through the outlet shopping area, which was closed by this time, we made our way over to the AMT parking lot to get a good spot. It was only about 5:30 so we sat in the car for awhile and just watched people make their way in.

After 2 glasses of iced tea at dinner, I really needed to find a ladies room so we headed into the theater. The American Music Theater is really a beautiful place. We were very impressed. I bought the black t-shirt which DH kindly took back to the car so I wouldn't have to hold it during the concert.

Eventually we made our way to our seats, which were 8th row right in the "good time section", according to Ruben. The seats are roomy and have generous leg room. I hope Clay comes back there at some point. Even if he doesn't, we will certainly try to see other shows there.

Others have described the show very adequately. It was wonderful! This was my first and only show, but I had watched quite a lot of video. DH did not have a clue, except that I had told him Clay was not singing from TnT and that it was 60's through 90's music. He was laughing quite a lot but is not one to stand up and dance or anything like that. He did stand at the end. When we were walking out, he said he was surprised that Clay did not sing Moon River or "Mack The Knife" (he has listened to the album). I said that I had told him he was not singing from the album. DH said he thought maybe he'd sneak one song in there. I informed him that Clay did sing one song from the album, SM.

I loved the show as a whole, was quite impressed with Ruben's singing and onstage chemistry with Clay. It did seem to me that Ruben was given a little more opportunity to shine, but I assume that is Clay's doing. Ruben does a great job with the old school R&B style. I think it might be fun, though, to hear Clay sing a lot of the songs that Ruben is doing.

We didn't go to the buses after the show. My ultimate handshake line was in Asheville in 2007. Nothing can top that!

On the way home, DH said that he thinks that Clay is very smart. He said he thought that Clay had probably planned most of that show (he does NOT read at CV nor had I said that to him). He also said he wished Clay would do another Christmas tour. DH really likes the Christmas shows.

I got to see some folks I had not seen for awhile, meet a couple of others for the first time, but did miss saying hi to Cagney, jasr, farouche, and queensmum, among others. I did see a couple of people from a distance, but never got close enough to say hello.

Wish I could go to another show, but will have to be satisfied now until February.
 

[Marilyn]

luckiest1 at CH
 
Posting from the lobby of our hotel in Findlay Lake, which we eventually found last night after driving what seemed like forever down unlit, one lane roads. We were warned about deer but thankfully none jumped out at us. I doubt any of us would have been awake enough to see them anyways, even the driver (my daughter, good job!)

Wow, what a 2 days it has been. Hopefully when I get home I wil remember enough to write some semblance of a Windsor recap, but what can I tell you about Chautauqua last night? After a 5+ hour journey full of bad decisions and wrong turns, we (me, Claymatron, luckiestdaughter, friend of luckiestdaughter aka disneykid) finally arrived at the Chatauqua Institute sometime around 1:30 pm. They wouldn't let us in, but sent us back to the box office to purchase additional $10 "afternoon" tickets. Otherwise we'd have to wait until 4 pm and we weren't doing that. So we hiked it over to the amphitheatre, certain we'd be about 80th in line, it was sooooo late. And there wasn't a single, solitary person around. WTF? We made sure at the visitor's centre that all 4 gates would be used for entrance that evening, and then picked one near the stage to stand at. Claymatron wandered around to find the spot for her M&G and discovered a line of 10 or 12 people at the rear of the venue where they do wheelchair access. It is the only entrance down on the floor level so I guess people figured it would be a quick route to the good seats. We decided to stay where we were, which would involove a run down a ramp (but we'd done that 3 years ago and it worked out for us). No other fans joined us a for a few hours, but there was a really creepy man who came out of the Presbyterian House every once in a while and tried to pretend he knew us, wanted to shake our hands, bump fists, wink wink, I'll be back later and you'll save my spot, right? Um, no. And a semi-bitchy Chautauqua employee who absolutely insisted we should not stand there, but rather walk around the Institute and experience everything, because no one else would be lining up. Riiiiiight. We explained we were choosing to stand here, unless we were in her way or something? She said no, but got rather rude about it after a while. She just thought we were crazy I think.

So the band warmed up for an hour or so and eventually Ruben came out and sang a few bits and pieces of his songs. Quiana took Clay's mike and did a rendition of Suspicious Minds. Clay never made an appearance that we saw or heard (but to be honest, we couldn't see much from our vantage point and we were scared to leave it). There were a few people milling around and looking over the railings but I never saw anyone lining up anywhere until 6 pm or so. Then there were maybe 15 people at each gate, tops. I kept wondering where everyone was? Apparently most were down at the rear entrance. I did hear the screams eventually when Clay must have come off the bus and entered the venue for the M&Gs. Claymatron kept it together pretty well all day but was shaking with excitement by the time she went down. Cindilu2 and friend (who had a charity M&G) were cool, calm and collected. They offered to get some stuff signed for luckiestdaughter and I since they got their stuff signed in Windsor, so I sent a Rolling Stone with them and my daughter sent a copy of "On My Way Here". Eeeeeeeeee! I've been dragging that poor copy of Rolling Stone around since 2003. It was still in a ziploc bag from the Cleveland Jingle Ball, I kid you not!

The annoying man came back and tried to get in line behind us. The people he cut in front of were (obviously) upset by this and told him so. He went on about how he'd been here longer than them, blah blah blah, and we kept our backs to him so he couldn't try and drag us into it. The more the people insisted he hadn't, the more upset he got, and then he launched into a shouted speech in Chinese which totally freaked us out. The guy was certifiable. He refused to move and by this point everyone was a bit frightened of him so we just ignored him. By this time ficus had joined our little line and she and the girls made sure to make friends with each and every usher who might possibly be taking our tickets when the gates opened. Hey, every advantage, right? Fran or Freida (can't remember) was the lucky one and when the gates finally opened at 7:20 she made sure to get us through quickly. We ran down the ramp with shouts of "no running!" from the ushers and managed to score 2nd row centre seats! Wheeeeeee!

There were 4 young girls (20ish) in front of us, one of whom Claymatron had with her in the M&G, and they told us they wanted to dance! So we agreed that if they stood up, we'd stand up too. The stage in Chautauqua is only about a foot and a half high, so what a view we had! I'd say the venue was about 80% full or so by the time the lights went down. But the nature of that venue is that the music attracts other people to come check things out. Those with a pass can enter for free. So people do wander in and out at will. The creepy man ended up in the 3rd row behind us and proceeded to tell everyone how 'rude' the people in line were. Thank goodness he left after a few songs. Ficus was beside me doing the CH cellcert. I sure hope I couldn't be heard singing and screaming all night (but I bet I could). Eeep.

I have never been so close at a concert before. Clay played up to the 4 girls in front who were attempting to mimic every step of the 60s medley. He made funny faces and exaggerated movements so they could follow along. It was really cute. I felt bad because I knew Scarlett was attempting to get clack behind us but we had no choice but to stand or we wouldn't have been able to see anything either. We explained this to the girls during a quiter moment of the concert and they didn't stand up as much during the 70s or 80s. But it is such a danceable concert! We were having a blast. I think Ruben and Clay both were feeding off the energy of the crowd.

There was some different banter than Windsor for sure. I got the impression at Windsor they were under time constraints so they kept it short. Not so at Chautauqua. The revival was really drawn out, and when Ruben asked Clay for money the girls in front of us quickly ran up and offered him $10. Clay came forward and took it from them but Ruben said that 'his father' didn't accept Canadian currency. Too funny. I"m sure you know by now about the kiss. It was right in front of us, OMG. OMG. OMG. There are no words. Clay was very pleased with himself and went on about it for a bit. I can't wait to see the clack because it was so loud in there I didn't catch Ruben's comment but it drew a lot of laughs.

When they finished the 80s medley, the crowd cheered so much that they revived it and did the ending a second time! So cool! And we had been advised by venue staff that partway through the 90s, we were going to be allowed to approach the stage again. So when TOML started, I jumped over the front row and then turned around and realized no one else was coming. Hee! Thankfully they followed me and security didn't throw me out. So it was another mini mosh pit, but this time with only a short stage, whereas the one in Windsor was a good 4 feet tall. Very cool! Clay walked along the front of the stage, just out of reach, but put his mic to us so we could sing into it as he walked. He seemed to really be enjoying himself up there. Apparently the mosh pit in Windsor was not planned by Clay and co. But I guess they must have liked it enough to do it again.

Afterward were wandered out the rear exit and there were lots of people waiting but Jerome had told someone 'no bus line' so we went for ice cream instead. My throat thanked me, I was pretty hoarse after two night of screaming and cheering.

 
 

[Marilyn]

luckiest1
 
If you can stand another recap....

Windsor Recap

Claymatron, luckiestdaughter, friend of luckiestdaughter (Michelle, a Clay virgin), luckiestmom, disneykid & her fiance (another Clay virgin) and I left my house at precisely 1 p.m., as per cindilu2's instructions. We crammed into one van and headed a couple of exits west on the highway to meet up with 4 more Claynadians, so we could caravan and also so we could spread out a little. 7 in a van is tight, y'all. We managed not to stay together on the highway and still both vans got lost. Mapquest sucks sometimes. There was no exit 3B! In any case, we communicated by cell phone and GPSed each other to the venue eventually. We didn't have a whole lot of time until 4 pm so we just hung around the entrance to the Market Grill until they let us in. It was like a reunion in line! And finally we all got seated in our "Claynadian" reserved section. There were nametags and door prizes and raffles! The food was out of this world fantastic. What a selection! Down home southern to Italian to Asian. And a dessert bar to die for. We all ate too much. I was thankful our concert wasn't until 8 pm so I could try and digest my food before getting myself all excited. So laughn came over to our table at one point and gave us her door and raffle prize tickets so she could go up to her room. Didn't she win the special 'American' prize basket right after she left? So we carried it with us until we were able to check it with the concierge. Hope you got it ok!

After dinner some of us went gambling and others went to wait for the lucky meet and greeters to exit so we could EEEEEEEEEEEE with them. It was fun watching the charity people come out and the OFCers go in. One day, my ship will come......

After we tracked down luckiestmom who kept disappearing to gamble, we entered the venue. It was a great set up, although there were some seats on the floor on the extreme side, facing in, that kind of reminded me of where we sat in Meadville for the JBT. I was very, very thankful that our 4th row seats were actually not that far off centre, even though they weren't in the centre section. I was amazed to hear "On My Way Here" playing, alternately with what I assume was Ruben's most recent album, through the sound system. I believe that is a first for all the Clay tours I've attended. What a concept, playing music by the artists! We got beverages and mingled until showtime.
Now, I was pretty spoiled, but I had not watched the opening or closing number, and I also had not watched the 'revival' skit. So when Ruben came out singing FWW, I didn't know what to expect would happen next. It was hilarious the way Clay interrupted him with TITN, and the screams were loud. I loved the comedy of the whole number, and especially the last few lines were inspired. "You stole my damn wings" was just about the funniest thing I'd ever heard Clay sing! And it set the theme for the night, which seemed to be Clay uttering every cuss word imagineable (ok, except the f bomb). Ha ha ha, what a riot. I believe we got damn, hell, shit, and ass all in one concert. Who woulda thunk it a few years ago? You go Clay!!!!

I don't think I can remember many details after that. I remember itching to get up and dance but no one else was. I remember thinking that I was probably shaking the whole row because I couldn't help but dance in my seat. I remember during Still The One that Clay stood right directly in front of me and made a funny face at ficus who was in the front row ahead of me when he sang the line "I see your face every day". Ha ha.

The revival skit was priceless. The noises Clay made were hilarious. I now understand the description 'dying goose'. And when he whispered in Ruben's ear and left the stage, accomanpanied by the girls, I had no idea what was going on. Ruben took that opportunity to come over in front of us and ask if anyone else couldn't dance and needed to be healed. I raised my hand but he honed in on disneykid, who was holding up her fiance's hand. Hee, that was awesome, she was thrilled. In any case, Clay came back and advised us that he'd dropped the mic down his drawers and the place just cracked up. What a goofball!

The 70's and 80's went by in a blur. Clay's vocals were outstanding all night. He danced up a storm. My mother later commented that she had no idea he could dance like that. I told her maybe Reed had taught him a few things, and she didn't know what to say after that. Ok, so the 90's start and disneykid, luckiestdaughter, and I immediately stood up and started clapping and dancing, everyone else be damned. And then the strangest thing happened. The two security women at the front of our aisle, in tandem, got up and whisked their chairs (that were forming a barricade) away, giving us free access to the stage. I saw two women run up and I waited a second to see if they would get pulled back, but when they didn't, we took off too. I managed to get right to the stage, and stand in between two of the speakers right at the centre. I still can't quite believe it happened. And I watched in awe as they went through the remainder of the 90's medley, with only one thought in my mind. Clay is going to sing LLVL in a minute, right in this very spot. And I am going to witness it. It was surreal. I had to keep convincing myself that this was really Clay and this wasn't a dream. I just never thought I'd see the day come where I was so close. Whoever's idea it was to allow it, I kneel down and thank them profusely.

The front of the stage was just a party. They were ready to go into TOML and Ruben was still shaking hands and even signing a few autographs. Clay seemed amused when he had to wait for Ruben to finish so they could continue the show. I never got the impression that either guy was uncomfortable with the 'mosh pit' at all. I think they loved it. It really brought the energy of the crowd up!

So afterward, when the house lights came up, it was like the Raleigh OMG concert all over again. People finding other people and hugging and saying "OMG! can you believe it??" I think I wandered around in shock with my hands over my mouth for 10 minutes or so before I realized we'd lost luckiestmom again. Thank goodness she was waiting by the exit and hadn't decided to go gambling again because we might never have found her.

ETA that I was really impressed by Ruben. I absolutely love his vocals on Bring It On Home To Me and Everything I Do. I will be downloading audio of both of them for my iPod.

The two hour drive home gave us time to unwind and share our stories and favourite parts of the concert. We were mellowed out and ready for our next adventure. We got between 1 1/2 and 5 hours sleep collectively and got up to do it all again the next day!
 

[Marilyn]

Corabeth at CH

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My eyes were bobbing last night when I was trying to type up any semblance of a recap. I just wrote it in random thought form versus full paragraphs.

-Place was packed, there were some empty seats right behind us but there is a very high balcony and it looked full all the way to the back. I saw a lot of men. There was a man sitting to my left and one in front of me and of course my husband so that was three in our four seats in the corner.

-Unfortunately, I thought it was a rather obnoxious audience. The woman behind me kept talking to the woman next to her in a loud voice-through the whole concert. I came this close to turning around and asking her to talk into her friend's ear instead. I HATE that. The woman behind her kept Wooting or some weird hound dog howl, even during quiet parts like Superstar (which is still Supersnore to me). A lot of I Love Yous, etc.

-We were definitely in Claymate corner. When we got there, a woman sitting in front of us (who was chatting with the people next to us) kept talking about seeing the show in Chautauqua last night, and she was an expert on the show and she asked my husband if he liked Ruben and I'm thinking, "lady, does he look like he cares."

-Lots of flashes in the first half. I can see why they bother the performers, they bothered me. It didn't seem like the ushers were doing anything.

-Vocally, they were all in great form. BUT, where we were (right orchestra, the very last two outer aisle seats), it was hard to understand Ruben. Not his accent, it just sounded like he swallowed his mic. The band overwhelmed the singers, it may have just been the way the speakers were projecting to our seats because others more toward the center didn't seem to experience that. Sgt. CB kept asking me what they said. If I didn't know the script, I wouldn't have been able to answer him a few times. He said that made it hard for him to enjoy "their little vaudeville act". (My mother said she had a hard time understanding Ruben at the Clearwater show too.)

-He thinks Clay talks waaaay too fast! I said I can understand him just fine. *g*

-He thought Ruben actually sang better but he did concede it was because Clay has much harder songs, so he sounds like he's shouting at times. Ruben's songs are all pretty much in the same general key with the same small typical R&B range. (He obviously has a great R&B voice but I could not sit through a whole concert of it.)

-I think Clay kicks serious ass on MTAF and Alone. I think he just shouts Africa.

-Clay didn't say frell into the mic. He said "you paid $600 (turns away from the audience and mouths "frell" ) dollars for those seats. And he repeated it later but again turned away from the audience and mouthed it. It was funny.

-During the revival, Clay added a lisp to his Pastor so it came out like Pathta. Ruben kept cracking up.

-I thought their little banter leading into the 60's fell flat. I wish they kept the schtick from Asheville about your 60's and my 60's, that was hysterical. I think Ruben went off script or didn't follow script. Clay kidded him about going to the spa and getting too zen.

-Sgt. CB really liked the medley concept. He said you got to hear a lot of songs over one evening and you don't get sick of any one song that you may not like or know. However, he can't believe I'm seeing the same show two more times.

-They had two jumbotrons and they did some double images sometimes. It was kind of cool

-Sgt. CB was obsessed with the fact that Clay's coat looked wrinkled at the beginning. He believes Casey must use double faced tape to hold her dress in place. I think he studied that carefully.

-Felix sent a drum stick flying about 20 feet into the air.

-Clay does a really nice job with Mandy, some nice change ups especially toward the end. Very pretty.

-"When I See You Smile" has to go. Such a boring song and on top of that, it just doesn't fit after he's just been "healed".

Overall, it was a good show but I think the sound system put a bit of a damper on it for us, plus I usually don't watch as much clack as I do before my show but this was too far away. I wish I hadn't. I didn't think the schtick was as funny as other nights.

I think Clay's part shows far more versatility as a singer but he is thrown off the stage by Ruben too many times. But they definitely deserve a shot at TV with this. It's well put together, for the most part and the chemistry is great. I also think being way over on the side in the 12th row is different, I must be spoiled. We have I think third or fourth row on Tuesday night.

I also think watching it with my husband I have this sense of wondering if he likes this or that and it impacts my own enjoyment At JBT, I had Nanjeanne on the other side of me to dance with, etc.

And I think TnT tour will be slowwww after the high energy of this one.
 

[Marilyn]

LizinToronto at CH
-----------------------
Recap of Windsor M and G

Jerome was sick, so Clay's assistant Cheryl met with the 5 of us. So sorry to miss seeing Jerome. We were led by Cheryl and venue security via elevator down underground and through passages to the " backstage" area past a performers" refreshment stand, and behind a black curtain to a sectioned-off area of a room,. I think were might have actually been under the stage.
There was a round table, and opposite it, 5 chairs in a line for the winners. I was the first in line to enter the room and opted to sit down on the first chair, right end of the line when Clay was looking at us. Cheryl went to get Clay and a couple of security stayed with us. In 2-3 minutes Cheryl was back, and Clay entered with a big smile on his face.
He was wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeved grey t-shirt with a polo shirt (blue stripes) over it. Beige sneakers with no laces and no sox. Hair appeared to be freshly washed and only very slightly spiked. He looked young, clean, fresh, glowing with health and happiness. Just REAL. Indescribably gorgeous.

He asked us how we were doing, and then went down the line, asking our names. Repeated each person's name back to them, and made note of the fact that the first three names began with L and the last two with B. When greeted and asked my name, I stood up to shake hands and was immediately told by Clay that no one need stand up. So I sat down! Ooops.... faux pas.

Then he went down the line and asked each one where she was from.
Next he sat down at the table and began signing autographs, one person at a time and told us we could ask our questions while he signed. It all proceeded very easily, no "star power trip" going on. Felt like we were talking with a friend.

I managed to sneak in 3 questions (my bad)
My official "autograph signing" question was,
'Is the "Tried and True Tour" going to come anywhere near Toronto?'
He frowned (knowing it wasn't) and looked to his posse to see the answer (how close he WILL get) and the answer was: Boston is the closest to Toronto that he will get.

Later, in a brief lull, I asked the question from the CH: "Would you consider setting up a kissing booth to make money for your charity?" and he laughed (entertaining question! he liked it..) and the swift retort was along the lines of, " No, but if you gals set one up, I 'll be there!" (and he was rather pleased with his joke.) Too cute.

At the end, as he was preparing to leave and no one was talking, I asked if I could ask another question and the answer was "Sure."
I said, " We love you with Jimmy Kimmel. Any chance you'll be there soon?"
The answer was swift and predictable: "I don't plan these things, they just happen."

After the signing, it was picture-taking time. I got the "prom pose", complete with the firm arm around the waist. He feels very solid.
Then each winner got a good solid hug. Yum. Loved it.
And with a big smile and thanks, he was gone.
It was wonderful; I was on cloud nine. I love him.

Liz

This recap may travel.
 

[Marilyn]

NeelieB2 at CH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
I got back from Lancaster, PA this afternoon. Thank goodness for GPS or I’d still be there.

The concert started at 7pm. The anticipation started about 4pm and I could feel my hands getting a little shaky. By 5pm my body was shaking. By 6pm the adrenaline was picking up and I couldn’t even think straight. My daughter had to drive the two mile drive from the hotel to the venue.

The concert was so much fun. He is so handsome, his singing is amazing, he’s very funny and his dancing is fun to watch making me smile from ear to ear. He’s like a magnet to my eyes. They follow him everywhere. Has anyone mentioned the body slide he did with Casey? When they were singing “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (I think that was the song) he pulled her to him and slid his body down hers. I think I stopped breathing at that point.

I took my 27 year old daughter who is a NJU to the concert hoping she would have a good time. Was I surprised. She had a blast. She enjoyed the sixties and seventies. By the eighties and the nineties (her era) she was singing, dancing, jumping, waving her arms and whoo hooing. She loved the little skits and the banter between Clay and Ruben and found them funny.

Her camera takes video but I told her not to use it because I’d rather have her watch the concert than worry about holding a camera. When Eye of the Tiger came on she starts grabbing in her purse for her camera saying “I love this song”. She taped all the songs that she “loved”. She has to figure out how to send them to me. These I have to see because her experience using the video feature is taping her dogs playing.

I had mentioned briefly about the bus line. When the concert was over and we got out the door she starts walking fast saying “Lets go, come on, we have to get a good spot”. We did get a good spot, second row of people behind the police tape at the back door of the venue where Clay would be coming out. As usual everyone was clapping for all the band members as they came out. She was getting so into it. Every time Jerome came out she would hold her breath and when Clay wasn’t with him she would say “awwww”. We waited for an hour for him to come out. When he finally came out she yelled “there he is, whoo hoo”. When she saw everyone put their hands out for the “touch” she put her’s out too with this big smile on her face. He missed her hand by about a hair’s breadth. I didn’t put my hand out (I’m rather shy in RL) and she kept telling me “put your hand out, put your hand out”. I was chuckling to myself because I never in a million years would have imagined her becoming fangirly over Clay. She thinks he is more handsome in person than he is in pictures.

She wanted to know if all his concerts were like this. I told her that he is usually just with backup singers and he jokes a lot with the audience. She said that it sounded like fun and she would go to another concert with me. This is rather long winded but she was so cute and I’m tickled pink that she actually came with me and then wound up having such a good time.
 
 

[Marilyn]

Giselle at CH


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
My Foxwoods Recap.
I’m finally home from my whirlwind weekend with my 2 daughters to see Clay.
When Clay’s tour dates were setup, I wanted to make a mini vacation
around the tour so my daughters decided they wanted to see Mystic.
We left Friday from NY and headed to the Mystic Aquarium. We stayed
overnight and then went to Mystic Seaport the next morning. When we drove to
Foxwoods, my daughters couldn’t get over the hotel. We were on the 30th floor.
The show was great. Like others said the venue was packed. My daughters
really enjoyed themselves. They were laughing and clapping along. I was just
mesmerized the whole time watching Clay. This was my second show seeing Clay.
The first was the Christmas show where Clay just sang. So this was so much fun
seeing Clay in person. He is so darn cute and funny and sexy and oh my I could go
on, but you all know what I mean. It’s funny the next day I asked my daughters what
their favorite parts were and they could remember every detail. I on the other hand
was in the fog. I am so thankful for the Clack gatherers that take the videos and pictures
for the rest of us. This will be my only show and I so appreciate being able to relive the moments over and over again.
The only regret was that I didn’t get to meet others there. My internet wasn’t working
so didn’t know where people were hanging out. Maybe next time.
My daughter took a few pictures during the concert, but we were far away.
I really enjoyed this weekend and I have Clay to thank for continuing to entertain and I am going to try to go to all his tours in the future.

[Marilyn]

Lolacat at CV

Well the man is gorgeous. 

Claythleena did a great job with the recap. I told her to make sure she got the clothes discription down pat and she sure did. Them jeans fit those slim hips mighty nice. Clay was concened about Yvonne driving and about the pain she had to be in but she told him she was fine because she was on drugs. He said you can't drive like that you'll get a DUI and she said don't worry, she drove slow and he said don't you know that is when they pull you over. He told me to drive her home but I said she had a hotel room for the night and she told him he could take care of her and he said he had a bus and she said that's fine. He mentioned his eyes were blue on Phineas and Ferb and we all said at the same time we know. Cracked me up! Someone asked if it was his idea about the kid breaking the camera on Phineas and Ferb and he said he didn't have anything to do with. We told him we thought the kid was destroying Clack. When he asked us where we were from the women next to me started saying a few different places and he asked where do you live NOW? We were all from Pa. but the one women was from Singapore, her name was Zinny. She asked him about touring in Singapore and he said no. He'll only be released in the US and Canada. The other women said she has alot of friends in London that would love to see him. He said it is up to the record label in those markets. The US office has nothing to do with it. The overseas offices in those countries have to make that decision. He's a new artist in those areas and with the way the industry is now he don't see them spending the money. Zinny said but he has lots of fans and a fan club in Singapore and then he said it's up to you to push it. Someone told him they like his hair and he said oh thanks and ruffled it up. I asked him if it was spiked to go with the Clay, Ruben era or is that just the way he was wearing it now but I don't think he heard me. Someone told him to wish Parker a Happy Birthday and he said thank you he will. Did I mention the jeans were tight and mighty fine and the bottom buttons of his shirt were open  He gives bear hugs and he does smell like fresh laundry.


The concert was fantastic I was watching some of the men in the audience and they were laughing and singing and clapping. Everyone was having a blast. Queensmum was behind me and we got to chat for a little while. I saw Shady from the Clackhouse and Rockys Mom was with her. I gave her a big hug and told her we all miss her.

[Marilyn]

Mee4Clay at CV
Hi everyone,

I'm mostly a lurker here but thought I would share my m&g with you all. I've met some of you at the Chautauqua concert (dancermom, cindillu and others whose names I don't remember). I also want to thank the person who shared the tip about rubbing Vicks under the feet and wearing socks at bedtime. I got a cold when coming back to Toronto and I did what she said and it worked. I'm well enough now to go on my 2nd leg of the tour, NYC and Verona.


M&G Recap:

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I might not be recollecting the exact chain of events and words/sentences Clay, Cheryl or Jerome used. So, if my recap differs from the other OFC winners, it would be mostly because due to the Aiken fog as sometimes I was more intent on looking at Clay (and trying not to be too obvious about it) and therefore some of the conversation escaped me. So here it is:

All the m&g winners met up around 6:10 p.m at the back of the amphitheatre where we were to get our passes and meet Jerome. There were 13 people in all, so we were wondering about that since we know of 5 OFC and 4 Charity auction winners. It turns out that there were 4 other winners, probably some Chautauqua Institute contest or something. Jerome called out the names of the Charity auction winners first, then the OFC winners and then he started apologizing to the other 4 left and I could see their face changing to disappointment. I was like “oh, they won’t get their m&g”. Well, Jerome then told them that their m&g will be later than scheduled and their faces brightened up again.

The charity auction winners went inside first and then Jerome came back to get the 5 of us (Bev, Megan, Jennifer, Lindy and I) and had us sit in a narrow corridor. Jerome told us that they were running late for the m&g but not to worry about the seats in the amphitheatre as they have the whole third row on the right side (when facing the stage) reserved for us. We were all nervous while waiting there. Then Cheryl came and she said that the place is too tiny and took us upstairs to a big room with chairs piled on top of each other all along the wall. We chatted with Cheryl while waiting for Clay. She asked us if we have seen the show before. So, we said that the three of us (Bev, Megan and I) went to our first concert last night. Then, Bev said that she has been to the JBT tour (I then said Jukebox Tour as I’m sure she wouldn’t know all the acronyms) and that this one is like the JBT tour on crack. She laughed and said that her favourite part was the “Preacher/Revival” segment, at which point we mentioned the “mic in the pants” in Windsor. She agreed that it was very funny and then said that the mosh pit was unexpected but that they enjoyed it (so that is why when the 90’s started in Chautauqua, the security guys who were sitting at both ends of the stage came up to the centre and people, including me, started moving to the front).

Then, we heard people coming up the stairs and there was Clay with Jerome. He looks so tall and commanding as soon as he walked in. We all stood up, he shook our hand and asked our names and then told us to sit down. He asked each of us where we were from. I told him that I was from Toronto but originally from Mauritius and he said that he knew where it is, which surprised me very much. He noticed that there were 3 Canadians in the m&g and mentioned that there was only one last night in Windsor. He then wondered how that happened and one of us said that it’s just luck. Bev then said that we know each other and Clay snarked back “Canada is such a small country”. We then said that we meet at luncheons. I said “we meet every 3-4 months at cluncheons” and at the word cluncheon he made a scared face in a joking way. I think he even said “I’m scared now” but I’m not 100% sure.

He said that we seem to be a calm group, so we can ask as many questions as we want. Someone then said that we were not calm at all to which Clay then said “I take it back then, one question only” and then laughed, so we knew he was just joking with us. He started with Jennifer who I think said that she did not really have any questions but then she did say something, but I just can’t remember what. Then, it was my turn. So I asked him how he knew about Mauritius. He said that he is with Unicef and therefore knows about these countries. He then said “it’s an island in the Indian Ocean” right? I said yes and that I was so happy that he knew about my country. I then thought that he would move on to Lynn but he said to me “Is that what you were going to ask me?” I said no and then asked him my question which is “Why did you not record Mandy since you seem to love it and sing it so many times on tours?” (I actually read the question from the piece of paper I wrote it on, so nervous I was that I would stumble on the words and make a fool of myself). He then said that he wanted to but they were going for the 50’s and 60’s songs (he was thinking of Tried and True) and Mandy was in the 70’s and I said “But A Thousand Different Ways?” and he exclaimed “I didn’t think of it then, Marie Anne” and punctuated it with a diva’ish expression and spread of his hands (I’m not sure how to describe it but he was just too funny with his answer which is probably what happened, he forgot Mandy when doing ATDW). I might not remember clearly everything else but I do remember that last sentence very well because he actually said my name.

It was then Lynn’s turn and she told him that he was so funny and asked him where he gets it from. He said that he does not really know, probably from his mother who is “funny as a rock” (his words) and his grandmother too. He also said that it might also be a “self-defense mechanism” (not sure if those were his words”). Next was Bev’s turn and I will let her recap it herself (she might have done it already). Afterwards, Clay moved on to Megan and noticed that she had her iPod (?) in her hand and asked her what questions she had. She asked him what his favourite candy was and he said “Peanut and chocolate twix” and somehow they were discussing the difference between it and another candy, the name of which escapes me. I can’t recall this one clearly because I am not familiar with them, so hopefully Megan will. She also asked him on which side he sleeps on. He said “the bed or my sides?” I am not sure what she said then, but he said that he sleeps on his stomach, that he does not sleep on the pillow but hold it under his arm instead and proceeded to demonstrate with the right arm under the pillow. I think he repeated that he does not sleep on the pillow at which point someone asked him “where do you put your head then?’. He then exclaimed with that same mock diva’ish expression on his face “on the bed!!!” Too funny. I think I phased out here (must be the visuals of Clay laying in bed) because I don’t remember most of the conversation afterwards. After the concert, for some reason I told everyone who asked about almost everything except the sleeping on the stomach part. I only remembered it when I got into bed at about 2:00 a.m and told my room buddies who were about to go to sleep too.

So, while we were asking questions, he was signing autographs and asking how to spell our names. I gave him the piece of paper where I wrote mine down and he signed my T&T DVD with “Stay True”. Okay, now I remember that Jennifer had him sign a picture that her daughter had taken from the JBT when she was 8 and that’s what she talked to him about. I can’t remember what Lynn had. Megan had him sign a picture that she took too. I can’t remember what was said then but he mentioned that nobody has asked him to personalize our items. Someone tried to say something and he said “Too late now!!”. We had our pictures taken with him. I have no idea if anyone asked any questions then, the Aiken fog came over me after I had my arm around him and his around me. After the pictures, he came to each one of us and gave us a goodbye hug. He actually initiated the hug, we didn’t have to ask him.  

[Marilyn]

Dancermom 2 at CV

Chautauqua...gorgeous perfect weather. It is a beautiful place. In the middle of nowhere. We left at the crack of dawn since it was an 8 hour drive. I started this trip having a nightmare that we got a 2 hour late start …geez did I wake up in a sweat. We pick up CrazyAboutClay and hit the highways…Anyway…so...we start the drive…and about oh…2 hours out DH goes…why is our GPS saying low batteries since it’s plugged into the car??? There is a reason this is noteworthy…this is a start of a theme for the trip.  We tried switching it to the other outlet…no luck. Luckily he rented a premium Genesis Hyundai which had a GPS built into the Dashboard. There is only one problem with this GPS…she was cranky and a bit tired and old…we named her Agnes. She was a bit of the old matron idiot bitch in a box all in one neat package but beggars can’t be choosers and she had to do since DH didn’t’ bring the other charger for the GPS with a brain. We needed a GPS since Chautauqua is in the middle of bloody outer Outer Boondockville in the middle of nothing.We hit Chautauqua…and goldarngirl says they are headed to Chautuaqua Institution since the hotel won’t let them check in.

We are close behind but our hotel is the better Holiday Inn Express because we got to check in. Go us!!!! We weren’t at the same Holiday Express. Did you know there are Holiday Inn Express's that have sprouted like weeds all over the place?
goldarngirl asks us to go buy batteries…because her camera batteries are dying. I ask the guy at the front desk where we can go to buy batteries and he pauses and has to think. Oh oh. He sends us to a local hardware store…there aren’t any you know…like drugstores/grocery stores he can think of to go to!!!!! We drive there…and turn into a gravel parking lot. It looks like it’s straight out of Deliverance. Ramshackle falling down Hardware store building with gas pumps outside that look like they harken back to the 1940s. We found out latter they actually work! Anyway…I look at DH and say…I am NOT going in there. I may not come out. He says…oh stop being a chicken…CrazyAboutClay agrees the guy needs to go in the store.
DH comes back out to say the guy looked like a college prof and you all are insane crazy. They do not have name brand batteries. And he buys the better of the no name brands. We figure if we should pass a drug store on the way to Chautuaqua….WRONG! We don’t’ see hide nor hair of any grocery store or drug store on the way. And Agnes can't find Chautuaqua Insituttion. If can find the Yacht Club, the real estate company and a couple of banks...but no Chautuaqua Center/Institution!!!!!!!!! We finally aim Agnes for the Yacht Club and hope there are signs and we are somewhat close and can find our way.We get to Chautuaqua in spite of Agnes..

The parking lot guy says…you can park in any space you can find. HA HA!!! That was like finding a needle in a haystack. We decided the guy was being totally snarky after the third circuit looking for a space.We go in and have to wait until 4pm to get on the grounds…I call goldarngirl again…where are you...I make one more try for batteries..I go into the souvenir store in the ticket/Will Call information meditation area and ask if they had batteries. OMG you would think I had asked her to strip or something. I got an eyeroll and a no that would make your toes curl. I went…oppppsie…and mentally think I guess batteries are a no no here??! ACK!When we finally can get in…we walk to where goldarngirl etc are eating….the Refectory. If you have never been to Chautuaqua it is a very beautiful place. Too perfectly beautiful in fact. DH started to say he was getting Pleasantville/Truman Show/Steppford wives feelings from the place. It literally looks like a movie set that people are living in.. Way to serene and pristine and it harkens back to another era. It was a little well…strange in that Truman Show way. DH realizes that even though we have preferred seating that we are going to line up and that dinner is going to not happen until after the show is done that I should eat. He eats. I am in pre concert no way I can eat stage.

We hear sound check and wander over to see Ruben and everyone but Clay doing soundcheck. We got a sweet wave from Ru!!!! . We hear people are lining up so go to line up…even with preferred seating it’s GA for that too. DH got some pics of Clay coming out of the bus on the way to the Meet and Greet. My one reaction…was…his HAIR!!! OMG his hair!!!! But I digress…even with the HAIR…he looked scrumptious. But HIS HAIR!Then camera Nazi comes out and lays down the law…no cameras if we see them we confiscate them. Then of course cindilu comes out from her M&G and says Jerome said it’s all good unless you use flash. Video is fine. Pics are fine but no flash. He asked us to spread the word on no flash. Talk about conflict of information. Thank goodness that before the show started cindilu talked to Cheryl who talked to the venue and got everyone on the same page. So…it was a perfect Clack night.

 But lets rewind a little. From Claygary’s phone died…no batteries. Are you sensing a theme here?I am waiting on line and I hear my phone and I check to see a voice mail message…I go to retrieve it…and my phone goes pfffft. It is totally deader than dead. I am so sorry s-lady…that was her trying to find me…and my phone totally screwed up the hug I wanted to give you! We feel a few rain drops but that’s about it. We got great seats...6 row maybe on the right. Perfect view.....I was happy!We go in.

The concert starts….and the heavens opened up at the same time. It poured. And I mean poured. It’s a covered outdoor amphitheater. Pews for seats.. It has great acoustics in there but totally open air. Thank goodness it was covered because it was raining buckets for at least half the show..The concert was off the chain. The cellcert does not do it justice…nor does the Clack. Ruben and Clay/Clay and Ruben have a friendship that shines through….and a chemistry together that is totally hilarious. And they can make beautiful music together. Their voices do so well together. Clay’s speaking voice was hoarse…and at one point you could tell his contacts were bothering him. His singing voice though was sublime. But this hair!! OMG His HAIR!! There is this ski jump ramp thing going on. From the front it looks great…but from the side…oh dear hot mess personified. By the end of the show it had fallen a bit and it looked so much better!!!!!

Clay did this Prince Herbert bending backwards thing and making a funny noise during the Preacher bit and Ruben lost it. It was sooooo funny!!!!! DH was laughing so much through the whole show. The Stool banter was priceless. The whole comedy banter thing between Ru and Clay was pricelessly funny…I mean truly cannot breathe funny. There is so much in the facial expression and body language and it just as a whole works to a find crescendo of funny.DH truly enjoyed the whole thing and has been telling me how talented Clay is singing wise…and just his star quality…and how funny Ru and Clay were. He also said Ru was great too. I still think Superstar is too long…he says no it isn’t. LOL!

DH totally enjoyed Casey. I mean…he really really liked her. He liked her singing…and well…she is nice to look at. Heh. He also liked how they gave everyone…even the back ups a time to shine and a solo and as he put it…didn’t treat them like dirt. The guitar player…I can’t remember his name was awesome!!! The band totally rocks!!!I have to say when I heard Mandy and "When I See You Smile" were on the set list I wasn’t exactly thrilled. Well…I was wrong. I will admit it. He has sung them before but not like this.

Mandy was gentle and more poignant and not a frying pan in sight. Same with "When I See You Smile". And the band rocked on "When I See You Smile"…I think that was part of it. Having a band versus a orchestra makes a huge difference in the feel of the song…not to mention that he again had a gentler touch on the song. They were both beautiful. And MTAF. Alone, September, Footloose.Night Fever…OMG!!!! Clay was on fire. And so was I. Footloose was amazing. The energy level just rose through the roof…standing O for a reason and they sang it again!!! Clay does a cute air guitar somewhere along the way but for the life of me I can’t remember where. No footloose slide and I see it may be because he hurt himself doing it.

Oh…I have to mention His jeans…he wears a nice pair of jeans! Those jeans…..are really really nice!!!!It was a joyful fun night. And it was good to see Clay sing as Clay again. It was medicine for the soul. And his aura…his aura is a beautiful thing to sense and behold. The show is not something that is Clay or Ruben or Ruben over Clay or Clay over Ruben. It is truly a joint effort. It is a cohesive whole that works. So the concert is over…it’s officially no bus line that night. And we are hungry!! And it’s late…and did you know that in outer no where Boondockville that finding a place open past 11pm is ifffffffffy? We talk to a person who works there who tells us that Webbs should be open but likely will close at midnight.

From Claygary (who’s phone is dead) needs to retrieve Oki’s charger in her car. And goes off with the person transporting it to Foxwoods to pass Oki off. We have CrazyAboutClay’s luggage in our car which needs to go to From Claygary’s car. And From Claygary has Scarlett’s luggage which needs to get to Scarlettt. And we need FOOD! And we aren’t all together and time is running out before the place with food closes down. I tell DH…we could always head back to Highway 89 and try for a rest stop…I mean we are talking desperation here!We finally get everything straightened out and where they should be…but we loose goldarngirl and From Claygary’s car. Where are they? Ahead of us? Behind us??? And the clock is ticking. Did they go to the restaurant??? The problem is…I had goldarngirl’s number but it’s on my deader than dead cell phone and I can’t get it. CrazyAbotuClay doesn’t have that number but has From Claygary’s number which is also dead. ACK! We are driving towards the one open restaurant when DH’s phone rings…and it’s goldarngirl. I said…where are you…and how did you get this number??? Heh…turns out I used DH’s phone to call her earlier and had forgotten but she is smart and found the number.Lesson…always charge your cell phone before a Clay trip!!!!!!! And what they heck was going on with the power/battery issues anyway??? It was sort of like our own little retrograde following us around.  We eat. 100% better. Everyone is with who they should be with….and luggage is with who they should be with and off the hotel we go at near 1am. Agnes…the Car’s GPS sends up off and we find our selves in pitch blackness with nothing to the right, left, front or back of us but pitch blackness and not one clue where the hell we were. We could have been on Mars for all we knew. Talk about having to put faith in Agnes. Not that we had much choice! Fell into bed when we got back to the hotel…totally exhausted but totally satiated.Oh and those batteries I bought goldarngirl?? Didn’t last the concert. DH got some great pictures. And he is thinking of going to Hammerstein.

[Marilyn]

Foxwoods Recap by MARILYN

I brought my sister with me to Foxwoods. She likes Clay but only does one concert per tour. We stayed at the Bellissimo Grande Hotel. Got a drink in the lobby (Sex on the beach of course) and took the limo, drink in hand, to Foxwoods.
My sister had saved up quarters and had $50 worth. Well, they don’t take quarters any more!! The lowest denominator you can put in at a time is $5.- even though there are 25 cent bets. We both played about $10 and got bored- I will NEVER be a gambler.

Then we met up with our old Claymaniac friends for dinner- Tammy, Sasha, Angela, Lorraine, Pam, and a friend, and two hubbies. It was so good to see them again and catch up on old times.

Showtime- when we got into the theater I was pleased to hear them playing On My Way Here interspersed with Ruben singing songs from his album. It sounded so GOOD!! And I am glad they chose that album, because NJU would get to hear it too.

I absolutely LOVED the Star Wars/Spamalot announcement in the beginning. It was so cute and so apropos.

And there he was- Clay in the flesh (well, he was dressed but you know what I mean) I devoured his face with my eyes. Feasted on the pulchritudinous pictures on the jumbotron when sometimes the glare from the spotlights obscured his expression from my naked eyes.

He was ON- literally and figuratively. His voice was golden. His humor is priceless. The “pip” typed dancer in the 60’s segment belied the fumbling dancer that Ruben had to teach. That boy has Rhythm!!! I love it. He moves his hips more and seems so comfortable doing it.

I am SO in love with “More Than A feeling”. I always liked it by Boston and I adore Clay singing it. Bring It On!! I want more where that came from!!

The Revival scene was priceless. I do not know how Clay kept a straight face, but he did. When he had to tell Doctor Studdard what was wrong with him, he lisped “Patha”. I thought Ruben was going to fall on the floor. And Clay kept that face straight. Although I find that the beginning of this skit seems to drag a bit, it could be because I am longing to see that dear face again. The skit perks up as soon as Clay hits the stage.

The hammer pants crack me up. But they are so appropriate. Then when he takes them off, THERE are the jeans of beautanemous joy. Clay looks really good in jeans, REALLY- really -REALLY good. And that white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. It was all I could do to keep the drool in my mouth. It was hard.
Stopping the drool I mean. ………I think!?

This show is put together well. Clay rocked on Still the One and Suspicious Minds, and was gentle on Mandy. He changed Mandy a little and it was all good, I love hearing him sing When I see you Smile, however, I agree with those who wanted something more “danceable” after his “healing”.

Ruben sang well, also. I liked him more on the medleys- Superstar dragged for me, and Everything I Do- my favorite rendition is on ATDW so this was anticlimactic for me.

Footloose was phenomenal, and they did it a second time. I LOVE when they do that. No sliding on the knees, and earlier Clay said either he broke his toe or he must have hurt it. I thought he was joking just so he didn’t have to dance-but I see in a M&G recap he thinks he really did do something to it. Also, he had a rip in the jeans above the knee that he was playing with his finger in it for a bit.

I was disappointed there was no Kiss for DGBMY, but Clay did one of his shimmies down close to Casey, so it wasn’t a total loss, LOL!!

They also did TOML as an encore, which I like more. That way, folks know the show has really ended.
All in all, it is a TERRIFIC show with loads of fun, and I hope TPTB notice it and do something, even if it’s a television special fill in for fall ratings. This show CANNOT die so quickly- I cannot believe it will all be over on Saturday. ARRGGGH

BTW- does anyone know if there is Foxwoods Clack, or do I have to rely on my swiss cheese/Aiken fog memory to remember my experiences??

[Marilyn]

Shadylil at CH

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I'm borrowing a page from Corabeth and doing a stream of consciousness recap.

He's just so frell beautiful......................

Oh, you wanted more?

Clay Aiken is just too frell beautiful for words. It's been a year and a half since I saw him last. I didn't realize how much I missed him until tonight. He's so beautiful, even with his Something-about-Mary hair, that I get a hitch in my breath at odd times.

He was in fine voice and fine pants.

I was a virgin for the opening number. It was very well done. If Ben arranged that, he did a good job.

Clay Aiken is beautiful. And sexy. He exudes sex. He's sex on a stick. He can't help himself, once he gets on the stage, he's just a sex god, it oozes out his pores.

Casey doesn't have one single frell ounce of fat or celulite on her body, the bitch. Not only that, she's very talented and sounds much better in person than she does on the downloads.

The concert was fun, just plain fun. I'm surprised the audience wasn't on their feet more, and we were on our feet a lot.

Since losing 100 pounds, Ruben sweats a lot less than he used to. He still sweats, but it doesn't drip down his face. He can also move.

Clay Aiken is frell beautiful.

"More than a Feeling" is sublime.

LLVL is an experience that is otherworldly. He stopped camping it up and sings it rather straight with just a few toned-down 'Ricky' movements. He took it from kind of silly to simply sexy. And hot. I was mesmerized.

I think I could attend a concert where Clay doesn't sing as long as I can stare at him for two hours, he's that beautiful. I hadn't realized how much I missed him.

They had a really nice gift shop in the venue. I told the lady behind the counter if she got a fan and charged people a dollar for 30 seconds of standing in front of it, they'd clean up, it was that hot.

Funny Scarlett story. We went to CrackerBarrel for some ice cream after the show. As we were waiting at the light to go home, I saw Scarlett and her friend walking down the sidewalk. I opened the door and yelled, "Scarlett"! She came trotting over to say hi. As I opened my door, my cooler fell out onto the road. I leaned over and picked up my cooler and, as the light was going to change, I shut the door and put the window down to talk to her. Well, I was in a strange car so the button I was pushing to try to get the window down was the door lock button. I couldn't get the freaking window down, the light changed to green and we had to take off and left Scarlett standing there.

Scarlett, my dear, I did NOT shut the door on you and leave, I just made a fool of myself and was ribbed about it on the ride home. Please don't be pissed at me *begs* I iz sowwy.