SAN FRANCISCO, CA-REGENCY BALLROOM 03/12/2011

[Marilyn]

SUSANDAVIS

back from the show. It was wonderful, he was in great voice.
Unchained Melody was flawless and he wore the mic stand out. he was so cute talking to Blaine who was four and had a front row seat. He complimented Blaine on his behavior and was so funny about how four must be a good age....me thinks Parker has a titch of the terrible twos.

Jerome standing behind the mic lip synching was just LMAO funny, he is a good sport.

Really enjoyed seeing so many CV friends and meeting new ones.

Ymarie was a great seatmate and a lot of fun. We were blessed with the oddest couple sitting in front ofnus...she seemed to be drunk and fell asleep and he was up and down, in the lobby, changing seats and talking in a loud voice, oy vey. Pretty distracting

Clay's thank yous were heart warming and Del's joke delivered as only Del can

Not only is it daylightnsavings tonight,I have to leave for the airport at 6:30 am.

Safe travels to everyone...

[Marilyn]

COPINGINCALIFORNIA

Back from the concert.

A good time was had by all.

Canuck and Yaknelle sat in front of me.

Nuff said!

ETA: I sat next to a lovely 20 something gal on one side who was having a great time and the other twenty something gal on the other side was from japan - she literally left the day the Tsunami hit. She knows all his songs but this was her first concert. We had a great time being 12 together.

[Marilyn]

QUIET1NE

M&G: It went much quicker than I expected. He did not seem to be very chatty tonight (outside of the show). Jeans, Minnesota hoodie and flat hair.

Questions –
Do you believe in reincarnation? No.
What UNICEF trip has the most impact on him and do you plan to go on another one? UNICEF’s budget is very tight at the moment so he doesn't have anything planned. Uganda had the biggest impact. Afghanistan was his favorite (felt a sense of hope there). Most depressing was Somalia. Most on his mind due to recent events was Indonesia.
Do you ever play tourist in the cities you have an off day in. Sometimes but most of the time he wants to relax and take it easy. He has been to SF many times so he did not tour the city yesterday.
Now that he has downtime coming what is on your reading list. Downloaded a bunch from itunes yesterday and his mind blanked on what the were. The new book by the Water for Elephants author. Loved Little Bee and got the next one by that author.
Did you get the iPad2? Yes. How long did you have to wait in line? Motioned that he didn't.


My seat was never supposed to be sold because it did not exist. I went from 12th row on the center left aisle to 7th row far left. I could not see Adam and Ben at all behind the speakers. The “Tables” were just a row labeled “Table X” with unnumbered seats.

The Warfield is much more impressive on the inside than it was on the outside. It has one bar in the lobby and two in the orchestra section. I could not tell if there was a fourth in the balcony or not. They were delivering drinks all night.

He was in excellent voice tonight.

Blaine: Little boy sitting in the front few rows with his dad. Clay commented that he was very well behaved and not sleeping then asked how old he was. Blaine said he was four. Clay repeated that back to the audience and displayed four fingers, then turned to the band and said something like, “I can’t wait until four.” Has he ever mentioned Parker in the banter other than thanking us for paying for his college tuition before?

I did not notice him being any more emotional at the end than he has for previous pre-"In My Life" banter. There were lots of glowsticks for "In My Life".

"Who's Sorry Now": Clay and Quiana acted out the Disney version as if it were The Song That Never Ends from Spamalot. He hid behind her to sing the Sesame Street version while she pretended to be a puppet. Lots to crotch grabbing on the hip hop version. I like his Psychedelic version best – perfect for SF.

Del told the San Jose joke again.

I wished he had sung "Both Sides Now". I completely forgot to ask in the M&G. Oh well.

Crying, Love Story, Buttercup, UM, and "In My Life" got standing Os.

His sense of time is completely screwed up – he kept saying this tour was two months when it was really only 1 month and 2 days from start to finish.

The video cameras were out in force. No Clackdown at all.

[Marilyn]

ARTQUEST

Alrighty, then. What a great evening. Dinner with friends I hadn't seen for years plus new friends made just that minute. Then on to the Warfield. After a glass of wine with dinner and another glass during the concert, I was a very happy camper. For those who didn't listen to the Clack House cellcert, I made friends with the security people, one on each end of the front row, where my seat was. Wade, the first guy, loved how friendly we all were. The lady who replaced him half way through was also extremely nice and had her own glowstick.

When the curtain opened up and Jerome appeared, we all cracked up. The man is impressive, but he can't lip sync worth a damn. Still, it was a great start to the show. We missed Mr. Jan Whatever and his great lines, but Clay more than made up for it. In the Sesame Street "Who's Sorry Now", he crouched down behind Quiana while she acted like a Muppet. And badly, too. He ragged on her when they were done. Very funny. The Disney part was also cute. They smashed their noses up to each other and sang in that sweet Disney way, then simultaneously swiveled their heads to look at the audience and sway their arms in an arc, as if they're looking out at vast distances. (For those of you old enough, think Tony Curtis, on a hillside, gesturing to the distance, and saying, in his Brooklyn accent, "Behold, below us, the land of our faddahs.").

I'm still blown away by Unchained Melody. I can't even figure out how he finds his note to begin with. Hits it every time, though.

Then, before "In My Life", he starts talking about the fans and points to me and asks about the cellphone. I said it was Cissy, and he repeated the name. The audience clearly knows who this is as they cheered. He didn't take the phone, though. I thought he might, and was a little worried, as the iphone had Goood Baby Brush in large letters across the top. That would have been a little hard to explain.

As he began to sing, the glow sticks appeared. Granted that I didn't have to try to see him through swaying lights, but looking back from the front row, I was really impressed. Hundreds and hundreds of beautiful lights, moving in the darkness, saying, in their own way, "We love you." He kept looking around at them. You could tell he liked it very much.

Now, about Permaswooned. How she attracts derelicts and n'er do wells, I have no idea. But tonight, and not for the first time, some low life started following her back from the theater. He kept trying to sell her some pot. Why he figured this wholesome looking grandmother would be interested in weed, I don't know. It certainly made for lively conversation at the restaurant afterwards. Anyway, if you need to score some pot, now you know who to ask.

What a great night. Thanks to my friends, and most of all to Clay. I've had the time of my life.

[Tiffany]

Scarlett got a few You Tubes up. Jerome pretending to sing Where Do I Begin is hilarious and I just watched In My Life. It was so beautiful with the glow sticks. Got teary eyed. I know Clay felt the love. I'm so proud to be his fan. Miss him already. Can't wait for what's next. Will go to his concerts and contunie to support him til the day I die.

Great recaps. Sounded like a wonderful last show. Looking forward to hearing what Johanna and Shirl thought. They were very lucky to be there.

Thanks Clay and crew for everything. Will cherish the memories.

[fhmmany2]

Just talked to Shirl, who is on her way home. She is so happy. Her first ticket from the public broadcasting station was in the balcony (they bought tickets without getting to know where they were located). Shirl is in a wheelchair, and the theatre did not have an elevator to the balcony. Shirl was told that something would be worked out when she got there, and it was - she had a seat on the aisle on Row G. She also said that everyone she met was so much fun and friendly (of course - they were Clay fans, after all!)  She did get to meet Johannna, and was very happy about that. I will let her give her recap herself - she said she is very tired and will be headed for bed when she gets home - hopefully she will write a recap tomorrow.

[Tiffany]

Thanks Frankie. So happy for Shirl. Glad she got a good spot. That's great she got to meet Johanna. Glad she had a lot of fun.

[Marilyn]

The following Scarlett clips from the San Francisco concert have been uploaded to You Tube:

Where Do I Begin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17u-b4V6vJ4

Mack The Knife: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvl80RIcAfQ

Pre-"Who's Sorry Now" Banter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKSv-mP3z1U

Who's Sorry Now - Psychedelic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfy9vOu617Q

Who's Sorry Now - Bollywood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4vCs8LeJF4

Who's Sorry Now - Sesame Street: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyILRQN0cCU

Who's Sorry Now - Disney: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAwuHp-umyw

Who's Sorry Now - Hip Hop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP_rQS7S1wA

Links can travel.

[Marilyn]

Just talked to Shirl, who is on her way home. She is so happy. Her first ticket from the public broadcasting station was in the balcony (they bought tickets without getting to know where they were located). Shirl is in a wheelchair, and the theatre did not have an elevator to the balcony. Shirl was told that something would be worked out when she got there, and it was - she had a seat on the aisle on Row G. She also said that everyone she met was so much fun and friendly (of course - they were Clay fans, after all!)  She did get to meet Johannna, and was very happy about that. I will let her give her recap herself - she said she is very tired and will be headed for bed when she gets home - hopefully she will write a recap tomorrow.

Oh, I am SO glad that she got to see a show!!

[Marilyn]

canuck 2010

Hi everyone. I'm sitting here in the dep.lounge at SFO, feeling very zen and satiated. I always feel a day late and a dollar short with these recaps when I can't get to them until the next day. I do have to say that these pasttwoweekswill live in my memory forever. I hated to say goodbye to "gareem, lovethatguy and Yaknelle"not knowing when we'll meet again.

Clay said, in our M&G in Ft. Wayne, that he would be back "in a minute" and I'm holding onto that like it's a lifeline.

I'm so glad the stream was clear last night.Libby was sitting fairly close to us so, if you heard some major guffawing throughout the funny bits, I plead guilty.

His intros and thankyou's his band, Quiana and everyone else on his team were so sincere and beautiful. His thankyous to us, whoever we were, were heart warming and emotional for me. there has nerverbeen and never will be another performer who does this to me.

A lovely young woman and her friend were sitting beside us and the one had never seen Clay sing in person before. At the end of the show, she was wiping away tearsand said that she would be back. that made me so happy. I just love when a NJU falls under his spell.

I hope he has a wonderful rest now and comes back to us refreshed and ready to rock my world again.

Eta-I had planned on waiting til I was home on a regular computer to post. I think that was a good plan.

[Marilyn]

Unchained Melody: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYohzpXrct0

Pre-"In My Life" Banter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEL_SFP1b3I

In My Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBIZj92J4j4

Links can travel.

[Marilyn]

ROSEAUGUST

My DH went with me to the concert last night. This was first Clay concert (I don't count the ice skating thingy) and he wasn't really looking forward to it. As we were leaving the hall, he said that he "enjoyed it alot. I would go to another concert. He's a good entertainer." Other random unsolicited comments on the drive home included: "He has a quick wit. He must be smart." "He has such a stage presence." "Do you have his latest CD so we can listen to it on the way home?" YAY!

[Marilyn]

CHRISTY47
I just got home from a fantastic weekend. My mom and I arrived in San Francisco on Friday and spent Friday and part of Saturday sightseeing. San Francisco is beautiful. Before the concert, I had my M&G that I had won through the "National Inclusion Project" auction. I was nervous all day and we arrived at the venue because I didn’t want to be late! Jerome came out and we got our M&G stickers. I believe I was full-fledged shaking by this time! Just to give you some background, in case you might not know, I am now 20 and have liked Clay since he was on AI since I was 12. ‘Like’ is probably not the appropriate word 

Jerome led us inside the venue and we sat down in our designated order. His demonstrations of what ‘touchy feely’ meant were hilarious. Then Jerome left to get Clay. Mary and Jerome reappeared with Clay. This was my sixth concert, but I have a feeling no matter how many times I see him, he will always manage to take my breath away. And that’s exactly what happened. You see him on television and in pictures and videos, but a camera cannot fully capture the very core of who Clay Aiken is. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s magical. He has this aura that surrounds him.

Clay was wearing a burgundy Minnesota hoodie, very nice jeans, and tennis shoes, I believe. His hair wasn’t completely styled, it was just kind of natural and looked soft

He began to walk down the row asking our names and shaking our hands. When he got to me, I must have said my name too quietly because he looked at me and said, “What was it?” I repeated my name, and I got to feel his hand for an extra millisecond Once he was finished with that, he walked back the other way and asked where we were from. I made sure to be audible this time and said, “Idaho.” I was feeling proud of myself for remembering that when he asked me, “Where at in Idaho?” That caught me off guard, I didn’t think he would ask that. I replied, “Twin Falls” and he said that he had been to Idaho. I said, “You have?” And he said, “Yea, I went to Boise during the AI tour.” I knew that of course, as that was my first concert

Clay then sat on his knees in a chair, facing us. He was just so relaxed and that helped to put me at ease. He asked if anyone had any questions, and he began answering questions while he signed our items.
He was asked if he believed in reincarnation, and his first response was, “Oh, God.” He is so funny. He said that he doesn’t believe in reincarnation after thinking about it for a few seconds.
A question was asked about UNICEF, and he replied that funding was low right now and that his favorite location had been Afghanistan. I know I am leaving out a lot, so please help fill in the blanks.
My mom asked if he ever does any city sightseeing when he has a day off. He said that he used to, but now when he has a day off he just likes to relax. I can’t blame him there.
The 3 people that Clay said he would have liked to have dinner with a few years back were still the same, although now he said he might just eat alone!
When someone asked a question, Clay gave that person his attention and looked them in the eyes, even though he was still signing. I loved that.
I asked him what books he is looking forward to reading when he gets some time off. He replied that he had just downloading a lot of books but couldn’t remember one off the top of his head. He recommended a book by the author of Water for Elephants that I can’t remember the name of right this second. He then asked if I had read ‘Little Bee’ and I said that I hadn’t. He told me I should and that it’s “really really really really really good!” He must have said ‘really’ at least 5 times haha.
Clay was asked if he had gotten the new Ipad 2, and he replied that he had. I asked him if he had actually waited in line for it, and he kind of scoffed, “No.” Then he winked at me, and I just melted.

Too soon it was time for pictures. He told us that the last few groups had gotten it right, so he had high hopes for the west coast! When it was my turn, I walked up to him and it just seems like that part is erased from my memory. I don’t know if I put my arm around him, I forgot to smell him, and I hope I leaned! I can’t wait to see the picture to find out what happened! Once Mary took the picture, I said, “Thank you very much!” to Clay and he thanked me. Then, instead of walking down the aisle, I walked into a chair. I turned back, hoping Clay didn’t see, but he said, “Woah!” I thought I was doing quite well up until that point haha  I will cherish meeting Clay forever. No amount of money or material thing can touch what I experienced.

PoisonIvy, I am so glad that you were able to get your M&G in SF. It was great meeting you

Our seats were front row center. I have never been that close and will never be again. It was a wonderful experience. The crowd was loud from the moment the lights went down. There was a palpable energy in the room. I haven’t been to one of Clay’s last shows before and I can now see what I was missing out on. Although it was bittersweet, it was so special being there on closing night. The overture began and Clay’s sweet voice began filling the theater. When the curtain rose, thunderous applause turned to laughter as Jerome was lip-synching to the theme from Love Story. It was great. The night went by too quickly. Clay was in perfect voice and playing off the crowd. He really needs his own show. That man is brilliant.

The Invisible shirt tug happened right in front of me. The Who’s Sorry Now bits were so funny! Clay and Quiana were especially funny on the Sesame Street genre.

Clay sang all the songs with such tenderness. I felt like it was physically impossible to tear my eyes away from him. His emotions are visible on his face. Or maybe he’s just thinking about what he’s gonna eat for dinner *g*
During the band intros, as he was introducing Adam and explaining how everyone 28 and younger should run out of the building as soon as possible, my mom pointed at me. Clay saw her and said, “And there’s a pretty girl in the front row.” This was just icing to the cake. Does anyone have clack of this? I would love to watch it again. He made my night

I have been wanting to hear the Unchained Melody note ever since I first heard it on the cd. Experiencing it live was unbelievable. It’s even more amazing in person, if possible.
Before In My Life, Clay said he couldn’t begin to count the number of people who were filming…illegally. He then looked right into my lens and said “possible jail time.” He kind of cocked his head and made this cute little face, and I caught this on video
In My Life was beautiful. I looked around the theater, and I just saw hundreds of glowsticks moving back and forth. To me, that moment signified what the entire evening was about – showing Clay that we aren’t going anywhere – ever.

[Marilyn]

The following Scarlett clips are the most recent group from the San Francisco concert to be uploaded to You Tube:

Misty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0JGyHG2jGA

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsQS1IB3ywM

Can't Take My Eyes Off You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAuH3Uz9y20

It's Only Make Believe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT_J8OQHS00

Pre-Autotune Banter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QKYcZmYm70

California Gurls Autotune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2fwDtt2v2o

Suspicious Minds (IMO, one of if not the best of tour): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbgaVHCEy5Q

Links can travel.

[Marilyn]

lovethatguy

I admit I was pretty stressed about whether I would like this concert or not. Seemed everyone was loving it even if the TnT wasn't their cup of tea. I have drifted away lately in my fandom and I wondered if my fandom days were moving to a different place. But, almost from the first moment I saw Clay again, that special feeling, the one that only happens with Clay spread through me. I could feel that silly delightful, only for Clay, grin start and it was there all night. Unless, of course, I was fighting tears or laughing my fool head off. And I did plenty of both. Tears and laughter, what wonderful medicine. He is just so adorable up there. I loved the concert. I absolutely loved it. Silly silly me to even have worried. Certain moments I fully expected to be highlights for me such as Build me up Buttercup, and In My Life, and the tribute to the fans before it, the hiliarious Disney and Hip Hop "Who's Sorry Now"'s. But I can honestly say that I loved every. single.song. The small band worked for me. Each song worked for me. Whereas Tnt never touches my soul with its big band presentation, each of ballad songs from that very album touched my soul over and over again. Wow. I loved this concert. Another confession. I don't like Unchained Melody. But damn, last night, the power and glory of his voice on this song is undeniable. I jumped to my feet in a standing O. For a song I claim I don't like. Only Clay can do that. Breaking up is hard to do. I don't like this song. I think it is boring. Sure, right. That was a slice of heaven last night. A beautiful touching slice of heaven. I felt very emotional after the concert. I was really quiet. I didn't exclaim over and over how much I loved it. I did go to the bathroom and cry a little though. From happiness. Kind of dumb, but true. I love that guy and it feels good. Real good.