That note in DSIAFCD was killer! He did the change up to higher note but I didn't hear the "yeah" part afterwards. It was still wonderful. He sings this song with such passion and feeling.OH HOLY NIGHT is MY song and he did it justice. I'm interested in seeing what PAL has to say about it cuz it sounded like he added some nuances in there at the end. I thought the song was over and he was on to something else but I think he added a flourish or two or three.
Misc from Bear:Dark grey long coat with black velvet collarTalked about grandmother wanting him to play pianoSome screaming. ( ) Love you, Happy Birthday, etc. He ignored it.Children were reading from The Christmas StoryVoice obviously not 100%, but still sounded wonderful throughout...hushed, huskyAirplay will have a surprise sometime very late tonight or early tomorrow, but we haven't changed our position regarding hosting songs from MCWL.
Airplay will have a surprise sometime very late tonight or early tomorrow, but we haven't changed our position regarding hosting songs from MCWL.
This is claysvegasfan ghostposting. Well y'all have heard by now... CLAY SANG TO ME!!!!! OMG I honestly dont know how I survived. What was great about it was that it was so unexpected. He started singing WAYDNYE and filtering to the left (his right) of the stage. My seat was Row A (4th row) last seat on the aisle. He was at the top of the stairs which was so great, cause he was so up close. Then...he started moving slowly down the stairs. I was like "OMG" I thought he would get to the bottom and then go back up and finish the song center stage. But no. He came off the stairs. He looked right at me. I smiled at him. He started moving towards me. I was like "Oh no, dont come over here, I'll die." Then as he got closer I was like "Oh yes come to mama baby." He stood right in front of me and I didnt want to reach out in case security yanked him back. But he REACHED OUT FOR MY HAND! So I took it. He held it and looked into my eyes and sang. OMG I knew the power of those green eyes from TV and from the video shoot where it wasnt so close, but I have NEVER experienced anything like this, ever. I dont want to sound cliche but it was SURREAL. He finished with me and moved on to Libby not zakaroni. My god what an experience. I was shaking all over and I started to cry during the next song. Quietly I might add. During intermission, a female usher came over to me and said "Are you ok? I thought you were going to pass out, you are so cute, you were shaking!" lol So there endeth my supreme serenade by Clay. The concert was really really good. It was beautiful. The camera nazis were out in full force, so I doubt anyone got Clack of it, but I'm hoping. I saw Faye and Brett. And a ton of other meers I have not seen in ages. I'm riding so high right now. Funny enough, one of the first thoughts I had during intermission was "I cant wait to tell Ryan, he'll be so jealous!" lol jk This is my only concert this tour, but I dont want to see any others. This will always be special for me.
Okay, I'm back from the concert in Orange County. Had a great seat in the sixth row off to the side. His mother and brother were two rows behind me. I looked at her throughout the concert to catch her reaction at times. I saw her wipe a tear and smile at times. I have not read anything yet because I want to give my impressions while they are fresh. This concert is very different and I recommend that people leave their expectations at home. Firstly, he is still sick and he was subdued and pale. He is beautiful. I was worried for him for the first half because he was being guarded with his voice and I was afraid he would lose it before we got through all of it. I think he handled this concert like a real professional. He knew his limits and worked within them. The second half of the concert he started to show a little more of the Clay I have seen in concert before, but again this show is very different. I'm not sure if I am just imagining things, but I saw Angela, Quiana, and Jacob watching him with care and concern. Since I was doing that myself, I can't really tell if I was just reflecting my own feelings. I loved being there tonight. I felt so many emotions after reading his book and hearing him speak the words from his book that I felt like I was watching a friend. He's right about his fans wanting to mother him. I don't know how he is going to rest that beautiful voice, but I am really looking forward to seeing him again in a month in Pasadena. I'm glad it is a month away. The show was rocky, he messed up the words, the kids on stage were just what you would expect them to be. At times, his voice was tender and smooth; other times, rough and forced. Jerome was cracking down on people for cameras. People mostly sat through the concert. A few times people would stand for the applause. I think he did his best with limited voice and that's way above average for other performers. Don't miss this concert. Leave your expectations at home. It's quite spiritual interrupted only by the "I love you, Clay" and the "Will you marry me" catcalls. The backup singers are minimally involved except for the Quiana and Angela solos. I wonder if the solos will stay there once Clay's voice is back. I might add more later, but you can ask me questions if you want. Sounds like you heard a cellcert so I decided to just give my impression.
ellenpoppy ghost-posting from California Clayfan's computer. Lala52 and Renee4Clay from CB are also here. I see that claysvegasfan is still alive after that experience tonight. She was at the end of our row--I was three seats down from her and contemplated leaping over the intervening seats and shoving her aside when I saw Clay heading her way--and it was incredible how Clay held her hand and sang right to her. I want to add that Clay--sounding beautiful and much better than I expected--continued down that aisle and sang to Libby (come out, Libby, and post!) and then to a handicapped woman in a wheelchair in the next row. He reached down to hug her, and she was trying to reach up to him for the hug. I asked her later what happened. She said that he tried to lift her up and asked her in a whisper if she was okay with it, and she said she whispered, "I'm a quad," and he said, "That's okay," and attempted to pick her up. Her seat belt was attached, and her husband scrambled to unhook it while Clay waited and continued singing. Then he reached down and held her up in his arms and danced with her. She said that he knew exactly how to hold her, apparently because he's held quadriplegic children. He continued dancing and singing throughout this. Next, he sang to a young girl of 8 or so, getting down on his knees and kissed her on the cheek. We'll be back with more after we get our food...
ellenpoppy posting here, sitting with California Clayfan, lala52 and Renee4Clay. Random comments: When Clay first came out, I thought he looked beautiful but thinner. (Two other CHers agree, contrary CB person thinks he looked the same.) His sweater and pants appeared baggy to us, as if he'd lost five lbs. since first picking them out. The weight loss, however, served to really accentuate his chisled cheekbones, and the lighting made him look truly beautiful. We feel that he didn't look sickly, although he did seem to have extra stage makeup on, probably to give him some color. Now, the voice: CCF feels that he sounded gravelly in quite a few places, probably because he's still getting over his illness. We thought he sounded great, was careful in reserving his voice a little for future concerts, but was able to hit some high notes that were amazing, considering that he had no voice at all a week ago. Random musings: -Clay didn't talk at all until about four songs in. He mentioned that the doctors told him not to talk unnecessarily (but talking to us is necessary!!!), so he said he'd have to sing more instead. (I was glad that he mentioned this, so that reviewers and people who were unaware that he was sick would better understand any voice limitations.) -lala52 said that on OHN, the audience exhibited "premature adulation" (don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger) in giving Clay a standing O at the expected ending of the song. Obviously, we did not anticipate the proper climax of the song, since Clay had a little more left in him. (Quoting lala52 again...) WHILE WE WERE STANDING AND APPLAUDING, HE SHOOK HIS HEAD SLIGHTLY AND HELD UP HIS HAND AND WAVED AS IF TO TELL US THAT HE HAD MORE TO THE SONG. Then, to our surprise, he added another line with a great glory note!
Just walking in at the start, the whole place was abuzz. I’d never been to a show in a theater before with an atmosphere like that. It was…electric. And, lo and behold, who am I sitting next to? The reviewer from the Orange County Register. He was taking a lot of notes during the show and listening attentively. I didn’t press him too much for his opinion of things, but he did share that he thought Clay was holding up extremely well considering he was coming off being so sick. I feel somewhat assured that whatever his opinion, it will be an honest review of Clay and the show, although I can’t remember offhand what his IT and Idols reviews were like. My general impressions: There are some definite kinks that needed to be worked out, and I’m guessing that Clay will be having some words with a few people after the show. Before I start waxing poetic (or just EEEEing, as the case may be) about some of the performances, the not so good: 1. The kids. My husband and parents and I agreed that they added zilch to the show. The high school choir was effective, though. 2. The sound. I think the band was drowning Clay out in some places and there was some significant feedback on Clay’s mike at a few points. 3. The drummer. Totally f-ed up TFN and one other song, IIRC. Clay was the consummate professional and covered over the mistake very well. 4. The ending. To echo a few others, the final song, IMO, completely sucked all of the energy out of the room. Should have ended with DSIAFCD or JTTW. 5. Angela. One word: screechy. My husband was covering his ears. 6. Clay appeared to be having trouble with his modulation. Whenever he tried to sing softly, he went really hoarse, and tended to glory note more than on the album in order to improve his tone. Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, on to the good stuff… Sleigh Ride was AWESOME! He sings it even faster and more bouncy than on the album, if that’s even possible. Really great start to the show. Silver Bells with Qiana was really lovely. They seemed to blend much better than Clay and Kim Locke, from what I remember. The Christmas Waltz was one that I hadn’t heard before, but really liked. And then…WAYDNYE. O.M.G. So sexy. And I was beside myself with glee that so many of the CHers (including my favorite zakaroni) were getting to experience Clay soooo close. I thought it was really sweet and so very Clay-like that he chose a woman in a wheelchair to slow dance with during the song. Quiana’s solo, MGUCL, was really well done. I know it’s been pondered here many times before, but I just can’t figure out why this woman doesn’t have her own record contract by now. After intermission, Clay comes out to sing OHN in a Christmas Carol jacket that was absolutely to die for. He got a well-deserved standing O for his rendition. He must have had some throat coat tea during intermission, because he seemed a lot stronger after the 20 minutes rest. TFN, one of my all-time favorites of his, was absolutely perfect – strong and clear. My favorite of the second half (and possibly of the whole show) was I’ll Be Home for Christmas. Clay and a piano. What else is there to say? S’Von had quite a bit of fun with his noodling (which was the source of the laughter). It was just so tender and so jazzy-sexy. Afterwards, Clay went into his banter about giving love throughout the year, introduced Walter A in the audience, and then segued into DSIAFCD. Getting to experience the utter joy with which he sings this song is absolutely worth the price of admission