Aiken Fans Finalize Summer Tour Plans

COMING SOON -- Amazing_CA's graphic, photo by Kareh Eh, promises Clay Aiken's Summer Symphony Tour is just around the corner.

'An Evening with Clay Aiken'

Fans Prepare for Summer Tour

As the calendar inches ever closer to the July 4 opening concert of Clay Aiken's Summer Tour, fans are excitedly finalizing travel arrangements, wardrobe additions, and pre-concert get-togethers.

The 2007 tour has several monikers, a few of which are "Summer of Love," "An Evening with Clay Aiken," "Soft Rock and a Hard Place 2007," "A Soft Rock Summer."

Drop by any CA message board, and you will find a concert forum or thread with all manner of details about each concert. Anything you want to know about the venue (website, address, phone/fax numbers, tickets, seating charts, capacity, photos), as well as driving directions, available lodging, closest airports, tour badges, pin/tee shirt designs, pre-party gatherings, promotion and publicity for each event.

Clack gathering, cell certing, and the all-important "representin' list" for each cyber community are continuously being updated.

With the posting of Meet & Greet info at the Official Fan Club, considerable collective finger-crossing has become the norm as members await the announcement of the six fans who will win a few minutes' time with Clay prior each concert.

Tour emoticons have been populating CA message board posts for weeks, and a few even found their way into this blog entry.

Tour Van All Decked Out

This weekend Angelty of Clayversity shared photos of three magnetic signs that will adorn her summer tour van transporting several fans to eight concerts -- Ohio, Cary, Asheville, Knoxville, Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Myers. Below are clickables of two of the signs.

Clay's Angels on Tour

"We will have fans from Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Brazil hopping in and out of the van as we travel down the East coast," Angelty said. "At all times we will have at least five people in the van and sometimes six. Three of us will ride in the van for the full length of the trip."

The magnetic signs are 12" x 24", on a white background, and cost $19 each, including shipping. Though he doesn't work with photos, the owner of Vinal Decals and Signs will assist customers in personalizing their selections. "I sent him the profile pictures, and he was able to convert them. I chose the colors and font size," she added.

If you happen to see the "Clay's Angels" van along the East Coast during July and August, be sure to honk!

Summer Tour advertisements have begun popping up in the media, symphony brochures and websites, even billboards. Below are a few promos from coast to coast.

July 4 Frisco,TX, Opener

Houston Symphony Lauds Singer

The Houston Symphony website features Clay on the opening page and in a section all his own. You can read Clay's segment below or link to the page here. The clickable on the right is a picture of the marquee at Houston's Jones Hall.

Houston Symphony Website and Jones Hall Marquee

Who can explain why a singer becomes a pop star? Sure, talent and ambition contribute to the rise of many singing sensations, but skill and drive alone do not guarantee a berth at the top of the charts. Ultimately, it is an almost inexplicable reaction between a singer and his or her audience that creates a superstar career, sparking the kind of fanatic devotion that propels a performer into the pop stratosphere.

Such was the explosive reaction when Clay Aiken burst onto the music scene. An unlikely pop star, Aiken has remained steadfast in his desire to remain true to the simple values he learned as a child in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“I still live in the town where I grew up,” he says. “I like surrounding myself with people I know and love.” It is this authenticity that his millions of fans have responded to, an almost supernatural earnestness that feels unconventional in the cynical world of today.

Clay will be performing hits from his two studio albums "Measure of a Man" and "A Thousand Different Ways" along with American standards.

Columbus, Los Angeles, Orlando Promos

The above flyer, entertainment insert, and "sold out" poster promote concerts slated for Columbus, OH, Chemical Abstract Service ( 7/21); Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theatre (8/4); and Orlando, FL, Hard Rock Cafe (8/19).

Thnx to a southern California fan, much of Clay Cyberspace has enjoyed the view on this billboard for the 8/5 performance at Indio's Fantasy Springs Casino.

Clickable Indio Billboard

Tickets for the recently-added 8/16 concert at the Barbara Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers, FL, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Graphic Artists Focus on Tour

The CA fandom's graphic artists have created some amazing visuals touting the singer and a multitude of names for the tour. Featured below are graphics by Katt45, photo by KarenEh, 1; Ambassador of Love, 2 and 5; ClayIzzaQT's mosaic of Clay photos, 3; and MNmeesh, 4.

My Leap Up the Ladder

This weekend I took a deep breath and signed up for online banking. I realize I'm a bit tardy; but I finally climbed up another wrung of the technological ladder. Fortunately, I was able to enroll online while speaking with a bank representative.

The I.D. queries contained the typical security choices -- middle names of relatives, favorite pet, previous street address, etc. -- and one that inspired a few chuckles:

What is the name of your favorite entertainer?

Giggling, I told the perplexed representative there was no way I could use this question because everyone I know -- or who has ever read my blog -- has this answer down pat. She laughed, and we completed my leap up the digital ladder with another selection.

Younger Fans Enjoy Clay, Too

Clay Aiken and music of the 80's continue to register with all ages, even youngsters, as these stories will attest.

Craving Clay (Clayversity): I operate childcare from my home. This morning I wanted to watch the rerun of Clay on "Martha," but this is challenging with five children from 1 to 4-1/2 running around. I turned it up as loud as I dared, sat as close to the TV as I could, and hoped for the best.

Of course, there were arguments, tears, OTT behavior, etc. However, right before Clay came on to sing I told the kids I really wanted to hear Clay sing and asked them if they could be quiet. All five of them sat down right in front of the TV and were quiet as little mice while Clay sang "A Thousand Days."

When he finished a four-year-old boy said, "That's Clay Aiken; I like him." The two-year-old girl kept repeating, "Clay Aiken, Clay Aiken" over and over. Then the first boy said that he has a microphone at home and likes to sing, too. It was a nice moment in an otherwise challenging day.

Kwhite1022 (Clayversity): On a lighter note, my four-year-old and I were listening to my 80's CD and the song "Higher love" came on. The chorus has a line, "Bring me a higher love," to which my daughter starts singing along at the top of her lungs, "Bring me a PIE of love!!!"

She was so hilarious that I about busted a gut. In her "strawberry shortcake" world, a pie of love makes perfect sense. She still sings it that way and refuses to learn the correct words!

Below is a clickable of one of the many beautiful Summer of Love tour posters Claystruck has designed:

Have an awesome week, Clay Nation!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, 2007 Summer Symphony Tour, An Evening with Clay Aiken, Houston Symphony, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation