Meadowbrook Bugs Immortalized in Clay's Show

Wailing in New Hampshire -- Photo by LynninNJ

Clay Adds to Banter, Lyrics

Meadowbrook Insects Join Show

Meadowbrook is a beautiful setting for a summer concert; but on a hot New England night with high humidity, very little breeze, and a spotlight targeting Clay Aiken & Co., New Hampshire insects invaded center stage, attacked from all directions, and assured their legacy via the singer's famous spontaneity in banter and lyrical references all evening long.

Because of the bright lights, bugs of all varieties were especially interested in the three singers ... "up my shirt, in my nose, plus I think I even swallowed one!" Clay interjected. During "1999" of The Classics Medley, he sang, "The sky was all purple; there were mosquitos everywhere."

Another time Clay joked, "The mosquitos are breeding, and my music is getting them in the mood!" Just as he made lemonade with the insect onslaught in banter and song, the entertainer put to good use a can of bug spray handed to him mid-concert.

'The Bug Show'

Besides being remembered as "The Bug Show," Meadowbrook will go down in CA fan lore as the night the excellent musicians of the Nashua Symphony proved their merit. At 2:30 p.m., the discovery was made that all show scores -- as well as the stools for the three singers -- had inadvertently been left in Detroit on Monday.

Parts were faxed to the venue, and an abbreviated rehearsal commenced at 4:30. Clay applauded the Nashua musicians for learning the show in record time.

As he does at every performance, the singer encouraged the concert attendees to support their local arts organizations and showered the evening's orchestra with well-deserved kudos.

"If you live in New England and don't support them [symphonies], they will leave and we won't have anyone to play with ... unless these horseflies learn to play the trombone!"

A musician who has dodged many swarming mosquitos and moths, as well as competed with choruses of cicadas, I thought that was one of the funniest lines all night. Listening to the cellstream on my computer and reading the accompanying thread, I sat and laughed a long time about that line.

Glow Sticks Express Fan Love

When Clay fans decide to show their singer the love, they really do it well. The info below is paraphrased from recaps by Lylekira and Clayleen:

During the first few chords of "Because You Loved Me" and right after Clay thanked everyone --and their pet bugs -- for coming, approximately 1,000 red glow sticks amazingly appeared simultaneously. The faces of Clay and his backup singers were lit in wonderment.

The crowd waved them back and forth in unison to the music, and Clay smiled throughout the song. All three were obviously touched by the gesture. At the end, Clay signed "thank you," gave the audience a huge smile, and departed.

Compliments of LonelyNoMore44, a small WMV file of the glowing send-off by Meadowbrook concert goers can be downloaded here.

Link to a Meadowbrook Slide Show by clicking on the picture below. Photographers represented are LynninNJ, Tangerine, Gerwhisp, claytonsmyccf, claytonaiken43657, Tsunamimommy, and LonelyNoMore44.

Link to Meadowbrook Slide Show -- Photo by LynninNJ

Featured on the Meadowbrook website is a gallery of photos taken Wednesday by Joy Mark. You may need to press CTRL to bypass your pop-up blocker.

Columbus Reviewer Really Likes Clay

John Petric, reviewer for The Other, an independent newspaper based in Columbus, "gets it." Buckeye4Clay of the Clayboard provided the scans, which are gradually making their way through Clay Cyber.

The article, only available in print version, begins like this:

A TRANSCENDENT NIGHT OF PURE POP BEAUTY
Clay Aiken is an utterly convincing singer. Deal with it.

The clickables of the scans are well worth the read. I kind of like the way Petric ended the review, too:

And I found myself trying to figure out how I was going to tell the world I didn't hate the guy -- that, indeed, I was somewhat touched by him.

Clickable Columbus Review

Tour Bus Heads to Newark

Next concert for the Summer Symphony Tour is 8 p.m. EDT Saturday at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark where Clay & Co. perform with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Meanwhile, Puggmom, a music librarian for her band, and this former band/orchestra director just may need to offer our expertise in that department -- for the remainder of the tour, LOL!

Have a wonderful weekend, Clay Nation!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, Measure of a Man, 2007 Summer Symphony Tour, An Evening with Clay Aiken, Meadowbrook Musical Arts Center, Nashua Symphony Orchestra, Because You Love Me, The Other, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, cellcert, glow sticks, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation