Aiken Tour Tops Fan Wish List

MEMORABLE REPLAY -- The Sterling Heights Concert from the 2007 Soft Rock Hard Place Summer Tour takes another spin in this graphic by Ambassador of Love, photos by LynninNJ.

'Listen' Duet Opens Rerun Series

Clay Aiken Tour Leads Wish List

Despite a CD countdown closing in on the March 31 remastered "very best" collection, the one thing Clay Aiken fans crave most is another live tour by the North Carolina singer.

A quick scroll through any of the thousands of message boards, websites, and blogs dedicated to CA happenings proves the point. During the wait, I decided to create a replay series of memorable moments from the six successful tours Singer Man has already notched.

This could be fun, and readers are welcome to offer suggestions for future stops. First on my list is the impromptu "Listen" duet by Clay and Quiana Parler on July 23, 2007.

Impromptu Performance Magical

Whether seated in the Freedom Hill Amphitheater at Sterling Hills, MI, or connected via a cellcert stream thousands of miles away, fans immediately recognized that the unscheduled duet by Clay and Quiana would long be remembered as one of the most incredible, magical moments in a long line of stellar performances.

Subbing for the ailing Angela Fisher, who nightly sang the "Dream Girls" song in concerts, the unrehearsed duo brought down the house and elicited exclamations that continue to this day wherever fans gather. Totally unrehearsed, the glorious vocals soared with beautifully balanced harmonies.

At the conclusion, music director Jesse Vargas joined the amazed audience in a spontaneous standing ovation.

Photo by MeganAiken links to 'Listen' duet on YouTube.

Goldarngirl and Luckiest1, known throughout the fandom for their concert montages, compiled one for the Sterling Heights Listen Duet that incorporates several videos of the performance, a split screen of the singers, and much of the banter preceding and following the song.

You can download the 93MB Listen montage with this Sendspace.

The montage Let's Listen by malgosia19 highlights several Summer 2007 concerts, accompanied by the Clay-Quiana duet.

Amazing_CA's graphic links to Sterling Heights Slide Show.

Slide Shows Recalls Michigan Memories

The Sterling Heights concert was filled with many special moments. Photographers ClayIzzaQT, LynninNJ, Fivegoldens, Shamrock, and MeganAiken are featured in the above slide show from the 2007 performance.

Almost two years later, the Freedom Hill Amphitheater website still showcases An Evening with Clay Aiken, a slide show of photos by Larry Garcia accompanied by a medley of CA songs.

The next tour stop is already in the que, but please suggest your favorites when leaving a comment. Here's to many more memories in this special replay!

Bubel/Aiken Makes a Difference

Announced last week, a $40,000 grant from The Mitsubishi Electric Foundation will help fund a a joint venture between The Bubel/Aiken Foundation and the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopikins University, expanding summer learning opportunities for all children.

RALEIGH, NC – The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) has announced $360,000 in new and continuing grants, raising the total investment in the Foundation’s five-year Inclusion Initiative to $3.2 million.

The newest inclusion project is a joint venture between The Bubel/Aiken Foundation (TBAF) and the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University.

Building on a three-year partnership, The Bubel/Aiken Foundation and the National Center for Summer Learning will create a distinct and powerful new force for change in the field of summer learning for all children, especially those with disabilities.

The partners will expand access to high-quality, inclusive summer learning opportunities for young people by developing a summer learning curriculum to help summer camps fully include youth with disabilities.

"We are very pleased to incorporate this project into our Inclusion Initiative, expanding inclusion outreach to the critical area of summer learning," said Rayna Aylward, MEAF’s executive director.

"The Bubel/Aiken Foundation and the National Center for Summer Learning add valuable experience and focus to the inclusion mix, and their collaboration will enrich the lives of many thousands of youth with and without disabilities."

The complete article can be read atTBAF website.

PHOTO INTERLUDE: This clickable interlude features graphics by Amazing_CA with photos by Katy4Clay, 2, and PermaSwooned, 3. The middle pictures are from January's TBAF Golfing for Inclusion fundraiser, and the third includes a quote from Clay's March PSA recorded for Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM).

UNC Game Vies with Schedule Again

If you stopped by this corner last weekend, you know Carolina fans are celebrating a regular season basketball championship with the team heading to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in the Georgia Dome as the No. 1 seed.

Sunday's game with Duke coincided with my flute choir rehearsal, and Friday's first appearance is also playing around with my schedule. I plan to watch 3/4 of the game, grab my music books and dash to the car during a commercial in time to listen to the end of the game on the radio as I drive to the academy for an afternoon of music lessons.

The flute choir will perform at two services Sunday morning, but I'll be home in time for the 1 p.m. championship game tip-off, hopefully watching the Heels again. Life is never dull!

Below is a clickable of the opening graphic by Ambassador of Love:

A special thank you to all who drop by the Carolina blog regularly and leave a note. Enjoy the memories of the rewind series, and have an awesome week, Clay Nation!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, On My Way Here, 2007 Summer Tour, Sterling Heights 'Listen' Duet, The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, The Mitsubishi Electric Foundation, National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, summer camps, grant, Carolina Tar Heels, Atlantic Coast Conference, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation