Clay Aiken Winter Tour To Debut in Chicago

CHICAGO CONCERT 22 days and counting! - Graphic by AmazingCA.

Oct. 14 Tried & True Concert

Widget Counts Down to Chicago

"Clay Aiken in Concert," an exclusive one-night only performance in Chicago's intimate Park West Theatre, is just 22 days away!

Sponsored by WTTW, the Oct. 14 concert will feature the singer's chart-topping hits, as well as songs from his new album, Tried & True. Single tickets can still be purchased here.

Count down the days/minutes/hours/seconds until this concert by keeping tabs on the sidebar widget created by Scarlett with Cotton's photo from the Foxwoods Timeless Tour Concert. Below is a double clickable of the widget art:

Photo by Cotton

Wednesday afternoon Pink Armchair posted information for Chicago concert goers on several message boards:

Park West is "first come-first served" general admission. And that’s still true for the seats in front on the level closest to the stage. That level, which has tables and chairs, is a flat dance floor about 30 feet deep.

Further back from the area down front, there are rows of booths on progressively elevated tiers, some seating 2-3, others seating 4-6. In the last row of booths, you are no more than 60 feet from the stage. Besides a great view of the stage, the acoustics are incredible, too.

By special arrangement with Park West for this show, ticket holders can call and reserve a booth, for as long as they last. If you aren’t particular about being right down front and don't feel like standing in line, give the venue a call (773-929-1322) between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT.

For those who choose to stand in line, there will be no stampeding for seats. It's not allowed. Ushers will seat concert goers an individual or group at a time.

Official Fan Club pre-sales, currently underway for 19 or the 22 Tried & True Winter Tour concerts, will end at 10 a.m. PT Thursday. OFC members should see Appearances at the fan club site.

Tried & True Winter Tour

Oct 14 Chicago, IL - Park West
Feb 10 Miami, FL - Arsht Center
Feb 11 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
Feb 12 Sarasota, FL - Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Feb 14 Houston, TX Jones Hall*
Feb 16 Atlanta, GA - Cobb Center for the Arts*
Feb 17 Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre
Feb 19 Cleveland, OH - Playhouse Square
Feb 20 Waterbury, CT - Palace Theater
Feb 22 Baltimore, MD - Kraushaar Aud at Goucher College
Feb 23 Charlotte, NC - Blumenthal Center for the Arts
Feb 24 Greenville, SC - Peace Center for the Arts
Feb 26 Westbury, NY - Theater at Westbury
Feb 27 Glenside, PA - Keswick Theater
Mar 01 Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theater
Mar 02 Fort Wayne, IN - Embassy Centre
Mar 04 Waukegan, IL - Genesee Theater
Mar 05 Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
Mar 07 Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
Mar 08 Grand Prarie, TX - Verizon GP
Mar 10 Mesa, AZ - Mesa Arts Center*
Mar 12 San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom

It's Only Make Believe- Tribute to DWTS Winners
Montage by SueReu with vocals by Clay Aiken
View full screen at YouTube.

DWTS + Clay = Delightful Montages

This week marked the beginning of a new season of ABC's popular Dancing With the Stars, and it's just a matter of time before new montages pairing the song stylings of Clay Aiken with favorite clips from the show emerge.

In the above montage, SueReu seamlessly merged 10 seasons of DWTS winners with "It's Only Make Believe" from the Tried & True CD, Clay's June release by Decca Records.

Winners of the 10 seasons include Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo, 1; Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke, 2; Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke, 3; Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough, 4; Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough, 5; Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas, 6; Brooke Burke and Derek Hough, 7; Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas; 8; Sonny Osmond and Kym Johnson, 9; Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough, 10.

Sacrificial Love - DWTS 9 contestants dance Viennese waltz.
Montage by LovesClaysVoice with vocals by Clay Aiken
View full screen at YouTube.

Montages Span Recording Career

DWTS montages with CA accompaniments span the singer's recording career from the 2003 Measure of a Man album to A Thousand Different Ways (2006), On My Way Here (2008), the 2008 single "Just You," and Tried & True (2010).

This list represents a sampling of the countless DWTS montages at YouTube. You are welcome to suggest others in the comments:

Everything I Have - Season 10 contestants dancing the Viennese Waltz, Clay Aiken vocals featuring William Joseph, piano, montage by LCV. (ATDW)

Something About Us - Apolo Ohno and Julianne Hough: The Reunion by sallyboo8892 (OMWH)

Touch - Apolo and Julianne from DWTS by Aspiegirl (MOAM)

Sacrificial Love - DWTS Season 6 Viennese Waltz by musicg57 (OMWH)

Just You - DWTS Season 8, Final 5, montage by LCV (single)

Everything I Don't Need - DWTS Season 8, Final 3, montage by LCV (OMWH)

When You Say You Loved Me - DWTS Season 9, montage by LCV (MOAM)

X2: Thousand Different Ways / Measure of a Man
will be released by Amazon and CD Universe on Sept. 28.

'Invisible' Song of the Day

"Invisible," lead single of Clay's first CD, Measure of a Man, was the Legacy Song of the Day for Tuesday, Sept. 21.

Clay Aiken first rose to prominence in the second season of American Idol and has since appeared on Broadway, co-authored a book, produced his own Christmas Special, and released a number of albums that have captivated millions.

How time has flown by. It seemed just like yesterday that Clay was wow-ing Simon and crew over at A.I., now he is a household name who tours the globe promoting his pop hits.

Enjoy Invisible at the Legacy site, one of nine 14 tracks from The Very Best of Clay Aiken on the player. Others include "The Way," "On My Way Here," "This Is the Night," "Here You Come Again," "Measure of a Man," "The Real Me," "Something About Us," and "Mary, Did You Know."

NIP Needs More Votes NOW!

The National Inclusion Project seems to be stuck on #20 in September's Pepsi Refresh Challenge and needs to make a move to the top 10 to secure the $50,000 grant.

Send prospective new supporters to Clay Aiken Fans Campaign for $50k Inclusion Grant for information and handy voting links.

To order a 2011 calendar by the Nov. 22 deadline, see 2011 Clay Aiken Calendars Slated for Gala. This is also an Inclusion Project fundraiser.

Below are clickables of AmazingCA's latest graphics, the opening Tried & True concert art and one with Timeless Tour photos by kareneh:

Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!

Caro

Thank you for your comments and props for contributing artists in the Carolina blog. To leave a remark, scroll to the bottom, click on the "Post a Comment" link, and write in the box provided. Many thnx for stopping by today! - Caro