Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Clay Aiken Sings 'Home' Run at Broadway Benefit


Clay Aiken performs 'Home' at Broadway Backwards 6.
View video by Scarlett full screen at YouTube.
Download mp3 audio by deborah760 here.

Broadway Backwards 6

Singer Returns 'Home' for Benefit

Clay Aiken returned home to the Broadway stage with a powerful performance of the song by the same name from The Wiz in the annual Broadway Backwards concert at the Longacre Theatre Monday night.

The yearly show, which features male singers performing songs traditionally sung by women and women singing tunes written for men, benefits both Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center (the Center).

Creator Robert Bartley directed and choreographed the sixth edition of Broadway Backwards. Chris Haberl was music director. The recap on the BC/EFA site proclaims that Broadway Backwards 6 raised a record-breaking $281,243. This is the paragraph about Clay's performance:
Clay Aiken, who appeared on Broadway in Spamalot, brought the house to tears with his heart-felt yearning for "Home" from The Wiz.

For more details, see the recap by Andrew Gans at Playbill, including a photo gallery. View Getty Images here.


Clay at BB6 after party.
Double clickable photo by Joseph Marzullo (WENN)

CA Fans Describe Performance

Fortunately, there were lots of Clay Aiken fans in attendance; and they have shared their experiences on various message boards.

According to dancermom, Clay was introduced just before the final group number. Included in the intro were the story of an LGBT teenager who recently committed suicide and the urgent need to stem the rash of teen deaths.


dancermom:
I was in tears, and then they introduced Clay, saying the song was dedicated to all LGBT Youth.
Applause was polite when Clay was introduced. Then he sang. Quiet at first, but the song 'Home' built. It was amazing and beautiful.

When he was done, the applause was deafening. He gave a quick bow. The applause continued with a huge crescendo. Someone in the wings must have pushed Clay back on stage because came out about five feet and bowed again.


Double click to expand BB6 graphic by LovesClaysVoice.

ncwannabe: The female host told of the story of the young woman who tragically took her own life, and introduced Clay and the song, stating that it was in tribute to her.
Clay walked out in that commanding way that he enters a stage, calmly adjusted the height of the mic stand, listened to the introductory music, and then proceeded to envelop that song into his very being, only to release it again to utterly infuse itself into every molecule within the theatre.

Starting out quiet and gentle, with an earnestness that drew in the listener to the point one was leaning forward, hanging on every word. He slowly unleashed the constraints until, suddenly, you were pushed back in your seat by the power and the emotion flowing forth from his voice, his hands, and his entire being.

Then, in those last moments prior to the final “home,” in a motion so reminiscent of his triumphant "Bridge Over Troubled Water," he glanced to the side and slightly down, as if to gather up all the life force within him, and nailed that last note with all the conviction he could muster, with a look in those eyes that was pure steel.

nanjeanne: Clay was extraordinary. It was a very special moment they gave to Clay since the song was dedicated to a young girl who committed suicide. And he was simply "Clay Aiken" like everybody knew who he was.
The applause after he sang was very strong. Lots of people were turning to each other after he sang, nodding and clapping.

asolo: It was a very special night. A very special night. Men yelled "Bravo!"

copincalif: For all those kids bullied, all those LGBT youth who wonder how they are going to make it through another day, Clay Aiken is a testament to titanium.


Clay singing 'Home' at BB6.
Click to enlarge photo by Peter James Zielinski.

'Home' from 'The Wiz'

When I think of home I think of a place where there's love overflowing
I wish I was home
I wish I was back there with the things I been knowing
Wind that makes the tall trees bend into leaning
Suddenly the snowflakes that fall have a meaning
Sprinklin' the scene, makes it all clean
Maybe there's a chance for me to go back there
Now that I have some direction
It would sure be nice to be back home
Where there's love and affection
And just maybe I can convince time to slow up
Giving me enough time in my life to grow up
Time be my friend, let me start again
Suddenly my world has changed it's face
But I still know where I'm going

I have had my mind spun around in space
And yet I've watched it growing
If you're list'ning God
Please don't make it hard to know
If we should believe in the things that we see
Tell us, should we run away
Should we try and stay
Or would it be better just to let things be?
Living here, in this brand new world
Might be a fantasy
But it taught me to love
So it's real, real to me
And I've learned
That we must look inside our hearts
To find a world full of love
Like yours
Like me
Like home.

Hopefully, others will share their Broadway Backwards 6 reflections in the comments. Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!


Signature by Linda

14 comments:

Unknown said...

WOW!!! I'm in tears. Thank you Scarlett and Caro for capturing/sharing this very special event.

Anonymous said...

Yes I agree with Miss Sally tears and I'll add goosebumps WOW that man can sing and tell a story at the same time. Thank you Caro for your blog

Hugs Margaret

chel4clay said...

I just wanted to say that I loved the comment by copincalif. So right on. Great blog, I loved the video of Clay sing "Home. He sang with emotion that grabbed your heart.

Anonymous said...

Clay sang good, and if any of it helps one person, be worth it . Hope to hear more from Clay and his singing, soon!! Thanks, D. in Wi.

SueReu said...

BRAVO Clay Aiken!!! You brought it - amazing.

Thanks to Scarlett and LCV and for those who posted their thoughts. What a special night

Anonymous said...

WOW !!! WOW!!! WOW !!!
I am stupefied.. it was just soooo beautifull. Word by word full of deep meaning... I am so touched with this wonderful song performed by my idol.

I really wish he will record broadways songs someday (eventhough he said that no recorld in the near future yet :(). I also wish he can be in other broadway show soon ...

Scarlet, thank you verymuch for the clack...without you & others who doggedly taping Clay's performance, it will be very difficult for us whose not live in the US to follow his activities ...
once again..thank you thank you verymuch :).

And to Caro as well.. thank you for the blog..you recap all comments beautifully as always. I love your blog

Love you all.
Hugs Puteri from Indonesia

Dianne Barbee said...

Hello!

Thank you for your lovely comments. It all started with Clay's very special performance. Thankfully, Scarlett and other members of the Clay Nation were there to share the evening with the rest of us.

Have a wonderful week, all!

Caro

Anonymous said...

"Thank You" for sharing this ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFULLY SUNG PERFORMANCE by Clay Aiken. This man has an Incredible Voice. I just keep re-playing this video....

Anonymous said...

I loved Clay's performance and I really hope there is a DVD of the entire show. I will definitely buy one.

Hunter

Anonymous said...

Wow! That was one hard song to sing, but as usual, he nailed it. I would never have gotten to hear it, if you hadn't put it on. Thanks so much. Lois

Anonymous said...

Hi Caro. Thanks so much for the video link. :) Clay sounds awesome. Love this song. Just amazing. Thanks to Scarlett too for making it possible for all of us to experience this and many other moments with her videos.

((HUGS))

Kathy/Aspiegirl

Anonymous said...

Hi Caro,

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME is all I can say. Thank You Caro, Scarlett, LCV, copincalif, nanjeanne and all the others that share their experiences with all of us. Oh my how I which I were there....but thanks to everyone it's the next best thing.

Clay Aiken sure can sing!!!! Can not stop listening to that voice of an angel.

Hugs,
Marlyne

ImGranny said...

WOW! What a beautiful performance of "Home!" Clay Aiken's voice and song interpretation is perfection to me!

Anonymous said...

What a BEAUTIFUL and HEARTFELT performance.

This is the Clay Aiken that STILL has me at the edge of my seat!


Ethel aka "Yes I'm Ethel"